Waltzing Mouse Sketch Challenge

It's a beautiful day here, after a long walk and some gardening I'm back with another clean & simple card, this time for the Waltzing Mouse Sketch Challenge.  I've used the chrysanthemum stamps, inked up with an array of small ink pads, adding a tiny bit of clear Stickles here and there.  The squares were cut out with Nesties and popped up on Pinflair glue.  The card is textured linen, I've added one of the new sentiments from WM as well as the Frame-It stamp.  I really like the look of this, hope you do too!
My card is also for:
Allsorts - say it with flowers
Totally Papercrafts - my favourite things (I love purple and I'm also loving my WM stamps at present)
Charisma Cardz - ribbon, ribbon, ribbon

Pop!

I've a quick posting here, been trying to finish up some of the decoupage cards from sheets cut out and bagged up.   This is Joanna Sheen House Mouse, I love the way the hummingbirds are trying to bring the mouse down to earth by popping his balloon.  The ribbon came from a bunch of flowers I was bought and all I have added is some pearlised lilac card. 

My card is for:

Crafts & Me - wings and things

Pixie Cottage - things with wings

Craft your Passion - anything goes

My Craft Spot - for the birds

Pink Elephant - lots of layers

Stampin' Sisters in Christ - wings

Allsorts Challenge - spread your wings

Papertake Weekly - anything goes

It's a dog's life

Mum kindly treated me to some downloads from Printable Heaven of Cecil Aldin watercolours of dogs, the download also included some images for colouring.  My terrier is ginger all over, but she lies just like this, it is an adorable image.  I used Stampin' Up paper and ribbon, a couple of Memory Box die corners and added stamped paw prints to some card candy.
My card is for:
Sweet Sketch Wednesday - sketch
Simon Says - use 3 different papers
Moving along with the times - lots of layers
Rainbow Lady - dogs
Southern Girls - distressed
Sisterhood of Crafters - getting digi
Truly Scrumptious - all creatures great and small
Can you digi it - puppy love
Allsorts Challenge - anything goes

Wishes and dreams

This week's House Mouse & Friends Challenge is about making wishes come true.  I think this gorgeous bunny and friend  are wishing for summer, I know I am!  The decoupage is Joanna Sheen, I've added some ribbon, a Lili of the Valley sentiment stamp and DP by Prima.  I'm sorry now that I used the DP, it is so pretty and you can see so little of it!
My card is also for Do You Stack Up's Lots of Layers Challenge,  Stamp Scrap & Doodle's more than 2 layers challenge and Allsorts Challenge Anything Goes.

Phindy's Place Challenge #92 - round & round

 Again I am late posting my card for this week's fabulous Phindy's Place Challenge, which is to use circles this week.  The only good thing about being late is that I saw a fab layout at Sketch Saturday that uses lots of circles and was able to use it for my card!

The image is called My Baby and I chose to use it for Easter though it also makes a brilliant new baby card. It's coloured with Copics, Distress Ink and Glossy Accents, the DP is Basic Grey, mostly Marjolaine with a background from the Neutrals.  The lacy ribbon is from Stamp Attic.

My card is for the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Allsorts - free and easy February
Simon Says - love.  I've not entered the multitude of Valentine challenges, but this shows a mother's love, at least I think so!
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
One Stitch at a Time - anything goes
Scrappy Frog - diecuts - lots of diecut circles here!
Drunken Stampers - texture - love this ribbon for texture

Charisma Cardz - things with wings
Moving along with the Times - cute critters

Waltzing Mouse and the Nice List

  

 I'd like to show you a card made with Waltzing Mouse stamps and I'd like to tell you about Claire Brennan who owns it, and her "Nice List". 

Claire asked people to leave a comment on her blog before Christmas for a giveaway of stamps, asking for the person who would be top of your Nice List.  She told us about her lovely neighbour who has done a great job of restoring a kitchen dresser.  I'm having a sad time at the moment and was moved to leave a comment about how helpful my friends have been, especially my friend Morag.  Claire picked her random winner of a prize but also picked my comment for a spot prize.  The twist with this giveaway was that it was for both the commenter and for the Nice Person.  I am so lucky to have beautiful sets of WM stamps and also a sumptuous treat for Morag who is not a stamper.  

