Coffee and Chocolate - 2 essentials for life

I'm sorry to see that this is the last Isabella's Sketch Challenge, I've played along with quite a few of them.  This time the challenge is to make your own flowers.  I've followed the layout from Saturday Sketch Challenge and used some gorgeous papers that are from Prima.  I haven't seen their papers before but I'll certainly be buying more!  The cup is paper pieced from a lovely flowery pattern that looks a bit like fine china, I'm also entering this for the Simon Says Paper Piecing Challenge.

The flowers are punched from a Woodware punch, I used a Martha Stewart doily lace border punch and used some Liquid Pearls for the flower centres.  I've not added the sentiment from the sketch as I think the sentiment on the image says it all:)

End of Summer Sale at Phindy's Place!

Phindy's Place is having an end of summer sale, from now until 14 September.   I LOVE Phindy O'Neill's digital art, this is your chance to buy 3, get 1 free.  Check out Phindy's blog for all the details.

Also on the blog, there's a fun poll about whether you colour first, or find DP and embellies first; you can win a Hallowe'en Cutie if you take part.

And don't forget the Phindy's Place Challenge this week is Christmas in August.

Autumn is on the way

Good grief it was cold this morning!  It may still be August according to the calender but it's get the woolies out time here.  This is another card from my class with Jenny Mayes, this was our first, "warm-up" card.  which again uses her SceneIt stamps.  This is very simple, though we used 6 different tiny stamps to build the scene would you believe!  Watercoloured with Tombow pens and mounted onto embossed card. It's a classic summer's end scene, hope you like it:).

This card is for the following challenges:
Totally Papercrafts  - clean & simple
Pile it On - farewell to Summer
Papertake Weekly - just the one (one piece of cardstock added to image)
Cards for Men - long Summer Days

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!

DT Posting - Corrosive Challenges - #79 - One for the Guys

Welcome to another Corrosive Challenge.  This week it's "One for the Guys" - make a masculine card or project.  I've used "Connected Boy", a perfect teenager image from Phindy's Place, you can buy it here.  Why talk to a human being when you can text them instead?!

I've cut out and decoupaged onto the background.  Umm... didn't intend to do this but the dark red from his shirt bled onto the background so this was a rescue job :).

He's coloured with Copics, the sentiment is a Joanna Sheen stamp and the cardstock is all My Mind's Eye 29th Street Market.  I've used this week's Inspirational Card Sketch for the layout for my card.

Come Back Summer!

Goodness it's turned really cold here, whatever happened to Summer?  I've made a summery, warm card to try and forget how chilly it is outside, this is a cute Belles & Whistles image called "Lemonade Anyone?", isn't she adorable?

I've based my card on this week's Friday Sketcher's Challenge,  I'm also entering it for the Belles & Whistles Challenge of Anything Goes, Dutch Dare's Vintage Summer Challenge as well as Charisma Cardz' Challenge of Hot, hot hot!

Image is coloured with Copics, with Glossy Accents on the jug and glass.  The background has Distress Inks on it.  The left hand piece of DP is a magazine freebie, the rest is Basic Grey Nook and Pantry.  Punch used is Martha Stewart Doily Punch, sentiment is by Elusive Images, and the flowers are Prima.

Paper Sundae Pansies

Double posting today - just realised that I'm in danger of missing Paper Sundae's Challenge otherwise:).  I've been shopping at Fred She Said, Tracey has a digi on offer each week and I've had my eye on this pansy digi for ages, they are my Mum's favourite flower and I think they work well for lots of occasions.

I've used My Mind's Eye 29th Street Market, really heavy cardstock weight, lovely stuff!  My image is coloured with Copics, some Stickles and Woodware gold stuff, it's decoupaged with Pinflair glue.  Sentiment is from Joanna Sheen.

I'm also entering Cute Card Thursday's no punch challenge and Creative Craft Crew's Sparkle & Shine challenge..

Seaside Town

Are you bored of the little seaside scenes I've been making yet?  I hope not because I'm really enjoying making them and here's another one!   The little stamps are made by Jenny Mays of Hobby Art; tomorrow I'm going to the Craft Barn to take a class with Jenny.  I'm really looking forward to it; what's the betting that I come home with some more Scene-Its? LOL  This uses the sketch from Card Positioning Systems Challenge.  It's very small scale to fit into the embossed frame, about 1 1/2" x 31/4".  The shells are Elusive Images stamps used on paper that I've sponged with Distress Inks and the net DP is My Mind's Eye.  Nothing else, no extra embellies as it's another man card for the stash.

