Poppit's Cupboard

Love Yourself

2012-02-24T18:42:00.000Z

Evening everyone! Here's a quick peep of a journal page I've been working on:

(I'm still mourning the loss of the Suzi Blu line from Unity, but am glad I have a nice little collection of her stamps for my journalling.)

Don't forget you can get some discounted Suzi Blu stamps over at Make the Day Special

Have a great weekend!

La Friendship

2012-02-17T07:35:00.002Z

Good morning folks. I bring with me news that the Unity Suzi Blu stamps are being discontinued (oh no!). Oh yes. To soften the blow, Emily over at Make the Day Special is selling her stock at a reduced price. But when they're gone, they're gone...

Stamps: Unity Suzi Blu, You are Loved & Party Love

Have a great Friday,

Valentine's in the Cupboard

2012-02-14T08:16:00.000Z

For all you anti-smoochy kind of people, I apologise for what I am about to show you!

Mr Poppit and I agreed to keep Valentine's Day low key this year as we are full on preparing for our wedding. However, what Valentine's Day would be complete with out a teeny tiny bit of love? As Mr Poppit has been SOOOOO supportive of my lastest adventure with my Story Stone Kits, I thought I'd make him his very own story stone. (The story mostly goes 'Once there was a Poppit who loved her boy very much'......)

I also made a matching card and 'love token':

Okay...mushy stuff over and done with! Have a great day, whatever you're doing.

Life Book Lesson 6

2012-02-12T21:57:00.001Z

Evening all. I'm popping in today to show you the outcome of a pleasurely few hours in the cupboard this afternoon. I spent a couple of hours with Tam, from Willowing, participating in the latest Life Book class:

I also wanted to give a little shout out to the wonderful Lisa Arana from Dahlhouse Designs who gave my blog a make-over a little while ago and spent some time doing some additional designs for me this weekend. You can check out my new logo on my Facebook page.

Hope you've had a great weekend.

Love and stitches

2012-02-10T07:30:00.002Z

Good morning peeps! Can I first say a BIG thank you for all the love that's been shared about my Story Stone Kits on my blog and new Facebook page. I've sold three kits this week, which has been very exciting!

Today I'm sharing my MTDS DT card and a card my brother-in-law asked me to make for a colleague:

Embroidery on a stamped image (Unity Itty Bitty 'Family Tree')

Stamps: Elzybells Art Stamps (no longer in production - boo hoo).
Text reads ''so you're moving on to pastures new'

Wishing you a HAPPY Friday!

They're here!!!

2012-02-06T21:13:00.002Z

Yup. After many weeks of sewing, laminating, stamping, colouring and varnishing....Poppit's Story Stone Kits have finally been born!

It took 140 stones, 280 images and MANY many hours to create...but they're here!

These little fellows gradually took over the house over the last week or so....the kitchen counters, the dining room table, the cupboard...Mr Poppit even found a little pair of legs on his studio desk last night! We had lots of fun getting to know these little stone folks...Mr Poppit almost killed a few when he got his popcorn machine out one evening and popcorn kernels went flying (they were the size of cannon balls to these guys!!)....I found myself talking to some of my stones too, and ALMOST got Mr Poppit to read them a bedtime story. So I shall miss these little fellows when they find a new owner to love them...

If you're interested in buying a Story Stone Kit, you can get all the details here

Well, it may be an early night for me....someone was up until 1.30am....with a bunch of little story stone folk.

My week in pictures....

2012-02-05T15:48:00.000Z

Afternoon, everyone. Is it snowing where you are? Us UK folks have had a weekend of snow...which in my books means 'having' to skip zumba and stay indoors ALL day long, getting creative!

I've spent the day trying to finish off my story stones (almost there!) and taking this week's Life Book class, which was a LOT of fun!

Right Image: Self Portrait from a Life Book class taught by Kylie - mixed media

Left image: I spent the day with my best friend yesterday on the hunt for a wedding dress. The bad news was she told me she was moving away (boooooooooo)...but the good news was I ordered a dress! (yay!)

The beginning of the week captured my annoyance with my body, including a painful trapped nerve.

I attempted my normal yoga class which turned out to be a bad idea with a painful shoulder...but all was well the next day when a new crayon I ordered arrived! Yes, just the one (I'm being 'good'!)

The end of the week brought an article going around the social network sites on 'The Five Regrets of the Dying' and a slow evening at work at the Drop In. Hurrah for cards.

Hope you've had a good week,

New Digs!

2012-02-03T07:45:00.000Z

Hi everyone.....I'm flying in a with a quick post card from the NEW range of Paper Smooches over at the Make The Day Special Shop:

Stamps: Vogue Abode

Stamps: Alphadots, Hang Ups

I'm over half through my stone marathon....but managed to trap a nerve in my shoulder whilst hunched over my desk all weekend. Now that's dedication to he job! Hopefully, I'll get the job done by the end of this weekend and can show you the finished results!

First Aid and A Factory.....

2012-01-29T20:45:00.002Z

My daily illustrated journal is still going strong a month into the challenge. This week captures some first aid training, weird dreams and a whole bunch of stones....

My subconscious seems to be very easily influenced meaning I can dream some pretty strange dreams (in fact Mr Poppit will often say something random just before I go to sleep just to try and mess with my dreams!). Mr Poppit has been watching a marathon of 'The World at War' recently, which resulted in me dreaming I was in World War II and trying to board a spitfire!

As mentioned in my last post, my long awaited box of stones arrived this week, so this weekend I spent MANY hours sat in the kitchen, where I had set up my story stone kit factory. It made cooking a bit tricky, but I was close to the biscuits and I got half of the stones finished (70). Double result.

I hope you've had a good week,

My weekend ahead....

2012-01-27T21:29:00.000Z

So my long awaited delivery of stones arrived yesterday, meaning I can at last crack on with making a whole bunch of story stone kits:

Just a few of the 140 stones waiting for some attention...

I also finished the bags off with a custom made label.

I'm really excited about this little project and can't wait to start shipping out of my kits.

Get well soon

2012-01-27T07:35:00.001Z

I am so loving the Paper Smooches range at the moment, so was thrilled when Emily sent me through some of the new releases. This card uses the very cute 'Healthy Vibes' set which you can check out here. She also has new stock from Smeared Ink and Cat's Pyjamas, so do pop over to Make the Day Special to have a browse.

Home Tweet Home

2012-01-25T17:57:00.001Z

Here's a little card I made last week, by request.

Stamps: Unity
Punch: Stampin' Up

More pictures and perusings....

2012-01-23T09:22:00.001Z

The last couple of weeks have seen a lot of cupboard activity, a bunch of wedding dresses, a load of work meetings and some very questionable id!

I sat through the world's worst training session which left me with a headache and a tiny resolve to live! The next day however, I picked up a book I'd ordered from the post office on modern calligraphy techniques which was very exciting and made all in the world okay again!

A mere 9 years after graduating, I finally made my finally payment to the Student Loans Company which was a very satisfying feeling :-) I also decided to make some story stone kits, after receiving a few requests to purchase one. Yay!

I promptly gathered some materials, and starting mastering the art of

a lined drawstring bag for the kits.On Monday, I tried (and failed) to get inspired by anything at all.

As part of my job I make monthly visits to a prison. I was quite chuffed when I finally got my own id badge last week....chuffed that is until I saw the photo on it! It turns out that the reception's cctv camera does not make for a flattering picture!!

And last Saturday, I took my best friend along to a local bridal boutique and had lots of fun trying on dresses. I put on the obligatory 'meringue' to entertain my friend, but have to admit I secretly quite enjoyed wearing it for those few minutes!!

