Little Ted Cards

Little sledging ted...

2009-11-14T13:41:00.008Z

Well, I almost started the weekend with a total disaster! To celebrate my new DT position with Moving Along with the Times, I decided to give my blog a makeover last night and somehow managed to completely mess up my template and lose all my links! It was a nightmare but I've managed to get it mostly back to normal now - I think I'll just stick to changing the backgrounds in the future! So, on to a card - this one is a multi-challenge creation:

Passion for ProMarkers - sketch and any colours

Cupcake Craft - Snow Much Fun

Fab's Christmas Cards - 3 themes, I chose Wavy Frame

Secret Crafter - Four Seasons - I chose winter

Here's Ida's sketch for PFP - I used a label die instead of a circle as it fitted my image better and it also fits Fab's 'wavy frame' element. I stamped the image with Memento Black and coloured it with ProMarkers (colours below) and I stamped the sentiment with Memento Bahama Blue . The swirls were cut with an extended die and embellished with foam snowflakes, accented with shimmer dots.

Stamps: sledging image free with magazine; sentiment by Elzybells

Colouring: ProMarkers in cool aqua; cinnamon; cocoa; pastel yellow; mustard; blush; pastel blue; and warm grey 1
Paper: Christmas Blues pack by Dovecraft

Other: Labels 4 die by Nestabilities; swirl die by Sizzix; shimmer dots by Papermania; snowflakes from stash

Nicki, xx

Woohoo - my very first DT card...

2009-11-12T18:19:00.008Z

I've had some wonderful news this week - the lovely ladies from the Moving Along with the Times challenge blog have chosen me as one of their new Design Team members! I was so excited I just had to create my first project straight away...Clare has given us this great sketch and it's an open theme so, guess what? - another Christmas card for my growing collection. I chose this cute stamp and coloured the image with pencils, then cut it out with an oval die and lightly coloured the background with shimmer chalks. The patterned paper is from my scraps box and I used a die cut sentiment tag for my greeting. After wrestling with various ways of fixing ribbon or cord for the crossed over part of the design, I settled on threading this flat ribbon through eyelets in the corners of the purple panel.

It was a bit of a rush to get this one finished in time for this week's challenge but I couldn't wait to get started. Come along and join us at Moving Along with the Times - it's great fun and there's a prize on offer for the winner.

I'd just like to say a big thank to you all the girls on the MAWTT team for choosing me, and congratulations to Susie, the other new member - you can check out all their fabulous blogs from the links on my sidebar.

Stamps: sledging girl by Elzybells
Paper: Xmas Blue set by Dovecraft
Other:plain and scalloped oval dies by Nestabilities; sentiment by Craftwork Cards

Nicki, xx

Remembrance...

2009-11-10T19:07:00.007Z

This simple card is for the Remembrance Day challenge at Moving Along With The Times, and also fits the Blue, Red and White colour theme at Crafty Angels...I die-cut an oval panel and mounted it in the centre of my card base, then used a set of tiny flower and leaf images to stamp a frame around it. I then added a die cut white cross and 3 small punched flowers with black brads in the centre to make the poppies.

Stamps: See D's Springtime Collection
Other: oval die by Nestabilities; cross die by Sizzix; flower punch unknown

Nicki, xx

Birdcage birthday...

2009-11-08T21:42:00.007Z

Here's a card I've made this weekend for the following challenges:

Sunday Sketch & Stamp - sketch

Lili of the Valley - use 3 papers, 2 stamps, 1 kind of embellishment

Quixotic Paperie - birthday theme

My time to craft - "so many scallops"

I used my new stash from the Chatsworth range - I bought them for my friend's birthday and just had to buy an extra set for me too! I used 3 co-ordinating papers for the main background and matted panels, and the lovely birdcage stamp for the central image. The mats were cut with circle and rectangle scalloped dies and for my 1 kind of embellishment I chose flowers. The sentiment was from a different stamp set.

