Pixie's Crafty Snippets - Challenge Number 3

Wow, I thought that last week's very busy 'first challenge after the lovely Jules stepped down' might just have been a 'blip'. But, you proved me wrong and loads of you joined in the fun again this week - thank you!

First up, here's my snippets make for this week:

Oh dear, as I was making this card I felt the influence of Jules and her wonderful card making - I'm saying 'oh dear' because there's no way in the world I want to copy her outright as that's absolutely not on, but some of her lovely stamps have found their way into my Handy Hippo shopping basket over recent times, her work is so gorgeous it leaves an impression (ha, no pun intended) every time I see what she's been making plus there are a few hearts here as well! Mind you, Jules has a knack of knowing when to stop adding things to cards - I absolutely don't!

I used:

- pearlescent ivory 6" x 6" square card stock

- pearlescent and slightly mottled pink card and papers from the snippets folder

- KanBan lace background stamp, Anita's 'Torn Love Letter' stamp - I stamped the lace background again then the Love Letter stamp on top so I could paper piece the hearts on the Love Letter image as they come plain

-  the sentiment is another Elzybells one

- pink pearls from stash

- the ivory organza ribbon with metallic hearts on was bought in Ravensburg, Germany about three years ago - oh boy Jules, and everyone else I suspect, you would just love that shop!

- then, I couldn't leave it alone as, to me, the lace background looked a bit bare and so I added a couple of punched butterflies with little black pearls down their bodies :)

As I said, a lot of Jules influence here - but not her talent sadly!

Edit: Brenda B hopped in to say that I can enter this for the current Penny Black and More Challenge 'Love and Hearts'. I had spotted this challenge but in the panic to do this post I totally forgot - so now I'm entering it before I post another card tomorrow which would make it a 'back link'. Also, Brenda's comment says that I have to catch her first for detention - read on to see what I mean, saucy little minx :))

I also just found another lovely challenge - Let's Craft and Create and the theme is butterflies so I'm entering this card for that one too :)

Now onto the all-important roll-call. I lost almost all of what follows below on Friday (thank you, you nasty piece of software Mr Blogger) so I had to re-do it all :(( but here goes:

After being 'gutted' last week not to be first into the playground, I'm convinced that Sarn set up camp outside the gates last Saturday night and at the very first 'chink' of the keys on Sunday morning she was in - 'whoosh'!! Telling tales here, it was hilarious to get an email from her a short while later chanting 'I was first, ner, ner, nicky, ner, ner!!' :)  Oh dear, sometimes you lot make me cry with laughter!! Sarn's lovely card can be found here. It's white and purple, really fresh and crisp with lovely stamping, layers and a delicious die cut leafy swirl - just perfect, and very stylish as always.

Next, not far behind, came Jackie with a cute Penny Black card, shown here, one of my favourite PB stamps too, made for a colour palette Daring Cardmakers challenge. Terrific colours too - perfect for a bedroom colour scheme I think. A lovely twist was Jackie re-using some tape which came tied round some new tea towels, and her card just goes together so well.  Jackie then came back later - her cards are here. I can't totally make out which one, or perhaps it's both of them, are snippets makes - but anyhow, they're both fabulous! Jackie's next card is here and it's a really beautiful Wedding Card (in pink, yay, my favourite colour!) using one of LOTV's loveliest wedding stamps. Her last card of the week is here, and it's strikingly simple and oh so effective! 

Irene arrived next with a beautiful card in blues, right down to a lovely blue poppy image painted with Distress Inks, here. I've spied quite a few people now using DI for painting (ha, amazing what you pick up just hopping round snippeteers blogs, let alone all the other ones I try to visit) and the results always look so good. One to try I think! I had a minor panic during the week when I read on Irene's blog that she'd ditched a load of snippets - but, apparently it was just small 'itchy titchy' ones and really to make room for a load of new ones :) I like the thinking!

Liz came scurrying in next with a super-cute Betsy Bluebell card - here - and followed again with another image using a different Betsy Bluebell stamp here. I love these images and how Liz has used them - the fringe on the little girl is horribly like mine was after I chopped it off when I was laid up and bored as a kid with measles :) In fact, I suspect mine was even shorter and much less straight!! On her third visit, Liz brought a beautiful butterfly card, she used a Marianne Creatables die, which is now on my wish list of course. Do go and see it here - it's very tempting!

Mags B then arrived with an adorable card to celebrate the arrival of her grand daughter Lillie - just take a peek here, don't you love the little duckie perched on the baby's head :) Such a pretty card, even re-cycling some lovely ribbon - and many congratulations to Grannie Mags on the arrival of her beautiful grand daughter Lillie!

Sally H came next with two lovely cards featuring flowers - on one the flowers are cut and layered, and on the poppy one Sally has used paper piecing so effectively to create a beautiful poppy. I love them both! Do go and look here to see if you have a favourite - I know which gets my vote by a whisker, although they are both super!

Then Carol arrived with an amazing calendar, shown here, for her craft room in shades of blue/grey. I remember hair dryers like that one, truly - and I love the resolutions she has made. Just two of them but they'll make you smile:) Carol came back later in the week with a really 'angelic' card - here - and some lovely layers of edging in the prettiest shades of blue.

