Passion For Crafts

A Big Favour For Jack

2011-01-26T18:42:00.003Z

A big hello to all of my blogging friends.

As you have probably noticed I have been absent for quite some time now. As you all know from my previous posts I have been working hard to secure the funding for a residential school for Jack.

You will be glad to hear that everything is now in place and Jack move into his new home on Monday....It will be an extremely hard time for both of us especially as Jack is not allowed a home visit for the first 4 weeks :(

So I wanted to ask all of my crafting buddies a really big favor... I thought that since Mum can't be there to give him a hug when he's feeling low...it would be lovely if we could send him a hug in a card...I am sure this would really help to cheer him up.

If you are interested in sending Jack a Hug...please email me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will forward you his new address at school.

Many Thanks

Hugs

Some Saturday Sweetness :)

2010-07-24T07:00:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone...I hope your all enjoying a relaxing weekend.

Just a quick Candy Post today.... This weeks Penny Black Candy is this cute 'Easy Rider' stamp from the newly released 'Sweet Things' stamp collection.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning the stamp is leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Saturday July 31st and I will announce the winner right here on Sunday August 1st.

Have a great weekend and good luck to you all!

Hugs

Fun in the Sun

2010-07-23T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone....can you believe it's Friday already!.... Jack finishes school today for the summer holidays. The payments are now in place for me to employ a helper for two days a week to support me with taking Jack out & about...so hopefully by keeping him occupied it will reduce the aggression...fingers crossed :)

Whilst Jack is around I am afraid my posts may not be as regular but I will try to post a few times a week and of course I will be back with my regular weekly candy :)

I am playing catch up this week...here is a DT card I have made for this months challenge over at Bunny Zoe's Crafts. This months 'Summer Days' Challenge was set by the lovely Mina.

I have used this adorable 'Goggles' Stamp by Belles & Whistles. I have coloured the image with Copics. The papers are from the 'Delovely' pad by Cosmo Cricket. The Sentiment, Sunshine. and scalloped border are all from the 'Sweet Summertime' collection by Echo Park. I used a really old Sizzix die to create the starfish embellie and some chipboard letters to spell out the 'Fun' sentiment.

I am off to visit my Mum today...she is still not too good and is suffering from really severe depression after her stroke last year....she was supposed to stay with me for a few months...but only manged to cope in my mad house for a few weeks...I do have to admit that being around Jack is not at all restful! LOL....anyhoo I am going to try and persuade her to go out for lunch today...she always makes 101 excuses not to go...but this time I not taking No for answer...she spends far to much time alone and I think that is half the problem...getting out & about may help her forget about her own problems for a while.

Thanks for visiting...I hope you all have a great day!

Hugs

Mid Week Magnolia Candy!

2010-07-21T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone...I hope your week is going well...I have an appointment to view another school for Jack this morning...so I will hopefully I will get around to posting another card later today.

This weeks Magnolia Candy is the fab 'Mermaid Tilda' from the new Magnolia 'Bon Voyage' Collection.

All you have to do to win the candy is leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Wednesday July 28th and I will announce the winner right here on Thursday July 29th.

Have a great day and good luck to you all!

Hugs

Graffiti Girl

2010-07-20T07:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you are all well. I am slowly getting back into my crafting groove again...and it always helps when there is fabulous batch of new images to play with :)

I met a lovely young lady during my hols who inspired this card...she had bright purple hair...and was getting odd looks from everyone in the cafe including my guests...it was packed and nobody would offer the poor girl a seat.... it really annoys me so much when people are so judgemental... so as we had a spare seat at our table I invited her to join us...it turned out that she studies History at the same University as my daughter Chloe so we had lots to chat about...and she gave us a list of places to visit locally...she also gave me a great shopping tip.... I was admiring some chain she had attached to her clothing and she told me of a local shop that sold it by the metre in lots of fab colours...so after lunch I popped an got a few lengths...so a big thank you to Hanna for giving me a much needed boost of inspiration :)

I have used on of the gorgeous digi images 'Da Bomb' from Kenny K Downloads. I have coloured the image with Copic markers and sponged the background with 'Dusty Concord' & 'Black Soot' Distress Inks. The paper is from the Prima 'Pulse' collection...I have distressed the edges with the Tim Holtz 'Paper Distresser' Tool. I stamped some paint splodges around the image with a stamp from 'Urban' stamp set by Bo Bunny. I attached the chain to the card using some silver star brads from my stash. I thought a pretty flower would look out of place on this card so I used a Pink Paislee 'Doodle Flower' stamp on plain cardstock and coloured it with a Copic to match the image.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R00, R01.
Eyes: B000, B02 /C0.
Hair: RV00, RV02, RV04, RV06, RV09.
Vest: G0000, G000, G00.
Jeans: BV000, BV00, BV01, BV11.
Boots: C4, C5, C7, C9/RV00, RV02, RV06.
Can: C4, C7/YG00, FYG2.

Thanks for visiting have a lovely day!
Hugs

Poppy Love

2010-07-19T07:00:00.001+01:00

Good Morning Everyone...I have really enjoyed my two week break but it's great to get back to my crafting again :)

Today I have a Sweet Pea card to share with you today.

I have used the beautiful 'Poppy Love' Stamp. I have coloured the image with Copic Markers. the paper is from a pack that I picked up from Calico Crafts from the 'Vintage Letters' collection. The heart shaped doily behind the image was sponged with Distress inks. To create the poppies I used the 'Floriano' & 'Starburst' punches by McGill and the medium 'Retro' flower punch by EK Success...the leaves were punched with the Leone Em 'Rock Fern' punch.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R11.
Hair: E50, E51, E53.
Eyes: B01.
Bodice: B39, B41, B91.
Tail: C1, C3, C5, C6, C7.
Poppies: R24, R39.

Thanks for visiting...have a great week all!
Hugs

Monday Morning Candy!

2010-07-19T06:59:00.002+01:00

A very happy Monday morning to you all...I'm back with some Sweet Pea Candy to hopefully brighten your start to the week :)

This weeks Candy is the beautiful Sweet Pea 'Purple Comfort' Stamp.

All you have to do to enter is just leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Monday July 26th and I will announce the winner right here on Tuesday July 27th.

Thanks for visiting and have a great week!
Hugs

Winner of the 'Betsy Bluebell' Stamp Set

2010-07-17T16:20:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you are all enjoying your weekend so far. I popped into the Craft Show at the Doncaster Racecourse today...I was very good and didn't spend much at all! LOL...it was lovely to see Bev and Net again and I was thrilled to finally meet Jacqui & Marcea :)

....so on to the winner of the Penny Black 'Betsy Bluebell' Stamp Set.

Here is the winning number picked at Random.Org.

Number 241....congratulations to Heike.... would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post.

Thanks for visiting...have a great weekend!
Hugs

Winner of the 'Romantic Tilda' Stamp

2010-07-16T17:02:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you had a fab day...I have been to look at a school for Jack today...quite nearby in Hull...I was quite impressed with the school but Jacks dad was didn't really warm to it...but it's my call so it's definitely one for the 'Maybe' list and worth a revisit.

Another winner to pick today...this time for the sweet 'Romantic Tilda' stamp...

Here is the winning number picked at Random.Org.

Number 64...Congratulations to The Cook....would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post :)

Enjoy Your Evening :)

Hugs

Winner of the Sweet Pea 'Aloha' Stamp

2010-07-15T17:22:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone, I hope you have all had a fabulous day. I think my visitors have taken the good weather back to Prague with them...we had a thunderstorm here last night...so Layla my little dog spent most of the evening howling like a wolf! LOL...I have never seen her do that before and I thought it was quite funny at first...but it was not so amusing so at 2am when I was trying to sleep! LOL

Here is a piccy of Layla that I took on my hols last week...she has loves to share a Latte with me :)

....As promised I have popped by to announce the winner of the Sweet Pea 'Aloha' stamp.

Here is the winning number picked at Random.Org.

Number 25...Big Congrats to Louise...would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post.

Have a great evening everyone!

Hugs

Hellooo & winner of the PB Aloha Mini Kit!

2010-07-14T16:10:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone, I am back in blogland...well very nearly anyhoo :)...My visitors left yesterday...We all had a fabulous week we travelled over 1600 miles during the week visiting all the all the local beauty spots...lots of walking, eating drinking and laughing and a little shopping thrown in here and there too...so much shopping that we really struggled to cram everything back into the suitcases! LOL....I am feeling really well rested and raring to go but I am taking the rest of this week off to visit potential schools for Jack...after dragging their feet for the past 12 months the local Education Authority are now trying to rush things along...a little too quickly for my liking...so now it's my turn to drag my heels and make sure that I pick the best school for Jacks needs.

I am sorry for not posting the winners of my blogcandy last week...I had thought that I could steal a few minutes to myself to post the winners during the week...but unfortunately I just couldn't find a spare minute...so I will be posting them over the next few days.

.....Starting today with the winner of the Penny Black 'Aloha' Mini KitSo here is the winning number picked at Random.Org

Number 198...Congratulations Jane.... would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your Kit in the post.

Have a wonderful evening everyone!

Hugs

Some Saturday Sweetness :)

2010-07-03T06:59:00.000+01:00

Good Morning everyone...Well my visitors have arrived safe & sound and today we are showing them the delights of Doncaster...not that there are many to see...but the local market runs today and Aneta says she needs her retail therapy fix already...her spending money will be gone in a flash at this rate! LOL

This weeks Penny Black Candy is the new Betsy Bluebell stamp collection...I am loving this new range of stamps :)

All you have to do to win the set is is leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Saturday July 10th and I will announce the winner right here on Sunday July 11th.

Have a great weekend and good luck to you all!
Hugs

...Have a great weekend All!...

2010-07-02T07:00:00.002+01:00

Good Morning all...as you all know my visitors arrive today and Jack is going to stay with his dad... so I am having a little blogging break so that I can be a good hostess and give my visitors my undivided attention...I am not disappearing all together and I will pop back to keep you updated on our travels...and of course I will be back throughout the week with my usual candy...and maybe a few extra treats here & there ;)

Have a fabulous weekend all!
Hugs

Winner of Magnolia 'Loving Bridal Couple'

2010-07-01T18:05:00.006+01:00

Hi, just popped by quickly to announce the winner of last weeks Magnolia Candy the 'Loving bridal Couple Stamp'.

Here is the winning number picked at Random.Org.

Number 192....congratulations Christine Craig!!...would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post :)

Enjoy Your Evening
Hugs

Sk8ter Boy

2010-07-01T07:00:00.006+01:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you are all well and enjoying the wonderful weather. I am going to be spending most of the day in the kitchen baking today...preparing some yummy treats before my guests arrive tomorrow...I'm feeling quite excited now and I am soo looking forward to having a relax myself as Jack will go and stay with his Dad for a week..whoo hoo!! ;)

On to my card for today...in complete contrast to the flowery cards over the past few days... I have gone all grungy today.

The quirky image is 'Christian' from Simply Betty Stamps. I love it!....it reminds me of my son Christos when he was young...he was a real sk8er boy....so I know all about 180's, 360's & Kickflips! LOL...he used to wear similar style clothes too but his jeans were the really really baggy style...in fact I have a funny story to share...Chloe & I went on a shopping trip to New York...Chris had given me a big list of Skate shops to visit...I walked into one of these shops and was looking at the baggy jeans...when a rather burly guy came over and said..."give me your bags"...oh my gosh I thought...I am being robbed!!...but there was know way I was handing over my Louis Vuitton and a full mornings shopping...so I basically told him to F off!...again he said...."ma'am give me your bags please!"....the muggers in NY are very polite I thought...again I refused using some rather harsh words!!...so he walked away..I sighed a breath of relief and I continued with my shopping..... It wasn't until I reached the checkout that I realised that the poor guy worked for the store...and it was the stores policy to check in your shopping bags on entry...to reduce shoplifting I suppose...I felt so embarrassed that I had been so rude to the poor man...and couldn't apologise enough..I bet he thought that English ladies are right loonies!! ROFL
Anyways...back to the card I have coloured the image with Copic Markers. The papers have took a lot of ..distressing, ripping, sanding and inking with Distress Ink in Black Soot. The papers are from the 'Grunge' collection by Kaisercraft and the 'Extreme Teen' collection by Bo Bunny. The Ticket Sentiment is a Tim Holtz Adage and the other sentiments were stamped using the Little Yellow Bicycle 'Zach's Life' stamp set.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11
Eyes: E55, E57.
Hair: E44, E47, E49.
Hat: YG91, YG95, YG97.
Top: E40, E41, E42.
Jeans: B91, B93, B95.
Shoes: C1, C3.
Skateboard: C3, C5, C7, C9, E07.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!
Hugs

Tilda Ties The Knot!

