Diamonds and pearls

Today I've got another card made using the partridge in a pear tree set from Stamp Addicts, I've not put a sentiment on as this card uses just the tree and could be used for much more than just Christmas.  I've followed the sketch from Willow Sketchies, the tree is white embossed onto glossy card and I've brayered over it with pale yellow and green.  I've used that amazingly useful dotty stamp on my background.  Main background is white pearlised card that I have dry embossed into diamond shapes using a Scor-Pal board.  Each little junction has a clear seed bead glued to it, there are 3 dew drops in silver on there and I've added some tiny gems to the tree and then some Perfect Pearls snow, just in case it wasn't blingy enough already!  DP is Memory Box and ribbon from stash.
My card is for the following challenges:
Incy Wincy - pearls and diamonds (I have diamond shapes in my embossing)
Creative Card Crew - anything goes
Partytime Tuesday - anything goes
Totally Gorjuss - as you like it
Crafts4Eternity - Christmas theme
Lilypad Cards - a resist challenge
Charisma Cardz - glitter it
Willow Sketchie - sketch

Green Door

Here's that lovely Christmas Door set from Stamp Addicts used again, this time I've added nothing but the wreath to it.  I've followed the sketch at Cute Card Thursday, using Memory Box DP and a piece of embossed and torn cardstock.  In real life it's a lovely deep red,, will try to take a better picture later if the sun ever comes out, it looks brick coloured here!  I've added Stickles to the card candy and the wreath Glossy Accents to the fanlight.

My card is for the following challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - sketch
Aud Sentiments - anything goes

Doors and trees

Here's a card using the Front Door set from Stamp Addicts, designed for Christmas but also useful for new home cards and lots more...  I've used the sketch from Simon Says for my card.  Stripy DP is Basic Grey Jovial, dotty DP is Stampin' Up, punch is EK Success.  I've stamped and masked the topiary tree on the step, the wreath is decoupaged on to give dimension.  Fanlight has Glossy Accents on it.

And here is the topiary tree again, this time with no sentiment so I can add one when I need it.  It's a clean & simple card with an embossing folder to frame the trees.

My door card is for the following challenges (can't find any for the trees!):
Simon Says - use Dawny's sketch
Sparkles Forum - punch it
Creative Inspirations Paint - lots of layers
Polka Doodles - spots & dots
Sew Many Cards - edge punch

Creative Inspirations #67 - pick a set

Hi and welcome to what is sadly the last Creative Inspirations Challenge :(.  Both Jude and Cheryl have family issues they need to take care of and the blog will close after this challenge, which has been set by Bea.  The challenge is to pick a challenge:  #1 is distress, buttons and bows, #2 is shabby chic, pearls, lace and #3 is vintage, ribbon, flowers.  I've used set #1, my Partridge in a Pear Tree stamp is a set from Stamp Addicts.  I've embossed it in green, added gold embossed pears and sentiment and added a distressed background and painted my partridge with Distress Ink.  There's some stitching in gold thread, sheer gold ribbon and some green buttons.  I've only been with the CI girls for a few challenges, I'd like to thank them for being so friendly and welcoming and wish all of the team the best for the future.
My card is for the following challenges:
Crafts4Eternity - Christmas
Winter Wonderland - trim a tree - my tree is trimmed with golden pears!
CCEE Stampers - gold
Moving along with the Times - birds
Divas by Design - Christmas in August
Fresh Brewed Challenges - emboss it
Hooked on Craft  - things with wings
Kaboodle Doodles - ribbon

Less is More - take three challenges

 This week at Less is More we choose any three earlier challenges and combine them.  My card started out as based on Week 4 which was 3 squares as I remembered this framed tree stamp that I bought at Blade Rubber in London a couple of years back, which has not been used.  But it was larger than I remembered and using it 3 times didn't leave enough white space, so I changed direction and went with these challenges instead:
Week 12 off centre
Week 18 monochrome
Week 22 shades of blue
Trees are inked with Parisian Dusk Memento (I'd forgotten I had some little Memento pads, found them when I was emptying a drawer jammed with stash!), then Adirondack Stream and Denim inked through a mask.  Sentiment is Stampin' Up and I've matted my card onto a thin border of navy cardstock.  Think I might make another with a tiny white circle uninked for a moon, but I really like this one too...

