Moulin Rouge

Hello again, it's almost midnight and I'm blog hopping before I go to the Land of Nod ;)  Thought I would post this card which I'd made earlier this evening. Kendall bought a sheet of this printed paper from Charmaine's Shop and basically all you have to do is cut out, layer and add embellishments. Nice for when you have to make a 'quick' card.  It reminds me a bit of Moulin Rouge, which is the theme for my friend Deidre's blog. She makes stunning jewellery. Pay her a visit some time. Nitey night, Sharon

Cutie Hedgies again!

OK, I won't overdo it LOL, but as I had coloured in another stamp of this adorable pair, I had to make a card to show them off.  The main card is paper purchased from our local supplier Merrypak, it has a hint of sparkle in it and is actually perfect for a christmas card, but as it's the only red card I have, I thought I'd use it for this cute couple.  Hope you like.

I like to add a little bit of personal stuff as well and thought I'd share this with you. Had a hectic, but enjoyable day today. Started off with another visit to the doctor as I'd hurt my back last week and couldn't get an appointment with the physio. The pain eventually went into my left buttock and boy, have I been in pain!!!  You don't know how to sit or lie, as the muscle pulls tight and you experience excruciating pain. The doctor gave me a voltarin injection and painkillers. What a relief - it's working!  I can't believe that I am sitting here sharing this story with you, with not an ounce of pain!!   Hope the rest of your weekend is great. Got lots on my plate for tomorrow, which I'm sure I'll be sharing with you sometime soon. Lotsa hugs and thanks for popping around. I always enjoy your visits. xx

The Hedgehogs!

One of my new Penny Black stamps which I coloured in with Copics.  Couldn't wait to make a card with this image. I love these little hedgehogs. They are adorable! Like Henry the Mouse - would love to get my hands on one of him - LOL. The card is a dark brown (love my browns and pinks - sigh!) and adorned the card with some lovely pink flowers, 2 pearls, lovely spotted brown satin ribbon. I was very satisfied with this one upon completion and I really hope you'll like it too!  Appreciate your comments, hugs Sharon

Spot the Difference... or not!

(Photographed)

This is the adorable Penpal by Elisabeth Bell (courtesy of a friend, can't wait for my stamp to arrive in December!). Coloured in with copics and matted onto cuttlebug's swiss dots which was then mounted onto some lovely Christmassy paper I've had for a while. I'm still struggling with the copics (sigh!), but as they say, practice makes perfect!  I'll get it right one day. Took a photograph of this card. I am struggling to upload the scanned version of this card. Failed 3x now.  I so much wanted you to see how much brighter the colours appear which is a truer reflection of what it looks like when viewing in person. Oh well!  Will try again later. 

(Scanned)

My New Toy!

Hello dear friends, thank you so much for visiting and for your lovely comments. I've enjoyed reading all of them.  You rock!  I'm so excited and must share my new toy with you. Today I purchased a HP Officejet 6500. It's a Printer, Scanner, Copier and Fax - all in one.  We'd always planned to get one and the day finally arrived to do some serious shopping. Now it's all set up and raring to go. I spent some time scanning in a few cards that I made this afternoon, which I'm hoping you'll like.

Popcorn the Bear!

I thought I'd take a break from all the Christmas cards I've been making and create this little card with one of the freebie images of Popcorn the Bear which I got with one of the Papercraft magazines I purchased a while ago.  I love teddy bears and wish I had the CD (sigh!).  Hope you like him as much as I do. This weekend I start making the wedding invitations for a colleague, so I'll be very busy. Will still make time to blog hop though (LOL) and see what you're all getting up to. Welcome to all the new and regular visitors, thank you so much for your kind comments, I really enjoy reading them. Take care, hugs Sharon x

Greetings Friends, sorry for neglecting you, but I've been so busy making Christmas cards and blog hopping.  From the look of things, everyone is busy making Christmas cards and I've seen some wonderful creations!  Wow, there are some seriously talented crafters out there. Beautiful creations... takes my breath away. Here's a simple little card which I thought I would share with you.  Hope you like it?  Please leave a comment if you do, I love reading them.

