Kraft On

The CAS-ual Fridays Challenge this week is to use Kraft in your creation.  I've used my Snowy Village set from Stamp Addicts, giving it white highlights with a Koh-i-nor pencil and added a Memory Box diecut.  The sentiment is also from the Snowy Village set.

Less is More - Autumn

My card for this week's Less is More Challenge uses a piece of DP far too beautiful to cut up and hide in a card.  So I've matted a strip with the bird onto another DP from the pack, added a small strip under the punched border and added a sentiment.  Very quick, very simple, don't mention all the stamped, embossed rejects that came before!  DP Memory Box Blackbird, sentiment Wow.
I'm also entering my card for:
Allsorts - autumn colours
Charisma Cardz - clean & simple

A bit of glitz

Here's a simple easel card I made using the Stamp Addicts Wildflowers set.  It's stamped with Versafine Olympia Green and it has lots of Glamour Dust sprinkled across the flowers.  Very hard to see in the photo, it's really glitzy in real life!
I'm entering my card for Charisma Cardzclean and simple and Cute Card Thursday's Got Glitter.

Copycat Christmas Cards

 Went to my local stamp shop, Stamp Attic, on Monday and bought this lovely Woodware stamp.  I would like to say that my cards are inspired by the sample in Stamp Attic but in truth they are so close to it as to be pretty much the same!  All the cards are paper pieced, variations include twine, ribbon, card candy and a 3D ornament.  I'm entering my cards for Cute Card Thursday's paper piecing challenge.

Rescued from the bin

For some reason this week's one layer LIM Challenge of Wings gave me a real mental block.  I inked up this Sheena Douglass stamp for the first time but had a lot of trouble stamping it out without either an unclear image or dirty marks around the edge of the stamp.  I have rockerblocks to avoid this problem and haven't a clue what I was doing wrong!  This attempt, watercoloured with Distress Inks, ended up in the bin last night, however I decided it wasn't as bad as I thought and I rescued it.

This is the last piece of watercolour cardstock I had so my confession is that this won't end up a one layer card:  I like it as it is, but if you turn it over there is a reject stamped image on the other side!  Oh well, just a very simple mat will turn it into a useable card...

Hi (Ho) Silver

Sorry for the long absence, haven't felt at all creative lately.  Reading that today is World Cardmaking Day shamed me into action and here is a card I've made for this week's Less is More colour challenge - silver.  I've used my WOW silver embossing powder and stamped a Stampin' Up Lovely as a Tree, adding a silver gem and white, then silver mirri mats.  The sentiment is Indygo Blue.  I'm also linking my card to the World Cardmaking Day celebrations at the WOW blog - pop over there for a chance to win some of their brilliant embossing powders.

Less is More - Fur or Feather

I'm bright and early with a card for this week's Less is More: this is an old Lili of the Valley stamp, coloured with Copics and with some Woodware Fluffy Stuff on his hat.  I love the Stampin Up sentiment.

Last minute Less is More

I've been struggling to get enthusiasm to craft lately.  But I didn't want to miss the Less is More Challenge, so here's my blue & green card, which has Bashful Blue inked in a strip.  The flowers are this month's free stamp from Craft Stamper - designed by Lady Limette Chrissie herself - and the sentiment is Stampin' Up, both inked in Versamark Olympic Green

Thank You and Farewell

Today I post my last card for the Phindy's Place Challenge - at least for now.  Phindy has family matters that need her time and is unable to find the time to draw her stunning images at present.
I have used Bountiful Bouquet to make a Thank You card for Phindy with a Penny Black sentiment.  I would like to thank all the Design Team, past and present, who have become friends, some virtual and some in real life.  I'd like to thank everyone who entered the challenges, but most of all I'd like to thank Phindy who gave me the chance to work with her beautiful images.

THANK YOU!

Fun in the Sun

I have lots of bags of decoupage cut out and ready to assemble, thought it was time I put one together!  I've added a couple of ribbons to this one, I'm entering it for House Mouse & Friends Fun in the Sun Challenge and Simon Says Anything Goes.

Less is More Sketch

This week at Less is More Chrissie and Mandi have challenged us with a sketch.  I've added a white panel and embossed sentiment to a Kraft card.  A couple of scored lines, a Martha Stewart punch and some seam binding complete the panel, sentiment is Stampin' Up.

Cover a Card

 

This card uses two Cover a Card stamps:  clouds and the branches.  The clouds were stamped in Versamark, then I used chalks rubbed on with a cotton wool ball to give it colour.  Saw someone demoing this at Newbury Art Stamps, really pleased with the effect it gives. 

I am entering my card for the Simon Says Anything Goes Challenge and Shopping Our Stash - Something new (the two stamps)..

