A little elegance....

Hello there,

I hope you're having a tea-riffic day!

I have a little project for you today which features two of my favourite things....tea and teacups! I saw this project in a craft magazine and since it included a little bit of sewing as well as card making (my two favourite crafting activities) I thought I would give it a try....

The card is basically an elegant teacup and a little teabag......but here is the cool thing.....you can remove the teabag from the card and use it as a bookmark.....

The teacup is made of patterned papers and is fixed on the card using 3D sticky pads, which creates a little pocket. I've opted for an art deco backing paper for the teacup, which I think is perfect for an elegant teacup.

The teabag is then made out of acetate and little gold stars.....so cute! The tag is made out of card and string and is stitched into place as you sew up the teabag. Using my sewing machine to do this took no time at all, but creates a really cute little bookmark. It was great to be able to use both my card making skills and sewing skills on one project.

I have included my tea themed sentiment on the inside of the card and carried on the gold star theme....

I liked the design so much that I decided to make another one with a slightly more rustic feel....

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Cupcake Inspirations - elegance

Crafty Sentiments - anything goes

Lemon Shortbread - anything goes

Through the Craft Room Door - anything goes

Pop by all of these fab blogs to see some gorgeous DT cards!

If you fancy taking a peek at some more teacups and some scrummy cake why not pop by my afternoon tea blog.....

Tea With Me and Friends

Thank you 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

No Design Paper!

Hello there!

I hope you are well and have had a lovely week. Welcome back to another challenge post from Sweet Stampin. This week we have a fab challenge for you - we don't want to see any design paper on your card at all!

You can use as much plain coloured paper as you want....but no patterns! I love this kind of challenge as it makes you a little more creative.....not being reliant on pretty patterned papers.

Here is my card for the challenge.....

I have kept my card rather simple - using plain coloured papers to make my teapot and teacups. I have stamped white flowers on all the china and added a little white faux stitching. Finally I added my "thank you" sentiment. It was my Birthday last week and I was rather spoilt by my lovely friends and family and so this made the perfect thank you card to send to people for my pressies.

I have made several of the cards....

For more no design paper 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 are there you can also find out about our lovely sponsor this week....

If you are in the mood for creating any Christmas cards (getting a head start) then take a peek at our Christmas challenge over at Christmas at Sweet Stampin this month!

Thank you for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Wow - what an amazing weekend!

Hello there,

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

I'm here with a new challenge from My Time to Craft, but before I tell you about that I just wanted to share with you what I got up to last weekend!

On Saturday I indulged in the most wonderful afternoon tea - it has a science theme, which sounds a bit odd....but take a look...its pretty cool....

Science afternoon tea - Ampersand Hotel

Everything looked fantastic, but also tasted amazing! For more photos and the whole review, pop by my afternoon tea blog!

On Sunday I went to the Country 2 Country festival at the O2 in London. Now, its a little known fact that I really enjoy country music (having been brought up listening to it!), and I am particularly passionate about Brad Paisley - who happened to be headlining on Sunday!

I had amazing seats...just 8 rows from the front, here is my view.....

The concert was amazing....Brad was on form and I sung my heart out! But the fun didn't stop there! On Monday evening I was lucky enough to attend a special BBC recording with Brad at the Radio Theatre in the BBC Broadcasting House. It was two amazing hours of Brad and three of his songwriters, talking about the songs and singing! This time I was just four rows from the front.....

The lady who I think was sitting behind me took this fab photo! I still can't believe I was lucky enough to be part of this recording, it was definitely the highlight of all my musical experiences so far!

Anyway, back to the business at hand....and this week I have some sad news as I have decided to step down from the My Time to Craft DT.....I have been part of this fab DT for ages now, and its been a wonderful experience...but life is getting in the way at the moment and unfortunately something has to give. I'm sad to make this move, and would like to thank Shell and the lovely DT ladies for all their support.

So, without further ado....my last challenge over at My Time to Craft is "Mothers Day or Special Lady". As you know I love afternoon tea and so does my mum...so this seemed like an appropriate theme for my card....

I've gone with a lovely fresh green for this card, adding a splash of detail with my art deco inspired backing paper. My image is printed and then I have added a hint of colour with my Promarkers.

For more inspiration pop by the My Time to Craft challenge blog and take a peek at all the gorgeous DT cards that have been created this week.

I hope you have fun with this challenge!

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Time for tea?

Good Morning Folks!

I hope you are all well today and having a good week.

Soooo Allsorts have a fab challenge this week that was made just for me!! The challenge theme is "Time for Tea"!

Hmmm....the question here is what image am I going to use?? A cake? A cupcake? A teacup? Yes, I think a teacup with a cheeky sentiment is the way to go here.....