My card is for the following challenges:
Less is More - combine three challenges
Just Add...  - something from your stash (stamp and ink)
365 Cards - buried deep (two bits of unused stash, stamp and ink again!)
Rubber Cafe - through the window - the stamp is like a window frame

Christmas Village

Good morning!  Today I've a fairly clean & simple Christmas card to show you, made with one of the sets sent to me by the girls at Stamp Addicts, called Snowy Village.  It has lots of extras to it  that you'll see cropping up on my blog over the next few days, snowmen, sleigh and reindeer in the sky, great fun to play with!  I've stamped it in grey here and coloured with a few Copics and lots of Prisma Glitter on Quickie Glue.  The stars in on the embossed frame have also been glittered.  OK, most my house has been glittered, the stuff certainly goes a long way!  The silver embossed sentiment is from the set, I used a MS punch on the ends of it.  Tree is from the Snowy Village set.
My card is for the following challenges:
Charisma Cardz - glitter it
Freshly Brewed Challenges - emboss it
Clear it Out - glitter it (stash is the embossing folder)
Deep Ocean Challenge - light blue
Paper Cupcakes - let's make a scene
Christmas Card Challenge - glitter
Christmas Inspirations - clean and simple

Phindy's Place Challenge #70 - make your own embellishments

Thank goodness it's Friday - and a long weekend too, can't wait!  Fridays are Phindy's Place Challenge days, and this week we are challenging you to make your own embellishments.  I've made my own flowers, using two different methods.  The image I used is called Summer Blossom, isn't she adorable?  Does anyone remember Holly Hobbie?  This little cutie reminds me of her...  The stamped flowers are a Stampin' Up stamp inked with two shades of Distress Ink, with punched suns added for centres and I tried something new and glued some tiny seed beads into the centres as well.  What do you think?  The other flowers use a Little Claire die, then they are rolled up.  I used 2 shades of blue but they look very similar in the photo.  DP is Memory Box Minuet, I paper pieced her little romper suit from one of the papers. 

My card is for the following challenges:
Digistamps4Joy - add a handmade flower
The Papershelter - diecuts and punches
Sisterhood of Crafters - flower power
Creative Card Crew - hand made flowers
Digital Tuesday - cute and girly
Papertake Weekly - dies to die for
Karen's Doodles - punch it out
Paper Creations Ink - show us your flowers
Victorine Originals - summer
Woodware USA - try something new (adding beads)
Corrosive Challenges - girly

Partridge in a Pear Tree

Hmm... it's time to start on the Christmas cards soon, I'm sure I had a lot more made this time last year!  This uses a lovely set from Stamp Addicts that I've been sent of a Partridge in a Pear Tree, complete with tree, partridge, sentiment (not this one) and solid and outline pears, making it easy to use in lots of different ways.  I brushed and brayered glossy card then stamped my tree in Stazon, with Distress Ink pears.  I decoupaged my partridge onto the tree, he's also inked with Mustard Seed Distress Ink to match the pears.  The vertical strips are embossed with snowflakes and the pear DP is Basic Grey from Nook & Pantry, couldn't resist combining it with the tree:).  The card is a large, shaped Craftwork Cards blank.  Lovely sparkly ribbon came from Really Reasonable Ribbons.
My card is for the following challenges:
Sketch 'n' Stash - sketch with the DP being old stash and the stamps new
Basic Grey - anything goes
Hooked on Craft - things with wings
Mark's Finest Papers - emboss it (white strips)
Secret Crafter - make a scene
Bah Humbug - something new (stamp set)
Fuzzy Wuzzy Challenge - shaped cards
Aud Sentiments - anything goes
Papercraft Journey - anything goes

Get all your ducks in a row...

 

Here's another card using the Crazy Birthday set from Stamp Addicts, an easel this time.  The text on the row of ducks is computer generated in a similar font to the sentiment stamps.  Now I look at the photo I can see that the eyelets are not totally level, they are meant to be bullet holes so perhaps my sharpshooter's aim wasn't perfect!

My card is for the following challenges:
Bunny Zoe - easel card
Craft your Passion - funny sentiments
Paper Playtime - anything goes
I Did It - sporting
Lollipop Crafts - make it masculine
Sparkles Forum - one for the boys
Designed to Delight - anything goes
Wee Memories - masculine
4 Crafty chicks - where's the metal (eyelets)

Sticky Fingers? No, it's Baking Bedlam

 I couldn't resist this new image when it came out at Phindy's Place:  this is called Baking Bedlam
I do a lot of baking but I promise it never looks quite this messy:  if only because the dogs will clear anything that hits the floor lol!  Yesterday I made a chocolate and Guinness cake for the cricket tea, meringues for our friends visiting and then custard with the egg yolks and it was a little chaotic for a while...
My card follows the sketch from Sweet Sketch Wednesday and I used a piece of my treasured Nook & Pantry Basic Grey DP for the cupcake background.  Sentiment comes from Paulette at TLC Creations, from a set designed to co-ordinate with this image.  Image is coloured with Copics, mounted onto a Nestie with dimensional glue, tied with baker's twine (of course!) and a little punched scroll added to balance the sentiment.

My card is for the following challenges:

Sweet Sketch Wednesday - sketch

Pile it On - sweet treats

Craft Your Days Away - cupcakes

Simon Says Stamp - food & drink

Basic Grey - anything goes

Paper Sundaes - green & twine from the sundae bar

Less is More - things that move

We've had a lovely weekend with friends from Shropshire visiting, very busy with no time to craft.  On Saturday Shona wore a t-shirt with a bicycle image on it and it bugged me all day as then I knew the stamp I wanted to use for this week's Less is More! This is a Little Claire stamp that I bought at Newbury, it has little extras that can fit into the basket but I left it unadorned.  I'm trying to build my skills and collection of One Layer cards, so this is is coloured with watercolour markers not Copics.  The sentiment is a little heavy on the RH side but not enough to cover it up with a second layer with it re-stamped - or at least that's what I think!
My card is for the following challenges:
Less is More - things that move
Challenge up your Life - no patterned paper
Charisma Cardz - negative space
Shopping our Stash - weakest link - I struggle with one layer cards
Little Claire - wedding/anniversary - I think this sentiment is perfect for this

The Twinery - anniversary giveaway

Check out the fab giveaway at The Twinery - today only  - be quick!

Phindy's Place Challenge #69 - Something New

Welcome to today's Phindy's Place Challenge, which to to make a card/creation for something new:  a new home, new baby, new job, what will you celebrate with your card?  I've made a card for a new baby girl, using the adorable image Brand New, which Phindy drew while awaiting the birth of her grand-daughter Frances.  My card is fairly simple, it follows this week's Midnight Madness sketch.  The embossing folder came from Craft Barn, I've inked it to give a bit more definition, sentiment is LOTV, and a few Prima flowers and punched leaves complete my card.
My card is for the following challenges:
Midnight Madness - sketch
Glitter Fairies - pretty in pink
KB Cute Monday - babies

Stamp Addicts!

I've been keeping a secret for a few days but today I'm so happy to be able to tell you that I've been accepted on to the Design Team for Stamp Addicts!  I've only managed to get across to their fab shop once (so far!) but always enjoy a bit of retail therapy at their stand at stamping shows.  My card is made with Crazy Birthday a fun new release.  It's coloured with Copics then lots of Distress Inks which are also on the embossed Tim Holtz wall.  Tapestry stamps of leaves edge the image and the grass is an MS punch.  Can't wait to show you more Stamp Addict stuff:).

I'm entering my card for:
Divas by Design - birthdays
Dude Time Doodles - make it sporty
Anything Goes - birthdays
Cards for Men - anything goes
Crazy Challenge - movies - I think this chap has watched Rambo too many times:)
Sparkles Forum - one for the boys
Pollycraft - distressing

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

Inky

 

I've unpacked from the Quilt Show, bought a new washing machine (sigh) which arrived at 7.15 this morning and am making an attempt at resuming normal service with my Less is More cards for this week.  We're using ink and making one layer cards.  I may try and do something new later in the week but for now I've two cards using a favourite technique of making backgrounds with my duster brushes and inks.

First card uses Distress and Adirondack inks with a mask for the sun and torn paper for the hills.  Stamps are Stampin' Up.  Second card is almost the same as some I made last Christmas, a great quick easy card that is light to post.  Edges of card masked off before inking, then Tim Holtz trees added and given some Stickles baubles.  I put a Stickles dot on the "i" of the sentiment, looks better irl than on the picture.

My cards are entered for:
Less is More - one layer inky
Cute Card Thursday - clean and simple
Cards for Men - anything goes - pheasant card

Octopussy

I had four magical days at Festival of Quilts and got home yesterday evening with some lovely goodies and some very sore feet:).  As a result I've no cards to show you tonight.  Instead here is Best in Show, a quilt called Octopussy, first thing Friday morning, with the Best In Show letters being fixed to its plinth (it had already won Amateur Quilter of the Year and one other award) with its creator standing next to it, beaming from ear to ear.

Creative Inspirations Challenge 66 - back to school

The theme at Creative Inspirations Challenge for this week is Back to School.  I've used a cute image from Phindy's Place called Ready to Go. I've teamed him with some Basic Grey DPs and Cosmo Cricket tape measure DP.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up.

