sparklybits blog

Hobbyjournaal Yearbook 2011-2012

2011-11-30T14:58:00.000-08:00

Hobbydol 68 POSTER (Chrissie meets Forever Friends) and Hobbydol 68 plus the latest Hobbyjournaal 81 and Hobbyjournaal Yearbook 2011-2012 has arrived at www.sparklybitscrafts.com

stitched card

2011-10-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

here is my first attempt at a stitched card , the pattern is in the new hobbydol pattern book and the decoupage is the new forever friends decoupage sheet 8 sheets of this lovely bear for you to cut out and add to your Christmas cards and at £1.75 its a bargain with 26 decoupage designs for you to cut out all available under card stitching section at www.sparklybitscrafts.com

craftysentimentsdesigns

2011-09-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

here are some new samples i have made using craftysentimentsdesigns stamps which are new in at www.sparklybitscrafts.com they are such beautiful stamps to work with , i have coloured them with copics and gel pens and used my new nesties to add a bit of decoration

hobbydots

2011-09-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

Another hobbydots card made , I'm loving these new items they are so easy yet so dramatic when added to a card , new hobbydots and hobbydols products added over the next 24 hours at www.sparklybitscrafts.com

hobbydots and hobbyjournaal 78 now in stock

2011-09-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

new range of hobbydots and hobbydots layer cards have arrived at sparklybitscrafts, these are great fun to work with, the layer cards have the images already on and you just add the dots (which come in a variety of colours) over the coresponding image to create stunning designs , i have shown the different ways in which these can be used as a topper or with other elements to make a larger more dimentional card , the layer cards come in a pack of 3 and there are other designs besides christmas ones , why not pop over to the website and have a look , also new on the website are the DUTCH LANGUAGE - Crafting Paper.Hobbyjournaal 78 which includes a FREE 3D SHEET (while stocks last). Issue 78 of the Hobbyjournaal contains yet more fantastic templates, hobbydots patterns, stitching patterns by various designers, instructions and crafting suggestions from the Hobbyjournaal team.

Even though this paper is written in Dutch, the stitching patterns and various templates (with many coloured pictures) are sufficient to enable you to make many of the beautiful cards.

card for my daughter

2011-07-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

i thought id have a go at painting so i decided to make my daughters card , sketched the image first and then painted using acrylic paints , she is 25 on sunday , boy does that make me feel old lol ,anyway i hope she likes it

card for a friend

2011-06-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

managed to make a quick card this week thankfully i had the image already stamped and coloured in , just love these stamps and wish we could get them here in the UK , anyway i think its nice and cheerful used my nesties and threadded ribbon round the edge of the card which i think is the finishing touch

encaustic art

2011-03-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

my new hobby encaustic art , wow this is a fascinateing hobby to see it change in front of your eyes is amazing, and i just love it , i aim to make these into cards eventually but at the mo I'm just learning the techniques and playing , it is all available from wakes waxes (http://www.waxes.co.uk/) and i must say there service is second to none i only ordered it on Tuesday and it arrived today , after watching the DVD that comes with the starter set i decided to have a go and these are my first 4, not brilliant must admit but for a beginner but I'm really pleased with the results and they say practise makes perfect lol fantastic hobby and if you have never tried it give it a go

shenna douglass new stamps

2010-10-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

thought id have a play with the new Sheena Douglass stamps that arrived at sparklybitscrafts , not only do i love the lady i adore her work i hope i have done her new range proud , so here it is a easel card as i love these i have inked in the back ground to match the paper which i have had for a while but never could bring myself to use it is off the Joanna sheen pad and i added a few feathers for detail , i also added a row of beads across the bottom for added bling the sentiment is also stamped , embossed and distressed with ink

nannieflash is giveing away candy

2010-10-20T00:47:00.000-07:00

wow Shirley (nannieflash ) is giving away blog candy for celebrating her 2 year anniversary , congratulations hun it's a fab blog and the cards are to die for , here's to the next 2 years http://nannieflash.blogspot.com/

week 2 class la pashe christmas carols card

2010-10-10T05:37:00.000-07:00

week two's class we did la pashe Christmas carols cards these are die cut and so simple to do i love them for a quick last min card if you have forgotten someone , i have matted and layered it onto lemon glitter card and added a bit of stickles to the wreath (not showing up very well sorry ) but i think it needed just a touch of glitter to make it stand out , la pashe new sheets available at sparklybitscrafts , that's another one done for my collection i need only about 40 more to go lol

week 1 class projects fabric panel cards

2010-09-23T00:04:00.000-07:00

last night was my first class at Burliegh college and i must say it was brilliant , i had the time of my life and my students were a pleasure to teach , they are all beginners which makes my job so much easier , and they were thrilled at the tips and cards that we all made ,and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves here are a few examples of what i made during the lesson , the first one is a basic card using a fabric panel which i matt and layered onto a Christmas backing layer card , the second i made into a easel card and decoupaged the fabric panel and added glitter , the 3rd i have made a little more difficult and added a cuttlebug embossed panel which i have inked up and then added ribbon and a backing paper which i have also used as the sentiment , next week i am teaching the basics of decoupage , invertage , pyramage , and twisterpage ,

