Emma's Crafty Challenge starts 1st Feb....

Good evening you lovely crafter's!

I just wanted to let you know that there is a brand new blog challenge starting on the 1st February run by Emma Goddard.

Emma asked me to be on the Design Team for her challenges, I do hope you will join. There are some fantastic themes ahead.

It is a monthly challenge too which is great, gives you more time to enter your creations each month.

Hop over and have a look

http://www.emmascardsuk.com/p/emmas-crafty-challenge_06.html

Look forward to seeing your creations,

have fun and happy crafting,

Love NJ XXX

Exciting News and My Dream Come True.....

A very happy hello from me to all you lovely crafter's out there! Well, I can't wait any longer...

I have some really really exciting news to share with you all...

I only found out on Friday and it's my dream come true.....

I am now officially on the Design Team for

Polka Doodles......

http://www.polkadoodle.blogspot.com/

WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Can you tell how excited I am, I couldnt believe it when Nikky asked me. Its honestly a dream come true for me. As you all know I love my crafting with a passion and to join this fantastic Design Team is just the best thing ever.

So, please follow my new journey closely...I said 2012 was going to be the year for crafter's...well it's already started for me!

We are going to have exciting times ahead on this crafty journey and I do hope that you will enter the Polka Doodles challenges and follow me on this new journey with a fabulous Design Team!

Thank you for reading and a very very happy crafting from me...

lots of love (I'm so excited)

NJ

XXXXXXX



Special birthday card for a special friend

Just thought I would share with you this card that I made for a Special Friend.

I used the Polka doodles Pretty Sweet Cd for the decorative papers.

The stamp is Belles n Whistles...I love these stamps, so adorable.

I have coloured it using my flexmarkers.

Thanks for looking and happy crafting,

lots of love NJ XXXX



Glitter Geeks DT Card - Wk 4 Myths and Legends

Hello again everyone, I'm having a busy blogging hour and trying to catch up with some work I did before I went into hospital.

So, here we have this weeks DT card for the Glitter Geeks Challenge

Week 4 Myths and Legends

http://glittergeeks.blogspot.com/

Ingredients........

Papermania A5 Stepper card blank/DCWV Once upon A Time paperstack/ Gold sequined ribbon/Decorative staples/Tim Holtz Distress Ink Rusty Hinge/Fairy Images - Image sheets Fantasy and Fairy Art of Molly Harrison/Papermania Snag em stamp 'A Sprinkle of Fairy Dust' from the Duos stamps/Believe Stamp from the Inkadinkado Flourishes/ Stickles in Diamond/Embellishment of your choice...mine was taken off a fascinator that I didnt want any more!

How to make.......

Cover the card blank with decorative paper. Cut out two fairies from the image sheet. Stick one of them to the larger part of the card blank using foam pads. Attach the sequin ribbon to the front top of the stepper using your decorative staples. Attach the other fairy to the front right hand side using foam pads.

Stamp the two greetings onto decorative card, round the edges and then ink and attach using foam pads.

Finally use your embellishment and stick it to the top right corner of the card blank and use stickles on the fairy wings.

Thanks for looking and happy crafting,

love NJ XXXX



DT Card for Glitter Geeks Wk 3 - Two Images

My DT card for the Glitter Geeks Challenge

Wk 3 - Two Images

http://glittergeeks.blogspot.com/

Please note this challenge has finished but this is the first chance I've had to blog my DT card.

I used a Belles n Whistles stamp and stamped onto ovals which I coloured using flexmarkers.

 I rounded the corners of an 8x8 kraft card blank and did faux stitches and dots with a pen.

I cut ovals out from coloured textured card and matted and layered the images.

I hand wrote the greetings and embellished with ribbon and glitter stickers.



