Chester...

...and Chester Zoo - went there this weekend. What a fabulous place...Chester itself is amazingly beautiful and the zoo could be my all time fave so far...loved it...



...the smallest elephant is 3 weeks old and the other baby is just over 7 months old.....ahhhh...

Sally-Ann...xx

A charity image for a very special cause...

As some of you may know, Emma has been raising funds over the last year for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity. I've created this little quirky character, Ronnie cat for Emma, and 'all' proceeds from the sale will go towards the charity - every single penny.



If would like to support the charity (please, please do) you can buy Ronnie from Emma's shop HERE.....and this is what Emma has created with him - fab huh...



Sally-Ann..xx

THIS IS WHERE I'VE BEEN....

....although it was the first week of the Easter holidays...and as always, we had the most wonderful time, in my most treasured place.....We've been visiting St Ives for over 12 years now, at 'least' twice a year....and yes, I do have a goal, so just wait for news on that one...well, a girl can dream...



Laptop was taken - well, the view was worth it....and I knew just where to go as there was no signal where we stayed this time....mind you, I put the laptop away and enjoyed the break afterwards...



Caitlin went on a seal watching trip with Daddy...(I went shopping...)...she did enjoy it in the end...



...and this is 'why' we go....Caitlin was in the sea, as it was so warm....when the wind dropped a little...



...*sigh*.....until the next time...

Hope you had a good Easter break too....

Sally-Ann...xx

JUST A QUICKIE...AND 10% OFF

...just a quickie that I made for the challenge at Allsorts this week who we are sponsoring...the theme is no design papers, and I used my favourite of folded flowers and a very simple but pretty theme...the sweet little kitty is one of my new doodles for April - Princess.





Make sure you pop over to see all the fab creations from the Allsort's DT...and if you join in, there's a £10 voucher up for grabs.

...and some news on the DigiStamp Boutique front....we have a new DT member for April and you can see Janelle's first DT creation on the the blog HERE...as well as all other DT creations...

....and there is 10% of everything on the website today and tomorrow only....and a new monthly competition where you can enter any card you make during April using one of our images, for a chance to win a £5 voucher....details on the blog too....phew....think that's it....

Enjoy your the rest of the Easter break...

Sally-Ann...xx

Sweet Sketch Wednesday Bunny Hop...

....the Sweet Sketch Wednesday DT are running a fun 'bunny hop' from today, and we (DigiStamp Boutique) are the sponsor so lots of prizes to be won if you take part - and there is 10% off all our digi images during the hop.....click on the image below to find out more...



....and here's my card using the fab 'Bunny Hop' sketch...





Hope you can join in too...Sally-Ann..xx

Papertake Weekly...

...it's been a while since I joined in this challenge....so here's my creation using my new cupcake image. I twisted the sketch for my card....and used my fave colours - pink and green...



Coloured with the old PM's/Copics and a touch of sparkle...
Papers - small dots - Wild Rose Studio ..and Imaginesence...the touchy-feely felt dot one....that I use very sparingly...lol
Digi image - from HERE.

Hope you have a lovely Mother's Days on Sunday...

Sally-Ann...xx

Allsorts Challenge week and a sneaky peek...

...eeek, has it been that long....I really do try to make more, but you know how it is....but here's my creation for the Allsorts Challenge Blog who we are sponsoring this week - the theme is 'Just for men', so I've used a sneaky peek of a new Jim image...(available next few days)



Have fab weekends....Sally-Ann...xx

NOW CLOSED * SPRING CANDY *...

...available on my other blog HERE...xx

Allsorts sponsor...

...this week we're sponsoring the fab Allsorts challenge, which has a recipe theme this week of 3,2,1....so here is my card using sweet Isabella (3 papers, 2 flowers and 1 ribbon). There's lots of fab cards from the Allsorts DT and the prize is £10 to spend on the website.


Sorry it's a quick post, suffering a titch from a dentist trip yesterday....Ouuuch...

Have good weekends....Sally-Ann xx

NEARLY A CARD....JUST A SNEAK THO...