clare is giving away blog candy

2010-09-11T02:27:00.000-07:00

pop over to clare's blog she is giving away candy for having her blog 2 years , well done hun it a fab blog
http://thread-bare-mycraftylife.blogspot.com/2010/09/candy-alert-triple-celebration.html

toilet roll backing paper and coffee filter flowers card

2010-09-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished card made using toilet roll backing and filter coffee paper flowers , this is one of the projects i hope to teach at night school craft classes which are held at Burliegh college , Loughborough

coffee filter flowers

2010-09-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have made these flowers from coffee filter papers and will try to explain how i did it , if you wish to make lighter coloured flowers Drop the filter paper into a bowel of diluted bleach for 10 minutes and let to dry , then you can start to make the flowers , i used cone shaped filter papers , and you need to cut the joined side off , then using fancy scissors cut across the top to create a fluted edge , and then cut approx 3/4 of a inch down with normal scissors , repeat this 3 times working down the filter paper , when you have done this open out and stitch using long stitch along the straight edge and draw in together tightly then over sow the 2 outer edges to make full circle , open out and flatten down, place 3 circles on top of each other and fasten with a brad , then spray with glimmer mist or ink and water in a spray bottle, and then dry with your heat gun they will crisp up and you can shape and mold them as they dry , the wider the strips the bigger the flowers , i hope you have as much fun making these as i did

toilet roll backing paper

2010-09-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

i have made this backing paper using 6 sheets of cheep toilet roll , glimmer mists spray , cuttlebug machine and cuttlebug embossing folder , i will try and explain how to do it .
you need to layer the toilet roll inside the embossing folder as in picture one , then layer as in pic 2 , then repeat the ist layer as in pic 3 , next spritz with glimmer mist , if you dont have this you can use inks and water spray , soak the paper and close the cuttlebug folder to sandwich it , put through your cuttlebug , it might be best to place it on a tray as some excess dye may seep out , then you can either leave to dry naturally or dry with your heat gun ,

crafters companion easel card

2010-09-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

i was looking through my older stuff last week and found these cute companions stamps and cd , so thought i would have a play and this is what i made , then i thought i would make it into a easel card and i think its perfect for these , i am addicted to making easel cards now and love the effect , hope you like it

explodeing box with floating butterflies

2010-08-17T11:03:00.001-07:00

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inside the box

2 days i have been working on this and i wasn't sure now i love it now it has all come together , its oriental theme and I've even inked the edges up to give it a finishing touch it makes such a difference , using my nestabilities labels one again (i can see me using this so much ) i have matted and layered each section with oriental images and butterflies , the center one's are attached to jewellery wire to make them float , i will be teaching these at classes in September ta lot of the images are from the hunkydory oriental card kit available on the website , the butterfly's are called ice blue (i think ) and i have added them to acetate and glittered the back of them , really pretty don't you think they are also available on the website but be quick or i might just pinch them all to use lol

embossed christmas card

2010-08-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

yes i know i haven't posted anything for a while but I've been busy making samples up of stuff that I'm going to be teaching in September and it will be here before we know it so apologies to blog land for the delay , here is a card i have made using embossing technique's , which i love , it is a flourish stamp and a old fave of mine has been used for the Christmas tree and it has all been embossed in silver embossing powder , the nesabilities die is labels one which is a perfect size for this card , i used blue ink to finish off the edges of the topper and card and a simple christmas wishes stamped sentiment which has also been embossed to match it all together , hope you like it

craft robo cards

2010-08-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

been playing with my robo again and these are what i came up with , a sympathy card (you never know when you will need one ) and a christening card , , im really chuffed with them but cant take credit for the design its a purchased gsd file im not that clever lol what do you think

keepsake bookatrix

2010-08-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

This is the latest bookatrix i have made which is for my niece who is having her first girl she already has 2 boys so were all very excited for her and this has flown all the way out to spain , congratulations to you both

hunkydory easel card and match-its pop up card

2010-06-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

where has June gone ? i cant believe we are nearly into July already and i apologise for not blogging much i have been so busy doing my English and math's revision i haven't done much else , then tonight i realised its my daughter's birthday in 3 days , so here are the cards I've made for her from myself and my son , i have used the hunkydory butterfly kit which i love and made it into a easel cad which i am also addicted to doing now, there so easy to do and i love the effect , the middle one is a old fave of mine too the pop up card and i think this match-it's fairy is perfect for it , all products used are available at my web shop www.sparklybitscrafts.com

