Hydrangea Bouquet

Our neighbours are getting married soon and I needed a card to say that we will be coming to the evening reception, I don't have a sentiment for this and I decided that "Thanks" would do fine and I can write on it that it's an acceptance Thank You:).  I made a step card that is something a little different for Tracey and Nev to keep, I embossed and Distress Inked cardstock, adding pearls and a bow (the bow is on the back section, doesn't show too well in the photo) and a beautiful Hydrangea image from Fred She Said which is popped up on Pinflair glue to give it dimension.  I found the blooms not as bad to colour as I thought, might really challenge myself with white ones another time:).

My card is for the following challenges:

Simon Says - make a multi fold

Stampin' for the Weekend - tickled pink

Shopping our Stash - vintage, distress, shabby chic

Magical Monday - shaped card

House of Gilli - embossing

Tuesday Throwdown - pearls

Everybody Art Challenge - flowers

Copic Creations - pretty in pink

Stamp Something - anything goes final challenge

I'm nuts about you

 I know, it's a corny sentiment but I had to do it lol!  Good morning and welcome to this month's Tiffany Doodles Challenge, which is All Creatures Great and Small.  There are two great chances to win a Gift Certificate from Tiffany Doodles: a $10 TD Gift Certificate to the winner who uses a Tiffany Doodles digital stamp and a $5 TD Gift Certificate to the 2nd runner up - no matter what stamp you've used.

Tiff has some stunning animal images, fun and realistic and I have chosen the Squirrel for my card.  Somehow, even though it's high summer (in theory anyway) he has ended up as an Autumnal card, with Basic Grey Indian Summer DP, some tiny punched out leaves and lots of stitching.  Midnight Madness, CPS and Critter Cards have ALL used basically the same sketch this week so I'm entering my squirrel in all three!

My card is for the following challenges:
Basic Grey - stitching
Simon Says - a stitch in time
A Spoonful of Sugar - stitching
Paper Sundaes - stitching
Critter Challenges - sketch and use red
CPS - sketch
Midnight Madness - sketch

Feeling Blue?

 Here are a couple of cards I made tonight for Less Is More, where the challenge is Shades of Blue.  Today I went to Newbury Art Stamps Show, had fun meeting up with my friend Val and got really enthused by a brayering workshop I did with Vicki from Stamp Addicts.  It had a difficult start, you may know there are two sisters who run Stamp Addicts.  Just about the time Vicki was leaving the stand to set up for the workshop her sister suffered agonising stomach pains and was whisked off in an ambulance, leaving Vicki to try to get cover for the stand and come up to the workshop.  I can't imagine how difficult it was for her to compose herself and teach, catching up on the late start, but she managed really well and even better, Sarah was back at the show and feeling much better. 

Like so many people, I struggle with my brayering and keep trying and keep feeling unhappy with my results.  The workshop was brilliant:  Vicki gave us two techniques to help.  The first was to use a spritzer so things blend and hard lines get lost, the second was a stamp for landscapes with tiny dots, which we used squished in our hand rather than mounted.  I made a lovely sunset coloured easel card and came home to play with cool blues.  This uses a couple of shades of blue ink, blueberry embossing powder and a Stamp Addicts silhouette stamp.  If you're thinking the sentiment would be better stamped direct you would be right - until I smudged it that is - so I used a trimmed off scrap and mounted it proud of the card as if that was what I'd intended all along lol.

Second card is another Stamp Addicts stamp bought today, she's adorable isn't she?  I've doodled a puddle and a border, the sentiment is Rubber Romance.  She's coloured with Copics and I have used a flesh colour, didn't want her to look blue with cold, that would be a real English summer card!  Otherwise she is totally shades of blue too.

My cards are for the following challenges:
Less is More - shades of blue
Simply Create - silhouette
A Spoonful of Sugar - get well card (2nd card)
Stamps R Us - there was a little girl (2nd card)

Summer sunshine - I wish!

