Phindy's Place Challenge #96 - Monochromatic Green

Good morning and welcome to this week's Phindy's Place Challenge.  This week we are celebrating St Patrick's Day with a monochromatic green challenge.  You don't have to make a St Patrick's Day card, though Phindy has some lovely images for this.  I have used Spring Shower, an adorable new image, for a Get Well card. The DP is Stampin' Up and I've followed the layout at Sketch'n'Stash.  Sentiment is Stampin' Bella, image has paper pieced umbrella and is coloured with Copics and Distress Inks.
My card is for:
Sketch'n'Stash - sketch
Crafty Creations - stripes
DigiStamps4Joy - green
Whimsical Designs - going green
My Mum's Craft Shop - spring colours
House of Gilli - green
Stamp & Create - paper piecing
Secret Crafter - green for go

Fair Isle and Bling

 

It was time that I inked up my Nordic Winter stamps with something other than red, so I decided to follow this week's Waltzing Mouse Sketch and make an icy blue card for it.  The vertical stripes are some paper I won from Paper Temptress, a lovely satiny paper.  I just meant to put the larger bling in the corners and maybe a scattering on the snowflakes, but the card told me it needed more and I used up my small bling:).  There's a lot of sparkle in real life...

My card is for:

Waltzing Mouse - sketch

Shopping our Stash - glitters, sparkles or shines

Stamptacular Sunday - texture (twine, gems)

Use it Tuesday - all about winter (used up gems)

Tuesday Throwdown - baby it's cold outside

Sweet Stamps - hearts (middle border)

I Brake for Stamps - clean & simple

Secret Crafter - anything goes with blue

Simon Says - spots and/or stripes this one is stripes:)

Phindy's Place Challenge #71 - anything goes using a Phindy's Place image

And now for something completely different...  the first challenge of the month at Phindy's Place is always Anything Goes, so long as you use one of Phindy's images.  This means there is always time to plan ahead so I did something I've been thinking about for ages, which is to use a digi image to make something in fabric.  It needed to be digi not rubber so I could get the size I wanted and chose Summer Bare which is one of my favourites from the new releases. 

I printed it out and traced onto Bondaweb, simplifying some of the detail.  The bikini strings were too fine to add in so I hand stitched on some twine.  I bought a lovely bag pattern at Festival of Quilts from a lovely lady on the Monkey Buttons stand, it's called African Basket.  I strip pieced the background and yes, all the panels are different and the stripes were not meant to match up!  I put together my applique image on one of the panels and followed the pattern for the bag which was straightforward to make.  It's ages since I've sewn anything other than a card, what do you think of my Phindy bag?
I'm entering my bag for the following challenges:
Paper Pretties - anything but a card
Die Cut Dreams - make a gift box or bag
My Craft Spot - sewing somewhere on your project - yup!
Victorine Originals - summer
Just some lines - anything but a card
Secret Crafter - in the sea
Totally Papercrafts - not a card
Charisma Cards - anything goes
Simon Says - anything goes hop

Partridge in a Pear Tree

Hmm... it's time to start on the Christmas cards soon, I'm sure I had a lot more made this time last year!  This uses a lovely set from Stamp Addicts that I've been sent of a Partridge in a Pear Tree, complete with tree, partridge, sentiment (not this one) and solid and outline pears, making it easy to use in lots of different ways.  I brushed and brayered glossy card then stamped my tree in Stazon, with Distress Ink pears.  I decoupaged my partridge onto the tree, he's also inked with Mustard Seed Distress Ink to match the pears.  The vertical strips are embossed with snowflakes and the pear DP is Basic Grey from Nook & Pantry, couldn't resist combining it with the tree:).  The card is a large, shaped Craftwork Cards blank.  Lovely sparkly ribbon came from Really Reasonable Ribbons.
My card is for the following challenges:
Sketch 'n' Stash - sketch with the DP being old stash and the stamps new
Basic Grey - anything goes
Hooked on Craft - things with wings
Mark's Finest Papers - emboss it (white strips)
Secret Crafter - make a scene
Bah Humbug - something new (stamp set)
Fuzzy Wuzzy Challenge - shaped cards
Aud Sentiments - anything goes
Papercraft Journey - anything goes

Fabulous Phindy Phriday - anything Phindy goes

 It's here!  Our first Phindy Fabulous Phriday Challenge is today.  Anything Goes -so long as you use a Phindy's Place image on your project.  There are some great images in the shop and there are always some Freebies to be picked up on the Phindy's Place PCP Group if you don't yet have any of these  fabulous images.  The first Friday of each month will be Anything Goes with a Phindy's Place image, so have have plenty of time to plan ahead each month.

