Cradfty Cardmakers- Challenge #60 - use beads on your project

The new challenge at Crafty Cardmakers is to use beads on your project.  We have two fab sponsors, The Stamp Man and Di's Digi Downloads, so there are some great prizes to be won.  I thought about showing some of the beading that I have made but decided to use beads on a card instead.  My rose is a Fred, She Said digi coloured with copics.  I added some Glossy Accents and dropped some crystal seed beads into it in the centre.  The rose is popped up with some Pinflair glue onto a couple of diecuts, the pearlised card has been dry embossed with Swiss Dots.  The DP is Basic Grey Out of Print and the sentiment is Stampin' Up.  To finish up I embossed a grid onto the background card and used Glossy Accents again to attach pink seed beads.

Take a walk on the wild side

One Layer Wednesday is challenging us to make a birthday card for a guy.  This Darkroom Door stamp set was bought back in November and put away as a Christmas present, it doesn't say Happy Birthday but I would be happy to give it as a guy card.  I first tried it unadorned, but it needed the rusty brown brads.  I did a lot of faffing about to make a mask for the inking and match it with the stamping, I really must learn how to use my stamp positioner! 

My card is for:

One Layer Wednesday - odd birthday

Charisma Cardz - clean & simple

Crafty Pad - something for the boys

Craft a Scene - anything goes

Let's Ink it Up - anything goes

Combination Headache

This week's CAS-ual Fridays has a black & white challenge with the very stern admonition "no other colours will be allowed, not even a speck!" lol!  I thought it would be fun to see if I could combine it with this week's Less Is More challenge, which turned out to be an aperture card.  Hmm...  it would have been far quicker to make two cards, but I got there in the end.

I have a Memory Box Christmas tree die and I remember Mustavacoffee, a LIM regular, making a gorgeous card where she had cut the aperture with her die and then added the swirly bit.  So I faffed and fiddled about and cut numerous trees with my die to no avail.  In the end I cut an aperture through the card and then through black card and lined them up and attached the tree to the inside so you can see it.  The false start here was when I sprayed the tree with glue but no matter how hard I tried it would not line up how it should.  Note to self:  if something is not totally symmetrical, always check which side you should be spray glueing...
I've added some punched snowflakes with black or white gems, a piece of lacy net and an Indigoblu sentiment.

I'd like to show you a couple of LIM related photos.  This week I was lucky enough to win the December prize from Lots of Lovely Ribbons, thank you to Mandi and Chrissie and also of course to Lots of Lovely Ribbons for this brilliant prize that came this morning.

 Also, Chrissie came to see me on Thursday and we enjoyed some retail therapy, she brought me these beautiful roses.  I love all flowers, but I do particularly love yellow flowers, these are really brightening my day.  Thanks Chrissie!

I'm entering my card for:
Less is More - cut it out
CAS-ual Fridays - penguin day (b&w)
Charisma Cardz - clean & simple

Not quite done with Christmas yet...

 

 I don't think I'm quite done with Christmas yet and here is one for the next one, it's a last minute entry for Sketch Saturday.  This is a LOTV stamp that belongs to my friend Val, who kindly let me play with her stamps.  I often have trouble finding papers to match an image I've coloured, but the Memory Box DP and the browns and ribbons seemed to work well here and I'm pleased with the overall look.

My card is also for:

Fussy & Fancy - let it snow

Colour Creations - pink & green

Moving Along with the Times - things with wings

Crafting for all Seasons - snowmen/snowflakes

Sisterhood of Crafters - winter card

Phindy's Place Challenge #89 - Shaped Cards

Good morning and welcome to this week's Phindy's Place Challenge,  this week we want you to use a shaped card:  no straight edged squares or rectangles please!  This threw me into rather a panic but I found a Go-Kreate die and cut my card with it, using the same die to cut the DP to by cutting it down and fiddling around.  I used the image Big Girl's Class, which is one of my all-time favourites for making a girly card, beautiful isn't it!  There was little room for embellies, so I added a couple of gems and a dotty ribbon.  Sentiment is Personal Impressions.