CBN DT Challenge 10 - Distressing

Hello everyone

this is the DT card I made for the

Crafty Blogger's Network

Challenge 10 Distressing

http://craftybloggersnetwork.blogspot.com/

I covered the card blank with decorative paper and distressed the edges with a nail file and distress ink. I scrunched up a doily and dabbed distress ink over it then stuck to the top left corner along with some feathers. I used a background stamp with distress ink and stamped over a plain flower. Attached to the card and in the middle I have glued dried flowers.

The birdcage, bird and greeting are all from a Kanban kit I had. I scrunched them all up and then attached to the card, making sure I put some feathers behind the bird.

Thanks for looking and happy crafting,

love NJ XXX



Hello my lovelies....

Hello my lovelies,

I just wanted to pop on and let you all know how I'm doing.

I came home from the hospital on Monday and I'm actually doing pretty good!

I just have to remember it will be a slow process of healing and that I can't do just yet what I want to do.

I am really tired a lot of the time, but like my hubby keeps telling me it's only been a week since I had my op. Hubby is looking after me really well bless him, making my meals.....well warming up the soup lol.

I am hoping to craft a little in the next few days but I am having to take it slowly as I'm quite uncomfortable where I've got stitches.

Anyhoo, enough about me...lol....how are you all doing. I hope your all keeping well and being creative while I'm away!

I can't wait to get back up and running and doing what I love most, crafting.

Thanks for everyone's well wishes and support. I've had loads of flowers and cards and best of all some gorgeous cookies from two of my special friends lol..they know me well!

Thanks for reading and happy crafting....

lots of love

NJ XXXX

Organised Crafting......

Good evening my lovelies!

I hope the first day of the week has treated you all well.

I have had a very busy day doing jobs around the house and Design Team work.

I have also been sorting out some crafty things in my craft room.

I think most of my crafty friends already know, but to the rest of the blogging crafty land I needed to be organised! I am going into hospital on Friday for a big operation. I wont be able to lift anything for about a month and I have to take about 2-3 months off work.

So with all this in mind, and being an addictive, passionate crafter, I wanted to organise what I call some 'easy crafting'.

Here it all is, I will be laying it out in my dining room rather than using my craft room for a while as the table is a good size so I can spread out comfortably.

I have got a selection of Dawn Bibby and Kanban kits. I have also printed out lots of backing paper and images from the Polka doodles Pretty Sweet cd and also the Digital Designer Me To You Spring Chic cd.

I've stamped loads of images out too which I will be able to colour in using my flexmarkers and promarkers.

I've got my card and card blanks ready, glue, tapes, buttons, ribbons, flowers.....everything I could think of lol.

It may be a few weeks before I get around to using it, but at least its there for when I feel up to it.

Thank you eveyrone for visiting my blog. It may be quiet for a couple of weeks or so to start with.

As soon as I am able to I will pop in and say hello to you all my lovelies.

Once I am fully recoverd from my operation I have some exciting ideas for my crafting and blogging in 2012. I hope you will follow my crafty journey throughout the year.

Happy crafting, have fun and take care,

lots of love

NJ XXXXXXX



Design Team Card for Crafty Blogger's Network

Good morning and happy Monday......yes, it's time for another challenge at the

Crafty Blogger's Network

http://craftybloggersnetwork.blogspot.com/

This weeks theme is

Monochrome

Heres my Design Team card

I hope you like it

We would love to see your creations.

Have fun and happy crafting,

love NJ XXX

My DT Card for Glitter Geeks - Awareness and Causes

This is my Design Team card for this weeks Glitter Geeks Challenge

Awareness and Causes

http://glittergeeks.blogspot.com/

This challenge is sponsored by

http://www.bugaboostamps.com/

So heres what I created this week.....

Love your nurse they take time to care!

I chose to focus on the nurse image because they do a wonderful job looking after people. I know first hand about getting help from nurses through personal experience. I can't praise nurses enough....they do a stirling job and deserve recognition for the wonderful, but very hard and demanding work they do, day in day out.

I hope you will join us this week at the Glitter Geeks, myself and the rest of the Design Team would love to see what is close to your heart in

Awareness and Causes.