Brenda B was next, with her first Christmas card of 2012 - and what a cracker (pardon the pun!). A gorgeous House Mouse image, beautifully coloured and also a great tip for making a narrow border round your Nesties - you can check it out here. Brenda also came back later in the week with her Less Is More Predominantly Purple challenge card here - she wasn't totally happy with it but I beg to differ, it worked just fine for me! I also think that Brenda might prove to be our rebel - apparently she 'doesn't do gates' - she said in her comment that she prefers to hop over fences instead!! :))

Our so-talented Patron and Founder, Jules, came next with an amazing and very dramatic card for budding rock stars. As always, perfect in every detail and if you have anyone into rock music needing a card, this is just great - take a look here, and that stamp is now on my wish list!! Someone here has FIVE guitars - err, I thought you could only play one at a time? In fairness they range from Fenders to classical Spanish so I guess that's OK then :) Jules hopped in again later in the week at number 22 (two little duckies as she gleefully claimed) with another card, this time featuring some luscious paper pieced flowers, here. Gorgeous as always (and 'with a heart' as always too!) - in fact I counted five hearts :)

Elizabeth (of terrific recipes fame - I made her meat loaf again yesterday, yummy) - followed with a 4" x 4" Thank You card, which is here - and it's amazing what she fitted onto it without overdoing it. Just look at how she made the flower too - confession time - a heart shaped punch arrived today from a little shopping expedition I made to Handy Hippo the other day :)

Next came Hazel with an adorable card featuring 'caroling snowmen' which is here - followed later in the week with this really gorgeous card, perfect for Valentine's Day and using vellum! Hazel used her Xyron to make the back of the vellum sticky - oh dear, do I need another gadget? I just love the silver heart Hazel used too. Hazel's final card of the week is here and it's another lovely card, made following a sketch challenge. Hazel is one of the most prolific crafters I've come across - and always thinking of ways and means to push the boundaries.

Aah, another loyal follower Sandra H arrived next with a lovely girlie card - love the long gloves and Sandra sure nailed the colours - black and white with a splash of colour. You can see the result here. I do love the simplicity of this image, yet it has such impact.....reminds me, where did I store my elbow length gloves! Actually that's not as daft as it seems - I do remember in my early teens having pretty lace gloves in the Summer and very soft kid skin ones for milder Winter days. I can also recall washing the kid ones on my hands, under my Mum's supervision, with Stergene before rinsing well, taking them off, allowing them to dry naturally and then pulling them on again once dry to rub all over with a very soft cloth to make them all supple again. Sheesh, makes me feel really ancient!

Speaking of feeling ancient, next into the playground came Laura with a beautiful birthday card here, using up some Cath Kidston wrapping paper - and also doing some reverse embossing (is that debossing?) which is really effective. Now, I'm going to tell a little tale about Laura, not a secret as it's on her blog for you to see. Laura is our 'baby snippeteer' I think - she was 21 in December and manages to do some lovely crafting, in between being in her final year of training to be a children's nurse. She also has put some lovely circular sentiments on her blog for free - you'd have to look for them but they are there! She works some very long shifts yet still hops in here to say 'hi' whenever she can. It would be so great if some of you could call by her blog to say hello, and perhaps even follow her. A little encouragement goes a long way :)

Gilly hopped in for the first time next, twice in quick succession in fact - here and here. The first time was showing a lovely, bold and sort of funky card in an array of such bright and cheerful colours and the next time she was clutching a gorgeous card in shades of purple, using a hearts edging punch that I would dearly love! Both lovely makes Gilly and hope to see you coming out to play in future :)

Aha, then in came 'trouble' ,in the shape of Hettie (aka Sam). Sam had made some terrific cards for Burns Night and so on, using the funniest and cutest image of a sheep playing the bagpipes (yeah, right!) - you can see them here. When I say that Sam was 'trouble', what I mean is that I fell hook, line and sinker for those fantastic stamps and that's how come I ended up at Handy Hippo doing some online shopping - literally within 30 minutes of seeing the great cards on Sam's blog!! Take a look but be prepared to be tempted!

Next into the playground was Maggie, appropriately for the 'playground' with three beautiful Nursery Rhyme cards here, which she had decoupaged. They're so detailed and I think you'll agree that Maggie must have endless patience! The intricacy of her cutting, using a blade, is quite something! I don't get on with blades, much too accident prone so I'm doubly filled with admiration.

Tammy then arrived with a really lovely wedding card using shades of 'juniper, mint and vanilla', primarily made for The Play Date Challenge challenge but also using snippets. What tickled me are those delicious names for colours :) Tammy's card is here and it's  a beauty - I 'specially love the totally gorgeous bow using seam binding she finished it off with, and the simplicity of the central image goes perfectly.

Phew folks, that's this week's roll call - I hope I did visit you all during the week as you posted your snippets and also that I included you all here with correct links - Mr Blogger permitting!

Mr Linky is below if you want to come and play again this week, the playground closes at midnight on Saturday as usual - but re-opens for business on Sunday as soon as possible, just as soon as I've cleaned all the inky paw marks from the swings and roundabouts. And, anyone caught hopping over the fence rather than using the gates will be in detention - no names mentioned!! :)

Di
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