So this card is saying a big THANK YOU to friends everywhere, all my kind crafty friends who read my blog and a Thank You to Claire who I have never met but who is clearly a generous and kind person.  Oh and by the way her stamps are pretty amazing too!

Card uses Large Dainty Doilies stamps and sentiment from Say it Loud.  I've based it around this week's Waltzing Mouse sketch challenge.  Lace, gems and white heat embossing.

My card is for:

Waltzing Mouse - sketch

Shopping our Stash - lace

Craft your Passion - no patterned paper

Stampin' for the Weekend - embossing

Allsorts Challenge - free and easy

Drunken Stampers - something new (my gorgeous new stamps!)

Have a purrfect day

Here's a second posting from me for today, this time using another new Stamp Addicts set - Purrfect Day.  I'm not a cat lover, but this set was fun to play with, here I paper pieced the bins, masking them as I stacked them up.  The bin lid is popped up on Pinflair glue.  Sentiment and fishbone stamps are both included in the set.  The background is inked with Distress Inks, DP is an old one I've had for ages; I used a Martha Stewart punch on the corners, and added twine and tiny buttons.
My card is for the following challenges:
Midnight Madness - sketch
Simon Says - buttons
Paper Sundaes - rectangle
Allsorts Challenge - anything but square

Ten minute make

 

This card was so easy it feels like I cheated, it came together in moments:).  I'm really getting into my clean & simple cards, but for me they involve lots of agonising, and usually several rejects before I am happy.  Today, I saw that Shopping Our Stash have a black white and one other colour challenge and remembered some stash that has been sitting unloved for ages and put it to use with Less is More's sketch...

Craftwork Cards had a sale earlier this year which included mystery boxes or goody bags, whichever it was I am a sucker for it lol!  But have I used my stash?  Have I heck, it's still sitting on the desk where it landed.  Included was a set of flowers printed on to pearlised white card, saying that they just needed colouring.  Well if you look there's not a lot needs colouring either!  I love black, white and red so I coloured the flower with my Copics, matted it twice and added some ribbon and a gem.  The sentiment is from Pink Petticoat, love the font.  Ten minutes, card finished!

My card is for the following challenges:
Less is More - sketch
Shopping Our Stash - black, white and one other colour
Allsorts Challenge - clean & simple
Simon Says - anything goes
Celebrate the Occasion - must use ribbon

Less Is More sketch

We're home from delivering older son to University and, of course, I had to check out LIM and the 1,000 card challenge.  Well we didn't quite get there for the 1,00 entries on Less is More but it wasn't far off:).  This week there is a sketch to follow and my card is almost a CASE of Mandi's inked square.  I used an Inkylicious tree stamp and sentiment, with a Clarity maple leaf.  The backgrounds are Distress Inked (spiced marmalade, mustard seed, barn door) and I used Sepia Versafine for the stamping.  After several goes at stamping the sentiment perfectly level and not stamping it too hard (it's a clear stamp) I can only refer to the wording on it lol!  Incidentally the square is flat on the card, the shadow in the picture taken after dark makes it look like it stands out proud of the surface...

My card is for the following challenges:

Less is More - sketch

Stamptacular Sunday - just sayin'

Allsorts Challenge - keep it simple

CAS-ual Fridays - mostly monochromatic plus brown

Crafty Catz - autumn

Crop Circles?

