7 Things About Me

Big thanks to Shirley-Anne for nominating me for this award - I am chuffed! To carry on the tradition I must

1.Thank the person/persons that shared this award with me and link it back to their blog/blogs. I recommend you look at Shirley-Annes blog - Stamping for Joy, especially her 'less is more' spring entry!

2.Share seven things about myself.

1. I have 3 rescue cats, Moxxi, Millie and Pangur
2. I once visited the Polices Black Museum full of exhibits from famous murder cases - only a select few are allowed in!
3. I am left handed which is occasionally awkward crafting-wise
4. I collect Cobridge Stoneware- alas now out of production
5. My Grandmother is now 95 and my Grandfather is 100 and I hope I have inherited their genes
6. I raise funds for my local Hospice by selling stamps for them on eBay, I usually raise several thousand a year
7. I hate tea and coffee.

3.Pass this award onto seven other bloggers that I have recently discovered.Please look at these blogs - you will come away so inspired!

The World of Sarpreet - especially her demo cards

Colour & Ink - guest designer for loads of companies

Maggies Crafts - very talented card designer who lives in my home town

Pams Space - and member of a Gin/Wine club!!

Sweet n Crafty - Carlyann does cute cards soo well!

Charity Crafter - for supporting so many good causes

A Perfect creation - Kathleens cards are so classy!

4. Leave a comment so they can pass along the recognition!

I've got the day off from work as its half term - off to watch the Disney film Tangled with daughter later on - have a good day everyone!

A Couple More 'All Our yesterdays' cards

It's been so cold recently that it seems strange to be making summery cards with these cute children on the beach - summer still feels a very long way off!

Went off to an auction today and spent far too much money, most of of the stuff is going straight on eBay.

But I am very tempted to keep several items including a cute little pair of racing glasses from the Jockey Club Paris, and a wooden bookslide decorated with a pair of camels. That's the fun of auctions, you never know quite what you will come home with!!!

All Our Yesterdays Card

I used the diagonal sketch from Inspirational Cards blog to come up with this card - the sweet seaside scene was free with this months Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine.

The spring fling paper was matched with the card embossed with flowers highlighted with teal cats eye ink.

I haven't been able to much crafting today as my nephew managed to loose the key to the back door - eventually after hunting for ages, it turned up behind a cushion on the sofa!!

Poppies Galore!

This is my new stamp from Dimension Fourth called Poppy Corner - isn't it great! I love the curling tendrils of the leaves. Both of these have been coloured with promarker pens and the ATC has a Woodware sentiment of 'just for you' in one corner.

The sentiment in the square card has been mounted on cardstock cut with the frilly squares dies from Go Kreate. I'm entering this into Allsorts inspired by Nature challenge

Little Pink Felt Birdie

This cute little pink felt bird and flower were part of a set of 8 which I found in The Works today for the bargain price of 59p! I also picked up a set of 100 printed birthday sentiments for 99p

So, of course, I couldn't resist using them to make a card as soon as I got home from work. The background papers with daisies are by Nancy Watt. The set also includes 2 bunny rabbits which will be great for Easter cards, when I get round to thinking about them.

I'm getting brave and going to enter this into

Bunny Zoes ...... spring flowers everywhere

Fancy a Hanglar Bike Ride?

I know its a bit early, but spring is just around the corner and I fancied making a bright cheerful card with the cute pink petticoat papers that are free with Quick Cards magazine.

The cycling girl is a Hanglar stamp and the little pink flowers fell into my basket when I visited the Range in Ipswich yesterday. I went to get the free pampered pets stamps set from Docrafts but you guess it, they had run out. However they have taken my details and promise to let me know when more come in.

If Friends Were Flowers .....

A simple card for the Sentiment challenge at Allsorts - just a Hero Arts Watercolour stamp layered onto strawberry pink cardstock with a scroll border punch down 1 side

The striped background paper is by Pink Petticoat

3 Tier Birthday Cake

I made this card with the cake layer stamps that are in the Docrafts goodie bag along with the yummy Papermania lemon sorbet papers

There is a layer of stickles glitter glue to highlight the edges and candle flames

I finished it off with a large silk flower and am going to enter into the Inspirational Card Sketches challenge who have a Bunny Zoe Crafts gift certificate up for grabs.

I'm glad to see several members of Craftrak are meeting up on CraftBubble to resurrect the swaps as we miss the site since it went down

A Rose by any other name..

A card made using another of the Romantica stamps that I recently won - this time it's a Valentines card.

The edges of the roses have been distressed with red chalk ink and although the photo doesn't show it, some of the words and petals have been highlighted with stickles glitter glue!

I'm entering this into the Allsorts challenge and the Crafty Calender which both have Love themes !

A Glass of Champagne anyone?

Well, this is the first card that I have made with my new stamps that I won from the magazine and have teamed it up with a Tim Holtz swirl.

I love the purple and silver combination and suppose the stamp with its 2 glasses of champagne could be used as a wedding, engagement or even a special birthday card

I'm going to enter this into the new Little Claires Anything goes challenge and Make it on Monday.

Lucky Me - My Card is in a Magazine

Ages ago I sent in a card to the Readers Gallery of Simply Cards & Papercraft Magazine and this month was delighted to see it in print! Its the pink Sugar Nellie girl in the bottom right hand side of the page and the gift from them was this fabulous Romantica set of stamps from Elusive Images that arrived yesterday.

