Made With All My Love

Hi folks! It's been ages again, I know! Been very busy with this and that and not done a lot of crafting, but I think the crafty bug is coming back! It better, seeing as no sooner has one of my colleagues given birth than another one announces she's pregnant, it's the weirdest thing!

Anyway, made this card for a very special colleague, she's had some bad news recently and needs to know we're thinking of her.

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Magnolia; Sentiment by Nicole Verkooijen
Paper: Elzybells Arts Stamps kraft cardstock; Maja Design Vintage Summer papers
Embellishments: Melissa Frances pearls; Zva Creative pearl swirls
Tools: QuicKutz star die; EK Success Retro Flower punches; Marianne Design frond; Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eighteen;
Chalk; Papertrey Ink Dark Chocolate ink
Copics:
E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks)
E44, E43, E42, E41 (hair)
R85, R83, R81 (pinks)
Sorry, don't have the blues ;o)

Right, that's all from me, hope you're having a great summer, see you soon!

Hugs,
Erica

Simply Sassy Thursday

Hi everyone, hope you're well! I had to swap Simply Sassy days with Maria Therese because I was teaching a workshop on Saturday and didn't have the energy left to make a card on Sunday...imagine that, must be getting old ;o). For today's card I've used

Domestic Goddess

which is out of stock at the moment, but will no doubt be back soon! I have used only browns and a bit of red to colour on kraft and I'm fairly happy with the result :D. My apologies for the truly awful picture, but it's been fog, fog and more fog here the last few weeks (I've literally got my head in the clouds, walking on air, that kind of stuff ;o)) and it shows in the pictures!

Card Ingredients:

Stamp: Simply Sassy "Domestic Goddess"
Paper: Bazzill Basics cardstock; Maja Design design paper "Vintage Winter"
Embellishments: Zva Creative pearl swirls; Kars adhesive pearls; charm; Papertrey Ink ribbon
Tools: EK Success Retro Flower punches; My Favorite Things Dienamics border; Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eighteen
Copics:
E44, E43, E42, E41 (browns)
R29 (red)

That's all from me for now, I'll see you on Sunday for some more Sassiness, have a great week!

Hugs,

Erica

Simply Sassy Sunday Sneak Peek!

Goooooood morning!! Here is a sneak peek of the fantabulous new set, say hello to Cinderella, just about to go to the ball I think ;o) with her lovely pink dress and shoes and don't forget that crown, she'll wow the prince with those for sure, he won't be able to resist her ;o)!

Next Saturday sees the release of this new set, which we'll be celebrating with a blog hop, and this coming week there'll be lots more sneek peaks, so stay tuned to the Simply Sassy Blog!

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Simply Sassy "Cinderella"; sentiment by Papertrey Ink
Paper: cardstock by Bazzill and Elzybells; design paper by Maja Design
Embellishments: adhesive pearls; string; We R Memory Keepers wide eyelet
Tools: My Favorite Things Die-namics wavy border, buttons and leaves; EK Success Retro Flower punches; Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eighteen
Copics:
E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks)
R85, R83, R81 (pinks)
Y28, E53, E50 (hair)
E25 (eyes)

That's all I wrote, thank you for stopping by and have a lovely day!

Hugs,
Erica

Simply Sassy Sunday

Hi all, hope you're enjoying the same Indian Summer we're experiencing over here, isn't it lovely! It's Sunday again so time for a Simply Sassy creation, and this time I've made a doorhanger:

This is perfect for a teen girl's bedroom with a text like "Enter At Your Own Risk" or "Stay Out" or "No BOYS Allowed" ;o) I loved this text though, it's from the design paper and matchy-matchy, just how I like it!