Happy crafting,

lots of love

NJ XXXXX

Competition Cards

Hello my lovelies, well I hope your all having a good week so far. I'm having a very busy week at work and home!

I just thought I would show you three cards that I entered into the Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine competition just before Christmas. I didnt win, but it's worth a try!

Anyhoo, I hope that you like them.

Distressed card using Flower Girl Sugar Nellie Stamp

Masked stamping technique using Kanban Moulin Divas - Tres Chic stamp. I stamped it with Distress Ink Chipped Sapphire and coloured the image using a slightly damp paint brush to draw colour in from the stamp outline.

Fizzy Moon Twisted Easel card

Thanks for looking and happy crafting

lots of love

NJ XXX



Crafty Bloggers Network DT card - Anything but square

Here's my DT card for the challenge over at the

Crafty Bloggers Network

http://craftybloggersnetwork.blogspot.com/

The image and greeting is from the Do crafts Digital Designer spring chic cd.

Hope you'll hop over and join us this week with this fab challenge.

Happy crafting,

love NJ XXX



Mars Bar Krispie Cake.........

Hello everyone. Well one of the new things I wanted to do in 2012 was bring a little baking section to my blog.

I love baking, I used to bake every Sunday afternoon for my mum and dad when I lived at home. I wasnt happy just doing one recipe from my trusted Bero book though, I had to do about 6 or 7 in one batch!

My mum used to walk in the kitchen and there would be flour everywhere. The end results was worth the mess....so my family told me. It was soon eaten anyway!LOL

So, when I get the time or the inspiration to bake, I will show you on my blog.

Lets start with this recipe....a firm favourite with everyone that ever visits our house.....I got the recipe from my sister in law. Hope you like it....

Mars Bar Krispie Cake....

Ingredients.....

5 oz margarine

5 mars bars chopped

5 oz rice krispies or cocoa pops if you prefer

1 x 8 oz bar of Dairy Milk

(you can make more if you need or less, if you do 6 mars bars you do 6 of the others, or if you do 4 mars bars its 4 of the others and so on)

How to make it......

1. Melt the margarine in a pan over a gentle heat.

2. Add mars bars to melted margarine

keep stirring until all melted and then remove from heat.

3. Add rice krispies and mix well.

4. Pour the mix into a square dish or baking tin. Flatten it down with the back of your wooden spoon.

5. Melt the chocolate gently over a pan of simmering water or use your microwave.

6. Pour over the top of the rice krispie mix and spread evenly.

7. Let it cool, then pop it in the fridge for an hour to set.

8. Cut into squares.

Enjoy......XXX



My DT Card for Glitter Geeks - Week 1 Hand in Hand

Hello my lovelies, well I hope you are having a good start to your New Year. Why don't you put on that New Year's Resolution list to enter some blog challenges if you don't already. I think your ideal starting place would be at this weeks

Glitter Geeks Challenge - Week 1 Hand in Hand

http://glittergeeks.blogspot.com/

The theme is things that go hand in hand.

So for my Design Team card I chose

Coffee and Cream

To make this card I have used:

-Belles n whistles stamp

- Flexmarkers in the colours of - dusky pink/pastel pink/nutmeg/saddle brown/auburn/sandstone/cappuccino/blue grey 1/pale citrus/pale blossom/blush/champagne

- Tim Holtz Distress Ink Brushed corduroy and sponge

- X Cut 4cm border punch

-Lace cardstock

-Papermania 8x8 cream card blank

-Butterfly flock paper by Anna Griffin

- Organza wired ribbon in brown and cream

- Vintage cream lace

-Spellbinder's Nestabilities Fleur De Lis Rectangles

- Coffee Beans

-Hat pins

- Vintage Buttons

- Cream flowers

How to make....

- Round the corners of your card blank.

- Use the decorative border punch along the edge of the right hand side card front.

- Cut a wide strip of the butterfly paper to fit the card and use the border punch along the right hand edge. Use double sided tape to stick this onto the card blank so both borders sit next to each other. Ink the edge of the card blank border using distress ink and the sponge.

