Happy Howl-oween!

There are so many Halloween Challenges around this week, I thought I'd better join in and picked this very cute and rather un-scary Halloween Rosey from Fred She Said, you can buy her here.  Rosey is also available pre-coloured but I chose to get my Copics out and do some colouring, then cut her out and gave her some dimension with Pinflair.    The DP is mostly Memory Box, I've sponged a background for Rosey and used Stamp Addicts Dotty stamps in the background.  Some brads and lots of stitching finished off my Halloween card, which is based on this week's Sketch Saturday.  Sentiment is computer generated.

My card is for :
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Charisma Cardz - in stitches
Simon Says - Halloween/goth
Shopping our Stash - Boo! spooky or orange/black
Cupcake Craft - Halloween
Fussy & Fancy - fall or Halloween
Scrapalicious - black, purple, orange
Paper Pretties - Halloween
The House that Stamps Built - fall/Halloween
Clear it Out Challenge - Halloween (DP and image both from last year!)
Everybody Art Challenge - Halloween

This robin is an imposter!

Fred She Said has a lovely image of a pair of robins, sitting on some festive holly, so I'm not quite sure why I felt the need to disguise the chickadee as a robin, with the berries matching the red breast, it must be a contrary streak somewhere in me lol!  Here's a link to the winter bird series, so you can see both the robins and the chickadee, as well as a cardinal, all available as digis or pre-coloured.  I matched my undercover chickadee with Memory Box DP, a MS punch and some traditional red and green ribbons, sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.
Don't forget, you've one more day to do the Fred She Said Fabulous Fall Blog Hop, with great prizes, closes midnight tonight (Thursday).

My card is for the following challenges:
Papertake Weekly - sketch
Raise the Bar - things with wings
Critter Challenge - anything goes
Crafty Boots - things with wings
Paper Makeup Stamps - resize your digi
Simon Says - anything goes

Father's Day Scene

I found it surprisingly hard to make this Father's Day card.  Last year Father's Day was on my Dad's birthday and we met for lunch, knowing that chances were it would be his last birthday.  Dad died in Spetember but I know my two teenage sons will still want cards without going to the shop and paying for them :) and of course DH still needs one for his Dad.  I think now I've made one the others will be easier... 

I used various Hobby Art SceneIt stamps to create a small picture which I'm quite pleased with.  I followed Sketch Saturday's layout, DP is Stampin' Up, I used a Martha Stewart punch and some garden twine.  The sentiment is Joanna Sheen.

This card is for the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Simon Says - Father's Day
Incy Wincy Designs - nature
Craft Your Days Away - Father's Day
Totally Gorjuss - string's the thing
Here Come the Boys - Father's Day
Crafting for all Seasons - Father's Day
Fresh Brewed Designs - for the guys
The Paper Shelter - glad for Dad
Craft Your Passion - what a guy
Lexi's Creations - Father's Day
Karen's Doodles - Father's Day
Crafty Ho's - twine

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

Top Tip Tuesday Challenge - using up ribbon/make it girlie

Welcome to another Top Tip Tuesday Challenge!  This week Dawn has a great tutorial about using scraps of ribbon, be sure to check it out at the challenge blog.  You can either follow her tutorial or make a girlie project - oops I misread the challenge and simply used ribbon!  I've used a piece of wide lacy ribbon as well as a small piece with unusual dots on that I've been hoarding for my card.
I used a Jayne Netley Mayhew stamp from Joanna Sheen, masking it and stamping out 3 times.  The sentiment is from a Sheena Douglass stamp set.  The only colouring I've done is to use watercolour pens then Glossy Accents on the puffin's beaks, so it is virtually monochrome.  The dotty paper came from my recent Stampin' Up workshop, it was a spot prize (pun intended).
I'm entering the following challenges with my card:
Card Patterns - their 100th sketch
Stamps R Us - animals
Gingerloft - things that fly
Stamptacular Sunday - whatevah (must stamp)
Easy Craft Projects - black & white
Delicious Doodles - spots or stripes
Crafts and Me - monochrome
Simon Says - animal antics

Just Walkin' the Dog

 

I couldn't resist sitting down last night and playing with some of my lovely new stash; this card is the result.  The Faye Whittaker stamp from Joanna Sheen is one I just couldn't resist when I saw the release, there are so many lovely stamps in this series and I managed to hold back and just order one (oh and a decoupage set!).  The Basic Grey Curio DP and the MS border punch were both presents from my DH, he's very good at stash shopping:).I added apunched flower and leaves and a butterfly, there is one pearl among the Stickles on her hat and more on the image and the border.  She's coloured with Copics and the background uses Distress Inks (Shabby Shutters, Victorian Velvet).

My card is for the following challenges:

Card Patterns - sketch

Truly Scrumptious - brown, pink and green

Stamps R Us - animal magic

Simon Says - animal antics

Simply Create - use your punches

Tuesday Throwdown - distressing

Paper Sundaes - distressing

Phindy's Place Challenge #34 - Winter

Good Morning and welcome to a new Phindy's Place Challenge, this week we have the fun challenge of Winter - which can be Christmas but doesn't have to be - as long as you use a Phindy's Place image!  We've had far more snow and ice than is usual for England at this time of year and I've been busy making icy, snowy Christmas card.  Today I've used Winter Walk, an image that works for all kinds of occasions, not just as a Christmas card (think engagement, Thinking of You...) but I've tried to use a warmer colour palette.  Maybe the weather will follow suit!

Colouring is Copics and some Distress Ink in Pumice Stone, Liquid Pearls were added for snow.  I've followed the Inspirational Card Sketch for this week, the sentiment is Impression Obsession and I've stitched across the My Mind's Eye DP, which has been maturing in my stash!
I'm entering the following challenges:

Inspirational Card Sketches - sketch
Simon Says - Christmas but no red or green
Papertake Weekly - red and green must not be seen
A Spoonful of Sugar - Christmas Card
Digital Tuesday - baby it's cold outside
Sassy Studio Designs - non traditonal Christmas colours
Inktegrity Challenges - non traditional Christmas colours
Christmas Card Challenges - monochrome

Phindy's Place Challenge #33 - Frugal freebie

  Good morning and welcome to a very chilly Friday.  It's time for this week's Phindy's Place Challenge and this week we are challenging you to make a frugal project using a freebie.  Phindy has very generously offered many freebie over on her Papercraftplanet group and I have used the one she released to celebrate 1,000 members to the group.  You could use a different freebie such as free DP downloads or a freebie sentiment.  After all, if you can't find the right one then computer generated is free!  Just be sure to use a Phnidy image!

My card is based on this week's Simon Says Challenge sketch.  For the month of December their prize is a massive $50 to spend in store.  How generous is that!
My freebie card consists of Join the Party, a great digi for lots of occasions, I've added a Craftwork Cards stamped sentiment.  It's coloured with Copics and lots of Glossy Accents on the martini glass, I hope you can see the sheen, this is a dreadful day to try to take photos:(. The edges of the image and the DP are distressed, I've also inked the background.   The glitter glue was a freebie with a magazine, the DP was a magazine freebie from last year and the flowers are Prima ones from winning the Somino Says Challenge a year ago, so a sort-of freebie!  I hopw you dig out some freebies to use with your Phindy's Place images and join us!
My card is for the following challenges:
Simon Says - sketch
Woodware USA - anything goes
Whoopsy Daisy Challenge - girly
Tuesday Throwdown - embellish it
Totally Stampalicious - anything goes
Paper Cupcakes - anything goes

A Chilly Chickadee

It's absolutely perishing here but at least we only had a light dusting of snow.  It's a day to be indoors crafting and I didn't enjoy doing the outdoor chores at all!  I've made a card using one of Fred, She Said's lovely pre-coloured images from the Christmas Bird Series.  This is the Chickadee, I've printed him 3 times and decoupaged him as well as the pine branches.  His head and wing markings are highlighted with Glossy Accents and I've added some "snow" to the snow Tracey already drew, using Liquid Pearls.
I've turned this week's Midnight Madness sketch on its side and followed it, adding lots of stitching, snowflakes punched from pearlescent card, ribbon, a sentiment from Craftwork cards and a few more branches.  It's hard to see but there's stitching around the image on its frame too.
My card is for the following challenges:
Midnight Madness - sketch
Craft Your Days Away  - texture
The Crafty Pad - snowflakes
Bah Humbug! - feeling the blues
Crafty Sentiments - Christmas
Simon Says - let it snow!

DT Post - Phindy's Place Friday Challenge#27- Fancy Folds

Good Morning!  It's Friday and I'm so happy that it's nearly the weekend.  Friday of course means that it's time for another fun and fabulous Phindy's Place Challenge.  This week we are challenging you to use Fancy Folds on your creation, simple or complex, you choose.  I followed a link to Paola's blog and something called a Double Display card.  It wasn't as hard to make as it looks and it gave me lots of space to use some gorgeous Crafty Individuals DP that I bought recently.  Here it is stretched out so you can see all the folds:
I used Ice Dance, a beautiful Phindy's Place digi for my main image, coloured with copics and Distress Inks, with lots of Stickles added.  The snowflakes, also heavily Stickled, that I've scattered across my card are cut with a punch, the sentiments are from Craftwork Cards and the silver ribbon from stash.  I think I've just invented a new word:  have you Stickled anything lately? :)

My card is also entered for the following challenges:
Charisma Cardz - more than one fold
Simon Says Stamp - 3 embellies (snowflakes, ribbons, sentiments), 2 DPs, 1 image
A Spoonful of Sugar - Winter Wonderland
Gingerloft - glitter or bling
Ooh la la  - nothing floral
Paper Sundaes - change of seasons
Anything Goes - ribbon

Bubbling Over

Card Patterns is a new Challenge blog to me, how ever have I missed this one for so long?! I used their sketch as the basis for this card, made with one of the new Indulgence images from Shirleys2Girls. Don't forget you only have one day left to join in the Indulgence Blog Hop, don't miss out :). If you're looking for my stage of the hop, please click here :).

I combined this card with the Paper Sundae Challenge which is a recipe: brown, pink, lace and flowers, far too pretty a combo to miss out on!

I've coloured my image with Copics and trimmed it down, cropping out the background, it's then been glued onto DP using silicon glue to give it lots of dimension. The bubbles have Liquid Pearls added for even more dimensions. The papers are all Basic Grey from the Porcelain collection. Plain white cardstock has Swiss Dots embossed on it, the lace is from my fabric stash and the flowers were a little gift in with an order from Simon Says.

Nearly there!

I finished the first Christmas card list and now I'm finishing the second list - the ones I forgot first time round or got cards from someone I didn't expect to - am I the only person disorganised enough to have two lists? LOL! This is a quickie card for our new neighbours, the stamps are Artemio clear stamps that I bought from Made by You in Swindon. Papers is DCWV and the sentiment came from Craftwork Cards, as did the scalloped card.

There are a few last minute Christmas challenges around so this is entered for:

• Stamp Something Challenge - Holiday Somethings
• My Time to Craft Challenge - Yuletide Wishes
• Simon Says - Merry Christmas
• Crafty Creations - Traditional Christmas (red green and gold)
  

Christmas Teddybear

Here's another of the new release Lili of the Valley stamps that I got, cute isn't he? I had fun colouring him with my Copics; normally I really work hard to keep the colouring even but on the teddy I had a great time scribbling to get a furry look :).

I've covered several challenges here:

• The sketch is Lili of the Valley's challenge this week

• One Stop Craft Challenge has Beary Nice as its theme
• Simon Says want stitching - real or faux and
  
• Pile It On calls for us to use our punches

Image is coloured with Copics and Promarkers, the background has Adirondack Denim ink sponged onto it. There is faux stitching around the edges and I've used a corner punch on the image and its mat. The papers came as a magazine insert and are all matted onto plain navy; the snowflakes are punched from pink card tha I've coloured with a Copic to match the teddie's presents. I've added Perfect Pearls to the snowflakes and some of the papers. Sentiment is from a new Woodware set of clear stamps that I bought today at Made By You.

I had a lovely crafty morning at Made by You today; workshops were running all day in aid of the Macmillan Cancer Nurses Coffee mornings. I made some simple Christmas cards, ate cake, had fun and did some shopping :). Almost makes up for not going to Ally Pally this year :)

Something About Simon...

Simon Says is having an awesome blog giveaway of $100 of new products, yes that's $100, following their visit to CHA, the trade show in Orlando. There's a really interesting tool to make brads, using blanks that you can add your own papers too.

I was lucky enough to win Simon Says' challenge last week and I can tell you I had a LOT of fun filling my shopping basket and whittling it down to what I bought, they seem to stock everything under the sun that a crafter needs :)

Candy giveaway closes Friday 14 August, be sure to visit and enter!