2010-06-30T07:00:00.001+01:00

Good Morning all...I hope you are all well. I really enjoyed revisiting the Singing Ringing Tree last night...I laughed so much!.still laughing now just thinking about it! :)

I have made a wedding card today with one of the stamps from the new Magnolia Wedding Collection.

When I started the card...I was going to attempt a pure white card...but you know me... I couldn't leave too much empty white space and so I added a few flowers...but I did manage not to use any DP's at all! :) The image is 'Sitting Wedding Tilda'...I dunno it seems like only last week that young Tilda was dressing up in her pirates outfit...and now look at her all grown up and getting married! LOL...I have coloured Tilda with Copic Markers and added some Stickles for a bit of sparkle here and there. I used the Martha Stewart 'Double Loops' corner punch on the two base layers. The swirly frame was created with a die from the Spellbinders 'Doodle Parts' set...I followed a fab tutorial by Yvonne at the Spellbinders blog here. The flowers are from Mulberry Crafts and the flat back pearls are from Bunny Zoe's Crafts.

Thanks for visiting...enjoy you day!
Hugs

Mid Week Magnolia Candy!

2010-06-30T06:59:00.000+01:00

Good Morning everyone...halfway through the week already and I have so much to do before my visitors arrive...PANIC!!...LOL.

This weeks Magnolia Candy is the sweet 'Romantic Tilda' stamp.

All you have to do to win the candy is leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Wednesday July 7th and I will announce the winner right here on Thursday July 8th.

Have a great day and good luck to you all!
Hugs

Winner of Sweet Pea 'Blue Rose Tattoo' & blurb ;)

2010-06-29T19:33:00.002+01:00

Good evening all...:) LOL... that 'Evening All' line always makes me smile...it reminds me of Jack Warner in Dixon of Dock Green...now that is going back a long way...decades...but I was just a child at the time! LOL...Talking of childhood TV shows...I was having a laugh with Yan the other day about foreign movies...and I recalled as a child the BBC ran a series of programmes from eastern Europe...one of them in particular really used to terrify me as a child...do any of you remember the 'Singing Ringing Tree'...LOL..it has to win the prize for the most bizarre children's programme ever....especially the scary giant fish...I used to hide behind the sofa when that came on!...and the man/bear was pretty creepy too....for those of you that are too young to remember here is a pic of the giant fish...

and the scary bear/man thing!

...pretty scary huh...it was even more so in black & white! I can laugh about it now...but it was enough to give any child nightmares... I still look under the bed & behind the curtains every night to this day!!.. LOL...You are perhaps wondering why I mention this now...because this morning Mr Postie arrived with a parcel...ooh more crafty goodies I thought...no..it was the new remastered DVD... 'The Singing Ringing Tree' Movie!...Yan thought it would be funny to watch it again this evening....I am not so sure! LOL

...Anyhoo before I settle down to watch it I just wanted to announce the winner of last weeks Sweet Pea candy the beautiful 'Blue Rose Tattoo' stamp.

Here is the winning number picked at Random.Org.

Number 99...congratulations Lynne......would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post :)

Enjoy Your Evening :)

Hugs

Your'e TuTu Sweet

2010-06-29T07:00:00.004+01:00

Good Morning All, I hope you are all well...we are still enjoying a heatwave here in the UK...I love the heat during the day but I wish the temperature would cool down a little more at night... it is sooo hot and both Jack & I are not sleeping to well...Jack didn't settle until about 2am this morning so you can guess what kind of mood he is in this morning! LOL

Another pretty, girly card today. I have used one of the 'TuTu Sweet' stamp, illustrated by Meljen's Designs for High Hopes.

I have coloured the image with Copic Markers. The Papers are from the 'Urban Prairie' collection by Basic Grey and a sheet of 'TuTu Pink Dot' Cardstock from Bo Bunny. The border was created with the Martha Stewart 'Doily Lace' border punch...the first MS punch that I got and still one of my favourites. The flowers are from both Mulberry Crafts & Wild Orchid Crafts and I added some leaves punched with the MS 'Frond' punch. The pink tulle is by Bazzill Basics. The flat backed pearls are from Bunny Zoe's Crafts.

Here are the Copic Colours.
Skin: E000, E00, Rv00, Rv02.
Hair: E50, E51.
Tutu: RV000, RV00, RV02, RV21.
Flowers: RV14, RV21, YG00.

I am starting to get a little nervous about my visitors arriving on Friday...silly really..but that is just me wanting to be super organised...by the end of the week I will be running around like a headless chicken! LOL...I wish I could be one of the more laid back hostesses...like Nigella...who seems to not only cook up a storm to hoards of people...but appears to be super relaxed with her witty quips & she always looks sooo glamorous too! ;)

Thanks so much for visiting...Have a wonderful day!
Hugs

...I feel pretty...oh so pretty...

2010-06-28T07:00:00.002+01:00

Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Wow what amazing weather we are having. I popped to the Stamp Magic show at the Dome yesterday...I was very good and didn't spend too much at all...I did get some of the new LOTV xmas stamps... they are totally adorable...and it was great to catch up with Bev & Net again :)

So as the title says..I am in a pretty & girly mood today ...so away with the distress inks today and out with the pretty florals :)

I have used the gorgeous Sweet Pea stamp 'Spring Spread'. I have coloured the image with Copic Markers and added white highlights with my Inksentials Pen and some Stardust Stickles. The Pretty papers are from the Papermania 'Rose Garden' Pad. The border was punched with the Martha Stewart 'Floral Vine' border punch. The flowers are all from Mulberry Crafts and the ribbon is from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours
Skin: E000, E00, E01, R01, R11.
Hair: RV01, RV02, RV21.
Eyes: G82.
Dress: BG000, BG10, BG11, BG72.
Flowers: R37, R39, R59.
Leaves: YG03, YG25, YG67.
Background: YG00, YG01 and White Inksentials Pen.

Thanks for visiting. Have a fab day!
Hugs

Monday Morning Cheer :)

2010-06-28T06:59:00.001+01:00

Good Morning All..I hope you all had a fab weekend...it looks like we are in for another week of gorgeous weather...I do hope it holds out for my visitors :)...to brighten up you Monday morning even more I have some more gorgeous Sweet Pea Candy for you...this week the beautiful 'Aloha' stamp :)

All you have to do to enter is just leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Monday July 5th and I will announce the winner right here on Tuesday July 6th.

Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

Hugs

Winner of Purrfect Day Stamp Set.

2010-06-27T19:25:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone...Phew what a scorcher of a day...and boo hoo England are out of the World Cup :(
Anyhoo I just popped by to announce the Winner of the Penny Black 'Purrfect Day' Stamp Set.

Here is the winning Number picked at Random.Org.

Number 213...Congratulations to Billie A..... would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp set in the post :)

Enjoy Your Evening
Hugs

...Anyone for Tennis! :)

2010-06-27T07:00:00.000+01:00

Good Morning everyone. I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. I had a really lazy day yesterday...just pottering around the garden and I watched the tennis on TV. I love Wimbledon...to me it means that summer has really arrived. I haven't been down to watch it live for a few years...but I remember the first time I went as a young girl...I was dating a sports journalist and I got to go behind the scenes...we had a fab day meeting all the players...and Sir Cliff! LOL...and all rounded off perfectly with the obligatory Strawberries & Cream :)

...So I thought it would be fun to make Tennis/Wimbledon is the theme of my card today....

I used the fab 'Tennis' Anya digi image from the Greeting Farm. I coloured the image with Copics and distressed around the edges with 'Shabby Shutters' Distress Ink. The papers got the Distress Ink treatment too...they are a mix again...the Strawberry papers is from the Garden Variety pad by Cosmo Cricket, the other two papers are both from the Ooh La La Collection by MME. I printed the Game, Set, Match sentiments onto blank paper and cut them out with my circle nesties. The ticket sentiment is from the Tim Holtz Adage Ticket book. The corner flourishes were created with a die from the Vintage Set by Cuttlebug. The small hearts were punched with the Martha Stewart punch. The daisy buttons are from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours
Skin: E000, E00, R00, R01.
Hair: E07, E08, E11, E13, E17, E19.
Dress: YG000, YG00, YG01, C2.
Tennis Racket: R35.

Thanks for visiting I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday :)
Hugs

Chic Bebe

2010-06-26T09:40:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone, I am a little late with my post this morning...had a little extra snooze time this morning :) ....I had word back from the head at Jacks school and she has had lots of positive feedback from the kids & parents...quite a few parents want to join in with the class next week and word has spread around the staff too...so I think next week the adults will out number the kids! LOL :)

Today's card is for a new baby...I don't tend to make many baby cards as most of my friends are past the baby stage! LOL...but this one is for a friend who has just become a grandmother for the first time....a lovely little grandson and his name is Jack :)

I have used this adorable Hanglar stamp....I got them from an eBay store that Rach recommended...Thanks hun!...I have coloured the image with Copic markers and distressed around the edges of the image and papers with 'Weathered Wood' Distress Ink...the papers are all scraps...the 'Crown' & Quilt papers are both by Magnolia and the dotty paper is a digi...sorry I can't remember where from. The doily is from my local catering suppliers...I got a 1000 for less than £3... a bargain :). The ribbon is from the Chic Bebe collection by Teresa Collins. After seeing the new Prima mini bouquets...I thought I would have a go at making my own...the flowers are all from Mulberry Crafts and I added a few leaves punched with the Martha Stewart 'Rose Leaf' punch. The buttons are from my stash.

Not much planned for today...feeling lazy so I'll probably sit and watch some tennis....Hope you all have a great day!

Thanks for visiting
Hugs

Aloha!...Some Saturday Sweetness :)

2010-06-26T06:59:00.000+01:00

Hi, everyone I hope you are all well…I am back today with some more Saturday Sweetness...this week is it is a mini card kit including the cute ‘Aloha’ stamp by Penny Black …perfect for this time of year when we are all thinking of holidays and travel …

To go along with the stamp I have added a mix of tropical papers, flowers and buttons...all you have to do to win the kit is is leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Saturday July 3rd and I will announce the winner right here on Sunday July 4th.

Have a great day and good luck to you all!
Hugs

It's Childs Play! :)

2010-06-25T07:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone, end of a busy week for me...preparations are well underway for my visitors (Yans Mother & Daughter) who are arriving at the end of next week..the bed linen is all nicely laundered and the bedrooms & bathrooms are spotless...just got all the food shopping to do next week. I am really looking forward to having them here and sharing my little piece of England with them :)

I have a couple of cards to show you today...not my usual overloaded style..I have kept them simple because these are the cards that I worked on with the kids at my first 'Art Therapy' class yesterday....

...A few weeks back on one of my many visits to school to discuss Jack... I was having my usual rant over a cup of coffee with the head! LOL... she is a lovely lady and very open to new idea's...I was moaning about the fact that although the students at Jacks school are classed as having severe learning disabilities...the school still has to stick rigidly to government guidelines and the national curriculum...the 3 R's reading, riting & rithmatic ;)...as a parent I feel that these children need to learn far more important skills such as communication, integration into the community and self help skills...cooking , PHSE...etc. I was telling the head that she really needed to think outside the box and bend the rules when it come to teaching & engaging children with autism...she totally agreed but has her hands tied as she has to run a very tight ship with regards to budget & staffing..'Why not utilise the skills of the parents'? I said...what a fab idea she said...and so came about my 'Art Therapy' class.

It is held as an after school Club and so provides parents with a couple of hours extra respite too :)....although I thought it would also be fun to maybe run parent & child classes too....so with the help of another parent and two teaching assistant who kindly volunteered their time we created some wonderful cards... I would have loved to share a pic of the kids with you...but due to data protection issues I am not allowed...but here are the two projects I worked on with the kids...

The cards are just 4x4"...as they are a nice size to fill with smaller images and I am keeping an eye on the cost :)

...So for this sweet Crab card I got one of the Snag Em Stamps...at 99p they were ideal for this project...and so cute too...the papers are also by Imaginisce from the 'Splash Dance' Collection. I coloured my sample card with Copics and added some sparkle with stickles...I just ot some cheap water based felt tip pens for the kids to use as I dont want to stain their clothes...and to be honest I love my Copics far too much to let the kids get their hands on them! LOL...I created my own rub on sentiments using Safmat...and 'AC Christy' font...I liked the sorry sentiments but the kids all seemed to like the 'Snappy Birthday' LOL ....I added a couple of wobbly eyes for fun...as kids seem to love anything that animates the image....

The second card was a really quick 'n easy make as their was no colouring involved at all...just papers & scissors...the Crocodile & Flower images were cut out from a fab paper by K & Company from the 'Actopus to Zelephant' collection...the paper has tons of Croc images and flowers to cut out...the background papers are all from the MME 'Bloom & Grow' Collection and we added a punched border creates with the Martha Stewart 'Zig Zag' border punch...they all loved playing with the punch...in fact we had quite a problem getting one young man to part with it! LOL.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed myself...and my head is buzzing with new ideas. I hope that the project will be self sustainable...the kids get to take one card home and the other card will remain in school to be sold at the montly coffee mornings...although I do think it would be a great idea for the kids to be able to set up their own eBay store...as another Dad has volunteered to run a computer club ....the head is looking into the possibility of this as there are certain restrictions about what websites that can be visited on school computers...but it would be great for the kids to raise the money themselves and then have the all the fun on planning how to spend it!