I'm sneaking in a second posting today because I wanted to enter the Sweet Sketch Wednesday Challenge and I'm fast running out of time.  I knew I wanted to use some gorgeous Basic Grey Sweet Threads DPs that I bought, when I saw a card made by Debby for the Everybody Art Challenge I decided to distress my papers.  There are a lot of layers to this sketch and I worry about them all staying stuck so I decided to stitch them as well!  The good thing is that I know all my layers will stay put, the bad thing is that where I made a mistake with my layout I can't change it.  Hmm...  more haste less speed and all that:).
Image is the totally inspired Tender Tootsies from Phindy's new Plump 'Uns range, isn't it lovely sometimes to just kick off those shoes and feel the grass under your feet...  She's coloured with Copics and lots of Distress Ink, extra Copics in the corner to cool things down a bit and give an impression of some trees.  Flowers are punched from the DP.

Before I go I'd like to tell you that Phindy is about to become a grandmother and she is running a fun competition on PCP, guess the date the baby arrives and guess the weight.  Do check it out, link here, I think the granny to be is a bit sad that she's not had more entries yet and tha baby could be here any day now!
My card is for the following challenges:
Sweet Sketch Wednesday - sketch
Basic Grey - shabby chic
Everybody Art Challenge - distress
A Spoonful of Sugar - here comes summer
Corrosive Challenge - summer colours
Pile it on - summer heaven
Sweet Stampin' - playing in the summer sun
Fairy Fun Fridays - summer fun
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Wags'n'Whiskers - stitching

Phindy's Place Challenge #58 - Sketchtime!

Good Morning and welcome to a new Phindy's Place Challenge.  This week we have a lovely sketch by Anne-Marije for you to interpret.  I've gone with a vintage/shabby chic version that started out with a new DP pad called Butterfly Collection, by Pink Paislee.  My month's stash diet has finished and I just *happened* to be in my local craft shop that day when I saw the papers lol!  The Little Swinger image was perfect for my papers, I paper pieced her dress and used soft colours in my Copics.  I stamped some random text in grey around the image and then burshed Distress Inks on.  The lace, printed tape and flowers all happened to find their way into my basket when I was shopping too...  I've added lots of stitching, distressing of edges and cut outs of some of the images from the DP, which have Glossy Accents to stiffen them.

My card is also for:
Paper Sundaes - vintage/shabby chic
Copic Creations - Distressing with Copics (though I have also used DI on the background, hope that's ok)
Spoonful of Sugar - flower power
Stamptacular Sunday - bugs or boys (plenty of bugs!)
Bunny Zoe - lace
Bearly Mine - diecuts and lace
Anita Be Stampin - lots of layers
Paper Creations - ribbon or lace
Ai Factory - distressing
Crafty Purple Frog - things of beauty
Wags'n'Whiskers - stitching

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

Phindy's Place Challenge #48 - All About Animals

Welcome to a new Phindy's Place Challenge, this week the challenge is to use an animal image on your card or project. While you don't have to use a Phindy's Place image, why wouldn't you?  There are so many adorable and awesome iamges in the shop, why not check them out and acquire a new animal:).
I've used one of the Mrs Comyfy series of images, this is called Mrs Comfy and Pogg,I do love these images and find them such fun to colour up and use.

I've used a bit of a quilter's trick here because I've taken my colour palette from a multi-shaded piece of DP, from my Prima Madeline pad.  However in the end I've only used the tiniest scraps of the paper on the card.  But I knew that if the colours worked on the DP they would work together on the image.
I found the sentiment online and computer generated it.  Image is coloured with Copics, Glossy Accents and Stickles, I've added tiny pink pearls and blue gems to her coat buttons.  Ribbon, and buttons are from stash, background cardstock is embossed.

My card is for the following challenges:
Midnight Madness - sketch
AiFactory - under the weather
Southern Girls - add an animal
Creative Card Crew - no stamps (digi and computer generated used)
Spoonful of Sugar - ribbon, pearls/rhinestones and flowers
2 Sisters - furry friends

Easter Daffodils

 We're home after our four days at the races, what a wonderful time we had, though sadly neither of us won enough to give up the day job:).  And how exciting for the Gold Cup to be won by a Lambourn horse (my home village) for the first time in over 10 years.

OK, back to cardmaking and at last Spring is here and the daffodils are in flower, which prompted me to make an Easter card using one of the Fred She Said Spring flower images, you can buy them here in the shop.  I've followed Sonjas' sketch at Spoonful of Sugar, adding some Basic Grey Sugar Rush papers, a touch of embossing and some yellow ribbon.

My card is for the following challenges:
Spoonful of Sugar - sketch
Stamping with the Dragon - bring on Spring
Wags 'n' Whiskers - Spring
Charisma Cardz - to die for (2 ovals and a deckle edged rectangle used)

Creative Cottage - Spring has sprung
Scrapbook Sisters - Spring flowers
Sweet Stamps - think Spring

Fred's Flowers meet Friday Sketchers

With spring well and truly on the way I've been using lots of flowery images, including this gorgeous, precoloured peony from Fred She Said, you can buy the image in an assortment of colours here or you can buy it to colour.  The precoloured made a really fun and fast card, I just used lots of Glossy Accents for the jar.
The DP is Basic Grey Curio, which is rather darker and more grungy than I usually pick, thought it worked well with the image though.  I distress inked the DP edges with Brushed Corduroy and also sponged the dry embossed circle.  I added a bit of lace and a few pearls and that's it.
My card is for the following challenges:
Friday Sketchers -sketch
Do You Stack Up - layers
Southern Girls - use flowers
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
A Spoonful of Sugar - shabby, vintage (DPs, distressing)

Sentimental Sundays - sentiment, pearls and lace

New stash...

I've broken my stash diet over the weekend, but I made this tonight, using the new stash so maybe that mitigates it:).  I've combined making a "Less is More" card with the make your own embellies that Simon Says Challenge calls for this week.  Embellies and C&S don't necessarily go together but I think I've pulled it off, what do you think?

Embossing folder with sentiment is Papermania.  Flower is a Hero Arts stamp, stamped onto scrap DP and with a touch of green Copic colouring it in.  Yellow and green are what Spring is all about, to me.  So what's with all the grey blah weather outside??  I've added some Glossy Accents and beads to the centre.  The leaves are made with a Woodware punch and I've scored veins onto the leaves.

If anyone can suggest how to minimise the lines at the edge of the embossing folder I'd love to know, however they look less prominent in real life:)

My card is for the following challenges:
Simon Says - make your own embellishments
Less is More - Spring
Incy Wincy - punches or dies
Charisma Cardz - Spring has sprung
Spoonful of Sugar - birthday wishes

Fred She Said Valentine Blog Hop

Welcome to the Fred, She Said Valentine Blog Hop!  We've got two great prizes to be won:  one $25 certificate to the Fred, She Said Store and one $25 certificate to CropStop.  If you've arrived here from Danielle's blog then you've come to the right place.  If not, you're going to want to go back to Tracy-Lynn's blog and hop along from the start!  Tracy has come up with some gorgeous new ideas for Valentines Day, quite a few of them are great for all sorts of occasions, not just Valentines.  I hope you're enjoying the hop so far.

I've got a couple of projects to show you; the first is a clean & simple card made with a Cuttlebug folder that cuts and embosses a 5 x 7" card.  The DP inside the frame is from Bearly Mine Designs.  I've used the pre-coloured Hearts and Roses set of digis and added Distress Ink to the heart so that it shows up against the white card.  I decoupaged an extra layer of roses onto the heart and put one half under and half over the frame and added some Stickles to both.
The second project I've got to show you is close to my heart - because it contains chocolate! I made a treat holder from a great tutorial at Splitcoaststampers by Beate Johns, using the pre-coloured "Better than chocolate" set from Fred, She Said.  The main image has the text added to it and it's matted onto a Nestie and then attached to the band around the gift box, which has a border punched with my new MS punch.



Pull on the ribbon, without undoing it, and out comes the chocolate, which has the punch line on it.
 I layered 3 copies of the image to decoupage it, you can see the layers here:








 Thanks for looking at my projects, I need to give you your word to make the magic phrase so you can enter the draw - my word is life.  Now it's time for you to see what fabulous creations the talented Marlena has to show you.  You have until midnight on Friday, 4th February to complete the hop.
My card and/or my gift box are for the following challenges:
Delightful Challenges - have a heart
Meljen's Designs - create something with hearts
Paper Play - layer it up
Charisma Cardz - Valentine/love
A Spoonful of Sugar - Valentine
Cupcake Craft - food for thought
Craft Your Passion - use 2 patterned papers (chocolate treat box)

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

Phindy's Place Challenge #34 - Winter

Good Morning and welcome to a new Phindy's Place Challenge, this week we have the fun challenge of Winter - which can be Christmas but doesn't have to be - as long as you use a Phindy's Place image!  We've had far more snow and ice than is usual for England at this time of year and I've been busy making icy, snowy Christmas card.  Today I've used Winter Walk, an image that works for all kinds of occasions, not just as a Christmas card (think engagement, Thinking of You...) but I've tried to use a warmer colour palette.  Maybe the weather will follow suit!

Colouring is Copics and some Distress Ink in Pumice Stone, Liquid Pearls were added for snow.  I've followed the Inspirational Card Sketch for this week, the sentiment is Impression Obsession and I've stitched across the My Mind's Eye DP, which has been maturing in my stash!
I'm entering the following challenges:

Inspirational Card Sketches - sketch
Simon Says - Christmas but no red or green
Papertake Weekly - red and green must not be seen
A Spoonful of Sugar - Christmas Card
Digital Tuesday - baby it's cold outside
Sassy Studio Designs - non traditonal Christmas colours
Inktegrity Challenges - non traditional Christmas colours
Christmas Card Challenges - monochrome

Home for Christmas

I'm getting to the end of my cards from my Phindy's Place colouring marathon at the weekend!  This image is called Cosy Cottage and was so much fun to colour, I didn't want to add a lot of embellies to it as the image is the star of the card.  I coloured using Copics, lots of Glossy Accents on the windows and Glamour Dust sparkle everywhere that is snowy.  I wasn't sure how to make my fir trees look snowy until I checked out Tammy's blog here.  When I grow up I want to be able to colour like Tammy!  The DP is My Mind's Eye, leaf is cut using a Woodware punch and the sentiment is Craftwork Cards.

My card is for the following challenges:
Sketch & Stash - sketch
Stamps R Us - holiday card
Ooh la la - Christmas song
Digital Tuesday - baby it's cold outside
Spoonful of Sugar - Christmas card

One Layer for Woodware

I'm enjoying playing with One-layer cards still, having been inspired by my blogging friend Chrissie.  I happened to notice that Woodware's challenge this week is a One Layer Card and I got out my lovely clear set of Woodware deer and winter trees.  I think these may be discontinued now, they are a couple of years old, but they do make lovely sccenes!  I masked off the top & bottom of a long thin card and used inks and duster brushes as well as a torn paper mask for hills and sky, then I stamped the deer and trees in Paris Dusk Memento ink and the fence in Adirondack Aubergine.  The sentiment is a Kaisercraft one.
I'm also entering A Spoonful of Sugar's Anything Goes Challenge and  Cards for Men - Christmas Cards.

One layer card - City Christmas

Here is my one layer card, at least here is the version that I'm happy with, there are a few rejects on the desk:).  This has a Distress Ink background, masked with Post-Its.  The city stamp is Hero Arts, the Santa is Sheena Douglass.  The sentiment is heat embossed.  Fun to do and definitely not a traditional card!
Entered for the following challenges:
Totally Gorjuss - not so tradtional Christmas
Ellephantastic - Christmas and/or butterfly
A Spoonful of Sugar - distressing

Autumn Skies - part 1

We have had a mad busy few days with different visitors on different nights, needing taking and collecting from different railway stations, culminating in me managing to lock myself out of the house when the plumber needed to sort out the leak from the work he did last week and the electrics for the whole house fusing multiple times thanks to a cold weather problem to the garage supply... !  Today I escaped into my craft room for a very welcome hour playing:).

