KRAFTYHANDS OCTOBER CHALLENGE - CHARMS

Hello beautiful, happy crafty people.  First off I must apologise for my absence, illness, a broken computer (nightmare how did I survive lol) and well . . . . life . . . I guess just throws little curve balls to make sure i'm still paying attention!!   Anyhow and ever this is my first ever scheduled post so fingers crossed everything goes according to plan.

Now this morning sees the Kraftyhands October Challenge go live.  So everybody get your CHARMS at the ready and show us what your made of.  Remember to pop across to the website to check out the rules and then have yourself some fun.  You will also see all the other DT members entries for some gorgeous inspiration.

Mine is a lovely Humphreys Corner Box Frame card . . . Humphrey and his family really are soooooo cute, I just couldn't resist.

I'm really looking forward to viewing your creations and if your like me and new to the world of challenges,  fear not !!! great fun awaits all those who dare and there is even a little incentive of the opportunity to win a prize . . . .


Lots of love and crafty cuddles,

Nickki. x x

Christmas comes early

OMG, I'm so excited! ! !  Look what arrived for me today. . . 

Yep that's right the new design team CD Rom's from Kraftyhands and I get to play so watch this space and keep checking out http://www.kraftyhandsonline.co.uk/ for release dates.  Also hop over to the blog where there is a blog challenge going on and we would love to see your entries.  You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook so come on you know you want to. 

Crafty Cuddles,

Nickki. x x 

Time for Tea . . .

Afternoon all,


I'm just about to head out on the school run so I'll do a quick share and up date more later.


The first is a box I've recycled by decorating with paper and flowers and the second is a card I've made which co-ordinates with the box. . .

Hope you like them and remember to pop back later when I'll give you full details on what you need.

Ta da for now..

Nickki. x x 

Phew kids are collected and it's absolutely scorching outside and funnily enough no time for tea for me, lol.  So as promised I used Tea House Decoupage Paper Pack  and Tea House 12 x 12 papers.  Mounted the papers on different colours of Pearlescent cardstock  all different shapes and sizes, then embellished with Memory Box Macarena Corner Die and Butterfly Die.  The Faux stitching was created with a white Sakura Gel Pen.  The embellishments were from my stash and the Mulberry paper flowers and leaves are from Wild Orchid Crafts . . . . 

Cheers Nickki, x x 

Post It Note Pocket

Evening everyone,


Just thought I would post this now as will be out in the morning.

I got the inspiration for this from the Whiff of Joy blog . .  they have such beautiful tutorials and inspiration.  Its really easy so hop on over and check it out.  As this is my first attempt I've kept it simple but my next one will be so much better, there's smoke coming out my ears as we speak.

I've used Dovecraft Tea House papers which are really scrummy along with my Memory Box Butterfly   Die and Macarena Corner Die.  I've used my Wee Stamps for the Just for You and my Mulberry Paper Cherry Blossoms and Paper Leaves from Wild Orchid Crafts.  The leaves where white so I coloured them in with Promarkers.  Et Voila ! ! !   

I'm thinking these will be perfect for the teachers presents . . .

Crafty cuddles,

Nickki. x x 

Clay Moulds

Morning all,

Just been checking out a new product to me, which is clay moulds on the Whysper Fairy Etsy store, http://www.etsy.com/shop/WhysperFairy.

These are perfect little jewels for making your own embellishments, jewellery, fondant shapes for cakes.  The list is endless so check it out above or via http://juliesbits.blogspot.co.uk/ where she has a fantastic silicone mould giveaway.  Good luck and happy hunting.

Crafty cuddles,

Nickki.  x x

Freebie

Morning all,


It's a bit miserable here today and on the day of the kids summer fayre . .  nothing new there then!!! lol.

Anyhow I thought I would just show you the lovely free gift that came with the Papercraft Essentials Magazine.  Gorgeous aren't they.   I stamped the two beautiful girls with Black Memento Ink and coloured with Promarkers and Sakura Gel Pens.  I have actually cut the images out because I have a plan in mind but can't tell you yet, so please keep checking back to find out.  In the meantime go and buy Issue 82 of Papercraft Essentials and have a play with these lovely stamps.  See you soon....


Crafty cuddles,


Nickki

Fathers Dad

Morning everyone,


Gosh it's a bit of a Winnie the Pooh day today (a blustery day) lol..... so be careful if your out and about.  My card today is for my Dad! ! !  I've gone monochrome ish with it so see what you think.

I've once again used the Forever Friends Black and Gold Collection CD-Rom which is fantastic.  The papers, flowers, tag, digi stamp and greeting are all from the disc and all I've had to do is layer onto some black mirror card and decoupage the digi.  I also coloured in the flowers with a gold Sakura pen and you can't really tell from the photo but the bear is printed onto silver pearlescent paper from Annamarie Designs.  As always, thank you for taking the time to stop by and leave your comments.  I really do appreciate them.


Ta Da,


Nickki. x x  

With Lots of Love . . .

Hi there,

The weather is fine and the birds are singing, a great way to start the day!!!  So here it is my card for the  day is a swiper card ( ie you pull the ends of the card and a little sentiment pops up).  This was to cheer up my Aunt who hadn't been very well.

I've used a digi stamp here from Sliekje digi stamps (http://sliekje.blogspot.co.uk/) all of which are Free . .  yes you heard it here folks FREE.  I've coloured in using my trusty promarkers and die cut the circle using my Nellies multi frame,  which I distressed with Tim Holtz Spiced Marmalade distress ink.  All the papers and ladybirds where downloaded from The Activity Village (again a freebie) and layered and matted on to Kraft card.  I've used Candi,  Ribbon which I ruched and sewed then highlighted a few elements with Glossy Accents.  I wanted this to be really cheery and my Aunt loved it.

Crafty cuddles,

Nickki x x 

Black and Gold

Well Hello, Hello,


I hope your all well this morning!  I'm going all glitz and glam today with the Forever Friends Black and Gold Cd-rom collection which I actually got as a freebie on the Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine a while ago. 

All the papers and images used are from the disc except for the plain gold pearlescent paper which is from annamariedesigns.co.uk.   LUSH ! ! !   Have a fantastic day whatever your doing and wherever you are.

Crafty cuddles,

Nickki.   x x

Happy Birthday

Morning all, 


Just a quickie this morning,  a little birthday card.  Hope you like it and if you feel like leaving a comment,  I'll be charmed ! ! ! 

The digi is coloured with promarkers.   It's matted and layered onto odd bits and pieces of paper I had in my stash (well it pay's to be thrifty . . . lol).  I hand wrote the sentiment and added a few embellishments and ribbon.  Cheers,

Nickki. x x

A Crafty Mix . . . .

Good morning lovely crafty peeps,


Well the school run is done and normality reigns supreme once again,  so today I'm posting a couple of different cards.  The first one is perfect for a new home . . . . 

I have to admit I did this card a little while ago and absolutely love the paper I used but can I remember what it was . . . not on my life, lol.  However the stamp I used was from Little Claire Designs - Butterfly Tree set which included all the butterflies and birds as well as the central stamp and a butterfly tree stamp.
I absolutely love it because it is so versatile.   I've literally just cut a circle in the centre of the paper and layered it over the stamp which I coloured using my Promarkers.  I then decorated with the butterflies and birds a few little embellies  and ribbon from my stash and Voila it was finished. . . Hope you all like it and thank you for all your lovely comments - I appreciate each and every one . .  x x x.


I also thought I would show you a card I was commissioned to do:

This was for an 85th birthday,  for a quiet, businesslike gentleman, who loves piano.  I thought this beautiful Mo Manning digi would work perfectly as his great niece was around this age.  I have once again coloured using my Promarkers (which I absolutely love . .  could u have guessed . . lol) and I used an extra fine white glitter on the little girls dress.  The music paper and notes were downloaded from the web but I can't remember where from (sorry i will endeavour to do much better) and luckily enough I had the ribbon as a one off in my stash.  I used acetate as a front cover and quite literally Bobs  your uncle, lol get it!!!  Any how and ever they really loved it so I was more than happy!! 

Have a fantastic day whatever your doing and I'll catch up soon.

Crafty cuddles,

Nickki. x x 

Polkadoodles Birdhouse

Hello again,

This is just a beautiful birdhouse off the Polkadoodles Candy Doodles Collectors Edition Cd rom.  Check it out it is fantastic. x x x

Flowerpot pocket card

Hi everyone,


Just a quick post this morning, again I hope to brighten up the day with some flowers.  This little card and bookmark is really simple to do.  I have used it here as a Mothers Day card but it would be fantastic  for just about any occasion.  Hope you enjoy . . . 

RECIPE:

FLOWERPOT: Cardstock -  9" x 3 and 1/2"

Score at 2" and 5 and 1/2"

fold score lines, 2" down 5 and 1/2" up to create pot shape.  Use ribbon to hold pot together.

Use a punch to decorate rim of pot and then trim the outside edges of flowerpot slightly on the diagonal, making sure to allow for bookmark to fit inside. (So bottom width of flowerpot must remain slightly wider than 2 and 1/2")  Decorate however you wish.

BOOKMARK:  Cardstock cut to 4 and 1/4" x 2 and 1/2".

Layer this with a smaller piece of card and decorate flowerpot and bookmark however you wish.

Give it a go, it really is easier than it sounds!!!

crafty cuddles,

Nickki, x x 

Baby cards

Mornin,

It's a bit soggy here today so to brighten up the dreariness I'm posting some baby cards . . . yeah !!!

This is a Meljen Designs digi stamp coloured with Promarkers again matted and layered on the Papermania capsule collection and sewn with the sewing machine.  Embellies, ribbon buttons etc from my stash and finished with an acetate front.  I then made the little box and shoes from patterned papers in my stash just to finish off.

And this is the same digi but for a boy.  The gift bag was my first attempt so quite pleased with how it turned out.

Have a lovely day whatever your doing,

Chow,

Nickki. x x 

40th Birthday Card and bracelet

Good Afternoon, beautiful happy smiley peeps,


Just thought I would share this 40th Birthday Card and bracelet I made for my gorgeous friend!!!  We have know each other since we attended primary school together.  We even share the same birthday and were born in the same hospital, only a few hours apart. . . how weird is that !!!  Hope you like it as much as Louise did!!!!!.

The bracelet I made with the most gorgeous glass beads called Planet from Larkrise Beads and the little silver heart is from Chrystal Rose.  I have to say making jewellery is as equally rewarding as making cards, I love it.  

 The card and the box were also a labour of love but I was really pleased with the outcome.  The stamp I used is one of Polka Doodles and actually was a Freebie on Simply Cards and Papercrafts magazine.

RECIPE:

I firstly stamped the image many times onto different papers so that I could decoupage and paper piece together to give dimension.  All the pink papers came from the Docrafts Papermania capsule collection which is absolutely gorgeous but the yellow dress is from an easter paper set from forever ago . . .  ooohhhh I think it might have been a forever friends bear set.   I have used my black sakura pen to give definition to the rose and flourishes and used my Xcut nesting die for the initial shape.  Really then everything is just matted and layered with a little satin ribbon from stash along with embellishments and peel offs also from stash.  The box was then made from beautiful lilac pearl card to finish off.

Crafty cuddles,

Nickki x x x

Vintage Motors CD from Kraftyhands

Hello lovely crafty people,

Here's a few things I made from the soon to be released Vintage Motors Cd from Kraftyhands.  This is a definite must have for all those men in your life,  for whom you will never be stuck for ideas again.  

