Its my Blogoversary

Good morning my lovely bloggers!

Couldn't let today go by without mention that today is my Blogoversary.  Its a year today since I first started blogging - can't believe how quick that has gone.  I've loved every minute of it and am still as keen today as I was a year ago (I could say perhaps that I'm addicted to it now!! and my hubby will back me up with that!!)

So I thought it appropriate to firstly thank all my followers for joining me on this journey and to thank each and every person who comes to have a look at my blog and for making the time to leave me such lovely comments - I'm so pleased that you do.  I'm also so very pleased to have reached 50 followers - wow! (don't know about you, but I'm always pleased when I see I've got a new follower - its so exciting!)

So as a celebration I thought I would put some of my fav cards that I've posted up in the last year for you to have a look at today so... grab a coffee and comfy chair and take a little peak!

Well thats my blog year in cards - hope you enjoyed it and not nodded off!!!  Here is to another year of blogging, and discovering all the talent and inspiration that is out there, to making new friends and enjoying the challenges that I enter and most importantly to having FUN.

Big hugs

Happy Crafting

Tina
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Liebster Blog Award

I've been very fortunate to receive this award from two lovely people just recently both Jane and Colleen.  How very lovely of these ladies to think of me!

The aim of this award is to give it to 3 -5 blogs you have visited that are relatively unknown and bring them to light [not with thousands of followers already]. Here are the terms for accepting the award:

1. If you have been tagged, do you want to accept? YES!!!! Then you have to create a post on your blog and post the love blog photo.

2. Link back to the person who gave you the award and say if you accept it.

3. Choose 3-5 of your favourite blogs to tag, link these in your post too and tell the lucky people they have been tagged.

Right so here are the blogs that I choose:-

1. Leigh
2. Shirley
3. Cathy

Hope you like your award ladies.

Hugs

Tina
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Penny Black at Allsorts February Challenge - Say it with Flowers

I was crafting with my friend the other week and I borrowed her (larger than mine) collection of Promarkers to colour in this image and several other images too.  I decided on this image to keep the colours to just the one and I liked how it turned out.  I'm going to enter this into the Penny Black At Allsorts February Challenge - Say it with flowers.

I decided to follow the colour scheme through with the rest of the card.  The BP is Pink Petticoat the sentiment and butterfly are from Craftwork Cards.  Doily and seam binding from stash.  I don't know if you agree but it gives the card a fresh feel to it.

Anyway thank you for looking.

Happy Crafting

Tina
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Kaboodle Doodle Challenge # 54 - Hearts and Flowers

Hi all

Its Monday again and another challenge over at Kaboodle Doodles.  This week the theme is hearts and flowers.  This week the DT were kindly given images from Pink Cat Studio.

And so here is my DT creation:-

I just fell in love with this digi tree with the birdies - I spechly love the upside down one! - how cute.  I printed my image on to kraft paper and loved the look - so rather than put this on to white card I tried it on a black one and thought it looked great!  I added some stamped and clear embossed swirls to the black card to give a bit more detail and texture to the background (you can just make them out in the photo).  I've added some hearts and flowers (which were white but I used my TH distress ink - old paper to colour them).  Finally added my computer generated sentiment and so you know who will be getting this card today........... (sshhhh don't tell him!)

So if you have the time we would love you to join us this week for another great challenge!

Thought I would join in some other challenges with this card:-

my time to craft challenge - Hearts and Flowers
cute card thursday - Hearts and Flowers
4 crafty chicks - Valentines

Happy Crafting

Tina
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The Play Date Cafe Challenge # 68

This week over at The Play Date Cafe they have another fab photo for inspiration:-

Gorgeous eh!  So I had to create something with  these colour and theme!  Here is my card:-

and a close up of the detail

So here is my card ingredients:-

Card blank: Papermania
Paper: Craftwork Cards
Rose image: Gift from a friend
Square Crystal: Free off of a wedding invitation
Ruffled Silk with bow: recycled from a tissue box cover that I've had for years and was going to throw out!!!!! (sooo glad I came to my senses and rescued it!)
Stamps: Personal Impressions and Fancy Pants
Ink: Spun Sugar Tim Holtz
Pearls: Papermania

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Happy Crafting

Tina
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The Shabby Tea Room Challenge # 48 Sweet Hearts

Good morning all

I was delighted last week to get an Honourable mention for last week's challenge so here I am again entering for this weeks Shabby Team Room Challenge.  This is the photo inspiration this week:-

How gorgeous and this is want they want you to create:-

"... please create a card or project using HEARTS and any additional inspiration from the photo -- colors of pink, green, brown & neutral, doilies, polka dots, flowers, lace, ribbons ... OR ALL! "

So here goes for my card this week:-

So my recipe for this card is well you know the other day I mentioned I won the gorgeous Vintage Rose paper collection from Pink Petticoat well the pink polka dot background paper is from this collection.  My "shabby" flower was made from handcutting "rustic" circles from some green tissue paper (that actually my Vintage Rose papers were wrapped in!) how is that for recycling.  I'm loving how these flowers look and they are so easy peasy to do that you might be seeing a lot more of them in my creations - and the great thing is they will squash down flat to put into a normal envelope - although you might need to put instructions in with the card for the recipient to "fluff up" the flower - LOL!!!!  In the centre of the flower I've got a flower cup charm surrounding the sparkly brad.  The gorgeous vintage "for you" label was given to me by a crafting friend, the heart doily and lace ribbon was in my stash and of course the Tim Holtz distress inks came out to colour my edges.!

Hope you are all having a good day - if not this will make you laugh.........

Whilst sitting in my craft chair this morning it broke!!!!!!!!!!! Well if you don't mind chair I've lost nearly a stone and a half so come on thats just not fair.................... I know I sit on you a LOT but the crafting "work" has got to be done.

Happy crafting all

Hugs

Tina
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Stylish Blogger Award + an apology!

Well firstly I need to thank Clare for having awarded me with this award:-

BUT secondly I need to apologies to Clare for not having posted her their generosity sooner (hope you can forgive me!!!) 

Part of accepting Clare's award is to:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 8 things about yourself
3. Pass it on to 8  bloggers
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award

Ok, so some things about me!

1. I love to walk my dog Tilly in the countryside around where I live.
2. I'm scared of spiders.
3. I love spending time with my crafting buddy Shirley every couple of weeks for lots of crafting and chatting!
4. I like Earl Grey tea in the morning!
5. I enjoy swimming.
6. I have straight hair but wish it were curly!
7. I love and am drawn to anything that sparkles (hence my blog name!)
8. I'm addicted to Blogging and obviously crafting! (LOL)

Blogs that I love to visit and to receive this award, in no particular order! All very inspiring ladies! If you get a chance pop along and visit their blogs, I'm sure you'll enjoy!

1. Shirley
2. Sylvie
3. Colleen
4. Terrie
5. Jules
6. Jane
7. Sally
8. Kath

Hope you like your award ladies and Happy Crafting.

Tina
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Look what arrived in the post for me this morning

I was lucky enough last week to be choosen by Terrie who is a very creative, talented card maker (check out her blog).  She is also part of the Creative Team for Pink Petticoat and last week they ran a blog hop - I entered and was choosen by Terrie to receive their Vintage Rose Collection papers - totally gorgeous and here is a photo of my win to show you all (and yes it arrived with the lovely thank you card and the just for you tag oh and the lovely tissue paper):-

Thank you again Liz and Terrie!  So watch this space for some cards I'm planning to make using this paper collection.

Tina

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Kaboodle Doodle Challenge # 53 - Use up Ribbon Stash

Happy Monday morning all

The next challenge over at Kaboodle Doodles is to use up your ribbon stash.  The DT were very kindly given some images from

Here is my DT card:-

I thought this girl with the tulips was so cute. I coloured her in with my promarkers.  To add my ribbon along the top I punched equally spaced holes and threaded the ribbon through - not done this before but I likey!  The sentiment is from Papermania Birdsong stamp set, as is the border along the bottom.

It would be lovely to see you enter the challenge.

Have a good week

Happy Crafting

Tina

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Have you entered the Simply Create Challenge - £100 up for grabs!

Good afternoon fellow crafty bloggers

I posted a while back about Simply Create's fantastic challenge.  Where we have this wonderful mood board to inspire us to create:-

So what you waiting for!!  The great news for the DT is that we can enter too!!! 

I bought this plain wicker heart at my local garden centre so this is how my project started off:-

DA DA! So here is my finished effort:-

(Get me with my "arty" touch with the beads - but it does look soooo pretty though!)

Some more photos for the finer and close up details:-

So after adding all my little hearts, buttons, bows, pearls and flowers I also painted here and there with this gorgeous paint called Opal Dust by Jo Sonja's.  It leaves a gorgeous sparkly effect.  I don't know if you can see it in the photos?

So get your skates on as you have until 14th February to enter...

Happy Crafting

Tina
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I've got a question to ask today....

Hi everyone hope you are all having a lovely weekend.  No cards today :o( but I do have a question for your advice.....

I'm thinking of buying a sewing machine - primarily to use in crafting (I do have a tiny £10 machine thats battery operated and not that great really).  So I thought I would ask my blogging buddies for their advice (as most of you use them on your cards).

What key features should I look out for?

Are there any particular makes that would be better for paper crafting?

I know that the more I spend the better the machine, but for a first time machine - do you have a particular model you would recommend?

John Lewis have a machine for £50 (I know its the cheapest one!!!) in bright red and it does say its for a novice crafter  here. 

So anyway I would love to have some of your advice before I make my mind up - all your comments would be so VERY welcome and much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Tina
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The Shabby Tea Room # 47 - Get Creative

Good morning crafters and blogging friends!

I've spent all morning making this card to enter into the Shabby Tea Room challenge Get Creative - you know how it is when you have an idea in your head - you try it out - it doesn't work so you play around a bit more and end up with something completely different from which you originally wanted!  Yep that happened this morning more or less - the background has come out as I wanted it to but first thing this morning it was pink stamped on white!  Today TSTR is hosted by Clare and she wants you to create a card without using any patterned papers and to create your own handmade emblishments!  A great challenge Clare and its certainly kept me busy (well who wants to do ironing anyway...... LOL)

So here is my entry for the The Shabby Tea Room # 47 challenge:-

and a close up on some detail

So here is my card recipe if you are interested:-

Stamped background swirls and the sentiment and frame using clear pigment ink and heat embossed with silver pearl embossing powder.  My flower is handmade see my earlier post here.  I pressed my flower into the clear pigment ink pad and then sprinkled over the silver pearl embossing powder and embossed it.  I also distressed the edge of the flower, the outside edge of the card and the matted sentiment with white acrylic paint applied with finger!  The matt for the sentiment has been punched with a MS border punch to add a pretty detail.  I then finished off the card with some seam binding under the flower and small white pearls.

Hope you like today's efforts I'm off to make a coffee and have a biscuit (naughty!) - but sometimes you just have to!

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Crafting

Tina
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