Project Ingredients:

Stamp: Simply Sassy "So What!"
Paper: Bazzill Basics cardstock kraft; My Mind's Eye design paper "Breeze"
Embellishments: staples; adhesive pearls; Papertrey Ink ribbon
Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Circle and Scalloped Circle Large; EK Success Retro Flower punches; Stampin' Up! edge punch
Copics:
E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks, lips)
Y28, E53, E50 (hair)
YG95, YG93 (greens)
BG15, BG13 (blues)
E44, E43, E42 (browns)

Right, that's all from me this week, I'm going to enjoy this lovely weather before it's gone again ;o). Have a great day, see you soon!

Hugs,
Erica

Simply Sassy Release Blog Hop!

It is time for another Simply Sassy Blog Hop, as today sees the release of a new set, which might actually be my favourite so far (sssshhh, don't tell the other Sassy's!)... Now, if you've come from the amazingly talented Anita's blog then you're on the right track! If you haven't or if you're just joining us, please head to the Simply Sassy Inspiration Blog to start the hop ;o)

I'm so excited to be able to introduce you to Travel Lite, or as I like to call her, Becky ;o). You see, Becky's going on a mini-break with her new boyfriend and he's very impressed she's only packed one tiny suitcase! Little does he know she's already sent the two big ones ahead to their hotel ;o).

This image can be used for a great many things, such as a bon voyage card, or a miss you card, or an invitation for a friend to come stay with you :D. I have used the new sketch over on Pink {Ink} Sketch Challenges for this card, provided by the lovely and very talented Kylie :D!

I have used My Mind's Eye papers, Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eighteen, the suitcase stamp is from Magnolia, the doily (just visible) is made with My Favorite Things Die-namics, the flowers with EK Success Retro Flower punches, the sentiment is by Papertrey Ink, the pearls are from Queen & Co and Zva Creative, the butterflies from Rayher and the Copic colours are: E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks, lips), Y28, E53, E50 (hair), W7, W5, W3, W2, W1 (greys).

Okay, onto the important stuff: for this blog hop I get to give away the Simply Sassy stamp that I used on my card to one lucky winner! All you have to do to be in with a chance to win is:

Leave a comment at every stop on the blog hop, you have until 12.00 noon GMT (CET -1 hr) on Monday 19 September to do so!

I will pick a winner from all the comments and post the winner's name in my blog at 19.00 hrs that evening, so be sure to check back then!

You can find Travel Lite over at Funky Kits, where they have an amazing deal for the release weekend: buy all six stamps in this set for the price of five!

Next up on the blog hop is the fabulous Autumn, so hop on over and see what amazing creation she has in store for you! Have a great Sassy day ;o)!

Hugs,
Erica

A Baby Boy!

Remember how I told you I have about a gazillion pregnant colleagues? Well, one of them gave birth to a baby boy last month and here's what I made!

A little booklet so all 50 of us could write a funny, helpful or just congratulatory message to the proud parents ;o)

Now, September promises an influx of these tins, as three more colleagues are due to give birth. One of them to twins, a boy and a girl...any suggestions on how I'm going to solve that? ;o)

Project Ingredients:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink sentiments
Paper: Bazzill Basics cardstock; Maja Design design paper
Embellishments: Kars adhesive pearls; CC Designs tin; string; charm
Tools: Marianne Design frond die; EK Success Retro Flower punches; Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Circle Large and Scalloped Circle Large; QuicKutz alphabets Studio and Abigail, shape dies; Fiskars border punch; Kars butterfly punch

Right, that's all from me, thank you for stopping by and see you soon with a new Pink Ink challenge!

Hugs,
Erica

Simply Sassy Sunday Meets Pink Ink!

Because I am a little short on time these days I have combined my Simply Sassy card with the sketch from Pink Ink Sketch Challenges, which is a fantastic creation by Cherie :D! And because we all have to step out of our comfort zone every once in a while I've tried to emulate Maria Therese's style on this card :D.

I lovey this stamp, which seems to be temporarily sold out over at Funky Kits at the moment, but will be back in stock again soon no doubt. Again, she is so versatile and just gorgeous, what can't you use her for!

