My lovely followers x

Thursday, 12 June 2014

What's on offer this week at Papermill??

Hi all, hope you're all well and enjoying this lovely weather.....long may it continue ;-)
I'm back to tell you about the latest 'special offer' from
This week we have a fabulous A4 Ivory, 'lightly embossed', felt cardstock
A small box of approx 80 sheets is £5
A midi box of approx 260 sheets is £13.50
I found this to be a great 'all-rounder' for inking, die-cutting and stamping.....might have to order some myself, LOL
Here are my DT samples :-


 All cardstock from 
I love the simplicity of this card.....I just swiped an 
OAK HOUSE STUDIO inkpad over the cardstock....think it gives such a pretty effect.




 

I rushed this card a bit, and didn't blend the colours as good as usual....hey ho.
Hope you like them....I'll be back on Saturday with details of the new challenge over at  
Don't forget to checkout the rest of the DT samples x






Saturday, 7 June 2014

Leather-look cardstock at Papermill......

Morning everyone, welcome back, and 'Hi' to my new followers.
Another 'Special Offer' from PAPERMILL  and this one is fabulous!
Buff leather embossed - 270gsm
small box- approx 80 sheets - £4.50
midi-box - approx 260 sheets - £13.00
Here are my DT cards for this offer.....



All cardstock from Papermill.....buff embossed, cream and brown.
The tie was stamped with the 'Walesby' flourish from
I popped some (too much) Glossy Accents on it.
Not sure where the other stamps are from, sorry.




Cardstock as above, bird stamp from Inkylicious, sentiment from LOTV





Free stamps from some mag or other.





I think this is a Personal Impressions stamp, but not 100%

As you can see, this buff embossed is great for male cards, but please checkout the rest of the DT creations, you'll be blown away by the inspiration!
Blog addys below.
Bye for now
Barbara
xx


Monday, 2 June 2014

Lavinia Stamps - Challenge 6

Morning all, welcome to my new followers this week, hope you can keep popping by....
Busy, busy, busy at the moment, so a very quick post today.
It's the start of Challenge 6 at 
The theme this month is 'add beads or gems', and as usual, the prize is £40 worth of products from Lavinia Stamps.
Here are my DT creations to inspire you....

This card was made for a special friend.
Inks from OAK HOUSE STUDIO
All cardstock from PAPERMILL
Gorgeous Zen butterfly from Lavinia Stamps of course.
This was just a quick little tag made with the hollyhock stamp....
Inks & cardstock as above.
Hope you like my DT work for this challenge, and also hope it inspires you to join in this month. 
£40 is an amazing prize!
Catch you all soon,
Barbara xx
I'm entering this post into the following challenges :-
Whoopsi Daisy
My Craft Creations

Crafting From The Heart
Lauralcraft
Crafty Boots 

Thursday, 29 May 2014

Lots of Inkyliciousness......(is that even a word?)

Hi everyone, home again after a lovely week in Jersey....beautiful island, fab company, so despite the changeable weather, we had a great time. Just time to fit in a couple of blogs before we go off again in 3 weeks time ;-)
Todays card was made with cardstock from 
It was last weeks 'special offer', but I think there may be some left.....if you're quick! (plain white, 265 gsm)
All the SPECIAL OFFERS have 10% off at the moment, and there is also a competition on the Papermill blog HERE , to win a box of fab cardstock. So....what are you waiting for??
All inks on this card are from the fabulous selection at OAK HOUSE STUDIO they are my favourite inks, I just LOVE them!
ALL stamps are from Inkylicious....I've had some of them for ages, and have promised myself to try using all my stamps at least ONCE. It will still take me years to get through them all, though.
Got to say, this is one of my most favourite cards in a long while....I just adore the colours.
Well, that's all for now, hope you've enjoyed your visit, pop back soon.
Have a great weekend.
Barbara xx
I'm entering this card into the following challenges :-


Thursday, 22 May 2014

Papermill weekly offer......

Hi everyone,  just a quick post again, as I'm 'on me hollies' in sunny Jersey.....just arrived today for a week, so really looking forward to doing absolutely NOTHING! Our Scottish friends are joining us on Saturday, so after that it will be eat, drink and laugh!
This week's 'special offer' from PAPERMILL
is
Plain White - 265gsm
 Available in small boxes £5.00, midi boxes £13.50 and mega boxes £32.50
Here are my DT cards....only 2 this week as I've been so busy :-(


All inks from 
Stamps from
INKYLICIOUS
Plain white / post-box red / and lime green cardstock












The sentiment stamp is from 
BeeCrafty
Inks from OHS.
Not sure where the foliage stamp is from, sorry.