 

This card solves a dilemma: I was dying to play with some lovely new stamps that arrived when I was away on holiday and I also wanted to enter this week's Less Is More, which has a circles theme.  The stamp set is Stampin' Up and came from the Lady LIM herself, Mandi, gorgeous stamps Mandi, thanks!  I made a circly background for my card by using masking tape to punch out circles and also to mask off the top and bottom.  I've been using Post-Its but decided to get my masking tape out and give it a go.  Even on the glossy cardstock it worked fine, will definitely keep it out now!  I punched the circles into tape stuck onto paper, it glues the punch up otherwise.  Ask me how I know this...  :).  Sentiment is a Sheena Douglass stamp, inks are Spiced Marmalade and an Adirondack Lemonade. images use Sepia Versafine.

My card is for the following challenges:

Less is More - Circles

Shopping our Stash - turnback technique (masking tape)

Allsorts Challenge - free and easy July

Cute Card Thursday - going round in circles

Jac-inks Papercraft - monotone

Card for St Luke's Charity Cards Challenge & Tiffany Doodles New Release

 There's a really good new challenge blog out there, the St Luke's Charity Cards Challenge.  OK there are hundreds of challenges out there now but this one is different! Here is what they say:

"Hello you lovely, lovely people who are joining us on this exciting adventure in our little corner of blogland...
We thought we would start off easy, with a challenge that both beginners and those more experienced would be sure to have some materials for - so our inaugural challenge is to "say it with flowers". You can "say" anything you like - Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, Hello, With Sympathy, Get Well Soon - anything you like, or nothing at all if you don't want to include a sentiment - just include flowers or a floral theme on your card somewhere.

Cards can be any shape, size or colour. If you are going to kindly donate your card to the charity, if you could include a matching blank envelope that would be great - if you can pop it in a protective card bag then even better but we can sort this once we receive them if you don't have them available. Then just pop it all in another slightly larger envelope (perhaps with a bit of extra card or tissue to protect anything delicate) and send it to:

Freepost RSAZ-XHKY-ZXLY
Charity Card Challenge
St Luke's Hospice
Little Common Lane
Sheffield
S11 9NE
IF YOU COULD SPARE THE CHANGE FOR A STAMP AND NOT USE THE FREEPOST ADDRESS, (SAME ADDRESS, JUST OMIT THE FREEPOST LINE) THEN EVEN BETTER AS THIS SAVES THE CHARITY EVEN MORE MONEY - THANKS
SOME PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ABOUT SENDING GENERAL CARDS TO THE HOSPICE FOR SALE - THIS IS FINE - AND ANY CARDS WILL BE GREATFULLY RECEIVED OUTSIDE OF THE MONTHLY CHALLENGES."

 

I have a packet of cards to send and I hope that anyone else in the UK will try to send them some cards too:)

My Say It With Flowers card uses a new release from Tiffany Doodles, available in the shop from 8 April.  This is Pear Blossom, isn't it gorgeous?  I've coloured it with Copics and Glossy Accents, used a Nestie die and some papers from Basic Grey Cappella.  I've kept it fairly simple, the blossom branch is the star here.

My card is for the following challenges:

Totally Gorjuss - sketch

Tuesday Throwdown - spring

Magical Monday - let's use flowers

Paper Sundaes - spring blossoms

Sparkles Forum - springtime

Allsorts - blooming blossoms

Crafty Calender Challenge - April showers bring forth May showers

Less Is More - a touch of red

I have lots of good intentions about playing along at Less is More, agonise over what to make and find the week has sped by!  So this week I was glad when inspiration struck in good time:).  Tracey at Fred She Said has brought out a gorgeous digi of one of my Spring favourites, the parrot tulip, you can buy it here in both precoloured and digi versions.  Tracey is also having a Spring Sale for the next two weeks, check out the details in store. My tulip is coloured with Copics and matted on to a thin border of Bazzill Bling card, as is the sentiment, which is two Papermania stamps combined.
My cad is for the following challenges:
Less Is More - a touch of red
Paper Sundaes - spring blossoms
Allsorts - blooming blossoms
Stamp Something - digital
The Rubber Cafe - spring flowers

Phindy's Place Challenge #43 - sketchtime

 Good Morning and welcome to a new Phindy's Place Challenge!  My goodness I am so glad it's Friday and nearly the weekend!  We had a lovely time away but I'm finding it very hard to get back into the swing of things, hence the lack of blogging!

