Merry Christmas!

Hello All,

I hope you are well and have had a great week.

I am pleased to say I am officially finished work for 2015 and I'm in full on Christmas mode now! The house is decorated, my pressies have been bought or made.....the house smells of freshly baked mince pies and I've made all my Christmas cards! I can now relax and enjoy the festive season.

In keeping with the Christmas spirit we have a "Merry Christmas" theme over at Sweet Stampin this week....and the design I used for a batch of my Christmas cards this year was just perfect....

This little cutie was from a set of stamps I bought in the January sales earlier this year.....and promptly forgot about! Whoops!

I rediscovered him a couple of weeks ago and decided to use him in this paper piecing project. The set includes frosty the snowman and several different accessories.

I have stamped my snowman onto white card and stamped the various hats and scarf onto pretty patterned papers. I then cut out snowmen and hats and scarves and created my little characters. I added a little colour to his face with my pens and some sparkly "coal" with my Stickles. Finally I added my sentiment by hand and also a little faux stitching to finish the card.

I ended up with several different snowmen....

For more Christmas inspiration pop by the Christmas at Sweet Stampin Challenge blog and take a peek at the fab DT cards that have been created this week. While you're there you can also read about our lovely sponsor this week....

If you'd like to drool over some sweet Christmas treats as well, why not pop by my afternoon tea blog...

Tea With Me and Friends

Thank you for popping by today.

I hope you and your family enjoy the festive season.

Wedgie xxx

Santa Clause is Coming to Town.....

Helloee,

How are you today? I hope you're having a great week!

I am happy...super happy...as it's nearly time for my Christmas break....yes just six more working days until I "break up" for Christmas! I am aware that I sound completely like a school child...but I love this time of year...the films, the music, the mince pieces...everything is so shiny and bright (apart from the weather maybe!).

Anyway, today we launch the last challenge of 2015 at Christmas at Sweet Stampin - can you believe that?! If you have joined us all year you'll have twelve fab Christmas cards ready to send. As it's December and Father Christmas will be paying all those on his "nice list" a visit later this month it seems like "Father Christmas" is a good theme for our challenge this month.

I've used an oldie but a goodie digi stamp for this challenge.....one that always makes me smile.....

I just love the idea that Father Christmas has enjoyed one too many mince pies and got a little bit stuck in a chimney!

I've used red and green backing papers, along with some patterned paper featuring some of the treats that probably got Father Christmas into this little mess! I have used my Promarkers to colour my image.

Not feeling festive enough yet....pop by the Christmas at Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a peek at all the fab DT cards that have been created. You can also find out all about our fab sponsor this month....

We look forward to seeing your festive creations.

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

It's Snow Time!

Hellooeee,

How are you doing? I hope you've had a fab week!

So....did you know it's December....just checking as I can't quite believe we are near the end of 2015 already! What exactly has happened to this manic year, which has flown by in a blink of an eye?? I am currently counting down the working days I have left until I "break up" for Christmas....it's nine just in case you were wondering!

So, this week over at Sweet Stampin we've been having some celebrations.....as it's our Birthday!

The Sweet Stampin DT ladies are the nicest bunch of crafty ladies that I know - all so friendly and supportive. I am so proud to be part of this Design Team and would like to thank our fab leaders Abi, Tracey and Jacky for all the hard work they put into the team.

But enough of that....we have a new challenge for you!

This week's theme is "It's Snow Time"......so we want to see a little snow on your projects this week, and of course some stamping!

We are sponsored this week by the fab All Dressed Up and we were lucky enough to be given some lovely digi stamps to play with.....mine is soooooo cute.....

I'm entirely sure I have done the image justice, despite a healthy dollop of sparkle and shine I am still not happy with the card. Perhaps I should have included a sentiment....or maybe more snowflakes?? I just don't know!

For more snow time inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a peek at all the fab DT cards!

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Putting on the Ritz!

Hello there!

Happy Saturday! I hope you've had a fab week!

Sooooooo.....last weekend saw me and my lovely friends make our annual trip to the 1950s....well actually we went to Pontins at Camber Sands where Rhythm Riot was taking place. Three nights of 1950s music, dancing and fabulous clothes! We had a brilliant time - my sister and her hubby showed off their newly learnt jive moves!