altered art

2010-06-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

thought id try having a go at altered art so here they are, the large tin was a tin of chocolate wafers very scrummy and just what i needed to munch through whilst i was making this lot (lol) then i purchased a cheep note book , a writing box and pen set , a candle , and then made a card to match it all , stamped image was made using my crafter's companion lavender stamp set , and the backing glitter card with lavender pictures and writing matched perfect , then i have used my nestabilities and pro-markers to shape and colour the toppers, ribbon and lace from my stash and here they are, i think a few more of these and IL have a start to my Christmas pressies list, most of the products used are available at www.sparklybitscrafts.com

more recent cards made for relations using cuttlebug and craft robo

2010-05-19T02:29:00.001-07:00

craft robo cards

2010-05-19T02:25:00.000-07:00

here is a selection of cards made recently using the craft robo

craft robo wedding card

2010-05-19T02:11:00.002-07:00

i recently purchased a craft robo and i love it so much here is a card Ive made recently using the robo who has now become my best friend i can highly recommend them have also made the box but as usual my camera batteries have been pinched lol as soon as i find the culprit i will get them back and take a picture

shadow box card

2010-04-30T06:50:00.000-07:00

keep seeing these so i thought id have a go and it was easier than i thought , so i'l try and explain how i did it , take 2 pieces of card stock can be any length but as i wanted to use my bug and nestie dies i made the width the right size to fit through , take 1 of the card pieces and put your nestie die in the middle and run through the machine this cuts out the shape for the window and also the cut out piece you add your image to in this case i stamped my penny black image and coloured in with pro markers , then score on both the shorter ends of the card at 1/2 inch and 3/4 of a inch on both pieces use your bone folder to fold then decorate and that's it , i have shown a Ariel view to explain it a bit better , the flowers are a new range i will be adding to www.sparklybitscrafts.com over the next few days , penny black stamps and spellbinder nestabilities are also from sparklybitscrafts the website can also be found on the right hand side of this page , have a great bank holliday x mandy

Hunkydory Eastern flourish deluxe card kit

2010-04-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

thought id have a go at another easel card these are very addictive lol i have Matt and layered with mirri board that i acquired a while back and use a sentiment and topper from the hunkydory eastern flourish card kit , there is so much stuff in these kits I'm sure IL be making a few of these it was so quick and easy to do

new mega scalloped nestability dies

2010-03-20T07:41:00.001-07:00

as soon as i saw these new mega scalloped and mega oval nestabiiity dies i just knew i had to keep one for myself its perfect for so many things i make , being larger than the normal dies it has lots of room to add a decoration so i thought i had this second panel left over from the hunkydory birthday wishes card kit that i used for my mothers day card (i couldn't use the verse as it was a birthday verse and it was so pretty i had to add it to this one , i have Matt and layered with silver mirri card and then cut to panels using the nesties which were a perfect size for the die cut floral decoupage i had from the small beauties die-cut decoupage sheet (all of this is available form my shop)and it looked perfect for this card , added a bit of glitter and a ribbon some small flowers and here it is ,hope you like it x Mandy

pinflair Staf Wesenbeek Birds and Butterflies Pyramid Greeting Card

2010-03-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

here are a couple of sample's i have made up using the beautiful pinflair Staf Wesenbeek Birds and Butterflies Pyramid Greeting Card kits these are now available at www.sparklybitscrafts.com and are so pretty, the farm yard one i think makes a excellent mens card which i always find so hard to do , the card blanks are excellent quality and is so easy to do , the butterflies and Flowers one is a little more tricky but thankfully with it being mostly straight lines not too difficult to cut out and the card blank is die cut so it makes a stunning card which im sure you will agree is very different , happy crafting mandy x

hunkydory new products

2010-03-09T05:22:00.000-08:00

thought id make another sample of the new products that are due to arrive at sparklybitscrafts sooooooon i hope , they are the new hunkydory fairy collection and Ive also done my first attempt at a easel card and I'm sure IL be making lots more there great fun , the little fairy i made a skirt for which was bit fiddly to say the least but it turned out OK in the end i have taken a picture from the side as it shows it off better ans sorry for the pants picture my bulb has blown on my lamp and i haven't had time to get a new one , the sentiment was attached using jump rings which are also available on the website under jewellery findings jump rings and i quite like the effect with it dangling down instead of just being fixed rigid x mandy

new tim holtz distress pads and ink blending tool added today

2010-03-06T06:32:00.000-08:00

5 brand new colours from tim holtz distress ink range added today , spun sugar, rusty hinge, tumbled glass, wild honey , and bundled sage , plus the new inkssentials blending tool and refill pads these are a must if you like to edge your product in ink and don't want to get in a mess lol check them out now at www.sparklybitscrafts.com or click on the banner opposite to take you straight there

mother's day card

2010-03-04T06:37:00.000-08:00

here is a card i have made for my mum for mother's day , i have cut out the rose panel from the windows to the heart hunkydory kit on my website and Matt and layered it onto glitter card , the right panel is made by adding the verse which i have duplicated on the inside to a panel and used meltdust to create, i have added a touch of glitter and pink sakura pen to highlight it all , then added ribbon borders which have little beads to complete , I'm really please with it and just shows how versatile these kits are , not only do they make stunning cards if used as a kit but also cut down and made up in other ways , i hope you like it as much as i do , happy mother's day mum