Bags of fun!

2012-01-22T20:57:00.001Z

Hi peeps. It's been a productive day for me as I have mastered the art of a lined draw string bag (no sewing the bag shut like last time!!!)

I've made 7 bags ready for my limited edition Story Stone Kits, complete with my new 'Poppit's Cupboard' ribbon:

It's been a weekend of pretty fabrics as yesterday I went to try on some wedding dresses for the first time. You can catch more about that soon in my next post about my daily art journal.

Hope you've had a productive day too

Poppit's Cupboard gets it's own ribbon!

2012-01-20T09:56:00.002Z

I got a very exciting delivery yesterday.....my very own 'Poppit's Cupboard' ribbon! I've been very busy in the cupboard since I decided to make and sell a limited number of my story stone kits. I've perfected the art of a lined drawstring bag, and now have some very special ribbon to complete the bags. Next stop, the delivery of 140 polished white stones.......I might be in the cupboard for a while yet!!!!

Born to fly

2012-01-20T07:45:00.000Z

Morning All! I've got a 'mash up' of Unity stamps for you today:

Stamps: Itty Bitty Adventurous

Store Kit Life Becoming

Bella Blvd Mr Boy

Throw is some copic markers.....and voila!

Have a happy Friday,

Put on Your Party Hats!

2012-01-13T07:45:00.000Z

We interrupt the scheduled broadcasting about me and my journal to offer small injection of cuteness:

Stamps: Unity Itty Bitty Happy Birthday Chick,

Ippity 'Party Hat Wishes)

Usual suspects: paper piecing, promarkers, stitching, glossy accents

For all you Unity/Ippity fans, Em is having a HALF price sale on ALL her Ippity stock. When it's gone, its gone....so check the sale out over at Ippity Inspiration

Back to work, planning and thinking.....

2012-01-10T20:39:00.001Z

I have the pleasure of doing a job where every Monday, I get to run a women's group and often we get to try a range of creative activities. It was back to work yesterday, but not painful at all as we had fun learning mind-mapping techniques:

In other news, my inner yogini is enjoying a gently awakening, even if I did have to miss tonight's class.

Wedding dresses and zumba...

2012-01-08T13:19:00.004Z

....there is of course a direct correlation because in order to fit into dream wedding dress, one must STOP eating all things chocolatey and keep up the zumba classes! I'm day 9 into my illustrated journal and still trying to get to grips with drawing (see figure 1.3 for an example of me expressing myself with a peanut sized head - Mr Poppit however, thought it was very lifelike as 'peanut head' is one of his more endearing names for me).

I'm having lots of fun with it:

Figure 1.3: green background drawing

I've booked an appointment in a bridal boutique to try on some dresses in a couple of weeks which is both very exciting and very scary!
(Stamps: Stamping Bella 'Bridal Party Bellas'
Unity Itty Bitty Imagine, Create, Inspire)

It's back to work for me tomorrow, which will make this daily journal m'larkey REALLY interesting....

Have a happy Sunday!

Time for Thanks

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000Z

Post-Christmas jobs include creating a bunch of thank you cards. I'm still obsessed with the 'Alphadots' stamp set from Paper Smooches, as you can see:

I combined the letters with coloured strips of card and matching buttons from SU!

Hoping you all had lots to be thankful for over Christmas too,

New's Year: New craft goals

2012-01-04T22:07:00.001Z

So...it's a new year and time for some new craft challenges. Having set myself and completed the Calendar 365 Challenge and my bonkers 100 card challenge last year, I felt very motivated for another couple of crafty challenges for 2012.

So, my first challenge, and totally inspired by the very talented Anna Denise is a DAILY art journal. Yes. Daily. It's a big commitment, but I've been journally since I was 14, and incorporating art into my journalling feels like a very natural progression. Here's a page from today:

My second challenge, is the Life Book 2012, which many artists/bloggers have signed up to, run by Tam from willowing.org. It promises to be quite the art/self-development journey!

I took the first online class on Sunday and tried something very very new/different for me:

The idea is that we all create a book throughout the course of the year, but I decided to include the classes in my daily art journal so I could keep everything in one place.

I'm looking forward to the year ahead, and more than anything, because 2012 is the year me and Mr Poppit get married!

Here's the second in my series of corks from our milestones:

Stamps: Ippity 'Quotes A La Happy' (ps there's a half price sale on ippity in the UK here)

What are your new year projects?

A year of the calendar 365 challenge

2011-12-31T09:26:00.001Z

Wow. 2011 has been a busy year for me.....we started the year with no car, no kitchen, no bath and no living room....and happily 2011 ended with all those things and much much more. It was a great year to capture it all via the 'Calendar 365 Challenge' - for example:

Sunday 20th Feb: "Our first dinner in the kitchen. After 2 long years we bin the microwave and enjoy a roast!"

Saturday 5th Mar: "Still washing in a bucket"

Saturday 8th Oct: "New slippers for new floor"

2011 also saw one new car, one 30th birthday, one promotion, one amazing holiday to the Maldives, one certification as a counsellor with therapeutic play skills and one wedding date set! It's been a good year.

I'm grateful for Kate Crane who inspired me to join in the Calendar 365 challenge and hosted the event during the year. Here's my summary of the year:

Kate will be hosting another year of the Calendar 365 Challenge....so if you fancy it, check out the details on her blog.

Wishing you all the best of things for 2012

Christmas with the Poppits

2011-12-29T21:33:00.002Z

Hi Everyone. I hope you had a peaceful and contented Christmas. I have thoroughly enjoyed spending time at home (our first Christmas in our renovated house) and in the company of family.

We hosted a dinner for my sisters and their families:

Place names with stamps from Elzybells Art Stamps (Bauble Row) and Paper Smooches (Alphadots)

'Father Christmas' bought me some Unity stamps all the way from America and some Copics pens. I didn't even drop a hint, so I was very impressed with Father Christmas this year!

Our new fireplace was decorated with little Ikea elves:

I hope Father Christmas was equally good to you!

Birthday Wishes

2011-12-27T11:39:00.000Z

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, filled with lots of love, laughter and food! Here's a birthday card I made for my good friend Ciara amid all the festive fun:

Die: SU! Bigz Fun Flowers

Stamps: SU! Curvy Verses

Merry

2011-12-16T10:09:00.000Z

Hi Everyone! Not long until Christmas! Are all your decorations up yet? I've still got to put up the tree....but in the meantime, I've strung some lights up on this card:

Stamps: Paper Smooches 'Hang Ups' and 'Alphadots'

Have yu checked out the new additions to the Paper Smooches in the Make the Day Special Shop?

Uber cute.

Have a wonderful weekend,

DIY Christmas Wrapping Paper

2011-12-11T08:00:00.001Z

I spent an entire weekend recently making my own wrapping paper and getting my limited edition Christmas cards done. It was a fun way to get into the Christmas spirit....

White embossing powder on brown paper.

Stamps: SU! Conempo Christmas

Stamps: SU! Contempo Christmas (gold embossing powder)

Hope you're well on your way with your own Christmas crafts

Let It Snow!

2011-12-09T07:35:00.001Z

Only two (ish) weeks left until Christmas! I'm not usually one for Christmas crafts, but this year the bug has finally caught up with me...

Here's a wall hanging I made using a combination of Make The Day Special stocked stamps:

Stamps: The Cat's Pyjama's 'Sheepish'

My Cute Stamp's 'Snow Cute'

Paper Smooches 'Alphadot'

More Christmas creations to follow!

