Banana Frog Hop - Hearts

Welcome if you've just hopped on over from the lovely Jo's blog. This month's Banana Frog blog hop theme is 'Hearts' so I am sharing this little gift I made my other half for Valentine's Day. It's a magnetic frame for his work filing cabinet (he works from home luckily, so his colleagues can't take the mickey!).

I used 3 Banana Frog stamp sets:

-It's All About... Hearts
-De Louisville Tadpole (alphabet)
-Sentimental Style

The hanging hearts are inspired by the hanging heart border image on the stamp plate. To make the scalloped border I stamped onto the back of the paper and cut out the shape. The frame is from the Sentimental Style set and the word 'you' is created with letters from the cute little De Louisville alpha. The hearts are overstamped with the background image from All About Hearts to add a bit of depth. I just added magnetic strips of tape on the back to make the frame into a magnet.

That's it from me! Hippity hoppity over to another newbie on the team - Beki's blog - for the next instalment! Remember to leave everyone on the hop a comment to be in with a chance to win some yummy Banana Frog stamps.

First Banana Frog Project of the Day!

My very first Banana Frog DT project is a very dinky and cute mini album containing pictures of all my beloved Pandora beads and the stories behind them.

The book is created with a lovely stamp set called It's All About Hearts which is a bargain price in the sale right now.

Full details of my project can be found over on the Banana Frog blog! Do pop on over as it's a really inspirational place :).

Banana Frog DT

I am absolutely chuffed and delighted to have been asked by the lovely Bev to be a part of the Banana Frog DT. I was a guest designer last year, and Bev liked my work so has invited me to be on the team proper. I really should have said 'no' given how busy my life is, but I could not resist as I love BF stamps and Bev is just too darn sweet to refuse!

My first project will go live on 24th February and there is a blog hop every month which I hope I can join each time (I believe there are prizes so keep an eye out). I have made both my creations already and am looking forward to sharing them.

Woo hoo!!!!!

Meanwhile here is my favourite creation from my guest appearance last year :).

More Artsycrafts

Determined to get more things off my 'to do' pile, I've finished a second project from the Artsycrafts event I attended last year (the third has been consigned to the bin as I really didn't like my version of it but two out of three ain't bad).

This one I actually like (wonders will never cease!) and I have insisted it spends at least a few days on the mantelpiece where I can enjoy it before it is relegated to the craft room (does every crafter have an OH who just doesn't get it???).

My project is largely the same as taught in class on the front, but inside I decided to add a more personal touch. At the workshop the niche inside the book contained a lovely owl image stamped onto metal, but I do like my projects to have meaning (one reason I enjoy scrapbooking I think) and so I chose to add a photo and journaling block to the inside of my folder instead.The photo is of a beautiful place in New England called Bash Bish falls. We loved it there and I felt the photo fit the theme 'sanctuary' really well as it was such a tranquil and peaceful place.

Hope you like - thanks for popping over :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

A really simple card I made for my OH. He's in the good books at the moment as I got a shiny new Pandora bead for Valentine's :).

He always, always beats me at Scrabble, hence the theme.

Entering this for the Craft Challenge blog, Cupcake Craft Challenge, Papertake Weekly, and Creative Card Crew.

Artsycrafts Frame

Well it's only been about four months, and finally I have put the finishing touches to the main project from last year's Artsycrafts event. I didn't manage to finish this project on the day as I was coming down with flu (got home and spent a week in bed!!). Unfortunately due to having the attention span of a gnat I often start things and don't finish them, but I really wanted to get this done so I can hang it in the craft room (the colours match my decor, which is duck egg blue and chocolate brown).

The frame features some of my favourite materials including corrugated card, paint and embossing powders. Those stunning metal borders are made with a Kabuka mould.

If you've never been to Artsycrafts I can really recommend it - Lin and Leandra really are first rate teachers and really nice peeps to boot :).

Step away from the comfort zone...

Having a mooch about t'internet as you do, I came across a new challenge blog 'Less is More' via Joanne Wardle's blog. Those who know me will appreciate that less is more is not generally a doctrine one would associate with my 'style' of making, but I thought I'd give it a go. Challenge is black, white and pink.

The result is a card which I am not sure I really like and onto which I had to try desperately hard not to stamp a huge flourish in the background!

But I am trying to push myself out of my comfort zone this year, so onwards and upwards!

For my stamp obsessed friends, those rather nice hearts are by the lovely Dy from Art from the Heart and the wording is a SU set :).

UKS Weekly Challenge

With apologies to my very dear friend Paula for a slightly unflattering photo of her pouting (she has seen it and, yes I have been told off LOL), here is my weekly challenge LO for UKS. The leaf sprays (Cricut) have a smattering of PP Mist in Heirloom Gold. This may be my new favourite product. It is to die for, so much sparkle! The title is on my new TH die - this is what happens when I don't get crafting stuff for Xmas - I feel the need to shop in Jan... The new Bubbly Funk shop is soooooooooooooo not helping me to cut back! The papers are very old, might be Scenic Route I think.

In line with the challenge (use ribbon but not in the form of a bow) I have attempted to make my own 'rose' embellishment using running stitch to gather a piece of sheer ribbon and a piece of crochet ribbon and layering them. Not sure how well it worked but it is a darn sight better than my last attempt which shall never be spoken of again (Sue, I am looking at you!).