my 50th birthday

2010-03-04T06:22:00.000-08:00

thankyou to all my friends and family who made my 50th birthday so special last weekend , the cards were all so special to me i will treasure them for ever ,here are just a few of them

new products arriving at sparklybitscrafts

2010-02-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

well after a fab day yesterday at the trade show I'm please to say there will be some exciting new products arriving soon at sparklybitscrafts , i have made a sample up just to tease you lol , this is the new hunkydory sets that are coming in and there are loads of new nestabilities on order so IL let you know as soon as they arrive ,this is just a few of the new products threes loads more so keep watching

sparklybitscrafts is open

2010-02-18T05:06:00.000-08:00

firstly id like to tell you about the good news the new website www.sparklybitscrafts.com is now up and running fully (just a few more products to add)and I'm really impressed with the way it looks , it has been a long 2 months building it but I'm sure you will agree with me it is sooooooooooooo much better and secondly id like to thank all my friends and family who have supported me by sending well wishes and making me cups of coffee when i have been sat at my desk for hours on end adding products to the site , also some more exciting news I'm off to the trade show this weekend so hopefully IL be able to add lots of new and exciting products to the shop in the next few weeks , please let me know what you think to the new shop all feedback good or bad is gratefully received.

new website

2010-01-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

sorry to all my friends who have sent me messages and i hav'nt replied but as you all know im in the process of building the new webshop and its caused a few headaches to say the least , the last one being today when my pc decided it dosent want to play any more so it has gone in to be fixed and im on my new laptop , my old website is still active despite me asking them several times to close it as i cannot access the email or orders section this has also caused problems as i have orders that i cannot prosess as i dont know what they are SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER FROM SPARKLYBITS!!!!!!! the new webshop www.sparklybitscrafts.com is almost complete and should be fully open by monday next week every thing crossed , thankyou to all my friends who have sent good wishes and il hopefully be back to normal soon your support means more to me than you will ever know x mandy

new award

2009-12-15T12:03:00.001-08:00

thankyou so much shirley for this award it means the world to me
here are 5 things about me you didnt know
1. i was born and brought up in melton mowbray and the stilton cheese factory was behind my house (phew)
2. i used to march in a band when i was 12
3. im naturally light brown but have been a blonde for 15 years now
4. i used to dj in a night club
5. im the middle child and there is 6 years between me and my eldest sister
i would like to pass this on to kaz_za . clare ,and liz

silver kinectic cards

2009-12-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

here are the silver hunkydory kinetic Christmas cards

few more kinetic cards from the hunkydory kits

2009-12-04T13:15:00.000-08:00

i absolutly love these kits and there are only a few left in stock at sparklybits website , there so effective and quick and easy to make i got carried away and just keep making them here are a few more from the gold kit

mums christmas card

2009-12-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

thought id better make a extra special card this year for my mum as i know how hard its going to be this year for her so here it is , i love it and as she will be spending christmas with me this year it will remain on my mantle piece for the whole of christmas (lol) so at least i get to look at it for a bit longer

couple of quick simple christmas card

2009-12-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

just a couple of quick cards done today

stepper card

2009-12-04T10:31:00.001-08:00

keep seeing these side stepper cards so thought id have a go and im really pleased with it , bit mind boggling trying to figure the measurements but got there in the end lol

god bless you dad

2009-11-16T12:46:00.000-08:00

god bless my lovely dad who sadly passed away this morning R.I.P dad i love and miss you so much

christmas kinetic card silver

2009-11-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

here is a silver kinetic card made from the silver kit also available from next week

kinetic card gold

2009-11-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

here is a kinetic christmas card i have made this week it comes in kit form and will be available at www.sparklybits.com from next week this is the gold kit and it has enough in the kit to make 4 complete christmas cards with all the die cut cards sentiments, toppers and die cut elements, complete card kit available in silver and gold price £5.99 a set

daughters wedding bookatrix and cards

2009-11-09T07:11:00.001-08:00

here are a few of the cards i made for my daughters wedding the first too are made using the bookatrix and tall stories board , the first one is a parchment card which i have just started doing and love it x mandy

care bear cards

2009-11-09T06:59:00.000-08:00

here are 3 quick and easy care bear cards i have made this week with a lace effect which i love doing ,thought id have a break from chistmas cards for a change

my wedding card for vikki and james

2009-11-03T09:23:00.001-08:00

here is my card i made for the lovely couple

2009-11-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

here is a picture of my daughters wedding which was at the weekend 31st october 2009 i was beaming with pride as my little girl married the man of her dreams and they are such a wonderful couple i wanted to share this with you all

