An Award!

Erin has sent me an award. Thank you Erin -isn't it pretty!

The rules!1. You have to pick five blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogging community, no matter what language.2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and the link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.4. Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

So I nominate Mariska, Glee, Flossie, Katie, Krista

Grass and Flowers - Plantin

The design team for BBTB
was asked to use the grass cut from Plantin, using the 'tall ball' button. This is what I came up with, it's nice and cheery. I love the fact that Regina asks us to use cuts that I have never even noticed, and this one with the little flowers will certainly get used again. It also fits in well with the midweek challenge over on DCM where you are asked to make a flower card, but no primas etc.

I had a great, but exhausting time in London with the children. Kept Max entertained for a day, then over to see 3 year old Kiki. We went for a walk to a local park, 'we can sit here for a rest and a chat Ma' she suggested helpfully. 'What shall we chat about Kiki?'. Butterflies, she said brightly............................long pause ----or dead animals! Hmmmm, not sure about that, think we'll stick to butterflies. Children are so random.

Get Well Card

The challenge over on Papertake weekly this week was a sketch, this is my take on it. (I tried to copy it to reproduce here, but as you know by now my computer skills fail me sometimes!) Anyway, click HERE to go and see, and see a lot of awesome cards as well.
I used some paper by provocraft that has been hanging around for ever, the flower is cut from one of the papers and quite heavily glittered. Ribbon is by american crafts. It's a nice sketch, and one I will follow again.

I am off to London tomorrow to see my darling grandchildren for the last time for three months, and although I know I am very, very fortunate to have such a great lifestyle, I so hate saying goodbye to the little ones. Kiki is 3 1/2 now, old enough to chat on the phone to me, and I send her a parcel from America every month with a 'love you' card - I usually get her a little craft kit or something from Michaels or Joannes, and she is very proud of her creations when I get back home. Max however, is only 9 months, and that little lad is doing something new every day. His latest skill is to get to a sitting up position from lying down, and he practises it at every opportunity - he even goes to sleep sitting up! So we will see a huge change in him when we next see him. But hey, the joy when we see them again is fantastic. The upside is that I am getting emails from all my US friends, really looking forward to us getting back. It's quite good really, we are never in one place long enough for people to get bored with us.

It's a Girl Thing Card

There is a new challenge blog called cute card thursday


This weeks challenge was to use a cute animal image, so here's mine. The stamp is by Penny Black. I stamped it twice, once in white, and once on pink pattern paper, clear embossed the black ink, then cut the pieces out. It was fiddly, but it all looks quite dimensional, and I love the image. The border is hand doodled, and I used sakura stardust pens to highlight a bit here and there. I threaded ribbon through the lace on the bra, I am pleased with the card, but it was a heck of a lot of work!

I am starting to feel pressured now, only a week until we go back to the US for three months, and I have so much to do before we go. It will all get done of course, it always does.

Altered Jigsaw Piece Card

The dare over on DCM this week is to use a jigsaw/domino etc piece on the card. I saw something similar to this ages ago in a scrap store, and have been meaning to try it out, I have had this mask hanging around in my craft stuff just waiting for me to do something with it, so I glued 2 jigsaw pieces together, painted them in pearlex, added wires then stuck the mask on top. I used DCWV papers from the all dressed up stack.

Inked Cuttlebug Folder Card

Whilst I was 'blog hopping' the other day I found this great blog where the person had done some cards by inking the cuttlebug folder - stupidly, I forgot to bookmark her blog, if anyone knows who she is, please tell me so that I can credit her. Anyway, I played around with it, and the results are really cool. I swiped an inkpad (you need a really juicy one) over the TOP side of the embossing folder, that's the side with the black writing on it, then ran it through the machine as usual with white cardstock. You need to really ink it up well, keep swiping your inkpad until loads of colour shows on the folder. To clean your folder, simply run through the machine again with a baby wipe between the folder, and voila, good as new. I played around quite a bit, inked the back of the folder etc, but this example is the best to show you, as the colours are so vivid. The numbers one looks great in real life, I swiped it with one of those big and juicy huge inkpads which come in graduated colours, and the effect is really subtle, but it has not photographed well. Karen kindly sent me a link to a you tube tutorial, thanks Karen -
You might enjoy this video tutorial.http://paperpleasing.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/03/cuttlebug-ink-e.html

Bouquet of Wishes

I made this 'bouquet of flowers' card using WIMG. The papers are all from DCWV's all dressed up stack, and I cut loads of different flower shapes out of coordinating papers, stuck them to the front of the card at an angle down the right side then cut the base cardstock away around the edges. I stuck some more flowers on the top inside right of the card and cut the base card away around that as well. Stuck a lot of them on with dimensional pads, added doodling (of course) and made a posy holder just by cutting the dotty paper at an angle. Another card that looks better in real life, but I am pleased with the way it turned out, I think (I'm never 100% satisfied!)

Chill Out - Birthday Card

Over on Papertake Weekly the challenge this week is to make a card relating to weather. Now I know why the design team were giggling when I posted my card for last week - the little duck with a brolly in the rain. Can I post it again for this week? No, didn't think so, so here's a quick little card. The image is by Great Impression stamps, coloured in with tombow markers. The little drink glass has diamond glaze on it, and the hippo is very sparkly - nothing like a bit of bling on the beach, particularly if you are on the large side......
The sentiment is by making memories - 'heidi' rubons.

A Jeans and Sweater Kind of Guy - Baby Layout

I had these really sweet photos of Max, taken when he was not quite sitting up by himself, and rolling over on the bed. I thought of calling the page 'going...going...gone' but the baby jeans and sweater outfit he was wearing seemed to dominate, so it ended up with this title. I cut the title letters twice, then chopped them around and stuck them back together again, fiddly, but worth it.