I fell in love with this paper when I saw it. The houses are cut from American Crafts Merrymint Gingerbread House.  The whole page is filled with houses, I've just cut off 3 of them and pasted onto cherry cardstock and then on to the swiss dots card. I used the snowflake cutter to cut out 3 snowflakes for the bottom left hand side of the card and using a tip from my friend Paola, I coloured in the pearls with my copics to give a bit of colour. Got my fingers all coloured in too LOL!  Hope you like this one?

White is Nice Too

Used my Penny Black stamp, Snow Couple, again and mounted onto half green and half blue cardstock, which I then mounted onto a green card embossed with snow dots. The embossed and glittered snowflake on turquoise paper is from American Crafts called Merrymint - Marshmallow (34916) and was purchased from the Scrapbook shop near Tygervalley.  I used my silver glitter glue to make dots to give the card a bit of a lift and finished it off with a white and silver bow. Hope you like my creation.  It's now almost midnight, so I'd better dash as it's up early for work in the morning.  Nitey nite Sharon

Like a Kid in a Candy Store

Hi Everyone, it's 11h44 and I'm only getting a chance to post a comment now. I feel like a kid in a candy store with all my new stash LOL, so thought I'd post this Christmas card which I made this evening. Love the new Candy Stick stamp (a local product) which I purchased over the weekend.  Hope you like this one. Not sure if you can see it clearly, but I glittered it quite a bit.  The red cardstock I purchased today from Merrypak in Pinelands. When you turn it, it has a shimmer in it, very appropriate for Christmas cards.  Hope you like my little creation. Hugs Sharon

Penny Black Snow Couple

My final Penny Black stamped creation for this evening, called Cuddle in Snow.  I think it is an adorable image and couldn't wait (again) to stamp, colour and create a card with this image. Aren't they sweet?  They remind me of my folks who are affectionately called Oupa and Ouma by their grandchildren. Popped in at the folks around lunch time today as I'm supplying Mom with Christmas cards this year for her to send to people on her Christmas Card List. Just wanted to share with her what I've already made so far. They are so complimentary, which is very sweet. They really adore my cards. Thanks Mom and Dad for your support and love ;)   Enjoy the rest of your evening bloggers and all the best for the working week ahead. Thanks for popping by once again, hugs Sharon

Another Penny Black stamp called Beach Girl.  How she manages to stay on that surfboard with those sticky legs, is anyone's guess LOL.  I thought she was so cute, just had to stamp and colour her to make a card.  Didn't have an appropriate sentiment so just embellished with a round card button and ribbon and then stamped some pink bubbles onto the black cardstock.

My first creation using a Penny Black stamp!

Hmmm, I notice a few of my blogging buddies have been very creative this weekend.  I'm pleased to report, so have I ;)   Got my new stash yesterday, read my earlier post and you'll see what I bought. Well, I couldn't let the weekend go by without stamping, colouring and making cards with my new toys, so... here is my first Penny Black stamped creation.  The stamp is Just for You and I think this boy looks so cute (check those legs LOL). Coloured in with the trusted Copics again and added a bit of glitter for some sparkle.  Hope you like it.  Please leave a comment if you do. ;)

Blog Candy from Holly!

Holly is generously offering blog candy to all blog hoppers.  Please visit her blog to enter.

Breast Cancer Awareness

Greetings Everyone, hope you're all having a fab weekend and at least getting in some crafting. I was quite busy last night.  Remember a few days ago I mentioned that there was a free download of Hope Fights on the Whimsie Doodle website. It was for 2 days only.  Hope you took my advice and downloaded this image for yourselves.  I couldn't wait to colour Hope in and to create a card for her to sit on.  Well, here she is.  I will be sending this to my cousin's wife. I hope she'll like it. She is undergoing heavy chemo and radium at the moment, so please remember her in your prayers. Thanks ;)  Chat soon, thanks for visiting and please leave a comment before you rush off as I love reading them.

My first Penny Black stamps!

