Basic Grey # 9 - A Sketch By Tara G.....

Good morning folks!

Welcome to this week's Basic Grey Challenge where we have a delightful sketch to follow from my lovely Canadian teamie and namesake Tara. The great thing about this one is that you can keep it nice and simple if you like and not add too many embellies (although I couldn't help myself, hee hee). Check out the stunning creations the other girls have come up with and the vast array of Basic Grey papers and products they've used...... oooh and the wonderful prize up for grabs which has been generously donated by Simon Says Stamp!

My papers are from the gorgeous Wassail range released last year and I have use Mo Manning's adorable Bismarck image as my centrepiece. You might just pick out the beautiful lace I've added too, which was a recent purchase from Tab's store..... she has some gorgeous flowers and lace and delivery in the UK is just a pound!!! I coloured my image with Polys and added lots of sparkly stuff. Finally I cut some snowflakes and added faux stitching to the layers.

Hope you're having a fab weekend whatever you're up to.... I think I'm going to make some very simple Christmas cards later to stock up my pile, otherwise I'll fall way short of what I need. Oh and I promised myself I'd get them delivered early this year too for a change, lol!

That's all from me..... have fun today ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

The Pixie Cottage # 4 - Getting Stitchy......

Good morning folks!

Hope you are all well....... I'm now back from my long weekend but I've been so busy catching up with washing and stuff, plus wading through the mounds of paperwork at my office, that I haven't been able to do much craft wise! And isn't it a pain colouring in with artificial light too?!

Thank you to everyone who left me lovely wishes for a good weekend....... we did have one very soggy day, but believe it or not, we were sat outside in a beer garden on the Friday!!!!

My DT card is for The Pixie Cottage and this week we'd like you to include stitching, faux or real! For me it is always the faux variety and I managed to pick up a new set of stitching stamps recently on Ebay so I put the zigzag to good use. I used Basic Grey papers from the Nook and Pantry range and the flourish has been created with a Bigz Sizzix die. I'm not really very pleased with how my card turned out..... can't put my finger on it but I'm just not sure it's my style. Ah well, they say we're our own worst critic don't they!!

There are, as always, some scrummy samples from my fellow teamies so do hop over for a peek....... and remember you can still play along even if you don't yet own any Pixie Cottage stamps.



Before I go I must thank my dear, lovely friend Janny for this award...... I did receive it a little while back so you can check out my answers here. Thank you so much for thinking of me hunny ;o)

Finally, just wanting to wish all you lovely peeps across the pond a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING....... may it be your best ever!!

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Card for a friend.......

Good morning!

This is my last post now for a few days as we head of later for our short break in sunny Wales....... or not so sunny if we are to believe the weekend forcast which has given severe flood warnings, lol! Ah well, we'll just have to batten down the hatches if it all gets too bad..... it's still a break from the normal routine whatever happens!

Just wanted to show you this card I made at the weekend for my lovely matey Jo...... we've done an image swap with the stash we bought at the NEC. The kettle and teacup used on the card are from a set I picked up at the NEC by Pink Cat Studio.... just thought it would be nice to have something like this as a change from cutie images. The papers are Basic Grey Nook and Pantry and I added some faux stitching with a gel pen...... a bit wonky, lol!

Well I'll probably manage a bit of blog hopping before we go and then I will definitely look forward to playing catch up next week. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Cute Card Thursday # 86 - Glitter Me Silly.....

Good morning peeps!

I'm back today with a card for this week's CCT Challenge which is 'Glitter Me Silly'...... love that title!! Now let's be honest, it isn't difficult to use glitter at this time of year is it? Every time I see a pair of wings or a snowflake I'm on the case! I've used this beautiful Sugar Nellie image sent to me by a lovely blogging pal from across the pond...... wink, thanks hunny ;o)

For a change from Christmas papers I searched out my Basic Grey Eva papers as I love this colour combo of pink and green. The sentiment is a from little Studio G clear set and I added some stars to the edge of my image, though I'm not sure what the stamp is in this case. As usual my image has been coloured with Polys and sparkle has been added. The flowers are Prima and the swirls come from a Woodware punch.

Busy day ahead at work so I best scuttle off......have a nice day and I'll catch you all later ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Just Magnolia Week 30 - Mina's Sketch

Good morning folks!
Hope you all had a nice weekend? Back to work for me today :o( but at least it's a short week as we're going away on Thursday night for a long weekend. We're staying in my S-I-L's holiday home in Wales and we're planning to tackle Snowdon!!! I just hope it says dry as I don't fancy getting half way up a mountain and then getting soaked through to the skin!!!

I made a card for this week's Just Magnolia Challenge this weekend...... thanks for the wonderful sketch Mina, it was a dream to work with! My lovely matey Jo sent me this sweet image from the new Magnolia range, she's such a cutie and was fab to colour in with my pencils. This scrummy paper is from the Basic Grey Dasher range and I cut out the Christmas flowers and leaves to create my embellies. The centre border was created with a MS punch and some red raffia and the gems are from my stash.

So I'll make a start on my paperwork now....... with a sprinkling of bloghopping thrown in for good measure, hee hee!

Have a great day ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Basic Grey Challenge # 8 - Glitz and Bling....

Good morning friends!
Welcome to another fortnightly challenge over at Basic Grey, where this week's theme is glitz and bling....... oooooh me thinks we might see rather a lot of Christmas entries, right? There is a scrumptious prize up for grabs so do hop straight over and check it out, somebody is going to be a very happy bunny if they win!

So, glitz and bling....... well this isn't a difficult challenge for me as I love both, so I added Sparkle Dust for the glitz and rhinestone gems for the bling. Don't you just adore Mo's snowman? I certainly do....... so much so that I bought him twice, ROFL!!!!! I think I must have downloaded him the day he was released and then put him to the back of my mind..... so then a couple of weeks later I saw someone use him on a card and thought to myself, hmmmm I think I need the cute little fella! What did I do? Purchased him again and then when it came to downloading the PC asked me if I wanted to replace the file which already existed!!!! DOH!!!! So now I'd better use him lots to get my money's worth!!!


Whilst I was at the NEC I spied a little stitching piercer tool that I had been after to help with my faux stitching attempts, so on this card I got to try it out..... not too bad for a first attempt I think ;o) The blue background paper is MME and this gorgeous festive paper is from Basic Grey's Figgy Pudding range..... I cut some circles from the pattern to create the embellies. I also used a Sizzix die for the mittens which are hanging in the corner and I coloured my image with Poly and Koh pencils. Ooooh, nearly forgot, the swirls are from a Woodware punch which I also managed to pick up at the NEC.

Well I'm off out today to take Georgia to the opticians as she's having a contact lense trial..... not sure how she'll go on as she's very squamish about touching eyes, lol!

Don't forget to check out what my teamies have been up to, there cards are amazing.... blingtastic in fact!!!!

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

The Pixie Cottage Challenge 3 - A Sketch......

Good afternoon peeps!

Feel free to join us at The Pixie Cottage even if you don't have any of the stamps yet, it really isn't a problem and we would love to see your creations!



This week there is a gorgeous sketch for you to use and you can flip it around and play with it, as long as we can still see the original somewhere! You can also combine this challenge with any other you fancy entering!

I have used Basic Grey Lemonade papers and Prima flowers, plus a sweet Melissa Frances rub-on for the sentiment. There's also some faux stitching and I added stickles to the cow's hair (do cow's have hair, lol?!)

Please check out the other creations over on the challenge blog as some of the newest stamps are being previewed and everyone has just done such an amazing job!!

I haven't been around much today as I've been having some tests done at hospital and I'm now fashioning a very stylish 24-hour ECG monitor, soooooo glam heh? I have it taken off tomorrow morning but it's annoying me already because the sticky patches are itching like mad, arghhhhhhhh!

Thanks for stopping by anyway, it's truly appreciated ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Roses On Paper # 24 - A Christmas Card

Hi Peeps!

Just a quick post from me tonight to show you my entry for this week's Roses On Paper Challenge...... you're allowed to use a Magnolia image so I chose this beautiful Tilda from last year's Winter collection. The theme is to make a Christmas card so now I've ticked another one off my list!

I think the papers are Bo Bunny and my Tilda has been coloured with Polys and Koh pencils..... I added some stickles to the fur on her coat and some little flat-backed gems as coat buttons. Around the image I've used a Tapestry Peg stamp set to add pine cones and branches. The zigzag stitching has been stamped and both the holly leaves and snowflakes are dies. The larger red flowers are Prima and the mini white roses in the middle are from my stash.

I'm trying desperately hard to catch up with everyone's blogs since the weekend but don't seem to be getting very far, so I promise I'll try to get round later for a bit more of a catch up! Phew! There are so many amazing bloggers out there and never enough hours in the day...... can you all stop being so flippin' creative please, lol?!