 

I have stamped my image and coloured it with my Promarkers, I have then mounted my teacup on a doiley. I've gone with a pretty paper background and a splash of pink for the border, making for a very girlie card I think. Finally I have added a bit of a cheeky sentiment.

 

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

 

Allsorts Challenge - Time for Tea

Glitter n Sparkle - three of something - three colours...black, white and pink

 

Pop by all these blogs to see the gorgeous DT cards that have been created!

 

And before I sign off...I thought I'd leave you with a little photo.....

 

 

Well it wouldn't be tea without a little cake would it??

 

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Woo hoo! A Guest Spot!

Hello there...Happy Monday!

Well I am a happy bunny this morning, because I get to join the fab Love to Create design team once again as a Guest Designer. Thank you ladies for having me back again...its an honour to design a card for your fab challenge blog!

So, the challenge this week is to pick two of the following elements to include on your card....you can pick from die-cuts, pearls, ribbon, distressing and/or sentiment. We're spolit for choice with all those elements!!

I was lucky enough to be given a fab Bugaboo Stamp digi image to play with, I want to say a big thank you for the digi image as its sooooo cute!

So with further ado here is my card.....

 

Told you the image was cute....and right up my street too!!

 

I've coloured my teacups with my Promarkers and then added a combination of pink and brown papers/elements to finish the card.

 

I have used pink flowery ribbon and the cute sentiment for the challenge (there is also a bit of distressing there too!!).

 

For more inspiration on this challenge pop by the Love to Create challenge blog and see all the gorgeous DT cards.

 

I'd also like to enter this card over at Make it Monday.

 

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Just Sepia

Happy Saturday! I hope you are well this morning!

So, its another Saturday...that means we have a shiny new challenge for you over at My Time to Craft! This week we have a colour challenge for you - we'd love to see your sepia creations....so get your soft browns at the ready!

The DT have created some fab cards as inspiration for you this week...pop by the My Time to Craft blog to see what they've made.

Here is my card.....

 

I've gone with a slightly vintage feel for this card as I think it suits the sepia colour tones well. I have stamped my image on card which I had already coloured with my Tim Holtz Distress Ink - I don't use this ink very often, but really enjoyed creating the ink effect on the card. I added a little more colour to the teacup with my Promarkers.

 

I have stamped my happy birthdat sentiment on a brown tag, and added soem faux white stiching around the edge. I have created the layout for this card using various soft brown patterned papers.

 

I'd like to enter this card over at the following challenges:

Make it Monday!

Allsorts - auntumn colours

DYSU - something vintage (my teacup!)

 

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Tea at Grannys!

Evening! Hope you've had a good Tuesday!

Ok....so after another very long day at the office and a tense Great British Bake Off final I was delighted to find a challenge that was perfect for me...so perfect that I decided I needed to make a card straight away!!

But what is the challenge I hear you cry.....pop over to Tuesday Throwdown and you'll see! This week their challenge is "Tea at Grannys" and they have included the following photo for inspiration....

 

Anyone who has popped by my blog before will know how much I love pretty teacups...and tea...and cakes! Perfect challenge!!

 

So, here is the card that I created....

 

 

Bit of a dodgy photo..sorry!

 

I've used a pretty teapot and teacup stamped image, which I have coloured with my Promarkers. I have then created a pretty background using pretty plain pink paper and gorgeous floral papers. I've also used a doilly....a must at granny's house I think you'll agree!!

 

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

 

Tuesday Throwdown - Tea at Grannys

Make it Monday!

 

Pop by both blogs to see the gorgeous DT cards that have been created this week.

 

Now talking of cakes...I mentioned in yesterday's post some rather scrummy chocca, mocha caramel cakes that I made last night and promised a photo today once they were iced. Well in the end I decided they were too yummy to add icing to and so they don't really look like much....but Joe declared that he thought they were the best cakes hes eaten! High praise indeed!

 

As they don't look that pretty I decided to make some cake art for you instead...what do you think....

 

 

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Cup of Birthday Tea!

Hello Folks!

What do you know.....a Wednesday post from me! Amazing!

Hee, hee.....well here I am back with another card and this time I've created something a little bit different. Inspired by the 3D challenge over at Tuesday Throwdown I decided to make my own 3D teacup! What do you think....

Sorry its not the best photo....it was quite hard to photograph!!

To make this cute teacup I took a square folded card and drew the teacup shape on the front. When happy with the shape (and believe me this took some time!!) I cut the shape out, making sure to cut through both sides of the card. I then stuck the pretty pink paper onto the front of the teacup and added the inside of the teacup by adding an oval of cream coloured card - to match the cream handle. I then stamped my flowers and leaves image, coloured with my Promarkers and stuck to the front as well. I also edged the teacup with a pink Promarker to add depth. I made my saucer from an oval of pink paper and a smaller oval of cream.

