Happy New Year's Eve

Morning everyone, can you believe we are at the end of 2012 already, I can't believe how this year has flown and so much has happened.

We don't usually celebrate New Year, just a quiet night in really.  Has anyone made any resolutions?  I make them but then forget about them lol !  In 2013 I am determined to become more confident and to follow my crafting dream.....my head is buzzing with ideas but that is nothing new, I'm usually away with the fairies:-)

I've been having a huge sort out of craft stash which I listed to sell on my FB page and I cannot believe it's nearly all gone..I finally have space in my cupboard.  I think Rich is going to have to take control of the bank account though to stop me refilling the space!

Anyhow onto the card.....I have to admit that male cards always fill me with dread and when I was asked to make one with a boxing theme I wanted to bury my head.  I love to scour the internet for the perfect digi image that I feel fits the personality of the person my customer has described, which isn't always easy but that is the perfectionist in me.  I found this great, fun image on I think it was 'Just Inklined' and knew it would fit perfectly.

As you can see from previous cards, I'm a bit of a matting and layering freak and this card is no exception.  I used papers from quite a few different pads to get the look I wanted and I have to say it is one of my favourite cards, despite being a male one!

Looking forward to getting back into the swing of crafting again once the festive period is over, I feel like we have never stopped and I will almost be glad to be back at work to be in some kind of routine again....I said almost !

I hope everyone has a fantastic New Year's Eve and wish you a wonderful 2013

Shelly xx

Happy Belated Christmas!

Hi everyone or should I say hi to my four followers because I just can't seem to get any traffic to my blog:-(  I might add that I think one of the followers is myself, don't know how I managed to do that !

Hope you have had a fantastic Christmas.  We have had a busy but lovely time and it's been great to have some time off together as a family.

Rich spoiled me with lots of crafty goodies, I got some new die-namics, a couple of Paper Smooches Stamp sets and some more CC designs sets which I love.  Tonight I am even making a start on Valentines cards eek!

I have decided to step back a bit from my Facebook Page, Little Megs Cards.  I am not going to be doing custom cards any more as I am starting to lose the love of it and I so want to get it back again.  I am hoping to get some DT work in 2013 and just create because I want to, not because I have to.  I will still be selling cards on there but just on an as and when basis.

I've just created this card for my next Market Night.  I discovered the 'Wee Stamps' site a couple of weeks ago and I just want them all.  These stamps are just so beautiful to colour that I have just loved sitting for the last few nights while Rich has been watching crap on the telly colouring them in, I find it really therapeutic.

For this card I used the new Papermania capsule collection goodies, which combine my love of spots, stripes and pastel colours.  I even got a huge bag of gorgeous pastel buttons for £2.99.  A girl can never have too many buttons :-)

Isn't she just gorgeous!

And here is a selection of images that I have just spent my time colouring....

I also got those big Woodware single stamps for Christmas too, they are great to colour too and are very versatile for different occasions.

Anyway I am off now to do some more colouring and perhaps have a glass of wine (or two)!  Enjoy the rest of your evening.

Hugs
Shelly x

Bringing Christmas Cheer

Good morning everyone, I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend. I am finally just about organised for my Christmas shopping with a few last minute bits and pieces to do.

I received a lovely message from a customer yesterday which really made my night. A while back I was asked to make a Christmas card for a lady's daughter who is serving in Afghanistan. She wanted a picture that incorporated a little dog as Vicki misses her little dog. This was the card I made for her and her mum sent me a lovely message last night to tell me that Vicki loved her card and attached this fab picture of her holding it.

It's really nice to think that something you have made can bring just a little brightness to what I can only imagine to be an extremely bleak place, particularly at Christmas without your family. It makes me realise how much we take for granted.

Have a great day everyone :-)
Shelly x

A Last Minute Make

Finally I can see a light at the end of the tunnel with the Crimbo cards.  My boss asked if I would like to make the company Christmas cards this year, so I've had 50 cards to make which by last weekend I hadn't even started!!  Luckily I have a very good boss so I've been busy making them at work this weekend and hopefully I will get them finished today:-)

I work for a Fostering Agency and my boss has also asked if I would make the birthday cards for the fostered children which is a really nice thing to be asked to do.

