Wednesday 30 November 2011

A little Tart



Just sharing this VERY easy little Cheescake Tart with you today. 
These are scrumptious - hubby polished off 3 of them in one sitting!

I will definitely make these over Christmas. 
You can keep the ingredients on hand and rustle them up in no time.

I used shop bought little pastry tarts (these were Sansburys).
In the bottom of each tart add a spoonful of berry sauce. I used raspberry coulis, which was a little runny, so you only need a dessert spoonful.
Then mix together a couple of tbsps of philadelphia (about 2/3 of a 200g tub) with one tbsp lemon curd and put a dollop on each tart.
Pile on the berries (I always keep a bag in the freezer - defrost them first!!)
Finally dust generously with icing sugar.
These are lovely and tart, which makes them quite refreshing, but you can add a dollop of cream when serving them!!

Saturday 26 November 2011

Special Birthday

Forget about your Christmas shopping - you have loads of time left for that - join us instead over at  CES  for our new weekly challenge :-) 

Our theme this week is 
special, milestone birthdays

 Think, 18th, 21st, 40th!!


I made this card for my niece's daughter - what does that make her?? My great niece??
Anyhoo, it's her first birthday next week.
I used a 6 x 6 Petal Point Card Blank and this cute Fancy Pants, Baby Mine paper - aren't those little birds adorable? The piece that looks like a tag, with the 1, on it, was cut from the DP too.

Teddy Bea is coloured with Copics, with pearls on her shoes and arm.



You can see the amazing work of my teamies over at the main blog and don't forget, if you join in the challenge, you could win a lovely £10 gift voucher to spend in the store (excl. p & p).


Challenges - 
Papercrafts Star - Anything Goes
Sassy Cheryl's - Anything Goes


Supplies
Teddy Bea Digi Stamp, coloured with Copics / 6 x 6 Petal Point Card Blank
DP Fancy Pants, Baby Mine / Pearls / Natural Lace / Sentiment Craftwork Cards
Fancy line and dot stamp from the Papermania Tweet Set

Friday 25 November 2011

Winter Wonderland

We have a nice, easy 'Christmas' challenge for you at Totally Papercrafts this week.
The lovely Sarah is our host - pop over to her blog and check out her amazing Christmas Cake. If you leave her a comment she will send you a piece of cake in the post!! 
Ha ha! Okay, I lied, she won't be sending out any cake. Even though I begged!! :-)) 
But I'm sure she'd love a comment :-)

Right, enough chit chat - I have loads of pics to show you, good luck on making it to the end!


 I made an easel card, plus box, for my Mum & Dad.


They don't 'do' cute - so I was really pleased to find these pre-coloured, die cuts from Lili of The Valley.
I stuck some strips around the image that I had border punched, then,  because the corners don't really match, I covered each one with an embellie.


All I added to the image was a liberal sprinkling of Glamour Dust.
Do you see the house with the red door - that's mine! 
I wish :-)


The easel is held in place with a foam backed strip - and the banner is also' popped up'


 I made a simple box, decorated with deep blue ribbon and a little tag.


Did you make it to the end? :-)
Don't forget to head to the main blog and check out the brilliant work of the DT.
We have 2 fab sponsors for you this week, Simon Says Stamp and Digi Stamp Boutique. 

Fab challenges  I am entering...

Lili of the Valley - Anything Goes
Ladybug Crafts Ink - Winter Blues
Top Tip Tuesday - More than 1 Fold - (see the fab tut from Janette on how to make a tri-fold shutter card.)
Party Time Tuesdays - SNOW us what you got!
Crafter's Companion - Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.



Supplies
Lili of the Valley, Snowy Town Die Cut  / DP Anita's Classic Christmas Blue
6 x 6 On the Edge, Card Blank / Glamour Dust / Marianne Snowflake Dies 
White Gems / Martha Stewart Border Punch /  Ribbon from my stash
Xmas Tree Embellies / Snowflake Button / Papermania Scrolls and Sentiments Stamp (for the banner)
Silver Letter Stickers / Craftwork Cards Sentiment 

Monday 21 November 2011

O Christmas Tree

Here's a set of Christmas cards that my daughter Annabel asked me to make for her.
She told me exactly what she wanted - I just bought the supplies and made the cards!!


Annabel chose this gorgeous font, that I printed out on smooth, white cardstock. I went over the letters with a glue pen and sprinkled on some fine, silver glitter.
Then I stamped the silhouette tree (Kanban) and mattted onto black card.
Very simple, but very pretty and my pics don't do them justice at all.



