Top 10 cards of 2011!

Hi All

As I have been blog hopping I have noticed quite a few people have thought about their top 10 cards of 2011. Thought I’d have a look through my year and decide on my own top 10! Hope you enjoy looking through them. I have put them in order of when I made them…wonder if there is any progression! Lol!

Have a Happy New Year everyone!

Hugs

Arline

xx

A little bit of crafting…

Hi All

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. I am already thinking about my resolutions…haven’t done too badly with some of them this year…will ponder on those in another post though. I did set a couple of crafty resolutions though, one is to use my crafty stash up and the other is to decorate the insides of my cards! I will try my hardest in the New Year!

In the meantime, I have used some of my new stash on my card today and have managed to squeeze in a few challenges! My bessie mate Becky bought me this super cute stamp for Christmas and I have sat and coloured many of her in this afternoon! I have also raided my craft box for some old papers, gems and flowers for the finishing touches. I was pleased with the result…what do you think?

 

I would like to enter this card into a number of challenges today. Firstly, to the Winter Wonderland challenge this week which is to make a ‘Thank You’ card and to follow a recipe…include one ribbon, three papers, three flowers and one image. Secondly, I’d like to enter it into the I Love ProMarkers challenge which is ‘Anything Goes’ and I have used blush, cornflower, powder blue, pastel yellow and tan ProMarkers to colour in this little cutie. Thirdly, I’d like to enter it into the Papertake Weekly challenge this week which is this fab sketch…another one I will definitely use again! And finally, I’d like to enter it into the Allsorts challenge which is to use the colours ‘blue and brown’. Hope you like my first post-Christmas card!

I have also stamped a few other images tonight and cut out some new House Mouse decoupage that I also received from Santa! Hopefully I will make these into cards tomorrow!

Hope you are all well and have a lovely New Year!

Hugs

Arline

xx

Just to say…

Merry Christmas and a Happy

New Year to

all my followers and those of you that

visit my blog! Hope you have a fab time

with family and friends. Looking

forward to another year of Arline’s

Allsorts in 2012!

Lots of love and hugs

Arline

xx

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

Hi All

Apologies for not posting for so long! As you can imagine it has been a little busy around here. I have finally finished work, couldn’t come soon enough this year, had a particularly tough term so hoping the break will help me to relax and de-stress. We have also been busy doing the normal Christmas shopping, visiting relatives and even managed to squeeze in a trip to the ‘Christmas Spectacular’ show in Thursford which definitely got us in the Christmas mood. The singing was particularly good but we had a fab weekend, even though I was feeling a little under the weather. I have also had four Christmas cakes to decorate for Steve’s Mum, my papercrafting has been taken over by sugarcrafting over the past few weeks! I won’t bore you with all of the details of how I made them all, unless anyone wants the details (let me know if you do!) but thought I’d share some piccies with you!

The first one I made was the snowman one which I have already shown you in my last post. So my second cake I wasn’t that happy with…I made it quite simple but think it needed a little something else…what do you think?

The third cake I used inspiration from Ruth’s cake (from The Pink Whisk) that she had decorated using a fabulous wreath shape….mine isn’t quite as good as hers but I was pleased with the result. This was for a slightly older couple so I went for the more traditional look. My first attempt at a sugarcraft bow too!

 

For the final cake I had to bring back my little ‘Elvis’ penguins as my hubby now calls them! This one is for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law so thought the cute option would go down well! It was incredibly hard to make mini penguins though….definitely need to practice them a bit more but they are ‘quirky’!! Lol!

  

Well, I hoped you enjoyed looking at my cakes….mother-in-law was happy with them so that is a good start! Now to do my own baking this week! (  If I get chance I will post some pics!) Finishing my food shopping on Wednesday, going to see Alice in Wonderland at the theatre on Thursday with a very special little boy and his Mum, my bessie mate, Becky, and then on Saturday shopping for fresh bits and we are all done! Really looking forward to it now….Christmas is definitely my favourite time of the year and it is so lovely to start relaxing with family and friends. It is always hard when I am not at ‘home’ with my family but Steve’s family always make me feel welcome too and I will have to make do with a phone call home to Mum and all the gang up in Sunderland this year :( I am sure they will have a fab time though and it won’t be too long before I see them again! Finding it hard being away this year, more so than usual…sure when the festivities start I will be fine though :)

Just in case I don’t manage to post again before the big day, Merry Christmas to all my followers and everyone who takes the time to look at my blog and comment and I hope that you all have a wonderful New Year!