I am going to have such fun using these - they look so beautiful!

It's just not right!

We've all had this problem - the card that just won't go together! I know this looks awful and tried so many different ways to put it together - none of which looked right

I got fed up in the end and stuck it down thinking it might look better later - but it doesn't! I will just have to keep it as an example of what not to do.

Also my hubby tripped and fell against the china cabinet smashing most of my Swarovski cystal collection, Christmas and birthday presents for the last 15 years! I will have to claim on insurance but most of them are now discontinued pieces.

Get them (recycled) Jeans on!

This is a very recycled card - the girl is stamped on to the back of a Christmas card, the teal blue paper was originally an envelope and the silver trimmed ribbon was the handle from a Christmas gift bag, I even reused the scrolls punched out from the border!

Feeling very good about using up old stash and stuff and resisting the temptation to go out and buy some Nellie Stellen dies and and Lily of the Valley stamps that I really, really want but don't really, really need!

I'm entering this into the Something for the Boys challenge at The Crafty Pad and the Allsorts Recycling Challenge

A cup of Tea and Piece of Cake!

These yummy papers are free with this months Papercraft Essentials magazine.

I highlighted the icing on the slices of cake with a bit of stickles glitter and used some of the ribbons and bows that I bought in The Range last week to embellish the cards - and they have made me so hungry, I fancy a piece of Victoria sponge now!!!

Purple Tartan Schnauzer Doggie!

This cute schnauzer dog shadow stamp is from Personal Impressions and I have teamed him up with a slightly unusual purple and black tartan combination.

I've got a builder coming round this evening to give me a quote for a new bathroom, fingers crossed it will be within our budget!

Fancy a Free Craft Retreat Weekend???

Well, all you have to do is enter this fabulous candy giveaway - one lucky person will win

2 FREE places on the
Lovin Ink CRAFT RETREAT on 26th - 28th March 2011
at Bolton Abbey, North Yorkshire worth £330 !!!!!

That has got to be one of the best candy prizes ever! I would love to win it, as there is no way I could afford such a crafting break at the moment.

Penny Black Hedgehog Card

Another card that has made use of some of my stash that has been hanging around for ages.

I think the red/black/white colour combination is quite striking - I'm going to use this more often now!

Craftrak has disappeared !

I made this card and sent it via Craftrak last week but the site has now crashed with this message

The Craftrak website has suffered from a fatal technical problem and is closed for the foreseeable future.

We do not know if we will ever be able to fully restore the Craftrak System.

We apologize for this and thank you for using Craftrak.

What a shame - I loved sending off cards around the world and getting little surprises back in return. I really hope they can fix it - especially as I have just bought 2 new packs of cards!

Hanglar Congratulations Card

I made this card after looking at the latest Inspirational Card Sketches blog. This is a layout that I have never tried out before but works really well!

I decided to use the little Hanglar girl holding a glass a champagne. The corners were made with an x-cut punch and the little flowers came from a bargain pack of shapes from Poundland yesterday!

Winner of My Blog Candy

Thanks to everyone who joined in my blogiversary candy and I hope you all enjoy blogging as much as I do! Unfortunately there can only be one winner and it is

Congratulations to no 13 ♥♥ rosa- kreattiva ♥♥ who has contacts for loads of other blog candy giveaways - she must spend ages bloghopping to find them!

please e-mail me at dawneaster@hotmail.com to claim your prize within 5 days

ps I just edited my post due to a typo and the number disappeared but was 13 - honest!

Molly Blooms Freebie Stamp Cards

I'm just loving the cute Molly Bloom stamps given away free with this months Simply Cards & Papercraft Magazine! I couldn't wait to ink them up and get out the promarkers.

The Sunflower and picket fence are from Papermania and I have been waiting for inspiration to strike so that I could use them in a card.

Vintage Baby Boy Digi Card

I made this card with a cute vintage image from the Digital Two for Tuesday site, I've downloaded the image a while a ago but thought it was ideal for my cousin whose partner is due to have a boy soon. It was coloured with promarkers with a piece of lace behind the silver mirri card layer. I think the roses paper is from Papermania

I'm going to enter this into the New Beginnings challenge over that the Do it with Digi's blog

Marianne Bird on Branch Sympathy Card

A new sympathy card I've just made with a silhouette of a bird on a branch from a Marianne Creatables die. I've layered it on a scrap of green card and black cardstock with an old piece of black lace to set it off .

The 'Thinking of You' sentiment is a Woodware stamp with 3 pieces of black card candy in the corner.

I've entered this in the 'Just us Girls' sketch and the Papertake 'Anything Goes plus lace' challenges

Sugar Nellie Boys Best Friend Card

I've had this sweet Sugar Nellie stamp of a boy with his dog for ages and my new years resolution is to use those bits of stash that are lingering at the bottom of the pile!

The papers are about 6 months old and came from Making Cards magazine I think so that is another tick in the box! Back to work tomorrow so not so much time for crafting now, shame.

I couldn't resist the New Docrafts Lemon Goodie Bag

I went shopping to The Range in Ipswich yesterday hoping for a few crafty bargain but was very disappointed - very few things were reduced and most of those were tatty or damaged.

But I did pick up the latest yellow themed goodie bag and copy of Creativity magazine. I love the new 'build a cake' stamps in it and had to try them out straight away! The Papermania Lemon Sorbet Capsule papers are lovely too - very spring like.