One of Little Megs Cards first ever customers contacted me yesterday to say that her cousin is going into hospital next week for a hysterectomy and she is only 30:-(  She asked if I had time to do a get well card for her.  My brief was just bright and cheery and this is what I came up with.

I absolutely love this Sugar and Spice paper pad from Doodlebug.  It's aimed at little girls but some of the papers can be used on other female cards like this.  I didn't really have an idea in mind when I started it which is generally the case and I just play with moving bits of paper around until I like how it looks....very technical lol !

Okay that's all from me today, better get these cards finished off.  Hope you all have a fantastic weekend whatever you are doing :-)

Shelly xx

My First Ever Scrapbook Layout

Hi there everyone, I'm feeling a bit gutted today, I applied to be on the Doodlebug Design DT for next year but I didn't get on:-(  I know you can't win them all but I wanted it so much!

Anyway some good came out of my application because I created something I have never done before and that was a scrapbook page.  It was great fun to do and it won't be the last one I do....it was just like making a huge card and all the little details suited my style of working.

I used one of my favourite photos of Megan with the rabbit she has had since she was born called Ra Ra.  He is a shadow of his former self now as he has been chewed to bits and only has one ear left.  He has been sewn up that many times is like patchwork and his leg was even sewn back on the wrong way round.  He now wears a jumper that grandma knitted for him because his body is so worn away! 

I have used all Doodlebug papers and stickers, I think the main papers were from the Ladybug Garden collection and I've just gone mad with the details.  I love the bright colours of it and for my first layout I don't think it's bad:-)

I'm at work at the moment so I had better do some 'real' work I suppose lol !

Have a good day

Shelly x

A Change from Christmas

Hi everyone (well the small few who read my blog :-) ) Hope you have all had a fab weekend, I can't believe it is Monday already.

Just popping by with a quick post showing a card I made yesterday.  It was so good to make this card after all the Christmas cards I've made lately and I'm really happy with how it has turned out.

My brief was just to use a pink glittery dinosaur so this is my trusty digi stamp from Pink Cat Studio.  I used the Doodlebug Sugar and Spice papers and lots of little embellishment here there and everywhere.

I'm really up against it today so I am going to love you and leave you and try and motivate myself to be productive lol !

Have a great day.

Shelly x

A Day Off

Morning everyone

Well I am up and raring to go with the whole day to myself stretching ahead of me....mmmm what could I do with myself.  The ironing is calling me but I'm getting very good at ignoring it and as someone pointed out yesterday, the piles actually hold the roof of the house up so if I attempted to move them the house would fall down...best to leave it I think!

It's now what the 8th December and I have 50 Christmas cards to make for work that I haven't even started aaaargh!  When my boss asked me if I would like to make the company Christmas cards it seemed like a really good idea....back in October.  Now the reality of it is here and we have got to this point and I havent even started makes me a little panicky.

So I'm guessing that's my task for the day sorted.  So that just leaves me to show you a card I made which went all the way to Australia.  A lovely lady contacted me through my FB page to ask if I would make a card for her friend's wedding.  It still amazes me that someone from the other side of the world wanted me to make a card.

This next card uses the same image and was for a customer whose friend was having a Barbados themed wedding as her husband-to-be originated from there.  I was terrified when I heard of the colour scheme involved but I was so pleased with how this one turned out.

I LOVE this image and I've used it so many times.  Its from The Greeting Farm and it's so great to colour.

The flowers I made myself using dies and I added a few pearl accents to make it feel a bit more 'weddingy'

Anyway 50 cards won't make themselves so I'm off now.  Have a great weekend everyone :-)

Shelly x

Back in the Zone!

Good morning everyone, well I was fooled into thinking it was warmer this morning when I didn't see any ice on the car....how wrong can you be....it's blooming freezing and I can only just feel my feet after the drive into work.

Megs is staying with her grandma tonight and Rich is working tomorrow so I have a whole day to myself, what luxury...I can't wait!  I will probably end up doing something exciting like the ironing or something.