Thanks Val!

My blogging friend Val, who I now know in real life as well as in blogdom, has kindly given me this lovely award.  I don't like to land people with the conditions for giving an award (this one askes the recipient to name 3 things they like about themselves) but I'd like to give the award to everyone who takes the time to look at my blog - especially the Glitterbees - and thank you for visiting.

DT Post - Phindy's Place Friday Challenge #20- Christmas in Summer

Welcome to Friday and to another challenge at Phindy's Place!  This week we're helping you get a head start on Christmas again, the challenge is to make a Christmas card or project, using Phindy's lovely images.

I used a simple and elegant image called We Meet Again, which could be a Valentines' card image as well as for Christmas.  I wanted to use it as it needs little colouring and as I send a lot of Christmas cards I decided it would be really useful for quick and easy cards.  But I wanted do something a bit more interesting than quick and easy, so I decided to team it with a sheet of Magnolia Christmas paper that I bought last year and haven't cut into yet because it's so beautiful.  Yes, I know, there's a flaw in that logic:). 

Because I wanted to see plenty of the DP I made a card from grey Bazzill, put the DP inside and made a shaped card.  The card is based very loosely on Sketch Saturday's Challenge.  The image is popped up on pads on top of some Cuttlebugged cardstock and then I cut round it to expose the inside.  There arePeel-offs on the red corners, haven't used peel-ofs for ages!  Image is coloured with copics and Stickles, sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.

This card is entered for the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday's Challenge - sketch
Cute Card Thursday - no dies or punches
Papertake Weekly Challenge - 3-2-1 recipe (1 image, 2 triangles, 3 peel-offs on triangles)

A Truly Scrumptious Scene

I'm home from the Quilt Festival but have found it hard to get going again with my crafting, 3 1/2 days of partying, children's classes and quilt gazing have taken their toll LOL! 

I've a few of the Hobby Art Scene-Its stamped out into little pictures so I watercoloured a simple one of two yachts at sea, so at least I've made something!  Watercoloured using Distress Inks, sentiment from Craftwork Cards, DP is a digital paper from Bearly Mine Designs.

The card follows the sketch at the Truly Scrumptious Challenge, though not the optional extra of Brads, buttons and bows.  It's blue & green for Cupcake Craft Challenge's theme this week and it's another man birthday card for my stash so it fits Create4Fun's birthday card theme.

DT Posting - Corrosive Challenges - #78 - drinks are on us!

Welcome to this week's Corrosive Challenge, if my scheduled post works.  If not, then sorry but I can't welcome you LOL!  This week's theme is drinks.  I've chosen a great image of two ladies catching up on some tea and scandal, you can interpret it any way you please, cocktails, scrapbook layouts of party photos maybe, can't wait to see your entries:).

My image is Mrs Comfy and Rose do coffee, a fabulous digi from Phindy, you can buy it here.  The gingham digi papers that I used to paper piece the tablecloth and for background papers are freebies from the lovely Bev Rochester.  If you visit her blog they are available as downloads, check out the RH column and you'll find a link.  My card fits the sketch at Card Patterns Challenge this week . The background to the card is embossed with a Tim Holtz folder, image is cut out and popped up on silicon glue.  Sentiment is Joanna Sheen.

DT Post - Phindy's Place Friday Challenge #19 - Oh baby!

Welcome to this week's Phindys Place Challenge, this week we're challenging you to make a card for a baby or a child.  I've used the adorable image Something New with the cat and cat looking dubiously into the crib.  The gingham digi paper that I used to paper piece the frill on the crib and for background paper is a freebie from the lovely Bev Rochester, I've changed the scale for the frill and made it smaller than the background paper.   If you visit her blog they are available as downloads, check out the RH column and you'll find a link.  The card is based on this week's Sketch and Stash Challenge and I'm also entering it for the current ABC Challenge - B is for Blue , for Stamp Something's Digi Challenge and Stampin' for the Weekend's Anything Goes Challenge. 

