Playing Catch-Up ;o)

Wow, I'm a little behind in posting I see, so without further ado let me show you my latest Sassy creations ;o)

These bookmarks are from last Sunday's post on the Simply Sassy Inspiration Blog

And this adorable girl is the star of this week's post :D!

I absolutely LOVE working with the Simply Sassy stamps (available from Funky Kits HERE), they always smile so sweetly, are a joy to colour and there's one for most every occasion :D!

Materials used first project:

Stamps: Simply Sassy "Bad Hare Day" and "Best Witches"; Magnolia books; sentiments from My Favorite Things and Stamping Bella
Paper: Bazzill Basics cardstock brown; My Mind's Eye paper "Mabel"
Embellishments: buttons, ribbon
Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Circles large, Scalloped Circles large
Copics:
E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks, lips)
E44, E43, E42, E41 (hair, broomhandle)
BG11, BG13, BG15 (clothes, bows, books)
T0, T2 (bunny)
E25 (eyes)
YG63 (apple)

Materials used second project:

Stamps:Simply Sassy "Tammy"; sentiment by Kaisercraft
Papers: Maja Design
Embellishments: Kars adhesive pearls; ribbon from stash

Tools: McGill Starburst punch; MFT Die-namics flower; Stampin' Up! slit punch; chalk
Copics:
E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks);
R85, R83, R81 (clothes, hat);
C3, C2, C1 (coat, hair, "snow" (grey snow, must have been there a few days ;o)), eyes)

Hope you have a great week, thanks for stopping by and your lovely comments, they mean so much :D!

Hugs,
Erica

Here's One I Made Earlier ;o)

I just realised I completely forgot to share this card with you, I made it for the current challenge over on Double Dutch Challenges, which is "Love Is In The Air". The prize is a lovely Magnolia stamp from the new collection, so go have a look and join in the fun :D!

Things may go a little quiet here over the next week or so, as I have an airway infection and don't have a lot of energy at the moment. But when I come back I plan to celebrate my blogoversary (4 years on the 11th!) with a little sweet candy, so watch this space!

Materials used:

Stamps: Magnolia; Papertrey Ink; Stempelglede
Paper: BBP black, red, white; BoBunny
Embellishments: Kars adhesive pearls; Heidi Swapp Ghost Shape
Tools: EK Success Retro Flower punches
Copics:
E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks);
E50, E51, E53, Y28 (hair);
W1, W3, W5 (shoes, shirt, shading);
R27 (hearts)

Thank you so much for stopping by and your kind comments, they are much appreciated! Take care, see you again soon :D

Hugs,
Erica

Happy 2011!!

Let me start this long-overdue post by wishing you all a happy, healthy and crafty New Year! Hope 2011 is going to bring lots of joy and happiness :D The only New Year's resolution I've made is to MAKE MORE CHRISTMAS CARDS...as last year I made precisely one...how pathetic is that right?



It is a nice one though, if I do say so myself ;o):

I had a little vacation last week and in between long lie-ins and general lazing about I made a few cards, loved pottering about in my craft room with the Magnolia girls ;o). What with December being a rather hectic month I hadn't done any crafting for a looooong time and was starting to get withdrawal symptoms...now I'm just bummed I have to go to work tomorrow...if only card-making could be turned into a full-time, well-paid job ;o)

Anyway, without further ado, here they are:






Materials used:
Magnolia stamp, unknown sentiment stamp, Magnolia papers, Prima flowers, rose, starburst punch, Nestabilities circles, QuicKutz holly die, Zva Creative adhesive pearls

Magnolia stamp, Creative Cafe rub-on sentiment, DCWV paper "Linen Closet", Kaisercraft and Zva Creative pearls, Nestabilities, EK Success Retro Flower punches



Magnolia stamp, Creative Cafe rub-on sentiment, My Mind's Eye paper "So Sophie", Prima and other flowers, Jillibean Soup button, BoBunny brads, Zva Creative swirls, Heidi Swapp ghost shape




Magnolia stamp, Papertrey Ink sentiment, My Mind's Eye and BoBunny papers, Prima flowers, Kaisercraft pearls, Heidi Swapp ghost shapes, Martha Stewart leaf punch



Right, that's my update, hope you are all well and enjoying this wintry weather we've been having ;o) I hope to be back next week with more to show you, must make that a New Year's resolution as well: update blog more than once every two months...