With this recent dancing experience in mind.....and the challenge theme of "Let's Dance" this week over at Sweet Stampin I can't blame you for expecting to see a rock n roll or jiving themed card. But no - while looking for inspiration in my paper stash I got side tracked by a stack of 1920s themed paper that I've had for ages and never used.....until now.....

Yes, I left the jiving of the 1950s and zoomed back to the 1920s to do the Charleston! I love this fab digi stamp and have used it on lots of cards before....but for some reason not with this paper! 

For more dancing inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a peek at the gorgeous DT cards. 

I have also managed to miss my blog post for Christmas at Sweet Stampin this month due to technical issues and working away from home too much! So I decided to add the card here.....our challenge over at Christmas at Sweet Stampin this month is.....STARS

For more starry inspiration pop by the Christmas at Sweet Stampin challenge blog!

I thought I would leave you with a little something from my weekend away....

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Autumn Leaves

Hello there,

Happy Saturday! I hope you've had a fab week.

As the nights are drawing in and the seasons are changing, we're back at Sweet Stampin with a very fitting challenge. This week we'd like to see your projects featuring/inspired by autumn leaves.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I find this challenge.......well, rather challenging. Apparently I do not have many images featuring leaves within my stash (in fact I had none).....and so I was going to make a card inspired by the colours autumn leaves, but then I discovered this little cutie....

On first glance a squirrel wearing a dress, drinking tea might be an odd choice for a card. However, when I was a Brownie leader my name was Squirrel (there were already several "Owls" in the pack!).....plus of course I drink a lot of tea!

As well as the leaves on the Squirrels dress, I have used autumn colours on my card.

To see more autumn leaves inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog to take a peek at the DT cards. While you're there you can read all about our fab sponsor this week....

If you're looking for something else to read this weekend, why not take a peek at my afternoon tea blog (I promise lots of drool inducing photos)

Tea With Me and Friends

Thank you for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Get in the Halloween Spirit!

Hello there,

Happy Saturday! I hope you are well and have had a fab week!

Today we're back with a fab, spooky challenge at Sweet Stampin....yes, we want to see you getting in the mood for Halloween with your frighteningly good Halloween cards!

Mine might be a bit more cute than terrifying.....

I love this image - its definitely an oldie but a goodie for me! Especially when matched with a pair of Googly eyes! I really enjoyed making this card.

I've kept the colours fairly limited, opting for hints of Halloween colours here and there rather than great big splashes. I've also used a fab spider's web backing paper....I suppose the one thing I am missing is a spider or two!

For more spooky Halloween inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a peek at the fab DT cards that Team Abi have created this week....while you're there you can read all about our fab sponsor this week...

We're looking forward to seeing your creations.

Wedgie xxx

Christmas Transport

Helloeee! Happy Wednesday!

I hope everyone is keeping well and having a great week. 

I know I love the sunshine and the summer months....but it is also quite nice to see the colder months too....there is something lovely about being comfy and cosy at home. Snug jumpers.....hot chocolate....and of course Christmas is now just around the corner! Yes, I said it....its nearly Christmas time! I have already seen mince pies and Christmas gifts in the shops, before we know the John Lewis advert will be making us all go "aahhhhh" on the TV and we'll be wondering if we made it onto Santa's nice list this year!

Over at Christmas at Sweet Stampin we've been getting ourselves for the festive season all year....making a new card each month and growing our Christmas card stash slowly! This month is no different....and our new theme is Christmas travel or transport.

If you've seen my Christmas cards before you'll probably realise that I am rather partial to adding a penguin or two to my festive cards! Not sure why....they just always look so cute! So I was delighted that I had a travelling penguin within my digi stamps! Here he is.....

The super cute paper in background is from the Papermania range Christmas in the Country, which I treated myself to.....last year! Yes, I have had this gem hidden away in my stash! I'm not sure if they are producing a similar pack this year, but I just loved the patterns which remind me of Christmas jumpers!

I decided to make my jumper patterned paper a feature of this card and compliment it with a red and white border. My image is also mounted on red paper. My image is from Digi Stamp Boutique and I have coloured him with my Promarkers. I have tilted the image as I fixed it to the card to make it look like he is speeding down the hill!

For more Christmas travel/transport inspiration pop by the Christmas at Sweet Stampin Challenge blog and take a peek at all the gorgeous DT cards. While you're there you can read all about our fab sponsor this month...

We're looking forward to seeing your creations this month!

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Text or Script

Hello there,

Happy Saturday! I hope you have had a fab week!

