Pink Gin

The one advantage I've found with stalking other people's blogs is that you get to find all sorts of new challenges that you were previously unaware of.  One such challenge blog is Dream Valley Challenges .  The current theme is 'Girlie' and the only problem with that is which of my many images to use.  I have cute girls, sassy girls, older girls, young girls and even larger girls (to which I can relate without a problem).  In the end I went for the sort of girl I would aspire to be - sort of fun loving and elegant and with a slightly slimmer figure than the one I've got).  This is one of my favourite images from Kenny K and just so she matches my colour theme I've given her a pink gin (I could aspire to one of those too!)

Here's my card, I hope you like it.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Hello Spring

The spring like weather has been in short supply so far this bank holiday so I thought I'd create something cheerful in springy colours.  I decided to enter the Creative Inspirations challenge this morning and their theme at the moment is Nature.  There does seem to be plenty of it about in the garden, despite the weather's best efforts.  Here is my best effort on the theme.  I hope you like it.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

It Nearly had a New Home...

...In the bin!  You have no idea of the agony this card has given me this week.  It's daft really as I had it all planned out in my head.  I was even pleased with how it turned out when I'd coloured it but when it came to putting it together things got heated.  I'd chosen my paper before I coloured everything so it would co-ordinate.  Then I realised that my image was bigger than I thought so I had to find some other paper to correspond so I could make my square bigger.  I hid the join with the first set of ribbon but I realised that it wouldn't go across the front without looking odd and the second set got lost behind so I've got one of each.  Then I messed up the matting (OK, so that's not really unusual for me - I just binned the first mat and started again).  Then came the sentiment.  What fun!  I tried stamping it - the letters were too wide apart.  I tried transfers - the colour got lost on the cloud.  I decided to print it...and an hour later we were in business.  I really miss my old printer.  You could put scraps of odd shaped paper in and it would print, what bliss!  I only wanted a small sentiment so I decided to use an A5 sheet so I didn't waste so much card.  I can't print A5 without changing my settings on both the computer and the printer.  Then I tried feeding it in the manual slot so I didn't have to empty my paper tray.  That's when the jam happened.  To be fair it was only one jam.  However, my printer disagreed.  I've had all the slots and covers open...several times.  I've had help off the Internet.  I've switched it on and off, twice!  I did everything but get on my knees and pray - and that was next on my list - when it suddenly decided to play ball.  In the end, rather than risk it, I printed on A4.

Don't look for the red ink thumb print I found before uploading the photo.  I'd had enough by then.  Anyway, here's the card

And here is this weeks sketch at From the Heart Stamps

I flipped it upside down and used a rectangle instead of the oval.  I hope you like it.

Thanks for reading and have the rest of a Blessed Easter

Love Dawn x

All about Birthdays

Now I know I like to cut it fine but this one may just be the closest I've ever got to the wire.  I was on Bloglovin this morning and I was checking out a card on Mrs B's Blog when I followed a link to a Challenge Blog I'd not come across before. Dream Valley Challenges run a fortnightly challenge and the current challenge is 'All about birthdays'.  Perfect!  I'd coloured one of my prize images from Bugaboo last night that would fit the bill brilliantly.  I'll just check when the link closes.  Eek, less than two hours - I'd better crack on.

Anyway, here is my card.

I hope you like it.  I seem to have a thing for purple and green at the moment. Maybe I need to hide those promarkers and find some other colour combos.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Too Many Birthdays

I'm definitely cutting it a bit fine with my blog challenge cards this week.  There are just too many birthdays in March.  We start with my hubby, three days later it's out wedding anniversary, 6 days after that my son was 18 and to top it off my Grandma is 99 tomorrow!  To be honest, I'm surprised I've managed to get any challenges done at all.

Here is this weeks sketch challenge card for From the Heart Stamps

And here's the sketch

I kept it fairly straightforward this week.  I didn't really have much time to think outside the box.  I hope you like it.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Bright and Cheery

Just a quick post tonight as I'm up to my neck in it but, having created this card a couple of days ago, I need to get it in under the wire.  This week's challenge at Catch the bug challenge blog is to make a bright and cheery card.  I was lucky enough to win last week and one of my prize images was crying out to be used for this.  I am really pleased with how it turned out and I hope you like it too.  Here's my card

Cute image don't you think?

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Bloglovin

I had fell out with Bloglovin earlier this evening but I've since found out I have a follower (Waves frantically - Yoohoo!).  As this is the case I'm claiming my blog on there in the faint hope that I may be able to catch a few more - just so you don't feel lonely out there.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Oh Boy

Wow, look at me - blogging on a school night!  It's only 'cause Bloglovin is playing silly games with me tonight so I've got a spare five minutes before I try again. This is actually a good thing as I made a card for this week's Sweet Stampin Challenge.  This week's theme is 'Boys to Men'.  It's quite appropriate in our house this week as my soon to be 18 year old son has made me realise just how quickly this transition comes about.  Here is my card for the challenge

The image is from Digistamp Boutique and it's part of the Fun time Dan set (find it here).  I've usually struggled with kids cards but I bought this set and I've loved it.  I hope you like what I did with it.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Happy Birthday Hubby

I was ever so organised with this week's sketch challenge at from the heart stamps.  It was a case of having to be as I needed the card by Thursday.  I couldn't possibly have blogged it before then though, seeing as though it was my husband's birthday card!  I have to admit, I've pinched it from the window sill so I could take a photo of it and I've got to put it back before he returns from American Football training.  As that is the case I'd better get on.  Here's this weeks card:

And here's the sketch:

I will admit that, if I were to make it again, I would have shrunk the image a little.  The original plan was also to have two layers of bunting but when I added it the whole thing looked heavy and over done so I whipped the second one back off quick before the glue dried.

Hope you like the card.  Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Your Starter Madam

This weekend I've been lucky enough to have time to make a few cards (OK, I admit it, I've not done any housework).  The benefit of this is that I can enter more challenges.  I have a habit of writing down which blog and what challenge but I rarely get cards done in time.  Anyway, this weeks challenge at the Bugaboo Challenge Blog is 'anything goes' so I didn't even have to think hard about it.  I've got loads of their images and I even had some printed ready to colour.  There's a freebie every Friday and I downloaded this one a few weeks ago.  

Do you ever look at an image and instantly think of a caption for it.  I did with this one.  For some reason I even thought of the ideal person for the card - naming no names Sis (I'm only jealous as she's been out every night since Tuesday!)

Here's my Card

Believe it or not, the backing papers are from a Christmas set but I was in a spots and stripes kind of mood.  I hope you like it.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Poorly Sick Chick

I have to admit to struggling for this week's challenge at from the heart stamps.  I had an idea all planned out in my head and then spotted that one of the design team had used the same idea on the midweek inspiration.  Rats!  I should make sure I do these things when I think of them instead of waiting for the weekend when I can use crafting as a way to avoid housework.  Anyway, I had to come up with something else and I've been deliberating all week.  I tend to print lots of images (so I don't waste card) when I'm printing the one I need and I had printed two sick chick images of the same size a couple of weeks ago.  This meant I already had an image to base the card around and I could also indulge my need to fussy cut by layering one on the other whilst leaving the panel as part of the sketch.  Here is my poorly sick chick

And here is the sketch

I promise there are two different backing papers, even though my contrast just looks like a slightly wider stripe.  I will also admit to using another brand of digi for the plasters (I hope it's allowed) as they were just perfect in the circumstances.  I do love the fact that you can resize digis  so they fit your scheme.

I hope you like my card.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x