Anyway onto the card...I was right back in my comfort zone with this one, lots of pink and general girliness, the perfect card for me.  I was asked to make this for a friend of my mum's for her grand-daughter's 21st birthday.  My brief was pink, girly and she loves handbags and shoes.  I thought that this Pink Petticoat Lola image was perfect and this is her first outing as I have never used her before.

The papers are from American Crafts and have been in my stash for about four years now lol.  I've gone mad with the matting and layering as usual....the card actually weighs about 4lb!

Okie dokie I had better go and do some 'real' work now.  Hopefully back tomorrow with something else to show you .

Shelly x

Busy Busy!

Good morning everyone, I can't believe how cold it is today, I can hardly feel my right hand as I'm typing this lol !

I haven't been around much the last couple of weeks, I've been really busy doing a Christmas market night on my facebook page...I ended up making over 100 cards and they sold out in over half an hour.  It never ceases to amaze me and make me feel proud at how quickly they always sell. 

It's also been Megan's birthday so we have been busy sorting out for that.  16 Children at the local soft play centre and they were absolutely fantastic, we all had a lovely day:-)

Just wanted to show you a card made using one of my favourite Digi stamps from Tickled Pink Stamps.  I think it is the same lady who does the CC designs stamps which I just love colouring. 

The papers are Basic Grey (marjolaine I think !) and I love the masculine colours with the feminine image.  I usually always reach for pink when I use this stamp but I fancied a change and I love the way this turned out:-)

Right now I'm off to put my hands on the radiator !!

Have a good day everyone:-)

Shelly xx

Have a Little Patience

Hi everyone:-)  Well I've only been running this blog just over a week and already I'm behind on posting....as usual I'm trying to do too many things at one and taking multi-tasking to a whole new level.  It's pretty serious when you take to cleaning the shower while you are actually having one but hey I have to squeeze what I can in when I can lol !

Rich went to watch James Bond last night (thankfully I got out of that one...I just don't 'get' the whole James Bond thing....neither do I 'get' the thing with Daniel Craig but each to their own and all that) and I was looking forward to a night to myself crafting once Megan went to bed.  I thought I would sit down and watch the end of Come Dine with Me then make a start.....that was the last I knew until I woke with a stiff neck on the sofa at 10:40 !!!!!  What a waste of a night lol.

Anyway today I want to share with you a box I decorated as part of my Doodlebug Design Team application.  I still haven't heard anything from them and patience really is NOT my strong point so night after night I check my emails like a saddo and nothing comes and I'm disappointed all over again.  I just don't do waiting very well so that is obviously where Megan gets it from too.

This is a 10" x 10" box which I painted white first (well I didn't, Rich did) and then decorated with papers from the Doodlebug Sweet Cakes collection.  I didn't really have any idea what I wanted it to look like when I started and it kind of evolved from the circle in the centre and then I just couldn't stop adding more and more flowers and buttons until I had to physically tell myself to stop otherwise there would be no space left!  This one is going in Megan's room.....I just have to stop myself cringing everytime she touches it in case she damages it...I'm super proud of it you see !!

And here is the finished article.....

I just hope it's enough to get me on the team:-)


Shelly x

Thank Goodness it's Friday!

Hi everyone, I don't know why but this week seems to have lasted forever and the more the week has gone on the more tired I feel ! 

Since Megan has started school she has been extremely tired on a night and last night must have been a culmination of tiredness because she was the child from hell....I was tearing my hair out with her and then suddenly like a magic switch she had her tea and became nice Megan again.  I tried to do a bit of crafting last night after she had gone to bed but a combination of Rich's horrendous snoring in the chair and the fact that he had some rubbish on the TV and was holding the remote while snoring meant I went upstairs, read my book for about five minutes then promptly fell asleep myself !!

Anyhow how about some eye candy to brighten up this dark and dingy Friday.  As this is a new blog at the moment I'm just sharing with you some of the custom orders I've made over the past few months and hopefully when I've got myself sorted a bit I want to start taking part in some of the challenges out there because I've really missed doing stuff like that since Little Meg's Cards went mental.