Flowers are made with my Little Claire die, leaves are punched and I've used a Martha Stewart doily lace punch on the border.  Sentiment is Papermania.

Phew!

Well the A level waiting is over and elder son has got into Aberystwyth, big sigh of relief!  He got BCC and was accepted though they'd asked for BBC.  I'm off to the NEC for the Quilt Festival for a few days and trying to forget about exam results until Tuesday when younger son gets his GCSE results.  Happy Days - not :)

DT Posting - Cooking It Up With Katie - String/twine, water, punches

Welcome to another recipe challenge with Cooking it up With Katie!  This week the challenge is to use water, punches and string/twine on your project.  This week we're sponsored by Simply Betty Stamps and I've used Miller, one of her fun digis for my card.  I've based my card on this week's Friday Sketchers Challenge,

Miller is coloured with copics, cut out and stuck onto a blue cardstock background with some torn paper added that has been Glimmer Misted to a sandy shade.  I've used a circle punch to cut a sun from the same paper.  I've used that Summer Daze DP again and I've added some waves with a HobbyArt stamp that are highlighted in white pen as well.  Oh, I faux stitched around the piece of navy card with more of the white pen, it just needed a little extra something:).

Hope you'll join us in Cooking up a challenge this week!

Shaker Success

I've tried to make shaker cards before - and failed miserably.  Jenny Mayes who makes the lovely Hobby Art stamps had some very clear instructions in Craft Stamper so I decided to give it a go.  Not sure where I went wrong last time but this worked a treat and I'm quite pleased with my first effort:).  I need to make a LOT more; I bought a bag of bird sand and, as Jenny warned, I have enough sand to make shaker cards for most of the population of Berkshire!

The card is another attempt at a masculine card, however it's not for my stash, I'm sending it to my Dad who has just finished a batch of chemo and is now in remission.  The image was kindly sent to me by Jak Heath when I won some Aquamarkers from her as blog candy, I used the Aquamarkers to colour it in.   The extra little stamps around the frame are Hobby Art and edged with a white pen.  I bought more of the lovely watery DP, it's by Flair Designs from their Summer Daze collection and just added some twine around the card.

Card is for the Summertime Blues Challenge at Simon Says and it's based on the sketch at Papertake Weekly Challenge. 

DT Posting - Corrosive Challenges - #77 - Faux techniques

Oops this is a late posting - sorry!  This week's Corrosive Challenge is to use a faux technique.  I've taken the easy route here and opted for a little faux stitching.  The punch of the bird and branch is Stampin' Up, the sentiment is Whiff of Joy.  The colours are navy and white, doesn't show up too well in the photo.

Phindy's Friday Challenge #18 - Pretty in Pink

Good Morning!  It's Friday the 13th but no need to worry about that, just enjoy the fact that it's nearly the weekend and it's also time for a new Phindy's Place Challenge.  This week the challenge is to be Pretty in Pink.  So it's time to make an unashamedly girly card!  Don't forget to use one of Phindy's gorgeous digis and enjoy being pretty in pink:). 

I've used one of those adorable Summer Cuties, this is Bye-bye Butterfly.  There is a beautiful, to scale butterfly included in Phindy's digi, of course.  However my card is so busy that I chose to add a little punched butterfly instead.  I wanted to add lots of flowers and swirls so I made an easel card, basing it on the sketch at Spoonful of Sugar Challenge this week.  Image is coloured with Copics, cut out and popped up onto silicon glue on top of an embossed circle.  The DP is a freebie from My Mind's Eye that came with a magazine.  The left hand flower is a Prima, with a metal spacer from Quixotic Paperie added.  There are metal butterfly charms added to the computer generated sentiment.  All the leaves, swirls, butterflies and flowers are punched and there are Liquid Pearls centres to the flowers.

I am entering my card for the following challenges:

Spoonful of Sugar - sketch

DareU2Digigstamp - blooms and charms

Flutterby Wednesday - open theme with butterfly

Paper Sundaes - metal

Charisma Cardz - easel

Digital Tuesday - butterflies or lace

Sweet Stampin' - pretty in pink

One Stop Craft Challenge - summer fun
The Pink Elephant - summer fun

Crafty Cardmakers - spotlight on punches

Q is for Quick & Easy - or not!