Entered in the Less is More challenge - Silhouettes

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Saturday 19 November 2011

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Ok - hands up who wants snow this Christmas - everyone, right? :-)
According to the latest report, here in the north, we have a 35% chance of snow. If you're in the UK give santa a shake here, and see what your chances are :-))
So,  it's time for another challenge at the CES Challenge Blog.
Our lovely host this week is Kaylou 
  
and she has chosen the theme **Snowflakes**



This is the first time I've used Pickle with Tipple, isn't he just the cutest? I've kept the colouring really light and sprinkled him with  glamour dust.


Here's a close up of those snowflakes. 
Usually I glitter the snowflakes and keep the leaves plain, but this time I did it the other way round. The leaves and card candi are covered in glamour dust and the snowflakes were die cut from the DP.


I'm looking forward to seeing all your pretty snowflakes this week, and if you need some inspiration check out the challenge blog and the amazing work of my teamies.
The winner gets to spend £10 at Crafty Emma's and if you haven't snagged a bargain yet, get yourself over there whilst the sale is still on.






Challenges -
ABC Challenge - D is for Dazzle
Do You Stack Up? - Dash of Blue
Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Anything Christmas with Pearls
The Paper Shelter - Snowflakes
Winter Wonderland - Awww, what a cutie!

Supplies from Crafty Emma's
6 x 6 On the Edge Card Blank / Glamour Dust / Card Candi / Pearls
Other Supplies
Wild Rose Studio, Pickle with Tipple / DP GCD Ella Blue /
Martha Stewart Leaf Border Punch / Marianne Snowflake Die
Copics/ Ribbon


Friday 18 November 2011

Black and White

Morning everyone, we have a cool Black & White challlenge for you at Totally Papercrafts this week.
Our lovely teamie  Mel has chosen the theme, in honour of her new puppy, Harley - who is wreaking havoc at puppy training classes!! :-)

So, any papercrafting project is allowed as long as you stick to black and white only (you can add a little skin colour if needed!)



This challenge tested my photography skills too.  This is probably THE most photographed card in my blogging history!
It's been shot from every angle, in every room in the house, over several different days. And this is the best I could come up with :-)

Because of the dramatic black and white, I have kept the design pretty simple. 
Even Teddy Bo is just printed out like that - I haven't added any shading.  Which makes it a great image to use if you want to make a quick card.



We have 2 generous sponsors for you this week,
Crafty Emma, with a £10 voucher to spend in her store and
Amber Ink with a $15 Gift Certificate.
Check out the challenge blog to see the excellent work of my teamies and we are joined this week by a couple of the Amber Ink DT, who have made awesome cards.

Challenges -
Divas by Design - Monochromatic
Bearly Mine Challenges - One for the Boyz


Supplies.
6 x 6 Card Blank and black pearls from Crafty Emma's
Digi Papers from Pink Petticoat / Digi Image Teddy Bo / Maya Road Calendar Stamp /
Sentiment from Craftwork Cards / Ribbon and heart button from my stash

Sunday 13 November 2011

Cinnamon Swirls

When I am searching for something sweet,
when the biscuit tin is empty, the cooking chocolate is gone and someone has even raided the trifle sponges,
then, and only then, will I eat a mince pie!

Does anyone really like mince pies?

That's why, I ditched the mincemeat in this recipe, and experimented. :-)


Theses are VERY easy to make Cinnamon Swirls
Just delicious with a cup of coffee.

Jus-Rol Janet is my new best friend  :-)  and I have plans for these swirls in all sorts of flavours...
Cranberry & Walnut,
Nutella,
Marzipan and Raspberry Jam
Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato
Pear and Stilton
Ham, Cheese and Tomato

If, you've got any flavour suggestions, let me know :-))

I linked these up to Sassy Cheryl's Show Me Thursday pop on over there to see what Cheryl's working on.
You can link up your projects, baking, sewing, card making etc, and see what everyone else is making.



Saturday 12 November 2011

Angel Delight!

I think my head is about to explode!!
I have finally ditched my old phone - affectionately known as 'the brick', and plunged myself into the world of 'Blackberry'.
I am now slower at making a call, or text, than the average 10 year old!!


Anyway, it's time for another challenge at the CES Challenge Blog.
Our host this week is the enormously talented Julie 
and she has chosen the theme...

Roses and Ribbons

Eek!! If you visit here often, you will know just how rubbish I am when it comes to flowers,
well, ha! I think I've found the perfect flower embellie for me. :-)


I made this card for my Niece's little girl - it's not really her 1st Christmas, but she was only a few weeks old last Christmas, so this time around she will be much more aware of what's going on.

The image is an adorable Teddy Bea Angel, coloured with Copics, glitter and Glamour Dust.
 

