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:).

SSSS - Sketch Saturday meets Simon Says

Sketch Saturday has gone very circular with this week's sketch challenge that I've used here :). I'm also entering my card for Simon Says Challenge this week, which is animal antics and for Janet's Corrosive Challenge, which calls for embossing. I've used my Creative Expressions Christmas set, white embossed onto card circles I then sprayed with Cosmic Shimmer Midnight Blue. Card blank is from Craftwork Cards. This was a very challenging card to photograph!

The Cosmic Shimmer is, umm, shimmery, the ribbon is metallic silver and the DP, from Craftwork Cards, has metallic snowflakes :). I think this is one of those cards that looks better in the flesh, hope you can see the general idea.

A Winter's Tale

I've put aside computer woes for a little while and spent some time getting inky, so here is my House Mouse Challenge card. This week's challenge is movies. I checked and yes, Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale has been made into a film, so I can get away with that for the title of my card. I've followed Claudia's sketch from Friday Sketchers Challenge, just adding in a round sentiment. Great sketch Claudia, thanks.

House Mouse stamp coloured with watercolour pencils, sentiment from Creative Expressions (trimmed down), Fancy Pants papers from Stamp Attic, ribbon from stash.

Twisted Thursday #25 - I tried to do Hallowe'en - honest!

I've just managed to finish a card in time for Shirleys2Girls' challenge this week, which is to use their simple sketch, adding a Hallowe'en embellishment. I found this a tricky card to make, simply because like most Brits I don't really "do" Hallowe'en. We have sweeties for trick or treaters, though now the kids are older there are less visitors, and that's about it. I had a think and remembered that I have the Creative Expressions village set of stamps, which includes pumpkins, so I got to work :).

I masked off the large pumpkin and then a lamp post behind it, before adding the village, offset with some of the street stamped off the edge. A few grasses and clouds completed the picture, though I'm not totally happy about the pumpkin, it looks a bit like it's floating in front of the lamp post; which I suppose only happens on the 31st October :). Another couple of pumpkins are added as my embellishment, on foam pads. I stamped and painted in Distress Inks, the images use Black Soot and, with the exception of the sky (Adirondack denim), everything uses the inks and a paintbrush. The papers are K & Co, matted onto navy card. I tried black to go with the Hallowe'en look but it was too harsh and the navy worked much better.

It's unusual for me not to use one of my Shirleys2Girls stamps for their challenge; sorry girls but this one was tricky for me; it doesn't even look very Hallowe'en :).

Bronte Goes Ice Skating

This is the first Christmas card I've made with Mo Manning's wonderful digital art. It stars Bronte, the grumpy sort-of cattle dog that Mo's family gave a home to. The image is coloured using that classic, favourite colour combi of red and green, to enter Copic Creation's challenge this week. I used Woodware Fluffy Stuff for the fur trim on the hat and muff, just squeeze it on and heat it to make 3d, fluffy snow. Or, in this case, furry trim :). Isn't this a fabulous image to use? I love it...

The Merry Christmas is a clear stamp I've had in for ages, added to one of the Creative Expressions circles that are designed to fit Nestabilities. I've embossed with brown ink that isn't intended for embossing and didn't like the cool, metallic grey-brown that I ended up with. So I coloured it with my brown Copic - much better. All the DP is Basic Grey Infuse, which is not a Christmas set as such, but I think it works really well on a Christmas card. I cut along the wiggly design lines for the centre strip, added a narrower piece of pink stripe and then the most beautiful velvet ric-rac that I bought at the quilt show. I couldn't resist it but it was quite pricy, so it'll be on special Christmas cards only :).