penny black stamped image christmas card

2009-10-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

here is another penny black imgage i have coloured in using water colourd pencils i made the snow flake with my cuttle bug and added some flowers from my stash , the snowflake charms and penny black stamp (night before christmas ) are available on my website www.sparklybits.com

care bears christmas card

2009-10-19T06:18:00.000-07:00

here is another christmas card i have done recently using my care bears stamps i love these little bears

craftsuprint stiched card competition

2009-10-19T06:15:00.000-07:00

here is one i have made for the craftsuprint competition its not very often i do a stiched card too time consumeing but i did enjoy doing this one if you get chance to vote for me please do i need all the help i can get lol

penny black stamped card

2009-10-16T07:42:00.001-07:00

here is another one Ive done this week its like buses you don't see any for hours then 3 turn up in a row lol . i love penny black stamps just wished they went so expensive, and its so hard to keep my hands off this stock , this is one i pinched last Christmas and i think it looks just as good this year

sarah kay new stamps

2009-10-16T05:39:00.001-07:00

i had a new delivery of sarah kay stamps this week and of course i just had to keep this one its called noel joy and can be found on my website www.sparklybits.com under sarah kay stamps , throughly enjoyed making this one wasnt sure on the colour combo but i think it turned out quite nice in the end

sample cards for website tipsy adults

2009-10-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

here is a few sample cards i have made for the website it is stamped and coloured in and mat and layered the stamp is part of a set and all 3 of these images are on one sheet plus lots of sentiments and is under THE CHRISTMAS SECTION AND THEN STAMPS on the website for £8.99 and its called tipsy adults i think it puts the fun back into Christmas cards and i know exactly who i want to send these too lol

popcorn the bear christmas card

2009-10-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

another popcorn the bear christmas card added to my ebid shop for sale

popcorn the bear christmas card

2009-10-06T04:58:00.000-07:00

popcorn the bear christmas card forsale on my ebid shop

popcorn the bear bookatrix

2009-10-06T04:54:00.000-07:00

here is a popcorn the bear bookatrix i have made for baby's first christmas it is forsale in my ebid shop

my diamond anniversay card

2009-10-06T04:51:00.000-07:00

here is the one i made for my auntie and uncle

diamond anniversary card bookatrix

2009-10-06T04:47:00.001-07:00

here is the one i have made for my auntie from my uncle i really loved making this one and was really please how it turned out

diamond anniversary card chanmpayne bottle

2009-10-06T04:43:00.000-07:00

here is the diamond anniversary card i made for my auntie to send to my uncle

diamond wedding anniversay card

2009-10-06T04:39:00.001-07:00

here is a diamond anniversary card i have made for my uncle and aunties diamond wedding anniversary from my cousin to send to them , i love making bookatrix cards and was really please with this i made the bouquet from silk flowers

magnolia tilda card

2009-08-28T03:56:00.001-07:00

here is a card i have made recently using a magnolia stamped image , i just love this one its so cute , coloured in using my new pens and tried a new style of card wasnt too sure about it but it was nice to try something different x mandy

embossed and distressed christmas card

2009-08-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

still cant quite get my head round making Christmas cards in august but as i went to a demo last weekend and Sheena Douglas was there and watched her making some beautiful cards i thought id have a go at one of my own , i have so much admiration for this lady she is so talented and it was lovely to pick up some hints and tips , i have made the back ground using a distressed ink (worn lipstick ) and a paper mania gold ink pad and mixed it using cut and dry foam then i spritzed it with water and added a sprinkling of mica to give it a shimmer , i have embossed the scrolls using clear embossing ink and white or gold embossing powder , the flowers were stamped onto a piece of left over card from the original piece i made for the backing and plain white and they have been embossed in gold embossing powder and clear embossing ink and then i used a embossing tool to just make the curl a bit the leaves were made using a green ink pad and water coloured in the sentiment is just embossed again in gold , the whole thing was matted and layered onto gold mirror board , hope you like it

popcorn the bear card

2009-08-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

here is a card i have made for my future sister in laws 40th birthday which is next sat , i thought why do not a popcorn the bear as i just love this cute little fella (just hope she will too ) and i cant wait to get the christmas popcorn the bear which will be in stock next week at sparklybits ,cd's and stamps glitter sprays and shine will all be in stock , anyway back to this card lol i have printed it all off the florals cd backing paper , insert and image which is decouparged and glittered with the glitter spray (not sure if you can see that bit ) but the glitter spray will be here next week too ,l i just love it and now everything i do will be glittered lol so much easier than messing around with glue and glitter i have added a few flowers and the small circle is suspended with jump rings flowers and a brad , jump rings are also off website , added a few peel off's and thats it done cant believe im so organised a week early usually im doing it the day before lol , but i expect to be busy next week with all the new lines coming in so i thought id get it done todayim really please with it
dont forget to add yourself to the mailing list so u dont miss out at www.sparklybits.com