My card is entered for:

Cute Card Thursday - music and dance

Pixie Dust Studio - going dotty (ribbon)

Creative Inspirations - birthdays

Stamp'n'Doodle - birthdays

Red roses in winter

I've another card from that gorgeous Engraved Flowers set to share with you today.  I've kept to a restricted palette of red, white and black.  The flowers are stamped at random with Versamark and red embossed for the background.  I've added the sentiment from the same set, a bit of matting and layering, some lace, spotty flower and stripy ribbon.  This was a very quick card, I do like this flower as a background.  Keep warm everyone, it's bitterly cold here today:(.
My card is for:
Simon Says - spots and/or stripes
Incy Wincy - bold and bright
One Stop Crafts - on the spot and ribbon
Sentimental Sundays - ribbon
Totally Papercrafts - spots and stripes

Fair Isle and Bling

 

It was time that I inked up my Nordic Winter stamps with something other than red, so I decided to follow this week's Waltzing Mouse Sketch and make an icy blue card for it.  The vertical stripes are some paper I won from Paper Temptress, a lovely satiny paper.  I just meant to put the larger bling in the corners and maybe a scattering on the snowflakes, but the card told me it needed more and I used up my small bling:).  There's a lot of sparkle in real life...

My card is for:

Waltzing Mouse - sketch

Shopping our Stash - glitters, sparkles or shines

Stamptacular Sunday - texture (twine, gems)

Use it Tuesday - all about winter (used up gems)

Tuesday Throwdown - baby it's cold outside

Sweet Stamps - hearts (middle border)

I Brake for Stamps - clean & simple

Secret Crafter - anything goes with blue

Simon Says - spots and/or stripes this one is stripes:)

Something different

Here's a second post from me today as I've tried something a little different and wanted to share it:  stamping onto fabric.  I used the Stamp Addicts Engraved Flowers set again and wondered how well all the intricate detail would show up.  It worked perfectly and all the detail is there if you click on the picture.  I left it uncoloured and like the vintage look of brown ink, frayed edges and stitching.  It's stitched on to Kraft, matted onto brown and a couple of rows of scallops added as well as the ribbon.  What do you think?
I'm entering my card for:
CAS-ual Fridays - scallops
Sir Stampalot - monochrome
Simon Says - spots and/or stripes
Moving Along with the Times - spots and/or stripes
One Stop Craft - on the spot and ribbon
Cupcake Craft - something new (stamping on fabric)

Less is more - one layer birds

Here is my entry for this week's Less is More.  I used a Crafty Individuals stamp that is perfect for long thin cards, with a Stampin' Up sentiment.  Worn Lipstick and Wild Honey Distress Inks were brushed on over a Post-it mask and I embossed a single line either side of the inked panel.  Looking through my stamps, I seem to have quite a few birds - some of which haven't yet seen ink - so I may be back with another card later in the week!
Other challenges entered:
Sarah Hurley - thank you
I Brake for Stamps - simple

Phindy's Place Challenge Challenge #88 - Tic Tac Toe

 Good morning and welcome to this week's Phindy's Place Challenge.  Cec has devised a tic-tac-toe challenge for us and I have used the diagonal line of embossing, ribbon and sewing.  I had planned to stitch along my ribbon but forgot until it was stuck down and too late.  I've used a sewing theme so I thought about trying to claim that was my element, then I gave in and stitched round the image:).
I used Spools, one of the two-seven-oh designs from Phindy, adding in some Cosmo Cricket themed papers, yellow ribbon, embossed red card, buttons and a Pink Petticoat sentiment.  My card is based on this week's Sketch Saturday Challenge.

 I'm also entering:
Paperplay - in stitches
Pixie Cottage - stitching and/or sketch
Gingersnap Creations - ribbon

Engraved flowers

 

This card uses one of the new Engraved Flowers set from Stamp Addicts, gorgeous detailed stamps that are right up my street.  I've gold embossed the rose 3 times, watercoloured it and layered it, adding some beads to the centre.  Then I stamped the rose at random onto kraft card, using brown Memento ink, which makes a lovely co-ordinating DP. The other papers are Basic Grey Indian Summer and I followed a sketch from Sunday Sketch & Stamp. 