Plain white / purple grape / dark violet / and new lilac cardstock.
A lot of water and ink was used on this card, and it still held it's shape wonderfully. 

Well that's all for today folks....I'm off to have a couple of glasses of wine.....well I'm on holiday, so it's got to be done!
Catch you all soon,
Barbara
xx

Friday, 16 May 2014

This week's 'special offer' from Papermill.......

Hi everyone, sorry, just a very quick post today. My lappy, and all the pics on it is currently en route 'Up North' to Alan's brother, who is going to do some upgrading etc on it.....so this is a scheduled blog.
Tonight sees the start of another fab SPECIAL OFFER from PAPERMILL
Sapphire blue card
Small box
 200 gsm for £4.00.....BARGAIN!

Here are my DT samples for this latest offer...
It was Alan's BIG birthday on Monday, the 50th card was the one I made for him.
Items used on these cards....

Sapphire blue, post-box red, white smooth and white linen cardstock.
Cheery Lynn flourish die.
Crafters Companion embossing folder.
OAK HOUSE STUDIO  inks and 'double daisy' stamp, Jofy stamp and free stamps from a mag.
Sentiment tags from Lili of the Valley.
I'm having a problem at the moment,  uploading photos to my blog in the usual way, so apologies for the fact they are just lined up one after the other.
Back soon, if I can wrestle Alan's lappy off him over the weekend.
Barbara.
xx

Thursday, 8 May 2014

Leather Cardstock from Papermill....

Hi peeps, hope you're all well, and getting a bit of crafting done......
I'm struggling to get in my craft room at the moment, what with housework, visitors, babysitting and helping in Adam's shop....hope all this running around will keep me young! haha (I never mind time spent with Eva, of course...)
Anyway, on with this weeks 'special offer' from PAPERMILL
White leather -  230gsm - available in small boxes £5.00, midi boxes £13.50 and mega boxes £32.50
Fab quality and inks up really well.
Here are my DT samples.... 

 This close-up pic shows how lovely the 'leather' effect is.
The gorgeous stamp is part of a set from
It's called 'Double Daisy'.











I love this stamp, and can see me using it with lots of different colours. There's 2 in a set.....this one is the 'palette' style (without outline), the other is the 'outline', which I've used on the tag below. The set
daisies comes in 2 different sizes......pop over to the OHS website for full details











This is my tag, again made with the leather effect card....I love the texture of it.









All stamps, inks and embossing powders used on these samples are from OHS.












Thanks for popping by, today. 
Back soon.
Barbara

Friday, 2 May 2014

Time for a new challenge at Lavinia Stamps......

Morning blog friends, told ya I'd be back today, didn't I!
It's May 2nd, and time for a new challenge at
LAVINIA STAMPS 
As always, there's a fabulous prize of £40, to spend on the Lavinia website.
The theme this month is 'Birthday Girl', so loads of scope there.....should be easy to come up with a feminine card. LOL You must use stamps from Lavinia, of course, this is the only stipulation.
Here are my DT creations for this month
 


















I'd be lost without this gorgeous butterfly stamp...I use it on so many cards!
All cardstock is from PAPERMILL
All inks from OAK HOUSE STUDIO
Back soon with more inspiration, hope you've enjoyed looking.
Barbara.
xx
I'm entering this post into the following challenges :-
MILK COFFEE CHALLENGE
Bastel-Traum
IMAGINATION CRAFTS
KREATIVEINKAUF CHALLENGE
LIA STAMPZ
NATALIE & AMY
SEEMA CRAFTS
ALLSORTS CHALLENGE 

Thursday, 1 May 2014

It's 'Linen'....but it ain't white!

Welcome back folks, and a BIG hello to all my new followers. Hope you enjoy what you see xx
Well, another week has passed and it's time for a new 'special offer' from 
PAPERMILL
80 - A4 sheets for £4.50
You should all know by now how much I LOVE Papermill white linen cardstock, so imagine how happy I was to receive some linen card in Navy Blue, to work with....same fab quality, and such a gorgeous colour.
These are my DT cards.......and although I'm not a fan of dark blue, in general, I'm definitely going to have more of this colour, 'cos I just love it!


