Crafty Cardmakers - for the boys

Welcome to this week's Crafty Cardmakers Challenge, this week the challenge is to make something for a boy or a man.  I've used the adorable Boy and Dog image from one of this week's sponsors:  Digi Doodle Shop.  I kept my card very simple to show off the fab image which I coloured with copics and Distress Inks, just adding a printed sentiment from Craftwork Cards and some design paper as well as a few layers.  The brads are a dark copper, works well for the masculine theme.
My card is also for:
Di's Digi Designs - lets meet your animal friends
Send a smile 4 kids - for the boys
That craft place - for the boys

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #63 - Susie's Sketch

 
Here's my Design Team card for this week's Crafty Cardmaker's Challenge.  This week Susie has set a lovely sketch to follow.  We have two generous sponsors for prizes this week:  One Stop Card Craft offers a £10 gift voucher and Digi Doodle Shop a $10 gift voucher. 

My card uses an adorable  Digi Doodle Shop image called The Horse Kiss.  I coloured with Copics, inking the background with SU Bashful Blue.  The DP is Basic Grey Out of Print, some raffia, tiny buttons and a sentiment from Craftwork Cards complete the card.
I'm also entering my card for:
Crafting When We Can - animals
Sketchy Colours - pink, blue beige
The Crafty Pad - share the good news (newsprint on my DP)
One Stop Craft Challenge - button it
Catch the Bug - March anything goes

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #61 - monochrome magic

 

Welcome to a new Crafty Cardmaker's Challenge, this is one of those weeks when you almost wish you weren't on the DT when you see the fab sponsorship prizes!  This week we are challenging you to make a monochrome project.  The sponsors are Digi Doodle Store with a $10 gift certificate for their lovely images and IndigoBlu who are offering up an amazing prize of a Flitterglu starter kit AND one of their superb stamps!

I made a blue winter scene using the Here Comes Santa stamp set from IndigoBlu.  I masked off a moon and used a mixture of inks on brushes to make a background, giving it a little spritz of water to blend.   The snowflake border at the top is white heat embossed, it shows up far better in real life.  I then added the sentiment and trees, stamping twice before re-inking for the trees.  I really didn't want to add much more to it, so I matted it a few times, added a ribbon and a few gems on the snowflakes.  Brr...  chilly card for a grey chilly day:).

I'm also entering my card for:

Paper Sundaes - clean & simple (not much white space but I hope it fits their criteria!)

Crazy4Challenges - make a scene

Winter Wonderland - blue & white

Challenge up your Life - monochrome

Craft a Scene - winter scene

Pollycraft - chill out

Craft your Passion - no patterned paper, anything goes

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.

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

Less is more - a bit of bling

Sorry to be MIA a while, I am dealing with some unpleasant stuff just now and finding anything creative a struggle.  This card is a variation on one I made before for Christmas and it's for Less is More's a bit of bling challenge.  The Stampin' Up tree is embossed with dark green, the sentiment is also embossed.  A narrow strip of red on the inside highlights the border of the card and the bling is on top of the tree.
My card is also for:
StampsRUs - emboss it
Incy Wincy - trees ,trees and more trees!
Stamptacular Sunday - anything Christmas
Crafty Cardmakers - heat embossing

Red robins

I was lucky enough to win a random draw at A Day for Daisies' PCP group this month and I chose this stunning scene - trees, robins, landscape, it could have been made for me:).  If you enlarge the photo you can see I used my blender pen to give a snow falling look to the sky.  The Day for Daisies Challenge this week is texture and I added embossing, raised the image above the card with Pinflair Glue, added Card Candi and twine.  DP is Basic Grey Jovial.  The robins have Glossy Accents to give them a bit of dimension and to make them stand out.

My card is for the following challenges:

A Day for Daisies - texture

Card Patterns Sketch - sketch

Floweret - Christmas again!

Crafty Ann - Christmas song (Let it Snow)

Little Claire - Christmas

I Did It - anything goes

Creative Inspirations Paint - embossing

Crafty Cardmakers - anything goes

Card Mad Fairy - too early for Christmas

A Duo of Decoupage

 I've not got much in the way of cards to show you this week, I have been so busy at work and at home too.  When I have had a quiet moment the good weather and the garden have called me!  I have finished up another couple of decoupage cards, both use Joanna Sheen's Faye Whittaker seaside designs.  The first one has a cloud DP from Joanna's House Mouse backing papers CD, with some card candy and a ribbon.  The second one has a Stampin' Up sentiment, a shell edged tape, and some ric rac on a My Minds Eye stripy card.