3 butterfly cards

2009-07-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

3 cards made from the new kits added to sparklybits , these are so easy to make the card blanks have foiled butterflys printed onto the front (they are holographic and when the light catches them they chage into a rainbow of colours )and the butterfly embellisments are diecut and just pop out of the sheet , there are enough cards in the kits to make 12 cards and come complete with a sentiment sheet and envelopes, perfect for a quick easy yet stunning card

popcorn the bear stamped card

2009-07-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

it seams like ages since i made a card and with my sister arriving next week from Spain i think it could be at least another week before i manage to do any at all . i manage to stamp out the images and sit and colour them in and that's as far as i get so today i thought id actually put one together lol so here it is my stamped popcorn the bear this one is called someone special and i love the lemons and greens its so fresh looking , i have stamped it using stazon ink and coloured it with water colour pencils , mated and layered it onto gold mirror board and then onto yellow glitter card , i have added a ribbon , bows and a couple of daffodil flowers i found in my stash , stamped and layered the sentiment with thank you , as i think its a perfect thank you card now just the insert to do , stamps inks and glitter card can all be found at www.sparklybits.com

popcorn the bear

2009-06-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

I had my delivery of popcorn the bear Cd's and stamps and as my eldest daughter's birthday is fast approaching i just knew i had to use this CD so here is my first of many I'm sure popcorn the bear accordion card , you have to view it from the side to see the 2 different views of popcorn the bear one way is the front and the other the reverse , i just love this bear and I'm hopeing my daughter does too but then again who wouldn't just love him he is adorable
stamps and cd's available now at www.sparklybits.com

3rd chrismas card

2009-06-25T03:27:00.000-07:00

this one was so much fun and so simple to do i have folded the card so it has a 2 levels and then added white glitter card on the back panel with red mirror board , the little bow is made with ribbon and the flower has a flower has a Tibetan silver bead cap in the middle which is available at sparklybits under jewellery findings i also have jump rings and the snowflake charms available under the same section , the robin image is off another stamp plate (under Christmas items ) and i just stamped the image 3 times and coloured it in using water colour pencils and my koi water brush(also available on the website )this is just Matt and layered on red mirror board and attached to the front , 3rd card done and what a simple card but i think so effective
so why not pop along to www.sparklybits.com and start making your Christmas cards with these stamps at this price they wont be around for ever

2nd christmas card

2009-06-25T03:23:00.000-07:00

here is the second card using the same stamp set and done in a similar way this time i have folded the card back on the front panel and used green and gold mirror board and stamped the sentiment and used my nestability dies to cut the shape out added a piece of ribbon from my stash and there you are second one done

new stamps sets at sparklybits

2009-06-25T03:14:00.000-07:00

just thought id show you the new stamps sets which are available at sparklybits these are £6.99 for a A5 sheet crammed full of stamps and are listed under christmas items and they are a excellent price for 9 stamps i had so much fun making this card and this is how i did it
fold a A 4 sheet in half and then run a A5 sheet of mirror board through my cuttle bug with the holly border , i stamps and coloured the image using stazon ink water coloured pencils and added a bit of stickles for the glitter added a small red bow and a flower with a silver brad and circle , the sentiment is also from the stamps set the trees are from my stash , i love it and at last there is a few cards ready for christmas so i wont be running round like a headless chicken making them 2 weeks before lol

shirleys card

2009-06-25T03:03:00.000-07:00

i received the most beautiful card from a very good friend of mine this week and it absolutely made my day , after realises my bank account has been hacked into i was at rock bottom as its the second time this has happened to me in 6 months first my personnel account now my business account so i can tell you i was furious then the postman came and wow this more than made my day it is so pretty and i cant thank Shirley enough it will take pride of place on my desk and i hope you don't mind me showing it off on here Shirley but i just wanted to show it to all my friends its too beautiful not to be seen i love the colours those little heart charms and your colouring is divine i cant stop looking at it
sending you a massive hug and thank you x Mandy

new delivery of magnolia stamps have arrived at sparklybits

2009-06-20T02:40:00.000-07:00

well my lovely new stamps arrived yesterday from magnolia and i want to keep them all but that wouldn't be fair on you lot would it lol so i will reluctantly let them go to new homes also the Christmas bears stamps have arrived , well I'm a sucker for bears so i am going to pinch one or two of these lol at £5.99 each there a bargain with pics and sentiments as well i will post pics as soon as i can , with father's day this weekend i don't think il get much me time so roll on Monday x Mandy
don't forget to pop over to www.sparklybits.com for a look at all the magnolia stamps and Christmas bears