I saw the theme for this week's Papertake Challenge, Autumn Skies and it inspired me to play with my new duster brushes and Distress Inks.  I am so pleased with these brushes, love the effect I'm getting.  This is the first card I made inspired by the theme.  I used Scattered Straw, Worn Lipstick and Spiced Marmalade and the stamps are from Inkylicious, the people I bought the duster brushes from.  The sketch is from Stamptacular Sunday, the DP is Memory Box and I've Cuttlebugged a piece of bronze card with leaves.  This is a sympathy card for a friend whose Dad died at the weekend.
I'm also entering the followng challenges:
Crafty Hos - fall colours
Charisma Cardz - sympathy/sorry
A Spoonful of Sugar  - distressing

PS Don't forget to enter my candy:)

DT Post - Phindy's Place Friday Challenge#30: Christmas is Coming!

Welcome to my second posting of the day and welcome to another Phindy's Place Friday Challenge!  This week we are getting a few more Christmas cards made and ready to send.  I've opted for my all-time favourite Phindy's Place image, Sleigh Ride.  I hope you'll join us and make a Christmas card, just remember to use a Phindy's Place image.

This is such a stunning image, it doesn't need much in the way of embellies; I've used Leonie's sketch (again, I really like this one) from Sketch Saturday, adding some Marianne Creatables swirls and leaves as well as some red gems for berries, the bottom RH gems are Dew Drops.  DP is Papermania and sentiment is Craftwork Cards.  I've die cut my image with the tree from the sleigh over the edge.

My card is for the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday - sketch

Scrapbook Sisters - Christmas colours

Caardvarks - holiday die cuts

A Spoonful of Sugar - snow

PS Don't forget to enter my blog candy draw!

A Place to Pause

I have completely fallen for the new image from Phindy's Place, called A Place to Pause, very beautiful, very serene.  I found it didn't need much colouring, I made the stained glass windows as vibrant as I could and added Glossy Accents to them and to the lamps on the bridge.

I saw some lovely cards on sale with notched corners but was too stingy to buy them :), so I've used a small circle punch to make my own version, measuring out on the back and marking lightly with a pencil.  I like the effect, what do you think?  The DPs are Magnolia ones that I bought last year and loved so much I didn't use them.  I've since decided this is a daft idea, stroke them, love them, then USE them is what I should do!  I've added a Craftwork Cards sentiment, some snowflakes and sprigs of leaves cut with my new MS border punch.  And that's it, pretty simple.
My card is for the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday - sketch
A Spoonful of Sugar - snow/snowflakes
ABC Christmas - winter wonderland
Creative Cottage Challenge - someone special at Christmas
ABC Challenge - H is for Holidays
Cute Card Thursday - anything goes
Sassy Studio Designs - anything goes
Paper Sundaes - let it snow

Happy Birthday Mum

 

My Mum has owned and bred Golden Retrievers most of her life.  Sadly she is without a dog for the first time in her life now as she has become less mobile.  I am always very wary of cards, whether shop or home crafted with Goldens on, as she never holds back from criticising their conformation :).   So when I saw this digi image from Image-e-nation with only the head showing, I knew I'd found the right image for Mum's birthday card!

I used the sketch from Basic Grey, both the papers are Christmas ones though it's not a Christmas card.  The main piece is from Dasher and the circle is from Eskimo Kisses.  I've turned the sketch on its side, adding a couple of punched scrolls, some Prima flowers and a Craftwork cards sentiment.    The gold cardstock has a Martha Stewart lattice border to it.

 

I'm entering the following challenges:

Basic Grey - sketch

A Spoonful of Sugar - let's get punchy

Creative Card Crew - let's punch it

Incy Wincy - anything goes