My lovely followers x

Monday, 3 March 2014

Have you entered the Papermill competition yet???

Evening everyone....299 members now, just need ONE more to reach that magic figure of 300.....;-)
I'm back tonight with some cards made with PAPERMILL buff coloured cardstock, (a bit like Kraft card, but not as thick).....it embosses beautifully,(both dry and heat ) inks, stamps, cuts with all dies, and punches perfectly.
You can win a box of this cardstock, just by going to the Papermill blog, and completing a tiny survey.....easy peasy.....it's a fab product, so pop over and enter asap ;-)
Here are a few cards I've made this weekend with the buff card :-



Sentiment has been heat embossed with white ep from
A Cheery Lynn flourish die, and punched butterflies



The sentiment is by Stampin' Up.
The gorgeous lacey edging is a stamp called Walesby Flourish from Oak House Studio (I love this) I've heat embossed it.


I've used a Sizzix/Stampin' Up embossing folder for this sympathy card, and just dotted colour on with an aqua brush & distress ink.


I'll be back in a day or so with more samples using buff cardstock.
Barbara
x

Sunday, 2 March 2014

This weeks Special Offer from Papermill.....

Hi again, well, I'm blogging like mad at the moment, but have so much to show you over the next few days.....
This is the weekly 'special offer' from 
A beautiful Ultra White Pearlised card 300gsm 
Approximately 75 A4 sheets for an amazing £7.50!!   that's only 10p per A4!   
What are you waiting for??
This is a quick card I made using the special offer and teal coloured cardstock.



Ink from
 



Flowers from
Tonic edge punch.
Various dies and an embossing folder. 
I'll be back later with more news from Papermill, so catch you then.
xx

Saturday, 1 March 2014

'Add Something Pink'....New Challenge at Lavinia Stamps

Morning everyone.....pinch punch, first of the month.....Oooooooo March already, can you believe it?!
Well.....because it's the 1st of March, our new challenge has started at
The theme for March is 'ADD SOMETHING PINK'!
So c'mon everyone, there's a £40 prize up for grabs.....
I've gone for something very clean and simple this month, totally opposite from February, hope you like them....



All cardstock from
Inks from





What do you think??

I'll be back later with another Special Offer from Papermill,
catch you then,
Barbara
xx

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

Oak House Studio....CITRUS CHALLENGE

Hi everyone, a very, very quick post today, to remind you about the CITRUS CHALLENGE at
There's a fab prize on offer.....All you have to do to enter is make a card in orange, lime or lemon, using at least one stamp or ink from Oak House Studio...simples! But be quick, you only have a few days left to enter!
These are my DT cards for inspiration.....



All cardstock from


Isn't this a lovely sentiment?



Everything else from 

(love this leaf stamp )




D'ya think they're bright enough??? LOL

The Colour Chemistry inks are fabulous, by the way.....checkout the new colours....WOW!


Catch ya soon,
Barbara
xx

Saturday, 22 February 2014

This week's Papermill 'Special Offer'......Not to be missed!

Morning again everyone....get me.... blogging twice in 2 days!
Just wanted to tell you about this weeks Special Offer at
PAPERMILL ....
A lovely white card 270gsm that has been delicately embossed to add texture to any design
Approximately 255 A4 sheets for only £15.00.....that's less than 6p per A4!
I've made a couple of samples just to show to show you the texture.
It cuts and inks perfectly.





The gorgeous flowers are by Lucinda at 



Hope you like them, and agree that it's fab cardstock.....but be quick, this offer is only available while stocks last.
Catch you all in a day or so,
Barbara
xx

Only 5 Days left to get your entries in......

Hi everyone, hope you're all well......just wanted to remind you that there's only 5 days left to get you entries into the LAVINIA CHALLENGE BLOG. Don't forget there's a fab prize of £40 worth of products, and a further £20 can be won just by commenting on the Lavinia challenge blog...
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??
LAVINIA STAMPS



All cardstock from
PAPERMILL  
Inks from
OAK HOUSE STUDIO



The theme is 'Blue, Lilac...or Both'
Hope you have time to get something entered....it doesn't just have to be a card.
Catch you soon, with another fab 'Special Offer' from Papermill.
Barbara
xx

Saturday, 15 February 2014

Stock up on fab red card from Papermill......