....see what I mean about thinking outside the box...the kids have learnt about colour... shapes... and we talked about animals...and discussed Reptiles & Crustaceans... a funny quotation to share...I asked if any of the children knew what a crustacean was and one young man chirped up 'Its whats on the outside of bread...I never eat mine!"...I nearly peed my pants with laughing... ROFL...aren't kids hilarious! Learning apart... the main thing was that we all had such great fun! :)

Thanks for visiting...have a great weekend all!
Hugs

Winner of Magnolia Mini Candy...

2010-06-25T06:59:00.000+01:00

Good Morning...Just a quick post to announce the winner of last weeks Magnolia Mini Candy...Mr Linky seems to playing again this morning :)

Here is the Winning Number picked at Random.Org.

Number 143....Congratulations to Sandra (craftynan)!!....would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post.

Have a great day everyone!
Hugs

Magnolia Mini Candy...Mr Linky Is out of service again!

2010-06-24T17:58:00.006+01:00

Hi Everyone...I had hoped to post the winner of last weeks Magnolia Mini candy...but Mr Linky is out of service again!!...so I will be back to announce the winner in the morning!

Have a great evening!
Hugs

Sorry!

2010-06-24T07:00:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone. I hope you are all well. This week seems to be flying by...I had a fun day yesterday up to eyeballs in mud!...anyhoo the fountain is all clean now...though with Jack around perhaps not for long! LOL

I mentioned yesterday abouts Kids + Water = Trouble...so that is the theme of my card today...

I have used a gorgeous digi image by Mo Manning 'Monday's Child B'...ooh how spooky all of my children were born on a Monday ;) I have coloured the image with Copic Markers. The papers have all been distresses with the TH 'Paper Distressing Tool' and I have sponged the edges with 'Vintage Photo' distress ink. The papers are a mix...so from back to front...'Long Underwear' from the Boxer Collection By Basic Grey, the small dot & stripe paper is by Imaginisce from the 'Out on a Whim' collection, the text paper is 'Who Me' by Creative Imaginations and finally the large dot paper is from the 'Playtime's Past' collection by Graphic 45. For the sentiment I used some Chipboard Alpha's by the Girls Paperie.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, E01, R01.
Hair:E50, E30, E31.
Dungarees: YG91, YG93, G94.
T Shirt/Shoes: R35, R37, R39/ C1, C3.
Mud: E40, E41, E43, E44.
Hosepipe: Y23, Y32.

Thanks for visiting...have a lovely day :)
Hugs

Swingin Tilda!

2010-06-23T07:00:00.001+01:00

Good Morning everyone...looks like it's going to be another scorcher today...no complaints from me...I am loving it :) I managed to get a lot of housework out of the way yesterday so today I am going to relax in the garden and clean the fountain that Jack has kindly filled with mud & stones!...what is it about kids & water...I just caught him in time the other day...he was trying to give Layla a shower under the lawn sprinkler! LOL

Today's card is for the challenge this week at Just Magnolia... 'In the Garden'

I have used two Magnolia Stamps 'Tilda wit Three Flowers' & 'Flower Basket'. I coloured the images with Copics..and then cut the images out and fixed the bow at the top of the basket to the card with a brad...so that the image is free to swing from side to side...

The floral paper is from the Bay Blossoms collection by Cloud 9 Designs. I used my 'Peony' nesties to create a mat behind the image....and a whole pile of punches for the flowers & butterflies. For the Flowers I used the Medium & Small Retro flower punches, plus a really old Xcut punch for the tiny flowers. The Butterflies were all created with Martha Stewart punches... the Large & Small Monarch butterfly & the '3 in 1' butterfly punch. The flourishes were punched with the EK Success 'Swirl Flourish' punch...told you it was a pile of punches! LOL....Here are the Copic Colours...
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair: E50, YR20, YR21.
Dress/Ribbon: R000, R00, R14, R32.
Flowers: R32, R35, Y02, Y04, YG00, YG01, YG03.
Basket: E30, E31, E33.

Thanks for visiting...enjoy your day!
Hugs

Mid Week Magnolia Candy!

2010-06-23T06:59:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone...good morning to you all...I hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather :)
This weeks Magnolia Candy is the sweet 'Loving Bridal Couple'...

So all you have to do to win the candy is leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Wednesday June 30th and I will announce the winner right here on Thursday July 1st.

Have a great day and good luck to you all!

Hugs

Winner of 'Fly Butterfly'

2010-06-22T18:47:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone, Just a quick post to announce the winner of last weeks Sweet Pea Candy the beautiful 'Fly Butterfly'

Here is the winning number picked by Random.Org.

Number 127...Congratulations to Aussie Loz...would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post :)

Enjoy Your Evening
Hugs

Flower Girl

2010-06-22T07:00:00.006+01:00

Hi everyone..I hope you are all well and enjoying some good weather in your part of the world...it is wonderful here..I sat in the garden to colour a few images yesterday...including this one...which is from the 'Flower Girls' stamp set by Pergamano.

I have coloured the image with Copic Markers and added some Stickles to the centre of the flowers. The bright & summery papers are from the 'Spring Fling' paper stack by Wild Rose Studio. I used the Martha Stewart 'Daisy' border punch. I also used the MS 'Frond' punch for the leaves. The flowers are all from Mulberry Crafts and the polka dot ribbon is from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00. R01, R11.
Hair: E50, YR20, YR21.
Dress: RV000, RV00, RV02.
Flowers: YR00, YR02, YR04/YG00, YG01.
Water: BG00, BG10, BG11.

Housework today :(...I don't really enjoy housework much...and most days the house just gets a lick & a promise...as my mum puts it...but I need to have a real blitz today as I have visitors arriving at the end of this month and I want everything to be spic & span...I hope your day is more exciting ;)

I am entering my card for the challenges at:
The Crazy Challenge ~ All things Spotty.
Simple Doodles ~ Fun in the Sun.
Crazy 4 Challenges ~ Paper Flowers.
Totally Gorjuss ~ Sugar & Spice.
Cutie Sunday ~ Summer.

Thanks for visiting.
Hugs

'Shiver me Timbers'

2010-06-21T07:00:00.004+01:00

Ahoy me hearties...'Shiver me Timbers...Thar be a Pirate'....LOL..the challenge last week at the Simon Says Stamp Challenge was to create a 'Pirate' themed card/creation....I just didn't get around to posting my card last week..but I thought I would share it with you today.

I have used the beautiful Sweet Pea Stamp 'Unregrettable Pirate Life'. I have coloured the image with Copic Markers and added some Stickles here and there. The fabulous papers are all from the Kaisercraft 'Old World' collection...I have distressed all the edges with the Tim Holtz 'Paper Distresser Tool' and sponged them with 'Frayed Burlap' Distress Ink. The flower was created with The Tim Holtz Sizzix 'Tattered Florals' Die...I just scrunched them up...curled the petal tips...and added more Stickles of course! LOL The flourishes were punched with the EK Success 'Swirl Flourish' punch. The Sentiment is from a set by Karen Foster Designs. The ribbon, lace and nautical buttons are from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair: E21, E25.
Tail:E70, E74, E77, E79.
Hat/Belt: C4, C6, C8.
Rocks: W2, W4, W6, YG95.
Sea: BG000, BG10, BG11, BG72 & Opaque White Inkssentials pen.
Sky: B000, B00.
Sun: YR00, YR02, YR14, YR20, YR21.

Thanks for visiting..have a lovely day :)
Hugs

Monday Morning Cheer :)

2010-06-21T06:59:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone and a happy Monday morning to you all. I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I enjoyed our little jaunt to the seaside...it was a bit breezy..but I think the sea air did us the world of good we were both out for the count by 8pm last night...so I am feeling well rested and raring to go! LOL

This weeks Sweet Pea Candy is the beautiful 'Blue Rose Tattoo' stamp.

Isn't she gorgeous...I don't have any tattoos...kind of passed my generation by as a fashion accessory...plus I have a really bad needle phobia!...but my daughter Chloe has a couple of really pretty butterflies and a little rainbow with Jacks name...she just adores her brother :)...that is why she has chosen to work in speech & language therapy....she wants to help children that have communication difficulties....I am so proud of her...she is my rock and I love her to bits!...here is a pic of her along with her fellow students at the clinic where she is doing her 3 month NHS placement...Chloe is front right...the one with the specs...blind as a bat just like her mum!! LOL ...surprisingly at 5' 2" she looks quite tall in this pic...she must be standing on a box! ROFL

....So back to the Sweet Pea Candy...if you would like to win the 'Blue Rose Tattoo' stamp just leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Monday June 28th and I will announce the winner right here on Tuesday June 29th.

Thanks for visiting and have a great week all!

Hugs

Winner of 'In the Garden' stamp set

2010-06-20T19:07:00.000+01:00

Good evening everyone...I had hoped to find the time to post the winner this morning before we headed off to the beach...anyhoo we got back about an hour ago and I am feeling cream crackered!...early night me thinks :)

...So here is the winner of the Penny Black 'In the Garden' stamp set.

...Here is the winning number picked by Random. Org...

Number 40....Congratulations to Maris!! ...would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp set in the post :)

Enjoy Your Evening

Hugs

It's in the Can! :)

2010-06-20T07:00:00.001+01:00

Good Morning everyone, I hope you are all enjoying your Sunday morning...especially all the Dads...a 'Happy Fathers Day' to you all!...Jack gave his fathers day card to his dad before he returned to Cyprus..

...So I have a fathers day gift set that I was asked to make by a friend for her toddler to give to his dad...who is a painter/decorator.. off I popped to our local paint merchants to ask for an empty paint tin...I did explain what I needed it for but they still looked at me as if I was a bit of a fruit loop! LOL

For the card I used the cute digi image 'DIY Puppy' from Di's Digi Designs.

As always I have coloured the image with Copic Markers...I added some glossy accents to the drips & puddles of paint. The papers are a mix...the Large red & white spot paper is from the 'Lil Man' collection by Cosmo Ctickett, the other papers are by Pebbles Inc. I used tthe Martha Stewart 'Drippy Goo' punch to create the drip effect at the base of the frame. The sentiment stamp is by and I have used my Circle and Inverted Scallop Nestabilities dies to cut it out. The Photo corners are a Quickutz die....I decorated the paint tin with the same products and added some DCWV self adhesive ribbon around the top of the tin...I jst put some red shredded cellophane inside the Tin so that all my friend has to do is pop a gift inside.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Puppy: E01, E02, E11, E50, E51, E53
Blue Paint Tin: C1, C2, C3, B000, B12, B41.
Red Paint Tin: C1, C2, C3, R24, R27, R29.
Paint Brushes: E41, E42, E43, C1, C3.

I am entering my card for the following Challenges:
Cupcake Craft Challenge ~ One for the Boys.
Double Dutch Challenge ~ Dad's Treat.
Crafty Cardmakers ~ Cards for Men.
Cards for Men ~ Fathers Day.
Creative Inspiration ~ One for the Boys.
The Creative Cottage ~ It Takes Two...A card & something to match.
Fairy Fun Friday Challenge ~ For Dad.
Raise the Bar Challenge ~ What a special guy.
One Stop Craft Challenge ~ One for the Boys.

Thanks for visiting...have a wonderful Sunday :)
Hugs

....Beside The Seaside...Beside The Sea...

2010-06-19T07:00:00.003+01:00

Tiddly om pom pom...Morning everyone...Yeah it's the weekend...not much going on today as my car is still at the garage..it failed it's MOT...apparently it's the bushes that are the problem!...LOL...don't ask me I haven't got a clue when it comes to mechanics.. but they said they would be getting the part in today so hopefully I will get my car back later...because tomorrow we are off to the Seaside...yep sunny Cleethorpes here we come....well not so sunny I think we will have to put our woollies on. Jack love it there we head just away from the main tourist area...so there are no crowds or noise. Just lots of space and sand for Jack to throw about...ooh yummy sandy sandwiches for lunch LOL ;)

A vintage seaside card to share with you today using a free digital image that I downloaded from

Cora at Digital Two for Tuesday...she has lots of great vintage digital images and ephemera for you to download....if you are looking for this particular Bathing Beauty you will find it here

I have coloured the image in Sepia tones to make it look like an old vintage photograph and then tore around the image and sponged the edges with 'Vintage Photo' & Brushed Cord' Distress ink. The papers all by Graphic 45 from the 'Le Romantique' & 'On the Boardwalk' collections. I used the Martha Stewart 'Deco Shells' punch to create the borders. The old postcard is another digital image...that I scaled down to fit on the card...I also printed the sentiment and popped it behind an Ornate Plate from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology range. The Film Strip Ribbon is from the same range...the tickets are the borders of the Graphic 45 paper. The flower and lace are from my stash.