Stamps: all by Papermania
Papers: Chatsworth pack by Papermania
Other: scallop circle and rectangle dies by Nestabilities; flowers from stash

Nicki, xx

Snowman with punched frame

2009-11-05T20:55:00.002Z

Here's a cute frosty little snowman card I've made for two challenges:

Clare Curd's Weekly DoCrafts Challenge - Just Punch It

Colour Create - Blue, silver and white

I layered some blue and white snowflake paper onto my base card, stamped the snowman and coloured him with ProMarkers, then mounted the image in the middle. I cut a piece of blue pearlescent card for the frame, cut a hole in the middle so I could get my snowflake punch in to use around the inside edge, then mounted it over the image with 3D foam pads. I also cut 3 snowflakes from silver card and embellished them with gems. I finished off with a little white and silver sentiment tag tied with some silver cord, and a cute little silver snowman charm.

Stamp: from See D's Snowy Days set
Paper: Forever Friends Santa's on his Way pack by Papermania
Other: snowflake punch by XCut; tag by Craftwork Cards; gems and charm from stash

Nicki, xx

Moving along... towards Christmas

2009-11-03T18:59:00.004Z

Surprise surprise - another Christmas card! This is one I've made for the sketch challenge at Moving Along with the Times. They're looking for 2 new DT members if you'd like to give it a go, but hurry 'cause it closes tomorrow night at 8pm!

Here's the sketch, and there's an additional requirement for some embossing so I started with a panel of holly patterned paper then added a snowflake embossed panel in the centre. I used this teddy stamp because it was just the perfect size and I coloured him with ProMarkers. I kept the embellishments simple so they didn't clash with the patterned panels - just a couple of die cut corners and a sentiment tag and it's done - simples!

One more card to add to my Christmas collection - I've never been this organised before, at this rate I'll be on to Easter cards by Christmas Eve!

Stamp: Teddy Santa by Penny Black
Paper: Forever Friends pack by Papermania
Other: snowflake embossing folder by Cuttlebug; photo corner die by Sizzix; sentiment tag by Craftwork Cards

Nicki, xx

White on White Christmas...

2009-11-02T20:42:00.005Z

Hi, here's another Christmas card I've made for my collection, and the following challenges:

Cupcake Craft - sketch

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - White on white

Colour Create - all white

Stamp Something - Cute and fuzzy

This is the great sketch that was my starting point, and as I couldn't use any colour except on my image I went for a mix of textures instead and out came my trusty embossing folders. I used a border design to create the 3 mistletoe strips; a dot pattern for the frame then cut out the centre with a scalloped rectangle die; and finished with a die cut and embossed snowflake. My image is coloured with the new Prismacolor pencils that I bought on holiday and I really enjoyed using them.

Stamp: Wishes for Kisses by Penny Black
Other: border, dot and snowflake embossing folders by Cuttlebug; sentiment tag by Craftwork Cards

Nicki, xx

Not your usual baby card...

2009-10-27T21:03:00.003Z

So, hubby comes home the other night and asks if I can make a baby card for someone in his office, to celebrate the arrival of her new great nephew, Caden. Oooh, lovely I think - blue gingham and images of prams running through my head - then he says 'It has to be cream and brown and have a giraffe on it'. Now, maybe it's just me but that's not what generally springs to mind when I sit down to do a baby card! Well, here's my attempt and I've even managed to fit it in with some challenges:

Cupcake Craft - sketch

Passion for ProMarkers - any colours but feature an animal

One Stop Craft - celebrations

Allsorts - 'Furry Friends'

(okay, I know giraffes aren't technically furry, but he is cute and friendly!)

I started with the lovely sketch and layered some cream sprig-patterned paper onto my base card after edging it with brown ink, then added the striped panel with a scalloped edge at the bottom. Luckily I had brought some cute zoo stamps back from my holiday and yippee - there was a giraffe! I stamped him in brown and coloured him with ProMarkers (pastel yellow, mustard, and terracotta) and matted onto some matching cardstock. I cut a panel of the same cardstock, embossed it, then layered everything together with a strip of ribbon across the middle. I added the name and sentiment, and finished off with a couple of flowers held with a brown brad, and some punched leaves. I really do hope she likes it!