I have started going to the gym again recently....I'm not a fan of the actual gym (if I want to run I prefer road running) but I do love classes and my friend Alex and I have been going to about three a week. My favourites are Body Combat and Body Balance .....my legs ache!

Anyway, today we have another challenge for you over at Sweet Stampin...this week we'd like to see your projects featuring text or script....and of course a little stamping!

I decided to make the text the feature of my card....

When I first thought of this sentiment I was thinking along the lines of being vintage is a good thing.....but on reflection I suppose some people might take it the wrong way! Be careful who you give this card to!

I have printed my sentiment on my computer and then added my teacup digi stamp. I have gone with a kraft card base and topped with floral papers and finally added a little white faux stitching.

I quite like that teacup....it would like great in my collection!

For more inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a peek at Team Abi's gorgeous cards. While you're there you can take a peek at our fab sponsor this week...

Thank you for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Whoops! Here I am!

Hello there,

I hope you're well and have had a tea-riffic day!

Sooooo......this isn't Saturday morning....whoops! Usually I pop by on a Saturday to share my latest DT card for the fab Sweet Stampin challenge blog....but last week I got rather confused and didn't think it was my week!

Well, what was the challenge I hear you say? This week we want to see your projects featuring a non white card blank......so you can create anything (with some stamping) as long as there is no white cards harmed in the making of your project!

I opted to use kraft card as my backing and decided I wanted the kraft to feature as part of the card....

I found these lovely stamps as part of a set which came free with a craft magazine and I just love that sentiment and the cute little house.

I stamped the trees and house onto kraft card and cut them out before attaching to my base card. I then stamped the house again on white paper and cut out the snowy roof for my card. I added a little more white paper as the snow, along with some colour on both the house and trees.

For more inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog, where you're there you can find out about our sponsor this week....

So, I am going off to put a reminder in my calendar to make sure I don't miss the next challenge! 

Don't forget that we also have the fab Christmas at Sweet Stampin monthly challenge for anyone wanting to get ahead with their Christmas cards!

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie 

Make a scene!

Hello there,

Welcome back to my little blog! I hope you are well and have had a lovely week.

Today at Sweet Stampin we have a fab new challenge for you - we want you to create a scene! It can be any scene as long as it features some stamping.

As many of you know I love nothing better than a spot of afternoon tea.....and that first sight of your afternoon tea spread always makes me smile. All the cups, teapot, cakes and sandwiches laid out makes me so happy....so for this challenge I decided to create an afternoon tea scene.

I've kept it fairly simple, just stamping my images onto a white card and then colouring with Promarkers. All these images come from one stamp set and I think they create a lovely spread! I have added a little depth to the card with the teacups, fixing them onto the card with 3D sticky pads.

For more "scene" inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a peek at the gorgeous DT cards that have been created! The winner this week will get a fab Sweet Stampin Goodie Bag!

If you love afternoon tea, you might also like to take a peek at my other blog....

Tea With Me and Friends

Lot's more scrummy photos at Tea With Me and Friends!

Thank you for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Let's decorate!

Hello there,

Happy hump day! I hope you're week is going well.

So, here I am on a Wednesday...that means one thing....a new challenge from Christmas at Sweet Stampin! This month we want to see your festive decor....your projects can feature any Christmas decorations that you fancy, but there must be some stamping included too.

As you know I love Christmas....its that bright and cheerful time in the middle of winter. A time when you can decorate your house with lights, baubles and tinsel! Therefore this challenge really appealed to me....and I knew I had the perfect stamp to use....

In the end I decided the string of baubles were so pretty on their own that I didn't want to add anything else to the card. I coloured them with my Promarkers and added a little sparkle with my Stickles - perfect!

For more festive decor inspiration pop by the Christmas at Sweet Stampin challenge blog where you can see the fab DT cards that have been created. While you're there you can also find out about our fab sponsor this month....

We can't wait to see your festive creations!

Thank you for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

It's that time....

Hello there,

Happy Saturday! I hope you are well today.

Wow - so it's the end of August already! Amazing! It's that time of year....the school holidays are over and children are going back to school. Over at Sweet Stampin we are celebrating this time of year with a "back to school" theme for our challenge this week.

Now, without children myself and my own school days being rather a long time ago I found this quite a hard theme to relate to! However, as I was already out of my comfort zone when I sat down to create this card I decided to push myself some more by creating something a little bit different....