Anyhow, on with the challenge, which is to use one of Anne-Marije's fab sketches.  For once I've stuck quite closely to the sketch.  My image is Little Star, no prizes for guessing that this long legged beauty is one of my all time favourite images:).  He's simply coloured with Copics, all the DP is My Mind's Eye very heavy weight cardstock, the punch is Martha Stewart Picket Fence.
My card is for the following challenges:
Crafty Sentiments - Spring - what could be more spring-like than the new crop of foals?
Digital Tuesday - use punches
Crazy Challenge - baby love
Gingerloft - furry friends
Paper Sundaes - masculine colours
Allsorts - inspired by nature

If money doesn't grow on trees, what about love?

Everyone with teenagers will be familiar with money not growing on trees, but this Phindy's Place image shows that, just maybe, love does:).  The image is coloured with Copics, Glossy Accents and some Forest Moss Distress Ink around the edges.  The card is based on this week's Sketch'n'Stash Challenge, my old stash is the octagon Nestie which I always forget about ans the Indian Summer pad which I found in the drawer.  I've stitched around the die-cut shape and also round the dry embossed stripes behind the image.  The zig zag stitching helps show the strips as I realised that they are quite a low contrast against the DP which is Basic Grey Indian Summer.  The pink card square is torn to add a bit of texture.

I had a bit of a wobble with my stash diet when I had to go to Wantage with DH who asked me if I needed to go the the craft shop (he's very well trained lol!) but I managed to hold out:).

This card is for some of the many Valentine challenges around, including:

Basic Grey - all heart

Sketch'n'Stash - sketch

Allsorts - it must be love, love love

Bee Crafty - digi and hearts

Crazy4Challenges - valentine

Secret Crafter - valentine

Do it with digis - romance

Raise the Bar - hearts

Stamp Something - digi

Stampin for the weekend - St Valentine's day

Simon Says - love is in the air

Tuesday Throwdown - stitching

Tuesday Taggers - feel the lurve

Flourishes - valentine

Phindy's Place Challenge #40 - Sketchtime

Good morning and welcome to a new Phindy's Place Challenge.   I'm really excited to tell you that we have 3 talented new Design Team ladies who have joined the team:  Christine, Dorcas and Kathy.  They will be showing off their creations starting next week.  This week we have a great sketch from Anne-Marije to follow. As you can see, I've taken a few liberties with the sketch, I wanted to use the fun Plundering Pirate image and needed a few less embellies:).

I coloured with Copics, added Distress Ink to the background and also inked the embossed circle.  The knotted cord is Roman Blind cord, the sentiment from Craftwork Cards, the charm from Quixotic Cards and the spotty paper from Stampin' Up.

My card is also for the following challenges:
Creative Belli - anything beginning with P - plundering pirate!
Fab 'n' Funky - delight in your digi
Simon Says - animal antics
Allsorts - man/boy card
Creative Card Crew - show us the colours of your country - red/white/blue but minus the skull & crossbones lol!

Last minute card

A quick, clean and simple card for one of DH's friends - last minute  - but I'm quite pleased with it.  Art Impressions stamp, Distress Inked background and used my Swirls embossing folder twice on the card.
Card is for the following challenges:
Cards for Men - Christmas
Allsorts - anything goes
Fussy & Fancy Friday - show us some snow
Stamptacular Sunday - Tree-mendous

Red robin and holly - totally traditional!

I managed to get hold of the discontinued Cuttlebug holly folder on Ebay and made a very traditional card with it.  The decoupage is a Joanna Sheen from the Times Gone By CD.  I haven't used the whole of it, there is a cottage and a winter scene behind the full decoupage sheet.  The embossed holly is on gold pearlescent cardstock, I've used Distress Ink sponged on the leaves and Stickles for the berries, there are Stickles on the decoupage leaves too.  Sentiment is Craftwork Cards, swirl stamp is Personal Impressions.
This card is for the following challenges:
CD Sunday - Christmas sparkle
Allsorts - last minute Christmas
Cupcake Craft Challenges - little red robin

I'm Nearly All White!