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Simply Sassy "Strike a Pose"; sentiment by Creashop Duymelot
Paper: Elzybells Art Stamps cardstock kraft; My Mind's Eye paper "Blush"
Embellishments: Papertrey Ink ribbon; Kars adhesive pearls; Prima Marketing roses
Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Oval and Scalloped Oval; EK Success Retro Flower punches; Heidi Swapp paper distresser
Copics:
E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks)
Y28, E53, E50 (hair)
R85, R83, R81 (pinks)
G21, G20 (greens)
E41 (stockings)

Okay, that's all from me this Sunday, I promise to be back later in the week with some more crafty stuff :D! Thank you for stopping by, have a lovely day!

Hugs,
Erica

Simply Sassy Sunday!

Hi everyone, today I have made a flower-less card...I know right, I didn't think that was possible either ;o), but somehow or other flowers just didn't suit. So after a lot of trying I left them off, being somewhat gobsmacked at my own decision!

I got the design for this card from DoCrafts Creativity magazine, I love some of the ideas in there and there's always a free gift which, being a Dutch person, I really appreciate of course :-p. I am one for giving credit where it is due, I really don't like it when people rip off other people's ideas and pass them off as their own. Like when I opened a Dutch craft paper yesterday I saw some of the pages from my Simply Sassy Christmas Tale booklet had been taken almost "verbatim" (even the paper line and the stamps were the same!), and published under someone else's name as her work. It's just not on and it makes me sad...

Anyway, back to my flower-less card:

You can't see the sentiment because, well, I took the picture wrong, but it says "Girly You Rock", which I thought was very appropriate ;o). Isn't this little cutie so adorable! She can be used for so many kinds of cards too!

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Simply Sassy "Lost in Music"; sentiment by Papertrey Ink
Paper: Bazzill Basics cardstock white; My Mind's Eye design paper Lime Twist: Life of the Party
Embellishments: Zva Creative pearl swirls; Kars adhesive pearls; string; charm
Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Circle and Scalloped Circle large
Copics:
E00, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks, lips)
Y28, E53, E50 (hair)
BG15, BG13, BG11 (turquoise bits)

Right, that's it from me for now, hope you have some lovely crafty time set aside for today, see you soon :D!

Hugs,
Erica

Simply Sassy Release Blog Hop!

It is time for another Simply Sassy Blog Hop, as today sees the release of a new set, which is (if that is at all possible) even more gorgeous than the previous sets! Now, if you've come from the amazingly talented Tracy's blog then you're on the right track! If you haven't or if you're just joining us, please head to the Simply Sassy Inspiration Blog to start the hop ;o)

I'm so excited to be able to introduce you to "Team Spirit", one of the wonderful new characters in the latest release of gorgeous Simply Sassy stamps! She can be used on so many kinds of cards and is just cuteness personified I think :D!

I've been wanting to do rosettes on cards for ages now, but kept forgetting...I know right, it's too embarassing! Anyway, that's what I did here and I likey :D! Just that the bloomin' things won't stay on (literally seconds after the camera clicked the bottom one fell off...) so any tips would be greatly appreciated! I'm also embarassed to admit I've used Maja Design papers (again...).

The flags are made with My Favorite Things Die-namics, the sentiment is by Papertrey Ink and the Copic colours are: E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks), R29, R27 (reds), E44, E43, E42, E41 (browns), W5, W3, W2, W1 (greys).

Okay, onto the important stuff: for this blog hop we all get to give away one surprise Simply Sassy stamp to one lucky winner! All you have to do to be in with a chance to win is:

Leave a comment at every stop on the blog hop, you have until 12.00 noon GMT (CET -1 hr) on Monday 25 July to do so!

I will pick a winner from all the comments and post the winner's name in my blog at 19.00 hrs that evening, so be sure to check back then!

The order of the hop is:
Simply Sassy Inspiration Blog
Kathrin
Elaine
Tracy
Erica (me!)
Autumn
Maria


You can buy the Simply Sassy stamps from Funky Kits, Mark has made a special price for you for the whole set for this weekend, check it out :D!

Next up on the blog hop is the fabulous Autumn, so hop on over and see what amazing creation she has in store for you! Have a great Sassy day ;o)!

Hugs,
Erica

Pink {Ink} Sketch Challenge Time

Hi all, hope you're having a lovely Friday, the weekend is here, yay!!! You know how I said my vacation would start today? Well, I was stressing so much at work yesterday trying to get everything done that I decided to go into work this morning to finish it off, rather than give myself high blood pressure and a few more grey hairs ;o). But this afternoon was pampering time: getting my hair done, shopping, all fun things to kick off my vacation!

Now, would you believe it's already time for the second Pink Ink Sketch Challenge, those two weeks have flown by! We had such lovely entries as well, a real joy to see the marvellous creations made with Jane's sketch :D! And now it's our Kellie's turn, she's also the sponsor of this challenge and if you've ever visited her online shop Tickled Pink Stamps then you know it's gonna be a great prize!

Here's my take on Kellie's sketch. I've made a card for my nephew, it was his birthday on Tuesday and of course he gets a handmade card, even though I do not like making cards for boys/men, as I'm not allowed to use flowers or lace or other pretty things ;o). I do tend to over-compensate with other stuff so...you might think it a bit strange...*lol*. I just don't have any embellishments for these kinds of cards...hmmm, that might just be an excuse to go shopping :D!

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Digi from Spesch Stamps; sentiment from Papertrey Ink
Paper: Bazzill Basics cardstock kraft, white; My Mind's Eye "Stella and Rose: Hattie Collection"
Embellishments: BoBunny buttons; We R Memory Keepers eyelets; brads; string; scrapper's floss
Tools: Kars border punch; My Favorite Things Die-namics Banner Day
Copics:
E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks)
E44, E43, E42, E41 (browns)
BG15, BG13, BG11, BG10 (blues)
W5, W3, W2, W1 (greys)


Okay, that's enough chattering from me, hope you have a lovely day and a great start to the weekend, see you tomorrow for the Simply Sassy Release Blog Hop!!

Hugs,
Erica

Simply Sassy Sunday

Hi crafty friends, hope you're not having the same horrible weather we've been having here all week, it's been raining the proverbial cats and dogs :-(. Never mind, hopefully summer will return soon and in the meantime: more time for card-making!

It's that time of the week again: Simply Sassy time! Today I've made a heart-shaped card, I love making easel cards and especially the ones with unusual shapes. I've pulled out one of my all-time favourite Sassy girls (I say that every week don't I... ;o)) and made this cute little card with her. My cards are usually 15 x 15 cm (6 x 6") so it was a challenge to get everything onto this tiny card, I tell ya!

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Simply Sassy stamp "Fashionista"; sentiment by Papertrey Ink
Paper: Bazzill Basics cardstock kraft; Kaisercraft design paper "English Rose"
Embellishments: Kars adhesive pearls; Rayher butterflies; brad
Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Heart and Scalloped Heart; EK Success Retro Flower punches; Marianne Design Decorative Elegance frond die; QuicKutz label
Copics:
E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks, lips)
E44, E43, E42 (hair)
R00, RV10 (pinks)
YG63 (green)

Just one more thing to tell you: there's a Sweet Sassy Saturday stamp giveaway on the Simply Sassy blog, you can find it -->HERE<-- !

Have a great Sunday, thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,
Erica

Thanks a Million!

Hi everybody! Hope you're doing well and enjoying your week so far, thank goodness it's Wednesday already right ;o). I made this Magnolia double pocket card a while ago but haven't shown it on here yet, because sometimes I just have Swiss cheese brain ;o). Anyway, I really enjoyed making this model card, you can find a tutorial on it -->HERE<-- (doesn't Beate just make the most beautiful things!)

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Magnolia; sentiments by Papertrey Ink
Papers: Bazzill Basics cardstock red, white, blue; Maja Design designpaper "Life in the Country"
Embellishments: Papertrey Ink ribbon; We R Memory Keepers eyelets; buttons; scrapper's floss; Kars adhesive pearls
Tools: EK Success Retro Flower punch; Kars butterfly punch; Martha Stewart border punch; Magnolia Doohickey label die; My Favorite Things grass die; needle and thread
Copics: E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks)
B95, B93, B91 (blues)
E07 (red)
YG63 (green)

The large label at the top is also a pocket, to put in some money or a gift card!

Right, that's all I wrote for now, have a great week, thanks for stopping by and I'll see you soon!

Hugs,
Erica

Let Me Introduce You To...

...these delightful Magnolia chickies! A little over a month ago I gave a workshop at the fifth Magnolia Event, organised bi-annually by Paper & Pictures in Doorn, the Netherlands. I was asked months before the event to come up with a project and here's what I made. This is not entirely how the workshop album looked, but it's my draft version ;o).

The pages are pockets and all the left-hand side pages have a pocket on them too. There are no sentiments yet as I'm not sure what I want to use it for...I might even keep it myself ;o)

Meet Lovely Letitia, who literally carries her heart on her sleeve! She falls in and out of love so quickly and gives her heart to every boy she fancies, but none of them are ever "The One"... Ah well, Letitia figures that she'll meet him some day and until then she'll have lots of fun flirting with all the boys in the village!

Letitia's best friend is Shy Sue. They do say opposites attract don't they, well in this case that's soooo true! If a boy even so much as glances sideways at Sue she blushes red like a beetroot and hides behind her hat. She got these flowers from Silly Sam, the boy-next-door who really likes her but is just as shy as she is...will this story ever get a happy ending?

Have you met Berry Betty? She spends her summer holidays picking berries for Farmer Fred and, whilst doing so, eating tons of them as well! She's a little worried that her tongue is now permanently purple and there are so many berries in her tummy it looks like a lumpy mattress, but still she won't stop eating them...hope she doesn't get a tummy ache ;o)

This is Billie Butterfly, who likes nothing better than to chase butterflies round the garden all day. When she catches one it goes into her beautiful butterfly sanctuary where it can feast on flower pollen and rotting fruit (yeugh!) and be safe from Billie's cat, Mr Whiskers, who doesn't understand why he can't reach these delicious snacks...

Anxious Amber is the modern-day, much less heroic version of Little Red Riding Hood. She also has a grandmother who lives in the woods but instead of a big bad wolf to be afraid of Amber is afraid of, well, everything! The cute little deer, the charming birds, the naughty squirrels and prickly hedgehogs...everything! That bunch of flowers she's holding? Not for her grandmother but to defend herself with, if ever an animal should come too close (most of them are used to her quirky ways and stay well away but those naughty squirrels do like teasing her...) she bashes them over the head with the flowers and runs screaming to grandma's house...silly Amber ;o)

Little Bonnie has new purple boots and a new purple hat and she loves them! They're only supposed to be worn on special occasions though, her mum's told her, so now every day Bonnie tries to think up a special occasion so she can wear her fab boots and hat! Did you know, for example, that World Writer's Day is coming up? As well as International Youth Day and International Lefthanders Day? Bonnie has been trying to teach herself to write left-handed and as she is clearly "youth", that's three special occasions, yay!

Project Ingredients:

Stamps: Magnolia
Paper: Bazzill Basics cardstock white; Maja Design design paper "Fika"
Embellishments: Kars adhesive pearls; Papertrey Ink ribbon
Tools: EK Success Retro Flower punches; Fiskars border punch; QuicKutz Antique Flourishes die; Magnolia Doohickey; Needle and thread
Copics:
E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks)
Y28, E50, E53 (hair)
E44, E43, E42, E41 (hair, clothes)
V95, V93, V91 (clothes)


That's all from me for now, thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

Hugs,
Erica

Warm Wishes And Blog Candy Winner!

Hi everyone, hope you're having a good day, it's nearly weekend so what could be bad about it eh ;o).