Turtle Cards

I've been having fun with the latest downloads from Pink Petticoat - I think these little turtles are so cute, and the sentiments are great too. The turtle-y cool ones fit in nicely with this week's DCM dare - to make a teen card.

I had a great time

at the craft show at

the NEC, spent too

much of course, but

found the nestabilities I have been looking for for ages, they work great in my cuttlebug. I just wish

I had bought the rectangles, I got the ovals and circles. I went around with my niece Ffion, who I have infected with the card virus, and we did well, splitting a couple of buys like double sided tape between us. So I have loads of new stamps to play with, mainly Penny Black, I seem to like those best at the moment. Funny that, I never used to do cutsey, now I quite like hedgehogs and mice scurrying around on my cards.

Smile - It's Your Day

The mid-week challenge over on DCM was to use one of Mel's favourite things - fabric, thread, felt, buttons, plus one/some of your own.
Well, this card has ribbon, stitching and my own very favourite thing - my Cricut. Smile is from mini monograms, cut from DCWV card from the nana's kids stack, and shadowed in purple. The scallop squares were also from mini monograms, the saying was a studio G $1 clear set.

New BBTB Contest

Just a quick line to tell you that we have a new contest over on the Bitten by the Bug site - unfortunately as I am on the design team, I can't join in. Take a look.

Under the weather? Get Well Card

There is a template over on the
papertake weekly challenge site, which makes a card with a little box window. I used this little duck stamp, some primas and my new swiss dots embossing folder. The saying is computer generated. Flowers are primas, and the ribbon is american crafts.

I am off to the hobby fair at the NEC tomorrow with my sister and two nieces, so expect to come home with a much lighter purse.

BLOG CANDY CHALLENGE RESULT.............

Firstly, thank you all so much for joining in on this, it is a first for me, and I have really enjoyed looking at all your lovely work - you have given me loads of inspiration. I have decided that because so many of you joined in, to award a second and third prize as well. The names drawn second and third will each get two sets of Inkadinkado clear stamps, one for doggy cards, and one for cat cards, they are cute, and even if you are not an animal lover, I am sure you will have friends who are. There are seven stamps in each set - I really should take a photo, but I have been babysitting the grandbabies for two days, driven back from London and I am exhausted.

I drew the names in a very sophisticated and technological way - wrote all your names down on post it notes, put them in a big pot and dipped in with my eyes closed, so it was all very random.

So the winner of the prize pictured is:

VAL DULAC

AND THE SECOND NAME DRAWN WAS

RIMA

AND LASTLY

TRACIEJANE

I think Val comes from France, Rima is from the US I think, and TracieJane comes from the UK. Congratulations ladies. If you email me with your addresses, I will get your prizes in the mail to you straight away.

Little Feet Scrapbook Layout

Someday I'll walk through puddles,

take a stroll or run a race.

Someday I'll walk across the street

or maybe walk in space.

Someday I'll scale a mountain

or join a marching corps,

someday I'll walk a tightrope

or explore the ocean floor

Someday these feet will do some things

that only heaven knows,

but for now they're happy

just to wiggle all their toes

The baby feet are cut from new arrival, the silhouette circle is from george. I love this layout, the black and white photos of Max's feet were taken when he was about six weeks old. I found the lovely poem on the internet.

I have had a lovely award from Rima - thank you so much Rima. I am supposed to nominate 10 favourite sites, but have decided to give this award to everyone who visits here, and makes such nice comments about my work. You all make my day!

Teabag Card

This week's dare over on DCM was to make a card using a teabag. Here's mine, I cut the pocket out using the tag pocket cut on TTBM, the paper is scenic route double sided so I didn't have to faff around cutting it twice. Added an organza bow, the saying 'Let's get together' is a $1 stamp. The stones are by papermania. I ran the dark green strip through the cuttlebug, script folder. The base card is american craft, and is a lovely subtle sheen cardstock, which of course doesn't show up in the photo, neither does the teabag come to that, but it's there.

Have had more computer problems, this time the brand new one packed up and had to be taken back for a replacement. We couldn't download any of our stuff, so I've lost it all AGAIN, including some brand new downloads that I had only just bought last week from Pink Petticoat. My hippos have gone :(

Hippo Card

CONTEST CHALLENGE STILL OPEN - CLICK ON BLOG CANDY IN LABELS

This is for this weeks Papertake challenge - make a card using squares, well, everything is square on this one except the hippo's behind! Paper is from an old DCWV stack, hippo image is from Pink Petticoat

Hippo Card Pink Petticoat

I got this lovely image from Pink Petticoat I am loving their stuff, I love this doodly font too. I thought this card would be perfect for a friend who has a big (shhhh) birthday coming up soon.

FOR CONTEST SCROLL DOWN OR CLICK ON BLOG CANDY UNDER LABELS - sorry I don't know how to keep the post at the top.

Crown Card - Queen For A Day

FOR CONTEST CLICK ON 'BLOG CANDY' UNDER LABELS ON THE SIDEBAR, OR SCROLL DOWN

This week's DT brief over on BBTB
was to use the crown icon from the Happily Ever After cartridge. This is my take on it. The crown was cut at 4", then part of it cut away, together with the base card. Decorated with a cuttlebug diecut, doodling and a bit of bling. The wording was computer generated. **Just learned that this card was chosen by Inspirational today, it's a great site, go and take a look. Thank you inspirational.

I have had one of my 'technology and me don't mix' moments today. I sent a text message to a girlfriend 'are you in tonight? Doing anything on Saturday night?' - simple enough. Yes, but I sent it to everyone on my contact list. So far, I know that 43 people are in tonight, including my doctor, dentist and hairdresser. I have 32 people coming to dinner on Saturday night! Duh.