Happy Holidays!

Hugs

Arline

xx

‘All About Me’ scrapbook page and a bit more sugarcraft!

 

Hi All

Apologies for not blogging for nearly a month! Has been a busy month for many different reasons and unfortunately crafting has taken a back seat…have been itching to do some all month! So, over the past few days I have made a couple of bits and bobs for you to take a look at!

My first piccie today is of my next scrapbook page for the ‘All About Me’ group that I am a part of. The challenge this month was to use a sketch that Gill created. I decided to use lace as one of my elements, hope this was ok, just thought it added a little something to the page…not sure if I am happy with the final result…what do you think? I tried to go for a ‘Minnie Mouse’ style paper (red and white dots) even though the picture is of Mickey Mouse! Lol! This picture if one from a few years ago when we took our Mum to Eurodisney for her 50th. Was a fab holiday…really want to go back, trying to convince the hubby!

 

My next project for you to take a look at is some more sugarcraft! I am a newbie so please don’t judge me too harshly! Lol! My mother-in-law has asked me to decorate 5 Christmas cakes that she has made! After a nightmare afternoon getting myself tangled up in marzipan and ready to role icing, I managed to get one fully decorated and another just covered. Took me much longer than I thought but I did enjoy the sugarcraft side of things! Hope you like it!

  Hope you have enjoyed looking and sorry it has been so long since my last post! I will also be posting some piccies from our trip to the NEC too so watch this space!

Hugs

Arline

xx

Christmas Crafting Challenge # 5 - The Twelve Days of Christmas

Morning all!

 

It is time for a new challenge over at Christmas Crafting! Thanks to all of you who joined in last month and I hope you will join us again this year.....even though I know it is getting scarily close to Christmas!

 

Our challenge this month is 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' and we would like you to use this well-known Christmas song to inspire your projects! Be as creative as you like....it could be traditional but doesn't have to be! Let your imagination run wild!

 

We are very lucky to be sponsored by Robyn's Fetish this month and I have used their 'gilded dove' on my project taking the 'two turtle doves' line from the song. I hope you like it. I couldn't resist making my doves sparkly!

I hope you like it and will join in with the fun this month!

Thanks for looking.

Hugs

Arline

xx

A couple more challenges and a bit of baking!

 

Hi All

This must be a record for me…three posts in one day! Back to the blog world with a bang! Lol!

My next two cards were using a few more new stamps that I received for my birthday that I hadn’t had chance to use yet. My first card is using my new Lili of the Valley stamp…he is such a cutie sitting in his armchair with his mince pies! I have coloured him in with ProMarkers and would like to enter it into the Lili of the Valley challenge which is this fabulous sketch this week.

My last card today is using one of my new Humphrey Christmas stamps and again I have coloured it in using my ProMarkers. I would like to enter this into the Papertake challenge this week which is another great sketch. Love this little image…such a cutie…who can resist little Humphrey! Can’t wait to use all of my other fabby stamps…watch this space!

That is all my crafting for now…I am off to the NEC next weekend…on Saturday I am going to the cake and sugarcraft show and on Sunday I am going to the Hobbycraft show! Sooo excited! I am going with my friend, Becky and my Mum and we are staying in a hotel on Saturday night…a little road trip! Will hopefully update you on my purchases next week!

I really wanted to try some new things today when I started baking but I had lost my baking mojo, so I ended up making some old favourites, sausage rolls, cupcakes and a choccie cake…hadn’t tried this recipe before but it looked nice once it was done! (Haven’t got a piccie of the sausage rolls…they were eaten before I could get the camera out!)