Hello friends, thought I'd post a quick update to let you know that I am still around. Busy making Christmas cards and will be starting the wedding invitations next week which I've been commissioned to do, so not sure how much blogging I'll be doing, but even if I have to do so late at night, I'll make a plan (addicted right ;).  Can't neglect you all now can I ?? (smiles)

I feel the need... the need to share!!! It's month end (and that means money in the pocket, right?), well no sooner does it hit the pocket than it has to be spent, right? R-i-g-h-t! I popped into Charmaine's again this morning on the way to the Scrapbook shop and her new stock of stamps from overseas had arrived, displayed on the shelves just crying to be taken home (I swear I could hear them shouting, pick me... pick me) .  So... as I couldn't decided which one to buy, I took 5... yes 5 Penny Black stamps home with me.  And that's after I told Kendall that we're only going to buy "that 1 little Candy Bar stamp"!  I also bought half a metre of that lovely blue and silver ribbon I was telling you about in an earlier post - stunning!  Can't wait to make a card from it and share it with you all.

From there we eventually made it to the Scrapbook shop where the new arrivals from the American Crafts, Heidi Grace and My Mind's Eye had arrived, so HAD to buy some of those christmassy cardstock too.  I think I have enough now to satisfy my need and will have to spark to get some created so that I can post on my blog or else you'll all be thinking I've taken a vacation or something.  I know what I'm going to be doing once I log off, I hope you're doing the same... happy crafting!  Love Sharon x

Here's a pic of some of the stash I purchased today.

New Blogger

Good Evening Friends, I would like to introduce you to my friend Deidre's blog, it's called Glitz and Glam Jewels.  Deidre makes the most beautiful jewellery and I wear a few of her creations.  She's just started her blog, so it's looking a bit bare at the moment, but... watch her space, you will be amazed at what she can create.  For my birthday, she made me a stunning pearl necklace and earring set. It's an original and something I will treasure for ever. She will be uploading more of her designs within the next few days/weeks, so please pop around and visit regularly.  Thanks for popping by, Sharon x

Hope Fights!

Morning Friends, I subscribe to the Whimsie Doodles newsletter and this message came through to my mailbox.  Hope Fights is a freebie for today and tomorrow only on their website.  If you know of someone (even if you don't at this stage), please visit their website to download Hope Fights so that you can make a card for that special person who is suffering from cancer and going through chemo.  I have 2 family members who have had surgery to remove both breasts this year and regularly send cards of encouragement.  I am thrilled with this little image and will definitely be creating my own cards to send to them. Once you're on their website, click on Freebies. Don't delay, download this special image today!  Hugs Sharon x    (p.s. As mentioned at the beginning of this post, this card was sent to my email address and was created by Nikki Tanner of Whimsie Doodles. I did not make this card).

Over 1000 hits on my Blog!

Today must be my lucky day!  I've just checked the counter at the bottom of my blog and I've had over 1000 hits already!!!  I am shocked and amazed.  As a newbie to blogland, this is a major highlight for me LOL!  Thanks to everyone, who visits and leaves a comment.  I love reading them, honestly I do.  I'd like to encourage all visitors to sign my Guestbook and if you're a blogger and crafter to consider joining, so that I can view your creations as well.  Thanks so much to the lovely ladies that have contacted me with the offer of stamping me some images.  I look forward to receiving those in the post (I check the postbox every day) and can't wait to colour them in and post my creations for you to see. You are all absolutely awesome.  Thanks for visiting and wishing you a beautiful day further. Hugs Sharon xxx

My First Award - YAY!

I've just been blog hopping and to my delight have found out that Hettie, one of my followers, has awarded me as one of the recipients of this Blog Award.  Hettie, I am thrilled and thank you for thinking of me, it really means a lot.  As a recipient I need to thank the person who awarded this to me, THANK YOU HETTIE! and I need to mention 10 honest things about myself, so here goes:

1. I am organised and unfortunately expect others to be the same ;)
2. I am honest and helpful.
3. I love making cards (as if you didn't know ;).
4. I love blogging and blog hopping and making new friends.
5. Viewing all your wonderful creations gives me a lot of pleasure (I am learning so much, so thank you to all you talented crafters out there!)
6. If you make friends with me, you've got a friend for life.
7. I have a daughter whom I love dearly and of whom I am immensely proud!
8. I value my friends, each one has special qualities.
9. My favourite seasons are Autumn and Spring.
10. I love weekends as I can relax and spend time with the people I love.

That's it!  Thanks Hettie for making my day. I'm humming a little tune to myself "Walking on Sunshine".

Morning Friends, just to let you know that I am back at work, still not feeling 100%, but can't afford to stay off longer as the work won't get done if I do ;)  Thanks for the good wishes.  My newest member on my Guestbook is Adie from Johannesburg.  Thanks so much for leaving a message on my guestbook, you made my day with your lovely comment! Please consider joining as a follower so that I can also view your blog, if you have one. Also a warm welcome to Desiree H for joining as a follower.  Let me know if you have a blog, so that I can visit you some time.  Lots of hugs and blessings to all my friends, Sharon xx

Not much fun sitting at home alone when you are ill. Had a good rest though and slept for hours, which is what the doctor ordered. When I awoke I felt like some comfort food, but there was none on hand, so I quickly whipped out my recipe book and found my mom's Crustless Milktart recipe.  It's a winner and if you'd like the recipe, just email me. Will have some later with a cuppa coffee!  hmmmm.... yummy  Thanks for visiting. x

Simple and sweet.  Used my trusted swiss dots cuttlebug sheet again to emboss this pink card.  Matted onto a black card this time.  The image is also digital. Visit PollyCraftDesigns.  I've printed quite a few and spent last night colouring them in different shades with my copics. Don't worry I won't post all of them! Just added the lovely candy striped bow for prettiness.  Can be used for any occasion.  Hope you like it?  Thanks for visiting and for your comments. Always appreciated.

Morning Friends, I am officially on a day's sick leave, diagnosed with upper respiratory tract infection.  My head feels like a ton of bricks has fallen on it and my nose is so blocked it's giving me a headache.  On meds and will take it easy today. I thought I would try something new, which I've seen other crafters do.  I've combined 2 stamps, the trees are digital and were a free download courtesy of one of the crafters whose blog I am following and the snowman is my own trusty little stamp.  I thought it came out rather well when placed together.  My blue card may have been a bit too light or the colour of the ink which I inked the snowflake stamp on too light, as you can't really pick it up in this image, although in person it looks fine.  Oh well, our challenges are to try something new all the time and I'm pleased I've done just that.

A lovely cherry red 12x12 cardstock which I purchased yesterday.  Cut the patterned paper into strips and matted onto a cream coloured card which was cuttlebugged using the snow dots pattern.  I then tied a gorgeous organza gold ribbon around it and used gold glue to frame the sentiment.

Once again I felt the cherry coloured card looked a bit plain and hauled out the snowflake stamp again, inked it with gold ink and stamped it a few times over the card.  That's it for tonight folks.  Have a super evening!  Thanks for visiting, I really enjoy reading your comments. Hugs and blessings, Sharon

The cardstock for this card is a lovely creamy shimmery colour.  I'm disappointed that it looks white in the image.  After looking at it I thought it looked a bit bland and decided to use my new snowflake stamp to jazz it up a bit.  Here's the finished product below.

I unfortunately don't have pointsettia flowers, and had to use a rose instead which I placed on my new leaf cutter.  You must agree that it just looks complete now, doesn't it?

Hello again, you're probably tired of looking at the same old snowman (LOL), but I think he is so cute that I couldn't resist colouring his hat in purple and the rest of my creativity flowed from there.  I was pleased with the outcome of this card, hope you think so too? I adore use the snow dots which I cuttlebugged.  Spent the afternoon cutting cardstock and making Christmas cards, even with the sneezy nose and thick head.  Have called it a day now and will relax for the rest of the evening. 

 

I am not sure why the date above is showing Saturday when in fact I've posted it today, Sunday.???  Made this cute girly card early yesterday evening. Image courtesy of a friend as I don't have this stamp.  Bought some lovely plain cardstock and finally found some Christmas paper as well from the Falala range (made in the USA) called Poinsettia stripe falala.  It's double sided 12x12 cardstock. I'm still thinking how to use it and once the ideas start flowing I'll make a card and post for you all to view.  Gosh, at Charmaine's yesterday, I noticed that she has some absolutely fabulous Christmassy ribbon.  All widths and stunning colours.  One which I particularly liked was an organza blue with silver angels on it and the edges were a glittery silver. If you paste it on a blue cardstock, it would make a fabulous card.  Will have to go back to get some, so that I can make a card and post it on my blog for you all to see.  Well, that's all from me this early morning (07h00). I'm off to have some breakfast and a cuppa coffee! Madam Kendall is still fast asleep!! The birds are chirping and it sounds as if it's going to be a lovely day. I've opened some windows and a cool breeze is blowing into the room. We are in for a stinker of a day tomorrow, if the weatherman's predictions are correct, 32 degrees. Is Summer starting to show it's face?  Last week we had 2 cold days where I had to dig out the cords again it was so cold! Maybe that's why I'm not feeling too well.  Too many different seasons in a week. Cheers until next time. 

Same stamp, just using different colours and colour scheme. I also purchased the lovely snowflake stamp which I've stamped all over the grey cardstock. I love the snow effect on the card, makes it look more real!

Morning Friends and a wonderful blessed Sunday to you all.  Yesterday morning when I woke up I felt fine.  Mom and I went to the hairdresser but whilst there I started feeling terribly cold and then the nose started running and the sneezing started.  As the day progressed so I started feeling worse.  Last night I eventually took some Med Lemon and Demazin and went to bed.  Woke up this morning at 3am as I couldn't sleep anymore.  Sat at my work table and this is one of the Christmas cards that I produced.  It's a new stamp which I purchased from Charmaine's yesterday. Hope you like it!

Hello Friends, I've been so busy this week catching up on a television series which I missed and also doing other personal things, that I haven't had a chance to make any cards.  Tomorrow I will be purchasing all the material for a wedding invitation I've been assigned to do (my first one), so wish me luck!  The bride and groom-to-be were very happy with the mock-up I made them.  They are an African couple, so I will be doing a traditional western wedding invitation and a traditional african invitation.  I will take photographs once the invitations have been sent out and will post the images on my blog for you to view.  I've also taken the opportunity to visit the blogs of YOU, my friends.  I've come across some wonderful creations, which takes my breath away.  You are all so talented.  Well done!  I'm also hoping to win some delicious Candy which so many of you or your followers have on offer.  Thank you for making this possible.  Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead, blessings Sharon

My last card for this evening.  The trio Teddy's again.  Patterned paper from the Papercraft magazine templates.  Going to watch a movie now, so I'll be logging of.  Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  Hope the week ahead is going to be a good one for you.  x

The image is Miss Anya I think, beautifully coloured in by Kendall this time - greys and pinks. The striped paper is from my new stockwhich I haven't used before.  A perfect match for the colours in the image. As you can see we've been using the snowflake cutter to make snowflakes and I keep those pieces of paper as well.  In this instance it makes a nice background with the black paper behind it. I decorated the corners with some pink brads, the bottom left and corner with a flower and snowflake, finishing off with a Merry Christmas sentiment and a piece of ribbon.  All matted onto a pink card.  Wonder who we'll be sending this Christmas card to?

Just thought I'd add these for fun.

Hope you're all having a lovely, lazy Sunday like we are.  Popped out to the local Mall to get my meds, made a quick turn at my folks place and sat there for a few minutes chatting.  When I got home, lunch was made.  Shew, I am so lucky to have a daughter that loves to cook.  Hmmm, we had a delicious lunch AND pancakes!  I know, not good for the waistline especially as I am trying to shed a few kilo's, but I couldn't say no now could I ?!?!?  It was yummy. 

After lunch, Kendall decided to read whilst I made more cards.  As mentioned previously I've decided to finally use the lovely templates which came with the Papercraft magazine I purchased.  This Teddy is not part of the pack, but it blended in so well that I had to use it.  I love these colours, don't you?

This free template came from the Cuddly Buddy Craft website.  Another Kim MacFarlane original which I was also dying to try out.  The whole image is decoupaged.  Will add other images so that you can see how many layers there are.  Not something I would do on a regular basis as it chows too much of the double sided spongy tape and you know how precious that is!

This image is a prefect shot to show you the different layers and then I thought I'd just another another view of the completed card.