Stamps: giraffe by Recollections; sentiments by Heidi Grace, unknown alphabet stamps
Paper: patterned paper by Die Cuts with a View
Other: embossing folder by Cuttlebug; punches by EK Success and Woodware; ribbon, flowers and brad from stash

Nicki, xx

Merry Monochrome Christmas...

2009-10-21T20:52:00.005+01:00

Well, here's my first card in a while, it's a combo for the following challenges:

Spoon Full of Sugar - sketch

Fab's Christmas Cards - use a watermark

Crafty Angels - black and white

Secret Crafter - dig deep and use an old stamp

This is the sketch by Debbie, although I changed the central shape to an oval for my card and chose to do a monochrome Christmas card in black and white. The main image is a very old stamp and I really did have to dig deep for it - it was originally a wood mounted one but I'd taken the rubber off the wood to save space and it had been languishing at the bottom of my Christmas stamp for a few years - I thought the simple design worked well with the mono colour scheme so I just embossed it in white onto black card. I used a watermark pad to stamp snowflakes on the black squares - they don't show up too well in the photo though - and highlighted them with a few gems.

This is a real change for me, I usually do more colourful cards for Christmas, but I think I like it!

Stamps: tree and snowflake by Anita's
Paper: patterned background by DCWV
Other: plain and scallop oval dies by Nestabilities; sentiment plaque by Making Memories; ribbon and gems from stash

Nicki, xx

I'm back...

2009-10-20T19:45:00.002+01:00

Hey y'all, here I am, back from our holiday in Florida - we had a fab time but boy oh boy it was hot, record-breaking temperatures for October, it was in the high 90's every day, thank goodness for air conditioning. It was really too hot to eat much other than salads and fruit so I actually lost 6 pounds - woohoo!

We visited the Disney parks (truly magical - honestly, don't knock if until you've tried it!), and the Universal Studios parks (more grown-up, more scary rides and not so much entertainment), and, of course, did a bit of shopping. Every time I saw a Michaels or a Joanns or a Hobby Lobby I just had to go in - just to get cool in the air con... tee hee! I've come home with a pile of crafty goodies: some MS and EK Success punches; a few clear stamp sets; some DCWV cardstock; a gorgeous My Minds Eye paper pad; and a set of Prismacolor pencils.

I can't wait to get to play with my new stuff but between sorting out all the holiday stuff and going back to work there are just not enough hours in the day. Hopefully I'll get to do some bloghopping this week too, and see what you've all been up to while I was away.

See you all soon!

Nicki, xx

Back in 2 weeks...

2009-10-02T18:41:00.004+01:00

M.. I.. C.. - see you in 2 weeks!

K.. E.. Y.. - why? 'cause we're off on holiday!

M.. O.. U.. S.. E..

I didn't manage to get any more cards made this week because I've been busy getting organised for our hols, so here's a little taste of where we're going, and I'll be around to visit you all when I come back - Happy Crafting!

Nicki, xx

Snow buddies..

2009-09-29T19:27:00.004+01:00

I'm back with another Christmas creation and this one is for:

Fab's Big Christmas Card Challenge - use green

Sketch & Stash - sketch 20

My Time to Craft - 'Snow Buddies'

I was digging around in my Christmas stash for some green paper for the theme I chose over at Fab's and I found a little 6x6 pad that I had totally forgotten about, I think I bought it a couple of years ago - well, that's the 'neglected' part for Sketch and Stash covered! So, with my background sorted out, I chose this cute little image of a boy and his snowman - definitely look like buddies to me - which I stamped and coloured with pencils. A bit of die cutting with Nesties, a stamped sentiment cut into a tag shape, and a bit of ribbon - and I was done!

Stamps: sentiment and boy with snowman from Elzybells
Paper: Tim Coffey pad by K and Co
Other: Nestabilities plain and scallop circle dies; ribbon from stash

Nicki, xx

Skating Mimi...

2009-09-29T17:08:00.005+01:00

Yet another Christmas card from me - I've been dying to ink up this little sweetie which I bought recently from Pink Gem, isn't she gorgeous? I'm entering this one for:

Passion for ProMarkers - Cool Aqua and Apricot, with a flower

Friday Sketchers - sketch 71, distressing optional

Spoon Full of Sugar - Christmas theme

I made my base with aqua-coloured cardstock, layered with peach and the grid pattern paper. The central panel is white cardstock with a colour core, run through an embossing folder and distressed with a sanding block to reveal the pattern. My main image is stamped and coloured with ProMarkers in the challenge colours of Cool Aqua and Apricot, with Ivory and Blush for her skin and Terracotta and Henna for her hair. I added glitter glue to the fur trim on her hat, coat and boots. I cut the image out with a label die. I would have usually just used snowflakes to embellish this design but as the challenge called for a flower I compromised and used a flower with two snowflakes at the centre - these were all punched from white pearl cardstock and coloured with the ProMarkers. I think she's an adorable character, I hope you like her!

Stamp: Skating Mimi by Pink Gem
Papers: Die Cuts With a View; Whitewash cardstock by Core'dinations
Other: Cuttlebug snowflake folder; Nestabilities Labels 4 die; Woodware flower punch; Xcut and an unbranded snowflake punch; Craftwork Cards sentiment tag; Stickles Crystal glitter glue; ribbon and gem from stash

Nicki, xx

Cute as a bug...

2009-09-28T20:37:00.004+01:00

My first card for this week is a cute little get well card for these 3 challenges:

Cupcake Craft - Cute as a bug

Lili of the Valley - sketch

Pink Elephant - something with dots, a punch and a tag

I started with a pale blue card and added three strips of pink dotty paper as per the sketch. For my image, I first stamped the jar in grey then stamped the cute little bug in the middle and added a bit of colour with ProMarkers. I stamped a Get Well greeting on a panel and made a tag for the other sentiment, and I embellished with ribbon, silver dots, and punched flowers with gem centres. I almost feel like sending this one to myself because I've got a rotten cold at the moment and I really hope it clears up quickly - we're going on holiday at the weekend!

Stamps: jar, bug and tag sentiment from Cute as a Bug set by See D's; get well sentiment by Clare Curd for Papermania
Paper: The English Paper Company
Other: flower punches by XCut; dots by Craftwork Cards; ribbon and gems from stash

Nicki, xx

Beary nice Christmas...

2009-09-23T21:34:00.006+01:00

Here's a cute little Christmas ted card I've made for the following challenges:

One Stop Craft - "Beary Nice"
Pink Elephant - sketch

Our Creative Corner - light pink, hot pink, brown and white

Cupcake Craft - use distressing

I stamped the teddy and coloured him with Pro Markers (cinnamon, cocoa, magenta and rose pink), then matted the image onto pale pink and chocolate brown card. I added 2 panels of pink dotty paper onto white card for the base layer, and the darker pink panel was sanded after embossing. I finished off with a narrow white ribbon and bow, an oval sentiment tag, and a couple of pink gems for some bling - gotta have bling for Christmas!

Stamp: Teddy Santa by Penny Black
Paper: dotty paper and white core cardstock by DCVW
Other: snowflake embossing folder by Cuttlebug; tag by Craftwork Cards, ribbon and gems from stash

Nicki, xx

Mimi with her pumpkin...

2009-09-20T17:13:00.004+01:00

I know I'm a bit early but I just love this stamp so here's another of my Halloween cards - it was just screaming out to be used for these colours...

Colour Create - neon green and black

Friday Sketchers - sketch

Polka Doodles - make your own flowers

I took the sketch and started by covering my base card with this great spiderweb patterned paper and adding two strips of bright green ribbon. The image is coloured with Pro Markers (mainly lime green, pumpkin, pastel yellow and cinnamon), cut out with one of my Nesties labels sets, and I inked the edges with a black inkpad.

I used my Crop-a-dile to punch lots of holes at the sides of the mat behind the image and backed it with the green card. My handmade flower was done with circles of Black Magic cardstock, crumpled and torn to show the contrasting green core, and with an orange dotty brad for the centre.

The only trouble is that I think Mimi is too cute to be scary!

Stamp: Mimi with Pumpkin by Pink Gem Designs

Paper and card: web by DCWV; Black Magic Spellcaster by Core'dinations

Other: branch punch by McGill; labels 4 dies by Nestabilities; tag and script alphabet dies by Sizzix; dotty brad, ribbon, eyelet and ghost sequin from stash

Nicki, xx

Gorjuss in grey...

2009-09-17T20:54:00.004+01:00

Woo, I've had such a busy week at work, so it's really nice to relax and do something creative in the evenings. I'm trying to alternate between Christmas cards and everyday cards, and here's my latest creation, which is made to fit the following challenges:

Truly Scrumptious - sketch and 3 different stamps

Passion for Pro Markers - any colours and use polka dots

Creative Inspirations - lilac or purple and grey

My Time to Craft - polka dots

This is the sketch and I've kept it fairly simple - not too many embellishments, to let the stamping be more of a feature. For my 3 stamps I used shadow ink on 2 sizes of dots for the background, grey swirls on the square panel, and the lovely Gorjuss girl in the centre. I coloured her with Pro Markers in Lavender, Lilac, and a selection of the Cool Greys, then cut around her with my circle Nesties.

Stamps: Box of Dots by Hero Arts; swirls by Rhonna Farrer; Gorjuss Sitting by Sugar Nellie

Other: circle dies by Nestabilities; flower punches by XCut; brads from stash

Nicki, xx

Starry Ted...

2009-09-15T22:52:00.005+01:00

I'm really on a roll with my Christmas cards at the moment - that's so not like me, I don't usually start until December! This little cutie is for the Allsorts challenge...Here is the sketch for the challenge, and I chose red and green as my two colours. I stamped and coloured the image with Pro Markers (cinnamon, cocoa, ruby, mustard and canary), then cut out with a circle die. The snowflakes are punched and decorated with gems in the centres - not sure about the green snowflakes but I wanted to stay within my colour theme!

Stamps: Teddy with star by Lili of the Valley; sentiment by PSX
Papers: Forever Friends pack by Docrafts
Other: punch by XCut; circle die by Nestabilities

Nicki, xx

Thoughtful Daisy...

2009-09-14T17:27:00.003+01:00

Here is my card for the current challenge over at The Sugar Bowl - a lovely sketch with an added colour requirement of pink and brown... I love this stamp, little Daisy seems so thoughtful and just a little sad so she seemed very fitting for me to use after at the moment. My first thought on Sunday morning when I woke up was about going to visit Mum at the nursing home, just for a few seconds then I remembered she is gone. I suppose I'll have moments like that for a long time. And there is so much paperwork to do, for Inland Revenue, Probate, all sorts of things - it's nice to do something creative and pretty after all those forms!

This is the sketch and I just followed it quite closely, I'm a bit short on inspiration at the moment. The image is coloured with pencils and the side edges torn and tinted with chalks for a softer effect.

Stamp: Daisy by Sugar Nellie

Paper: Papermania's Blueberry Hill collection

Other: Daisy and Swirls embossing folders by Cuttlebug; plain and scalloped circle dies by Nestabilities; hinge die by Sizzix; flower punches by Xcut and Woodware; brads from stash

Nicki, xx

Fairy wishes...

2009-09-09T21:12:00.004+01:00

Just a quick card from me tonight, for the 'fairies' challenge from the Creative Card Crew - I think this little sweetie is a fairy but she also has a halo so she might be an angel!
The image is stamped then coloured in Pro Markers - I used Blue Pearl and Rose Pink, a bit of Pastel Yellow on the hearts, and Canary and Mustard for her hair. I really needed Sandstone for the Passion for ProMarkers challenge but I don't have that colour, so I used Ivory on her wings and highlighted the edges with a glitter pen. Once I'd coloured the image I couldn't find any backing paper to match the blue of her dress so I just drew a plaid pattern with the same pens - the lines are a bit wobbly but I think it's quite effective.