Navy blue linen, pale blue and white linen card.
Dies from Spellbinders, La-la Land and Cheery Lynn
Embossing folder from Sheena Douglas



Navy blue and white linen, with lime green cardstock,
Dies from Spellbinders and La-la Land.



Cardstock as above....all dies from Spellbinders.











My Papermill team-mates have made some fabulous cards with the navy blue linen, if you want to check them out x

Thanks for looking today....I'll be back tomorrow with my DT cards for Lavinia Stamps, do hope you'll pop back then.
Bye for now 
Barbara x

Monday, 28 April 2014

It's a 'Whiteout'........!

Morning bloggers, from a very damp Wiltshire....not too bothered though, as I don't need to leave the house until tomorrow evening, so lots of craftiness to look forward to.
Just a quick blog to show you the card I made for my lovely sis-in-law, Ros's birthday, a couple of weeks ago......I've gone back to almost all white with this one, they're still one of my fave type of cards to make.
Just want to remind you of a couple of things first ......'Texture' challenge and DT call at  
and a commenting competition at the 
facebook page
Anyway here is todays card, hope you like it....




White linen cardstock from Papermill,
of course .... (who else??)
Various dies and an embossing board.
I just wanted to keep this nice and elegant.




The gorgeous little flowers are from 
Lucinda who owns Petal Lu has just opened her web shop, if you click on the above link, it will take you straight there. The flowers are absolutely delightful, and are all handcrafted by Lucinda. Checkout all the fab comments she gets HERE

Glad you could pop by today, I have a very inky card to show you next time, so look forward to catching you soon.
Bye for now,
Barbara xx
I'm entering this card into the following challenges :-

 Storyteller
That Craft Place
The Squirrel and The Fox - Dies & punches
Craft for the Craic
Craftitude
Cut it up

Saturday, 26 April 2014

Spring flowers and a chance to win a fab box of Papermill cardstock.....

Hi everyone....I'm back today with another fab commenting competition from PAPERMILL
Pop over to their facebook page, and leave a little comment, for a chance to win a great box of cardstock in beautiful Spring colours.
I've used a few different colours in my DT floral cards....



White hammered
Baby pink
Lime green
Daffodil yellow



White hammered
Lime green 
Post-box red
Mocha brown




White linen
 Lime green
New lilac.





White hammered
Lime green
Purple grape


Hope you've enjoyed looking....
love reading your comments too.
Back soon,
Barbara
xx


I'm entering this post into the following challenges :-
Craft for the Craic
Craftitude
Stampin with the dragon
4 Crafty Chicks
Creative Moments 

Saturday, 19 April 2014

New Challenge and DT Call at Oak House Studio......

Morning everyone, Happy Easter.....hope you're having a relaxing weekend. 
Just a very quick post today to remind you of a couple of things
No.1) The new challenge has started on the OAK HOUSE STUDIO blog. The theme is TEXTURE, so lots of scope there. There is a fabulous prize of £40 worth of products too!
No.2 There is also a DT call at Oak House Studio, to join us happy team of crafters. Please checkout the OHS blog HERE for full details of how to apply.
Anyway, now onto my DT card for the challenge....
I loved making this one, and sent it to a very dear friend (she knows who she is....)


 ALL cardstock is from PAPERMILL
The die-cut bird is from Sizzix
Ribbon & pearls from stash,
and everything else from 
Oak House Studio.


Colour Chemistry inks from OHS are fabulous....I love them. The colours can be as vivid or as subtle as you want, but I don't often 'do' subtle! haha.
If you want to checkout a very simple tutorial using these inks, please pop over to the Papermill blog HERE

I'll be back in a day or so, as I have lots of family/friends birthday cards to show you.
Have a great weekend.

Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Butterflies everywhere......

Evening all, hope you've had a good day.  I've had a really busy couple of days, and managed to make 16 cards since Sunday....whoohoo, that's caught me up a bit with things I needed to make, thankfully.
Tonight I just want to show you some quick cards I made for a PAPERMILL tutorial on 'batch card-making'
All cardstock is from Papermill.
I've used the lovely Zen Butterfly from 
LAVINIA STAMPS
and gorgeous Colour Chemistry Inks from
OAK HOUSE STUDIO  
If you want to read the whole tutorial, pop over to the Papermill blog Here
Hope you like them....
Catch you all soon,




Barbara x

Thursday, 3 April 2014

Wow, another fab Special Offer from Papermill....