Hugs,
Erica

Love Is In The Air :D

It's that time of year again: my mom and stepdad had their anniversary yesterday, my sister and B-I-L today (20 years already, that time has flown by!). Anyway, of course they were expecting, and received, a home-made card, even though I'm a little out of sorts as I've quit smoking and was finding it quite hard at the weekend without work to distract me and colleagues to keep me on the straight and narrow ;o) I've been smoking for twenty years (started a little before my sister's wedding in fact) so it was never going to be easy, but it had to be done ;o)

The top card is for my sister and her hubby, the bottom one for my mom and stepdad. My stepdad recently bought a boat so I thought these two Magnolia cuties quite fitting ;D

I also made this for the new challenge on Double Dutch (in a very beary mood this weekend, because I was like a bear with a sore head probably ;o)), which is to pick your favourite challenge from DDC#1 through to DDC#50 and recreate it.

Materials used:
DoCrafts stamp, Doodlebug rub-on letters, GDC "Ella Blue" papers (how gorgeous?!), flowers made with EK Success punches, rose, Heidi Swapp Ghost Shapes, Stamping Bella pebbles

Magnolia stamps, Doodlebug rub-on letters, GDC "Ella Blue" papers, Prima Marketing flowers, Stamping Bella pebbles, string, QuicKutz label die, charm

DoCrafts stamp, GDC "Ella Blue" papers, Heidi Swapp Ghost Shape, charm, string, Making Memories bling brad

That's all I wrote, I'm off to not smoke and not eat anything either, because at the moment, if it ain't nailed down, I'll eat it ;o)

Have a lovely week, thank you for stopping by!

Hugs,
Erica

Perfect Match :D

For the new challenge over on Double Dutch the DT has created some fabulous matchbook cards, really fun to make, a little more work but then you do have a really special card for a really special someone ;o). How much do you love these new images by Mo Manning? Meet Blueberry Girl and Strawberry Girl, or in this case Grape Girl and Weird Turquoise Strawberry Girl...hey, I wanted to use THIS paper (because I never use it, *lol*) and so they had to have fruit to match ;o)

And this second card is for the new challenge over on Whiff of Joy, which is fuzz...yes you read it right, you have to include felt, flower soft or anything that makes the card "stroke-able" (I know that's not a word ;o)). I've never worked with felt before but like its flexibility, so I'll be getting myself some more colours :D! Any excuse to shop right...

Materials used:

Stamps by Mo Manning, sentiments by Papertrey Ink, paper by MME, flowers by EK Success Retro Flower Punches, pearls by Joy! Crafts and Kaisercraft, string from stash

Stamps by Whiff of Joy and Magnolia (background), sentiment by Whiff of Joy, paper by MME, flowers by EK Success Retro Flower Punches, pearls by Zva Creative, kisses made with a QuicKutz die and leaves with a Marianne Design CreaTables die, felt and rose from stash

That's all she wrote folks, hope you have a lovely week, thank you for stopping by and see you soon!

Hugs,
Erica

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssss!

The reason for this post title you ask? Well, today my temporary job turned into a permanent one, as of 1 August I am no longer a temp! Took me six long years...reason for a celebration I say...now where did I put that glass of wine? ;o)

Anyway, made some cards at the weekend, despite the hot weather it was nice to be creative in my swelteringly hot craft room, I can honestly say these cards were made with sweat (though no blood and tears ;o)). The first one is for the challenge on Whiff of Joy, which is a terrific sketch by Bev and I've used one of my all-time favourite images on it, the adorable Willow with Cookies. The second one is for the challenge on Double Dutch, which is also a sketch :D. If you're like me and you like making a card sometimes without having to think up a layout, go check out these challenge blogs (links in my sidebar).

Materials used:
Whiff of Joy and Magnolia stamps, Papertrey Ink sentiments, DCWV paper stack "The Linen Closet", Zva Creative pearls, EK Success Retro Flower Punches, McGill leaf punch, roses, brads, twine

That's all from me for this week, I'm off to watch Private Practice :D!