The Copics Colours are: E30, E31, E33, E34, E35, E37, E39.

I am Entering my card for this weks challenge at:
Challenge Up ~ Vintage

Thanks for visiting...enjoy your weekend!

Hugs

Purrfect Day :)

2010-06-19T06:59:00.000+01:00

Good morning everyone..I am here with some more Saturday Morning Sweetness...This week it is the cute Penny Black 'Purrfect Day' stamp set.

All you have to do to win this stamp set is leave a link to your blog ..If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below....the candy will close at midnight on Saturday 26th June and I will announce the winner here on Sunday 27th June...so don't forget to check back to see if you have been lucky :)

Thanks for visiting and Good Luck to you All!
Hugs

Fanks...Miss :)

2010-06-18T07:00:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone...it's nearly the weekend..I do hope this fab weather holds out, it makes life so much easier when the weather is fine as Jack doesn't get so bored and frustrated at being cooped up indoors.

No challenge card today...just a card I need to make before the end of the school year... this one is for Jacks Class teacher...I have another two to make...including one for the minibus driver...so if anyone knows of an image that would fit the bill please let me know because I am a bit stumped! LOL :)

I have used another fabulous digi stamp by Mo Manning, this one is 'Harvard'...so cute isn't he...reminds me of another old school chum...who used to have to wear those awful old NHS specs bless him...he wasn't the brightest kid in the class and that wasn't helped by his surname which was 'Brain'...so you can guess what we all nicknamed him...yep... 'Brainless'...when I think back weren't we cruel as kids...it's a wonder we all survived school without some psychological damage LOL...but it was just harmless 'sticks & stones' fun....I will have to tell you the story behind my school nickname some other day...although maybe I shouldn't it might stick again! ;) LOL

Anyhoo...I have wandered totally off track again...back to the card!...I have coloured Harvard with Copic Markers and added some glossy accents to the specs. The papers are all by October Afternoon from the 'Report Card' pad & the 'Detours' collection. The Sentiment is by Imaginisce from the Teachers Pet collection...I stamped it on plain cardstock and distressed it with 'Old Paper' Distress Ink and used the EK Success 'Binding Edger' punch and a paperclip. The alphabet ribbon is also from the Imaginesce Teachers Pet Collection. The photo corners are both Quickutz dies.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair: E50, E51, E53.
Trousers/Shirt: B000, B00, B01.
Sleeveless Sweater: C0, C1, C3, C4, YG21, YG25
Shoes: C1, C3, C4,
Specs: R24
Books: R27, R39, YG25, YG63, B, B.

Thanks for Visiting...Have a great Day!
Hugs

Winner of 'Ballerina' Tilda

2010-06-17T19:54:00.006+01:00

Hi Everyone, hasn't it been a gorgeous day...I have spent most of it outdoors and I am going to have to get jack in for his bath soon...so I thought I would post the winner of last weeks Magnolia candy while I have 5 minutes :)

Here is the winning number picked by Random.Org.

Number 286 Congratulations to Krasimira would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post.

Have a lovely evening All!
Hugs

Relax and Enjoy....

2010-06-17T07:00:00.000+01:00

Good morning everyone, the weather looks set to be fine again today...so I plan on having a mini blitz around the house and then heading outdoors...maybe I could pop and get a few pretties for the garden...I'm sure I could find space to squeeze a few more plants in :)

You need your shades for today's card....LOL...it's a little on the bright side :)

I know I said it last week but I love, love, love the new release by Kraftin Kimmie...I have used the glamorous 'Florence' for todays card...as she looks like she is posing for a photo...so I ran with that theme. As always I have coloured the image with Copic Markers...added some little dabs of Stickles to the sand and a slick of glossy accents on the sunglasses. I used the EK Success 'Binding Edger' to create a frame for the image. The fabby bright & sunny papers are all from the 'Hello Sunshine' collection by Lily Bee Design. I punched the flowers using the Large & Medium Retro flower punches and added a pretty brad by K&Co. I stamped the 'Stampendous' sentiment on to a scrap of paper and just tore around it. I used a small piece of Tim Holtz 'Film Strip Ribbon' and the polka dot ribbon is from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair: E51, E53, E55, YR20, YR21.
Bathing Suit: B000, B00, B02, B04, B05.
Sunglasses: R24, R29/C1, C2, C3, C6, C8.
Headband: R24, R29, C0, C1.

I am entering my card for the challenges at:
Kraftin Kimmie Stamps! ~ Beachy Keen!!
Quirky Crafts Challenge ~ Summer.
A Spoon full of Sugar ~ Enjoying the Sunshine.
The ABC Challenge ~ W is for Weather.

Thanks for visiting...enjoy your day!
Hugs

Winner of the Kraftin Kimmie Kandy!

2010-06-16T19:17:00.000+01:00

...I'm back again...just a quickie this time to announce the winner of the Kraftin Kimmie Kandy...

....Here is the winning number picked by Random.Org.

Congratulations to kymkreates!! ...would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamps in the post :)

Enjoy Your Evening
Hugs

Flower Girl

2010-06-16T07:25:00.003+01:00

Hi...tis me again! LOL.. this time I am back to share today's card with you all... I am in such a great mood today I can't stop smiling...It's just such a relief to be heading in the right direction finally :)

I have gone all girly again with this card. I have used this gorgeous new Magnolia Stamp 'Flower Girl Tilda'. I have followed the fabulous sketch by the lovely Mina over at this weeks Just Magnolia Challenge.
The image was coloured with Copic Markers with a dabble of stickles here & there :)... and I just lightly distressed the edges of the image and papers with 'Old Paper' Distress Ink. The papers are a mix again...so from back to front...'Pink Chef Plaid' by Magnolia, The Floral paper is from the 'Sweet Baby Jane' collection by Daisy D's and the 'Pink Muffin Dot' paper is again by Magnolia. The gorgeous flowers are all from Mulberry Crafts..they got Stickled too!! I used the Martha Stewart 'Branch' punch. The velvet leaves, satin ribbon and lace are all from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours:

Skin: E000, E00, R00, R01, R11.

Hair: E42, E43, E44 & E51 for the highlights.

Dress: V0000, V000, V01, RV00,

Basket: E30, E50, E51.

Rose Petals: Rv00, RV02.

Ground: YG000, YG00.

Outline: C0.

I am entering my card for the challenge at:

Just Magnolia Challenge ~ Minas Sketch

Allsorts Challenge ~ Lace and/or Buttons

Thanks for visiting...have a wonderful Wednesday!
Hugs

Special Mid Week Magnolia Candy!!

2010-06-16T07:00:00.005+01:00

Good Morning Everyone, I hope your week is going well so far....mine is going great... I have two reasons to celebrate with you today... :)

As I mentioned briefly in my last post yesterdays meeting was a great success and I got the funding for Jack to attend a residential school!!! Yeah...finally after months of uncertainty I can now see a light at the end of the tunnel...I was not allowed to attend the meeting but my friendly spy was at the meeting and I knew she would be supporting Jack & I all the way :)...all three services, Social, Health & Education agreed unanimously to joint fund the placement :)...something of a rarity I am told...but you can't argue with good reason and common sense can you! :)

The next step in the process is negotiation....obviously they will be looking at cost rather than what is actually best for Jack...where as I will be doing the opposite...so I think I will be locking horns with Cruella now and then...but we will get there in the end I'm sure :) ...LOL.... I forgot to say Cruella is my nickname for Jacks Special Ed Officer! You will probably be hearing more about her over the coming weeks ;)
***************************************

I am also celebrating reaching over 300,000 hits on my blog!!....which is all thanks to you my lovely blogging buddies....thank you so much...I do appreciate each and every one of your comments and your support has really helped me to get through some tough times....Gigantic BIG hugs to all of you XxX

.....So to celebrate all this good news this weeks Magnolia Candy is a bit spesh! ;)

I am offering this mini candy giveaway...sorry about the Pic it's so hard to get a good shot of all those 12x12's...so I will list the candy:
3 Magnolia Stamps from the new 2010 Wedding Collection they are...
1 Loving Bridal Couple Stamp.
1 Bride & Bridesmaid Stamp.
1 Flower Girl Tilda Stamp.
Plus all 6 sheets of the 12x12" papers from the new Magnolia 'Something Old, Something New' collection.... designed to coordinate with the Magnolia Wedding Stamp Collection... I have also picked out a selection of flowers to match in with the colour theme.

So all you have to do to win this celebration candy is leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Wednesday June 23rd and I will announce the winner right here on Thursday June 24th.

Have a great day and good luck to you all!
Hugs

Winner of 'Poppy Love' & Some Great News :)

2010-06-15T08:19:00.010+01:00

Good Afternoon all.... just popped by to announce the winner of last weeks Sweet Pea Stamp the beautiful Poppy Love....

...But first I just wanted to share my good news with you all...Yipeee!! I got the funding for Jacks Residential School...I'm so thrilled...I will give you the full run down on the meeting in tomorrows post as I haven't got time now his lordship is home from school ;)

Here is the lucky winning number picked by Random.Org.

Number 159 ...Congratulations to Dora!! would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post.

Thanks for Visiting...have a lovely evening!

Hugs

I Luv Ya Tomorrow...

2010-06-15T07:00:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well...everything is tickety boo here at the moment. It is D day today...all the big wigs from the Social Services and Education Authority are meeting to decide wether or not they will fund a residential school for Jack. I am not allowed to attend the meeting...but I have an insider :)...and she is coming round for a cuppa straight after the meeting...so keep your fingers crossed everyone!

I have had this digi image in a desktop file for months now so I thought that as the challenge this week at Pollycraft Monday Challenge is 'Lets Have a Sing Song'...it would be an ideal time to use it

I got the image because it reminded me so much of an old primary school friend ..'Sandra'...I used to be so envious of Sandra's cork screw curls...and she was a real miss goody two shoes at school and always came top for everything...she played piano, the violin, sang like an angel and always got picked for lead role in the school play...whereas the best role I ever got was playing the PIG in the Owl & The Pussycat!!..LOL...so funny when I think back...anyhoo I am still good friends with Sandra...in fact she only lives a couple of streets away from my mums house and it's her birthday next week so I know she will have a giggle when she sees this card :)

The digi image is 'I Luv Ya Tomorrow' by Mo Manning. I have coloured the image with Copic Markers and distressed the background with 'Old Paper' Distress Ink. I also distressed the papers in the same way...the floral paper is from the 'Early Bird' pad by Cosmo Cricket and the music sheet is by October Afternoon. The sentiment stamp is by Daisy Bucket....the Rose and pearls are both by Prima.

Here are the Copic Colours:

Skin: E000, E00, R01, R02, R11, R12

Hair: E51, E53, E55, E13.

Dress: B000, B00, B01.

Socks: C0, C1

Shoes: E31, E33, E35.

I am entering my card for the challenges at:

Crafts and Me Challenge ~ Friends & Family.
Raise The Bar Challenge ~ Sweet Music.

Our Creative Corner ~ Gotcha Cornered (Lace)

Oh La La Challenges ~ Flourishes & Pearls

Pollycraft Monday Challenge ~ Lets have a Sing Song.

Thanks for Visiting. Enjoy your day :)
Hugs

Bunny Zoe's Crafts ~ Monthly Challenge

2010-06-14T09:00:00.000+01:00

A Happy Monday morning to you all..I hope you all had a nice relaxing weekend...I had a bit of a rough one...but I'll put that behind me now...it's a new day, a new week and a new challenge :)

Yeah!!...Today is the first challenge over at the Bunny Zoe's Crafts Challenge so I do hope you will pop over and join in the fun sometime this month. There will be a fabulous prize each month.... plus one entrant will be picked to be the guest designer for next month and get up to £10 to spend on a stamp at Bunny Zoe's Crafts to use on their card!

This months challenge was set by my lovely DT Buddy Debbie Eastman...we would like to see you create something 'Nice & Girly'

I have used the sweet 'Ella' Stamp from the Puddle Jumpers range by Claudia & Company. I have coloured the image with Copic Markers. The fabulous papers, sentiment and border are all from the Crate Paper 'Paper Doll' paper kit. The flowers were created with the Small, Medium and large Retro flower punches and the leaves were punched with the Martha Stewart 'Rose Leaf' punch...I just added the veins with an embossing tool.
Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin:E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair:E51, E53, E55, E57.
Dress:RV00, RV02, RV21.
Dolly:E50, E51, R20,/C1, C3, C6/R32, R35.