2009-06-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

thankyou so much for this lovely award shirley i feel very honered to recieve it and would like to pass it on to my very dear friends for there fantastic blogs
1. liz at lizzymayfairies
2. sam at card stiching
3. kaz at kaz-za crafting corner
4. caroline and me and my world
5. ammie at crafty designs
i hope you will all accept this as a token of my thanks for keeping me going and for all the inspiration you give me x

fathers day cards and kanban

2009-06-12T08:09:00.001-07:00

thought i best get my backside ito gear and make my father's day cards and what a great time i had making these lol it is a kanban card kit (available on my website www.sparklybits.com) under kanban , it is supposed to make 1 card as it comes with 1 card blank 1 envelope and 1 sheet but i have split it and make 2 by cutting the card in half and making it into 2 card fronts and then splitting the decoupage sheet , the first one is a shaker card and now ive done one there will be no stopping me , they are such good fun to do , i hope you like them and please leave me a comment if your passing by they mean so much to me x

magnolia with roses card

2009-05-20T02:17:00.000-07:00

well i had my new delivery of magnolia stamps and tibetan bead caps and charms and i knew straight away what i wanted to make (well whats the point of being your own boss if you cant play with the products lol ) so here it is i have used magnolia with roses stamp and water coloured it in and added a touch of twinkling h2's and stickles glitter , the charm is one of the new ones I'm now stocking and the tebitan silver bead cap in the middle of the flower is also a new range I'm now stocking ,i have added a few pearls which are the liquid pearls also available at my shop, the papers and flowers are from my stash
tebitan spacers and charms , magnolia stamps , liquid pearls , twinkling h2's , stickles are all available at www.sparklybits.com
PS if you go the the right side of the blog there is a banner for sparklybits this will take you straight there
thanks for looking x mandy

kanban card for my future mother in law

2009-05-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

this is the card i made for my future mother in law for her birthday last week , i wanted to make a really special card as she is a very special person to me and i have learnt so much from her so i wanted to say a big thank you for everything you do for me and for always being there. i love the kanban range it was so lovely to work with and i will be stocking the kanban range at www.sparklybits.com in the next few weeks if you haven't already done so please go to my site and add yourself to the mailing list so you receive a email as soon as it arrives , thanks for looking and please leave me a comment if you can , best wishes Mandy

3 blog awards im thrilled

2009-05-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

thankyou so much shirley for these lovely awards i would like to pass them on to
my good friends
liz from lizzymay fairies
sam from card stiching
kaz from kaz_za crafting corner
glitter gran for the beautiful cards on your blog
and last but not least clare from my crafty life
thankyou all for following my blog and supporting me

new stamps away stamps

2009-05-08T04:50:00.001-07:00

i had a delivery of the stamps away new scenic stamps yesterday (available at www.sparklybits.com )and as I'm stuck in waiting for the nestability order to arrive i just couldn't resist pinching one from the stock and having a play today , i have inked the backing in 2 colours and then stamped the image in black , i have added a little sparkle to the water which isn't showing up very well but looks better in real life , it is mat and layered on purple and silver board the sentiment is also available in sparklybits shop and i think this is perfect for a new home card flowers are from my stash , will definitely be using this a lot i think

2009-05-08T04:48:00.000-07:00

here is the finished result of the cuttlebug flower i made finally on a card really please with it now backed on to mirror board and i used my fiskars border punch down the edge

flower fairies stamp

2009-05-08T04:43:00.001-07:00

stamped these images out ages ago from the new flower fairies stamps that i have in my shop and only just got round to making it into a card , the backing is silver holographic card which is why it is showing as multi coloured and no mater how many times i take a pic it wont change so it has to do , the images are stamped and water coloured and ive added a touch of glitter to the wings the inside has just prety matching paper at the mo as i havnt decided what verse to put in lol will finish it over the weekend

lovely blog candy up for grabs

2009-05-06T01:18:00.000-07:00

trak-has-blog-candy-craftycat957.html
trax is giving away some fab candy due to the lunch of her new websites pop over and have a look x mandy
http://craftycat957.blogspot.com/2009/05/celebration-blog-candy.html

paper flower

2009-05-01T02:27:00.001-07:00

my friend kaz sent me a YouTube paper flowers tut using the cuttle bug and nestabilities dies and i just had to have a go lol , first i cut 8 circles out of thick white paper then i embossed them using a cuttle bug folder , then i added in in two different colours to give a mixed effect (got covered in ink lol)then i folded them and made this flower and added a gem stone to the middle , then i added the same ink's to my embossing folder and put a plain white piece of paper in and ran that through the bug for the backing now i just need to add it to a card which i hope to do later today or over the weekend I'm so pleased with it thank you kaz for the inspiration

blog award

2009-04-23T05:20:00.001-07:00

thankyou shirley for my lovely blog award i would like to pass it on to 5 great blogers
liz @ lizzymayfairies
sam @ card stiching
clare @ my crafty life
kaz @ kaz_za's crafty corner
ammie @ crafty designz
i think your blogs are fab ladies and a inspiration to us all

handbag card

2009-04-17T04:01:00.001-07:00

today i thought id give this handbag a go and was surprised how effective it was and so easy to do , i folded a A4 card in half and cut off both sides at a angle then i added a top part for the flap and decorated it with peel offs even the handle is peel offs , the little hats are embroider peel offs which i have embroidered and added a few beads to although it was a bit fiddly i enjoyed doing them and think they look really effective , great card for any young lady dont you think

