Basic Grey # 32 - Heather's Sketch

Good morning all..... hope you are having a relaxing weekend so far!

We're here with a new Basic Grey Challenge today and I just know you'll want to join in when you see the delish sketch provided by my lovely pal and teamie Heather!


It was so much fun to use and, as always, the team have made stunning creations to inspire you!! I know I've said it before but it always amazes me how we seem to all pick different Basic Grey ranges to use too..... but then I guess there are so many collections now that it's not so difficult!


And I know you'll be shocked to see this but I haven't used a Tilda for this card, LOL!!! I was sifting through some of my older stamps and found this little Winter Miss Anya beauty just crying out to be inked! Then I had the idea to add some flower soft to her fluffy bits!! It was a bit fiddly to apply to the small areas I have to say but looks pretty fab don't you think!!!

Do you see the little die cut mittens? CUTE!!! These are a Sizzix Sizzlit die I've had for ages now and I paper pieced them before adding the flower soft. I've also used a MS punch for the deep border, a Sizzix die for the foliage and a scrummy crocheted flower sent to me by my lovely matey Anneka in a RAK. The Basic Grey papers are from the Archaic collection and I'm almost out of them now!! The flower is a Prima Hydrangea and the sentiments are Melissa Frances rub-ons.

So I hope you'll join us this week and don't forget that there is the wonderful $25 prize up for grabs as always from our ever-generous sponsor Simon Says Stamp!

Have a good one!

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

The Beauty Of Winter......

Good morning everyone and happy 'hump' day! Doesn't it come around quickly!!

Well I'm really enjoying making my Christmas cards this year and I have to say I've made a much earlier start than normal! I usually make quite a few Autumn and Halloween cards at this time but have been drawn to Christmas for some reason..... actually I'm sure it's because of the amazing Webster's Pages papers I have. They are just scrumptious and I find myself able to create lovely scenes with them, as I have done on this card.


I must admit when I first saw this Tilda from the latest Magnolia collection I didn't think she seemed that festive..... that is until I realised she was carrying beautiful Winter amaryllis stems! And I suppose she can be used at any time of year really because you could easily make the flowers look like cut tulips too! Anyway, whatever the season she certainly is delish, what a cutie!!

I pimped my Melissa Frances sentiment a bit you know..... oh I do like to pimp things, lol! I picked one rub-on from the Spring set which said 'The Beauty Of Spring' and chopped off the Spring bit..... then I took a rub-on from the Winter set and just used the word 'Winter'..... and voila!

Other than the papers, sentiment and image, the only other thing on my card is some Sizzix branches which I cut out in white and then coloured..... and some Martha Stewart punched mini hydrangea flowers which I thought could pass for Winter blooms too!

I'm entering the following challenges:

Paper Sundaes - A Natural Woman

Let's Ink It Up - Make A Scene

Simon Says Stamp - Punch 'Em (punches and die cuts)

The Crafty Pad - Christmas Theme

Stampavie and More - Christmas

Creative Inspirations - Brown, Sage and Cream


Thank you sooooo much for popping by...... enjoy your day now!

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Let's Play Pretend......

Good morning peeps!

Today's card is for the new A Spoon Full Of Sugar Challenge as the girls are asking us to use punches and dies on our creations. I've used a Martha Stewart border punch, Tim Holtz swirls die and Magnolia Doo Hickey tag die.


Papers are Webster's Pages and flowers are from Papirloftet. The gorgeous white guipure lace star flowers were from Ebay, as was the leafy panel in the middle of my card.


The wonderful sentiments are from a sheet of Melissa Frances rub-ons which I just love..... I only wish you could get hold of these more easily in the UK! Tilda is from this year's Pirates and Princesses release.

As usual I've sparkled away to my heart's content, lol!! And I also added lots of Liquid Pearl dots too!

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

Papertake Weekly - Sparkly and Bright

Have a great day and be good ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Tilda Makes A Christmas Wish......

Good morning Peeps!

Here is a card I made using this week's sketch over at Friday Sketchers.... it really was a fun one to work with and I enjoyed adding all the layers with my Memory Box Mistletoe papers. This Tilda is one from the new Magnolia Christmas collection.


Do you know I have a bowl of pot pourri in my front room and it has lots of cinnamon sticks in it..... well I sat looking at it the other day and suddenly thought it would be great to use one of the sticks on a card..... and now I have a nice Christmas card with extra smell appeal too, lol!

I'm sure there are more challenges out there that fit the bill for my card, so I'm off to check them out right away......

UPDATE: I found some so here goes.....

Charisma Cardz - Vintage

Crafty Creations - Red, Brown and Green

Sentimental Sundays - Distressing

Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge - Let's See Your Winter Wonderland


Have a great day ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Fabulous Darling......

Good afternoon everyone!

When I saw today's challenge over at Just Magnolia I knew I wanted to join in and make a card...... it's a great theme for a challenge to 'Think Pink' and celebrate the increasing success rate at beating breast cancer!

So the brief is to use lots of pink on your card and I don't think that's a problem for many of us crafters!


I used papermania paper and some dot embossed Bazzill card, along with the gorgeous Martha Stewart hearts border punch. I was very much inspired on this card by a stunning creation made by the lovely Dena a few months back.... you can check it out here. Isn't it stunning?!!! Thanks so much for the inspiration Dena ;o)


As you can see the card is very 3D and tactile and was great fun to make!

Thanks so much for checking me out today and have a lovely weekend!

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Merry Christmas Edwin......

Good morning Peeps!

Another fairly simple card from me today...... I'm letting the gorgeous Webster's Pages paper do the talking and this sweet Edwin stamp from the new Magnolia Stampclub release.

As you can see I've also used some delish Guipere lace as a border at the top of my card..... I found this at a local haberdashery store so now I have it on tap, lol!

I wonder what Edwin has put on his list as he sits checking it through on his little Christmas bench, hee hee! I know my list will be full of crafting goodies, but I always ask Father Christmas for some perfume and a giant Yankee candle too!!

I'm entering the following challenges with this card:

EAC - Blue, Green, Brown

Stampavie and More - Blue and Brown


Enjoy your hump day, take care and be good ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Snowflakes Are Gently Falling.......

Good morning everyone!

I managed to make a scene card using my Webster's Pages papers and one of the Martha Stewart PATP sets...... and then added this beautiful Christmas Lucia Tilda and a few giant snowflakes....... fairly simple but quite effective I think!


I love the little Christmas house scene and found the perfect Melissa Frances rub on sentiment to go with it.


And Tilda really does look so pretty and peaceful like this, carrying her Christmas prayer candle as a symbol of the Light of the World...... love her!

I'm entering the following challenges with this card:

Play Date Cafe - Beige, Pale Blue, Pale Mintish Green

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Pastel Colour Pallette

ABC Challenge - F is for Flowers

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Ribbon

ASFOS - Winter Wonderland

Paper Play - Photo Inspiration

Stampin' Sisters in Christ - Prayer (I have used Lucia Tilda lighting a prayer candle)



Thank you so much for letting me share my creation with you today ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Basic Grey Week 31 - Harvest Time.......

WOWZERS!!!

I'm sooooooo impressed with the cards made by my teamies over at Basic Grey this week for the new challenge........ they really are fantastic and capture the Harvest Time theme to perfection! I do hope you'll check out their creations in more detail and also have a go at the challenge. There are so many Basic Grey papers which would work really well I'm sure!

For my card I've used papers from the new Pyrus range and one of Joanna Sheen's Messy Rabbit stamps. To give the harvest feel I cut and knotted some natural paper raffia and chopped up a few berry sprigs...... and I think the Martha Stewart cobweb border punch always works well at this time of year.

I'm also entering the following challenges:

Stampin For The Weekend - Halloween/Fall

Totally Papercrafts - Autumn

Craftalicious Challenge - Anything Goes

Allsorts - Bingo (Brads, Flowers, Ribbon)


Hope you have a lovely weekend and see some gorgeous Autumn sunshine ;o)


TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

A Vintage Wish.....

Good morning everyone!

Here's a card I made for a work colleague who celebrates her birthday this week, using another of the gorgeous vintage images over at Magic Moonlight.

I decided to go for muted Autumnal colours and added this fab piece of glittery ribbon which I picked up in a ten pence bin in my local haberdashery store!

I used Webster's Pages papers and the flowers and leaves are from Papirloftet.

Right then, I'll be back in a bit to add some challenges I'm going to enter with my card......

Thanks so much for stopping by ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Giggle......

Good morning peeps...... hope you are well!

Yep....... another Magnolia creation!! I just can't help myself at the minute!! And this Tilda is so sweet giggling away!


I used Basic Grey Jovial papers and a Sizzix swirl die as the main feature...... and I coloured Tilda with Prisma pencils before covering her lacey bits in Stickles.


I'm entering the Totally Tilda with my card as the theme is Ttaditional Red and Green and then I'm also entering the Magnolia Stamp Lovers Challenge where the girls want to see Sparkle.

I'm also entering the following challenges:

Tuesday Throwdown - Three elements (I've used the gems in 3's and 3 papers)

ASFOS - Winter Wonderland

Sorry to be brief but I'm off to work in a hurry now...... toodles!

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

The New Magnolia Stamp Kit.......

Morning folks!

I was pleasantly surprised to see Mr Postie this morning because he was bringing my new Stamp Kit from Magnolia...... and I'm pleased to see that we have the Christmas images a bit earlier this year.

So I've taken a quick piccie so you'll know what you're getting if you've ordered the kit........ what do you think? Hmmmm, I'm not sure about that tree, lol!

Anyway, must dash now as I've a million things to do today!!

Have a gorgeous weekend ;o)

Hugs Tara xxx

Be Merry.......

Hellooooooo friends!

I've made this Magnolia card topper with the Colour Create Challenge in mind..... the theme is pink, green and cream with the added option of frosting. Here is one of last year's Tilda images combined with a wonderful Pixie Cottage stamp showing a Christmas Door..... this one was designed by the uber talented Sandra Hammer.



The sweet little snowmen were cut from a sheet of MME design paper and the sentiment is a little cling stamp which I have a feeling is Autumn Leaves.



I decided it would look nice if Tilda was holding a Christmas wreath (maybe she's doing a bit of door-to-door selling, lol)...... so I punched out some tiny Martha Stewart leaves and layered them in a circle, then just added some flat backed red pearls.



And I couldn't resist frosting the snow drifts on the door and adding the sweetest little gingham ribbon to the door front...... very festive don't you think, lol!

I'm really sorry I haven't been around to everyone's blogs in a while..... I'm just getting over a nasty cold virus and have been pooped! Trying to put that right over the next day or two, promise!

Take care and enjoy the rest of your day ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Christmas Joy.....

Good morning folks and a very happy 'hump' day!

Firstly can I just say a huge thank you to those lovely people who helped me with my query yesterday regarding a tea light card..... I checked out the tutorials you suggested and they are all really useful.... MWAH!

Here I am with a festive Tilda topper which is currently for sale on Ebay right here. I'm really pleased with the darker colours on this one, made possible with the stunning new Webster's Pages collection.


Tilda has once again been coloured with Polys and I've perched her on the bottom of a Tim Holtz hanging sign die cut. I've also added some Sizzix leaves to the sign which I coloured with Distress Inks.


Additional Magnolia stamps were used for this topper..... the Christmas text and the sweet little poinsettias.


And finally you can see that I added some Christmas berries and then perched a cute little fabric bird to one of the branches..... oh and the sentiment is made from chipboard scrabble tiles which I picked up from my local craft shop.

I seem to be on a roll with Christmas toppers now and will probably have another one to show at the end of the week. I'm entering the following challenges with today's creation:

A S F O S - Sparkle and Shine

Tuesday Throwdown - Chipboard

Stampacular Sunday Challenge - Layer It On

Stampin' Sisters In Christ - Nature

Charisma Cardz - Christmas Crafting


Have a wonderful day ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx

Can anyone help please?

Hello folks!

I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction to find a tutorial for making a tea light box card (if that's what it's called) and if anybody has posted the finished creation on their blog I would love to pay a visit!

I've seen them around lots recently in blogland, but then of course when I want to find an example now I forget where they were...... DOH!!!

Thanks so much and have a great day ;o)

Hugs Tara xxx

Basic Grey DT Week 30 - Sparkle

Good morning folks and welcome to a brand new challenge over at Basic Grey...... prepare to be dazzled as the theme is SPARKLE!! It's an exciting time for the team too as we welcome four new members..... I would like to say a warm hello to Gio, Sandra, Christine and Louise! Our new girls have done an amazing job on their first cards and of course my longstanding teamies have totally produced the goods as well!!

I've made another Tilda topper, surprise, surprise! You can find this one for sale on Ebay right here. I'm finding these toppers so much fun to make and I have created another scene for this one, a windy day. I thought the Indian Summer papers from Basic Grey were perfect to use because the colours are so rich.


I hope this close up shows off this week's required element of SPARKLE, as I added lots of Stickles to Tilda's clothes and brolly. I used a mixture of Copics and Prismas for the colouring and a white gel pen to accent.


The topper has lots of dimension and layering as you can see here.


I thought this computer generated sentiment worked quite well too.... Tilda is trying to hold on to her brolly in the same way you try to hold on to your dreams. Sometimes dreams seem to slip away but if you put in as much effort as you can sometimes you will see them come true.


This last piccie shows the gorgeous Tim Holtz tree die cut I used which was colour distressed and Cuttlebug embossed before some sparkle was added.

Well I really hope to see your Basic Grey creations this fortnight as we have such an easy theme...... and with Christmas fast approaching it'll give you the perfect opportunity to make a start on your cards if you haven't done so already!

I'm going to enter the following challenges:

Just Magnolia - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar - Autumn Birthdays

Stampin' For The Weekend - Autumn Inspiration

Crafts 4 Eternity - Sketch and Wacky Weather

Totally Papercrafts - The Great Outdoors

CES Challenge - Get Ahead, Get A Hat



Have a wonderful weekend friends ;o)

TTFN and TFL, hugs Tara xxx