I'd also like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Stamp, Scrap & Doodle - flowers

The Altered Alice - anything goes (as long as its inspired by Alice!) I think a teacup his the spot here!!

Passion for Promarkers - Happy Birthday - this is my second entry in this challenge!

Pop by all the blogs mentioned to see the gorgeous DT cards that have been created.

Thanks for popping by today, I hope to see you again soon!

Wedgie xxx

Oh La La!

Hello there....hope you're having a fab bank holiday Monday! Mine has been soooo relaxing! Lots of crafting for me today and lots of vintage shopping yesterday at a fab vintage festival! I dressed for the occassion in one of my 1960s dresses and managed to buy a gorgeous piece of antler luggage.....what do you think?? Just the right size for my new handbag!!

Soooo...its Monday and that means one thing....its time for a new challenge over at Cupcake Craft Challenge....and this week the theme is "Oh La La!" If you're stuck for inspiration check out the Cupcake blog to see all the gorgeous DT cards. I went for a bathroom theme.....with lots of pink and a splash of blue!

I hope this is enough "oh la la" for the Cupcake ladies!!  I've coloured my image with my Promarkers and added a little sparkle to the bubbles with my stickles.

I'd also like to enter this card over at Make it Monday.....pop by to join in the fun and see all the fab cards that have been made this week!

I've done a lot of paper crafting this weekend....this is my favourite type of card making. I find something very satisfying about making pieces of paper into shapes that people recognise! Here are some of the cards I made this weekend....

I've seen both of these in a magazine recently and I'm really pleased with how they turned out!


Right, I'm off....I've got some friends coming over for dinner tonight and I need to finish off the chocolate cake that I've made for pudding!

Thanks for popping by today,
Wedgie xxx

Best of British!

Evening Folks, hope you're all well today.

So, its another Monday and its May tomorrow....where is time going this year?? One good thing that comes with every Monday is a new fab challenge from Cupcake Craft Challenge and this week they have a fab "best of British" photo inspiration challenge for us. Here is the photo....isn't it fab...

We've got a traditional red telephone box, some scrummy fish and chips and my favourite.....afternoon tea!

Soooo....heres what I came up with....

I took the red from the telephone box and then I focused on the tea bit! I've got my teapot and cups....all I need now is the cakes!

Pop by the Cupcake Craft blog to see all the gorgeous DT cards this week.

I'm also joining in the fun at Make it Monday again this week....pop by and see all the fab cards that have been created this week....its great inspiration!

Talking of inspiration...a month or so ago I saw some fab little paper birds in a craft magazine which I loved. Tonight I finally got around to making some myself....here they are featuring on a leaving card that I've made for someone at work....aren't they cute with their googly eyes!!

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Colour Challenges!

Evening folks - happy Friday!

I hope you've had a good week....mine has flown by and here we are again on a Friday evening with the weekend streching ahead of us....wonderful!

I've spent the last hour blissfully crafting while waiting for Joe to come home from work. We're having a homemade pizza and movie night tonight....I'm really looking forward to it!

Anyway, my first card is for the anything goes challenge at Allsorts this week and the black and white colour combo challenge at a Passion for Promarkers...

Hee, hee....I love this sentiment, it makes me smile! I've used my ivory Promarker to colour my teacup (I hope the Passion for Promarkers ladies lets me have this!!).

My second card is for the fab Fluffy Pink Cupcakes challenge over at Cupcake Craft Challenge this week.....what a fab challenge!! I'm also entering this card in the "use 3 papers" challenge over at Simon Says Stamp.

So I have three fab pink papers.....one yummy cupcake and a fluffy pink flower! Along with another fab sentiment that I can relate to!

Don't forget to pop by all the blogs to see all the gorgeous DT cards.

I hope you have a fab Friday evening....whatever you're up to! And don't forget to pop back to my blog this weekend....I feel its going to be a baking weekend!

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Happy Valentines Day

Hello there...hope you've had a sweet day!

I've got a lovely glass of red and I'm waiting for Joe to arrive for our romantic dinner....so with some spare time what did I decide to do....what any crafter does....I made a card!

This card has been distressed around the edges (I'm not a fan of distressing - it actually pains me to do this to my lovely backing papers!!) to give a shabby chic feel that I think matches the pretty teacup image perfectly. I've also added a shiny button and some twine, along with lots of faux stitches! My tea has been coloured using my Promarkers.

I'd like enter this card in the following challenges:

Cupcake Craft Challenges - entwined (use twine)

Papertake Weekly - colour combo - black and white and red all over!