Stamp: Anita's fairy/angel
Other: Letraset Pro Marker pens; Craftwork Cards sentiment tag; ribbon, gems and corner stickers from stash

Nicki, xx

A little Christmas mouse...

2009-09-08T18:53:00.005+01:00

Here's another Christmas card, this one is for the challenge at Crafts 4 Eternity which is a great sketch and an added requirement to use mice - in my case, one little mouse snuggling in his Christmas stocking...

I adapted the sketch to fit a taller card as my image is quite large. I started with a panel of blue card covered with the patterned paper and added a contrasting corner with a snowflake brad. I put the smaller pieces through an embossing folder, stamped and coloured the image with Pro Markers, then mounted it on the same card as the backing.

Stamps: Cosy Toes by Funstamps; sentiment by See D's

Paper: designer not known
Other: snowflake embossing folder by Cuttlebug, Pro Marker pens by Letraset; circle die by Nestabilities; brad by Creative Impressions

Nicki, xx

Christmas Cutie...

2009-09-07T18:09:00.005+01:00

This is my first challenge card in a while and I chose to go with a Christmas design as I hoped that making a card for a happy occasion would stop me feeling sad - it sort of worked, I enjoyed working on this one, but then I kept thinking how much Mum would have loved this cute little stamp...The challenge is for Sunday Sketch and Stamp, it's this lovely sketch by Sem. The image is stamped and coloured with pencils, then cut out and matted with oval dies. I used a punched holly leaf with a red gem 'berry' in each corner.

Stamp: Sugar Nellie's 'Christmas Honey'
Paper: DCWV's red stripe; holly design maker unknown
Other: X-cut holly punch; Nestabilities plain and scalloped oval dies; gems and ribbon from stash

Nicki, xx

Hello everyone, and thank you...

2009-09-04T13:55:00.004+01:00

I just wanted to say thank you for all the kind messages and emails about my Mum which I've received over the last 10 days, they helped me through a very sad time. I also want to give a special mention to my blogging friend Taffy Crafty for the beautiful sympathy card she made for me - thank you so much Clare, your thoughtfulness was really appreciated. We had the funeral yesterday and, apart from the dreadul weather, everthing went well - the service was lovely.

Although I've missed my crafting my heart just hasn't been in it, but I'm hoping now that a bit of creativity will help me feel better - I find it relaxing and it will be a distraction too. So, for a fresh start I've been tinkering with my blog and given it a new look, and I'll be popping in to visit you all over the next few days to see what you've all been up to and get some inspiration.

Thanks again for all your kind words.

Nicki, xx

Some sad news...

2009-08-25T20:11:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone, I just wanted to post a message to let you all know that I won't be blogging for a little while as, sadly, my Mum has passed away. She had lived in a nursing home for the last few years as she had Alzheimer's and had had several strokes, and she died in her sleep this morning. The scrapbook page above is my favourite from an album I made of my Mum's life, these pictures were taken when she was in her twenties and I really do think she was beautiful.

Nicki, xx

Dance of the Sugar Plum hedgie...

2009-08-24T17:57:00.004+01:00

Here's a cute little dancing hedgie card which I've made for a bunch of challenges...

Friday Sketchers - great layout

Penny Black Saturday challenge - use stitching

Stampin' for the Weekend - colour scheme of pink and grey

I love this sketch, it's a nice simple layout that would work for all sorts of designs, definitely a keeper! I started by covering the front of my base card with a mottled grey paper, then added two patterned panels edged with faux stitching - my favourite method, dressmakers pricking wheel then join the dots with a fine marker! The pink panel was edged the same way. I stamped the image, coloured it with pencils and used circle dies to cut it out and make a scalloped frame. The two little swirls are die cut and I finished off with an organza ribbon rose on a bow.

Stamp: 12 Days of Christmas set by Penny Black
Paper: DCWV and Dovecraft
Other: Nestabilities plain and scalloped circle dies; Sizzix swirl die. ribbon from stash

Nicki, xx