This week's ABC Christmas Challenge is Q for Quick & Easy.  A sketch is provided and the optional extra challenge is to make more than 1 card using the sketch.  I love this sketch, but every time I try making a card with a grid system on it I measure, I cut, I lay out my DP and find that somehow my carefully cut and measured pieces aren't level and the tiny differences really irritate me!  So this is not a quick card for me:).

It was a great one to try out my Katzelcraft stamp which I think will be a good one for Christmas cards, so I stamped it with Versafine black on a piece of Glimmer Misted cardstock.  There's a bit of glitter added to the flourishes using a glue pen.  I mounted it on mirricard (how do you photograph mirricard without all the reflections?LOL) and used metallic DP from Craftwork Cards for the background.  The sentiment is also from Craftwork Cards and the gems are Hero Arts. 

I may have another go at this challenge using something else to mark the divisions, maybe thin ribbon.  In the meantime, it's another card ready for December:).

I do like to be beside the seaside

I started this card with the intention of entering Twisted Thursday last week when the theme was summer accessories, shamefully I didn't get it finished in time.  When I saw that this week's Twist was to use Red in my card I was really pleased that I had coloured the beach umbrella red and I finished up my card:).

I kept it pretty clean and simple, basing it on this week's Inspirational Card Sketches Challenge.  Image is coloured with Copics, striped card was blog candy, sorry don't know the make.  The sentiments are Joanna Sheen House Mouse.  The cocktail has some Glossy Accents giving the glass a shine, doesn't show up too well in the photo.

This card is for the following challenges:

S2G Twisted Thursday - Use some red

Inspirational Card Sketches - sketch

Totally Papercrafts - By the Sea

One Stop Card Craft - Summer Fun

Crafty Cardmakers - It's our Birthday

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

Mojo Monday Challenge

It seems like ages since I've played along with the Mojo Monday Challenge, this week I was determined to have a go at the sketch.  The focal point, to me, is the quite small circle and I decided this was best suited to the sentiment.  This uses some more of the Papermania Christmas papers that I got on Thursday.  I know, I know, it's too early to be thinking about Christmas :).   Stamp, Scrap, Doodle has  a Sentiment only challenge that I'm also entering my card for.

I've used a Creative Expressions stamp for the sentiment and followed the sketch pretty closely.  The green paper and the scalloped circle are both sponged with gold ink around the edges.  The ribbon was from my blogging friend Kathy.  I didn't feel that the card had enough stamping on it, so I added a few Christmas trees from the Creative Expressions stamp set to the inside:).

Sketch Saturday gets Christmassy

For some reason I'm struggling with my House Mouse new stamps, I've tried colouring this with watercolour pens, Copics, pencils, you name it!  I think this is the best of the bunch using watercolour pencils.  I went out yesterday and visited a Do Craft stockist.  I was quite snobbish about their stuff when I started out but I've found that they do have some nice stuff if you take the time to look.  This DP came from a lovely pad of papers in traditional Christmas colours which inspired me to make a card based on this week's Sketch Saturday Challenge.  Sentiment and diecut holly are from Craftwork Cards.

DT Post - Phindy's Place Friday Challenge #17 - Happy Birthday!

Good Morning, it's Friday again and that means that it's time for another Phindy's Place Challenge!  This week we're making birthday cards (or gifts).  You can never have too many birthday cards, isn't that right?

I've used one of those irresistable Summer Cuties from Phindy, this little chap is called "Catch anything?", isn't he adorable!  This card came together when I found this giant ric-rac in the ribbon shop in Hay-on-Wye that we visited earlier this week, it looks very watery and I thouht it was perfect to go with this image.  In the photo it looks like there is a huge crease in the green ric-rac; in real life there is a very, very faint shadow.  Hmmm...  who said the camera never lies LOL?

Based around the sketch at Card Patterns, I'm also entering my card for "Whateva!" at Cute Card Thursday Challenge.

Image is coloured with Copics and Viva Pearl pen and edged with Distress Inks, sentiment is computer generated and the DPs are from a Bearly Mine Designs CD.

DT Posting - Cooking it up with Katie #23 - get fruity, paper piecing, circles

Good morning and welcome to another Cooking it up with Katie Challenge!  Today the recipe is:

• get fruity
• paper piecing
• circles  so these are the elements you need to include in your project.   

This week's challenge is sponsored by Robyn's Fetish and the DT was kindly given images to use; my image is called Daisy Days.  I've based my card on Sketch'n'Stash's latest sketch, with my new stash being the image and neglected stash is the Papermania DP that I bought a while back that has been sitting in my drawer.  


Daisy's hat, dungarees, shirt and flower are all paper pieced in the citrus colours, lime ribbon around the Martha Stewart picket fence is from stash, as are the gems, and the sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.


The colourscheme fits Papertake Weekly's  theme of white and bright and Crafty Cardmakers' Challenge is to use punches (picket fence).  Finally, the ABC Challenge is back to A is for...  with August.  Daisy Days looks like a summery August gal to me (it's raining outside as I'm blogging this LOL) and I'm entering her for this challenge too.

A tree is known by its fruit;

Last week I got a new CD of printable papers that I've been looking forward to for ages.  It's a Artylicious CD called Essence of Nature, that is based on some of my favourite Elusive Images stamps.  I wasn't disappointed, the papers on the CDs are just so beautiful and my main problem with them is that I don't want to cover up the papers with images and extras LOL!  I had an idea for Cute Card Thursday's theme featuring text so I made a card featuring text and trees from Elusive Images stamps, simply stamped out in black .

 Glenda Waterworth, the designer, has challenged all who have bought the CDs to print something off and create with it, instead of just stroking the papers:).  I printed off an approximation of 4 seasons with my first four sheets and chose this stunning and subtle wintry scene to play with first.  I was aiming for a stark and simple card with black and silver mirri card matting.  When I tried this it looked really, really stark - downright funereal - and not at all how I'd intended it.  So I added some Stickles to the trees, added a scarlet layer of matting card and used some metallic red thread to attach a tree charm.  That's better!

I think you might be seeing a lot more of these delicious papers in the near future:)

Mmm... cupcakes anyone?

I'm blogging a second card today because it's for a challenge that finishes tomorrow, please scroll down for the Corrosive Challenge DT card.

Belles'n'Whistles has a monochromatic challenge this week and I really liked using the soft colours on this stamp.  The colourscheme is brown which includes peach shades if you look at the colour wheel.  I've based my card on Papertake Weekly's sketch and I've added stitching around the image and the dark brown pearlescent card which is this week's teme on the Paper Sundaes Challenge.

Image coloured with Copics and is matted onto toffee coloured pearlescent card, cut out with a scalloped Nestie.  The peachy DP is Basic Grey from the Capella pad with a bit of Distress Ink sponged on and MS doily lace punch used on one side.  The main DP is Basic Grey from the Nook & Pantry set, again keeping up the doily lace theme which fits the cupcakes that I reckon she's baking:).  I made the roses with my Steve's Flowers die from Little Claire and sprayed them with some Glimmer Mist. 

DT Posting - Corrosive Challenges - #75 - All About Babies

This week at Corrosive Challenges is All About Babies, we'd love to see your baby cards, your scrapbook layouts, gifts, anything baby!  There are some very cute projects from the DT, check out Janet's scrapbook layout:).  The theme at the Totally Gorjuss Challenge is Baby Baby, so I'm also entering my card for their challenge,

I've based my card on this week's Friday Sketchers Challenge   and used DP that came free with, I think, Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine this month.  My friend has just become a granny to Alicia, yesterday morning, so the pink colourscheme was ideal for a card for the new Mum.  I've used Contentment, a digi image from Phindy's Place that I really love, colouring it with Copics and Distress Inks for the background.

The ribbons are from the blog candy I won from Kath earlier ths week (thanks Kath, I'm loving going through the ribbons!) and the sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.  The "bow" at the bottom is from the free DP and I should really tell you why it is there.  Late at night, when trimming a matted part to you card, if the rotary cutter is reluctant to go through the layer of card, do NOT continue.  This happens when there is so much stuff scattered about the desk that the main piece of the card is underneath the one you thought you were cutting, with the result that a large slice is taken out of the background.  Not good.  Luckily it's hidden under the bow LOL...