I look forward to seeing all your 'Girly' entries...have a great day!
Hugs

Monday Morning Cheer :)

2010-06-14T07:00:00.005+01:00

Hi Everyone...I hope you are all well...Monday mornings huh...don't you just love them...it's the usual fun and shenanigans here again this morning trying to persuade Jack to get up for school....I know they say that God never sends us more than we can handle...but as a blogging friend recently put it...somedays I think he has far too much confidence in me! LOL....anyway I have sent in reinforcements...Layla my lovely fur baby has used her doggy charms and doggy breath to get Jack up! LOL...he loves her so much...she always brings a smile to his face so he is high spirits now and is sharing a cuddle & his breakfast with Layla :)

This weeks Sweet Pea Candy is the beautiful 'Fly Butterfly' Stamp

If you would like to win this stamp...all you have to do is leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Sunday June 20th and I will announce the winner right here on Tuesday June 22nd.

Good Luck to you all!
Hugs

Winner of Last weeks 'Wonderful Day' Stamp Set.

2010-06-13T18:43:00.002+01:00

Good evening everyone...I know I'm late again with posting the winner :(....So sorry but I am having a horrendous weekend with Jack...I won't go into details as I really did see this one coming...he just misses his Dad ... and like all of us are guilty of from time to time ... he takes it out on those nearest & dearest :)

So...on to the winner for the Penny Black 'Wonderful Day' stamp set.....

The winning number is....drumroll...Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

Congratulations to Linby!! ...would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp set in the post :)

Enjoy Your Evening
Hugs

幸せな日曜日

2010-06-13T07:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone...I hope you are all well. I bet your wondering what the title says LOL...I thought as my card today has a Japanese influence I would write the title in Japanese also :)

I have used another of the free digi images from Deviant Art. This beautiful 'Red Fish' image was drawn by Princess Elemmiriel. I have coloured the image was coloured with Copic Markers. he papers are a mix...he orange paper is from the Que Sera Sera pad by Kay&Co...I love this pad you will always find a paper in it to match almost any colour combo :)...the other torn piece of paper is from the Ambrosia pad by Basic Grey. I have torn and distressed the edges of the paper with the Tim Holtz Edge Distresser Tool and used Distress Ink in 'Black Soot' to make them look more grungy. The border was created with the 'Swirl' punch by EK Success. The Photo corner is a die cut from the 'Vintage' set by Cuttlebug. The crystal flourishes are Prima 'Say it in Crystals' and the ribbons are from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, E11, R01, R11/ Lips R07
Hair: C3, C5, C7, C9, 110(Special Black)
Kimono: YR04, YR09, YR16, YR18, R07
Goldfish: YR07 YR09/ Bag: B000, B00, B01 & YR02, C2 for shading.

Thanks For Visiting...oh BTW the Japanese title says 'Happy Sunday' :)
Hugs

Under the Sea

2010-06-12T07:00:00.006+01:00

Hi Everyone and a Happy Saturday to you all...Mr Sunshine is back again :)... so I plan on spending the day pottering around in the garden :) I have a friend coming over to help me out later so I will be able to Take Jack out for a good long walk...I am keeping him busy so that he doesn't miss his dad too much ;)

A little mermaid card today...I love the new 'Sweet November' release by CC designs...this cutie is 'Coral Reefweaver' you can check out the rest of the little beauties here at Bunny Zoe's Crafts.

I have coloured the stamped image with Copic Markers and added 'Star Dust' & 'Aqua' Stickles to give the image a bit of sparkle :) The glittered paper is 'Pool Scallop Stripes' by Best Creation. I used the 'Out of Frame' technique to cut out the image with a Circle Nestie...you can see a tutorial on how to do this on Katherinas blog. The wavy border was created with the EK Success 'Dotted Wave' border punch. I found this ribbon leaf trim in my stash and I thought it would be ideal to create some seaweed.... the Polka Dot Ribbon and tiny shells are also from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours:

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R01, R11, R12

Hair: YR04, YR16, YR18, Y35, Y38.

Tail:B000, Boo, B01, B02, B04 & (Aqua Stickles)

Seaweed Crown: YG01, YG03, YG09, YG23. ( Star Dust Stickles)

Fish: YG01, YG03, YG09/ YR04, YR16, YR18 (Star Dust Stickles)

I am entering my card for the challenges at:

The Corrosive Challenge ~ Die Cuts

Cupcake Craft Challenge ~ Dazzle Us

By the Cute & Girly ~ Something Old (Ribbons), Something New (Stamp). Something Borrowed (Katherinas Tutorial) Something Blue (Cardstock).

Stamp Something ~ Happy Somethings (Image & Colours)

Thanks for visiting...I hope you all have a great weekend!
Hugs

Some Saturday Sweetness :)

2010-06-12T06:59:00.000+01:00

Good Morning All...It's time for some more Penny Black Saturday Sweetness :)
This weeks Candy is the cute 'In The Garden' Clear Stamp Set.

All you have to do to win this stamp set is leave a link to your blog ..If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below....the candy will close at midnight on Friday 18th June and I will announce the winner here on Saturday 19th June...so don't forget to check back to see if you have been lucky :)

Good Luck to you All!
Hugs

Twinkle Toes Tilda :)

2010-06-11T07:00:00.003+01:00

Hi Again, I hope you are all well…thanks for all your lovely comments & support about the DLA Form….it was really interesting to read your suggestions…I have made a note of them and will definitely bring up those points when I meet with Mrs Winterton…it was also quite disheartening to hear that this insensitive bureaucracy occurs not just here in the UK but around the world. I do hope that this new government of ours is true to its word and bins all of these time-consuming forms that they mail out in the thousands…it’s a start towards the budget cuts they keep telling us about!
***************************************

Finally a card to share with you...I was too late to enter last weeks Just Magnolia Challenge so I have made this card for the Magnolia Down Under Challenge which is Polka Dots and for the Magnolia-licious Birthday Bash which was to make an easel card.

I do enjoy making Easel cards but find them so difficult to photograph! LOL
I have used the pretty 'Ballerina Tilda' stamp by Magnolia. The image has been coloured with Copic Markers...I added some 'Stardust Stickles' to Tildas Tiara. I Stamped the image on to the background paper (SEI My Baby Girl Dot)...and 3D the coloured image on top using Pinflair Glue Gel. The Floral papers are from the Papermania 'Rose Garden' & 'Blueberry Hill' paper pads. I made the little ribbon roses with plain 6mm/3mm double faced satin ribbon. The pink velvet leaves, Lace, Lace & Sequin Trim, and Blue Satin ribbon are all from my stash. The flat back pearl are from a large selection at Bunny Zoe's Crafts.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair: E50, E53 YR20, YR21.
Tutu/Pumps: RV000, RV00, RV02.

Before I close I just wanted to tell you about a great new Bunny Zoe's Crafts Monthly Challenge.. It starts next Monday 14th June...there will be great fun challenges set by the DT each month...As well as a random winner being chosen each month there will also be an opportunity for one lucky entrant to be a guest designer for a future challenge. The guest designer will be able to choose a stamp of their choice from the store to the maximum value of £10.00 to create their guest card too!

....And how would you like to win a £25 Gift voucher to spend on crafting goodies?...
We would love you to help us spread the word and tell your friends about the new challenge...

All you have to do enter is grab the Monthly Challenge Badge above and link it on your blog then pop over to the Bunny Zoe's Crafts Challenge Blog and leave your entry there with MR Linky... the winner will be announced on Monday 14th June...so you have all weekend to pass the word :)

Have a Great Weekend!
Hugs

Magnolia Candy!

2010-06-11T06:59:00.002+01:00

...Back again with this weeks Magnolia Candy the adorable 'Ballerina Tilda' from the Fairy Tail collection.

All you have to do to win the candy is to leave a link to your blog....If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below...the candy will close at midnight on Thursday 17th June and I will announce the winner here on Friday 18th June...so don't forget to check back to see if you have been lucky :)

Good Luck to you All!
Hugs

Winner....Mid Week Magnolia Candy!

2010-06-11T06:58:00.001+01:00

Good Morning All...I hope you are all well. Apologies for not posting the winner earlier...but sometimes I just have to get my everyday stuff out of the way...as I do tend to let it build up to such a point that it then takes me days to sort it all out! LOL ...anyhoo the form is all finished..Bills are all paid... and I can get back to my crafting :)

....So this is my first post today...there will be another two to follow in a minute or so...rather like the bus service...you wait for ages for one to come along...and then three turn up all at once! LOL
*****************************************
Firstly,... here is the winner of last weeks Mid Week Magnolia Candy...the sweet 'Tilda with Tulips' Stamp.

Congratulations to Charli !! would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post.
Hugs

The Dreaded DLA Form!

2010-06-09T07:00:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone ...just wanted to let you know that I'm OK...No card today as I have had to keep a couple of days free for filling out Jacks DLA (Disability Living Allowance) form....Jack gets an allowance each month and this will be used to employ someone during the summer to help me take Jack out & about...that will be really helpful with the school summer holidays coming up soon.
Grrr....but I dread filling out this form....it always gets me so worked up & annoyed...it is more like a booklet...it has 39 pages of questions...and they are not simple yes or no answers either...in fact most of the questions are downright ridiculous...here is an example of just one...

...Has the child's development of learning skills been delayed?

For example,

Understanding the world around them.

Following instructions.

Developing Daily Living Skills.

Or something else.

Well YES to all the above would have been the easy answer...but oh no they are not going to let me get away that easily.... we move on to the second part of the question...

Tell us about the help they need...

.....I could write a book on the help Jack needs...he needs help with everything!

but the most ridiculous part of the question is....

Tell us roughly how many times a day the child needs help

...Duh.... he is Autistic all day...he doesn't get a lunch break or anything!...& the final part of the question...

Tell us how long it takes each time.

We know this may be difficult, but please try to tell us in minutes.

OMG ...can you believe it...in minutes!!...and there are 39 pages of questions like this one...can you tell I am pretty hacked off....yes I am... because I filled in the exact same form a couple of years ago!!....Have they found a cure for Autism?....is it not a lifelong disability!...then why oh why do we have to keep renewing the claim?

I know I am not alone with this gripe as I used to help other parents complete the forms when I worked for the Autistic Society....every time the form drops on the doormat I say I am going to campaign to get this form altered so that parents of children with lifelong disabilities don't have to keep re-applying...well this time I am going to try...I have emailed my local MP and asked for an appointment at her weekly surgery....is she gonna get an ear bashing! LOL

OK....Breath in... I shall now calmly step down off my Soap Box and let you lovely ladies get on with your day...and as for me....Page 1, Question 1!!... :) LOL

Hugs

...Wish you were here...

2010-06-08T07:00:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you are all well...Jack got off to school OK yesterday...but he was very unsettled again last night...he wants to go to Dad's house...but he can't as Dad is back in Cyprus again for a month...it's so difficult to explain this to Jack because he doesn't understand distance...who knows what goes on in his mind..bless him.... he probably thinks that we can pop there in 5 minutes. I know his dad would love to take him to Cyprus to meet all of his family out there...but I honestly don't know how he would cope on a 5 hour flight?...there's know way he would sit still for that long!

...Talking of Jack....that is the name of this fab stamp by 'Kraftin Kimmie'...I just love their new release...they are just perfect for the summer...you can can see the new range here at Bunny Zoe's Crafts. I have coloured the image with Copic Markers and added some Star Dust Stickles to the sand...you gotta have a bit of sparkle :) The Papers are a mix again so from back to front...the Blue striped paper is by Magnolia, The Lighthouse paper and the red/white/blue striped paper are some really old stash by the English Paper Company. The 'Beach' Border Punch is by EK Success and the striped ribbon and anchor button are both from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair: E53, E55, E25.
Eyes: C!
Bathing Suit: B000, B21, B23, B41/ C0, C1, C2.
Beach Ball: R32, R35, R37.
Sandcastle: E11, E13, E50, E51, E53, E55.
Background: B0000, B000.

I am entering my card for the challenges at:
Stampin for the Weekend ~ Summer/Travel Theme.
Paper Sundaes ~ Summer Fun!
One Stitch at a Time Challenge ~ Boys to Men.
Hugs

Kraftin Kimmie Kandy!

2010-06-08T06:59:00.001+01:00

I have some good news to share...I was lucky and had a win on the scratch cards...I very rarely buy them...but I stopped to get some petrol last night on one of my jaunts with Jack and used my spare cash to buy one and Bingo!
Anyhoo...I am thrilled to bits and thought I would share my little win with my dear blogging buddies...you have been so supportive during my recent rough patch with Jack and this is just my way of saying thanks....So how would you like to win all of these fab Kraftin Kimmie Stamps from the new May release?

...all you have to do is leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Tuesday June 15th and I will announce the winner right here on Wednesday June 16th.

Thanks for Visiting...and Good Luck!
Hugs

Winner of Last Weeks Monday Morning Candy

2010-06-08T06:58:00.000+01:00

Good Morning All!...Just a Quick post to announce the winner of last weeks Monday Morning Candy...the beautiful Sweet Pea 'Nostalgia' Stamp.

.....Drumroll...LOL

Number 36...Congratulations to Judith Veldhuizen!! would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post.

Thanks for Visiting...Have a wonderful day!
Hugs

Sweet Pea

2010-06-07T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you all had a fabulous weekend...I am full of the joys this morning because Jack is back at school today :)...he's a bit grouchy this morning so I am keeping my distance...that way we won't get into any scuffles LOL.

Another Sweet Pea card today, I have used the beautiful 'Enchanting Gold' stamp. I have to be honest and say that I don't feel I have done this beautiful image justice...it's the colours...I do love to experiment with colours...but this is one colour combination that I won't be using again...it's minging! LOL
Anyhoo...I have coloured the image with Copic markers...and I added some 'Beadazzles' to her bra/top...I think she needs a little more support in that top...as I have noticed she has rather saggy boobs for such a young gal! ;) LOL The patterned paper is 'Plum Luck' from the Out On A Whim Collection by Imaginisce and the plain papers are both from Basic Grey Pads. I used the Martha Stewart 'Daisy' corner/border punch. The gorgeous 'Say It In Pearls' flourish, 'Cloissone' Flower and Heirloom Leaves are all by Prima.

Here are the Copic Colours
Skin: E000, Rv000, Voo, V01
Eyes: Y28
Hair: V05, V06, V09, V12, V15, V17, FV2
Top: 'Beadazzles'
Background: YR21, Y24

Well I had best get a shimmy on and go and persuade Jack that going to school will be fun and coax him into getting dressed! LOL

Have a great week All!
Hugs

Monday Morning Cheer :)

2010-06-07T06:59:00.003+01:00

Hi All!...and A happy Monday morning to you all...here's wishing you all have a fabulous week and to help cheer your Monday morning I have some more yummy Sweet Pea Candy for you...this week it is the beautiful 'Poppy Love' stamp.

If you would like to win this beauty...all you have to do is leave a link to your blog...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Sunday June 13th and I will announce the winner right here on Tuesday June 15th.

Thanks for Visiting...Have a great week!

Hugs

Winner of Last Weeks Sweet Saturday Candy

2010-06-06T10:28:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone...just popped by to announce the winner of last weeks Sweet Saturday Candy...the cute Penny Black 'Toadily' stamp set.

Congratulations....Joanna K!!....please email me your address at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post.

Enjoy the rest of your Day...it's a real washout here we have such heavy rain :(
Hugs

Happy Day

2010-06-06T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you are all well...a really quick post today ask Jack is breathing down my neck..waiting his turn for the PC...he's back at school tomorrow and I will be able to come and visit you all :)

My card today features the cute Oliver from The Greeting Farm 'OA Happy Day' set. The image was coloured with Copic Markers. The Dinosaur paper is by MME from the Abbey Road Collection and from the 'Archaic' pad by Basic Grey. The border was created with the EK Success 'Dinosaur' punch...it would have looked a lot better if I had stuck it on straight! LOL. The Zig Zag ribbon & Buttons are from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair: E02, E08, E11, E13, E15, E17.
T Shirt : YG91, YG93, YG95/ C2
Jeans: B000, B00.
Dinosaurs: BG72, BG75/BG93, BG96 E11/ E70, E71, E74.

I am entering my card fro the challenge at:
Sweet Stampin Challenge ~ Boys & their Toys

Thanks for visiting..enjoy your day!
Hugs

Here Comes the Sun....

2010-06-05T07:00:00.000+01:00

Good Morning All!...another gorgeous day here...I was awake with the larks this morning and have enjoyed my morning cuppa in the garden...his lordship is still in bed and so I can hog the PC for a while :)

To celebrate the summery weather I have made a bright & sunny card today...

I have used another digi image this time it is 'Lacie with Ice Cream' by Mo Manning...isn't she a sweetie. As always I have coloured the image with Copic Markers...I added some glossy accents to the sunglasses and some Stickles to the ice cream. The papers are all from the 'Fun in The Sun' collection by Kaisercraft....I created the sunshine shape using the Spellbinders 'Inverted Scallop' nesties. I punched the border with the Martha Stewart 'Deco Shells' edger and found some fab flip flop ribbon in my stash. The Flower were punched with the Large & Medium Retro flower punches...the Ice Cream button & Yellow Flower buttons are from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair: E50, E53, YR20.
Dress: B000, B00, B01/R46
Flip Flops/Sunglasses: R43, R46/C5, C9.
Ice Cream: E50, YR20, E11.
Bench: E42, E43, E44, E47.
Grass: YG67.

I am entering my card for the challenges at:
Stamp Something ~ Stamp Something Digi.
Raise the Bar ~ Celebrate Summer!
Pixie Dust Studio Challenge ~ Punch it Out! (Border & Flowers).
La La Land Crafts ~ Summertime!
Everybody Art Challenge ~ Summer.
Papertake Weekly Challenge ~ Fun Fun Fun!!

Thanks for visiting, have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs

Wonderful Day...Sweet Saturday Candy :)

2010-06-05T06:59:00.005+01:00

Hi Everyone..and a happy Saturday to you all :) This weeks Sweet Saturday Candy is the Penny Black 'Wonderful Day' clear stamp set.

All you have to do to win this stamp set is leave a link to your blog ..If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below....the candy will close at midnight on Friday 11th June and I will announce the winner here on Saturday 12th June...so don't forget to check back to see if you have been lucky :)

Good Luck!
Hugs

THIS CANDY IS NOW CLOSED :(

Tickled Pink

2010-06-04T07:00:00.002+01:00

Good Morning everyone...isn't the weather fabulous :)...I plan on spending the day out in the garden. Jack seems to have settled down now...we went to the epilepsy clinic at the hospital yesterday for Jacks six month check up...and they always weigh & measure Jack...WOW!...in the last six months he has gained 10 kg (22 Pounds) and grown 10cm...he is now 176cm (5'9")...his paediatrician said that I can expect they same growth spurt in the next 6 months... he's going to be a big lad! :)

**************************************
I had a delivery from Mr Postie earlier this week..... all the way from the land down under...from Kellie at Tickled Pink Stamps...they have recently released their own line of stamps 'Lil Lolita'...I just love them!

This young miss is 'Lilith'...she doesn't look to happy does she...maybe she is having boyfriend problems LOL...I have coloured the image with Copics and for fun I have given Lilith bright pink hair!. The papers I have used are... Dark Grey Distressed paper is from 'Scarlet's Letter' collection by Basic grey, The pink distressed paper is the reverse of 'Lullaby Nursery Pink Flowers' by Daisy D's and the patterned paper is from the Pirate Princess collection by Rusty Pickle. I have distressed all the papers with the Tim Holtz edge distresser and 'Black Soot' distress ink and added some Star Dust Stickles for a bit of sparkle....I also used the Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes die..to create all the flourishes. The punched border was created with the Fiskars 'Lace' punch. The flowers are all from Mulberry Crafts...they have been Stickled too! LOL. The black lace and metallic dot ribbon is from my stash and the fab crystal skull & Crossbones is by Me & My Big Ideas.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair/Shoes: RV19, RV21, RV23, RV25,
Dress: C3, C5, C7, C9.
Roses:YG91, YG93
Background is sponged with 'Black Soot' Distress Ink.

I am entering my card for the challenges at:
The Crazy Challenge ~ Black, White & Pink.
Allsorts Challenge ~ Black & White plus one other colour (Pink)
The Burtonesque Dolls Challenge ~ Sleepy Hollow.

Thanks for visiting...have a great weekend all!
Hugs

Winner of last Weeks Mid Week Magnolia Mini Kit

2010-06-03T10:00:00.001+01:00

So Sorry I'm late posting the winner this week..So I won't dilly dally...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

191
Timestamp: 2010-06-03 08:58:41 UTC

Congratulations to Pastila!! would you please email your address details at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post :)

Thanks for Visiting...enjoy your day!

Hugs

Off Puttin!

2010-06-03T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone…Hope your week is going well and that all the mums here in the UK are managing to keep the kids entertained…well at least the sun has made a welcome reappearance :)

My week so far has had its highs and lows and I have had to make rather a big decision after a recent outing with Jack…I can no longer take Jack out alone :(

Sometimes a day can be completely turned around by a seemingly minor hiccup…but to Jack at that moment in time…it’s the end of the world and he wants mummy to fix everything and make good on a promise!…and unfortunately I can’t always do that as occasionally circumstances are beyond my control….

The day started out well…Jack was in good spirits so I thought I would risk a trip to our local garden centre to pick up a few summer bedding plants. Jack loves to go and look at all the Koi in the pond outside and have lunch in the cafe and most of all he loves to get a little treat from the vending machine near the exit….I had totally forgotten that it was a bank holiday Monday and the place was packed…so we headed straight for the cafe which was quite busy and noisy…Jack did manage to down two rather large portions of Chips! :) …but I could sense he was becoming increasingly agitated and so thought it best if we forgot about the plants and head straight home…but of course first we have to stop & get the treat from the vending machine by the exit…I guess you know what I am going to say….the machine was out of order!!

Me “The machine is broken Jack!”
Jack “ Kit Kat please mummy’
Me “ No Kit Kat Jack….Sorry..the Machine is broken!”
Jack “ Mummy Fix it!...Kit Kat Please!”
….and this continues for a minute or so until Jack realises that he is not getting that Kit Kat!…and then all hell breaks out!...I won’t go into the gory details…but let’s just say that after Jack stuck the boot in.... the machine is now well & truly out of order! LOL

....The journey home was quite hairy too!…quite literally LOL…as Jack spent the whole journey trying to rip mine out!…But thankfully after the storm comes the calm :) …and for those of you that have asked…Yes, Jack does apologise after his outbursts and smothers me in kisses too…BUT only because he has been taught that this is what is ‘expected’ of him in that situation..and because he wants HIS routine to revert back to normal ASAP. Generally children with autism lack empathy…that is to say they do not comprehend what effect their behaviour has on others around them :)
*******************************************

My card today is for my lovely neighbour John who is a golfing addict...especially since he took early retirement a couple of years ago... his wife and my dear friend Margaret has become the typical golf widow...although she says she is often glad to get him out from under her feet... LOL

I thought this 'Off Puttin' digi image by Di's Digi Designs would be perfect for Johns Birthday card...Cute & fun but not too girly :) I have coloured the image with Copic Markers and added some glossy accents to the bears nose, the golf club and the golf buggy. The papers are a mix up again....so from back to front...the greyish blue paper is 'Glum' by Prima...The Green Plaid paper is by Karen Foster and finally the green paper behind the image is from the 'Periphery' collection by Basic Grey....I had a good rummage around and found this fabulous self adhesive sentiment that matched perfectly...don't you just love it when that happens :)...the buttons are from my stash and the stitching is courtesy of my trusty old sewing machine :)
Here are the Copic Colours:
Bear: E50, E51, R11, R20
Shirt: B0000, B91, B93, B95.
Shorts/Cap: B93, YG91, YG93, C3 for shading.
Golf Club: Co, C1, C3.
Bunny: C0, C1, C2, R11, R20.
Labybird/Golf Buggy: R35, R37, C3, C5.
Grass: YG91, YG93, YG95, YG97.
Sky: B000

I am entering my card for the challenges at:
Crafty Catz ~ The Boys are Back
Simon Says Stamp ~ Fathers Day/Male Card.

Thanks for visiting...Enjoy your day!
Hugs

Hot & Spicy

2010-06-02T07:00:00.000+01:00

Good morning all, I hope you are all well...OMG...I really wasn't expecting such a huge response to yesterdays post....you really are the most wonderful blogging friends...I was really down in the dumps yesterday and had a momentary lapse into self pity.... the email just caught me at a real low and found a chink in my armour.... but after reading all your comments I feel so much better...and of course you are all absolutely right!....It's my blog so I will write what I want!

You really are gluttons for punishment...LOL.... I would never have believed that so many people like to read about my rather humdrum life...but all the same it's rather nice that you do and it gives me that lovely warm fuzzy feeling inside....Thank You! :)
*************************************

This weeks challenge at Just Magnolia is Hot & Spicy...sorry about the pic...I think someone has been having a little fiddle about with my tripod settings...I must remember to fix that! lol. I have used the cute 'Tilda with Tulips' stamp by Magnolia. The image has been coloured with Copic Markers and I added some Stickles to the lace trim on Tilda's dress...cos you gotta have a bit of sparkle :) The Papers are 'Buttercream Bliss' by Sassafrass Lass and all the other papers are from the 'Peachy Keen' collection by Kaisercraft. The gorgeous Lace is from the Lullaby Lane designer Trim collection by Websters Pages...and the flowers are all from Mulberry Crafts.
Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11
Dress/Socks: YR0000, YR00, YR02 & some Stickles Star Dust on the lace trim.
Tulips/Hair Bow: R22, R24, R27, R32.
Leaves: YG93.