So am going to now enjoy all of these goodies with a cuppa whilst I watch the final of The Bachelor (sad I know but I have been addicted since it began!!)

Thanks for looking!

Hugs

Arline

xx

Crafter’s Companion Challenge-Pink and Green

 

Hi All

Another post, two in one day! It has been really nice to get back into blogging today. I have had a few mad weeks at work…I was very much a stress-head for a while so now it is half-term it has given me a bit of space to really de-stress! I have loved getting back into my crafting……am also hoping to bake later on…only problem is I will then put on about a stone eating it all! Lol!

Anyway, back to my cards from today. My first card is for the Crafter’s Companion challenge this month which is to use the colours pink and green. I have used one of my new SWALK stamps that I have had for a while but never used…I know…hanging my head in shame! I have coloured her in using my Spectrum Noir pens and am continuing to practice my shading…what do you think? It is a work in progress! I have used a few pearls to finish her off as well as a fab sentiment I received in a crafty swap that I took part in.

I also used another one of my SWALK stamps to create my next card. The face didn’t go so well, she looks like she has had a spray tan! Lol! I have made another easel card and have used some tiny little flowers that I have had in my stash for ages just to finish her off! I would like to enter this into the Cute Card Thursday challenge this week which is this fabulous sketch.

That is it for now. Thanks for looking once again and I hope you have all been enjoying the unexpected sunshine today!

Hugs

Arline

xx

All About Me-Scrapbook Challenge

Hi All

Something a bit different for you today. I don’t do much scrapbooking as I never seem to find the time, so I have joined a group that the lovely Gill has started which is to create a scrapbook page each month in order to make a book ‘All About Me’.

As you know, last year I got married and have wanted to start scrapbooking it for ages so that is where I started. I absolutely love sepia colours for pictures, hubby hates them so I thought in my scrapbook I would use sepia coloured pictures! I have used just some wedding papers/cream card that I have had in my box for a long time. I then bought from my local craft shop, a sheet of card which had some lovely quotes on about marriage which I cut up and used. In order to add a little journalling, I used a little pocket from my ‘Smash’ bits and bobs that I received a little while ago. Just finished it off then with a couple of heart shaped doilies and some little pearls. I really hope you like it! I was really pleased with the end result. Please be warned-picture overload in this post!We were also asked to decide on a title for our book and what book we are going to use. My title is simply going to be ‘All About Me’! My book is a bit of a saga……I thought I had a simple beige scrapbook that I could use……but can’t find it so am looking for an alternative! Currently bidding on one that looks like the one below so I am hoping that I win this one! If not then I will see if I can find one similar! I liked the little picture slots as I thought I could put in four little pics of me from four different times in my life. Hope this is all ok and that you will enjoy following me and my scrapbook over the next few months!

Thanks for looking.

Hugs
Arline

xx

Winter Wonderland Guest Designer!

Hi All

 

I was really chuffed a few weeks ago when Suzi over at Winter Wonderland asked me to be guest designer. The challenge this week is 'Robin Redbreast' and here is my 'inspiration'! Hope you like it! It is a gorgeous little Pink Gem Designs digi image and I have used my Promarkers to colour him in....sooo sweet. I have used some really old flowers and some Christmassy paper....think it might be Papermania. I have also had a go at decorating the inside of my card....I never do this and really want to start doing it more!

 

Thanks for looking and please go and join in with the challenge this week! Thanks once again ladies for asking me to be your guest designer this week!

 

Hugs
Arline

xx

Christmas Crafting challenge # 4 – Little Robin Red Breast.

 

Hi all

Just a quick post from me this morning…..I am off to go Christmas shopping! I have to get all of mine done for my family by October half-term (three weeks away!) Eek!

Anyway, back to the purpose for this blog post! Our fourth challenge over at Christmas Crafting has been set by Debbie one of our design team members and it is ‘Little Robin Red Breast’. We want to see all of your images of robins on your Christmas cards/projects!

Here is my attempt this month. I have made another twisted easel card….think these might be my new thing at the moment! Lol!

So, please join us this month and get yourself organised for Christmas….not long to go now!!

Hugs

Arline

xx