...here we are again, over a month since my last post, but we still have snow showers...Brrr. However, summer will be here before we know it and its been nice in March the last few years, and that's only weeks away...Not forgetting there are worse things going on in the world at the moment so we really shouldn't moan.

School hols are looming next week so not much time for crafty-ness then.....but I couldn't wait to show you a sneak peek of a challenge card that I can show in full on Saturday....but not before.



It's using one of my new little cuties called Isabella....isn't she a sweetie....

Hope things are good with you all....

Sally-Ann...xx

NEW YEAR, A BIT OF DISNEY AND A NEW BERNARD...

...happy new year to you all....hope you had a lovely christmas....

It's been very cold here in the UK and still is...hopefully things will warm up a bit soon.

I have so many plans for this year....last year went by in a whiz, so I hope things slow down a bit, or perhaps I need to use my time better....Mmmmmm.

So...on to Disney Paris (a real bargain as bookings must have been down). We tend to do things on a whim...when we can...and when we feel like it. A couple of weeks before Christmas, we thought how lovely it would be for Caitlin to be in her favourite place at such a magical time of year.....so we went.....on the day that Eurostar got stuck in the tunnel.....Oh yes....we wondered if would ever get there....the motorways were shut, cars and lorries were parked up everywhere as we neared Kent, but we were going via the Tunnel and had luckily booked a slot. So, the next morning after our wonderful Premier Inn breakfast, and only 2 hours later than planned, we were on our way...

Brrr....it was cold in France....so much snow, but at the same time, it felt so Christmasy and beautiful....luckily I'd invested in thermals and snow boots....and luckily, my tendency to be prepared and sometimes annoying with it, paid off.

This photo was when we first arrived....the main paths had been cleared, but more snow and ice formed whilst we were there.....oh yes....and it was minus something most of the time.

As it was the Christmas holiday, the parks were open til 10pm....Luckily Caitlin can go with the flow, and as everyone was leaving due to the cold evening, we went in and had the most magical time. I don't think we queued for one ride, which is so unheard of...

Even queuing for autographs this time seemed less hassle and almost enjoyable....



...and this is the view of the castle at night....snow in the air and all of minus 5 or less.....
Brrrrrr....it was a very cold holiday, but one of the best and we had the most fabulous time....we got back in the very early hours of Christmas Eve....and yes, we are quite mad.

So on to this year....we still have the snow, so things on the doodling front have slowed a little as the school has been closed most of this week....


But, I did manage to finish a new little valentine range using some of the popular characters on the website.....here's one....

...and I've made this card for the Allsorts Challenge Blog which we are sponsoring this week...the DT have made some fab creations....so pop over and join us....

(I used SU papers and ribbon - thanks Kimmie.. and coloured him with PM's and Copics)


Bye for now.....Sally-Ann...xx

Eeeek - no cards...

...but I just wanted to share this little cutey....I've been meaning to draw a little bear for yonks....so here's Coco, on an introductory offer too at the mo...



Will hopefully have a card to share over the weekend....Sally-Ann xx (Brrrrr...well, it is here)

20% OFF ALL CHRISTMAS DIGI STAMPS...

A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR...

...here's the card I've made for my competition winner - who is getting these 'Harold' images as part of the prize. The sketch this week on A Spoonful of Sugar was just right for the image, although I did shrink Harold a little to fit in my nesties.





I used:

Paper - Basic Grey - Archaic (must get me mitts on some more of these)
Coloured using Copic and PM's
Image - Harold
Ribbons and flowers from stash - to make it more girly...and I distressed the circle for a bit of added texture.

Hope you have fab weekends.

Sally-Ann..xx

*NOW CLOSED* A QUICK COMPETITION...AND A LITTLE CANDY...

* This is now closed *

...over on my digi blog HERE....xx

IZZY FOR TWO CHALLENGES...

...nice to see some rain in the UK, but don't you just hate getting wet...those blinkin school runs...lol....actually, I haven't got that far to go, so we do walk...takes all of 5 mins, but just enough to feel the rain creeping up from the bottom of my jeans....grrr...but I'm grateful we can walk...

