No Stamping... just a lot of folds

After I made the double display card on Friday, using Paola's template (THANK YOU Paola!), I realised that these aren't difficult to make, just a bit fiddly.  On Joanna Sheen's forum she is challenging members to make a card using a new CD, Giordano Christmas and there is an image available for those of us who don't yet have the CD.  I printed it so that it would fit into the double display card and added a free downloadable paper from Summer Driggs called Believe.  I've added some silver glitter to the image and the DP with a glue pen as well as some silver ribbon.  I didn't decoupage anything in the image or the card wouldn't have folded properly, so I put a couple of them on the front panels with Pinflair glue.

I've found a new-to-me challenge blog called CD Sunday Challenge, which says it has lots of followers but few challenge entries.  But there are plenty of us using DP if nothing else!  This week's challenge is Monochrome and while I have to admit that I can't complain if they disqualify my card, it's main element is greeny/brown but with a couple of bits of colour...  so I'm entering it and wishing them lots of luck getting more entries:).

Back later with some stamping...

Aqua & Red Willow, Part II

This is the second of the three Whiff of Joy images that I coloured for their Aqua & Red Challenge. I've based my card on this week's CPS Challenge sketch.

I've stamped Willow and masked her to sit her on the toboggan, she's coloured with Copics and there are Stickles on the toboggan's runners. The image is edged with Distress Ink in Broken China and I'm also entering Corrosive Distressing Challenge. The DPs are, again, free downloads from Summertime Designs. The card candy and the sentiment are from Craftwork Cards.

Willow writing recipes

Hmm... yesterday there was some definite thawing and it was much warmer; we hoped for some improvement and sadly we didn't get it. There was just an inch or so of new snow, but this was enough to delay the school buses and with my older son doing an A Level this morning being late was not an option. So I drove a bunch of exam teenagers down a road that is now not gritted due to the government's cutting the routes treated and returned to collect them a few hours later, which wasn't conducive to a productive day at work. Tonight's bad news is that only contingency routes will be gritted, which doesn't even include the main road north out of the village, which leads to my nearest craft shop (oh and Sainsbury's) :(. OK enough whingeing and on to my card.

Whiff of Joy has a challenge to use aqua and red this week, I've seen some beautiful cards using this colour combo but it's one that gives me a lot of trouble. I couldn't find any DP in my stash to help me but eventually found some free downloads from the generous Summer Driggs with the required colours. They are Christmassy papers so I've used the winter 09 stamps. Having found the DP I coloured three images and hope to post the other cards tomorrow, they're not complete. I've based this card on the Sketch Saturday Challenge and I'm also entering it for Crafty Cardmaker's Challenge which asks: What's new? I bought the stamp in Whiff of Joy's pre-Christmas sale and haven't used it until now, so it was uninked and new. Love the stamp, just haven't had a chance to play yet...

Willow writing recipes is coloured with Copics and edged with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink. I paper pieced her top from DP, avoiding the snowflakes on it. I then needed to paper piece her apron as otherwise it looked odd for it to be further away if you know what I mean! The sentiment is Craftwork Cards, as are the embossed scalloped borders. I've moved my Prima flowers off centre as otherwise there wasn't room for them on my card. Oh, the scalloped card is also from Craftwork Cards. More aqua and red tomorrow, is it just me who thinks they look like the colours of Best Mate (the racehorse) or West Ham football club? :). Keep warm everyone and let's hope the white stuff goes soon.

Copic Colour Challenge #36 - Join me for a spell

I was lucky enough to be invited to be a Guest Designer for Copic Colour Challenges for this week. This week the colours to use, if you have them, are Adele's choices: G99 Olive, V17 Amethyst and YR68 Orange. If you don't have them, use the closest you've got, as long as you use Copics :).

The colours just shouted out Halloween to me, so I reached for a Jinx stamp from Shirleys2Girls, you can buy them here and, even better, they are on special offer, 25% off until 31 October. Jinx is, of course, coloured with my Copics, there is some Glossy Accents on her hatband and the bubbles. The background to the image is painted with watercolor paint in a blotchy olive.The cobweb DP is a free download from the generous Summer Driggs, purple and green are from a Bearly Mine Designs CD. The ribbon is white organza that I coloured with my Amethyst Copic, it's stiched down with a decorative machine stitch, as are the other papers.

Hope you like my card and that it's inspired you to join in this week's Copic Colour Challenge.

Jinx is haunting a magical ten challenges!

There are an astonishing number of Halloween Challenges to play along with this week and I thought it was time to use another of the fab-boo-lous Jinx stamps from Shirleys2Girls. You can buy Jinx here, all the Halloween stamps are currently on sale at 25% off.

• I started with Domi's sketch from this week's Simon Says Challenge
• Corrosive Challenges has the theme Spooky Times
• Papertake's Challenge is The Dark Side
• Cute Card Thursday has a Spook Fest challenge
• Cupcake Craft Challenge this week is Things That Go Bump In The Night
• One Stop Craft Challenge this week is Boo!
• ABC's Challenge is F for flying
• StampArtic is another Boo! Challenge
• Creative Friday is a Halloween Challenge
  
• Pile It On has a Ready for Halloween Challenge which makes it a magical TEN challenges. Now I know lots of people manage to fit many more challenges than that into one card, but it's a lot for me :).

Jinx is coloured with Copics, the moon and sky are painted with Distress Inks. Image and scalloped mat cut out with Nestabilities, purple lace, brads and flowers are from my stash, the flowers are coloured with Copics. The background paper is from Summer Drigg's free downloads.

My Grafico Challenge 20 - tags

It's Challenge Time again on MyGrafico. This week we are using a fun tag set, available here. You can win the set if you enter the Challenge. You can play along by making something with and include buttons, or you can follow a sketch as I've done.

My card follows the sketch to make a CAS Halloween card. I printed the rectangle tag, in two sizes onto DP downloaded from Summer Driggs' site. The larger tag has paper pieced pumpkins and a witch from a stamp set by Creative Expressions, the smaller tag uses a mini alphabet to stamp out "Boo!". The other DP comes from Artylicious.

Don't forget, you've got to be in to win :)

Meet the Fab-boo-lous Jinx the Minx

Here's my first card using the new Shirleys2Girls stamps for Hallowe'en. Hallowe'en is not something I'm into in a big way, but Jinx the witch is simply irresistible, love her bat necklace:). I've also used one of their "Spookies", a small stamp with a pumpkin on.
I've used Jinx for several challenges:

• The sketch is from Sketch & Stash Challenge. Old stash is the purple buttons and new stash the new stamps which you can buy here.
• This week, Simon Says Boo! Make a Halloween Card
  
• A Spoonful of Sugar's Challenge this week is also to make a Halloween card
• Just discovered a new-to-me challenge blog, 2RedBananas has a Halloween theme as well
• Cupcake Craft Challenge is to use stitching and buttons.

Jinx was stamped onto white card and onto DP. The white card was coloured with Copics and paper pieced onto the DP. Image was mounted onto pearlescent card and layered. Ribbon and buttons were from stash, I've stitched around Jinx and around the outside of the card. Spookie was coloured with Copics and cut out. Papers are free downloads from the generous Summer Driggs, apart from the spotty purple paper which is from Crate Paper. I've used Glossy Accents on the Spookie and on Jinx's hatband.

Falling for Autumn

Stampin' for the Weekend has made a welcome return to the list of challenge blogs; this week there is a colour challenge to use orange, brown and leafy green, which also fits the challenge at the Secret Crafter to use autumn colours. I think this Whiff of Joy image epitomises Autumn, it was sent to me by my generous blogging friend Vanja.

Image was coloured with Copics and edged with Distress Ink in Peeled Paint. Image was cut out with Nestabilities, the border in the striped DP uses a Woodware punch. Apart from the plain orange cardstock, all papers come from Summer Drigg's generous free download sets. The sentiment is the centre of a Hero Arts stamp with the border trimmed off, the ribbon and brad are from stash.

Happy Bark-Day

It's Twisted Thursday Challenge time again, this week the twist is to add something metal or a metal tag to the card. I've not totally followed the sketch, this is a very uncluttered card for my FIL, I tried adding different shapes and embellies but they just didn't look right.

Happy Bark-Day, from Shirleys2Girls, is a lovely image to paper piece, it comes with four different sentiments and I've used two here. Because they're clear stamps they can be shaped to the stamp and that's what I've done with the "dog years" words. Paper pieced onto Basic Grey papers, with the cake coloured with Copics. Metal brads at the corners. The two other DPs are free downloads from the talented and generous Summer Driggs. The photo isn't great, I hope to get a better one in the morning...

Happy 4th July - My Grafico Challenge #7

This week's challenge at My Grafico is a 4th July or a summer card. Do go and check out the Design Team's cards, they've done a great job. If you enter the challenge you can win two of the images from from the Fourth of July stamp set. I chose to use a great stars and stripes image from it. I coloured the image with Inktense pencils, added some Perfect Pearls to the start and cut round the image. I mounted it onto some lovely papers that are a free download from Summer Drigg's blog called Freedom. The text is computer generated, 4th of July cards and stamps are not big business in England :)