Hugs,
Erica

Yesssss!!!

Told you she was a smarty pants didn't I, and she's gone and done it: my niece has passed her exams! We're all so proud of her, and it doesn't stop here: she's determined to get her driver's licence before she goes on holiday next month and has had 23 lessons so far since her birthday on 6 May...driven little madam isn't she ;o)

Anyway, I made this card for her at the same time as I made the card for my friend Natalie (see previous post), which is why it's the same image, same paper, well nearly same everything apart from the layout (hey, my niece may be driven, I'm still a lazy so-and-so!)

The second card is for the Double Dutch challenge, which is to make a card with this pattern. It's an oldie but a goodie :D!




Materials used:
Sassy Cheryl's digi stamp, Making Memories rub-on sentiment, My Mind's Eye "So Sophie" paper, Heidi Swapp Ghost Shape, Prima Marketing flowers, Kaisercraft pearls, QuicKutz leaf die, roses


Magnolia stamps, Hero Arts sentiment, Fancy Pants "Road Show" paper, Kaisercraft pearls, EK Success flower punches


I'm off to soak up some much needed sunshine, thank you for stopping by and have a lovely week!


Hugs,
Erica

Football Fever

With the World Championship almost upon us football fever has nearly reached its pitch in our small country by the sea. There are whole streets decorated with orange flags (orange is the colour of the Dutch team...their shirts, not their faces ;o)) and other paraphernelia and even whole houses wrapped in orange plastic! I wouldn't mind so much, but those blasted flags keep me awake at night when they're blowing in the wind! On the plus side, on Monday we get to watch the match on a big screen at the office and root for our team :D! I wonder if it's this mad in all countries involved in the championships, but I imagine it is ;o)

Anyway, on to my cards for this week. I made a round easel card "just because" and a birthday/Father's day card for my stepdad. I think I did better than last year, at least this one has a stamped image on it ;o) My stepdad recently bought a boat and I didn't have any appropriate stamps for that, but this one will do...the boat is small but it is there, on the horizon ;o)

Materials used:
Sassy Cheryl's digi stamp, Papertrey Ink sentiment, MME "Be Loved" paper and die-cut, EK Success Retro Flower punches, string, Zva Creative pearls, Heidi Swapp Ghost Shape

Magnolia stamp, Daisy Bucket sentiment, MME paper, QuicKutz star die, ribbon, string, button, pearls, Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Circle and Classic Scalloped Circle

That's all she wrote folks, enjoy your week and thank you for your visits and lovely comments, they are much appreciated :D!

Hugs,
Erica

Love Is All Around ;o)

on my cards this week, what with the hearts and the lovely stamps, it's all just too cute :D! I do like using cute stamps on my cards, have tried making cards without them (mainly cards for men) but it's just not the same. Luckily there are so many great (digi) stamps for those difficult man cards around these days, I won't ever have to make a "clean and simple" card again ;o) Both my stepdad and my brother have their birthday in June, so watch this space, let's see if I can do better than last year!




This second card is for the new challenge over on Double Dutch Challenges, which is a sketch :D!

Materials used:
Hänglar & Stänglar stamp, CC Designs sentiment, Imaginisce paper, Doodlebug brads, EK Success Retro Flower punches, Zva Creative pearls

Magnolia stamp, CC Designs sentiment, The Girls' Paperie paper, Prima Marketing flowers, McGill leaf punch, roses, Pebbles Inc. Candy Dots, Spellbinders Nestabilities circles



Right, that's it from me this week, hope to have some more cards to show you next week :D. Thank you for stopping by!



Hugs,
Erica

Hello Mojo ;o)

Wow, two posts in one day...I don't think that's ever happened on my blog before! Anyway, my mojo is back you'll be pleased to hear (well, I was pleased anyway ;o)) I had a big clear-out of my craft room, got to know all the stuff I have again and hey presto, an idea was born. I took my favourite paper (well it used to be, but I don't like their new lines much) and my favourite stamps (still Magnolia :D) and set to work. I have the week off and have been making a card a day since Saturday!

