Hydrangea Bouquet

Our neighbours are getting married soon and I needed a card to say that we will be coming to the evening reception, I don't have a sentiment for this and I decided that "Thanks" would do fine and I can write on it that it's an acceptance Thank You:).  I made a step card that is something a little different for Tracey and Nev to keep, I embossed and Distress Inked cardstock, adding pearls and a bow (the bow is on the back section, doesn't show too well in the photo) and a beautiful Hydrangea image from Fred She Said which is popped up on Pinflair glue to give it dimension.  I found the blooms not as bad to colour as I thought, might really challenge myself with white ones another time:).

My card is for the following challenges:

Simon Says - make a multi fold

Stampin' for the Weekend - tickled pink

Shopping our Stash - vintage, distress, shabby chic

Magical Monday - shaped card

House of Gilli - embossing

Tuesday Throwdown - pearls

Everybody Art Challenge - flowers

Copic Creations - pretty in pink

Stamp Something - anything goes final challenge

Double Trouble!

 I just had to get a second entry made for Less is More this week, I love my House Mouse stamps and love making cards with them.  But... I do tend to throw the kitchen sink at them:  lace, Nesties, brads, pearls, the works.  So could I do clean and simple?  One layer too?  Now Joanna Sheen does unmounted rubber sheets of House Mouse (or do I mean mice?) there are some fab smaller images to play with, so I came up with this duo, complete with purple asters for my friend Morag's birthday this week (she loves purple).  I like it as a change to the other HM cards I make, what do you think?
The card is from Craftwork Cards, it was originally square but somehow didn't look right, so it had one arch lopped off:).  To show off the border I added a strip of Artylicious cardstock inside the card (oops hope this still make it one layer!) and then proceeded to finish off the inside as well, something I'm usually very bad at.  Coloured with watercolour pencils on the outside, Distress Ink inside.  The inside sentiments are both Joanna Sheen from a different set.
My card is for:
Less is More - seeing double
House Mouse & Friends Monday - Happy Birthday with flowers - and Happy 3rd birthday to them!
Paper Sundaes - finishing touches
Stamp Something - stamp anything - last challenge :(
Truly Scrumptious - decorate inside your card

Tiffany Doodles Stitching Challenge

It's the 7th of the month and that means a new challenge at Tiffany Doodles.  This month the challenge is one of my favourite techniques:  it is stitching, real, faux, hand or machine.  There's a $10 voucher to Tiffany Doodles Store for the winner, so make sure you get an entry in!

I used the gorgeously opulent Succulent Flower for my card, printing it out 4 times (some of the prints were cropped so as not to waste ink and card), colouring with Copics, cutting and decoupaging.  The colouring could not be simpler, I used 3 shades of RV:  10, 23 and 34.  I had only a few scraps left of a Basic Grey pad called Green at Heart so I went slightly mad and patchworked a background for my image by glueing it onto a grid then stitching a zig-zag over the seams.  The sentiment is from Pink Petticoat, I added a couple of rhinestones beside it and a tiny one as a dewdrop on the flower.    More stitching, MS string punch used on the corners.  Hope you like my stitching card:).

I'm entering it for the following challenges:
Cupcake Craft - patchwork quilt
Stamp Something - digi
365 Cards - 6 different patterned papers - I counted and I did!
Card Cupids - stitching
One Stitch at a Time - use a digi

Day 2 of the building work saw the final digging out of the chalk under the sitting room floor, levelling off and adding of sand, then the damproof membrane.  Today it's loads and loads of concrete.  Here's the foreman inspecting progress:

A Touch of Red

I really couldn't resist the new Christmas release at A Day for Daisies and this robin on a fence is gorgeous, isn't it?   I've used Copics, inks and Liquid Pearls to colour it, which sounds like a lot but really I just used a few colours.  The DP was a magazine freebie ages ago, sentiment is from Craftwork Cards and I've used a Cuttlebug folder to emboss the snowflakes on the white card strips. 