few cards i have made today using the beatrix potter stamps

2009-04-17T03:55:00.001-07:00

well i have at long last had chance to play with the new Beatrix Potter stamps and i just love them i thought id make a couple of variations with the colours and cards and I'm really pleased with how they have turned out , the stamps are available on my website www.sparklybits.com and are so pretty i just love Beatrix Potter and i think i will be definitely using then lots more now

easter cards

2009-04-06T10:54:00.001-07:00

i thought as Easter is approaching fast why not make some Easter cards so this is another example of what we will be making at the craft workshop this week 8Th April if you come along and join in , don't worry if you don't want to make Easter cards there will be lots of other ideas and projects to make , for more information contact Mandy on 01509 829733

SnapShots 3D DieCut Iris Decoupage added to sparklybits website

2009-04-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

here is a example of the new Snapshots 3D Die Cut Iris Decoupage , it is so easy to do and very different , there are loads of new die cut decoupage sheets added this week including snapshots range which have animals and the large format pyramid die cut sheets great for larger cards , also inverted and traditional pyramid sheets and gorgeous fashion sheets from the 1910's up to the 1950's at £1.20 per sheet and no scissors required they are brilliant for quick easy cards with the wow factor so why not pop along to my website and have a browse now www.sparklybits.com best wishes Mandy

more new samples for this weeks craft workshop

2009-04-06T06:41:00.001-07:00

here are some more samples which i have made up for this weeks craft workshop this is a complete kit with card blanks matching envelopes and decoupage sheets , i have made each one up differently to show different tecniques , one has lac'e , one has decorated peel off ,one has a doiley at the back for decoration , another has acetate butterfly's one is a basic card and the last has a cutlebug backing , this set comes as a pack of 6 decoupage rose images with matching backing paper's 6 x gold card blanks and matching envelopes and a pack of 3d pads it is called learn decoupage and it is under diecut decoupage sheets and kits available on my website www.sparklybits for £5.99 a set (please note this set is not diecut )

here are a few more for the craft workshop

2009-03-24T08:31:00.001-07:00

this is the reason i have been a bit quiet i am trying to make up some samples of the kind of things we will be doing at the craft workshop , i just love these sheets they are so realistic and i will be adding them to the website asap in the mean time email me if you have any questions regarding them or even better pop along to john storer house on wed 8th April 2pm til 4pm to see myself and Liz demonstrating and you can buy the kits on the day x mandy

cards for craft workshop

2009-03-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

here are a few cards i have made for my craft workshop which is at the john storer house in loughborough starting on wed 8th april ,2pm till 4pm please email me @treacle04@hotmail.com if you live in the area and would like the details , the first one is a piramid sheet , and the second one is made using the new match-its range x mandy

wedding bouquet

2009-03-07T10:12:00.001-08:00

today i have done the bouquet just hope my daughter likes it

tiara band

2009-03-06T02:33:00.000-08:00

well with my eldest daughter's wedding looming in on me in October i thought id better get a move on and start making my tiara bands again here is one i made last night and I'm hoping to make a few more over the next few weeks these will be going to auction I'm really pleased with this one and glad i haven't lost my touch now for the flowers lol

mother's day cards

2009-03-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

had my delivery of pinflair steppers yesterday and had to have a play here are a couple of cards made using the same sheet one inners and one outers , there great fun i thiought id make a couple of mother's day cards
the pinflair steppers are available to buy on the website www.sparklybits.com

jane nestorenko stamps

2009-02-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

here is one i have made today using the jane nestorenko's stamps range i just love these stamps , i have water coloured it and added a little glitter for that sparkle , the paper is off a paper stack i brought a while back and i thought the colour was perfect for the image , flowers ,ribbon and butterfly are from my stash and i stamped the sentiment and used my nesties to add a finishing touch , i think its really pretty

hangler stamps

2009-02-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

my friend in germany sent me these hangler images which i adore thankyou sally mwah so i had a play today and this is what i came up with im really pleased how it turned out, i have coloured it in with my twinkling h20's and water colours , the paper is from joanna sheen and the ribbon and flower's are from my stash

4th card dufex madallion

2009-02-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

this is the 4th card i made using the dufex madalion sheet , available on my site , this is so colourful and the picture does not really show how beautiful it really is , i love dufex , it never fails me when i want to create something dramtic and i also love lilac and purple lol , i used a peel off which i coloured in using a purple dufex pen these are brilliant iand i dont know how i ever managed without them ,

3rd card clutter sheets

2009-02-13T07:17:00.001-08:00

this one is made using the clutter sheets which are available on my website ,i love these sheets, this is the football sheet and i think it makes a stunning mans card which i always struggle with , i have used the black pearlescent card and matted and layer with silver mirror board