Challenges to enter my cards for:
A Spoonful of Sugar - let's celebrate! (1st card)
Crafty Cardmakers - red white and blue
Cupcake Crafts  - lots of layers
Incy Wincy Designs - bright and bold
Karen's Doodles - lots of layers

Forsythia for Spring

It's nearly Spring when the forsythia is laden with its bright, cheerful, acid yellow flowers, which is just what I've used this stunning digi image from Tiffany Doodles for, it comes as a pair with Pussy Willow in a jar.  I based my card around Crafty Cardmaker's Challenge this week, which is a recipe of:  main colour yellow, ribbon, stitching, gemstones.  Some challenges at present aren't, how shall I put it, very challenging, so this made a refreshing change!
Image is coloured with Copics and Glossy Accents, punched leaves added.  Ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbons, sentiment from Craftwork Cards, DP is Basic Grey and Bearly Mine, corners punched, lots of stitching and some gems.  Card is based on the sketch from Stamp with Fun
My card is for the following challenges:
Stamp with Fun - sketch
Crafty Cardmaker's Challenge - yellow, ribbon, gemstone, stitching
Amber's Crafts - my favourite things - Basic Grey, stitching, digis, Copics, ribbon!
Creative Card Crew - Spring
Crafts and Me - ribbon
Cooking it up with Katie - 1 image, 2 DP, 3 types embellishments
Timeless Tuesday - flowers everywhere
Incy Wincy - flower frenzy
Quirky Crafts - sparkly, punchy Spring

Top Tip Tuesday Challenge - Thank You!

Welcome to another Top Tip Tuesday, this week Elaine has a fabulous tutorial showing you how to make a little gift box and the theme is Thank You.  I've made a card using an adorable Joanna Sheen decoupage of two little girls at the seaside.  I like to cut out decoupage when I'm watching telly, but I'm really bad about assembling them into cards!  I based my card on the sketch at Crazy for Challenges, adding some My Mind's Eye stripy cardstock, an embossed panel and a sentiment.  It's an unusual card for me, it has neither stamping nor colouring, but I hope you like it:)

My card is also for the following challenges:
Crazy for Challenges - sketch
Crafty Emma - children
Cute & Girly - cute and girly
My Partner in Crafting Crime - layer it up
Crafty Cardmakers - spotlight on decoupage

Abso-Bloomin-Lutely Love You

Here's another card from the excellent Sheena Douglass workshop I did at the weekend, this was learning how to get shading with only one colour of Distress Ink.  The background paper with the embossing isn't black; we inked it heavily with Black Soot Distress Ink, it also has a double stamped flower swirl that is then embossed.  The flowers have Cosmic Shimmers on top of PVA glue.  The original version shown to us had a pristine white sentiment that stood out nicely on the card.  Unfortunately I got a big black fingerprint on mine so it ended up being inked LOL!

This card is for the following challenges:

Crafts & Me - monochrome
Crafty Creations - heat embossing
A Spoonful of Sugar - Valentine
My Time to Craft - embossing
Crafty Cardmakers - floral
Pile it on - love is in the air
Sugar Creek Hollow - black, white and a splash of colour
Alphabet Challenge - L is for Lady

Come and join the party!!!

 I hope you'll come and join the party over at Papercraftplanet, to celebrate 1,000 members of the Phindy's Place group.  Well that's what we're celebrating but at this rate we're heading fast to 1,100 LOL!  Today it is my turn to host a challenge, which is a sketch challenge.  The prize is a box of cards created by the DT to give you a head-start with Christmas - check out the slideshow on PCP for the awesome cards which could bbe yours if you enter! This is the card I've made for it using the freebie that Phindy kindly gave to the group, which is of course called Join the Party!  I've added lots of Stickles and Glossy Accents to my image and used MME So Sophie cardstock.

Yesterday's Challenge was a cardathon hosted by Cec at which we all created an easel card.  The deadline for both challenges is Friday 29 October, so you still have time to play along with both challenges!  Here's my cardathon easel, I've used the image Warm Friends and did quite a bit of paper piecing as I was short of time to colour!  The DP is Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather and the sentiment is Craftwork Cards.

I'm entering the following challenges with my cards:

Crafty Cardmakers - digi plus (paper piecing) - penguin

Cupcake Craft Challenge - sweet treats with a twist - that mouse is enjoying a rather alcoholic sweet treat!

Totally Gorjuss - sparkle - celebrating mouse

I'd love you to come and join in with the party and to enter my sketch challenge, see you there and good luck!

Pumpkin Bouquet

Good Morning!  It's absolutely perishing here with lovely blue skies and frozen ground.  I've a beautiful card to show you this morning that uses a Fred-She-Said digi that is a freebie over on Crafters Digital Arts Centre.  The freebie is part of a purple, green and orange challenge, click here to find the challenge and the freebie.  It's such a pretty image, I didn't want to add harsh bright colours to it so I was pleased to find a few sheets of paper left in my Green at Heart Basic Grey pad - ideal!  Coloured with Copics and some Stickles, I've followed this week's Friday Sketch Challenge.  The leaves are cut with a Marianne Creatables set and the sentiment is Joanna Sheen.
My card is for the following challenges:
Friday Sketchers - sketch
Paper Pretties - green, purple and orange
Creative Belli - pumpkins
Crafty Cardmakers - use a freebie - great challenge idea!
Basic Grey - Autumn, harvest time - asters are always in Harvest Festival flower arrangements, aren't they!