I have an easel card to share with you today, I'm entering this in the Sugar Bowl challenge which is a lovely sketch by Marlena! The prize, as always, is a fantastic one: you know how Sugar Nellie is the sweetest Scottish stamp company around right? Well, on 1 July they're unleashing these gorgeous Sherbet Pips onto us poor greedy stampers, and guess who'll be first in line at Funky Kits to get her inky paws on them? That's right...moi :D! Anyway, the prize they're giving away for this challenge is the whole set of Sherbet Pips for one lucky winner!

Aren't they just the most gorgeous gals you've ever seen?!?!

Onto the card before you lot start thinking I'm working on commission here ;o). This is the first time I've tried colouring on kraft cardstock and I must say, I thought it would be a lot harder! Granted, the hat ribbon colour isn't like that in real life, but otherwise it doesn't look half-bad methinks :D.

The layers of punched paper strips on the bottom of the card is an idea I got from the very talented Michelle, she did this on labels which is even more effective!

Card Ingredients:
Stamps: Sugar Nellie stamp "Pickin' Apples"; sentiment by CC Designs
Paper: Bazzill Basics cardstock; Kaisercraft design paper "English Rose"
Embellishments: Zva Creative pearl swirls; Kars adheshive pearls; Papertrey Ink ribbon
Tools: Magnolia Doohickey die; Martha Stewart, EK Success and Fiskars punches; Spellbinders Nestabilities Oval and Scalloped Oval; chalks
Copics:
E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks)
E44, E43, E42, E41 (hair, clothes, basket)
YG95 (leaves, grass)
R20, R21, R39 (bows, flowers, apples)

And now the winner of my blog candy, as chosen by random.org

Congratulations Desiree! Please e-mail me your addy (erica_everaers@hotmail.com) and I'll send you your candy a.s.a.p.! Thanks to all of you for playing ;D!

Glad you stopped by today, hope to see you again soon!

Hugs,
Erica

Hey Baby!

Hi, hope you're all having a lovely day and enjoying some much-needed sunshine!

Today I want to share this little project with you, it's something I made recently for a colleague who gave birth to a little girl. She's the first of six pregnant colleagues to actually have her baby so be prepared in months to come for more of these little projects ;o).

Project Ingredients:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Bitty Baby Blessings and Favor It Baby sentiments
Paper: Bazzill Basics cardstock kraft; Maja Design design paper "Mina Vänner"
Tools: QuicKutz shape and alphabet dies; EK Success retro flower punches; Fiskars border punch; Kars butterfly punch; Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Circles and Scalloped Circles
Other: ribbon; charm; tin; adhesive pearls


That's all from me for now, thank you for stopping by and have a great day!

Hugs,
Erica

Something Different

Hi everyone, hope you're having a great day and enjoying sunshine wherever you are! Today I have a Lili of the Valley card to share with you! Have you seen the latest batch of totally gorgeous girlie stamps? They have just gone on sale, you can find them -->HERE<-- and I think I must have them all :D! Ooooh new stamps always make me so greedy! Mind you, the old ones do as well...;o)

Anyway, onto my card, I've tried something a little different this time, rather than my usual assortment of layers I've kept this one fairly clean and simple and I'm quite pleased with the result :D. I'm entering this card into the 100th Lili of the Valley Challenge with a couple of hours to spare...I do work best under pressure!

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Lili of the Valley "Dandelion Clock"; sentiment by My Favorite Things
Paper: Bazzill Basics cardstock; Pion design paper
Embellishments: Papertrey Ink Ribbon; Wild Orchid Crafts flowers; Queen & Co pearls
Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Circle Large and Scalloped Circle Large; QuicKutz label die; chalks
Copics: E00, E51, E93, E21 (skin, cheeks); R20, R21 (clothes); E44, E43, E42, E41 (hair, shoes); YG63, G21 (grass, stems); T0, T2, T4 (wings, dandelion clocks)

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon!

Hugs,
Erica