Phindy's Place Challenge #114 - button it

This weeks' Phindy's Place Challenge is to use buttons.  I've added a good sprinkling of assorted buttons to my card, based on this weeks' Sketch Saturday.  The image is Spools and the sentiment from Pink Petticoat.

Less is More - Three

Sorry for an absence from Blogdom; I've not been feeling much like crafting.  However I don't like to miss the Less is More Challenge and here is my card for their Three Challenge.  The fairies stamp is Lavinia Stamps, the sentiment is Stampin' Up and I've brushed inks on to make a background.  The wings have a rather heavy layer of Stickles.

Less Is More - Gold

Today I had a fun day at Newbury Artstamps and met my friend Val.  One of my purchases was a set of Hobby Art clear stamps, here I've used Wow Superfine Gold and embossed them onto black for this week's Less is More Challenge. 

Less is More Lucky Dip

This week Less is More is asking us to take inspiration from their header.  Yikes I'm usually rubbish at inspiration challenges...   but this time my card came together in about 5 minutes.  I am taking part in an envelope swap on the Joanna Sheen Forum and I got the most sumptuous colour co-ordinated pack a while back that has been sitting on my desk.  I used two strips of the paper and a diecut, adding a Hobby Art sentiment.  If anyone knows who makes this diecut I'd love to know, gorgeous isn't it?

Phindy's Place Challenge #112 - inspired by song or movie

Good Morning and welcome to a rainy Friday.  This week at Phindy's we're challenging you to make a card inspired by a song or a movie.  I've chosen a very fitting song for this English summer that we're enduring:  Will it Ever Stop Raining by the Saw Doctors.  Check out the video, they are a brilliant band to see live, one of my all-time favourites.  I've coloured with Copics, Distress Ink and Stickles and I followed Sketch 8 from Sketch'n'Stash for my card, using some lovely new stash of a 6x6 paper pad from Stamp Attic.

My card is also for the following challenges:
Sketch'n'Stash - free choice
Deep Ocean - welcome summer
LEJ Designs - summer's here
Sweet Stamps - patriotic or summer
Corrosive Challenge - summertime girls
Joanna Sheen - summer daze
Totally Gorjuss - something yellow

Digi Doodle Shop Challenge #114 - pink & purple

Here's my card for this week's Digi Doodle Shop Challenge, which is to use pink and purple.  I thought this lovely scene, Beach Babes, just cried out to have pink and purple swimming costumes - but I have ended up with other colours of course for the scene!  No idea where my DP came from, I've used lots of squares here.
My card is also for the following challenges:
Inky Impressions - beach fun
Scrapalicious - summertime
Bearly Mine - anything goes
Deep Ocean - summer
Sassy Cheryls - summer

New Home

Today I've a New Home card to show you, it uses a keyhole from a lovely Stamp Addicts set.  I've stamped in Sepia Versafine and simply matted and layered.

Just Chill

 Today's card uses warm summer colours - if only we had the weather to go with it!  I've used a Sketch'n'Stash sketch and the House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge of Liquid Refreshments for hot summer days as the theme.  I've coated the glass with lots of Glossy Accents, can you see the shine?  The sentiment came with the HM stamp.

Some pretty pink paper piecing

I'm a bit late entering Less is More this week but it's a favourite technique of mine: paper piecing.  I've used a sweet Phindy's Place image called Spring Dress Mei Mei and I've paper pieced her dress from Basic Grey Indian Summer DP.  Never mind Indian Summer, please can we have a summer first!   The image is matted and layered a few times and a sentiment that came free with a magazine added to it.  I'm also entering CAS-ual Friday's Pretty in Pink Challenge.
My hairdresser asked me to make her a wedding card and I've come up with these two, what do you think?

First one is a Whiff of Joy stamp silver embossed and the second is a Waltzing Mouse sentiment on a Spellbinder mounted onto gold pearlescent card.

Phindy's Place Challenge #111, Plaid/Check

This week at Phindy's Place we're challenging you to use a check or plaid.  I've used a My Mind's Eye check that I like so much I bought it as a 6x6 pad and a sheet of the 12"!   I've paper pieced Spring Dress Mei Mei and kept my card very simple, adding some yummy roses ribbon from Stamp Attic.

Something shiny...

This week's Less is More Challenge is "Something shiny".  Shiny means Christmas cards to me, soI used new Stamp Addicts stamps of the twelve days of Christmas and embossed using Wow Superfine powder, which is fab for these detailed stamps.  I've scored a double line above and below the squares.