I'm also entering my card for:

Crazy4Challenges - something new

Basic Grey - something new

Bearly Mine - anything goes

Cardmaking Mamas - new goodies

Simply Create - layers and layers

Delicious Doodles - all things new

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #59 - No floral embellishments

Good Morning, I am excited to be able to tell you that I have been picked as part of the Design Team for Crafty Cardmakers and here is my card for this week's challenge, which is sponsored by both One Stop Crafts AND  Digi Doodle Shop.   The challenge is to use no floral embellishments on your card or project; I have still made a very flowery card but with no floral embellies.   I used a stamp and sentiment from a new set I've got called Engraved Flowers by Stamp Addicts, the lily is coloured with Copics and Glossy Accents.  I've embossed the border with Swiss Dots after I punched it, the DP is Basic Grey Sweet Threads and there are little pink pearls accenting the card.  Oh, the ribbon is recycled from a box of chocolates:)  I do hope you'll join us and play along with the challenge.
I'm also entering:
Basic Grey - something new (new stamp set)
One Stop Craft - Bingo (embossing, diecuts, flowers diagonal)
Cute Card Thursday - what's new (stamp set)
Crafty Emma - anything goes

Predominantly Purple

Here's my card for this week's Less is More which uses one of my favourite stamp from last year, a gate by Stamp Addicts.  The background was brushed with a mixture of purple inks and then heavily sprayed with water; the moon was masked off.  I inked my dotty stamp with the same purples and added some texture to the background.  The foliage either side comes from a branch stamp and the sentiment is embossed with Adirondack Eggplant.  The mirri layer is silver, it looks more gold here!

Phindy's Place Challenge Challenge #87 - Colour Quartet

 

Welcome to the first Phindy's Place Challenge of 2012, we have a lovely fresh looking colour challenge for you this week:  brown, teal, celery/moss and white.  I've used an image called Snow Buddy, who is one of the Winter Cuties, I don't seem to be quite done with Christmas yet.  I've followed Sketch Saturday's layout and used papers by Basic Grey and Stampin' up, along with some dry embossing, punched snowflakes and some twill tape.  I do hope you join our challenge, it's a lovely colour combination to work with:).
My card is for:
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Gingerloft - Christmas and winter
My Craft Spot - winter wonderland
Sweet Stamps - winter
Everybody Art Challenge - snow
Creative Card Crew - snow day
Divas by Design - Christmas
Creative Belli - snowflakes
Christmas Challenges - punches or dies (snowflakes)

Finally, some of you may know that we have all had a horrid time over Christmas as my husband  left whch has been a dreadful shock to me and to my sons.  On Wednesday I came home to find these beautiful flowers had been delivered - from Phindy herself.  They came with a lovely message and I was very moved by her kindness, especially as she is going through problems herself as her son is treated for a serious injury.  Thank you Phindy.

Lots of layers

 

I bought some new House Mouse decoupage from Joanna Sheen and have been cutting out while my mojo is missing.  There is a lot going on with the image so I've kept the rest of the card pretty simple, with a couple of layers, a border punch and some ribbon.

My card is for:

House Mouse & Friends - something new (the decoupage pack)

Charisma Cardz - anything goes

Simon Says - new something

Papertake Weekly - anything goes (option of new)

Nordic simplicity

 

My mojo seems to be missing at the moment and I can only hope that it returns when things are easier.  In the meantime though, I have been playing with my new Nordic Winter stamps from Waltzing Mouse, making regular, geometric patterns with them is something I'm enjoying.   Those of you who look at my blog will know that my favourite stamps are tree stamps, followed by more tree stamps followed by yet more...  but this set is fast overtaking them with its simplicity.  Need to break away from just read and white though.

I followed the Waltzing Mouse Sketch Challenge and, at first, used a freebie Craft Stamper stamp on it, but didn't like it, so I changed it for the snowflake.  Here it is with the star, what do you think?  Hope it doesn't look too different to the sketch!  I have added one tiny piece of bling to the snowflake, matted it three times, with a thin strip of card across it, and that is it.  

My card is for the following challenges:

Waltzing Mouse - sketch

Mark's Finest Papers - use a snowflake

Winter Wonderland - red & white

Creative Belli - Merry Christmas

Simon Says - anything goes

Fashionable Stamping - anything goes, new stash

Pile it On - anything goes

Stampin' for the Weekend - anything goes