I really liked the colours of this card and added a purple button with a lilac ribbon which I tied into a bow and added a little butterfly charm for completion.  Hope you like it.  Thanks for popping by. Hugs Sharon

Morning Everyone and a blessed Sunday to you all!  Thought I would try this little Pyrimage Twister which was a free template I received in the Papercraft Magazine.  Very easy to do, especially for those first time card makers.  You just follow the easy instructions and layer in a twisted fashion.  Then mat onto a coloured card before placing on your actual card.  Embellished with some soft pink and lemon flowers.  Easy peasy!

My third Kim MacFarlane image which one can download free from Cuddly Buddy Crafts.  Aren't these Teddy's just too cute.  Using copics again and the glue which dries white, I glittered for a snowy effect.  I then matted onto red card and again onto the dotted paper before gluing onto the green card.  Added a christmas ribbon at the bottom.

Another gorgeous image from Kim MacFarlane.  I couldn't wait to colour in this snowman with my Copics.  I've glittered to bring a bit of life to the image and make it look more christmassy!  I chalked around the image with green ink and matted onto a black card.  I matted the snow dots cuttlebugged paper onto a green card and put them all together to produce this christmas card.  Hope you like it?

Hello again, these images are courtesy of the website I was chatting about in an earlier post.  Kim MacFarlane is the artist, so credit to her for these lovely images which I've coloured in using my Copic pens. I then used glue which dries white and glittered over it so that it looks like snow.  Hope you're able to see this effect on the card! I further embellished with silver brads and a silver flower. I then matted onto blue snowflaked paper, again onto black card and then onto a white card.

Dear Friends, this was my table at the craft market.  I later got some stands to place my cards on so that people could browse through them more easily (thanks Deids and Nicolai for popping by with them). It was my first attempt at selling to the general public.  I did sell some cards, so I am satisfied.  I received a lot of compliments and was told to try other craft markets too, which is something I will look into.  For those of you who did purchase a card from me today, thank you for your support.  Please note that I will be at the same venue on 5th December (there isn't one in November).  I look forward to seeing you in December with some new creations.  I'll be focussing more on Christmas cards though.  If you have anything else in mind, pop me an email, my details were at the back of the card you purchased.

Today's experience was one that I won't forget in a hurry.  You are assigned a table and mine was placed outside the exit door to the library.  Not a bad spot, but I'll try to get a table in another area in December.  There were a variety of crafts on display.  The food is always a best-seller.  The elderly lady next to me made cupcake cookies, fudge and chocolate brownies and the cupcakes went very quickly.  As a first-timer I was very fortunate that I got some sales, as there were some ladies there who didn't even get one!  It can be really heartbreaking after all the work and effort you've put into your creation(s).  Thank goodness I went there with an open mind.  I stepped right out of my comfort zone and am so pleased I did as I can share this experience with you today.   It was relaxing and fun.  There were loads of laughs amongst the fellow crafters.  We had a wonderful time. Thanks for popping by. I hope the rest of your weekend is blissful!  Until next time, cheers from me.

Dear Friends, I have come across a delightful website which offers some Freebie downloads.  As you may/may not know, we are kinda starved down here at the tip of Africa for stamps, so any downloadable freebies are appreciated.  Please take a moment to visit Cuddly Buddy Crafts.  It will be worth your while.  There are some lovely free animations and avatars to add to your blog, just to spice it up a bit.  Enjoy!

I'm feeling so happy right now.  As you know I love making cards and I'm really enjoying blogging so much.  A friend (hello Darryl in Sweden - mwah!) tried to get me to blog ages ago, but at that stage I hadn't started making cards yet, but now that I've got a topic to chat about, look where I'm sitting today!  What an absolute joy it is communicating with you all.

once again for visiting my blog, I so enjoy hearing from you!  Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead.  Hope there'll be lots of time for us all to get creative and I look forward to seeing what you've made.  Before you leave, please check out Bev's creation which she posted today.  It's a Magnolia card in Aqua and Brown and is absolutely gorgeous!

I am getting ready for the Craft Market on Saturday and made some tent cards to display on my table.  I drew the flowers myself and coloured them in using my Lyra Super Ferby (made in Germany) art pencils.  I didn't want to waste the ink of my Copic pens by using them.  Rather want to keep those for my images.  I hope it looks appealing enough to attract some interest.  You won't believe it, but the cards in the box totals 105!  Doesn't look like it, but it's true!  Can't believe how busy I've been.   Thanks for popping by.