Thursday 25 April 2013

Aud Sentiments 3rd Birthday Blog Hop!

Hey everyone and welcome to this special edition Birthday Blog Hop for Aud Sentiments!

The team is celebrating the Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog's 3rd Birthday and we're doing it in style with an awesome Blog Hop!

We have three sponsors for our Blog Hop which means there are three fabulous prizes up for grabs to our participants. You will have the opportunity to win prizes from:

Robyn's Fetish
Robyn's Fetish who offer a fabulous range of digital stamps - an incredible mixture of styles and designs. 
Stamp and Create

Stamp and Create who are an online store based in the US with worldwide shipping. They specialize in Rubber Stamps including Magnolia, Whimsy Stamps, Wild Rose Studios, and many, many more at the lowest prices around!
and 
My Heart Pieces

My Heart Pieces who create such gorgeous images, some of which are really unusual and just can't be found elsewhere!

We've gone all out on this one! All you need to do to win is leave a comment on all our blogs and enter in our challenge as normal creating a card or project with a Birthday Sentiment via our normal blog page - and you could be in with a chance of winning! :)

If you have arrived here from Laura's Blog, then you are on the right track - if you haven't arrived here from her blog - please go to the Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog and you can start from the beginning.

Here's my creation below for our special Birthday Blog Hop:

 

Supplies used:
- Kraft Cardstock (Papermania)
- Yes Please / Amy Tangerine Collection Paper Pad 12 x 12 from American Crafts
- X-Cut Corner Rounder
- Flair Adhesive Badges / Miss You Collection from American Crafts
- Pink & White Twine from American Crafts
- Promarkers (Sunflower, Cocoa, Forest Green)
- Fiskars Lace Doily Border Punch
- Momento Ink Tuxedo Black
- Paper Smooches Simply Said Stamp Set

I created this card using kraft cardstock, folded into a standard size card, and layered various papers from the Yes Please Amy Tangerine Collection Paper pad from American Crafts. I coloured in one of the images from one of our sponsors in Promarkers (Sunflower, Cocoa, and Forest Green) - the image was trimmed, and two of the corners rounded with a X-Cut corner rounder. This was adhered on with 3D foam dots. I also used a Fiskars doily lace border punch to decorate some of the strips of layered paper on the card. The sentiment I used was from the Paper Smooches Simply Said collection in Momento Tuxedo Black ink on more paper from the same paper pad. I finished this sentiment off by tying some American Crafts bakers twine on the end and adding a flair button from the American Crafts Miss You Flair / Badges set. Phew! Really liked the way the card turned out - I think it's pretty sweet!

The next stop is Ruthie's Blog!

Here's the full list of Hop-pers (just in case!)

Kym
Mel (that's me!)

Enjoy the Birthday Hop journey via the Aud Sentiments DT and don't forget to leave comments along the way! The more chance you have of winning some of our awesome prizes!

Happy Birthday 3rd Aud Sentiments! :)

- x -

Tuesday 16 April 2013

You're My Cup of Tea! - Pinspirational Challenges

Hello Everyone! Today is the last blog post I will be doing as part of the Pinspirational Challenges Design Team :( *sobs* But the future challenges on the Challenge Blog are in the most awesome capable hands of Deanne and the rest of the Design Team, so I wish them all the best for the future! :) Thank you Deanne for being a great Team Leader and giving me the opportunity to be on the team in the first place! You're an inspiration!

As this is my last challenge on the Pins Team, I've made 3 mini cards for this project. Here's the Pinspirational image below for you:

 

The two sponsors for this week's challenge are:

Team 1 are sponsored by
 
PRIZE: 3 digis
 
and
 
Team 2 are sponsored by
 
PRIZE $15 Gift Certificate
 
- x -
 
Here is my creation:
 
 
 Craft Supplies used:
- Crafts-Too You Small Hearts Embossing Folder
- Sizzix Small Dots Embossing Folder
- Forever Friends Black and Gold Petal Pattern Embossing Folder
- Yellow, Green and Pink Twine from American Crafts
- Lawn Fawn - My Cup of Tea Stamp Set
- Crate Paper - Paper Heart Collection
- Papermania 3 x 3 White Blank Cards
- Momento Black Tuxedo Ink
- X-Cut Corner rounder punch
- 3D foam dots

I had a bit of a mishap with the printer, so instead I had to use this stamp set for this card set. From the Pins image I've taken the cup of black tea (it could be coffee as well!) 
I embossed each card with a random embossing folder (from the three above) and used paper from the Paper Heart collection from Crate Paper and trimmed these to size for the 3 x 3 cards. These were then rounded off with the X-Cut corner rounder punch and twine was tied around the paper. These were then stuck on the embossed card with 3D foam dots. I then stamped a few random images from the My Cup of Tea by Lawn Fawn on some white card stock, and then these were trimmed down and attached with 3D foam dots. So there you are, the end results are of the cards above. All very cute and all very different!

So I hope you've all enjoyed this make, please check out the awesome DT creations on the blog and get everyone to join in on this week's challenge.

Challenge starts today Tuesday 16th April and ends Monday 22nd April, Midnight Newfoundland Time.

Thanks to all those who have commented, left comments on my blog for any of the challenges for the Pinspirational Blogs, please continue to support this great challenge blog and give great love to the current Design Team! :) <3 xx

Wednesday 10 April 2013

My Hero!

It's a new challenge over at the Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog and this fortnight it's dedicated to the great men  and guys in our lives - whether they be your partner, husband, boyfriend, male friends or family member. So without further ado, here's your Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog task this fortnight:

We want to see a card or project for a man - with an appropriate sentiment

Our Sponsor this fortnight are Bugaboo

Here is a little bit about them...
"I have been designing graphics for 9 years, mostly for those who digitize, and now venturing into this new idea of digi stamps.   I love to draw and love to see where my designs go and how they are used.   I find making people smile with my graphics very rewarding!  For many many years I drew mostly cutesy kids graphics, a lot of which you’ll find on my site.  But my latest passion is my cranky old boots....
Stella ,Gus, Margaret and the Gals who came after them.
I just LOVE to create them and they seem to be a favorite!
What else can I say?
The name Bugaboo Stamps...how did I come up with it?
Well...... Bugaboo is a nickname i have for my kids sometimes."

- x -

So here's my creation:


I picked this image from our sponsors because I thought it would make a great dedication to the lovely guys in my life - so in this my Dad (Hey Dad!!!) and my lovely guy mates (who are awesome and make me laugh uncontrollably! Thanks guys - you know who you are!) - they're all proper 'heroes' for putting up with me! :)

Craft Supplies Used:
- Crate Paper / Paper Heart 12 x 12 paper pad
- X-Cut Square Punch
- 3D Foam dots
- Red Ribbon
- Lawn Fawn Harold ABC Letters Stamps
- Memento Black Tuxedo Ink
- Promarkers (Azure, Ruby, Oatmeal, Henna and Gold)

So this image is actually depicted on a men's tie. So as I couldn't remember what a men's tie looks like when it's someone (I did used to have one at school! A LONG time ago though!) I copied a tie template and draw it onto white cardstock and then copied this onto red paper from the Crate Paper collection. I then cut this out, left a little tab on the top for the ribbon and then coloured, cut and layered my 'Superhero' image on the tie using various other papers from the paper collection and with 3D foam dots. I threaded the red ribbon at the top of the tie and hung this on a coat hanger, so it actually looks like a proper tie!

Hope you guys my little creation, make sure you enter in this fortnight's challenge at the Aud Sentiments Blog. Tell your friends, your followers and any of your crafty friends about our challenges! Join in and get inspired! Check out our DT creations on the blog and as always - Happy Crafting! :)

Challenge ends until Tuesday 23rd April 2013

Happy Birthday Pinspirational Challenges!!!

The blog was started a year ago and it is celebrating its first birthday! What an amazing year for the brilliant Deanne (who runs the blog) and of course the awesome Design Team Members! (Of whom I've had the pleasure of creating with past and present!) so wishing Deanne and the Pinspirational Challenges Blog a huge....

HAPPY BRTHDAY!!!!

Deanne has written up a special post here celebrating the Pins Blog's 1st Birthday, and as it's a special occasion, there's a special prize to one of you guys for entering in the Birthday Post!

Here's the Birthday prize you could win:
 


You can check out the full details and enter in the Happy Birthday giveaway post here on the Pinspirational Blog! Join in and you could win the birthday prize! :) Happy Birthday Pins!