Passion for Promarkers - distressing

Pop by all the blogs mentioned above to see the gorgeous DT cards that have been created.

Well, I'd better turn my attention back to dinner now!

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Colour Combo Challenge!

Morning Folks!

Can you tell I'm off work at the moment....here I am with another card!! This mornings card is for the Allsorts Challenge thats been running over Christmas...its a colour combo challenge....our cards must be blue and brown. I love this colour combo, it always looks sooooo pretty!

I decided I wanted to make a pretty card to match the colour combo....so I got my little teacup stamps out. There is a little bit of sparkle in there, and some punched paper.

Pop by the Allsorts Blog for some more wonderful inspiration!

Don't forget to pop back tomorrow to see the new challenge from Sweet Stampin!

Thanks for popping by day,

Wedgie xxx

PS - Forgot to say that the Cola Cupakes that I made yesterday were very tasty! I think I might use more cola syrup next time because the flavour was quite faint, but the sponge was amazingly soft......yummy!!

Sew Mad!

My goodness I've had a busy evening! After work I popped by mum's and stayed for a cup of tea and a natter...I then headed off to the gym for a mini workout and finally home for dinner and a quick card making session! Hopefully I'll sleep well tonight!!

If its Monday it must be a new fab challenge from the lovely Cupcake ladies....this week the challenge is "sew mad"...they want to see projects which feature some sewing...it can be real or faux...as long as there are some stitches on your card! For some inspiration pop by the Cupcake Craft Challenge blog to see all the gorgeous DT cards.

I know you saw this stamp only yesterday, but I really, really like it!

I've used a square card blank and added layers of purple backing papers which I have stamped a pretty edge on. Each layer is stuck down with 3D sticky pads near the edge to add a brilliant dimension to the card. I then added my teacup image which has been coloured with Promarkers and my sentiment. Finally I attached a little light purple backing paper at the top of the card and added some cute faux stitching. The inspiration for the layering of the backing papers came from Quick Cards magazine and I think it looks fantastic.

Thanks for popping by today,

Wedgie xxx

Feeling a bit girlie....again!

Ok, so I couldn't resist...give me spare time and I either surf the web or make cards! Tonight I did both...inspired by SSW earlier I decided to surf the web some more and see what other gorgeous blogs I could find....there are so many out there, but one that grabbed my eye is The Shabby Tea Room (do you think it was the name that grabbed my attention?!?). The DT create gorgeous cards on a weekly basis and their blog is absolutely gorgeous too - take a peek!

Their challenge this week is buttons and bows, so I thought I'd give it a go. I decided I wanted to create a really girlie card for this challenge.....

The layout for this card is from this week's sketch challenge over at Papertake Weekly. Take a peek at their blog to see how the DT used this sketch to create some fab cards.

The backing paper on my card is a beautiful pearlised gold card with the pink pattern over the top, I think its really pretty and suited this card. I've used ribbon and pink twine on my pink paper teacup, along with some cute tiny buttons (why do things get cuter when they are smaller??). I've also used a white pen to add some detail on the teacup and the pink backing paper. I think I got a bit carried away! I added another tiny button and a cute bow to the bottom corner for extra girlie appeal. I'm really pleased with this card too - thats two in one evening...I'm on a role!

While looking at the Shabby Tea Room blog I came across Lilsweetpea's blog which is also so gorgeous! As well as fabulous makes you can watch fab tutorials. Lilsweetpea has over 400 followers and to celebrate she is giving away some gorgeous candy - take a peek here!

Right, thats me done for the evening I think - my bed is calling (yes I know its only 10pm, but I'm sleepy!!).

Thanks for stopping by today,
Wedgie xxx

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Hello everyone, hope you're keeping safe and well where ever you are in the world! Its still rather cold here in the UK and the road outside my house has turned into an ice rink - its so dangerous! I walked (rather gingerly) to and from work today and will probably do the same tomorrow.

Today is a Wednesday, so this evening I had a Brownie meeting...and tonight we had a PJ party! Three of the older Brownies organised and ran the evening - we all had to dress in our PJs, there were games and milk and cookies! Wednesday also means a new sketch from Sweet Sketch Wednesday..woo hoo! Here is my card based on this week's sketch:

Isn't it a lovely layout? My porportions are slightly out, but you get the idea! Pop over to the SSW blog to see all the gorgeous DT cards.

I'm also entering this card in this month's challenge over at Penny Black at Allsorts where the theme is "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". My interpretation of the theme includes my favourite colour purple and one of my favourite embellishments - buttons! The Penny Black image also contains a favoured item of mine - teacups....I've got quite a nice little collection going now. There is something very elegant about drinking a hot drink from a teacup, it gives me great pleasure!

Thanks for popping by today, stay safe!
Wedgie xxx