Anyway, on to my card......here's my entry for Papertake Weekly - a super sketch from Dawny, which I did turn on it's side....and A Spoonful of Sugar, where the theme is Halloween.



I've used Izzy, but as this card is for Caitlin, I wanted it to be be a bright, cheery creation....and she really is too cute to spook!... (by the way, I stole the sentiment from my DT Liz...as she made a super card using it recently).

I was VERY careful using my black copic marker, and didn't go right to the edge of Izzy's coat and hat, as marker pens tend to bleed a little...The rest of the image is coloured with PM's and then a soft lilac blue copic to outline the image. I cut the little bat out of an image on my Halloween sheet....and added just a tinsy bit of sparkle to Izzy's hat and gloves.

I love green and pink together...but these papers are actually a christmas set from Papermania last year...So.....who said witches can't be cute?

Hope you like.

Sally-Ann..xx

A VERY QUICK COMP!

** EDITED - this comp is now closed **

...and for just a bit of fun to link in with World Card Making Day, I'm running a little competition to guess the name(s) of some very snowy characters.....Pop over to the DigiStamp Blog to join in....xx

TWO CHALLENGES AND A SNEAK PEEK...

...don't you just love a Dawny P sketch...although this is almost too late for this week's challenge, but I think I just made it.

Meet Alex and Felicity....a very sneaky peek of October's new release...and also my entry for PTW....and A Spoonful of Sugar, where the theme is Christmas...


Alex assures me he doesn't always wear brown - he did it for the photo shoot...

Papers - Basic Grey - Sultry
Coloured with PM's and outlined with soft grey blue copic
Felt snowflakes - eeek?...but I re-coloured them with Moss Green PM and a bit of sparkle - Mmm...perhaps not that well either..lol

xx

I'VE BEEN A DOODLE-ING....

...and it's been hard with all this lovely weather here in the UK...but there are some real cuties now available in the shop.....including the 'Lil Poppets'....who are adorable.

...and here's Izzy....I just couldn't resist doing a cutey witch....perhaps she only casts happy spells...xx

CUTEY CHRISTMAS...

...just a sneaky peek of one of my new Milly christmas images that will be available in the shop later..xx

PTW CHALLENGE.... - I KNOW....SHOCK....HORROR

...but I enjoyed every minute of it and it was great to lose myself in creative colourfulness.

So, here's my entry for Papertake Weekly using Dawny's fab sketch....I used my much needed to be used new Explore stamp from Toodles and Binks....a dream to colour as always...and comes with two sentiments.




The papers are My Minds Eye - Bloom and Grow and I used a mix of PM's and Copics of which I have failed to note down...hmmm....well, at least I've made a card at last huh...

Hope you're all having nice sunny Thursdays.....I'm off for some lunch in the sun....only a ham sandwich, but TGI's later....Mmmmm...

xx (phew....that's better....first photo was awful!...this is now more apt and luckily hubby did the lawn last night)

PASSION FOR PROMARKERS...

...this week, the DigiStamp Boutique is sponsoring the fab Passion for ProMarkers challenge.

Make sure you pop over and see all the wonderful DT creations as well as details of the challenge....you can find it HERE.

....here's a snippet of my card....



...and you can see it in full on the shop blog HERE...

Sally-Ann..xx

SNEAK PEEK OF BECKY....

...here's my first lil cutie....meet Becky....

...three images which will be available on the website later today...xx

IT'S BEEN A WHILE...

...my first school summer hols were different to say the least. I had great plans to work in the evenings and play in the day, but alas, it didn't go that way...we did have great fun though and Caitlin did her usual hop and skip to school this morning and was very excited to be going into Year 1...and yes I do miss her already...but I'm pleased to have some 'me' time back now too...

We did loads, but our best thing was this little trip here to Menorca....not planned....not expected, but too good a price not to go.....and we had a fabulous time.



I wouldn't normally consider going in school hols....too expensive generally, but this trip was a pure bargain and as all inclusive, I did well and truly rest, eat and drink...and came back very relaxed.

So now its back to the grindstone and lots of new doodles will be popping up over the next few weeks.....my offer of the month will be available hopefully tomorrow...eeek - how late am I.....