So how do you like them roses??    ;-)
I found this fabulous ribbon at my local craft store, with these pretty roses all along the length. You can snip off the roses to use individually or leave them as they are.
I snipped a few off, mounted them onto punched flowers and added a little pearl to the centre.
I think I need to go back to the shop and buy this ribbon in evey colour they have!!! :-)



Don't forget to pop over to the challenge blog and check out the amazing work of the DT and,join us this week for your chance to win a £10 gift voucher 

to spend in the store (excl p&p).

There's still a huge clearance sale on at Crafty Emma's, so go and grab yourself a bargain whilst you still can.






Challenges - 
Samuel Taylor - Nov. Challenge, Christmas (2nd entry)
Papertake - Christmas or 1st Christmas
Digi Tuesday - Anything Goes



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Supplies -  available from  Crafty Emma's
6 x 6 On the Edge Card Blank     Pearls      Glamour Dust
Other Supplies -
Teddy Bea, Angel coloured with Copics.    DP - Memory Box, Spearmint.
Ribbon and Lace from my stash    XCut Punched Flowers  Silver Star.


Friday 11 November 2011

He's making a list and checking it twice.

We have a fabulous challenge for you at Totally Papercrafts this week -
something you can really get creative with.
The very talented Victoria has chosen the theme

Victorian

I admit - I was stumped when I first saw this theme, but my teamies helped me out and I also browsed the web.
The Victorians had such an eclectic style that there is something there to suit everyone -  so, I can't wait to see your cards.

I went for a distressed, lace and pearls look.


My Santa came from the Graphics Fairy, I just printed him out in sepia tones.
I used a distressing tool on the edges of my DPs and some gold ink.


I sprinkled glamour dust around the image and on the little die-cut snowflakes. I used gold ink on the Catslife Press stamp and added a few pearls in the corner.




I took a deep breath and cut into my favourite, brown, velvet ribbon - added a pearl slider and stuck it on top of some cream lace.

I really had fun making this card - and all the different textures and glitter look way better IRL - cross my heart. :-))

For more inspiration check out the stunning work of my fellow teamies, on the challenge blog.


This week's sponsor is Meljen's Designs with a fabulous prize of 4 digi images.

Challenges -
Crafty Calendar - Winter Wardrobe. 
Do You Stack Up - Song Inspired. The song I'm going for is 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'
Samuel Taylors - Nov. Challenge - Christmas Cards. This month's prize is a super Martha Stewart Snowflake Punch.


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Tuesday 8 November 2011

Sweet little Rosie

Here I am blogging, when I should be getting on with the ironing mountain!!
I just wanted to show you this card, made with my gorgeous candy from Cathy. (thanks so much, hun).


This cute little girl is Rosie, from Sugar Nellie - I tried my best at shading some pleats on her dress, but I need a little practice with that!
I'm not sure what the papers are, but aren't they gorgeous?

Cathy included some pretty pins in with her parcel, but I haven't used them before and I'm not sure how to add them.
Do I just push them through the ribbon and hope that holds them in place, or do I need to use some sort of glue???
Let me know if you're a proficient pinner!! :-)


I'd like to enter the following challenges - 
Bunny Zoe - Lace
Birthday Sundaes - Include birthday wording on the card front.
2 Sisters - Ribbon


Supplies.
Sugar Nellie, Rosie stamp, coloured with Copics and Glamour Dust.
DP - ??      Lace and sheer ribbon.     Liquid Pearls on scalloped circle.
Craftwork Cards Mini Sentiment.    Adhesive Gems.

Saturday 5 November 2011

Cookies and stamping, what more could a girl want?

I had some cookie dough left over from the Haunted House
and thought I would have a play with it today. :-)

So, I rummaged through my craft room to see what I could use - and here are the results.
I had so much fun making these that I got carried away with the photos,
so good luck on making it to the end! lol**


I cut out and baked various shaped cookies, then used warm apricot jam to stick the fondant on to them.
NB: Putting jam in the microwave for 3 minutes,  not only fills your kitchen with smoke, but also coats your glass dish in burnt jam that will take a jackhammer to remove. 30 seconds is plenty!!


I just LOVE the way these turned out. They would be so pretty for Christmas presents, in a cellophane bag tied up with ribbon.

I left some icing white and coloured some pale lilac. The white cookies are really gorgeous, they just don't photograph as well.
Once the icing was rolled out, I dipped my stamp in some icing sugar, shook off the excess and then pressed it into the fondant. I added a few white balls to decorate.


Below, the lilac cookie uses another tree stamp from my set.
For the white cookie I rolled out the fondant, and pressed a swirly embossing folder into it.


I think the swirls embossing folder works the best. You can 'stamp' your icing and the  cut it to the shape you want.


I used my embossing folders on the trees - the dots one doesn't really work very well.
The snowflake is a Marianne Snowflake die and the flowers are a Stampin Up wooden satmp.


I found that cling stamps worked better than those on wood, because you can easily 'peel' them off the icing and they are easy to clean in a little warm water.


I am adding this to the
Inspire me Friday's Linky Party - check out the entries for lots of fab inspiration with all sorts of different crafts.

Supplies
Gingerbread / Fondant Icing and colouring / Cookie Cutters
Trees - Kanban Christmas Trees Set.     Marianne Snowflake Die.
Cuttlebug Swirls Embossing Folder.    Dpts embossing Folder.      Stampin Up Flower Stamp.


The Usual Suspects

Happy Bonfire Night everyone - if you're having a bonfire and fireworks have a great time and keep safe.
I am making up a little bed, in the downstairs loo, no.. not for hubby!!  - it's where the dog runs to, when she's feeling stressed!!

It's time for another challenge at the CES Challenge Blog.
It's my week to host and I haven chosen the theme...

Song or Film Inspired

It seems like a tricky challenge, but trust me, it's not that bad :-))
There are lots of options and I really hope you will join in and give it a go.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

My card was inspired by one of my favourite films - The Usual Suspects. 
One of the tag lines for the film is
                   'Five Criminals. One Line Up. No Coincidence'
and it just so happens there are five rascals on this House Mouse stamp!!


 After I stamped the image, I cut around some of the mice and the jar, then mounted it onto my DP, so that the DP became the background.  
Does that make sense?? You can see from the pic what I'm trying to say..lol**

I used a 6 x 6 'on the edge' card blank, some Prima flowers, Card Candi, black gems and a Craftwork Cards Mini Message - all available at Crafty Emma's Store.
The DP is Bo Bunny, Timepiece.


Join us this week for your chance to win a £10 gift voucher 
to spend in the store (excl p&p)



Challenges - 
Moving Along with the Times - Food and Drink

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Friday 4 November 2011

'Bear' ing Gifts

Hello peeps, how are you all?
Have you got your sparklers ready for tomorrow night?
No fireworks for us I'm afraid - apart from the fact that last time we let dh arrange some, he came home with industrial sized bangers that nearly set the whole street on fire - poor Suzie turns into a nervous wreck at the slightest sound.

It's a new callenge at Totally Papercrafts today. 
Our lovely boss lady Cathy  (*grovel *grovel *curtsey *curtsey )
is our host this week and the theme is

Stitch it!!

We'd like to see some real OR faux stitching on your card/project.

We also have 4 new amazing ladies joining us this week.
3 new DT members and  our Spotlight GDT. So please pop over and say hello to them.

I am cracking on with my Christmas cards and I used a LOTV teddy stamp here. He's coloured with Copics and a sprinkling of glamour dust.


I used a zig-zag stitch around my DPs and  I even managed to run some plain, white ribbon through the machine


I bought some Marianne snowflake dies recently and I've been having trouble getting the DP out of them. Someone suggested putting a piece of greaseproof paper between the die and my DP - so I tried it. It worked a treat. It also gave me some  delicate,  greaseproof paper snowflakes, that look really pretty with a dab of glamour dust.



Pop along to the challenge blog to see the amazing work from my teamies and the fab prize from this week's sponsor Die Cut Dreams.

Challenges -
Crafty Ribbons - Bingo (Glitter/Punches or dies/Lace) For the lace I used a Martha Stewart Lace Doily Punch - hope that qualifies.

Supplies.
LOTV Stamp.    Catslife Press Stamp.  DP Prima, North Country.
Martha Stewart Border Punch.  Marianne Snowflake Dies.   Glamour Dust.
White Grosgrain Ribbon.



Wednesday 2 November 2011

A Pastel Christmas

 My cold is finally on it's way out - it's been a real stinker, but quite short lived - I'm just struggling to get my brain into gear now!
I keep having to call my mobile to find out where I left it!!!

I did manage to concentrate long enough to make this card.



I followed the sketch over at Bling it On - well, I though I did lol** 
Just looking at it again, I have missed off the 'swag' along the bottom and haven't added the optional butterfly. I hope it's close enough to enter though. :-)
I went for pastel colours, which is the theme at Teddy Bo right now and I would also like to enter the Papertake challenge (anything goes, plus a bit of bling if you want!) and Digital Tuesday (cute and cuddly).
 

Supplies -
Teddy Bo coloured with Copics and Glamour Dust and popped up with foam tape.
Happy Christmas stamp from the Papermania 'Sleigh' Set       Gems
DP - DCWV Nana's Nursery      Marianne Snowflake Die.     Mini Xcut Punch (snowflake centres)