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Pixie Cottage DT Card and piccies of the NEC......

Afternoon folks!

Firstly I must apologise to my teamies over at The Pixie Cottage for the lateness of my card for yesterday's showcase! I was at the NEC in Birmingham for the Hobbycraft Show and so I scheduled my card....... but did Mr Blogger oblige? Oh no, not one bit!!! So it's here today, better late than never and I do hope you'll get the chance to hop over to The Pixie Cottage Blog where the girls have produced some amazing creations to tempt you into buying all the wonderful Christmas releases.

The theme for our showcase is Christmas and I've tried to show the versatility of the PC stamps by using this sweet bear and his little whiskered friends...... not necessarily a Christmas stamp but with the right sentiment it works a treat!

Well yesterday was just the most amazing day and to meet all you wonderful bloggers in person (hello....waving at you all) was a real treat for me! We had such a giggle and I think our feet will be throbbing until next weekend, lol! I came home with 54p (won't tell you how much I went with....EEEEKKK) and I don't think I'll be washing my left hand now for the next month so I can keep the stamped 'H' as a momento!!


On this first piccie you can see Jacqui, Bev, Caz and a very giggly Marlene (I think Marlene giggles alot, hee hee)


On this next one the girlies are having a right good giggle about something..... told you I caught you in hysterics Jacqui!!!


Here I think Heather is just about to tell me off for catching her on camera (hee hee) and Kim is having a good old look at what is in her butties!!


This one is the Basic Grey teamies (Heather, Jo, Kim aka Mary Poppins and me) giving it large grins!!


Here are the BG girls again with Tab just as she was leaving...... and thanks to the lovely Leigh (Tab's hubby) for taking this shot and many others, you're a diamond! My hubster would love to know what Leigh was doing all day Tab whilst you were demoing?

Big waves also go to Kim who was demoing with Tab on the Magnolia stand..... sorry I didn't get your piccie hun and very sorry I didn't recognise you in the morning when we first arrived, lol!
Fantastic to meet my best buddies Jo and Heather after all this time and can't wait to see you again at the next one!!

Big hugs, Tara xxx

Cute Card Thursday # 85 Primary Colours meets The Pink Elephant # 39 and a Birthday Card For Daniel.....

Good morning peeps and a misty one at that!!!

Here is my card for this week's Cute Card Thursday where the theme is to use primary colours...... in this case I opted for red and yellow. There's no blue as it wouldn't have worked here, but I hope the other two colours will be enough! I used a cute image from Sugar Nellie and the lettering is from a See D's alphabet set. I'm also entering the Pink Elephant Challenge where we are asked to use brown, yellow, neutral and a colour of our own choice..... in this case the red on my image and one of the backing papers.

I made the card for Claire's son who is celebrating his twelth birthday tomorrow...... please check out the details on her blog as you may still have time to send him a card if you hurry!!!

I'm sooooooooo excited about tomorrow as I'm going to the NEC in Birmingham and will meeting up with lots of blogging pals........ typical though, I've been waiting months for this day and I wake up this morning with a big spot on my chin and a raging sore throat! Well even if I feel lousy in the morning I'm just dosing myself up and I'M GOING!!!!

Off to get some work done now........ thanks for stopping by today ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Cutie Sunday # 66 - A Sketch......

Morning peeps!

There's a fab sketch over at Cutie Sunday this week so I used it to make a card for my friend's daughter who has her birthday next week....... as you can see I haven't yet finished with Autumn cards....... well it is my fave season after all!

I used the yummy papers from Basic Grey's Indian Summer collection..... these really are so beautiful! My lovely friend Gina kindly sent me some of these images ages ago and this one was a dream to colour. I also used a Magnolia stamp, the trailing vine, which I added by masking my image. The colouring was done with Poly and Koh pencils and I added some glitter to the wings..... they are sooooo sparkly IRL! The punched borders are a MS punch and the little flowers were punched with a Woodware punch.

I'd like to thank the ladies over at Cutie Sunday because this was such a fab sketch to work with and I hope to use the layout again.

As usual I'm blogging whilst at work so I'd best crack on....... the kettle has just boiled, lol!

Thanks for stopping by today ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Stampin For The Weekend # 22 - Back To The Eighties (with a twist)......

Morning peeps!