Hi everyone, it's time for another 'Special Offer' from
This week we have Smooth Ivory cardstock, 230gsm at only £4 for approx. 80 sheets.
Here are a few cards made using it


 ALL cardstock is from Papermill.... Ivory smooth, black & buff

Pan Pastel background, and stamps from LAVINIA STAMPS, Joycraft & Lili of the Valley.
I haven't taken much care doing the background with the 'Pans', just wanted a quick bit of colour.
Same with the card below...



Pan Pastels, Lavinia geese, and Joycraft silhouette meadow.





I've used ALL Lavinia stamps on this card.....Colour Chemistry inks are from  




The smooth ivory cardstock embosses beautifully too....
Stamp from Little Clair's and inks from OHS

Tuesday, 1 April 2014

Not for Fool's....the new Lavinia Stamps challenge

Hi all my bloggy friends, glad to see you back here.....
Today sees the start of another Lavinia Stamps challenge, and this month the theme is 
SPRING COLOURS
The prize is £40 of products..... to enter, all you have to do is make something with Lavinia products, easy peasy!
I took my inspiration for the first card from a daffy, in my garden....one of those with orange centres ;-)




 I've used Nigela Damascena and Texture stamps on this card.....and Colour Chemistry inks from 







This card uses Cherry Blossom and small bird stamps
Inks from OHS and an embossing folder.

Hope you like them.
Thanks for all the comments you've left on previous posts, they're much appreciated
Back soon, have loads of new stuff to show you.
xx

Thursday, 27 March 2014

This week's 'Special Offer' from Papermill

Hi all, hope you're having a good day so far......I'm in the shop writing this, and I'm bloomin' freezing (must get the boss to install central heating!....you listening, darling youngest son?.....it's YOUR shop and I'm risking pneumonia, sitting here shivering!)
Anyway, onto this weeks offer from PAPERMILL
A small box of Maroon 270gsm cardstock
£4.00 for approximately 80 sheets....it will be a fab addition to your crafty stash,
and it's lovely cardstock to work with, cuts beautifully on the Bigshot ;-)


Close-up of the very precise cut




Easy-peasy!....Four corner die-cuts, and a sentiment stamp. FIVE minutes work!
Tattered Lace corner die, and a sentiment from Bee Crafty, one of my purchases from my trip to the NEC last Saturday.



Just a close-up to show the lovely deep maroon colour.



I love this stamp from IndigoBlu, and can see me using it for lots of our friends this coming year.
(I'm not saying all of our friends are 'plonkies' of course.....but if the cap fits, etc. etc)
I really love the effect of stamping onto white linen cardstock....makes the image look as if it's printed onto canvas.
But then, I just adore white linen, and use it on almost every card I make.


Well, that's it for today, Catch you all tomorrow....lots more to blog xx

Tuesday, 25 March 2014

Small Gold Envelopes from Papermill....

Morning all, sadly another very quick post, as I have loads of crafting I need to do today......I only get to craft on a Monday & Tuesday at the moment, so every minute counts.
This week PAPERMILL are offering these fab gold C7 enveopes at a 'special' price of £2.25 for 50
 They're 4.5 x 3.2 inches - perfect for small cards, invitation RSVP's or inserting gift vouchers or birthday money inside a larger card.
I made a few Thank You cards to fit them, I'll bag up in cellophane and pretty ribbon to sell as a pack at my next craft fair.




C7 envelopes
4.5 x 3.2 inches




Cards cut to match envelopes
Stamped with Versmark and heat embossed,




Hope you like these little cards....
I'll be back tomorrow with  a reminder of the Oak House Studio challenge.
Catch you soon,
Barbara

Friday, 14 March 2014

Guess what!.....another great offer from Papermill.......

Hi everyone, and welcome to old and new followers....it's so good to see you popping back on a regular basis, makes blogging so much more worthwhile.
Today I have another PAPERMILL  special offer to show you....
 A mega box of Pigmented plain white card 270gsm
You will receive approximately 645 A4 sheets for just £35.00 
This card is designed to enhance print quality but retains the look and feel of a natural textured surface.
It is a very popular choice by graphic designers in the creative print and design market.
 Here are the cards I have made for this offer




ALL cardstock from Papermill
Inks from OAK HOUSE STUDIO
Stamps from Sheena Douglas




Inks and gorgeous Mountain Ash stamp from





Zen butterfly from 
Sentiment from Kaisercraft.



Inks from 
Oak House Studio.

Hope you like this little selection of cards.
Thanks for all your past comments, they are much appreciated.
Back in a couple of days....have a good weekend in the meantime xx