Materials used for all cards:
Magnolia stamps, sentiments by Papertrey Ink, CC Designs and Stamping Bella, Chatterbox paper, Zva Creative pearls, EK Success Retro Flower punches, charm, Elzybells Art Stamps buttons

They may be simple but at least it's a start, and I'll have enough birthday cards on hand for the time being ;o). Have a lovely week, thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,
Erica

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you, hope you have a lovely day with friends and family and get spoiled rotten ;o) We are celebrating Christmas on Boxing Day, so I'm taking it easy today, a little crafting, a little TV watching (some nice Christmas films on, and some great specials :D) and a lovely Christmas dinner later ;D! In the meantime I made a last-minute card this week and some cute labels for my pressies, we did a Christmas swap with some of the Double Dutch DT members and I actually managed to keep the presents wrapped until this morning, when I just had to open them (before I'd even had breakfast) and see what I got...I tell ya, I'm like a little kid sometimes ;o)

Here's the card I made, no idea why the picture is so yellow, must have been the snow ;o) Papers are from Kaisercraft, flowers are made with the EK Success retro punches and the text is Hero Arts, the image is Whiff of Joy.

Here's my present, I made four of these with BoBunny papers and embellishments, some ribbon and some cute stamped images inside. The lollipop is chocolate and I'm kicking myself that I didn't get one for myself, they look yummy...what was I thinking!

And here's what I got from Moon, Martine, Janneke and Joan! Some lovely goodies inside, thanks girls :D!



Have a lovely day, enjoy and have fun and think of me tomorrow when I'll be sitting in a train for four hours on my way to visit the family...



Hugs,
Erica

Busy Bunny ;o)

Sorry I've been such a bad blogger recently, I've just been so busy with work (did I tell you I got a year contract? Yay me!) and other stuff that it's all I can do to drag myself home at the end of the day (or night) and lie on the couch...I know right, how old am I again? ;o) Never mind, just need to find a rhythm and then I'll be fine again :D, the good news is from now on I'll have a three-day weekend every other week...aaah heaven!

Anyway, onto today's project: I finally finished my Belgium project! I went to Belgium at the end of October for a day of fun and crafting with about 40 other card-mad chicks! I rented a car, got a little lost (hey, it was 300-odd kilometres, it's a miracle I only got lost ONCE! I have such a bad sense of direction it's amazing I make it home every night ;o)) and had a great day making this box:

Please excuse the awful pictures, the weather is quite gloomy over here so taking a good picture was next to impossible today.

Materials used:
Magnolia stamps, Graphic45 paper, ribbon, lace, glitter stones, leaves, flowers, Martha Stewart border punch, EK Success Retro Flower Punches, matchboxes

Thank you for stopping by, have a great week and see you soon!

Hugs,
Erica

Notebook Purse

I went to Belgium over the weekend (more about that next week) so haven't really got a lot to show you, apart from this notebook purse that I made for the new challenge over on Double Dutch, which is to alter or make a purse :D I got the notebook a few years ago from a friend and finally made use of it...I'm a bit slow sometimes ;o)

Materials used:
Magnolia stamp, Papertrey Ink text stamp, MME paper Pretty Please, Prima Marketing flowers, Joy! Crafts pearls, brads, McGill twig punch

That's all from me this week, hope to have something more to show you next week! Thank you for stopping by and your lovely comments, they're much appreciated :D

Hugs,
Erica

Fright Night!

It's such a shame we don't have Halloween in the Netherlands, I love it: the dressing up and begging for sweeties is right up my alley ;o) We do have "Sint Maarten" in certain parts of Holland, also where I live, when children make a lantern and go round all the houses singing a special song and they are awarded treats. I didn't know this when I first moved here twelve years ago, so when loads of kids showed up on 11 November I didn't have anything to give them but biscuits...I'm surprised they didn't egg my house ;o). Anyway, I do celebrate Halloween with a few friends in that we make Halloween cards for each other, here are some of my spooky creations:

List of Ingredients:
Magnolia stamps and paper, Papertrey Ink text stamps and ribbon

SCACD stamp, Papertrey Ink text stamp, MME paper, brads, QuicKutz star die

Have a good week all, thank you for stopping by and see you soon!

Hugs,
Erica

More Of The Same...And An Award :D

Sorry I've been MIA, I've been busybusybusy with work stuff, but also found some time to make some long overdue gifts :D. I've used the same paper again, because it was still on my desk and because it's just so darn cute, but I promise I'll put it away now and use something else, so you can finally take off your sunglasses!