I am entering my card for the challenges at:
Just Magnolia ~ Hot & Spicy.
Magnolia Down Under ~ Flowers.

Thanks for visiting...have a great day all!
Hugs

Mid Week Magnolia Candy!

2010-06-02T06:59:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone...It's mid week already...time for some Magnolia Candy...
Today I have this pretty 'Tilda with Tulips' Stamp to give away.

All you have to do to win the candy is to leave a link to your blog....If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below...the candy will close at midnight on Tuesday 8th June and I will announce the winner here on Wednesday 9th June...so don't forget to check back to see if you have been lucky :)

Good Luck!
Hugs

THIS CANDY IS NOW CLOSED :(

Thanks!

2010-06-01T10:32:00.002+01:00

Good Morning everyone, I hope you are well....Sorry I am late posting today but as it is half term I am having to wait for my turn on the PC :)

Firstly can I just say...thanks so much for all your lovely words of support yesterday...but I was most upset yesterday to receive an email from a fellow crafter/blogger...who said that my blog should be just about my cards and that my private life should be kept private....I dunno maybe she is right?...so I apologise if I have upset any of you as that was never my intention and from now on I promise I will just stick to posting my cards :)

***************************************
So on to my card today...I have made a thank you card for a teacher....

I used this sweet 'Apple Girl' digi image from Karen's Doodles...as always I have coloured the image with Copic Markers. I used my EK Success 'Binding Edger' border punch to create a frame for the image. The fab papers are from the 'Report Card' & 'Cherry Hill' pads by October Afternoon. I made the rosette embellie with some of the red ruffled ribbon by Websters Pages and a stamped circular sentiment is from a set by Cuddly Buddly.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, E01, R01, R11.
Hair: E51, E53, E55, E57
Dress/Shoes: YG 63, YG67, G24, G85.
Apple: R35, R37, R39.

I am entering my card for the challenges at:
Paper Cutz ~ A card for Teacher.
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge Blog ~ Fruit or Veggie Theme

Thanks for Visiting..enjoy your day!
Hugs

Winner of Last Weeks Monday Morning Candy

2010-05-31T18:50:00.000+01:00

Hi, I hope you have all had a good day :)...I have just popped by to announce the winner of last weeks beautiful Sweet Pea Stamp 'Koi'

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

154
Timestamp: 2010-05-31 17:48:52 UTC

Congratulations to...Kaos!!...would you please email your address to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post.

Thanks for Visiting...enjoy your evening
Hugs

Come Softly

2010-05-31T07:00:00.005+01:00

Good Morning All, I hope you are all well, things are a lot calmer here this morning after the turbulent day yesterday...thanks so much for all your lovely words of support...they really do help to lift my spirits :)...Not too much damage done..I have a slightly chipped tooth where Jack caught me with a good right hook! lol and a few broken ornaments, but nothing of great value ...

...and I think I need to replace the door to my craft room...this is how bad Jack wanted to get to me yesterday!... I hope you don't mind hearing about all my trials & tribulations with Jack...but it helps me to blow off steam & share...and if at the same time it helps to raise awareness of Autism and the problems that parents/carers face daily...then it's all good :)

****************************************

So on to today's card. I used my time hauled up in the craft room yesterday to good use..I created this bright summery card using the beautiful 'Come Softly' Sweet Pea stamp.

....I told you it was bright :) hehe...:)
I have coloured the image with Copic markers and added white highlight with my Ranger Inkssentials White Opaque Pen. I used the Martha Stewart 'Monarch Butterfly' border/corner punches to create a border around the card and also to create a frame for the image. The pretty 'Flutterby' papers are a digi download from Kaisercraft. The butterflies were punched with both the Large & Small Monarch butterfly punches. The Crystal Flourishes are by Prima and the gorgeous ribbon was a birthday gift from my lovely blogging friend Linda...thanks hun I love them :)

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, E01, R00, R01.
Eyes: B02, B04.
Dress: RV13, RV14, RV17.
Hair: E07, E08, E09, E18, E19.
Butterfly: RV14, RV17, YR04, YR14, E15.
Background: R14.
Opaque White Inkssentials pen for all the highlights.

I am entering my card for the challenges at:
Totally Gorjuss ~ Wings.
Paperplay Challenges ~ 'Up in The Air' (things that can fly)
Theme Thursday ~ Beauty
Your Next Stamp Challenge ~ Use a Border Punch.
My Time to Craft ~ Vivid Greetings Cards!

Thanks for visiting..Have a fab day!
Hugs

Monday Morning Cheer :)

2010-05-31T06:59:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone and a happy Monday morning to you all....I hope to get your week off to a good start with some more yummy Sweet Pea Candy...this week I am offering the beautiful 'Nostalgia' stamp by Sweet Pea Stamps.

If you would like to win this candy...all you have to do is leave a link to your blog below...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below... only one entry per person please....and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) ....This candy will close at midnight on Sunday June 6th and I will announce the winner right here on Monday June 7th.

Thanks for Visiting...Have a great week All!

Hugs

THIS CANDY IS NOW CLOSED :(

Winner of last weeks Saturday Sweetness Blog Candy

2010-05-30T17:21:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you are all enjoying a relaxing Sunday...not too relaxing here today...Jack has got himself all confused and worked himself up into a real rage...I have had to lock myself in my craft room for the last two hours...because he had become so aggressive...he seems to have calmed himself down now...I just have to pick up all the debris and salvage what is not smashed to pieces...hey ho another day of mayhem ;)

Anyhoo...whine over now ...lets move on to the more cheerful subject of last weeks winner...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

173
Timestamp: 2010-05-30 16:15:33 UTC

Congratulations....Tracy!!....please email me your address at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post.

Enjoy the rest of your Day!
Hugs

"Let Them Eat Cake"

2010-05-30T07:00:00.002+01:00

Good morning everyone...I hope you are all enjoying the bank holiday weekend...the weather isn't helping much is it!...I am hoping it gets warmer next week because Jack is on half term break and I want to make the most of having him home with me and take him out & about...but today it's a case of having to keep him entertained indoors :)

This week challenge at Kraftin Kimmie is Rough It Up!....

...So here is my roughed up card...I have used the fab 'Marie Antoinette' stamp by Kraftin Kimmie, the image has been coloured with Copic Markers. I have roughed up the edges of all the DP's with the Tim Holtz Edge Distressing tool and inked them up with Distressed Inks. The papers are a mix...so from back to front... MME 'Life Stories', Melissa Frances 'Sandra' and behind the image I have just torn a sheet of Manila paper from a notepad.

I thought it would be fun to add a wax seal as an embellie...as there is one on Marie's letter....but oh my!...what a palava...I think my heat gun is too powerful and all I ended up with lots of splodges of misshapen wax...in the end I decided to punch a circle of card and melt the wax onto it...that seemed to work better...once I got a roughly circle type shape I stuck it onto the card with glue....and to be quite honest...after all that...I don't like it anyway! lol...but I suppose it's fun to experiment every now & then :)

The flower is a really old Prima Belle Fleur that I still had left from years ago... the Heirloom Leaves and Monarch flower centre are also by Prima. The ruffled Ribbon is by Websters pages and thee decorative photo corner is from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair: E51, E53, E55.
Dress: R3, R59, R89, RV99/E41, E42, E43.
Bird?Quill: Co, C1, C3.

I am entering my card for the challenge at:
Kraftin Kimmie ~ Rough It Up!
The ABC Challenge ~ V is for vintage

Thanks for visiting, have a wonderful Sunday!
Hugs

Special RAK Event...A Card for Jamie.

2010-05-29T07:00:00.005+01:00

Hi everyone, I hope you are all enjoying a relaxing weekend. Jack is with his Dad today so I am enjoying some free time...thinking of having a baking day to replenish the freezer...and maybe have a nibble or two along the way ;)

Today's card is for a special RAK Event organised by Lisa for her Sister Jamie...
"I am having a special event for my sister Jayme. She is in her early 50's and has terminal lung cancer. To make it worse, her sweet dachshund Molly passed away a couple weeks ago. Today we learned her cancer has spread to several other areas and her time is running out. I am asking for all my card making friends to send her a fun card...not really get well cards obviously, but something pretty or funny that will make her smile. She is a frog collector so frog cards would be awesome!"

If you would like to join in with this RAK event you can find all the details on Lisa's blog

....So here is my froggy card for Jamie. I have used this cute digi image'Frog Prince' that I downloaded from Meljen's Designs. I have coloured the image with Copic Markers...and added some 'Star Dust' Stickles to the crown. I had a good rummage through my craft room and managed to find some fab froggy paper by Cloud9Design...the blue papers are both by Magnolia. I used the 'Valentine Lace' border punch and also the 'Lace Scallop Heart' & 'Frond' punches by Martha Stewart. The large Rose is by Prima and all the other flowers are from Mulberry Crafts.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Frog: YG0000, G20, G40, YG91, YG93.
Eyes: B0000, B000, B00.
Crown: C0, C1, C3.
Hearts: B000, B21, B41.

Thanks for visiting...Have a great bank holiday weekend!
Hugs

Sweet Saturday Candy :)

2010-05-29T06:59:00.002+01:00

Good Morning all..hoping you are all having a great weekend. As my card today features a frog...I thought this Penny Black 'Toadily' clear stap set would be perfect for this weeks Sweet Saturday Candy.

So if you would like to win this stamp set all you have to do is leave a link to your blog below...the candy will close at midnight on Friday 4th June and I will announce the winner here on Saturday 5th June...so don't forget to check back to see if you have been lucky :)

Good Luck!

Hugs

THIS CANDY IS NOW CLOSED :(

Winner of the 'Four Dolls' Stamp Set

2010-05-28T21:40:00.000+01:00

Hi There!...just popped by quickly to announce the winner of the 'Four Dolls' Stamp Set.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

81
Timestamp: 2010-05-28 20:33:52 UTC

Congratulations to Mimi please email me your address at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will mail the candy out to you.

Have a good evening!

Hugs

...So here is the Winner of the Birthday Blogcandy!

2010-05-28T11:10:00.007+01:00

Awww thanks ladies you have made me feel much better...I know you don't all know me personally...but honestly I would be the last person to want to hurt some one's feelings or offend anyone...I just felt that it would be unfair to everyone else that has followed the candy rules.

.....So here is the new number drawn by Random .Org...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

351
Timestamp: 2010-05-28 10:33:35 UTC

...and that is Bastel_Fee ...Many Congratulations!!...just email me your address at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will mail the candy out to you.

...I will post the winner of the 'Four Dolls' stamp set this evening...

Thanks for visiting...Enjoy your day!

Hugs

....A Dilemma!!....Birthday Blogcandy Re Draw!

2010-05-28T07:54:00.001+01:00

Good Morning All!....I have been tossing and turning all night....worrying about what to do for the best...I gave it best at 4am and decided to get up! LOL

This was my dilemma....as you know I announced the winner yesterday...but as she doesn't have a blog there is no way of knowing just who this lady is?...ergo is she part of our crafting community...because I would like to think whoever wins the candy is going to use it...and not flog it on ebay! The candy was open to non bloggers because I know a lot of people follow via facebook/twitter/Google reader etc.....so I trawled through all my followers....something I should have thought to do before announcing the winner I know! anyhoo this lady is not one of them... and as that was one of the candy rules...I have come to the decision that the only fair thing to do is to Re-Draw the candy.....This has been a hard decision to come to but I hope you agree the right one.

So I will Re Draw the candy today...and announce the New Winner!

Hugs

Lets Rip It Up!

2010-05-28T06:38:00.001+01:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you are all well. Thank you so much for all your support RE Jacks meeting on Wednesday....I am sure all that positive energy helped because the meeting went really well and all of the services fully agreed that Jack needs a 'specialist 24 hour provision'...that's their lingo for a residential school :) LOL. Now I have another wait whilst all the various agencies write their reports...and once they are all in place Jacks case will go before a Local Authority Funding panel. This should take place within the next month to six weeks...so I am still keeping every thing crossed for a while :) ....I'll keep you posted.

Todays card is.... ummm...it's kind of Goth meets Punk... so what does that make it?.... Gunk?! LOL

I have used this fab 'Goth Girl' stamp by Sugar Nellie. The image has been coloured with Copic Markers and I have distressed the image and papers with my Tim Holtz Edge Distresser Tool and then inked the edges with Distress Inks in 'Black Soot' & 'Brick'....I got a bit heavy handed with the distressing and ripped the paper slightly...so rather than start a new sheet I just made a feature of it by making the tear larger and adding some safety pins. To create the border I used the Martha Stewart 'Garden Trellis' border punch and I used my fave Large & Medium Retro flower punches to make the flowers. The papers are all by Basic Grey from both the June Bug & Ambrosia Pads. The flat back metal studs and buttons are from my stash.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair: E02, E08, E09, E13.
Boots/Bodice: C2, C5, C7, C9.
Skirt: R27, R29, Y19, YR04, C5, C7.

I am entering y card for the Challenges at:
Creative Inspirations ~ Distressed.
Crafts & Me Challenge ~ Distressed.
Basic Grey Challenges ~ Punch It!
KL Stampin N Scrappin Challenge ~ All Torn Up!

Hugs

OK!!...Drum roll....Here's the Winner! :)

2010-05-27T12:55:00.007+01:00

Hi Everyone....just got back...it took longer than I thought because they were filming a TV show at the hairdressers!...typical!.... my 5 minutes of TV fame is going to be with blobs of hair colour all over my face...how very unglamorous! LOL

....Anyway I am here to announce the winner of my Birthday Blogcandy....but before I do I just wanted to say a big thank you for all your lovely birthday wishes...it made my day extra special this year. :)

so here is the winning number picked my Random.org

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

870
Timestamp: 2010-05-27 12:15:18 UTC

Thanks Again All...enjoy your day!

Hugs

Edited to add...I have re-drawn the candy...see this post here

Good Morning All...

2010-05-27T09:30:00.000+01:00

Just a quick post this morning...No card today...I am having a 'Me' day. Jack was in respite care last night, so I had a nice leisurely breakfast this morning and I am off to the hairdressers now...as soon as I return I will post the winner of my Birthday Blogcandy...should be around lunchtime ...I didn't want you to think I had forgotten :)
Hugs

We Have A Winner!

2010-05-26T21:12:00.000+01:00

Hi Just popped by to announce the winner of last weeks Magnolia Candy the 'Elf Tilda Stamp'...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

253
Timestamp: 2010-05-26 20:06:34 UTC

....Congratulations....Fiona Hawke would you please email your address details at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post.

Thanks for Visiting...enjoy your evening

Hugs

...Those Pesky Elves!! ;)

2010-05-26T16:23:00.004+01:00

Hi Good morning all...I hope you are all having a good week so far...Today is Wednesday so that means it's time for WOYWW!...The picture above was the state of my Workdesk last night before I went to bed...all neat & tidy...except for the paper...I always like pick out my papers etc ready for my next project the following day...because that is the most difficult part for me...it takes me ages to decide what papers and embellies to use...making the card itself is the easy part! LOL :)

...but what's this..... I think I must have had some little visitors during the night because when I went into my craft room this morning....look what I found!....those pesky elves have been at it again! LOL...maybe if I leave two sheets of paper out tonight I will get two pairs of shoes ;)

OK....hehe.... only kidding... they are a pair of Paper Shoes that I have just finished...I saw this fabulous Video Tutorial by Terri a while back and when I saw this weeks Challenge at Frosted Designs I thought rather than make a card featuring a shoe...I would create a shoe from card instead. They were such fun to make and really easy too because...I don't do difficult. Now I have made my first pair I have loads of ideas for other pairs....and maybe with a matching bag/gift bag...I think they would make a great gifts for most of my girlfriends...because all us girlies love our bags & shoes.....I am a bag lady myself...Noooo..... not the unfortunate type of bag lady...the sort that pushes a shopping trolley full of rubbish around the streets....LOL...I love to collect bags..maybe some other time I will have to haul them all out and take a pic.

....I am entering my paper Shoes for the following Challenges:

Frosted Designs ~ Shoe Challenge.
Challenge Up Your Life ~ Recycling ( I used a cereal box to strenghten the sole of the shoe)
Simple Doodles ~ Anything But...
Everybody Art ~ Fairytale (The Elves & the Shoemaker/Cinderella)

Thanks for Stopping by...enjoy the rest of your day!
Hugs

....off to have a nosey around everyone elses workdesks now...this is so much fun isn't it...I quite look forward to my Wednesday snoop :)

A Sprinkling of Fairy Dust

2010-05-26T07:00:00.000+01:00

Good Morning All...I hope your week is going well so far... as I mentioned in yesterdays post, I have a meeting today with all the services involved with Jack...So hopefully after today's meeting I can get the official go ahead to start looking at residential schools...I'm keeping everything crossed. LOL

For today's card I have followed the fabulous sketch by Jane over at the Just Magnolia Challenge. I have used the adorable 'Fairy Dust Tilda'. I really love the Magnolia Fairytale collection...it has to be my fave so far...but then I say that every time they release a new collection! LOL

As always the image has been coloured with Copic Markers and I have added 'Star Dust' Stickles to the Fairy Dust so she is all sparkly :) The papers are 'Blue Starlit' from the Once Upon a Time collection by Magnolia & the Blue Gingham paper is by Craft Creations. The border was punched with the Martha Stewart 'Stars' wing edger border punch. The pearl flourishes are by Prima. The flowers are all from Mulberry Crafts...the blue satin ribbon and lace are from my stash.

Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00, E01, R01
Hair: E40, E41, E43.
Jammies: B000, B00, B91.
Socks: C1.

I am entering my card for the Challenges at:
Just Magnolia ~ Janes Sketch.
The Crazy Challenge ~ It's a Girl Thing.
Stamptacular Sunday ~ Pearls & Swirls.
Pixie Dust Studio Challenge ~ Add a Pearl to your project.

Thanks for visiting...enjoy your day!
Hugs

Mid Week Magnolia Candy & Mini Kit

2010-05-26T06:59:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well..where has the sunshine disappeared to...it's turned really chilly again, no worries it's a good excuse to cosy up in my craft room and get creative :)
Today I have this adorable 'Fairy Dust Tilda' Stamp to give away...and as I have used the same stamp on my card for today I thought I would also put a little mini kit of the products I used to go along with the stamp.

All you have to do to win the candy is to leave a link to your blog....If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box for Mr Linky below...the candy will close at midnight on Tuesday 1st June and I will announce the winner here on Wednesday 2nd June...so don't forget to check back to see if you have been lucky :)

Good Luck!

Hugs

THIS CANDY IS NOW CLOSED :(

Celebrate!

2010-05-25T08:00:00.001+01:00

Good Morning all, I hope you are all well...just a quick post today...it's Tuesday and Jack has woken up in a foul mood...so I am keeping my distance at the moment! LOL

There's a celebration over at A Spoon Full of Sugar today...it has now been running for 2 Years!...and the Bunny Zoe's girls have been asked to join in the fun this week as GDT's. The theme of this weeks Challenge is 'Celebrations' and there are gift vouchers from this weeks sponsors... Whimsy Stamps & Bunny Zoe's Crafts.

Here is my celebration card...I have chosen to make a birthday card but you can make a card for any celebration...New baby, Wedding, Anniversary..etc.
I have used this sweet C.C. Designs Swiss Miss 'Rosalie with Roses' stamp. I have coloured the image with Copic Markers. The gorgeous papers are all from Kaisercrafts 'Tea at Elsie's' pad. The flowers are all from Mulberry Crafts and I used a Martha Stewart Punch to create the leaves.

Here are the Copic Colours:
Skin: E000, E00. E01, R01, R11.
Hair: E00, E11, E13, E15.
Dress: B18, B23, B26, B28.
Socks: YR000, YR00.
Shoes: E31, E33, E35, E37.

...Sorry it's such a short post today...but I really have to go and try to calm Jack down before the school bus arrives....I have another big meeting regarding Jack tomorrow...Hopefully this will move things along...as the local authority are really dragging their feet as usual...although having said that it...maybe the new governments finacial cut backs will affect the funding for Jacks place at residential school?...just have to wait & see I suppose...fingers crossed :)
Thanks for visiting...have a fab day!

Hugs

We Have Two Winners!!

2010-05-24T20:54:00.000+01:00

Hi Everyone...I just popped by to announce the winner of the last two weeks Sweet Pea Candies...I was Ill last Monday and I totally forgot all about posting the winner until mid week...so I thought I would do a double draw today :)

....First the winner of the fabulous 'Unregrettable Pirate Life' is...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

99
Timestamp: 2010-05-24 19:16:01 UTC
.....And that is Hazel (Didos)...

...Next the winner of last weeks 'Purple Woods' stamp is...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

105
Timestamp: 2010-05-24 19:23:36 UTC

...That is...Kelly K...

Congratulations to you both...would you please email you address details to me at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamps in the post.

Thanks for Visiting...enjoy your evening
Hugs

...By the Light...of the Silvery Moon...

2010-05-24T07:00:00.003+01:00

Good Morning all...Hope you all had a great weekend and are raring to go this morning :)...I had a fabulous weekend...I spent most of it in the garden. The BBQ went well yesterday and I think everyone went home salmonella free...as the food was a little overcooked and ever so slightly charred! LOL...no worries... we all had a great time anyway :)

For my card today I have used the gorgeous 'Red Hearts' Sweet Pea Stamp. I had a bit of of fun playing around with this image...I thought I would be brave and risk having a really dark background...I think it works quite well...I just drew on the swirly background details with my White Inkssentials Pen...and then went over them with 'Stardust' Stickles. I created a frame for the image using the 'Hearts' corner punch from the Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page set. ...I don't know where the paper is from as it was just a piece that I had left over from another project. The crystal flourishes are by Prima. The flowers are from Mulberry Crafts...I used cream roses and recoloured them to match the card with a Copic (RV99)...I then added some 'Mulberry' ultra fine glitter. The leaves were created with the MS 'Rose Leaf' punch and they had a sprinkling of glitter too. The Crystal Chandeliers are from a large selection at Wild Orchid Crafts.

Here are the Copic Colours I used to colour this Image:
Skin: E000, E00, R01, R11.
Hair: V91, V93, RV93, RV95.
Wings: RV10, R83, R85, V91, V93.
Dress: Rv10, R81, R83, R85.
Bodice: C2, C3, C5, C7.
Moon: C0, C1, C2...and Stardust Stickles.
Background: RV99 and the flourishes were drawn in with a White Inkssentials pen.

I am entering my card for the challenges at:
Totally Gorjuss ~ Bling It On!
One Stop Craft Challenge ~ Birthstones (Diamond/Rock Crystal)

Thanks for visiting...have a great day!

Hugs

Monday Morning Cheer :)

2010-05-24T06:59:00.004+01:00

Hi and a Happy Monday Morning to you all...I hope your week is off to a good start. To help banish those Monday morning blues I am offering some gorgeous Sweet Pea Candy....This week it is this beautiful...'Koi' stamp.

If you would like to win this candy...all you have to do is leave a link to your blog below...If you don't have a blog you can still enter...just pop your name and use my blog address http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ in to the URL box = for Mr Linky below... and of course be sure to check back in a weeks time to see if you have won :) This candy will close at midnight on Sunday May 30th and I will announce the winner right here on Monday May 31st.

Have a great Week & Good Luck!

Hugs

THIS CANDY IS NOW CLOSED :(

If Friends Were Flowers...

2010-05-23T07:00:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone and a Happy Sunday to you all :)...Wowzers!!... what fantastic weather we are having the temperature in my garden yesterday afternoon was over 45 degrees Celsius!...and it looks like today is going to me just as hot...so I am going to attempt a barbecue...I say attempt because everything gets a little charred and crispy...but hopefully if I throw enough food at the bar-b then something should turn out almost edible! LOL

A cutesy card today...I used this sweet 'I Picked you Some Flowers' image from Di's Digi Downloads and the sentiment is a digi download too...but I can't remember where I got it! lol. I have coloured the image with Copic markers and Used my Spellbinders Nesties 'Large Classic Square' and 'Large Classic Scalloped Square' to mat & layer the image. I have used my Martha Stewart 'Floral Vine' Deep edger punch to create the border. The pretty papers are all from the Chintzy 'Rose Garden' stack by Papermania. The flowers are all from Mulberry Crafts...and instead of throwing away the metal stems like I normally do I thought I would have a go at making some curly tendrils...I curled them around a knitting needle...I found they were very tricky to stick in place...and faffed about for ages...but eventually I found a good dollop of Pin Flair Glue Gel did the trick :) The gingham ribbons are from my stash and the Heart Pin is from Bunny Zoe's Crafts.
Here are the Copic Colours:
Kitty: C00, Co, C1, C2.
Wooden Fence: E41, E42, E43, E44.
Flowers: RV02, RV04, RV09, YG21, YG23.
Gift: YG21, YG23, RVo4, RV09.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy you Sunday!
Hugs

We Have A Winner!

2010-05-22T17:51:00.001+01:00

Phew!...what a scorcher of a day...doesn't it make a difference when the sun shines...I seem to have loads more energy :)...Anyhoo I have hauled myself indoors to get another drink and to announce the winner for last weeks Saturday Sweetness the Penny Black 'Teddy & Company' stamp set.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

114

Timestamp: 2010-05-22 15:57:12 UTC

Congratulations!! Sandra (BATC) ...please email me your address at passionforcraft@aol.com and I will pop your stamp in the post.

Have a lovely Evening All!

Hugs