A huge thanks to my DT for all their fabulous creations on the shop blog.....

Hope things are good with you all and I shall be back soon with a sneaky peak...

Sally-Ann...xx

A NEW LITTLE DOODLE...

...this is little Sophie....I was supposed to be doing some more christmas designs but got a little side-tracked...xx (papers are Kay and Co, coloured with PM's and a titch of lilac copic)

A CUTEY CARD....

...ooooh, I know its been a while....and I've been reminded of that from some of you.....so here's a card using one of my latest, Bernard....just simple, but that's me!....and as I received these lovely new papers today, I just had to...xx

Papers - My Minds Eye - Bloom and Grow - Bunny Zoe's Crafts...and are now my new favourite
Blooms - Hero Arts
Buttons - from Poppicrafts (sale)

MEET MIA...

...phew...it's a warm one today....

Here's a more serious doodle for me...a pretty bride called Mia....and she's new for July, along with a few of my usual character style creations....you can find them HERE...

xx

SNEAK PEEK...

...cripes....so warm at the mo, but we shouldnt complain really....I love the summer and so far, it's been a good one...

...here's just a little peek at Bernard....one of the images being released tomorrow for the Offer of the Month...



....can't believe where the month has gone.....we managed to get away one weekend to Woolacombe and had a wonderful time.....camping....Mmm....one of the best breaks for a while (if you ignore the sleepless night)...no pics (shame on me)...but a good link HERE....

Hope you have good days.....Sally-Ann..xx

A FREEBIE...

** UPDATE TO THIS POST - due to a few techy problems, I've changed how you can access the freebie...it's now from the main website home page....Once there, click on the link, then right click and 'save image as'.....to a folder of your choice...sorry about that! **

I've popped this freebie on the website...this is a coloured version, but the freebie is black and white so you can colour as you choose...


Have lovely weekends....

Sally-Ann...xx

JUST GOT BACK FROM...AND A SNEAK PEEK

...just back from a week ...here...



...our view from the tent every day...I know, the word 'tent' spoils it for some, but it was fun - honest!....and you know it's the place I love the most...so I don't really care what we stay in...

and we had this delight most days...



...and this was my little space on the beach...



...oooh...and we had lots of these too...



...and here's a little sneak peek of tomorrow's release....Olive (sister of Arthur)...

...and now I must catch up, once little one is tucked up snug after tea....

Back soon....xx

NEW RELEASES - FOR THE MEN...

...the new images for the men in our lives are now available on the website HERE ...they include - 3 new Jim images....and this one....



xx

A SNEAK PEAK....AND SOME NEWS...

...cripes....it's all or nothing with me this week....so this post covers a few little bits and bobs...

First of all, just to announce that I am no longer on the Willow Sketchie DT....I had a fab time working with Sharon's gorgeous products, and it was great to work with such a wonderful and talented DT team - I shall miss it.....but what that means for you, is there is an opportunity for a new DT member....you can find the info here ....and a huge thank you to Sharon and the team for a fab few months.

....and just to announce that the "Copics" have arrived at the Stamp Galaxy - and at great prices too...

...and here's a little peak of one of my new Jim designs that will be available on the website tomorrow....aimed at the men in our lives cos they can be a tad tricky to make cards for...



...and don't forget there is a great charity Jim STAMP available at DewDrop Craftz too....

Phew....thinks that's it.....but back tomorrow when the new downloads are ready...

xx

PAPERTAKE WEEKLY...MEETS PUDDLEDUCK

...so excited when our post finally arrived today...(the other day we got it at 4.30!)...and amongst the 'file on table for another day stuff', I saw my fab pink package from Toodles and Binks....who incidentally will be stocking Copics very, very soon at their Stamp Galaxy shop...

So, meet Puddleduck Pothington...one of my latest releases from the McDoodles Farm range....(can't take any credit for the fab names by the way)...He was perfect for this weeks Papertake Weekly Challenge where the theme is 'animal antics'....


I coloured the image with PM's and a titchy bit of orange Copic....the gorgeous papers are from My Minds Eye and the greeting comes with the stamp...

Hope you all have fabulous Sundays......xx