Evening everyone, hope you're staying as warm & dry as possible.....
I just have a quick post for you tonight, as it's been a very busy few days, and I'm shattered....gonna try for an early night.
PAPERMILLDIRECT have another great offer this week....
They are offering Post Box Red card 240gsm for the bargain price of £2.00 for 20 A4 sheets - normally 10 sheets cost £2.75!!
Why not stock up for Christmas, it's too good an offer to miss ;-)
Here are my DT cards with the red cardstock.....



 White linen and post-box red cardstock. (used on all 3 cards)
Stampendous sentiment stamp
and
Spellbinders Botanical die.




Inkadinkadoo flourish stamp
Computer generated sentiment, and an embossing folder.




Sentiment stamp from Lili of the Valley,
dies from Spellbinders & Tattered Lace.










Well, that's it for tonight, don't forget to pop over to Papemill, to checkout the rest of the fabulous offers....there's quite a few at the moment.
Back in a couple of days
Barbara
xx
I'm entering these cards into the following challenges :-
Emergency Crafters
Feeling Crafty
Lothian Crafts
The Crafting Cafe
Kitty Bee Designs 

Thursday, 6 February 2014

Well, for the next week, it's Valentine's cards.....sorry ;-) (I'm not really)

Afternoon everyone, hope you're staying cosy and warm......I'm in the shop, working today.....coughing, sniffing & snotting on, it's very cold in here... I've had a heavy cold for a week now, and it's showing absolutely NO sign of going anywhere fast!
Anyway, as you all know, it's Valentine's day next week, and I've made quite a few DT cards for 
PAPERMILL  with their fab cardstock. I actually made them so they would 'do' for Anniversary cards too, as there's a limit to how many 'Love' cards that I can sell ;-)
These are three of my favourites....



All cardstock from Papermill.
Inks from OAK HOUSE STUDIO
Sentiment stamp by Anna Griffin
&
my all time favourite flourishes from
Inkadinkadoo. 





Same as above, but not sure where the 'love' stamp came from.



My CAS card for Alan....(I'm safe here, as he doesn't read my blog, haha)
White linen and all (rainbow)colours from the brilliant selection from 
PAPERMILL
(of course!)
Computer generated sentiment.






Well, that's all for today, try to stay warm.....catch you all in a couple of days,
Barbara
xx
I'm entering these cards into the following challenges :-
Crafting For All Seasons
Oldie but a Goodie (Heart die template & all inks)
Shopping Our Stash
Less Is More

Saturday, 1 February 2014

It's that time again........

Morning everyone....happy Saturday, and happy 1st of February (well, you have to be pleased that January is out of the way, such a depressing month!)
Today sees another monthly challenge from 
(the theme for Feb. is Lilac, Blue OR both) .....so loads of scope there.
The prize is an amazing £40 of products from Lavinia, so a no-brainer really.
THERE'S ALSO A SPOT PRIZE BEING OFFERED THIS MONTH ON THE CHALLENGE BLOG!
Anyone can enter ... all you need to do is Leave a Comment under the Feb Challenge post and at the end of the month your name will go into a draw.....the winner gets a £20 voucher to spend on Lavinia Stamps web shop. This of course runs in addition to the main Prize.
Here are 2 of my DT creations....hope  you like them



I love the colours this month.....I've inked the background with Colour Chemistry from the massive selection at Oak House Studio
and used Lavinia Stamps, Zen Butterfly,  and Zen Leaf 2 (love the selection of Zentangle stamps, and have loads more on order)
I covered the wooden heart with inked, white linen cardstock from


Same cardstock & inks on this tag, a dylusions 'mask' and the Wildflower stamp from Lavinia. The 'front' flowers were heat embossed with white embossing powder from OHS.


Hope you like my projects, I'll be back in a couple of days with another 2 DT cards. In the meantime, don't forget to leave your comment for a chance to win the £20 prize, and of course get busy planning your entry for Feb x

Friday, 31 January 2014

Challenge.....Challenge......Challenge!

Just a quickie to tell you about the new challenge at Papermill Direct.  
Enter our Valentines Day Card Challenge and WIN a YEARS subscription to Simply Cards and Papercraft Magazine! - That's 12 issues each with a free cover gift!
***Please share with your friends!***
Details of how to enter here -
http://papermilldirect.co.uk/community/valentines-day-challenge-win-a-subscription-to-simply-cards-papercraft-magazine

Sunday, 26 January 2014

Oak House Studio Challenge....

Hi everyone.....a quick post tonight, to show you a few postcards made with products from
Lynnda Worsnop, owner of OHS has set a little challenge to make some 'Inspirational Postcards', which can be used as greetings cards or framed to be hung around the house.
These are a few I've made so far.......



All cardstock is from
All inks by OHS from the Colour Chemistry range.
Stamps used are Walesby Fourish and A Stitch In Time, with gold, fine embossing powder.




 This card is using the Poinsettia, Music Background and 'Enjoy' sentiment stamps. Colour Chemistry inks & pearl embossing powder. I also used a leaf mask for the background.


This is my favourite......
Stamps used are sentiments, butterfly and harlequin (love this one). I added some ribbon and freshwater pearls from my stamps.





Why not pop over to Oak House Studio and checkout the fab stamps and inks....you won't be disappointed! There's also a Facebook page you can join, simply called Oak House Studio.
That's it for now, catch you all soon,
Barbara xx

Sunday, 19 January 2014

New Papermill 'Special Offer'.....check this out, it's fab!

Evening all, hope you've had a good weekend. It's been such a beautiful day, that Alan & I actually ventured outside......the last few weekends we've been clearing the loft, but I just couldn't face it again today. (this is my procrastinating starting up again!)
Anyway, just wanted to show you the latest SPECIAL OFFER from
It really is stunning cardstock!
Garnet, pearlised card (300gm), on special offer at £7.50 per box of approx 75 sheets. This is only 10p per sheet!!.....the ironic thing is that this is the exact colour I was looking for when I made Nick & Emma's wedding stationery 2 years ago. Papermill didn't have it at the time, and I ended up paying 68p per A3 from another supplier. Ho-hum.......(I did buy all the white hammered from Papermill though)
 If you'd like to see the complete blog post showing all of the stationery, checkout February 19th 2012.
These are my DT cards for this offer



A Stampin'Up sentiment on this card....and a Memory Box die on the card below.....Clean & Simple!
Isn't the garnet pearl cardstock gorgeous ??




Why not pop over to the Papermill Blog and register for their newsletter, a good way to find out when offers are available.... and don't forget to checkout their Facebook page too for competitions and more.



Well, that's it for tonight.....I'll definitely be back soon with details of a fab new challenge at Oak House Studio.
Until then,
stay warm! xx

Monday, 13 January 2014

First Papermill 'Special Offer' of 2014.....

Evening all, hope you're managing to stay warm and dry.
Just a quick post tonight to tell you about the 
 first 'Special Offer' of the year from
260 gsm smooth white card - a midi-box for £16 or a mega-box (approx 645 sheets) for £34 - that's just over 5p per A4 sheet!

Just a reminder that the  Luxury Antique White Envelopes and Artists Pads will be reverting back to full price next on Friday 17th January, so still time to grab a bargain.

Here are my design cards using the smooth white cardstock....it's cuts well, inks up beautifully, and can be stamped and coloured using any medium.



White smooth, black buckram, & pink cardstock.....I've inked the smooth white with Colour Chemistry inks from 
to cut the hearts






Love this stamp from Penny Black, but I suppose that's because we love cows ;-) !













 This is a Heartfelt Stamp, 
coloured with Promarkers






I've used a LAVINIA stamp on this card. 










Hope you like these cards.....I'll be back on Wednesday with a little competiton sample for Oak House Studios.
Until then, stay warm.
Barbara
x

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

Happy New Year....From all at Lavinia Stamps

January 1st, 2014.....how did that happen so quickly?? and where did 2013 go??  Hey-ho, whatever, it's here and we have a whole year of fabulous projects and new products coming up from the wonderful LAVINIA STAMPS designer, Tracey Dutton, and the design team.  Hope we can all give you some inspiration in the forthcoming months. 
This months challenge is 'ADD SOME GLITTER' 
The prize is a massive £40 of Lavinia stamps, and we are now taking email entries.....so this means if you don't have a blog, you can still enter the challenge.....what are you waiting for? (Please just make sure your creation is made with Lavinia Stamps, that's the only criteria)
These are my DT samples for January.


All cardstock is from
Fabulous Inks are by Lynnda Worsnop of
OAK HOUSE STUDIO 


All stamps from LAVINIA
this is the new 'zentangle' plant





Love, love, love this zentangle butterfly, 
it's so pretty.



I've used an oak-leaf embossing mask on this card, then chopped out the middle ...lots of Glamourdust and Liquid Pearls too.



I think these little Toadstools are a fab image for a New Home card.











Well, that's all for today.....our gorgeous little girl , Eva, (and her mam & dad of course) celebrated the New Year with us, and are just heading home....I'd better go check all the rooms, as they ALWAYS leave something behind!
Catch you all in a day or so, one of my NY resolutions is to blog more ;-)
Barbara
xx

Friday, 13 December 2013

Christmas crafting with Papermill

Evening all,  I'm back after another busy week....think I'm working harder now than I have in my whole life. Every day seems absolutely manic! ...but hey-ho, it's Christmas soon....eeeeeek!
And......I've just noticed this is my 250th post, whoohoo....
Anyway, tonight I want to tell you about another fab special offer at PAPERMILL....it's a double whammy this week:-
No 1)  FREEPOST for all orders over £25 (and it's soooooooooo very easy to spend £25 on their fab products)
No 2)  Gorgeous platinum coloured pearlescent cardstock This comes in a small box, approximately 70 - 75 A4 sheets for only £7.50.
Here are my DT creations, hope you like them

 ALL cardstock from PAPERMILL
A napkin ring for our Christmas table....now I just need to make another SEVEN....help!
Sizzix Poinsettia die and ivy spray die from Crafters Companion


This is a simple card, made with a Martha Stewart punch and a few jewels from stash....the tiny little holly clusters are from PETAL LU ....they're only 5p each and I LOVE them!




A little close-up of the holly clusters.

This is a favours box, again for our Christmas table....not sure what will be in them yet, mmmmmmm, any ideas??
Well, that's it for tonight, I'll be back over the next couple of days, hopefully.
Have a great weekend.
Barbara x


Friday, 6 December 2013

This week's 'Special Offer' at Papermill.......

Evening everyone, hope you're all well and not stressing that Christmas is only a couple of weeks away......who would think we had almost a whole year to prepare for it!
Just a quick post from me tonight to inform you of this week's 'Special Offer' at PAPERMILL.
A4 White Buckram Embossed cardstock - 270 gsm
Mega Box of approx 645 A4 sheets for only £31
(such a fantastic deal....don't miss it!)
This is my DT card, hope you like it.....lots more to show in a day or two.
I used an embossing folder to make the brick wall, then window & tree dies from Spellbinders and Crafters Companion. Sentiment tags are from Lili of the Valley and the gorgeous holly clusters are from 
PETAL LU (so sweet)
I put this card into a little box to send to my lovely nephew and his wife....it cost £2 bloomin' 60p, so hope they liked it!
Catch you all soon.
Barbara
xx
I'm entering this card into the following challenges :-
WINTER WONDERLAND
CRAFTY CATZ
CRAFTY HANDS DEVON
JO'S SCRAP SHACK 






Sunday, 1 December 2013

Lavinia Challenge - No 10 - Anything Goes

Evening all, jsut a very quick post from me tonight.....had a bit of a bad day, so just need to go to bed early.
Today sees the start of Challenge No.10 at LAVINIA STAMPS....
the theme is ANYTHING GOES.
As long as you use at least ONE Lavinia stamp, you can enter the challenge....the prize is a whopping £40
I've got a card and a tag to show you tonight, made with the new Zentangle stamps from Lavinia....they are fab! (the stamps, that is! ) LOL


This card was made with a Pan Pastel background onto white linen cardstock from 
and, of course, the new Zentangle mushrooms from Lavinia.










This little tag was made to match the card, but I've used the large Zentangle mushroom. I've also used loads of Glamourdust, but it's hard to see it in these pics. They look much better in 'real life'.


Well, that's all for tonight, I have a batch of Christmas cards to show you in a day or so, made with only ONE stamp. Hope you'll pop back then,
In the meantime, happy crafting.
Barbara
xx

Thursday, 21 November 2013

Fab new offer at Papermill......

Hi folks, hope you're all keeping warm on this cold day.....Brrrrrrrrrrrrr, if I wasn't so busy, I might just go into hibernation!
Anyway, another fab offer today from PAPERMILL  to warm you all up....this one is just available until Tuesday, stock permitting, so don't hesitate.
20 x A4 sheets of Purple Cord Embossed paper 117 gsm for £5
Here are my Design Team samples 



ALL cardstock and paper from 

Classic squares & circle from Spellbinders, Memory Box 'frosty' corner die, and the pine tree stamp from 
(with loads of Glamourdust)









This one has been embossed with a wintry embossing folder from Sizzix, and a Memory Box 'frosty' border die.
hope you like them....don't forget to pop over to Papermill to checkout this, and other offers.
Catch you all tomorrow, I have so many cards to blog, just need a few extra hours in each day....stay warm 
xx
Barbara

Thursday, 14 November 2013

Massive Special Offers at Papermill.......

Hi everyone, hope you're well, and staying warm. I'm bloomin' freezing me bits off as I write this, helping in Adam's pet shop without heat!
Anyway,  just wanted to tell you that PAPERMILL, have just announced another THREE Special Offers, to warm us all up!
 A4 white felt-embossed MEGA Box - 600 sheets for £29 (amazing value)
A3 white felt-embossed box - 70/75 sheets for only £9
A4 Light Silver pearlised card (double-sided) 300gsm - 70/75 sheets for only £7.50
Fantastic offers, if you've yet to start your Christmas card....(mine are all finished, yay!)
Here are a couple of things I made with the silver pearlised cardstock



I've used a Little Claire stamp, coloured with Promarkers, and various Spellbinder dies. The 'snow' is from Poundland....cost only £1! ;-)





This little silver bauble was made with the Spellbinder Heirloom die and pearlised cardstock, which I ran through a flourish embossing folder. A few beads from my stash and voila!




Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with more creations made from the fabulous cardstock at Papermill....Why not pop over to checkout the Special Offers in more detail?
Barbara xx

Saturday, 2 November 2013

New Challenge at Lavinia Stamps....... Bright, Hot Colours

Hi again.....I'm back tonight with my DT cards for the new challenge at 
This month the theme is BRIGHT, HOT COLOURS.....which, if you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know are my favourites x
Get ya thinking caps on everyone, 'cos the prize is a massive £40 of goodies from Lavinia Stamps....
Here are my DT cards.....

All cardstock is from
PAPERMILL 
The background colours have been done using Colour Chemistry inks from
OAK HOUSE STUDIO  and loads of Cosmic Shimmer. All stamps from Lavinia.






This pine tree stamp is one of my most favourite by Tracey Dutton at Lavinia. I absolutely adore it!
White hammered cardstock from Papermill, Distress Inks from Tim Holtz and a Lavinia sentiment x











This one is for my great-great niece, who is 3 on December 27th......Get me!...being so organised that I had the card made in October, haha

I've coloured the background with Pan Pastels.
All stamps from Lavinia





I really enjoyed making these cards, especially the second one....in fact, I've done it in a few different colours ;-)
Well, that's all for now....I have our little Eva and Nick staying over for a couple of nights, Emma is in Australia for a wedding this weekend, so they're home alone.  I'm gonna relax with a nice glass of vino collapso....catch you all soon xx
I'm entering these cards into the following challenges :-
Hiding In My Craft Room
Little Claire's Monthly Challenge
Pumpkin Spice
So Artful Challenges
Mark's Finest Papers

Ladybug Crafts
Seemacrafts
The Stamping Boutique