This started out when I saw the challenge at Simon Says Challenge, which this week is to make a card which is all white, with the exception of colour on any image that is used.  Gulp!  I found this really tricky and I will admit that I have cheated a little and my card may not be eligible.  I have two white dry-embossed pieces of card on here and it was just impossible to tell one from t'other, so I edged the snowflake embossed piece with Weathered Wood grey Distress Ink and ever-so-gently sponged some onto the diagonal grid that I'd put onto the larger piece.  In my defence, it took ages to make the grid with my Scor-pal and I couldn't bear it if all that hard work was invisible LOL!
The stamp is by Sheena Douglass and is one I bought at the NEC, stamped in Distress Ink.  I've used a brush and a little water to shade with the ink.  The snow on the rooftops and in the sky is Liquid Pearls and I've sprayed the whole image with iridiscent Spray & Sparkle by Crafter's Companion.  I suspect this is one of the aerosols one is not supposed to inhale, it smells just like Pear Drops - mmm! LOL.  It gives a lovely soft shimmer, hard to show it in the photo.  The gems are from stash, the sentiment is Craftwork Cards and the snowflakes were from a Woodware punch and a Spellbinder, both have clear Stickles on them.
I'm entering the following challenges with my card:
Simon Says Challenge - are you all white ?
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Paper Sundaes - let it snow
Pile it On - Christmas with animals (reindeer in sky!)
One Stitch at a Time - winter wonderland
Allsorts Challenge - the night before Christmas
One Stop Crafts - embossing
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - dry embossing
The Creative Cottage - embossing
Winter Wonderland - sing a Christmas carol (Silent Night)

Craft Your Days Away - all white
CCEE Stampers - create a winter scene
Patty's Creations - Christmas card

A Big Wedding? A big card, anyway

This is a first for me:  DH asked me to make an A4 card, one of his staff is getting married and he asked for a card big ebough for everyone to sign.  I've never made a card bigger than A5 before.   He also asked for it to be fairly simple.  Thank heavens for digis that can be resized easily!  This is a Shirleys2Girls digi, coloured with Copics and Distress Inks and lots of Stickles for bling.  It's matted onto gold mirri and then bronze pearelscent card.  I've used a Martha Stewart punch on the RH side and trimmed the card back to expose a strip of gold.  Didn't intend to, but when I saw I'd put the image slightly off-centre I had to do something!  Sadly we can't go to the wedding, DH is away that weekend, but I hope she'll like her card...
I'm entering the following challenges:
Create4Fun - use a digi
Allsorts - song title (White Wedding, Billy Idol)
Sweet Stampin' - diamonds are a girl's best friend

Cooking it up With Katie #29 - Autumn embossing and folding

This week's recipe at Cooking it up With Katie is a really fun one:  your ingredients are:  a fancy fold, embossing and Autumn.  I CASED my blogging friend Sylvia and made a zig-zag card which was easier to do than I expected!  Those HobbyArt Scene-It stamps came out again and I created an Autumn scene on watercolour paper,  using a mixture of Aquamarkers and Marvy le Plume pens.  Our trees haven't really changed colour yet but apart from that it is just how Lambourn looks in September.  I used a Crafts Too embossing folder and added a bit of raffia and a tree charm, just for fun.   Here's a side shot so you can see the shape of the card better:).
 I would like to enter my card for the following challenges:
Creative Card Crew Challenge - Autumn or Fall  
A Spoonful of Sugar - Autumn into Fall    
Allsorts Challenge - Colours of Autumn
ABC Challenge - C is for Charms
Incy Wincy Designs - Autumn Colours
Mark's Finest Papers - Autumn Colours
Fairy Fun Fridays - Embossing
Charisma Cardz - Try Something New (zig-zag card)
Digi Doodle Shop - Charm Me
Paper Play Challenges - Autumn