Ok, so what is so different I hear you cry....looks like a standard card to us! 

Well let me explain....

I've used a more masculine colour theme than normal,

I've used an image I rarely use

and most importantly...it's a little bit wonky!

Yes, that wonky green backing paper is wonky on purpose! My cards are usually very straight...that's just my style....a square here, a rectangle there etc. etc. Secretly though I've always admired cards that are a little be wonky, with a more thrown together feel to them. That free and easy placing of papers makes me smile....but for some reason I still revert back to straight positioning of my papers. Until this card was born....OK the majority of the papers are still very straight, but that green paper makes me very happy!

For more "back to school" inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a peek at the gorgeous DT cards that Team Abi have created this week. While you're there you can also learn all about our fab sponsor this week...

Last weekend Lorna and I held a Mad Hatter's Tea Party at her house - we provided iced tea and bubbles and lots of homemade treats for our friends and family.....plus we all dressed as characters from Alice in Wonderland. Lorna styled our tea table perfectly with all kinds of objects and beautiful flowers......

Mad Hatter Tea Party
Tea With Me and Friends

Savoury afternoon tea treats
Tea With Me and Friends

If you'd like to see more photos of our scrummy afternoon tea take a peek at our afternoon tea blog - Tea With Me and Friends (although a visit might leave you drooling!)

Thank you for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Let's see your penguins....or polar bears!

Hello there,

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a fabulous week so far!

Today I am back with a new challenge from Christmas at Sweet Stampin....the perfect challenge blog if you want to get a head start on your Christmas cards! This month our challenge is simple....you just need to include a penguin or a polar bear on your creation.

I opted for a cute little penguin....popping by to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

I have used a bold patterned backing paper, which I think makes my image pop from the card even more. My image is coloured with Promarkers and I have highlighted the holly berries in the hat with a little sparkle (aka Stickles).

For more penguin/polar bear inspiration pop by the Christmas at Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a peek at the gorgeous DT cards that have been created this month. While you're there take a look at our fab sponsor this month....

Did you know this week in the UK it's Afternoon Tea Week? Yes, you read that correctly....a week dedicated to the art of afternoon tea! Over on Tea With Me and Friends we are celebrating with a week of afternoon tea posts and recipes....take a peek here!

Thank you for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Enjoy the ride....

Hello there,

Happy Saturday! I hope you've had a fab week.

I'm on annual leave this week (woo hoo) and I am currently in North Devon with Joe for a couple of days. It's been a busy week...we've been painting our little summer house and finishing off the garden. I also had the pleasure of having a sneak peek at the new cake that The Ritz are launching as part of afternoon tea week!

An afternoon tea treat at The Ritz

To read more about the scrummy new cake pop by Tea With Me and Friends.....but before you go take a peek at my card for this week's challenge over at Sweet Stampin. Our challenge theme this week is "Bon Voyage" and to be honest this has me a bit stumped....I never make Bon Voyage cards!

Anyway, I had a rummage through my stash and found some suitable papers....which just left the image to find. In my stamps I came across the sentiment first, which I hardly ever use, but really like....I decided to use it with the bike stamp from the same set....

I think everyone should try to embrace this sentiment....many not on a bike though!

For more "Bon Voyage" inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a look at the gorgeous DT cards that have been created this week. While you're there you can also take a peek at our fab sponsor this week...

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

No Design Paper....No Problem!

Hello there,

Happy Saturday! I hope you are keeping well!

A couple of weekends ago my mum treated me to a trip to Hampton Court Flower Show....we both love our gardens and really enjoy trips like these. On this occasion it was a really hot day, and the show was packed...but we still made the most of the day and bought some lovely plants.

There were some beautiful ladybird poppies at the show that mum loved....but we couldn't see them to buy anywhere. They were bright red with black spots and looked very pretty, it was a shame mum couldn't buy any....so I found her the seeds from a local garden centre. I then needed to post them to her....and decided to use this week's challenge at Sweet Stampin to create a card for her.

Our theme is "no design paper" - so no pretty patterns. I trawled through my stamp collection to find the perfect image and created this card....

I used a gate fold card for this project and decided in the end to use no papers at all. I stamped and cut out the seed packets, once coloured I attached them to one side of the card in the middle. I then stamped the cute little flowers on the front too. Once they were coloured I added the faux stitching to complete the border.