ABC Challenge - F is for flowers

Hope to see you over at Fred She Said and playing along in the challenge, don't forget to grab your freebie!

Clean & Simple Poinsettia

I've been playing with the Poinsettias from Fred-She-Said again:).  This time I wanted to try a clean & simple card that I could make quickly and easily to help with the mountain of Christmas cards that needs making.  I've used a textured card and stamped the swirl (a clear set from Personal Impressions that I've had for ages) directly onto the card in Olympia Green Versafine.  The poinsettia is only 3 layers, with a little Stickles in the middle.  That's it.  Card done!  What do you think? I really like it but it's hard to leave it alone, I keep wanting to add more swirls...
This card is for the following Challenges:
Weekly Christmas Card Challenges - Clean & Simple
Crafty Cardmakers - Clean & Simples
Secret Crafter Challenge - Clean & Simple
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Winter Wonderland

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

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

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.

Berry Simple

I needed a quick Thank You card and, as I'd coloured this beautiful strawberry image I decided to use it and add some computer generated text. The main image is from Isabella's Sketchbook, love it! The tiny strawberries, leaves and flourishes are tiny tapestry stamps on wooden dowel, that were all the rage a couple of years back. Main image coloured with Copics, sponged with Distress Inks, Glossy Accents added to those juicy berries.

This card is for the following challenges:
Digital Tuesday - Summertime
Crafty Cardmakers - Inky Fingers
Isabellas' Challenge - Summer Fun
Secret Crafter - Strawberries & Cream

The least and most - what WAS I thinking of?

I've just completed this card and I'm really not too sure about it. Mmm... here goes:). My crafting friend Val was kind enough to bring over her new Sweet Pea stamps recently and I was the first to get them inky, stamping a few sheets of images. I've been rather shying away colouring these challenging images, there are some wonderful cards around made with them. First go was in conventional green and pink and looked ok-ish. I discarded it when I found a smudge that looked like a failed tattoo on her shoulder:).

So then I thought about the Crafty Cardmaker's Challenge which is to use your least favourite and most favourite colours, which is how I ended up with orange and green LOL! Don't get me wrong, it's quite a fun combo and I think the fairy looks great as a redhead. But then I've spent most of the day trying to find DP to work with this rather unusual colourway, ended up with Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses Christmas DP and some Basic Grey orange from the Green at Heart pad. A little odd, no? I'm also entering it for the Totally Gorjuss Challenge of Wings - and notice that one of their DT has a rather more polished version of the same image! Nice card Gez;). I've used this week's Card Patterns Sketch for my card's layout.

I'm fairly pleased with my first colouring attempt, these seem to need a dramatic background, so I gave it purple and went over it with light orange, which gave it a glow. Colouring is Copics and Stickles and when I'd finished I saw a tiny mark on the image so I oversprayed the whole card with gold Glimmer Mist as a kind of fake tan to disguise the blemish:). The ribbon has dots on the RS, which looked too strong so I used the wrong side. Sentiment is Hero Arts. What do you think? Hit or miss?

DT Post - Phindy's Friday Challenge #6 - Masculine Card

It's Friday, the sun is shining and thank goodness it's the weekend. It's time to take Phindy's Friday Challenge, this week it's to make a masculine card or project. I think this has been my most unproductive week for cards ever, I've just not been inspired. However here's a card I've been thinking about making for ages, with one of DH's fishing flies attached for a present. In reality, when it's sent, it will have several smaller, more useful flies attached, but to take the photo I've used one of the larger more colourful flies so that it shows up:).

The lovely image is simply called "Fishing", you can buy it from Phindy's Place here. Image is coloured with Copics and edged with a bit of Broken China Distress Ink. I chose to work with the Card Patterns Sketch for this week, it's clean and uncluttered, just right for a masculine card:). DP is My Minds Eye, the edge is punched with the first Martha Stewart punch I ever bought, which I think is called Arabesque, which gives a lovely wave effect. The fly is hooked into a piece of ribbon from stash, I'm told it is called a Dentist's Delight :)! Charisma Cards' theme is 3D this week, the fishing fly works perfectly for this.

I opted to decorate the inside of my card as the sentiment stamp I wanted to use is too big for the front of the card, so I'm entering it into Crafty Cardmaker's Inside Out Challenge. Can't remember where the stamp came from I'm afraid, bought it at Ally Pally a year or so ago. Dareu2Digistamp has One for the Boys as it's challenge for this week as does Creative Cottage, so I'm entering my card in their challenges too. One last challenge to nail with this card: Allsorts Challenge is celebrating its brthday with a birthday theme.
I hope you'll join us over at Phindy's Place this week for our challenge. Phindy herself is away at present, her sister is gravely ill in hospital. please keep them in your thoughts and if you'd like to send a card to Gerry, Phindy's sister, there is information in the PCP group here.