My card is for:
Midnight Madness - sketch
Sparkles Forum - one for the boys
My Sheri Crafts - back to school
Dutch Dare - back to school
Pixie Dust Studio - boys will be boys
Little Darlings - school days
Shelly's images - back to school
Amber's Crafts - back to school

Phindy's Place Challenge #68 - Vintage look

This week at Phindy's Place we are challenging you to create a vintage look with your project, you can really have fun with this one!  I've used the lovely image Nana Pies,  colouring it as a sepia monochrome.  The DP is Basic Grey, there's lace as well as the EK punch border, some flowers, pearls and scrolls.  The sketch is from Card Patterns. 

I'm entering my card for:
Card Patterns - sketch
Stamp Insanity - lace and pearls
Crafty Sentiments - die cuts and punches
Shopping our Stash - dogs or digis or denim (just the digi here!)

A Sketch Saturday card

 

Tomorrow I'm off bright and early for four days at the NEC at Birmingham for Festival of Quilts.  It's well out of the city centre where there has been trouble, but I think us quilters can more than hold our own against a few rioters anyway!  Apologies for the poor photo here but I need to pack and doubt I'll get the chance to blog this in the morning...

There's a great prize on offer this week from Art Journey at Sketch Saturday and I had to have a try at it, I found Terry's sketch quite a challenge to work with but have given it my best shot.  I made a summery card using Sweet Threads from Basic Grey.  The stamp is from Kanban, comes with a lovely rectangular flowery border.  I've embossed it in WOW sparkly green and inked the background.  Used some lace from stash. MS round the page punch, butterfly punch and some flowers from stash.

My card is for the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday - sketch

Basic Grey - sizzling summer

Crazy Challenge - embossing

Truly Scrumptious - lace it up

Holding out for a Hero (art stamp)

Last week I went to a new to me craft shop the other side of Swindon called Snazzystamps, they run 3 drop in sessions on a Thursday where you just turn up, pay a small fee and are let loose on a HUGE number of stamps that they use for workshops as well as inks, dies, papers, everything you could ever need.    I wasted a lot of time in kid-in-a-sweetshop mode, looking at all the goodies available.  But eventually I settled down and made a couple of simple cards including the one that uses a lovely Hero Arts stamp.  I've inked wth Distress Ink, spritzed with water and stamped, using the same inks on the card background.  Not sure whose stamp the sentiment is.  I had a lovely time, Val who runs the shop was very welcoming and I plan to go again when I can.
My card is for the following challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - no designer paper
Craft Us Crazy - anything goes August
Card Making Mamas - birthday cards
Sentimental Sundays - flowers and sentiment

Sew a Little Happiness

 

Phindy has a new range of simple but effective images called Two Seven Oh, which cost, you guessed it, $2.70 :).  As a quilter, with lots of friends who sew, I had to buy Spools, which fits all kinds of puns for a sentiment, this one is by Pink Petticoat.  I based my card on the simple sketch at Sketch'n'Stash this week, new stash is the image and old stash comes from my button box.  The DP is Sweet Threads from Basic Grey, to keep the theme going, I've stitched on my card, added buttons and used some lace coloured with Copic for the flower.  I used a running stitch to gather it into a flower.

My card is for the following challenges:

Sketch and Stash - sketch

Cupcake Crafts - sew made

Digital Tuesday - doilies

Going Grey with Scrap Creations - buttons or bows

Delightful Challenges - stitching real or faux

Our Daily Bread- seamstress

Sparkles Forum - one for the girls

Tiffany Doodles Kraft Challenge

The Challenge at Tiffany Doodles this month is to use Kraft card.  We have some very talented DT members who produce stunning artwork on Kraft card, do check out the blog for some lovely work.  However I am not anywhere near as skilled so I've used Kraft for one of the layers and the mat my papers.  I used Pretty Petals, an old favourite, mounting it onto a large Nestie square with dotty edges, which has also been run through a Tim Holtz embossing folder of a wall.  The DP is Memory Box, the border under it is MS bubbles punch, ribbon and pink pearls are from stash.
My card is also for:
Make it Colourful - colour with pink
Paper Creators - say it with flowers
Stampin' for the weekend - spots and dots (dotty Nestie and border, dotty FP)

Patriotic Less is More

I'm getting quite hooked on Less is More, where the challenge this week is to use the colours of your nation's flag.  I've opted for good old red, white and blue rather than the English red and white and I've used my Hero Arts clear flower  set.  There are second layers on all the flowers and I've added some contrast colour with Pigma permanent fine marker pens.  The sentiment is Stampin' Up and I've additionally challenged myself by making this a one layer card.


My card is for:
Less is More - your nations' colours
Craft Your Days Away - birthday celebrations (Happy 1st Birthday to CYDA!)

Phindy's Place Challenge #67 - Anything Goes, use a Phindy image

This is the first Friday in the month, so the challenge at Phindy's Place is Anything Goes - as long as you use a Phindy's Place image that is:).  I keep trying to overcome my fear of shaker cards so I have made a little beach scene for behind the adorable new image Summer Bare.  That was all fine until I realised I had only a few inches of thick double sided tape!  After much fiddling with tiny foam squares, my shaker scene was complete, it uses a Hobby Art stamp and some birdcage sand.  Sentiment is LOTV, the tiny shells and beads on a piece of tape were meant for a bag and never made it onto it!
My card this week fits lots of challenges:
By the Cute & Girly - the sea
Craft Room Challenge - summer holidays
Deep Ocean Challenge - sea
Creative Craft Challenges - summertime
Try it on Tuesday - from the beach
Tuesday Throwdown - summertime
Use it Tuesday - use 2 hoarded items (shell border and acetate for shaker)
Card & Scrap - summer
Crazy Challenge - the sun is out
Die Cut Dreams - holiday fun
Paper Playtime - digi summer
Crafty Pad - something clear (acetate)
Pile it On - stay cool
Catch the Bug - make a splash
Just Some Lines - outdoors, summer
Copic Creations - landscape design (seaside and girl both Copic coloured)
Totally Papercrafts - holidays

Quick Christmas Card and quick service

 

I sent for a new sheet of stamps yesterday, from Stamp Addicts, who have "Whacky Wednesday" each first Weds of the month.  They arrived today in less than 24 hours and I've made this very quick card because I just couldn't resist a quick play with them even though I should be doing lots of other things!  Very speedy service, thanks ladies:)

I brushed Adirondack inks in blue and purple all over the image, then used bleach to remove most of the ink from the stamped portion.  Never tried this before, what a fun effect!  Used watercolour pens to add a bit of colour, some Prisma glitter glue on a few bits here and there, added some silver ribbon and a few layers of paper - job done!

I'm off to try a new craft club tonight, better dash!  Back later to enter some of the Christmas Challenges that are around this week...

... Here I am, entering my card for the following challenges:

 Paper Play - Christmas in August

Simon Says - Christmas in August

Stamps & Fun = creativity - Christmas

Woodware USA - anything goes

Fussy & Fancy - Christmas in July

A House Mouse ATC

House Mouse and Friends has an ATC Challenge this week -now I've made lots of ATCs in the past but not for years - also quite a few of my HM stamps are rather bigger than ATC size!  I found this image, which a kind friend has sent to me, it's been sitting in a box ever since.  I was very careful colouring it because I think it just may be a pre-Copic image stamped with Versafine.  What an evil mouse he is to wake up his friend like that.  If there was room I'd have put a different sentiment:  "With friends like this, who needs enemies".  My ATC will probably become a card topper in the future, but for now, here's my first ATC for years:).

This is for the following challenges:
House Mouse & Friends - ATC
Stampin' for the Weekend - Paws for thought
Papertake - anything goes (optional metal) brads
Crazy Amigos - free theme

Congratulations to Will (gulp!)

I've been absent from my crafting for a few days, we've had some difficult things to get through.  Today I've done a little bit of crafting and I've taken a photo of this card which was made at a Jenny Mayes workshop.  It had its finishing touch today, when I wrote W1LL on the number plate for older son, who passed his driving test yesterday.  The car is a Butterfly Kisses stamp, it was stamped in the middle of the card with Memento and coloured with Copics.  Another 3 layers were coloured and decoupaged on with Pinflair Glue when the card was completed.  The background stamps were various Hobby Art Scene-It stamps, these were stamped with Versafine and then watercoloured.

Big congratulations to Will, my car insurance has now gone up to over 5 times as much, yikes!

My card is for these challenges:
For Fun Challenges - anything goes
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Heidi's Hobby - card for a man
Corrosive Challenges - manly

Tulip Bouquet - FSS Digi of the Week

 Fred She Said has a regular digi of the week offer, and this week it is the turn of Tulip Bouquet which is available as a digi and pre-coloured.  Both versions are 40% off, you can buy them here. 
I've coloured up an image with the jug popped and layered, and added K&K DP, lace, pearls and MS borders to give a vintage look.
My card is for the following challenges:
Top Tip Tuesday - make it girlie
Paper Creators - say it with flowers
One Stop Craft - vintage