Creative Card Crew - Sketch It challenge

Here's my card for this weeks Creative Card Crew challenge - to work from a sketch, which I love doing :) I've used papers from Papermania, Dovecraft, and some vellum and glitter card. The handbag is a stamp coloured with sakura stardust pens, all finished off with some ribbon, punched flowers and gems :)

Creative Card Crew: Around and Around challenge

Here's my entry for this weeks Creative Card Crew challenge: Around and Around. I've used papermania paper for the large cbackground circle, a sweet penny black hedgehog image and some vellum and sparkly purple smaller circles. Finally, some mulberry flowers, some eyelets and a circular sentiment. Sorry it's so late - I hope this meets the deadline!!

Creative Card Crew Monochrome Challenge

This is my entry for the Creative Card Crews Monochrome Challenge. I love making monochrome cards as the end result always seems so stylish. Thanks ladies at CCC for setting this :)

First Crop-A-Dile card!

Here's my first card using my new crop-a-dile which finally arrived from QVC! I used eyelets to attach the vellum so that no nasty adhesives would show through :)

Crafty Place Forum

Hi all, following recent discussion on MSE regarding having a seperate craft area, Saveapenny aka Mandy has taken the plunge and set one up here. There will be lots of goings on including Card swaps, ATC trading and Challenges so there's no excuse, get yourselve sover there and join in the fun!

Award from Cathy at GlitterHappy!

Big thanks to Cathy at Glitter Happy for this award, my very first!

I have to pass this on to 10 people who then also need to pass it on to 10, so here goes:

1. Sarah at Raimac's place

2. Mandy at Saveapenny's crafty bits

3. Cazsmum at Flutterbies

4. Hels at Helen's works of art

5. Liberty at Libertycottage

6. Tracey and Paul at Sunrise cards

7. Louisa at Teabags crafty bits

8. Alee81 at bitz and pieces

9. Padster at Paddingtondoo's marmalade mutterings

10. EmmaOC at Emma-Mad Cat Woman

Creative card crew challenge 5 - Easter

This is my entry for the new creative card crew challenge, I'm on the ball this week! :) The backing paper's from simply cards magazine, the image is a Penny black stamped hedgehog coloured with whispers pens and glitter glue on the roses. Glitter card is from Home bargains and I found the ribbon in my stash - not sure where it's from! The greeting is an acrylic stamp and the large paper flowers are by imaginisce. Thanks for looking and thanks to the girls at CCC for setting this challenge, this was really fun to make :) xx

Creative Card Crew Challenge 4 - Texture

This is my entry for the Creative Card crew's 4th challenge ' Texture'. I've made this an Easter card as it's coming up shortly :) I have scored my own card base from a sheet of cream hammered card, and stamped my cross image with stazon onto acetate. This is mounted onto beige paper that has a lineny texture, which in turn is mounted onto torn white handmade paper using copper brads. The message is stamped onto white card and mounted on the lineny beigee paper. Hope this qualifies as texture, the torn handmade paper feels really fluffy around the edges :) thanks for looking!

MSE Credit Crunch card challenge

Here's my card for the current MSE challenge, to make a 'credit crunch' card and cost it all out. I've been a bit lazy as there's not much to it really!

The card base is from a DCWV card kit in a stack that I bought in a sale for a bargainous £1 and got 20 card blanks in it so that works out at 5p.

The rest of it is a cut up Jane Norman voucher holder that I was given for christmas (spent the vouchers long ago of course) but the design of the voucher holder was so nice I couldn't bear to throw it away.

So I've cut round the flower designs and re-arranged them onto my card, I have also recycled the greeting from the card and just backed it onto a scrap of black paper.

This is mounted on some foam squares which I would guess at a cost of about 2 pence. So there we go, my 7p Credit Crunch Card!

Laters :) xx

Fudge: By popular demand!!

for all the lovely girlies at MSE who wanted my fudge recipe :) I've added my own tips into the receipe at each stage xx

This is the only receipe I've been able to get to work right. For making fudge I have a sugar thermometer that clips to the side of the pan, which is a big help as all my attempts without one were disastrous so I felt it a worthwhile investment, but I also do the drop-test when I think its nearly ready into a glass of cold water. I got my thermometer from a local kitchen shop for about £4 but it's been worth every penny!

Ingredients:

- 397g can Carnation Condensed Milk

- 150ml (5fl oz) milk

- 450g (1lb) Demerara sugar

- 115g butter (I use stork marge)

Method:

1. (if you are using a thermometer put it on your pan before heating else the pan gets too hot to attach it!) Gently heat all the ingredients in a large, non-stick saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. (I have a gas hob and heat on just below medium until I can feel that the sugar is no longer grainy and all the butter has melted, then turn up the heat and move onto the next stage)

2. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, (be careful as it tends to bubble and spit a little) stirring continuously until a temperature of 116c is reached on a sugar thermometer. (I find that this takes the full 15 minutes, turning up the heat a little at a time, one of the problems I used to have was that I was just whacking it up to reach 116 degrees in a few minutes, which didnt end up with the right result lol). Alternatively, test the fudge by dropping a little in into a jug of cold water. If a soft ball is formed, the fudge is ready. (It sort of gathers together to itself in the water, you will know if its not ready as it will sort of disintegrate and make the water cloudy)

3. Remove from the heat and beat until thick and grainy (about 10 -15 minutes, I've found it's very important to beat for long enough, until you will be able to 'feel' a quick change in the consistency and glossiness when its just ready, but beware because this change happens quite quickly and you need to get it into the containers when its still able to run and doesn't become too thick). Pour into the containers and set until firm (I dont put it in the fridge, just leave it on the side for a couple of hours.) When cold, cut into squares.

Fudge can be stored for up to 1 month in an airtight container (but mine never lasts that long!)

This recipe doesn't make a chewy fudge, more of a soft sugary one - its the only receipe and technique I've been able to get to set properly.

Hope this helps someone out, if any of you try this recipe I'd love to know how you get on :) xx