This one is a straight forward decoupaged card front, ideal for the beginner and seasoned crafter alike...

This second one I used the papers and toppers and made a cd case.....

And last but not least I made a little gift card holder.  I again used a topper as a gift card to give you the idea of how it works.  So why not head over to Kraftyhands to check out the merchandise.  It's a sure fire winner!!!!!

Crafty Cuddles,

Nickki

My Nephew's Birthday

Ooohhh,

Just thought I'd sneak this one in, cheeky I know but I appear to be on a roll don't you know . . lol.

It's my nephew's birthday on Monday so this is the card I made using the wonderful Candy Doodles Collectors Edition Cd.

I have to say I'm new to all this Cd crafting, quite literally in fact.  I used my first Cd rom when I joined the Kraftyhands design team and it is a whole new world.  So for anyone who is like me (now there's a statement lol, original and unique), just give Cd crafting a go.  It is so nice to be able to print off images and papers at will and just get crafting.


                                               

So here we go with the recipe:

1.   Printed digi stamp off cd and coloured in using promarkers  
2.   Cut and layered on to cardstock and on to papers from cd
3.   Added the embellishments and ribbon from my stash and used the best wishes sentiment from the Cd.

Job done.

Crafty cuddles,

Nickki.  x x

Red, White and Blue Challenge.

Well hello again,


I hope this morning finds everyone well and looking forward to a wonderful Jubilee weekend!!  Bring on the P A R T Y that's what I say . . lol.


Anyway Kraftyhands red, white and blue challenge went live this morning . . . yeeeehaaa and isn't it fantastic!!!!!  It never ceases to amaze me how diverse the cards are and yet all from one little heading - SUPERB.  So here is my creation from the Kraftyhands Vintage Motors Cd (along with some papers and embellishments from my stash) and I really am looking forward to seeing yours and don't forget to hop, hop, hop to all the other blogs for a little look see.  Have a fantastic weekend, mines a G & T lol . . . Sllluurrrppp,  Cheers x x x x

Crafty Cuddles,

Nickki x x x

Good Morning,  Good Morning and welcome to my wonderful, whimsical world of fun.  


This is my first ever blog and most likely I am talking to the ether, lol,  but hey ho we all start somewhere!!  


Anyhow I thought I'd start off by introducing not only myself but some of my friends too.  We are all members of the Kraftyhands Design Team so I hope you will pop on over to all their blogs as well! 


 Now where should I start,  hmmm lets see, we'll start with Mike http://papercraftography.blogspot.co.uk/ well he is the boss you know(lol), then there is lovely Linda http://lindasimpsoncraftypieceofheaven.blogspot.co.uk/ and the rest of us wonderful ladies, Katie http://katiebaylisdesign.blogspot.co.uk/, Laney http://www.laneyoval.blogspot.com/, Laura http://lecdavison.blogspot.com/, Maggie http://maggiemapes.blogspot.co.uk/, Mandy http://paper-panda.blogspot.co.uk/, Lindy  http://lindylousmeetingplace.blogspot.co.uk/ and dragging up the rear is me . . .yeah!!!!  Ok job done.  

Now to tell you about the wonderful products and challenges that Kraftyhands has in store for you.   Well lookie here the design team have a little challenge going on just for us and our first task was to create a tag from the soon to be released Vintage Motors Cd (never again will I be stuck for something original to create for the men in my life, absolutely fantastic).  Here's a peak at mine and if you blog hop you'll see the others too. 

Next we have a Kraftyhands blog challenge for YOU . . . and it goes live tomorrow 2nd June, so hop hop hop to the blog for the rules and join in the fun.  Then last but by no means least check out what our next disc due for release is - OMG I'm soooo excited and Phew, quite frankly exhausted, so I'm off to finish my Grapefruit iced tea and I'll catch up with you later.


Ta da,


Crafty cuddles,


Nickki.