This one was made using the packaging of a Papertrey Ink stamp set, and is absolutely stuffed to the brim with Merci chocolates...seemed appropriate, as it's a "thank you" gift ;o)

And these two were made using a Timeless Template by the very talented Lauren Meader. The templates are sold via Papertrey Ink and are only five dollars for the pattern, instructions and a boatload of ideas! You can download the whole file straight away after you pay, and start crafting :D. The bottom one is the original pattern, with two pockets, the top one I altered so it can fit through a letterbox.

Ingredients used:

Magnolia and Sugar Nellie stamps, Papertrey Ink text stamps and ribbon, Hero Arts text stamp, Three Bugs in a Rug paper and text sticker, EK Success Retro Flower Punches, McGill branch punch, Queen & Co. pearls, brads, spacers

Now onto this lovely award I got from Coby, Femke and Janneke, thank you ladies!

It's another "tell all" award, you have to tell ten things about yourself and be completely honest...here goes:

1. Because I don't have a husband and children like most of my friends, I sometimes don't feel as "grown up" as I should, there's still a bit of a kid in me. Then I get to pay my mortgage and some bills and hey presto, all grown up again ;o)

2. When I was little I wanted to be a ballerina (didn't get into ballet college because of my back), a stewardess (not tall enough), a kindergarten teacher (don't know what happened there, that would have been fun! Kids love me, see 1 ;o)) and a hairdresser (my sister put paid to that, one hairdresser in the family was enough she said). Never ever ever did I say I wanted to be a secretary, yet that is what I am...

3. I suffer from foot-in-mouth disease: first I say what's on my mind, then I engage my brain. I'm working on improving that, but it's a hard habit to break after 38 years ;o)

4. I'm very impulsive, also not always a good quality...

5. I have a white streak in my hair, it's been there since my early twenties. My dad has exactly the same streak in exactly the same spot. Guess I'm not the milkman's after all eh ;o)

6. I've been dying my hair since my early twenties... ;o)

7. I wear contact lenses because I'm too vain to wear glasses. I only wear those when I'm home alone and the curtains are drawn!

8. I have an excellent memory for license plate numbers (picked that up when I was little, playing the license plate game while on the road with my dad, who was a truck driver) and telephone numbers, which is useful, but other than that my memory sucks and I'm the queen of the yellow post-its ;o)

9. I am the world's biggest procrastinator, and often have to finish stuff up in a hurry. I work even better under pressure though ;o)

10. I love to go to an online store, throw all sorts of lovely goodies in my basket (really fill it up, not with cheap stuff either!) and after half an hour or so just empty the basket and go to another site. It's a great kind of retail therapy as it doesn't cost anything and it really does help with the blues!

Right, that's enough honesty from me, reading back I see how vain I really am! Must do something about that too...;o) I won't pass this on to anyone as I think most people have the award already (yes, I know, I'm late again...) but if you don't, please feel free to take it and be totally honest, it's very therapeutic!

Have a lovely evening, thank you for stopping by and see you soon!

Hugs,
Erica

Get Your Sunglasses Out ;o)

I got a bit carried away with these cards, they are a little "loud" for my taste, but the paper was so lovely I couldn't stop piling it on! On the bright side (okay, the even brighter side) my cold is much better, cough is nearly gone and I don't sound like I'm at death's door anymore...when I was just a tiny wee thing I used to have terrible asthma, so now when I have a cold it really sounds more life-threatening than it actually is ;o) Serves me right for smoking I suppose...

Anyway, onto today's cards, the top one is for the Sugar Bowl Challenge, the other one is just because and the third is a tin, which I made to house my new Miss Anya stamps.

List of Ingredients:
Sugar Nellie stamp, Magnolia Stamp, The Greeting Farm stamp, Papertrey Ink sentiment and ribbon, Three Bugs in a Rug paper "Spread Your Wings", EK Success Retro Flower punches, Joy! Craft pearls, Doodlebug brads, CD tin

That's all she wrote for now, thank you for stopping by and your lovely comments (and get well wishes from last week!), have a great week!

Hugs,
Erica