- Use pinflair glue to stick the lace so it overlaps the butterfly paper.

- Cut a strip of the lace cardstock to fit along the left of the card blank making sure it overlaps the lace.

- Stamp the image onto cream cardstock and colour in.

- Cut out using the Nestibilitie

- Ink the edges with the distress ink and sponge.

- Stick to the card using pin flair so its slightly raised.

- Attach a strip of double sided tape along the bottom of the card. Overlap the cream organza ribbon onto this. Use pinflair glue to embellish with the coffee beans.

- Sponge distress ink onto the cream flowers and stick to the bottom left corner of the image. Embellish with 3 coffee beans and a vintage button.

- Use the brown organza ribbon and make a bow. Attach to the top left corner and embellish with a vintage button and a hat pin.

- Finally stick two hat pins into the edge of the lace panel.

*****

You may notice there is no greeting on this card.

Sometimes I like to leave the greeting off until I decide who or what occasion the card is for!

*****

I hope you like it and thanks for looking.

I'd love to see your creations over at the Glitter Geeks challenge this week

http://glittergeeks.blogspot.com/

Have fun and happy crafting,

lots of love

NJ XXXX

Liebster Blog Award

A very happy hello to all my lovelies from me!

I hope you are all having a good start to the New Year.

I have some lovely news to share. Just before Christmas I was awarded the Liebster Blog Award from Lindsay Crafty Monster 81

http://craftymonster81.blogspot.com/

it was a lovely surprise when Lindsay told me about it.

I haven't heard of this before but Lindsay explained that its a way of people to recognize upcoming bloggers and show them that you value their posts.

Liebster is a German word for beloved or dearest and the Liebster Award is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers but the awarded blog stands out as being valued and appreciated by the person granting the award.

Liebster Blog Awards rules are these:

To accept the award you must link back to the person who gave it to you and thank them for thinking of you.

You must post this award to your blog.

You must then in turn give the award to 5 bloggers (with less than 200 followers) that you appreciate and value.

You must leave a comment on the blogs of the five people you have chosen to let them know.

I think this is a really lovely idea, it just shows how much we value our friends in the blogging crafty world.

So, I would like to firstly say a massive thank you to Lindsay for thinking of me and awarding me this. Lindsay's work is beautiful and well worth following. I know she has just won a Crafty Blogger's Network challenge. Check out her blog it really is worth a visit.

http://craftymonster81.blogspot.com/

I would like to give the Liebster Blog Award to the following lovely people...

Nelly's Crafty Card Attack

http://heshaw.blogspot.com/

Helen is a beautiful and kind person, who's work is truly inspirational. A friend for life, thats how I feel about Helen.

Emma's Cards Uk

http://www.emmascardsuk.com/

Emma is a lovely, kind and thoughtful person who runs a group on a social networking site. Always has time to check in and see how everyone is doing.

Bee's Knee's Crafts

http://beeskneescrafts.blogspot.com/

A truly kind lady, her blog is gorgeous. Helen has helped me out when I first became a Design Team member for the Glitter Geeks. Also her kindness to me in my time of need is truly appreciated.

Crafty Moosey

http://sarah-colvin-30.blogspot.com/

I couldnt miss out my lovely friend Sarah, an avid crafter from a very young age. A lovely person who I have had the pleasure of meeting at crafty meets. A very talented crafter.

Cazro's Crafty Corner

http://cazroscraftycorner.blogspot.com/

Finally, my lovely friend Carole.  Aka Cazro, if not for her I would not have been able to do my blog. Carole was the one who talked me through what I needed to do to start off with. A beautiful lady, we met on a Craft Forum and have had the pleasure of meeting at a Crafty Meet that she organises. A friend for life and a beautiful one at that too.

Thank you so much to Lindsay for sending me this award.

Have a very happy and crafty 2012,

lots of love

NJ XXXXX