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Rainy Days! @ Pins HQ

Hi everyone, this will be my penultimate post as part of the Pins Team, so I will be savouring my last few weeks on the team. But the team are in safe hands with some great additional DT Crew Members and I know they'll be awesome! So I would like to welcome Hilary, Sheetal, Kitt, Anat and Lisa Grace to the amazing Pinspirational Challenges DT!

So without further ado, here's your Pinspirational image to get you creative this week:

 

This image reminds me of walking through Chinatown in Central London in the rain with my friend. And we were trying to find a place to eat and we ended up wandering around in the rain looking for somewhere, and as it was Chinese New Year in London and the celebrations were dying somewhat down - it was still a bit busy and walking through the rain in a busy city - is not an easy task! Hey it rains in London most of the time now, so I think we're getting used to it! :)

Our sponsor(s) this week are:

Teams 1 and 2
  Prize: 7 digis
Prize: $10 voucher
Team members used images from Bugaboo for this challenge

- x -

Here's my creation:


Supplies I used:

- First Paper Edition Rose Garden 8 x 8 Paper Pad
- Sizzix Sizzlits Ticket Dies
- Pasrcel string
- Crop-o-dile & eyelets
- Spellbinders Labels Fourteen
- Die-namics Mini Doilies die
- Spellbinders Lacy Ovals die
- Promarkers

I've attached this little 'Save Up' sign to a container I put my pennies in or change for a 'Rainy Day' - which seems to occur a lot in London, so the jar is sometimes empty! :)
I did a lot of layering with the various papers from the First Edition Paper pad and die cut a few of the papers with the Spellbinders dies and the Die-namics doily dies. I coloured in one of the sponsors images with some Promarkers (Gold, Rose Pink, Bright Green, Forest Green, Antique Pink, Sky Blue, Oatmeal and Azure) I used a Crop-a-dile to put two eyelets in the top and threaded some parcel string in the top - attaching the finished sign on to my jar of pennies! :)

Hope you all will join in this week's Pins Challenge. Get your fellow crafters to take part in the challenge and you could win our weekly challenges! :)

Challenge ends Monday 15th April 2013, Midnight - Newfoundland Time

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Flower Girl @ Pins HQ

So another fabulous week is here for Spring and what better way to start the week, then with a a lovely Pinspirational Challenge!

Here's your image this week to be inspired by:

 

Cute isn't she?

Our Sponsors this week are:

Team 1
A Day For Daisies provides themed categories of over 1000 digital illustrations, including fairy tales and magical mermaids, cutie kids, vintage illustrations, sentiments and lovely designs for all occasions!
Prize: $12 gift card
and 

Team 2
 

Prize: $10 coupon

Great sponsors, amazing prizes!

Here's my creation:


Materials / Craft Supplies used:
- Caramel Linen Cardstock
- Rosette Trim (which I bought from a local London Craft store)
- White bows (from my local London market)
- Dovecraft Tea Doilies
- Fiskars Border Doily Punch
- Sizzix Sizzlit Ticket Die (Pack of 5 dies)
- First Paper Edition Rose Garden 8 x 8 pad
- Silver Gem stones (from my local £ store)
- Crop-a-dile and silver eyelet
- Parcel String

This simple tag was made from caramel cardstock, then layered with paper from the First Paper Edition Rose Garden paper pad. I used the Fiskars Doily border punch on one end of the tag, and then measured out where I would put the central image. The image is from one of our sponsors - CYDI and is coloured in using Promarkers (Ivory, Oatmeal, Forest Green, Bright Green, Rose Pink, Ice Grey 4 and Cocoa) and is die cut in a ticket shape from the Sizzix Sizzlit Ticket die. I added the eyelet with my Crop-a-dile after sticking the layers down with double-sided tape and threaded through parcel string, then added the silver gem stones and rosette trim at the bottom. I like the way it turned out! Very cute!

I hope this has inspired you to create some great projects and cards based on our weekly image. Enter in our challenge this week and you could win of our prizes! Get your followers and crafty friends to join in - we can't wait to see your creations and check out the amazing DT's creations too!

Challenge starts today Tuesday 2nd April 2013 to Monday 8th April 2013 at Midnight (Newfoundland Time)