Have a great Friday!

Christmas in the Cupboard

2011-12-04T17:32:00.001Z

I have the bestest fiance EVER. Last year, he rallied the elves round to help him transform our old laundry cupboard into my very own craft sanctuary and today, having been out with the elves to do some Christmas 'jobs', he came home with some fairy lights for the cupboard!

It's officially Christmas in the cupboard!!!

(n.b he also said he didn't care what happened to these lights -I could burn them out if I wanted to - after two Christmases ago I convinced Mr Poppit to keep our fairy lights up in the bedroom from Dec....until they blew ...in March. hee hee. What can I say? I love me some teeny tiny lights!!!)

Calendar 365.....I made it to the end!!!!!!

2011-12-04T13:06:00.000Z

Wow. I actually finished the Calendar 365 project. Back in January I set myself the challenge to participate in Kate's Calendar 365 project....and here I am showing my final page for December:

And my completed November Page:

I've had a lot of fun taking part in the challenge and would encourage anyone that's thinking about joining in next year to..DO IT! It's great to have a record of the last year.

More from the mini journal....

2011-11-25T19:18:00.002Z

Evening all. I continue to be captured by my mini art journal and have another couple of pages to share:

I saw this stamp set from Unity called City of Love (available from MTDS) that made me think about my wedding next year....in New York. So I'm sharing the love tonight...

I also finished this page (but it was very existential in content and not for the faint-hearted!):

(stamps from Ippity which Emily is having a sale on)

Have a great weekend!

I actually made a Christmas card!

2011-11-22T08:13:00.001Z

Oh yes. In NOVEMBER!!!! I'm a bit of a failure when it comes to being a card-maker. I hate making birthday cards and Christmas cards! So I was mightily impressed with myself when I came up with this seasonal number (ok, truth be told I had to make it for work because I run a weekly women's group and our programme was focusing on Christmas crafts.....but still....I did it!)

Materials: SU! Contempo Christmas (from my lovely SU Demo Carole),

sparkly gold embossing powder (looks fab in real life), ribbon and a sewing machine.

I've also added some silver gems.

So there we go. Miracles DO happen!

Hope your Christmas craft plans are progressing well too!

Adventures in my mini-journal

2011-11-20T14:29:00.001Z

My mojo seems to have left for it's Christmas holiday already and many hours in my cupboard have been spent watching dvds whilst moving items around my desk and fiddling with bits of paper, doodling and messing around with paint. Not so great for creating cards....but fortunately perfect conditions for playing about with my mini journal. I continue to take great inspiration from my favourie journalists Kate Crane and Anna Denise. What I love about journalling is the freedom to be real, to be genuine, to be unmasked. To simply be.

Here's a Kate inspired page:

Materials: Acrylic paints from Dylusions, Dylusion stamps (images),

Paper Smooches stamps (lettering)

And an Anna inspired page:

Materials: watercolour pencils and promarkers

I'm already thinking about next year's crafting resolution, having nearly come to the end of the Calendar 365 Challenge and would love to take on a daily illustrated journal like Anna's.

Thanks for meandering with me,

Plant Smiles

2011-11-11T07:30:00.000Z

Just flying in today to share a new stamp set stocked by Emily

Paper Smooches: Perky Plants

Have a great weekend,

Penultimate Page for Calendar 365 Challenge

2011-11-09T15:07:00.000Z

Wow. I can't believe I've almost made it a whole year with the calendar 365 challenge (see Kate's blog for more details). With so many completed pages in the book, it really is fun to look back over the year. Here's my completed October page:

And here's my November page:

I stencilled the bird cages and tree and used Dylusions word strips. November has been a bit of a tough month so far... so please accept my apologies for not visiting all my blog friends.

A week of baby blue.....

2011-10-29T15:26:00.000+01:00

One birth of a nephew, one first birthday and one Christening meant a whole lotta baby blue cards:

Stamps: SU! Build-a-Roo, SU! Tiny Tags

Stamps: Paper Smooches Alphadots, SU! A Slice of Life

Stamps: Paper Smooches Alphadot, My Cute Stamp Night Owl

Boo!

2011-10-21T19:35:00.000+01:00

It seems that my new 'go to' stamp set is definitely Paper Smooches 'Alphadot' (available over at Make the Day Special). With halloween just round the corner, I pulled out the set to add a little touch of the spooks to a treat box:

Other Materials: Sizzix 'Box with Lid'

Card stock: SU Basic Black and Pumpkin Pie

Ribbon and brads

Happy Friday!

Friendly ATC

2011-10-14T09:16:00.000+01:00

Wow, it seems AGES since I made an ATC. This little fella stars the adorable 'Hang Ups' set from Paper Smooches (available from MTDS):

Other materials: SU! punch SU! Everyday Flexible Phrases

No other news from Poppit's Cupboard ....only that the diet of chocolate biscuits has meant a gym subscription was needed and now I split my time between zumba classes and cupboard. :-O

Have a great weekend,

Late again.....Challenge 365

2011-10-08T19:34:00.000+01:00

It seems I'm getting later and later with my Calendar 365 pages...so it's probably a good job I've nearly made it to the end of the challenge!

A little overdue, but here nonetheless....my October page:

Clearly inspired by autumn, I've used a couple of Unity KOTM stamps.

Check out Kate's blog for further details of the challenge....

Bring on the birthdays

2011-09-28T09:02:00.000+01:00

October brings with it a whooooole bunch of birthdays, so I thought I'd better start getting my act together. Here's my first birthday card:

Stamps: SU! A Slice of Life & Everyday Phrases

Other materials: SU! Tiny tag punch, promarkers, embossing powder

Hope you all UK-ers enjoy this week of surprise sun

Type it.....

2011-09-23T18:04:00.001+01:00

Ah. The weekend is here. Bliss.

I've been playing around with my new Paper Smooches 'Alphadot' set some more and seeing which of my existing stamp sets it works with. I think Lawn Fawn's 'Just My Type' is a perfect match. Between the two sets you could pretty much come up with a sentiment for any occasion:

I coloured the typewriter image with promarkers, stamped the sentiment, embossed, cut out and attached to the card.

Have a great weekend,

Konnichiwa (again)

2011-09-04T19:51:00.000+01:00

Oh the joy of a weekend! I finally managed to finish my calendar 365 page for September AND even had time to join in a new (to me) challenge. First up, my entry for the Play Date Cafe's colour challenge... to add a splash of red:

(Stampeezee had a closing down sale at the weekend - boohoo for 'closing down', hurray for 'sale' - so I picked up this Stamping Bella Ketto stamp at half off. I've combined it with My Cute Stamps 'Konnichiwa' set)

Next up, my completed Sept page for the Calendar 365 Challenge. This month, I was really stuck for ideas and in the end settled for a Martha Stewart punch and not one single stamp, just a whooooooole lot of butterflies!

Hope you have a great week ahead!

Hang In There!

2011-09-02T07:02:00.001+01:00

Emily over Make the Day Special has recently started stocking the uber cute Paper Smooches range. I am already so besotted by the range! Today I've used Paper Smooches 'Hang Ups' set (and added a little cloud detail from Unity's Mr Boy set):

Other materials: promarkers, embossing powder, sewing machine, ribbon.

If you're a fan of Lawn Fawn and My Cute Stamps...I reckon you'll DEFinitely love this range!

Have a fab Friday!

A whole lot of journalling!

2011-09-01T20:41:00.002+01:00

I've been cheating on my Calendar 365 with.....my mini art journal. I've managed to keep on top of my August page, but haven't quite got my September page ready because I've been too busy doodling in my mini journal:

Finished August Pages

I was totally inspired by the seriously cool 'illustrated' journal by Anna Denise and took my mini moleskin on holiday with me to do some experimenting. Here's what I came up with:

I'm still very much experimenting with colouring medium - so if you have any recommendations, please leave me a comment, and if you're into your art journaling/illutstrations...Anna's blog really is a great place to stop.

Loads of love (and sun)

2011-08-26T08:15:00.000+01:00

I'm back from a week's holiday to the Maldives. If you ever get the chance to go, I absolutely recommend it as the island we stayed on was a little slice of paradise:

My 30th birthday came and went....and with that kind of backdrop, it wasn't too painful!

Today's MTDS DT card uses a new ippity release 'Loads of Love':

I've paperpieced the image

Thanks for dropping in,

Happy Travels

2011-08-12T12:16:00.001+01:00

I must be gearing up for my holidays because I felt inspired to make a 'happy travels' set of cards with my Unity 'Mr Boy' set:

Simply done with promarkers, paper piecing, sitching and glossy accents.

Happy Friday!

Calendar 365: August

2011-08-08T20:49:00.000+01:00

So it seems I am in denial that August is happening. It's taken me over a week to get round to this month's Calendar 365 page (for more info check out Kate Crane's blog)....but here it finally is:

The picture hasn't turned out too well, but the background is an image of a beach....the Maldives to be precise because that's where I'll be in a week! Mr Poppit surprised me with the holiday to help me celebrate (commiserate?) my pending 30th birthday.

I've stitched on pockets for each day and inserted a date tag to write on. Nb the splodgy thing on the 22nd is the number 30 - it just didn't come out clearly.

Here's a close up of the pockets (as you can see I don't have the patience to tidy up the ends of my stitching....life's short, you know!!!)

Thanks for your comments, I really appreciate it.

Happy Birthday...you old dinosaur!

2011-08-05T09:19:00.001+01:00

Morning All! Here's a little bithday card I recently made using the adorable 'Mr Boy' set from Unity/Bella Bvd:

I paper pieced the image, added brads, stitching and glossy accents and coupled it with a sentiment from My Cute Stamps 'Birthday Numbers'.

I think this stamp could be great for a child....or to poke fun at someone getting older! hee hee

Have a great Friday!

Hello Waterfall Card!

2011-07-29T07:00:00.001+01:00

I've been learning new tricks from Rachel and have been practising my newly learned waterfall card technique:

Stamps: My Cute Stamp 'Konnichiwa' set

Other materials: promarkers, brads, eyelet, ribbon

If you've not tried a waterfall card, I can thoroughly recommend it! It's lots of fun to create and looks great when finished.

Have a great Friday!

Black & White Journalling

2011-07-27T22:46:00.000+01:00

It's been a little while since I played with my mini journal so I picked it back up this evening and experimented with black and white:

Pretty different for me - but loving the monochrome. I wasn't sure if I wanted to publish whatever words would accompany it, so I've photographed it prior to journalling.

Stencil: The crafter's workshop

Words: Dylusions

Stamping on Candles

2011-07-24T12:47:00.001+01:00

My job is great. For the last 8 weeks we've had the pleasure of Rachel Walker joining our women's group for a craft session. She's taught us all sorts of cool techniques including waterfall cards (which I intend to make this week) and stamping on candles:

Stamp: from Rachel's stash

Supplies: colouring medium, tissue paper, heat gun & parchment paper

I've also been very lucky to have Lisa from Dahlhouse Designs spruce up Poppit's Cupboard with some of her adorable graphic designs. Thanks Lisa!

Unfortunately for me, I have a couple of large looming deadlines so play time in the cupboard is a bit limited. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll be back to making, posting and visiting you guys again!

Story Stones Bag

2011-07-17T19:30:00.004+01:00

So in true form, rather than doing things I'm SUPPOSED to be doing....I've spent the day procrastinating by making some more story stones and a little drawstring bag to hold them:

Note to self: having fluffed the bag several times (including sewing the top shut!) perhaps a little research before embarking on a new project is worthwhile!

UPDAE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE:

Jan 2012: Due to some interest in these little guys, I've decided to make some more kits for sale. You can find more details about how to purchase your own Story Stone Kit here.

Thanks for all the encouragement!

DIY Wedding Organiser

2011-07-15T08:14:00.000+01:00

I've been looking for a wedding organiser for a few weeks and was pretty disappointed on what was on offer in the shops. I don't know WHY it took me so long to remember that I am crafter...and am perfectly capable of designing my own! Duh. So here's some little peeks into my new wedding organiser (yes we have set a date!!!)....

Stamps: Ippity 'Because of You' (bird stamp) and The Cat's Pyjamas 'Ewe Complete Me' (sentiment)

Stamps: Inkadinkadoo 'Friendly Advice'

Unity Store Kit: The Right Words

Unity Store Kit: Wishes & Kisses

I bought a plain workbook from Paperchase which has loads of fab plastic wallets and card pockets included in the notebook. I used red and white acrylic paint to create the background on the front cover, added ribbon, vellum and the samped image & sentiment. I then added some tags and used the teeny hearts from the 'Ewe Complete Me' set to embellish (glossy accents gave them a nice finish).

I have a feeling this is a work in progress and I'll spend lots more time adding to my new organiser!

Have a great weekend,

Story Stones

2011-07-14T15:25:00.002+01:00

A couple of weeks whilst ~~obsessing over~~ browsing through Pinterest, I came across this really cool idea for 'story stones' from Emily Neuburger. I thought I could adapt the idea to create something for my play therapy kit for my work in primary schools. Here's my stones so far:

SU! Set: All in the Family.

Stones are double-sided

I have big plans for expanding my collection and also whipping up a little bag to hold them all...so watch this space!

Get 'Em While You Can Blog Hop

2011-07-09T09:00:00.002+01:00

Morning Everyone! Over at Make the Day Special, Emily is hosting a 'Get 'Em While You Can' blog hop where each member of the DT is showcasing a stamp that will soon be gone from the shop (gotta make room for the new stuff!). I'm showing off two adorable Unity stamps and have gone for a 'baby shower' card and tag combo:

Stamps: Unity Polka Dot Pregnancy & Just Hangin Out

(sentiment from stash)

Baby shower card

Gift tag

Both stamps are sold as singles and come mounted on wooden blocks.

There are plenty of prizes and makes up for grabs so be sure to leave a comment and then carry on hopping over to the very talented 'She'.

Have a great weekend

Calendar 365: July

2011-07-03T13:48:00.001+01:00

Well, 6 months in and I'm starting to slack! A few days late, here's my July page:

Stamps: Dylusions & Unity, text Dylusions

I'm glad the bottom right tag didn't come out so well as I've just realised it says 'June' instead of July! Doh!

As you can see, I've gone for a very colourful approach this month and used some of my new journalling techiques I learned from Kate.

Here are my completed June pages:

New to the Calendar 365 Challenge? Check out the deets here

Thanks for dropping in,

Inspire Imagine Create

2011-07-01T19:38:00.000+01:00

Thank goodness it's Friday!!!

For my MTDS DT creation today I have taken one Unity itty bitty stamp 'Inspire Imagine Create' and some acrylic paint, old manuscript paper and ink sprays to create these three tags:

I stamped each word, heat embossed and cut out before adding to each tag.

Very much inspired by my workshop with Kate Crane

Hope you've got exciting weekend plans!