Phindy's Place Challenge - beach babies

Good morning and welcome to this week's Phindy's Place Challenge.  This week we have the summer theme of beach babies, I just hope we the rain stops and we get the weather to go with the theme!   I used the adorable Summer Bare image for my card, adding some Cupcake Basic Grey DPs and some card candy.  The layout is from Saturday Sketchers. 
My card is for the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Divas by Design - summer
Paper Pretties - summer inspiration
Simon Says - summer inspiration
Fashionista - simply summer
Pile it On - let's get outdoors

Holiday Ornaments

I have succumbed to temptation and got a new set of Waltzing Mouse stamps, the totally gorgeous ornaments which are designed to be used with Spellbinder dies.  They also go with the Nordic Winter set which is my all-time favourite stamp set for Christmas so I had to get them really :).
This is loosely based on this week's Waltzing Mouse Sketch Challenge, I've embossed onto kraft card and added a dry embossed panel.  I'm really impressed with the detail on these stamps, love them.

Clean & Simple Christmas

This week's Basic Grey Challenge is clean & simple.  I love my 6x6 pads and have lots of scraps that I cannot bear to throw away.  So I decided to use some up for this challenge.  Here I've matted squares from an Eskimo Kisses pad onto mirri card and used my Wow embossing powder in pale superfine gold for the Stampin' Up sentiment.  I think I may try this with 3x3 squares, not 2x2, what do you think?

Less is More flourish

This week the Limettes are challenging us to use a flourish on a one-layer card.  While I was looking for a flourish I realised I've hardly (if ever) inked up this Elusive Images birdhouse with a flourish growing up its pole. Hope it is a suitable flourish!  I white embossed it and brushed some Distress Inks onto the masked card.  The sentiment is Papermania.

Phindy's Place Challenge #109 - Father's Day

Welcome to this week's Phindy's Place Challenge.  This week we are making Father's Day cards, or masculine cards, mine is actually for my FIL.  The adorable image is called The Faithful and the Fickle, as ever I coloured with my trusty Copics, adding some brads, some Stampin' Up ribbon and masculine DPs.
I'm entering my card in the following challenges:
Card Cupids - animals
Penny's Paper Crafty - Father's Day
Clear it Out - brads and masculine (the brads are old stash)
Digital Tuesday - anything goes
Shopping our Stash - Father's Day
Cards for Men - Father's Day
Love to Create - Father's Day
Here Come the Boys - anything goes
Little Claire's - male
Secret Crafter - anything goes

Sweets for the sweet

This week Waltzing Mouse Challenge celebrates its 100th sketch!  This is my take on it, I really like simple red and white together for Christmas cards...

Red, white & Blue (and a diamond!)

Here's a one layer card using my Inkylicious stamps.  I used Distress Inks in Faded Jeans and Fired Brick and added a tiny diamond gem to the crown.
My card is for:
Less is More - red, white & blue
One Stop Craft Challenge - crowns or diamonds AND red, white & blue
Daring Cardmakers - red, white & blue

Digi Doodle Shop Challenge #110 - get the bunting out

Good morning and I'm a day late again with my posting!  I've been having problems with my printer and as a result I seem to be behind on everything...  This week's Digi Doodle Shop Challenge is right on trend for this week's Jubilee celebrations, we want you to add some bunting to your card.  I used the adorable Playful Puppies image, teaming it with this week's Papertake sketch and some Basic Grey Marjolaine papers from an old pad.
My card is for the following challenges:
Papertake - sketch
Simon Says - anything goes
Bearly Mine - animal kingdom

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #69 - Distress It

Oops I forgot to schedule this yesterday, must have been sidetracked by the sunshine!   This week the Crafty Cardmakers would like to see Distressed Projects.  I've used a gorgeous new set of stamps from Stamp Addicts which lent themselves perfectly to a vintage, distressed look. 

My image was stamped in Sepia Versafine, I've distressed and inked the edges then stitched around it.  Background uses more inking and the keyhole stamp, I added a couple of buttons with twine to the sentiment.
My card is also for the following challenges:
Incy Wincy - vintage
Opus Gluei - sew what
Poodle Parlour - monochromatic
Fab'n'Funky - a new beginning
Sisterhood of Crafters - old fashioned

Less is More - a shaped card

This week the LIMettes want us to make a shaped card, not something I'm usually too keen on.  Then I remembered how to cut down a standard rectangle into a triangle which can make a fun Christmas card.   There's not a lot of white space as I used my Swiss Dots embossing folder on the smaller, matted triangle, but I think it still works...   Sentiment is Lili of the Valley.

Phindy's Place Challenge #107: 1-2-3

 

This week at Phindy's Place we have a 1-2-3 challenge, use 1 image, 2 DPs and 3 embellies.  You can either count my embellies as 3 pearls or pearls, ric-rac and punched edge, whichever you feel fits the challenge best lol.  I've used the very summery image Biking Babe, along with Basic Grey Out of Print DP.