I was really keen to use one of the new Skinny Sale, one of the new Plump 'Uns images, there have been some fab cards floating around blogdom that use this image, with some very clever sentiments too!  I've picked a sentiment from Create with TLC and coloured it to match my tape measure, which is a Clarity Stamps stamp I forgot I had, I've embossed it with black on my cardstock and it looks really dimensional in real life.  Image is coloured with Copics and Distress Inks, flower is also coloured to match with Copics.  DP is Prima and I've turned the sketch from Sweet Sketch Wednesday on end.

My card is for the following challenges:
Sweet Sketch Wednesday - sketch
Charisma Cardz - favourite ice cream colours - coffee and strawberry and vanilla (ok there's a touch of blueberry on my card:))
Digi Doodle Shop - anything goes
Ai Factory - use favourite embellishment (flower)
Secret Crafter - embossing (ruler)

Aspirational new home card

 I love my Design Team work, don't get me wrong.  After a few early forays I know to restrict it to using artists whose work I love, in fact even calling it "work" is wrong, it's playing really isn't it!  But just occasionally something else reaches out and grabs me, in this case it is stamps by Lindsay Mason who I met at Craft Barn's Extravaganza at the start of the month.  I loved the way Lindsay created and this is really an attempt to copy her style.  If you check out her blog you'll see it's a bit of a pale imitation, she's seriously talented and was also so friendly and generous with her tips and ideas.

I've used Distress Inks on glossy card for the background.  I smudged my sentiment slightly so stamped again on the lower part of the card and matted it over the smudge.  Just the edge towers are glued down on the big castle so it has lots of dimension but it can still be squished down to post.  Background stripe is My Minds Eye, DIY style brads are Joanna Sheen and I've used Swiss Dots embossing on the frame.  The screw brads are because everyone ends up doing some work to their new home, even if it's a castle:).
 Enjoy your day.

My card is for the following challenges:
Midnight Madness - sketch
The Paper Shelter - anything goes
Totally Papercrafts - spots and stripes
Sew Many Cards - dry embossing
Sweet Stampin' - something old (swiss dot folder), something new - Lindsay stamps
Secret Crafter - embossing

Ooh La La - Guest Designer - Challenge #82 - Father's Day/ someone special

Welcome to this week's Ooh La La Challenge, which is to make a card for Father's Day or for someone special.  This card is for my father-in-law who has had several holidays to the Yorkshire Coast, so when I saw this scene on the Ooh La La Watercolour Memories CD I had to make it for him.  I printed it onto heavyweight watercolour paper which makes it look even better.  My printer doesn't like such heavy card so I printed the scene out a little way down a sheet of thin copy paper, then I used spray glue to attach cardstock cut to size.  Somehow this kids the printer into co-operating:).  I extended the picture using my Hobby Art Scene-It stamps, computer generated a sentiment and used a backing sheet from the same CD that goes with a different scene, Aldborough I think.
My card is for the following challenges:
Mark's Finest Papers - Father's Day
Delicious Doodles - Father's Day
One Stop Craft- Father's Day
Secret Crafter - masculine card
Stamp Scrap & Doodle - Father's Day
Polkadoodles - something for Dad
Simply Create - all about you Dad
Fussy & Fancy - man cards
Crazy 4 Challenges - masculine cards
Stamptacular Sunday - Dads or Grads

Pretty Poppies

I made this photoframe at a recent Sheena Douglass workshop, it's a great idea for presents or as an idea for something to sell at fundraisers.  Take one cheap IKEA photoframe from a 3 for £1.60-something pack.  Gold emboss swirls onto it.  Use a sponge to rub lots of Distress Ink (walnut I think) into the wood.  Don't forget the inner and outer frame!  Create a picture for your unique frame.
We used Distress Ink in a pale colour for the landscape and water on a brush to soften the outline still further.  Then we stamped the poppy and coloured in vibrant watercolour pencils and clear embossed over the petals.  Sit back and admire your work of art:).
Simon Says Challenge this week is anything but a card and Secret Crafter's theme is a stamped flower.

If money doesn't grow on trees, what about love?

Everyone with teenagers will be familiar with money not growing on trees, but this Phindy's Place image shows that, just maybe, love does:).  The image is coloured with Copics, Glossy Accents and some Forest Moss Distress Ink around the edges.  The card is based on this week's Sketch'n'Stash Challenge, my old stash is the octagon Nestie which I always forget about ans the Indian Summer pad which I found in the drawer.  I've stitched around the die-cut shape and also round the dry embossed stripes behind the image.  The zig zag stitching helps show the strips as I realised that they are quite a low contrast against the DP which is Basic Grey Indian Summer.  The pink card square is torn to add a bit of texture.

I had a bit of a wobble with my stash diet when I had to go to Wantage with DH who asked me if I needed to go the the craft shop (he's very well trained lol!) but I managed to hold out:).

This card is for some of the many Valentine challenges around, including:

Basic Grey - all heart

Sketch'n'Stash - sketch

Allsorts - it must be love, love love

Bee Crafty - digi and hearts

Crazy4Challenges - valentine

Secret Crafter - valentine

Do it with digis - romance

Raise the Bar - hearts

Stamp Something - digi

Stampin for the weekend - St Valentine's day

Simon Says - love is in the air

Tuesday Throwdown - stitching

Tuesday Taggers - feel the lurve

Flourishes - valentine

Ewe can't have too much of a good thing

We've just got back from taking older son back to University, a very long drive.  This scene is typical of the area of Wales we drove through, made the card last night and didn't get round to blogging it.  I'm really enjoying playing with my scene stamps.  It's fairly clean and simple; the scene is built up with Hobby Art stamps and watercoloured.  No idea where the check card came from, the lined brown is recycled card from Stamp Attic.  Two small bronze brads and a couple of sheep from the same set complete the card.  Oh, the circle is raised up on gel glue.

I used the sketch from Card Positioning Systems for the card, nice and straightforward.  With the textured card, brads and dimension I'm also entering Secret Crafter's Tons of Texture Challenge.

Phindy's Place Challenge #37 - Distressing

  

Welcome to Friday and welcome to this week's Phindy's Place Challenge.  Last week was the first time we opened up the challenge to all-comers and boy did we get a response - nearly 150 entries!  This week the challenge is Distressing.  You can use Distress Inks, distress paper edges, tear paper, interpret it your way, I can't wait to see your entries!   I used one of my all-time favourite images, Spring Breeze, a useful one for Mother's Day, new baby, all sorts of occasions really.

I've coloured with Copics and edged with Dusty Concord Distress Ink.  The DP is Basic Grey Wisteria and I've distressed the edges, then inked them.  There is stitching around 2 of the papers.  I used my new Martha Stewart punch that DH bought me for Christmas to mat the image.  There are tiny Papermania buttons on the corners of the image and eyelets in the plain card, which is also inked.  The flowers are made from a Little Claire die and the leaves are punched.  I added a nice big bow and decided that there was so much going on that the sentiment can go inside the card!  One more thing that you probably can't see is that the card has the fold at the LH side.  I noticed that quite a few of the landscape layout commercial Christmas cards that we received had the fold to the left, not at the top, and they stayed upright much better.  So I cut this from A3 cardstock.

I'm entering the following challenges with my card:  

Polka Doodles - sketch and self coloured image

Delightful Challenges - buttons

Digi Doodle Shop - buttons

Dutch Dare - new beginnings

Moving Along with the Times - old stash, new stash (new MS punch, old DP, eyelets, buttons)

Stamp Insanity - use metal (eyelets)

Stampin B's - something old, something new

Simon Says - new beginnings (new baby, Spring)

Secret Crafter - buttons & bows
Creative Card Crew - new beginnings
Paper Crafting Journal - lets get digital
Crafting Your Passion - anything goes
Corrosive Challenges - purple & yellow
Crafty Ho's - babies
Ellephantastic - new beginnings
One Stop Craft - new beginnings
Do It With Digis - new beginnings

Christmas Cutie - surprise

I'm not feeling very creative right now, for obvious reasons.  But I have a few cards to post on here and crafting is a great distraction from life, so I may have a few things to blog over the next few days - or I may not.  One day at a time and all that...
Here's one of those adorable Christmas Cuties from Phindy's Place, this one is called Surprise.  I wonder what's in her stocking?  She's coloured with Copics, there is Fluffy Stuff and Stickles on her stocking, which is paper pieced.  The papers are Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses apart from the stripe, that may be Stampin' Up, not too sure.  The snowflakes are cut with Nesties, the tags are cut freehand and the sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.
I'm entering my card for:
Stampin' for the Weekend's Tag It challenge
Secret Crafter's Anything Goes theme
Stamp Something's digi challenge
Aly's Sunday Challenge - Sparkly and Glittery

Clean & Simple Poinsettia

I've been playing with the Poinsettias from Fred-She-Said again:).  This time I wanted to try a clean & simple card that I could make quickly and easily to help with the mountain of Christmas cards that needs making.  I've used a textured card and stamped the swirl (a clear set from Personal Impressions that I've had for ages) directly onto the card in Olympia Green Versafine.  The poinsettia is only 3 layers, with a little Stickles in the middle.  That's it.  Card done!  What do you think? I really like it but it's hard to leave it alone, I keep wanting to add more swirls...
This card is for the following Challenges:
Weekly Christmas Card Challenges - Clean & Simple
Crafty Cardmakers - Clean & Simples
Secret Crafter Challenge - Clean & Simple
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Winter Wonderland

For Ewe at Christmas

I had a wonderful time at Craft Barn on my class with Jenny Mayes, she worked us hard but no one was under pressure unless they wanted to be.  We mostly worked with her Hobby Art Scene-It stamps and I came away with 3 new sets!  This is a Christmas card that I've put together by cannibalising a few different projects:).  The tiny house has sparkle added and I put in some falling snow with a white gel pen.  There are, I think, 3 different sheep stamps used on the bottom scene along with skyline and grass.  The sheep have a little Fluffy Stuff on them and more glitter; both scenes are watercoloured with Aquamarkers as well as Tombow pens.  The card is dry embossed and the sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.

This card is for the following Challenges:

Paper Sundaes - Christmas in August
Totally Gorjuss - Christmas in August
Crafty Cardmakers - Glitter & Sparkle 
Secret Crafter - Make a Start on Christmas

More Jenny inspired work later!

Down by the Jetty

This week at Corrosive Challenges we are following Janet's sketch and I've used it to make a card that's been on my mind for a few days, while I'm trying to increase the number of cards suitable for men in my stash.  This week's Simon Says Challenge is Sing It Baby.  After watching Oil City Confidential about Dr Feelgood and their Canvey Island beginnings  I have had All Through the City on the brain:

"I've been searching all through the city
See you in the morning down by the jetty"

Now admittedly the jetties there are no doubt for huge oil tankers and my jetty is rather a romanticised version but it is a jetty:).

My card is heavily inspired by an article by Karen Kerr in Cardmaking & Papercraft, who demonstrates using the Hobby Art stamps to build a scene.  The sentiment is from Craftwork Cards and the watery DP came from Stamp Attic.

My card also fits Totally Papercraft's By the Sea Challenge and  Secret Crafter's Saturday Challenge of It's a Man's World

Summertime and the living is easy

Earlier this week I got an email from Little Claire stamps about their sale; I was lucky enough to get this Martha Stewart Grass punch for a very good price.  As I had new stash it seemed a good idea to enter this week's Sketch and Stash Challenge.   I was a bit stumped by the sketch, until I decided to use my design twice, cutting out as two circles, one smaller than the other and popped up on silicon glue. 

I used a flower design from Isabella's Sketchbook.  Isabella's Sketchbook Challenge this week is get punchy and I've used my new punch as well as a leaf punch on my card.  DP is Basic Grey Green at Heart, image is coloured with Copics and a bit of Stickles.  I've added Stickles to my flower and the sentiment is from Elusive Images.  I'm also entering my card for the Summer Days Challenge at the Allsorts Challenge Blog and the Summer Holidays theme at Secret Crafter Challenge.  

Berry Simple

I needed a quick Thank You card and, as I'd coloured this beautiful strawberry image I decided to use it and add some computer generated text. The main image is from Isabella's Sketchbook, love it! The tiny strawberries, leaves and flourishes are tiny tapestry stamps on wooden dowel, that were all the rage a couple of years back. Main image coloured with Copics, sponged with Distress Inks, Glossy Accents added to those juicy berries.

This card is for the following challenges:
Digital Tuesday - Summertime
Crafty Cardmakers - Inky Fingers
Isabellas' Challenge - Summer Fun
Secret Crafter - Strawberries & Cream

Dance Yourself Dizzy

I treated myself to a couple of Mo Manning images the other day and finally got round to printing them out, here's my first card from them, using the imcomparable Mummu.

My card is based around Jane's lovely sketch at Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge, I'm also entering it for Stamp Something's Digi Challenge and this week's Charisma Cardz Challengewhich is flowers. Pile It On's theme is Quirky, which I think is Mummu to a T and Digital Tuesday Challenge has Trendy, again I think she's right on trend:).

Image is coloured with Copics, sentiment is computer generated. The DP is Basic Grey Capella. The flowers are cut with my gorgeous new Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers die, top layer is from wide mesh ribbon. I've stitched with straight and zig-zag stitch to add interest and texture.

Today is about...

The weather has been just gorgeous today, far too nice to spend time in my craft room:). Took a picture of the wisteria this afternoon, how often do you see a sky this blue in England in May?
We went plant shopping with a voucher that we got at Christmas (and a bit of help from Visa) so instead of inky fingers I have earth stained fingers.The card that I have to show you came from a lovely crafty day with my friend Val. We had lots of creative plans but again we were slightly scuppered by the weather, we kept escaping outside to enjoy the sun:). I bought some journalling sentiments from Elusive Images, although I don't have a journal:). Don't know why, but they called my name...

This card isn't a million miles from something that Glenda Waterworth (Elsuive Images) blogged when she released the stamps. I put as many sentiments as I could onto a large arylic block in a very loose, sort-of order and stamped it in Dusty Concrd Distress Ink. I sponged Distress Inks onto the background and used a glue pen and Glamour Dust to highlight some of the words. Matted it onto dark purple card and made a flower from a Woodware punch with a bit more Glamour Dust and a silver brad. I made this for Quixotic Challenge's "How Sentimental" and it's also entered for Secret Crafter's Challenge which is No Patterned Paper

DT - Phindy's Place Challenge #2 - Use Ribbon

It's Friday, so hooray it's nearly the weekend! It's also Phindy Friday, time for the second Phindy's Place Challenge. This week we have the super-simple challenge of using ribbon. You need to use one of Phindy's adorable images, but just add ribbon and you're in! I've made my card for a few other challenges too, Sweet Stampin's and Allsort's Challenge both have the theme theme is "In Stitches", and Secret Crafter has "A day out" for their challenge; my little would-be ballerina is having a day out watching the big girls:).

My image is called The Big Girls' Class and it's one of my all-time favourite images. It's coloured with Copics and Stickles, edged with Distress Inks and stitching. There's more zig-zag stitching round the edge of the square, I like the texture it adds to my card. The two ribbons are from stash (organza was coloured with Copics) and the paper is Basic Grey Kiyoshi. I got the pad more than a week ago and fell for it big time. But it's no good just stroking it, so here it is in use for the first time :)> DH suggested I bought a second pad, one to stroke and one to use, what an understanding man I married 22 years ago today!