I'm back with a card for the Stampin For The Weekend Challenge..... this week it's themed on some songs from the eighties and I chose 'Dirty Laundry' by Don Henley..... the extra theme is to use the colours orange, blue and purple. Now I wouldn't necessarily put these three colours together but then that's why it's a challenge....... and I really like how it worked out. The reason I chose the 'Dirty Laundry' song is because I knew I had this Hanglar image lurking in my stash..... great fun to colour and lots of fun!



I used Prima flowers on my card and my new MS oak leaf punch. The papers are oddments from my stash and I coloured my image with Poly and Koh pencils. I'm trying to remember the make of the scrabble letters I stamped for my sentiment, can't just check because I'm at work so I'll add this info later when I get home.

Before I go I would just like to say a huge thank you to Juls for giving me this brilliant award ;o)

I believe I have to answer all these questions in on word, so here goes:

1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Your hair? blonde
3. Your mother? listener
4. Your father? kind
5. Your favorite food? Chinese
6. Your dream last night? house
7. Your favorite drink? tea
8. Your dream/goal? health
9. What room are you in? office
10. Your hobby? creating
11. Your fear? snakes
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something that you aren't? mean
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. Wish list item? cricut
17. Where did you grow up? Reading
18. Last thing you did? smiled
19. What are you wearing? smile
20. Your TV? standby
21. Your Pets? Fizzy
22. Friends? lifesavers
23. Your life? enriched
24. Your mood? tired
25. Missing Someone? kids
26. vehicle? car
27. Something your not wearing? socks
28. Your favorite store? Magnolia
29. Your favorite color? Green
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? tv
32. Your best friend? beautiful
33. One place that I go to over and over? computer!!
34. Facebook? Nah!!
35. Favorite place to eat? table

The 5 people I would like to pass this onto are:

Georgia - Kitty Krafts

Jo - Boots Blog Spot

Chris - Sketching Stamper

Ruth - A Passion For Cards

Claire - Crafty C's Crafting Library

I'm off to catch up on some paperwork now....... enjoy your day ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xx

Simon Says - All That Sparkles.....

Good morning folks!

Yeah, we have some sunshine at last..... I believe it's going to get colder this week but that should mean bright, crisp days ;o)

My card today is for the Simon Says Challenge which is 'All That Sparkles'..... not a difficult brief at this time of year when we're all gearing up for Christmas!

I used one of the wonderful Henry Mouse images by Whiff of Joy, available right now at Michelle's Store and you'll also find these amazing sparkle brads for sale in the embellishment section.... I just love them!

My papers are Basic Grey Eskimo and the pretty pink felt border is Papermania..... I used a MS punch to create the zigzags and cut some snowflakes with a Sizzlit die, which I then embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder. Finally, the lettering is from a Basic Grey sheet and I coloured my image with Poly and Koh pencils.

I'm pleased with how many Christmas cards I already have under my belt, far more than normal at this time of year..... I'm determined not to be in a mad rush this year and to get everything sent out early....... famous last words?!!!!

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Sukkersott # 59 'Inches' Meets One Stop Craft # 53 'Newspaper/Text'....

Good morning everyone!

Is it wet and windy today where you are? It certainly is here and has been all night..... in fact there are very few leaves left on the tress now! Ah well, a perfect day to stay in and get inky..... then again I don't need an excuse really!

Whilst blog hopping on Friday I came across the Sukkersott Challenge which has a fabulous theme this week where you have to use 'inches' to present your image..... in other words the image needs to be split into one inch squares and then put together..... great fun and I love the effect!

Then I also noticed that the One Stop Craft Challenge is asking us to use newspaper or text on our projects.... well I found a lovely sheet of K&Co paper which has an aged newspaper style text on it and thought that would be perfect. I'm very lucky that my matey Heather kindly stamped me some of her Maribel images a while back and saw this as the perfect opportunity to present this lady in one inch squares..... no Maribel not Heather, lol! The beautiful gold and cream ribbon was also sent by Heather and I've just been itching to use it on a card. The design paper is by MME (I think) and I cut out some of the elements to use as embellishments too.

I did lots of tearing, sanding and distressing on this card and added a little gold gel pen to highlight parts of the image. I finished with a few flat back pearls..... these really are so versatile and if you don't own any yet, you can find them in heaps of colours over at Elaine's store..... and so cheap they are too!!

Well I'm off for a blog hop now as I didn't get much chance last night..... we went to a brilliant firework display with the in-laws and then came back to have hot jacket potatoes and mulled wine.......yes mulled wine!! Christmas can never start to early in this house you know..... oh and it took just one glass to make the M-I-L very squiffy!!!

Have a great day and wrap up warm!!

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx