Simply Betty Spring Swap hop

Simply Betty Spring Swap

It seems like such a long time ago that I took part in the Simply Betty Spring Swap, it was organised via facebook where everyone who wished to take part was paired up and you had to send a 'spring basket' filled with approx $25 of crafting goodies, sweeties etc to your buddy.

My spring fling buddy was Wendy from Colorado. We had the option of someone from the UK or further afield and I thought it would be fun to swap with someone in America, its so nice to send and receive crafty bits (and candy) not available at home. I had so much fun choosing things for Wendy, adding little touches from home like a magnet with an irish blessing and my favourite chocolates. If you pop over to her blog you'll see what I sent  http://Jazzydoodledesigns.com, I hope she loved hers as much as I loved mine.

Here are all the gorgeous goodies I got from Wendy, I cant believe she sent sooooo much and all in my favourite colours, and we both made the same style of card.

The gorgeous card made with Bettys spring swap image (cant wait to blog hop to see how everyone used her), gems, ribbons, buttons all in my favourite colours, and the gorgeous cross is going to be used on a scrapbook page of my beautiful goddaughters scapbook (which I'll give to her when she's 21-shes 3 on monday)

Excuse the carpet :-)

Washi tape, beautiful easter stamps, prima flowers, lots of yummy 'candy' (as the Americans say) and my uber stylish new peg bag  (lets just hope the weather cheers up so I can use it more). 

I love paper and look how much Wendy sent me, they're just gorgeous and cant wait to use them

A pressie for Miss Maggie from Jazz

Isn't it all gorgeous  (sorry over using the word gorgeous but its all just GORGEOUS), I havent used any yet because I'm just back from my holiday but Maggie managed to demolish her bone in about 3 minutes.



Thankyou wendy for being such a generous and sweet swap buddy and I know we've started a lovely and long friendship, and thankyou Corinne for organising this fun swap xox

Here is the blog list for everyone who took part

SBS http://simplybettystamps.blogspot.com/

Jennifer Raffenaud

Barb Ettinger

Nicki Ringleman

Corinne Jones

http://wishuponascrap.blogspot.com/

Trish Sakulich

http://www.scrappintillthecowscomehome.blogspot.ca/

Robin Bogle

http://www.rcz28.blogspot.com

Maria Williams

http://pinxinx.blogspot.com

Trudie Howard

http://trudiescakesandcards.blogspot.co.uk/

Wendy Billings

http://www.jazzydoodledesigns.com

Roz Wolfe

http://www.wolfepak5.blogspot.com

Sheri Loatwall

http://www.mammasscrappin.blogspot.com/

Stacey Stratis

http://anastasiasarts.blogspot.com/

Lucy Gregg

http://loopylass2010.blogspot.co.uk/

Louise Mann

http://louisescraftycards.blogspot.co.uk/

Jo Walker

http://joscardsandstuff.blogspot.co.uk/

Lisa Nelson

http://www.distinctiveLMNts.blogspot.com

 Michelle Klaebe

http://www.inkandsew.blogspot.com.au/

 Dawn Brown

http://stampersgonewild.blogspot.com

Elizabeth Melih (Emily Shroom here)

http://emilyshroom.blogspot.com.au/

Jackie Rakoski

http://stampingsister.blogspot.com

Kathy Smyth

http://kathyjsmyth.blogspot.co.uk

Carrie Robinson
http://carriescreativecards.blogspot.co.uk/

Marie Franklin

http://marie97-lotlot.blogspot.com/

Erin Fairclough

http://elfiessparkleanddust.blogspot.co.uk/

Melissa Varga

http://cheesestampersinparadise.blogspot.com/

Katya Bess

http://www.kattyxotica.blogspot.com/

Tanja Charles

http://craft-teeinthecity.blogspot.com

Jennifer Anderson

http://Creativearmywife.blogspot.com

Summer Hills-Painter

http://1craftypainter.blogspot.com/

Darcy Schroeder

http://craftingwithdarcy.blogspot.com

Veronica Chasteen Rosenshein
http://www.artbyveronica.blogspot.com

Julie Hasel

http://tigerlily2g1b.blogspot.co.uk/

Tanya Johnson

http://little-scrapper.blogspot.com 

Dianna Cinko Sowerbrower

http://diannas-craftyplace.blogspot.com



I'll blog my card another day as I know I'm very naughty and posting a little late for the hop (always late no matter how hard I try), thanks for popping by xox

LOTV wedding card and a very mischievous Maggie

A friend in work asked me to make a card for a wedding she was going to and ta da here is my card.

I bought this LOTV stamp a while ago pre-loved from a group on FB and never seemed to get the opportunity to use it, so I was keen to use it for my friends card. I just love this image and bought the sentiment recently to match it. I don't seem to stamp very often as I find digi stamps so much easier, but its definately a good way to use up the pieces of card that doesn't fit in the printer. It didn't stamp perfectly so I used the fine end of my distress marker to fill in the missed bits which worked really well.

I was at a bit of a loss how to start this card so after a google search I found a wonderful artist who had used the same image, Barbara @ hunny bunny cards, usually when I take inspiration from a card and mine looks nothing like the original but this one is quite similar so I hope its ok. 

I very rarely use my embossing folders so when I saw how Barbara had used them to add a wedding feel I thought I'd give it go, I used swiss dots and a freebie I got with a magazine a few months ago. For the pink layers I used the brush end of my spun sugar distress marker (I hadn't used it before either). 

To colour the image I used promarkers and added some liquid pearls to the bouquet, the punched flowers/leaves were also coloured with promarkers and attached with glossy accentsand a pearl in the centre, it takes such a small amount of glossy accents that I was able to add some dimension by gently lifting back the petals . The large flower was attached to the card with a pearl brad and the butterfly was covered in stickles after it was attached to the card. 

I didn't have a circle the right size for the sentiment so I cut one out on my fabulous new silhouette and also the scalloped border (more stickles added), I have to say though as much as I love it I would still use my punches and cuttlebug first if I had the right size. 

The last thing I did was add a border of stickles around the edge (I do love stickles)

Then disaster struck, at the last minute (it was late and I needed to take it into work tomorrow) I had put some liquid pearls on the image and changed my mind so rubbed them of which left a lovely sheen, soooooo I thought I'd add a thin layer to her dress but it was terrible, thankfully I had a second stamped image which I coloured again and slide in below the flowers phew. 

I just hope my friend likes it. If she does all she needs to do is fill in the date. 

Id like to enter this card into the following challenges

crafty creations challenges -no patterned paper

Belli challenge-pastels

I love promarkers-pastel colours

Whimsical designs - smell flowers

milkcoffeechallenge-welcome spring challenge

Miss Maggie

SO Miss Maggie has been up to no good, I came home yesterday to her being told off by my boyfriend. He had gotten a phone call from doggy day care to say that she had been ripping the coats of the other dogs, completely destroying 2 of them (coats not dogs thankfully) at a cost of £55!!! She was sitting looking at my boyfriend as if she was paying attention to this one sided conversation when she decided to lie down, well my bf said 'I told you to sit when I'm talking to you" and she jumped back up into the sitting position looking intently at him until he'd finished talking. I got told off to for laughing too hard. She was put on timeout at daycare for 40 minutes and then took the hump with the girl who looks after her, honestly its like having a child I'm sure. 

She's still eating things she shouldn't and pooped yet another sock (thats 4 in total) and one of those innocent smoothie knitted hats!! We're very lucky she hasn't made herself ill. 

Yet for all her devilment shes such a joy, she's so tall now she tries to rest her head on the dining room table and licks her lips when we're having dinner. She also tries to sit on me and its not working anymore because she keeps falling off my knee, but if the heater is on she doesn't care she's sharing that heat if  I like it or not.

We took her to the Belfast Hound Around, an event organised for charity that allows off lead play in Stomont park, she had a great time, especially as most of the dogs were bigger breeds like greyhounds and huskies  although it was a tiny little Beagle that gave them all a run for their money!!! Fantastic idea and a fantastic day were we met lots of great people (and so glad we didn't get a boy dog, they lifted their legs everywhere). 

Kissy kissy

Our puppy isn't so much of a puppy anymore

I'm not sure if shes protecting her bone or using it as a pillow, either way shes out for the count.

Thanks for dropping by xox

Whoop whoop I won my first blog challenge

I won my first blog challenge over at Milk Coffee with my St Patricks Day card, I was so surprised I could have danced around the room and I got to choose 3 free digis from their shop. The wonderful thing about the blog challenges (also my purse may suffer a little) is all the amazing digi artists I didn't know existed.  I chose 3 of Milk Coffees Tiffany digis  as she's just so adorable although I may need to go back and get a few more because they'll all so lovely.

The image I won the challenge with was a freebie from the Stamping Chef, another artist I discovered recently from the Netherlands (not far from where my uncle lives). This is an image she shared for a colouring challenge called Culinary Claire, the winner of the challenge had her image added to the blogs banner, pop over and have a peek it looks amazing http://thestampingchef.wordpress.com/. I'm going to make this image into a card for a good friends birthday in May so watch this space.

Im already half way to finishing this weeks challenge over at the stamping chef :-)

Thanks for popping by xox