Simply Magnolia (DT) - Criss Cross Card

Welcome to another challenge on the Simply Magnolia blog and a very warm welcome to our new DT sisters who are joining us for the first time since they were selected.  You are so going to enjoy viewing their creations.  Pop along to the Simply Magnolia challenge blog and say hello.  Our challenge this fortnight is to make a Criss Cross card.  I haven't made one in absolute ages... was a bit rusty, but here you go...

The papers are divine aren't they ?  You can get them at Dies to Die For - 6x6 inch paper pad from Cart-Us, this one is Country Rose.

The gorgeous Tilda is a newbie from the latest collection, Tilda with a Gift for You and you can order her from Tilda's Town who are our sponsors for this challenge.

Here's another view of my card, so that you can admire the gorgeous flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Thanks so much for popping by.  We hope you like the challenge and that you'll play along with us this fortnight.

hugs Sharon x

Totally Gorjuss (DT) - Pearls

Hello again and welcome to another challenge with the Totally Gorjuss girls.  Our challenge this week is for you to use Pearls on your project.  I just love my pearls, so not a blingy girl!! lol

I've gone for something different this week... a Tag... hope you like it and that you'll feel inspired to join our challenge.

Our sponsor this week is Dilly Beans.  Please visit their online store, as they have a huge digistamp collection.  I've used one of their little hedgehogs.

Here's another view of my Tag.  I've added loads of pearls as you can see. The beautiful pearl pin was a gift from a dear blogfriend, Madeline, who lives in George in the Cape.  Thanks so much Madeline. It worked perfectly for this challenge.  Thanks too to my friend Sandra who suggested I place a pearl on hedgie's nose whilst we were skyping on Thursday evening when I made this tag... hope you can see it better now Sandra? lol

Thanks so much for popping by.  If you have time, I'd love for you to leave a comment.  Then you need to pop on over to the rest of the TG DT girls blogs to view their awesome creations... and leave some love along the way will you ?

hugs Sharon x

A Gift for Rene

Hello friends

Now that my friend Rene (Stamping in Sunny SA)  has received her birthday gift, I can post a few pics on my blog for you to see.  She BBM'd me one evening saying that perhaps she should get me to make her one of my little notebooks and I was thrilled that she'd asked, but told her that if she liked, I would make her one for a birthday gift.  She was delighted with the idea.

She wants to use this on her craftdesk to jot down notes and I thought as this little Autumn Tilda With Pencils arrived in the post, she was the perfect choice for a stamp.  She's from the new Autumn Leaves collection, purchased from Sir Stampalot.

Here is another view with the ribbon keeping the flap closed. I'm a bit disappointed that the clouds didn't come out dark enough on this photograph :(

That's it!  Hope you like it.  I have taken pics in stages as I made this and must put it together for a Tutorial.  I was thrilled with the final project and will definitely be making some of these as Christmas gifts.

Thanks so much for popping by.  I really do appreciate your visits and comments.  TGIF tomorrow.... yay!!!!

I've been so busy that I don't even know if we'll be getting to see the Olympics on SATV (I don't have DSTV), so will have to wait and see tomorrow evening.  Wherever you are in the world.... enjoy it!

hugs Sharon x

My first Birthday Wishes

Hello friends

Oooh.... don't you just love birthdays ?  I do.  It is my birthday next week (2 August) and today I received my first birthday cards.

I love showcasing my crafty friends' cards and am happy to share this beautiful one from my dear friend Sandra.  It is always nice receiving a wish and a gift is a real bonus !  I hope you don't mind me sharing...

Isn't this card just too beautiful ?

It is an album. I can place a photograph on either side. Isn't that sweet ?

My beautiful gifts - 2x paper pads from Dies To Die For

The lovely Bildmalarna stamp, Picnic, is also part of the gift. As you can see, I couldn't wait to ink and colour her in... my one is in the middle.

Thanks ever so much dear Sandra, I love my card and gifts.

hugs Sharon x

Birthday Blessings

Hello friends

Hope you're having fun whatever you're doing. I've been commissioned to make a birthday card for a colleagues' MIL and she gave me a little poem to insert in the card.  Thought I'd share it with you all seeing that I've just finished it and am now ready to start my DT card for Simply Magnolia's new challenge which starts next Sunday.

The weather was stunning this morning - we had sunshine, but the dark clouds have appeared again and are hanging around.  It was FREEZING yesterday, my SA friends in Cape Town will agree... wowzer, that wind was biting cold...brrrrr.

Wrap up warmly and thanks so much for popping by to view my card and read my post. Always a pleasure having you visit.  Sorry, must dash as I have lots to do and the clock is ticking...lol

hugs Sharon x

Totally Gorjuss (DT) - Leaf it In !

Welcome to another challenge with the Totally Gorjuss team.  This week we'd like you to Leaf it In !  I've given my regular stamps a rest and decided to use this gorgeous Kaisercraft Lamp post.  Hope you like it ?

The lamp post was inked with Momento's Rich Cocoa, which I use for all my stamping and I've just left it as is.  The flowers is from Prima and the leaves were punched for me by my lovely friend Sandra.  The sheet of paper with the embossed butterflies is also a Kaisercraft product.

Our wonderful sponsor for this challenge is Heather's Hobbie Haven.  Do visit their store for all your crafty needs.

Do visit the other Totally Gorjuss DT members' blogs for further inspiration.  You can find their names on the left hand column of my blog.  Thanks so much for popping by.

hugs Sharon x

Almost weekend...

Hello friends

Sorry that it has been so quiet on my blog. I have just been so busy at work, getting home late and just working on some projects I've been commissioned to do... yay!  I love seeing how happy people are when I give them exactly what they asked for and I appreciate the support ALOT!  Thanks so much... mwah!

This is the last of a recent order I got to do for one of my colleagues at work.  Thought I would just share it with you all... at least it is something to place on my blog hey!  She loved it and I hope you do too.

These are making nice little Kitchen Tea gifts.

I spent my evening making a gift for one of my dear blogfriends, Rene (Stamping in Sunny SA).  She lives in Dundee, KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. We met whilst serving on the old Teddy Stampers design team and have kept in touch all these years.  She's celebrating her birthday this month and I need to post her gift so that she will receive it in time.  Will share it with you once she has received it. This weekend I have a birthday card to make for another colleague's MIL.  Will share with you soon.

There is a storm brewing outside... so I'm logging off to warm my beanbag and then I am heading off for the Land of Nod....zzzzzzzzzz

Whilst a lot of our blogfriends in the southern hemisphere are experiencing hellishly warm weather, we're experiencing the extreme opposite.  There's snow in some regions in SA.

Stay warm, the weekend is almost here...

hugs Sharon x

To Do List....

Good morning friends

Here's the Red To Do/Shopping List notelet I was asked to make.  I love the way this one turned out.  Molly is such a wonderful stamp to work with and she's just perfect in her little Chef hat for this project.  Hope you like !

You know when you sit with some stamps and you think "when on earth am I going to use that, should I keep it or pass it on to someone else".... well, am I so pleased I kept this little jelly stamp of Elisabeth Bell's.  She fits perfectly into Molly's hand. Love it !

Just adding a few more close ups.  Loved this paper too, unfortunately it is my last piece. From Fabscraps.

Magnetic strips at the back again and it sits perfectly on your fridge.  So cool to have for jotting down your grocery list.

Now I must dash.  Schools are back after their mid-year break and I'm leaving later to avoid the traffic, but now I've got to GO!

Wishing you all a super week.

hugs Sharon x

To Do Lists

My third post for the day.... oh my goodness me... what a cold day it has been....brrrr  We didn't get to visit my Mom today, as the weather has been so bad.  A perfect day for staying indoors and playing at my craftdesk.

I've been commissioned to make a few of my little To Do /Shopping List notelets, as they are very popular with the girls at work.  Thought I'd share 2 of them with you... I have another 2 to make, not sure if I'll have time to do so as it's already 5pm and I've been busy most of the afternoon.

The weather was perfect for sampling some of Kendall's Malva pudding.... Just a small piece, as I can feel I am piling on the kilo's...lol

Here's the Blue notelet I made.  I just love these Molly Bloom stamps and decided to bring them out to play.  You can purchase them at Which Craft in the UK.  Their service is excellent, so pop by for a visit.

I've taken a pic of the back for those who are visiting for the first time.  As you can see, I have adhered magnetic strips to the back so that you can adhere this to your fridge door.

The sentiment was kindly designed for me by another South African crafter (Desert Diva) living in in UAE, thanks Hannelie, these are really coming in handy.

Here's the little Pink one, with another Molly Bloom stamp.  Just love these Molly's, don't you ?

Thanks so much for visiting me today.  I've really enjoyed having you around...lol  Wrap up warmly.

Until next time, hugs Sharon x

Experimenting...

2 posts in 1 day... well, it is pouring with rain in Cape Town and the perfect weather for crafting.  Kendall is cooking, so I can spend time at my craftdesk before we go visit Mom later this afternoon.

I bought some Staedtler pencil crayons and thought I would try colouring in with these... Shew, it is a LOT harder than copics, that's for sure !   I don't think I have the right "tools"... I need a blender pen, some odourless spirits (gamsol) and I think the right paper.   If any of the Cape Town girls are reading this post, let me know who stocks them please.  I'm not sure if this is a new colouring medium I am going to stick with, but hey my blog is all about sharing and trying out new things.

I've decided to use Elisabeth Bell's gorgeous Emma for this experiment.  Let me know what you think.

Ok, that's it from me for now... back to the drawing board. Hope you're having FUN whatever you're doing!

hugs Sharon x

Simply Magnolia (DT) - Embossing (Dry or Heat)

Hello friends

Welcome to another challenge at Simply Magnolia and most importantly, a very warm welcome to our new DT sisters who will be joining us from the next challenge. Please pop over to the Simply Magnolia challenge blog to read all about this big announcement.  You are going to be blown away by their talent!

Our challenge this fortnight is for you to use some form of Embossing (Dry or Heat) on your project.  Here's my little creation. I hope it will inspire you to haul out those embossing folders in your drawers.

This little Magnolia stamp was a stamped gift from a friend and it is the first time I am  using her. She's been coloured in with Copics.

Our wonderful sponsor is The Ribbon Girl.  Please visit their blog for all your crafty needs. They have such a wonderful range of products.  You can purchase the gorgeous seam binding I have used from them.

Forgive the slight blurriness of this photograph... I have tried taking it umpteen times, with no luck on improving it... sorry!

Thanks so much for popping by. Your visits and lovely comments make my day. 

Take care, hugs Sharon x

Mini Cards

Over the weekend I made a few mini greeting cards which a colleague at work asked me to make for her.  Thought I would share these with you.  The card size is 8x10cm.  Hope you like them.

The sentiments are my own and computer-generated. 

Here is a close up shot of 2 of the cards

I also did a huge spring-cleaning of my craft area and was amazed at how much cardstock I have. This is just the plain coloured cardstock, not the designer paper.  I know others probably have 10x more stash, but this pile really made my eyes s-t-r-e-t-c-h...lol

 

Enjoy your week.  It's a cold and rainy forecast for us in the Cape.

hugs Sharon x

Shopping...

Hello friends... I decided to visit a craftshop in my area which I have not visited for quite some time.  I was a bit disappointed as I didn't find anything that screamed WOW, so I just purchased a few more pieces of cardstock and a paper cutter.  Got to the till and found out that the paper cutter had a discount, now that made me happy... lol

As it is really freezing in Cape Town, Kendall and I popped into Cherry on the Top Coffee shop, next door to the Creative Talents store in Bellville for a warm cuppa coffee.  I LOVE that shop... there are so many items to look at, I can spend at least an hour browsing.  Thought I'd share a few pics with you, so that you see what I mean !

Isn't it just soooo pretty ?

  Can you see the counter is filled with all sorts of delectable cakes ?

I didn't feel like anything, but Kendall ordered a scone and this is how it was presented.

Still warm from being heated in the microwave.

Kendall drinking her coffee and just hating the fact that I am taking this pic...lol

As my Pinterest friends will know, I just love pretty teacups and teapots.

Isn't this one gorgeous ? Love those porcelain cupcakes too.

Our table was next to this display. Isn't it lovely ?

Love, love, love these flowers, so of course I had to purchase some.

Could only afford 2 strands as they are pretty expensive...lol

See... here they are in my vase at home

This is a closeup shot so you can really appreciate the beauty of these flowers

I think the northern suburbs girls in my area must get together at the Cherry on the Top Coffee shop one Saturday morning for a good old natter.  Interested parties, please email me.

Thanks so much for popping by today and sharing my little outing with me.  I hope you've had just as much fun wherever you are.

Take care, wrap up warmly.

hugs Sharon x



Totally Gorjuss (DT) - A Sketch

A warm welcome to you dear friends... from a very cold Cape Town... wow, is it wet and freezing cold ?  Let's not get morbid now shall we, we have a challenge to get to...lol   We've a wonderful sketch over at Totally Gorjuss and here it is...

I've decided to give the stamps a rest this week and as mentioned in previous posts I am so enjoying browsing around Pinterest and pinning other crafter's beautiful cards for inspiration.  I thought this sketch would be the perfect opportunity to try something new.  Hope you like it!

The paper is gorgeous from the Bazzill Basics Paper range, Vintage Marketplace.  Love it!   I decided to haul out the embossing folders again and found this gorgeous pattern which I have not used before.  The sentiment is computer generated by myself.  Inked around the edges of my paper with Versa Magic's Sahara Sand ink.

Here's another view so that you can get a peek of the inside too...  I've really kept it very simple and left lots of space to write as this card will soon be winging it's way overseas.

Our wonderfully generous sponsor this week is Joanna Sheen.  Please visit her online store for all your crafty needs.  The service is superb!

Thanks so much for popping by to visit.  I hope you'll be inspired to take part in our challenge.  Please visit the rest of the TG girls for further inspiration.

Big hugs, Sharon x