This first card was for a customer who gave me a brief of pinks, purples, cats and the Littlest Pet Shop so I thought this Pink Cat Studio cat was perfectly suited to this.  I always love working with pink so this card was a pleasure to do.  The papers were a mish mash from my stash and as you can see there are lots of dots....I LOVE polka dots !!

....and just to show you I don't always use pink here is an anniversary card I made using The Linen Closet papers from DCWV and the lovebirds image from the Digistamp Boutique...see there is a little hint of spotty paper in the circle behind the image....told you I can't resist !

Hopefully be back tomorrow with more to share.

Enjoy your Friday
Shelly x

Going Round in Circles

Hi again everyone, I know I'm talking to thin air at the moment but it means I can waffle to my hearts content:-)  I'm having a 'market night' on my facebook page on Sunday night and this is one of the new Christmas cards I've made for it.

Again I've used Doodlebug and these papers are from the new North Pole collection which I love.  Christmas to me is all about red, green and white so these are perfect. 

I've just basically experimented with lots of circles and gone for a very modern design which I know isn't to everyone's taste but this is the kind of card I would love to receive:-)

See ya tomorrow

Shelly x

I Love Doodlebug!

Morning everyone, after sharing my bed with a human starfish and my pillow with a big fat lazy cat, I am shattered this morning.  The bags under my eyes aren't just your average carrier bag size they are supermarket bag for life size !

Anyhow I'm sure plenty of diet coke will keep me going through the day:-)

I recently applied to be on the Doodlebug Design Team for 2013.  I haven't done any DT work for a while but this really caught my eye because I just LOVE their stuff and always have so this was too good an opportunity to miss.  The DT call closed on 5 November and I have been checking my email literally every 5 minutes to see if I have got on.....patience is not my strong point lol ! 

This is a card I made for a customer a while back with some of their older papers...can't remember which collection they are from now.  It's an 8 x 8 size card, so lots of room for detail and I used a Cherrie digi stamp coloured with Copics.  This is one of my most favourite images as she is just so great to colour.

The letters are die cut from my Papertrey Ink letter dies which I would never part with they are just so useful

As always I've added lots of little details....buttons etc (because I just can't help myself).

Okay I'm off to find a couple of matchsticks to try and keep my eyes open....roll on bedtime :-)

Shelly x

Technology aaaargh!

Hi is there anybody there???!!  I am still getting to grips with this blog lark and can't even seem to get a layout that I'm happy with but then again it has been said that I'm fussy :-)  I don't even think I have any readers yet but to be fair I haven't really been posting anything worth reading so I thought I would share a card with you that I made for one of my lovely customers from my Facebook page.  It's for little Alfie and I just loved the bright primary colours on this card.

I used one of my (many) My Mind's Eye paper pads and had fun just playing around with different layouts until I was happy.  The stamp is one of m favourite digis from CC Designs and I have used him a lot on kid's birthday cards, he is a very popular chap:-)

You will get to see as I post more of my cards that I'm a sucker for little details....a little corner here...a button there....I just can't help myself until sometimes I look at it and think...ah that's too much lol!

Anyhow I guess I had better do some 'real' work.  See you soon

Shelly x

Welcome!

Hello world and welcome to my new blog!

It's sure been a long time since I've blogged and I have to be honest and say I have missed it.  Here I hope to share with you snippets of my world and my latest creations.

I have been crafting for what feels like forever but in reality it's been about 12 years now and my big passion is cardmaking and papercraft......there's nothing nicer than creating something beautiful from paper, ribbons and lots of sparkle!

I started to sell my creations on my Facebook page over a year ago and it's been crazy!  I started off with about 35 followers and I now have over 2000 and I've met so many lovely people along the way

Anyhow enough waffle.....here is the first thing I want to share with you.  It was a picture I made for one of my lovely customers for her little girl's first birthday.  Rather than a card she wanted something she could display all the time so I made her this.  It's an 8 x 8 card base and I've used some gorgeous Tilda papers with silver accents.  The stamp is from Pink Cat Studio and has been coloured with Copics. 

I'm definitely going to be making more of these:-)

This blog may be a bit messy for a while as I edit it and try and make it look beautiful but please do leave some love as you are passing by and I will be sure to return the favour

Shelly xx