My card is also for the following challenges:

Sweet Stamps - anything goes

Bunny Zoes - anything goes

Catered Crop - ric-rac

One Stitch at a Time - anything goes

Basic Grey - anything goes

Less is More - baby or child

For some reason this week's theme at Less is More didn't seem to fit anything that I had so I ended up buying a large Woodware clear stamp at my local craft shop.  I've paper pieced the pram with SU cardstock and drawn a border with a Copic rather than matted it.  After I took the photos I saw that the white card is whiter than the white cardstock - oops.

Phindy's Place Challenge #106 - summer is coming!

What a long week this has been!  Thank goodness it's Friday and here is my cad for this week's Phindy's Place Challenge, Summer is Coming.  I chose the adorable new image Summer is Here and follwede the Sketch'n'Stash layout.  DP is Basic Grey Out of Print.
My card is for the following challenges:
Sketch'n'Stash - sketch

Digi Doodle Shop Challenge - work related

This week's challenge at Digi Doodle Shop is work related.  I've chosen to use In the Garden, a perfect image for those difficult man cards...  The background is brushed with Distress Inks and main image coloured with Copics.  I added some garden twine and some brass brads, keeping my card fairly simple.
I'm entering my card for:
Simon Says - clean & simple
Whimsy Stamps - anything goes

A CAS-ual bird

Today's card is an attempt at a CASE of the awesome Michele Zindorf, here is her card that inspired me.  I've sponged ink onto pearlescent cardstock, added twine, a sentiment and a punched out bird.  Not much white space but still very clean and simple. 

I'm entering my card for:
CAS-ual Fridays - birds
Catch the bug - things with wings
One Stop Craft - monochrome
Fairytale - things with wings
Glitter Geeks - things with wings
Polkadoodle - monochrome

Less is More - use 3 stamps

Remember when images were not usually coloured, before we all got Copics?  I had a go at a non-coloured card for this week's Less is More challenge, but ended up adding some colour with Distress Inks!  All three stamps are from a now retired Stampin' Up set which I love.  The single layer cardstock didn't like watercolouring but after three earlier attempts hit the bin I am sticking with this version :).
I'm also entering the St Luke's Challenge for this month which is one layer. 

Phindy's Place Challenge #105 - Christmas in May

Good morning and welcome to this week's Phindy's Place Challenge, which is to make a card or project for Christmas.  I couldn't resist the sentiment stamp that I bought in the post-Christmas sale at Stamp Attic and of course I had to use Phindy's brilliant Power Nap image for my card! 

I've kept things fairly simple, paper piecing the chair and adding my image to an easel card.  One card done for Christmas, maybe I will avoid the panic this year...

Less is More meets CAS-ual Fridays

I'm late with my LIM entry this week after spending the Bank Holiday weekend with a friend in sunny Dorset, eating and drinking too much and doing little else :).
LIM would like to see yellow used as the focus and CAS-ual Fridays are celebrating their 1st birthday.  I have the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die and don't use it anything like enoujgh, so I cut out some petals using yellow fabrics and attached them to a pale greeny-yellow card, adding a sentiment from a stamp that came free with a magazine.  Very clean, very simple :).

My card is for:  Less is More - yellow and CAS-ual Fridays - Happy Birthday.

Phindy's Place Challenge #104 - vintage

This week at Phindy's Place we are challenging you to make something with a vintage style.  Phindy's been drawing some fabulous new images recently and I chose Potted Primroses for my card.  I printed and coloured four times and made a decoupaged card.  There is lovely detail on the image but it has a very clean outline, perfect for this technique.  I followed the layout from Sketch Saturday, added some embossing and buttons.

My card is also for the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday - sketch

Aud Sentiments - anything goes
Craft us Crazy - favourite stamp company - easy one, Phindy's designs have been my favourite ever since I discovered them!
C.R.A.F.T.  - buttons
Crop Stop - emboss it
Do You Stack Up - circles
Little Miss Muffet - May flowers
Papercrafting Journey - vintage
My Mum's Craft Shop - embossing
Paper Pretties - flowers
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown - in the garden

Anything Goes at Digi Doodle Shop

This week's Digi Doodle Shop Challenge is Anything Goes - so no excuses not to enter!  I opted for some watercolouring, using the Foxgloves image printed large so I could paint in the gorgeous detail on the image.  I added some My Mind's Eye DP (which matches much better in real life!) and some lacy white ribbon.  The sentiment is Craftwork Cards mounted onto a diecut circle and that's it - another fairly clean and simple card...
My card is also for: 
Paper Pretties - flowers
Simon Says - birthday
Crazy Amigos - flowers
Crafty Sentiments - spots or stripes (stripy DP)
Shopping our Stash - anything girly
Sassy Cheryls - May flowers
Tuesday Throwdown - in the garden
Use it Tuesday - April showers bring fourth May flowers (using hoarded DP and ribbon)
Hooked on Craft - flowers
There she Goes - May flowers
Victorine Originals - flowers
Whoopsidaisy - pile on the flowers