The builders are hard at work and there is little space in the house anywhere to craft, but hopefully they are on target and will be through by the weekend, though the floor has to dry out fully before we can carpet, so no sitting room for at least another month:(.

My card is for the following challenges:
A Day for Daisies - a bit of holiday & a bit of red
Stamp Something - digi (sorry to see this challenge closing)
Paper Sundaes - Lisa's sketch
Papertake - anything goes
Shopping our Stash - birds bugs or beasts (no people).  Hmm it's stash but I just got it at the weekend... hope this counts

Dog Days of Summer

 

There have been a couple of challenges around called Dog Days of Summer lately, I rather think I've missed the boat with most of them but when I saw this new image from Tracy at Fred She Said, called Emma & Rosie, available from the shop here, it cried out to be made in warm summery colours.  Emma's dress is paper pieced and the DP I've used is by Pink Paislee.  I've added some dew drops, stitching, Stickles and some Crealie die-cut scrolls.  Hope you like my card for the dog days of summer:).

My card is for the following challenges:

Incy Wincy - 3 embellishments (dew drops, Stickles, scrolls), 2 papers, 1 image

Cupcake Craft - sketch

Stamp Something - dog days of summer

Cupcake Craftroom - soft and sweet

Heart Song Inspirations - animal or pleated ribbon

The Pink Elephant - stitching

Stamping Scrapping Central - dog days of summer (card uses Stickles which is stocked by SSC)

Clearly Inspired - things with wings (butterflies)

Frosted Designs - animals

Raise the Bar - dog days of summer

When life gives you lemons...

Those who don't know me in real life may be concerned that I don't have this saying quite right but I can assure you this is the right version :).  This week's Less is More is "Getting Fruity" and I was worried that the only fruit stamps I have are large House Mouse ones.  Then I found 2 smaller ones on an unmounted sheet of House Mouse images, stamped and masked across the page and added a computer generated sentiment.  Couldn't find any lemon coloured cardstock in my not inconsiderable stash, so I used some Basic Grey Marjolaine DP behind it. 
My card is also for:
Card Making Mamas - food & drink
Stamp Something - summer fun (can't have fun without a g&t!)

Phindy's Place Challenge #64 - Doubling Up

 

Welcome to this week's Phindy's Place Challenge, this week we are challenging you to use two of something on your creation.  It does have to be two - no more and no less!  As long as there is at least one doubling up on your card that is fine, quite a few of us on the DT have had fun putting LOTS of pairs on our cards!  

You don't have to use a Phindy image but we hope you will and if you do, follow the instructions on the sidebar and enter your card twice for two chances to win.

I used an old favourite image for my card, Celebrate with Cake.  The colourscheme was suggested by the flowers that I made at stamp group this week, which use a technique that was new to me, called rocking and rolling.  I loved the flowers that I made and added some Stampin' Up DP to them that was a gift in with a recent SU.  The flowers have been covered in Glossy Accents with pearls added.  I have doubled up on:  flowers, pearls, rhinestones, card candy, DP, ribbon and knots.

I'm entering my card for the following challenges:
Stamp Something  - embellished
Cardmaking Mamas - food & drink
Digis with Attitude - anything goes
Guylou's Inimitability - 1 image, 2 papers, 3 or more bling
Aud Sentiments - enjoy your day
Shelly's Images - anything goes
Crafty Creations - seeing double
Paperminutes - blue, brown, beige
Pixie Cottage - fun with food

Summer Hummer

 Whatever happened to summer?  We went away at the weekend and there was heavy rain and hail!  To compensate I've been making some summery cards, here's the first.  I've used some bright Basic Grey DP teamed with a pre-coloured Humming Bird image from Fred She Said, these are lovely to colour but the the pre-coloured make very quick cards.  I printed it twice and cut out and popped the bird and flower centre up on Pinflair Glue, to give lots of dimension.  Sentiment is an Elusive Images stamp, the offeset panel is embossed and inked.
My card is for the following challenges:
 Simon Says - let's play bingo(3 down flowers, brads, sentiment)
Charisma Cards - pink and green
Papercrafting Journey - our feathered friends
Creative Inspiration Paint - bright colours
One Stitch at a Time - things with wings
Sweet Stampin' - things with wings
Delicious Doodles - things that flutter
Polka Doodles - all of a flutter
Simply Create - fly with us
Stamp Something - with pretty papers

Here come the hummingbirds!

 The long awaited new Fred, She Said designs have hit the store and they are just gorgeous!  There are cute hummingbirds and realistic hummingbirds, both are available as digis or pre-coloured.  I've several cards in progress to show you, here is a finished one.  I have chosen to colour my hummingbird with Copics and Distress Inks, however I find it really helpful to have the pre-colored images to look at to give me an idea of how to colour.  I've followed the sketch at Little Claire and used both sides of some My Mind's Eye cardstock.  The leaves were punched from a scrap of the cardstock, the sentiment is computer generated.

My card is for the following challenges:

Little Claire - sketch
Stamp something - digi
2 Sisters - distressing
Papertake Weekly - anything goes

Birds in a row

When I saw the current Midnight Madness sketch I immediately thought of using bird images and here is my card, just in time!  The three birds are all from Tiffany Doodles, they are Woodpecker, Bluebird 2 and  Warbler Cherry Blossoms.  Having had my bright idea, reality then hit home about just how small the images needed to be unless I made a monster sized card!  I tried painting these in watercolour at 2" but was not happy with my work, I couldn't get the detail.  So I used my Copics and these squares are just 1 3/4".  The fact that they have worked so well (or at least I think they have) is tribute to the design quality, they were much easier to use so small than I epxected.  I plan to use them again at a more normal size, watch this space...

The sentiments are Whiff of Joy, the leaves are a Martha Stwart punch and the dotty paper is a Fancy Pants design.

My card is for the following challenges:
Midnight Madness - sketch
Fashionista - things with wings
Stamp Something - with wings
Creations by Gill - birds in my garden
The Paper Variety - polka dots

Wishing you lots of everything wonderful...

With all these lovely extra days off I've had a chance to get busy crafting and here's a second card for today, using an image from The Stamping Boutique that I was lucky enough to win recently.  I've used a layout from Sketch & Stash and my neglected stash is the Papermania sticky borders of fabric flowers, also the blue gem flowers, think they were from Hobbycraft when I first began making cards.    The image is coloured with Copics, some Stickles on her wings and edged with Distress Inks.  The sentiment is Hero Arts, the border punch is Martha Stewart and the Coredinations card has been dry embossed and then distressed. 

My card is for the following challenges:
 Sketch'n'Stash - free choice sketch
Cute Card Thursday - use a sketch
Stamp Something - with wings
Fashionista Friday - things with wings
4 Crafty Chicks - distressing
Delightful Challenges - distressing
Everybody Art Challenge - fairies
The Stamping Boutique - winged things
Magical Mondays - monchromatic

Time for Teddy

When I was deciding what image to use for this week's Phindy's Place Challenge, Oh Baby, I was spolit for choice and coloured up several images, including this one, Time for Teddy.  Isn't this adorable, look at that well-loved teddy:).  I've used my Basic Grey Marjolaine DP pad again, and I've paper pieced the cushion she's sitting on.  The sketch is from this week's Sweet Stop, I really like this one, will save it for future use.  The sentiment is from Craftwork Cards, I punched the flowers from green and white cardstock, colouring the centres with my Copics, the border punch is Martha Stewart.

My card is for the following challenges:
The Sweet Stop - sketch
Stamptacular Sunday - Best Wishes card
Fairytale - something for a child
Fussy & Fancy - paper piecing and/or embossing
Floweret - play/birthday
Stamp Something - digi
Crafty Creations - birthday in blues & greens

Spring is in the Air!

You know, I thought a few days away would leave me full of ideas and energy for crafting, but it has turned out to be quite the opposite and I have been trying to find my mojo:).  I've finally managed to finish up a card with a Fred She Said crocus image that I coloured a week or so back.  I't's part of the Spring Flower set with paper pricking frames, a really useful set that you can buy here. 

I've used a fun sketch by Christine, from Cute Card Thursday with some of that gorgeous Basic Grey Kioshi paper, I'm now using up my second pad of this:).  The crocus are coloured with Copics, Stickles on the stamens and Glossy Accents on the flowers.  The 3 layers of circles are each popped up onto pads to give lots of dimension, I've made the flowers from 3 different punch sizes and a leaf punch and that big thick velvet ribbon is from stash, no idea where or when it was bought!
My card is for the following challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - sketch
Allsorts - make your own flowers
One Stop Craft - spring flowers
Crazy4Challenges - flowers
Stamp Something - with flowers
If the Shoe Fits - purple
Wags'n'Whiskers - punches
Creative Cottage - fabulous florals
Bunny Zoe - flowers everywhere

Flying

Phindy has a great new set of digis coming up, called the Wee Babbies.  Earlier this week the first of the set was launched and here is the latest little charmer, who is called Flying, he is new in the Phindy's Place shop today and you can buy him here.
I've made a very simple card to show him off, based on the Sketch Saturday layout.  The background is dry embossed with the Tim Holtz brick wall folder and the DP is K&K Hopscotch.  Buttons are Papermania spotty buttons, turned wrong way up!
My card is for the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Flourishes - button up
Tuesday Throwdown - buttons
One stitch at a time - use a digi
Stamp Something - use a digi

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

A truly scrumptious winter scene

 I love tree stamps and think this trio of scenes from Crafty Individuals is gorgeous.  I stamped it onto glossy cardstock and made a mask for each rectangle then used Distress Inks to get a winter sunset/sunrise colour.  I added some DP from Crafty Individuals, some ribbon and rhinestones and based my card on the Truly Scrumptious sketch.
My card is for the following challenges:
Truly Scrumptious - sketch
Papertake Weekly - cold and frosty morning
Stamp Something - anything!

Top Tip Tuesday - Open Challenge

Welcome to the Top Tip Tuesday Challenge again!  It seems like ages since I've had a DT posting for TTTC, however we now have new DT members and a new rota so I'll be posting projects every other week.  This week we have an open challenge, you make make whatever appeals to you, couldn't be easier!

I've made a card with a Phindy's Place image called Summer Post Office, you can also buy a Phindyville Post Offic, isn't this a fun idea.  I hope Phindy's going to build us a whole town:).  I coloured with Copics and edged with Distress Inks.  The script DP is Basic Grey and the corrugated card is recycled card bought from Stamp Attic, which is also where the twine came from.  The sentiment is Joanna Sheen.  I feel really silly, I based my card on a sketch, where two squares were offset and there was an embellie on a ribbon at the base of the card, but I cannot now find the sketch to link my card to!  I really am losing my marbles lol...  Hooray!  I found it, it is at Sweet Stop Sketches.

This card is for the following challenges:
Stamp Something - digi day
Crafty Sentiments - anything goes
Craft Your Days Away - anything goes
Sweet Stop Challenge - sketch

Phindy's Place Challenge #36 - Give Thanks With Scraps

Welcome to the latest Phindy's Place Challenge, it's Christmas Eve and I'm sure you're all rushed off your feet, but don't worry you have two weeks to enter our challenge, to give the DT a bit of well-earned time off!

We have made a few changes to the challenge, to shake things up a bit!  We have decided to open the challenge to all-comers and you will no longer need to use a Phindy's Place image to enter. However, what we love best of all is to see your projects that use Phindy's Place images! If you enter using a Phindy's Place image, you will get two entries to the draw to win a gift certificate. To do this, enter your project as usual to Inklinkz. Then, make a further entry (you won't be able to link to the same blog entry) and, this time, leave your name with "Phindy image" added.

The winner of the Challenge will be chosen by Random.org and will receive an $8 Gift Certificate to the Phindy's Place store. As it says above, entrants using a Phindy's Place image will get a second entry to the draw. The Pick of the Week wins a 20% off voucher for the Phindy's Place store. Don't forget that once a month we will choose an overall winner from the weekly winners and they will be offered a Guest position on the DT - and of course a free image from Phindy's Place to use for that week's challenge!

OK now on to the Challenge... This week we are making "Thank You" cards and projects, everyone needs Thank You cards after Christmas! There is an additional, optional challenge to use up your scraps. 

My project is a Thank You tag.  This has been a sad week for crafting in the UK, Graphicus, a big and much loved retailer and wholesaler has gone into liquidation.  I decided to print off some of the lovely tags on their Essence of Nature CD and based my Thank You on this.  The gold embossed sentiment is Elusive Images and my Flower Top Fairy Rose image, from Phindy's Place is printed twice: the second print is onto vellum and I've used the wings from this, lightly coloured and glued down to the fairy's body but left free of the tag above her.  I've added lots of Stickles to the fairy and the tag.  

You're probably wondering where the scraps are...  OK I got a bit carried away with my tag and realised I'd neglected the scrap part LOL!  So I went to my ribbon bag and pulled out some little lengths that weren't enough to make a bow for a card and threaded them through the scallops at the bottom.  Sorted!

My project is for the following challenges:

Simon Says - anything goes

Paper Sundaes - cut it out

Papertake Weekly -  anything goes

Cupcake Crafts - thank you

CDSunday - tag it

Stamp Something - with a tag or pocket

Paperplay Challenges - anything but a card

Winter Wonderland - Thank You

Christmas Colt

Yesterday I was looking through my digis and decided to have a Phindy's Place weekend, I have so many gorgeous images to choose from and I settled down and printed a few off.  Here's the first card I've made:  Christmas Colt was a favourite image of mine last Christmas (he's available as a non-Christmassy version too) and I was surprised to realise that I've not used him yet this year.  He is a Phindy's Place image, you can buy him here.  Isn't he adorable!
I based my card on the sketch at Simon Says Challenge, coloured him with Copics and with Distress Inks for the background, adding some snow with a Viva pen.  The DP is Basic Grey Jovial, sadly I'm coming to the end of this lovely pad of paper:(.  Embellies are velvet ric-rac, Craftwork Cards candy and sentiment and Prima flowers.
My card is for the following challenges:
Simon Says - sketch
Rainbow Lady - Christmas animals
Digital Tuesday -animals at Christmas time
Pile it on - feathers 'n'n fur
Stamp Something - Christmas colour combo
Dutch Dare - Christmas card, tag or ornament
 Fairy Fun Fridays - use a star - my colt has a star on his face!
Ellephantastic - red and green
Stempel-traume - red and green
Stamp and Create - 'tis the season

Time for something different...

I've like the look of the paper pricking and seen the digis with templates at Fred She Said but not tried it out before.  This is my first go at it, I've used the Fall Flowers set and coloured in some pink asters.  The pricking was pretty but didn't show up as much as I would have wanted (need to use a bigger tool next time!) and I sponged the background with Distress Inks then spritzed it with water, which shows it off much better.  Then I tried another new technique:  I sponged over a stencil for a very clean and simple background to my card, which uses no DP.  I stamped a couple of swirls (Personal Impressions clear stamps) over the corners and added a few gems.  The card is an 8" pre-shaped card from Craftwork cards, bought and never used before.  Nice big blank to play with, think I'll be getting them out again soon...

I'm entering the following challenges with my card:
Stamp Something - digi
Aly's Sunday Challenge - distressed
2 Sisters Challenge - anything goes
ABC Challenge - f is for flowers