Cupcake Challenge: Cooking Up A Storm

2011-06-27T06:00:00.017+01:00

This week's Cupcake Craft Challenge was the perfect excuse to think about CUPCAKES some more!!! The theme is 'Cooking Up a Storm' and can include ANYthing cooking related (cue cakes!). I've used my newly acquired Martha Stewart Cupcake Stamp & Punch Pack:

I've added some sparkly sprinkles and voila! Good enough to eat!

This week's challenge is sponsored by Baby Bud Design and June's icing on the cake is sponsored by Little Claire Designs. Be sure to check out the challenge blog!

Enjoy This Day

2011-06-24T08:00:00.018+01:00

My sister's birthday was the perfect excuse to buy a much coverted sizzix die...the pillow box. I LOVE it and can see me using it alot to package small gifts:

I also made a matching card wtih stamps from Unity Store Kits 'Life Becoming' and 'Quiet Essence' available from MTDS.

Paper: My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Collection

Happy Birthday sis!

Snail Pin Cushion

2011-06-21T17:52:00.001+01:00

I embarked on my most ambitious sewing project a little while ago....I say ambitious because it too me two weeks and three attempts to get it actually looking like a snail!! I got the instructions from a Swedish book and spent a good 30 minutes patiently typing each line into an online translator!

This labour of love is a return RAK for Ciara after she made me a gorgeous canvas for my cupboard. Ciara bought a sewing machine about a million years ago and has yet to actually use it, so I thought I'd make her something that might inspire her to dust her machine off!

So there have it. My first and last snail pin cushion.

Thanks for dropping in!

Cupcake Challenge: Sketch challenge

2011-06-20T06:00:00.014+01:00

Morning All! This week's Cupcake Challenge brings you a sketch to try your hand at!

Here's my take on the sketch:

Stamps: Unity May 2010 KOTM (a little happy)

I used distress ink and a mask to create the oval focal point, and after messing about for AGES with other oval designs, I was pretty pleased with how this turned out!

This week's challenge is sponsored by Tickled Pink Stamps and the icing on the cake this month is from Little Claire Designs, so be sure to check out the challenge blog.

Thanks for dropping in,

A teeny tiny challenge...

2011-06-17T07:00:00.001+01:00

So, you know how my blog pal Ciara crops up aLOT in my posts...well today is no different! Hee hee. Ciara and I have probably become such good blog buddies because we have very similar tastes, which is quite dangerous as it means we often end of buying something we have seen on the other's blog! Since we have a growing collection of the same stamps, we decided to hold our very own 'Teeny Tiny Challenge'. For our first challenge, we 're using tags, a small square card and an adorable stamp set from My Cute Stamp called 'Konnichiwa':

First up, my tags:

Second up, my card:

Be sure to check out what Ciara came up with!

Thanks for dropping in,

Cupcake Challenge: Boy Oh Boy

2011-06-13T06:00:00.001+01:00

With Father's Day coming up on Sunday, what else was this week's Cupcake Challenge going to be other than a masculine card? The theme is 'Boy Oh Boy', and I used the challenge to get me super ahead of schedule for a father's day card:

Stamps: Ippity Alphabetically Adorable, SU! Itty Bitties

This week the challenge is sponsored by Funky Farm Scrapbook Barn and the icing on the cake is from Little Claire Designs, so be sure to take a look on the challenge blog for some more details and inspiration!

Have a super week!

Adventurous

2011-06-10T07:30:00.002+01:00

I've combined a card and a tag for this week's MTDS creation.

Em has recently got ANOTHER new pile of unity including this cutie from Bella Bvd:

I can't wait to ink up the dinasaur, but this week, I promised Ciara I'd join in the St Luke's Charity Challenge. The challenge's are set each month and the hope is that the entrant will donate their card to help raise funds for St Luke's Hospice. Isn't that a great idea?

This month's theme is 'Come Fly With Me' so I've used the plane and clouds from the above set:

I've also used the 'adventurous' stamp from Unity's Itty Bitty range.

I'm also entering this into this week's Frosted Design challenge...to use stitching on your project.

Thanks for dropping in,

Cupcake Challenge: Things with Tails

2011-06-06T06:00:00.001+01:00

Morning peeps! Start rummaging through your stamp collection because this week over at Cupcake, we wanna see 'things with tails!'

This week, I've gone for a new baby card with a stamp I've had since...last August! oops. It was obviously waiting for the right moment to make it's debut!

Stamps: Unity July 2010 KOTM 'Happily Ever After'

This week's challenge is sponsored by Simon Says Stamps

and the icing on the cake this month is from Little Claire Designs

Hope you can join us!

Art Journaling and a mystery package...

2011-06-04T14:22:00.002+01:00

I've had a lovely few days since coming back from our Northern tour. Despite ging back to work on Thursday, I've found plenty of time to practice my new art journaling techniques (and buy more stash...*ahem*):

Supplies: gesso, acrylic paints, dylusions ink sprays

words: Dyan's downloads (Art from the Heart)

Stamps: Dylusions & Unity

I was rummaging around a second hand book shop today to pick up...well, yes, a second hand book! I got a old book and an old manuscript to use in my journaling. The book I picked up for £2.50 is a very entertaining read, written in 1829 and entitled "Cobbett's Advice to Young Men":

So far, my favourite chapter is 'To a lover' and he offers the following advice:

"The things which you ought to desire in a wife are, 1. Chastity; 2 Sobriety; 3. Industry; 4. Frugality; 5. Cleanliness; 6. Knowledge of domestic affairs; 7. Good Temper; 8. Beauty."

He then further elaborates on each quality, for example:

"An English girl will have her face clean, to be sure, if there be soap and water within her reach; but get a glance, just a glance, at her poll, if you have any doubt upon the subject; and if you find there, or behind the ears, what the Yorkshire people call grime, the sooner you cease your visits the better."

I may not get too much journaling done while I chuckle at this book!!

Anyways, last of all, I received a mystery package today from my pal Ciara...who made me this GORGEOUS canvas for my cupboard:

Isn't she just the bestest? Here it is in it's new home, the cupboard:

Well, I think I'm finally bursting at the Cupboard seams. But don't you worry..I've got my eye on "Poppit's Attic"......

Have a happy weekend, and remember to wash behind your ears!

Party Hat Wishes

2011-06-03T07:30:00.000+01:00

I have a masculine birthday card to share with you today using the fabulous 'Party Hat Wishes' set from Ippity and the numbers from Unity's 'Learning {year by year}'. This particular card is for my nephew who recently turned 16. Birthday cards are not my forte (just as masculine cards aren't) - so this set from ippity came in very handy!

Usual suspects: promarkers, sewing machine, ribbon and an eyelet.

Thanks for dropping in,

Calendar 365: Halfway there!

2011-06-01T11:41:00.000+01:00

Can you believe we're already halfway through the year with our Calendar 365?! I'm pleased to say I'm still as dedicated to the cause as I was back in January :-)

Here's my finished May page:

And here's my June page all ready for action:

I'm still in my Suzi Blu and ribbon phase as you can see!

Stamps: Ippity Alphabetically Adorable, Suzi Blu Party Love, Unity Life Becoming, Unity Learning {Year by Year}

The Calendar 365 Challenge is hosted by the fabulous Kate Crane who I met a few days ago when I attended her workshop on mini-journals. She is one awesome lady!

A very messy workshop...

2011-05-31T17:44:00.004+01:00

On Saturday I went all the way 'Up North' to attend a workshop run by the awesome Kate Crane and meet my dear bloggy friend Ciara. I had an ace time...albeit very messy! Kate ran a 'Mini Journal Inspiration' workshop at 'Art from the Heart' in Harrogate, and as I have been a huge fan of Kate's work for a while now, and love journalling, I couldn't think of a better reason to take the trip.

Kate had us elbows deep in gesso, acrylic paints, ink sprays, bottle tops and inspiring quotes and taught us how to create fabulous, textured backgrounds. I had so much fun creating my pages, meeting Kate and discovering that Ciara is EXACTLY how we find her on her blog...just with a Northern accent! She's fabulous!

Poppit & Ciara

It took me three days to wash off the ink stains and pick the paint out from under my finger nails!!

Here are my pages:

After the workshop, Mr Poppit and I went to York...then to Carlise....then to Edinburgh...then to Gretna Green ..then to Bolton! It turned into a bit of a Northern Tour!!

The Poppits in York

Thanks for dropping in,

Cupcake Challenge: Green, yellow, orange and white

2011-05-30T06:00:00.010+01:00

Morning everyone! (Isn't it great that you can schedule a blog post at this sort of ungodly hour, sounding as chirpy as anything when really you're tucked up in bed catching the Zzzzzzzzs)

This weeks Cupcake challenge, well, does what it says on the tin. It's using the colour combo:

green, yellow, orange & white

A very different colour combo for me, so I opted for a CAS approach:

I've used my newest SU! stamps the very cute 'Itty Bitty Bits' with co-ordinating punch.

Stamp: From My Cute Stamp's 'Matryoshka Dolls'

This week's challenge is sponsored by Pink Gem Designs and the icing on the cake this month is Crafts U Love so do join us over at Cupcake for all the fun.

Have a super week!

Quiet Essence

2011-05-27T07:30:00.001+01:00

Some new rubber from Emily (Make the Day Special) has got me experimenting a bit with my style/subject matter. I loved this quote from Unity Store Kit 'Quiet Essence' and coupled it with the bee image:

I stamped the sentiment onto vellum and stitched it in place.

I coloured the image with promarkers and added some glossy accents to his wings.

Have a great weekend.....I'm off to a workshop 'up North' with the fabulous Kate Crane and my new buddy Ciara. I can't wait!!!!

Meeting Edison

2011-05-22T17:09:00.000+01:00

Apologies for my lack of blog visiting over the last week or so - things in the 'real world' got pretty hectamo, although all in a good way, so no gripes there.

*****

After a few months of waiting, we finally got to meet Mr Pop's godson-to-be so I made a little card to mark their visit:

Stamps: SU! All in the Family

Letters: Sissix 'Brushed Script'

Hoping you've had a good Sunday,

It'll be a hoot!

2011-05-20T07:30:00.002+01:00

As soon as I saw this little owl from the new stock of My Cute Stamps in Make The Day Special Shop, I knew he'd have to land on my desk!

I coupled it with the perfect sentiment from My Cute Stamp's Night Owl (see I told you I have a major birdie obsession!!)

Have a hoot this weekend!!

Cupcake Challenge: In the Garden

2011-05-16T06:00:00.001+01:00

Morning Everyone!

This week's Cupcake Challenge is 'In the Garden' so start rummaging through your stash for items that can be found in the garden!

Here's what I came up with:

Stamps: Unity KOTM June 2010 Fly Free

I've also used the Martha Stewart butterfly punch to add dimension to the card.

We're sponsored this week by

and don't forget this month's icing on the cake is a gift voucher from 'Crafts U Love'

Thanks for dropping in,

Nature's Beauties

2011-05-13T07:30:00.002+01:00

It's Friiiiiiidaaaay!! :-)

Today's MTDS DT card feature one of my new but unused 'itty bitty's (I have got SUCH a thing for stamps with birdies....)

I also seem to bit addicted to glossy accents at the moment too as I've added these to the birdies after colouring them with promarkers.

Thanks for dropping in and have a super-doops weekend!

Cupcake Challenge: Gingham & Roses

2011-05-09T06:00:00.002+01:00

Morning Everyone! I hope you enjoyed last week's 'Hello Cupcake' blog hop as much as me :-)

The theme for this week's Cupcake Challenge came from the 'choose the challenge' competition winner a few weeks ago, who came up wih the FABulous 'Gingham and Roses' challenge.

Here's my take on the challenge:

Stamps: Unity KOTM Sept 2010 (When I am With You)

I recently invested in a Marianne Creatables rose die after seeing the beautiful flowers some of my crafty pals have made with it. This was my first attempt...and to be honest....me and that bit of pink card had a few fallings out! Still, they tell me practice makes perfect.....

This week's challenge winner could bag her/himself some loot from sponsor:

Cupcake Crafts & Cards

and the icing on the cake this month is a £15 gift voucher from Crafts U Love, so do join in the fun!

Thanks for dropping in & for all the kind comments left for me last week!

Experimenting with Eco Board

2011-05-07T11:49:00.001+01:00

Thanks to the delighful She, I got to have a play around with some Eco Board this week. I made a mini series of Suzi Blu gals (available from MTDS):

Each board was primed with gesso and coloured ink added with a blending pad. I heat embossed a patterned unity stamp around the edge with versa mark and clear embossing powder. I then paper pieced each of the images and added some glossy accents.

Suzi Blu: Party Love

Suzi Blu: Spring Flower Chic

Suzi Blu: You are Loved

All packaged up ready to send to She....

Enjoy your weekend!

Twinchie Toppers

2011-05-06T07:30:00.004+01:00

A few weeks ago I made a whole bunch of twinchies which I thought I might later use for card toppers. Well, that day has come! I've made a set of 5 small cards using very little else than the twinchies:

I used small shaped notecards, added coloured paper inserts - stitched in with a small piece of ribbon, and then added the topper. Simples!

Gold embossed stamps from My Cute Stamp's 'You're Tweet'

Love muffin stamps, coloured with promarkers, from The Cat's Pyjama's set 'Loving Mew'

Repeated bird motif using My Cute Stamp's 'Matryoshka Doll' set, a touch of glossy accents and a heart-shaped brad.

Lawn Fawn's telephone, coloured with promarkers from the 'Just My Type' set

A gold embossed chandelier from Lawn Fawn's 'How Delighful' set.

Thanks for dropping in!

Hello Cupcake Blog Hop

2011-05-02T06:00:00.015+01:00

Well it's a BIG day here on my blog and over at the Cupcake Challenge Blog! For me, it's my first day as a fully fledged cupcake (DT member) and for the blog, it's had a make-over!! Whoop whoop! You wanna take a peek!! And so to celebrate, Fluff has organised a 'Hello Cupcake' blog hop to celebrate....

If you've just arrived from Louise's blog then you're in the right place! While you're here, please leave a comment and then hop over to Rachel.

Don't forget to leave a comment on each Blog in the Hop, including Cupcake and our Guest Designer, Hayley's for a chance to win some Candy from Funky Farm Scrapbook Barn:

To celebrate the Blog Hop Hayley is also generously offering everyone 10% discount on purchases made at Funky Farm Scrapbook Barn until Midnight 9th May. Just enter CUPCAKEBH (exactly as shown) at checkout.

This week's challenge is 'something beginning with C' .... and what better way than to start with a giant cupcake! I drew the template for this card based on a stamp from 'My Cute Stamps' often seen on this blog!). I added some stitching, a button, ribbon and a tag and finally some bead 'sprinkles' (well what cupcake is complete without sprinkles!):

Stamp: Ippity 'Just Wanted to Say'

Paper: From stash

Join in this week's challenge for a chance to win goodies from Simon Says Stamp and Crafts U Love.

Thanks for dropping by and don't forget to hop on over to Rachel!

May...cue a new calendar page

2011-05-01T09:02:00.000+01:00

I had a blast getting my May page ready (which came as a relief after the tussle I had with my April page!)...and I tried out gesso for the first time!

After priming the page with gesso, I added white and red acrylic paint with a brush and a piece of card.

I then added some ippity alphabet stamps (stitched on) and the gorgeous 'Spring Flower Chic' stamp from Suzi Blu, which is HUGE but great for journalling. I used a combination of paper piecing and promarkers (and glossy accents).

I then added a variety of ribbon and stitched on some vellum to build texture.

Lastly, I added my daily squares, which I'd also randomly stitched pieces of ribbon to.

Here's my completed April pages:

And lastly a shout out to She who sent me my very own 'Princess Lucia' last week to help me understand the concept of gesso! Isn't she great? Do check out her blog, she does some amazing things...

Well, thanks for dropping by and if you want to see more of the Challenge Calendar 365, check out The Kathryn Wheel for a complete list of participants.

Queen of Everything!

2011-04-29T07:00:00.009+01:00

Well I couldn't let a Royal Wedding go by without making a tribute to the event now, could I? Feeling very inspired by all the royal hype, I invested in some fancy paper and got out all the shiny things I could find. Here's what I came up with:

I cut out one of the crowns from the paper and embellished it with black stitching, silver gems and glossy accents before attaching it to more paper with foam pads.

I've added a tag from Ippity's 'Just Wanted to Say' and a sentiment from 'The Cat's Pyjamas' 'Loving Mew'.

Paper's: Teresa Collins 'Royalty Paper' & Bazzill Basics 'Black Tie'

I also found myself whipping up some Union Jack bunting yesterday with scraps of red and white ribbon - who knew I was such a royalist?!

For all us UK gals (and guys) enjoy the long Bank Holiday weekend....
and the wedding..if you're watching it!

Someone new....and so very very cute!

2011-04-24T21:49:00.002+01:00

I was tasked with making a very important baby card this week as my very best friend gave birth to her first child on Wednesday, a gorgeous baby boy. I was very lucky to have a little cuddle with him yesterday and he really is as cute as can be!

As you can see, my lastest phase is making matching tags (after Ciara sent me a batch of tags a couple of weeks ago).

Stamps: SU! Build-a-Roo & Tiny Tags

Mr Poppit got a new toy this week - a macro lens - which means he has been seeking out anything teeny tiny to photograph....That's where living in a cupboard and loving all things miniscule comes in handy, and I offered up this joey as practice material:

And for any newer followers, here's what the cupboard looks like after a card-making session:

Happy Easter to you all,

Love Ewe

2011-04-22T07:30:00.008+01:00

I had so much fun organising my new stash at the weekend, that I didn't leave myself any time to actually create anything! I managed to get in the cupboard one evening after work to rustle up this card and tag combo for MTDS with my new stamps from the Cats Pyjamas (available here):

I just love those little sheep. I coloured them with Promarkers and added stitching, scallops, ribbon & buttons.

Have a great Easter weekend,

The rain after the drought....

2011-04-16T20:06:00.001+01:00

So if you ever wondered what 3 months of a stash ban for a shopaholic looks like when the ban is lifted....wonder no longer!

Oh to shop again.

I filled my basket at MTDS (Unity Stamps, Cat's Pyjamas Stamps, Ippity stamps), had a fun shop at 'Art from the Heart' (and when they send you out your purchases, they wrap them in red tissue paper and tie string round with a cute little red heart), managed to find a craft shop in the Lake District during our recent visit, and have also joined a Stampers Ten group to stock up on SU! goodies.

I can't wait to get back in the cupboard and play!

I was also delighted to receive a surprise parcel from the fabulous Ciara last week, who sent me a bunch of adorable crafty bits all in this GORgeous 'Poppit' bag! Isn't she just the bestest?!

(It was also partly Ciara's fault that I spent so much money on Dylusion products!!)

Lastly, here are a couple of pics from our short break in the Lakes. And proof that Mr Poppit does exist:

Outside our B&B, The Angel Inn in Bowness-on-Windermere (where, for the record, they do the BEST American pancakes for breakfast)

On a hill somewhere. It was wet and cold.

Thanks for stopping by,

Baby Boy Blue

2011-04-15T07:30:00.010+01:00

Over at Make the Day Special I continue to showcase the fabulous Unity Store Kit 'The Right Words'. This week, it's a baby card. I've combined it with Ippity's Moonbeams and Heartstrings, which seemed a perfect match to me:

I stitched round the left moon and added glossy accents to bring out the image.

Thanks for dropping by,

Here's to friendship

2011-04-08T07:30:00.001+01:00

Emily has got a a great range of the Unity store kits in stock over at MTDS including an adorable set called 'The Right Words'. I've used one of the gorgeous sentiments to make this colourful card for my fabulous blog friend Ciara who not only chivvied me along last weekend on my attempts to finish my 100 card challenge but she also signed up for a class with the very talented Kate Crane with me! So I say thhhbbbbb! to anyone who says blog friends aren't real friends....coz they are!!!

Stamps: Unity The Right Words.

Competition time over at Cupcake

2011-04-06T09:49:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone...just a quick post to say that there's a competition running at Cupcake Craft Challenge for someone to be a Guest Designer by nominating a challenge theme. Check out the deets here.

Have a great Wednesday!

More news...this time involving CUPCAKES!!

2011-04-05T20:00:00.001+01:00

Well this is shaping up to be a grrrrrreat week! Not only did I finish my marathon 100 card challenge AND had a splurge on new stamps (well earned, beLIEVE me!)...but I've been chosen to join the fabulous Faye and her delightful team of Cupcakes as a permanent DT member!! Whoop whoop! That's a whole lotta sweetness!

There's lots of exciting plans over in the Cupcake Factory...so keep your eyes peeled for more news over the next few weeks. I hope you can join me for some cakey fun, EVERY Monday, right here.

P.s This week's challenge is themed 'Comedy Rocks' and they wanna see creations that will make them giggle. The challenge is sponsored by Simon Says Stamps....so do check it out!

Thanks for dropping in,

News Flash: 100 'cards' challenge complete!

2011-04-03T19:36:00.000+01:00

So, do you remember back on the 1st of January when I thought it'd be a great idea to replicate Lisa Arana's 100 card challenge? Well, on Friday I decided that enough was enough and this weekend I was going to conquer the challenge, no matter what. With 17 creations to go....I spent 10 hours locked in my cupboard...and came up with (along with 3 atcs and 2 cards....) 12 twinchies! (this is not cheating, but being creative with the rules!!!):

I had planned on making a bunch of inchies...but boy, are they TINY! Even too small for me!

I figured some of these twinchies would make great card toppers.

Stamps used include Lawn Fawn Just My Type, The Cat's Pyjamas Loving Mew, My Cute Stamps Matryoshka Dolls & You're Tweet (all available from MTDS), SU! Tiny Tags and some randoms from Elyzbells Art Stamps and Stamping Bella.

The upside of the challenge? I used a whole lot of stamps and paper that I'd been hoarding.

The downside? It slowly drove me crazy.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement from my blog friends during this stamp drought (especially during my marathon making sessions this weekend!!).

Will I be doing the challenge again? Never!

Now....to the shops!!!

Weekend Offer at Make the Day Special

2011-04-02T13:54:00.000+01:00

Hi all....just a quick post to let you know Emily's offering free P&P on all offers over £10 at MTDS and a free goodie bag on all orders over £20! Head over there to check out the gorgeous range of Unity, Suzi Blu, Cat's Pjyama's, My Cute Stamps and lots more!

Calendar 365...March/April

2011-04-01T17:32:00.001+01:00

I found April's page a real challenge and for the first time painted over my attempts several times before I was happy with the results. If you look closely you'll see all sorts of images peeping though the paint!! I settled on some silver kitchen foil and letters I'd had in my stash for ages and was pretty pleased with the results.

I'm hoping for not too many April Showers this month, as you can see!

Here are my finished March pages:

New to the Calendar 365 Challenge?....check out the deets over at the amazing Kathryn Wheel!

Thanks for all your comments last month, I had fun visiting some seriously cool pages!

New Home

2011-04-01T07:30:00.001+01:00

Today's MTDS card is from an ippity favourite set of mine...'What Matter's Most'. I've paper pieced the house:

I received a bunch of twinchies from MTDS' Emily the other day from a swap I joined in. The theme was yellow and blue. Aren't these just adorable? Thanks to Kate, Ciara, She and Kim for making my day brighter!

Have a super weekend!

Mr Poppit picks new candy winner!

2011-03-29T08:18:00.000+01:00

Remember this?

Well, the original winner didn't bagsy her prize, so Mr Poppit picked a new winner of the bloggaversary loot and chose...... Kissinia!! Can you email me your address please (to poppitcards@googlemail.com). If this prize goes aNOTHER week unclaimed...I'm having it for myself! Mwah-ha-haaaaaa!

Flowers for mum

2011-03-28T07:00:00.002+01:00

This week's Cupcake Challenge did just that...challenged me! The theme is 'Flowers for Mum' and I was explaining to the gorgeous Cupcake Faye, that my mum isn't the kind of flowery mum...she's the kind of kayaking, wii playing, Antartica visiting, ipadding kind of mum. Ain't she cool? So mum, if you're peeking (and you shouldn't be!)...I think you're fabulous!

I used a stamp from SU Set Sweet Summer and paper pieced the leaves. I added the flower using a Sizzix Die (Flower Power 2) and finished it with a button and ribbon.

This week, the challenge is sponsored by Sassy Studio Designs and there's plenty more inspiration (and the deets) on the challenge blog.

Thanks for dropping in, (and keep your eyes peeled for another post about my blog candy tomorrow as it has gone unclaimed to date!)

Life's too short...

2011-03-25T07:30:00.005Z

...to wear matching socks! Lol. I love this sentiment! I have often been known to wear odd socks....I mean, who can be bothered to hunt down that ever elusive lost sock that somehow vanishes after a washing machine cycle. Where do they go? Is there a back door that we just don't know about in those machines? Sometimes Mr Poppit finds himself putting on one of his black socks...and one of mine! Hee hee. (I also can't also be bothered to ensure I'm matching up the right black socks!) Anyways, I digress.....

Here's my Make The Day Special DT card for today. I stamped and embossed on vellum for the first time, and really like the effect! The stamp set is from Unity's fabulous 'Itty Bitty' range, available here.

Thanks for dropping by,

Cupboard Candy Winner........

2011-03-22T21:22:00.004Z

Well, what birthday would be complete without a cake?! Mr Poppit & I celebrated my one year bloggaversary/cupboard birthday with a big slice of chocolate cake!

Yum!

Thanks again for all your lovely comments and support over the last year, it's made my journey this far just so enjoyable.

And without further ado, let me tell you who's won the bloogaversary candy (drum roll please.....):

it's Charlie!

Charli said: "Happy Anniversary to you and your cupboard - I remember cooing over it when it was featured on the craftystorage blog!

And it may only have been a year that you've been stamping but I'm sure you've made up for lost time lol. You have some lovely projects (and I do so love your ickle cupboard, its adorable!

Very generous of you to offer candy, really cute lil stamps too."

Please email me Charli with your address: poppitcards@googlemail.com

If the prize isn't claimed in a week, I'll draw another winner.

P.s This is a special shout out to the wonderful 'She' who recently swapped twinchies with me. I sent her one of my cupcakes and she sent THREE of her gorgeous artboard twinchies (below) AND a beautiful card. Now that's what I call a great swap! :-)

Birthday Hugs,

Poppit's Cupboard is 1 ....cue some candy!

2011-03-22T08:00:00.002Z

N.B this post will stay at the top of my blog until March 22nd. Please scroll down for newer posts.

Can you believe I have been sitting in my little cupboard for a year already? It seems only yesterday that I was sizing up the space and getting big ideas about turning it into my own slice of craft heaven. The cupboard's come a long way in that time, as have my creations. Can you also believe it was only a year ago that I really discovered stamping? And promarkers? And the wonderful world of the craft blog?! Yup. I've made some fab friends during the last year and been inspired by so many amazing artists and so to celebrate, I'm giving away some candy from my favourite online craft shop: Make the Day Special

Candy includes: Unity 'Comfy Cozy' Set & Itty Bitty 'Nicest Place To Be',

My Cute Stamps 'Little Cupcake', a Studio G ink pad and some assorted pink ribbon

To be in with the chance to get your inky mitts on this candy, simply become a follower (if you're not already one) and leave a comment.

I'll be drawing a random winner on my bloggaversary, the 22nd March at 8.00pm GMT and am happy to post the prize anywhere in the world.

You're Just My Type

2011-03-21T07:00:00.002Z

I had sooooo much fun preparing for this week's Cupcake Craft Challenge! The theme is 'Monochromatic' and although I was quite hesitant to begin with, it quickly became a great challenge! My favourite thing about the Cupcake Challenges is that they really get you thinking outside the box!

Stamps: Lawn Fawn's Just my type, Unity KOTM September (When I am with you)

This week the challenge is sponsored by Prairie Fairy Designs and you have until Sunday 27th to enter. Do check out the other Cupcake makes for more inspiration!

AND they're looking for a new Cupcake to join the team, so if you're interested, head over to the blog for more details!

One design.....two cards

2011-03-18T07:30:00.004Z

I made my weekly dt card for Make the Day Special a few days ago before realising that the stamps I used were from a Unity Store Kit back in February 2010. I can't believe how quickly the year has flown....and how fast the kit went off the shelves.

Alas, Make the Day special no longer sell the gorgeous kit. With a layout I liked, I set to work on a new card using the adorable Itty Bitty 'Owl Always':

I decoupaged the owl stamp, although the picture doesn't show this too clearly.

Thanks for dropping in!

I'll pull you through

2011-03-16T08:00:00.003Z

The really good thing about this 100 Card Challenge, is that it's got me rummaging through stamps sets I've had for ages in search of inspiration. I've seen a few gals use sewing type images and wind thread around the bobbins, so I thought I'd give it a go with a stamp from Unity:

Stamps: Unity KOTM April 2010 'Together we bloom'

Thanks for dropping in,

Up in the Air

2011-03-14T06:30:00.002Z

It's Cupcake Challenge time! This week's challenge is 'Up in the air' (and as it's St Patrick's day this week, there's also the option of adding a splash of green). I had a lot of fun making my card (see I told you I was in a new 'zigzag sewing' phase....although I notice my machine occasionally misses a stitch, which is a bit annoying):

Stamps used: Unity Itty Bitty 'Adventurous'

Hope you can join in the cupcake fun. This week we're sponsored by Digi Doodle Shop. You can check out a load more airy inspiration over at the challenge blog.

Thanks for flying in!