I decided that I also needed to make the inside pretty...so I continued the stitching theme and added some more stamped flowers.....

I hope mum likes her card....and more importantly loves the seeds!

I didn't take lots of photos at the flower show this year....as I had too much to carry....but here is a taster....

For more inspiration for this week's challenge pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a peek at all the gorgeous DT cards. While you're there take a peek at this week's sponsor too....

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Oh deer!

Hello there,

Happy Hump Day! I hope you are well and having a great week.

I'm back with a new challenge from the lovely ladies at Christmas at Sweet Stampin...this time our theme is "oh deer" - we want to see your Christmas creations featuring a deer or two...and don't forget your stamping!

I am really pleased with this card....although that little deer was a little fiddly to cut out! I thought it was a fab idea when I first stamped him on kraft card and started cutting....but then I got to those antlers! I used really small scissors!

I have gone with a brown and blue colour combo for this non-traditional Christmas card...although the blue and white polka dot paper reminds me of snowy skies. After I cut my reindeer out I fixed him to my card with 3D sticky pads. Finally I finished him off with a red shiny nose!

For more reindeer inspiration pop by the Christmas at Sweet Stampin challenge blog to take a peek at the gorgeous DT cards that have been created.

While you're there, take a peek at our fab sponsor this month....

Thank you for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Bear With Me

Seriously...you're going to have to bear with me on this one. Yes, I know the summer has bearly started...but when I saw this cute little fellow I knew I couldn't wait until Christmas to use him! Yes, it's 4th July and I have made a Christmas card for this week's (non-Christmas) challenge at Sweet Stampin! I told you that you'd have to bear with me!

So, our theme for the challenge this week is "Bear with me"....see I have a theme here!! And here is the little fellow that I was telling you about....

See...he's super cute isn't he! And the card isn't too Christmasey...despite the Christmas tree...the reindeer and oh the sentiment! Oh dear!

I have coloured my little cutie with my Promakers and used plain brown paper and pretty brown gingham paper (as well as those reindeer) in the background.

For more bear inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin Challenge blog and take a peek at all the gorgeous DT cards that have been created this week. While you're there...take a peek at our fab sponsor this week...

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Bingo...and a little competition!

Hello there! Happy Saturday!

Another week has whizzed by and it's time for another fab challenge from the lovely ladies at Sweet Stampin. This week we're playing a spot of bingo!

So you know how it works....three elements from the board....and don't forget some stamping! As soon as I saw the board I knew which line I wanted to include....

Yep, I had to go with purple....then I decided I wanted to work with embellishments as that's something I don't do very often....so I went with pearls and flowers.

I am really pleased with this card, although my photo is very wonky, I love the layout and think the embellishments work well (I will have to experiment more often I think!). I have used polka dot papers, along with a pretty light grey paper. The pearls are the sticky variety and I think they go well with the polka dots.

For more inspiration pop by the Sweet Stampin challenge blog and take a peek at all the gorgeous DT cards that have been created this week. You'll also find out all about our fab sponsor....

Now...if you also fancy a bit of a competition...we are celebrating our little afternoon tea blog turning two this month and we are giving away a lovely tea tasting adventure. It's a simple leave a comment competition...take a peek at Tea With Me and Friends to find out more!

Thanks for popping by today, we're looking forward to seeing your creations!

Wedgie xxx

Let's see your stockings.....

...no I'm not being saucy.....over at Christmas at Sweet Stampin this month we want to see your Christmas stockings!

Welcome back to Wedgie's World....I hope you are well and having a fab week so far!

So, I'm not sure where time is going to...but it's already half way through the year and we have another fab stamping challenge for you at Christmas at Sweet Stampin. We want to see your projects featuring Christmas stockings and don't forget you need to include some stamping!

Here is my card....

I have gone with a twist on the usual Christmas colour combo for this card, adding a splash of pink in with my red and green. I am not entirely happy with my paper choices, but it does look a bit different to the rest of my Christmas cards.

My cute little penguin and his stocking have been coloured with my Promarkers and I have added plenty of sparkle with my Stickles. Finally, I have added a little white faux stitching with a gel pen.

For more stocking inspiration pop by the Christmas at Sweet Stampin challenge blog where you can see the gorgeous DT cards that have been created for you this month. You can also find out about our sponsor this month....

Any London dwellers who fancy entering a competition to win a lovely tea adventure at Piacha in London should head over to my afternoon tea blog.

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx