National Chocolate Week

Did you know this is National Chocolate Week?  I shall of course be attempting to eat my own weight in chocolate this week but nothing new there:).  I have a suitably chocolately card to show you today, which was started months ago but didn't look right as it was.  I had die cut a scroll that was too large for the space below the image and trimmed it down which ended up with it looking unbalanced.  Last night I rescued the card by gently prising off the scroll and adding card candi, also I decided to add a little colour to my image with Copics.  Darkroom Door stamps were used with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, sentiment is torn and distressed a little, DP is Basic Grey I think.  I'm much happier with the card now:)

My card is for the following challenges:
Tuesday Throwdown - think pink
Woodware USA - anything goes
Truly Scrumptious - distressing
Cute Card Thursday - time for cake
Stamptacular Sunday - so distressing
Paper Sundaes - favourite colour combi - LOVE pink and brown together

Indian Summer

  We've been enjoying lovely hot sunny weather and a beautiful end to summer, something that certainly keeps going into autumn is the weeding, everything is growing like mad!  With this in mind, I've made an autumn card using Flowertop Fairy Dandelion Puff from Phindy's Place, I've seen a lot of gorgeous cards made with this image but not used it before myself.  I was aiming for deep, saturate colours after reading some of the links from this week's Copic Colour Challenge, but I'm not sure if I've achieved it - or not - what do you think?  The DP is Basic Grey Indian Summer, sentiment from Stampin' Up and punch is EK Success.
My card is for the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Stamps RUs - autumn/fall
Stamptacular Sunday - photo inspiration
Copic Creations - saturated colour - I think I got it for the hair, not sure about the dress?
Simon Says - anything goes - trying for 1,000 entries
Rainbow Lady - autumn flowers
Crafty Catz - things with wings
Basic Grey - nursery rhymes and fairy tales - anyone remember the rhyme when you blow the seeds from a dandelion clock?
Woodware USA - anything goes
iCopic - all about Fall
Daisy Doodles - fall colours
Creative Stamp Friends - autumn colours

Phindy's Place Challenge #72 - Christmas is creeping up on us...

It's feeling very Autumnal right now and I have realised that I need to get cracking on the Christmas cards, you may have noticed a few being made over the last week or two:).  This week's challenge at Phindy's Place should help you out, we want everyone to make a Christmas card or creation and share it with us.  You don't have to use one of Phindy's images but if you do you get two chances to win the random prize of $5 to spend in store.  
I've chosen Sleigh Ride, which is my all-time favourite image and those of you who follow my blog are probably bored of seeing this one lol!  Before I became a member of Phindy's DT she drew a gorgeous Christmas Colt and I begged her to draw a horse and sleigh, preferably pulled by a Fjord horse as I own one of these beautiful animals.  Phindy came up with this amazing image and I have been her biggest fan ever since:).  It is simply coloured with Copics here, the DP is by Memory Box as is the die that cut the snowflake border.
My card is for the following challenges:
Simon Says - Sing It - Jingle Bells with a bit of poetic licence, this is a two horse sleigh but close enough lol!
Cute Card Thursday - anything goes
Digital Tuesday - celebrate the season (winter)
Woodware USA - happy holidays
Paperplay Challenges - punches & dies
Creatalicious - anything goes
Crafters Companion - Christmas wishes
Christmas Cards all year round - something at least a year old (3rd year I've used this image!)

Phindy's Place Challenge #70 - make your own embellishments

Thank goodness it's Friday - and a long weekend too, can't wait!  Fridays are Phindy's Place Challenge days, and this week we are challenging you to make your own embellishments.  I've made my own flowers, using two different methods.  The image I used is called Summer Blossom, isn't she adorable?  Does anyone remember Holly Hobbie?  This little cutie reminds me of her...  The stamped flowers are a Stampin' Up stamp inked with two shades of Distress Ink, with punched suns added for centres and I tried something new and glued some tiny seed beads into the centres as well.  What do you think?  The other flowers use a Little Claire die, then they are rolled up.  I used 2 shades of blue but they look very similar in the photo.  DP is Memory Box Minuet, I paper pieced her little romper suit from one of the papers. 

My card is for the following challenges:
Digistamps4Joy - add a handmade flower
The Papershelter - diecuts and punches
Sisterhood of Crafters - flower power
Creative Card Crew - hand made flowers
Digital Tuesday - cute and girly
Papertake Weekly - dies to die for
Karen's Doodles - punch it out
Paper Creations Ink - show us your flowers
Victorine Originals - summer
Woodware USA - try something new (adding beads)
Corrosive Challenges - girly

Quick Christmas Card and quick service

 

I sent for a new sheet of stamps yesterday, from Stamp Addicts, who have "Whacky Wednesday" each first Weds of the month.  They arrived today in less than 24 hours and I've made this very quick card because I just couldn't resist a quick play with them even though I should be doing lots of other things!  Very speedy service, thanks ladies:)

I brushed Adirondack inks in blue and purple all over the image, then used bleach to remove most of the ink from the stamped portion.  Never tried this before, what a fun effect!  Used watercolour pens to add a bit of colour, some Prisma glitter glue on a few bits here and there, added some silver ribbon and a few layers of paper - job done!

I'm off to try a new craft club tonight, better dash!  Back later to enter some of the Christmas Challenges that are around this week...

... Here I am, entering my card for the following challenges:

 Paper Play - Christmas in August

Simon Says - Christmas in August

Stamps & Fun = creativity - Christmas

Woodware USA - anything goes

Fussy & Fancy - Christmas in July

Phindy's Place Challenge #54 - Embossing

 Good morning and welcome to this week's Phindy's Place Challenge, which is to use embossing, dry, heat or both on your card.  You don't have to use one of Phindy's images, but we love it when you do - and you get a second entry into the prize draw!  I used the adorable Kitty Cargo image for my card, colouring it with Copics and Distress Inks.  I've heat embossed my sentiment (Personal Impression stamps combined) and dry emobssed the wall at the top of the card.  The DP is more of that delicious Memory Box Brioche, ribbon came from my DT friend Kathy in a blog candy a while back, I have put eyelets in the corners.  The sketch is from this week's Pink Elephant Challenge.

 My card is for the following challenges:

 Pink Elephant - sketch 

Pixie Cottage - one for the boys 

Flourishes - for a child under 13 

Try it on Tuesday - something old (ribbon) something new (DP) 

Use it Tuesday - fasteners - brads 

Bunny Zoe - one for the boys 

Stamps R Us - masculine 

Woodware - blue, yellow, brown 

 

Tiffany Doodles Challenge - use turquoise

I've lots to blog today so first up I'm starting with this month's Tiffany Doodles Challenge, which is to use the colour turquoise.  I love turquoise, wear it a lot, but found to my dismay I didn't have much DP...   I found a Papermania pad that I bought at least a year ago and had never cut into, and paper pieced the fun image Dancing Dress.  Both layers are paper pieced and I've tried to add some shading with my Copics.  I've added stitching in a blue glittery thread, some organza ribbon and some turquoise gems to bling it up a bit, sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.

Do check out the DT cards, they are stunning and you can see some sneak peeks here on the logo for this month:
My card is for the following challenges:
Sketch'n'Stash - sketch
Creative Belli - think seamstress
Your Next Stamp - stitching
Claudia & Company - monochromatic
Digi Design House - stitches
Karen's Doodles - fancy and feminine
Woodware - monochromatic
Gingerloft - got the blues

Lenten Lily

This is a bit of a sneak peek as this stunning hellebore isn't yet in the store at Fred She Said - but it will be soon!  It's a design I was asking for and Tracey has exceeded my wildest expectations with her drawing. If you think I've not blended the petal edges very well, there are quite a few types that have very strong colour at the edge and fade quickly into the centre...  The ones that are out in my garden at the moment are the browny-red ones with speckles, not the same but so very welcome, they mean spring is really on the way.  I think these are also going to be available as pre-coloured digis and I'm really looking forward to these.

My card is based on what I thought was quite a challenging Sketch Saturday layout, I spent a while playing with bits of paper and I'm pleased with the way it's ended up.  DP is Basic Grey Kioshi with lots of stitching on it, the centre oval has script dry embossed then it's been heavily inked with Peeled Paint and Dusty Concord.  Sentiment stamp is Hobby Art, flowers coloured with Copics and Stickles.
My card is for the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Copic Creations - complementary colours (purple and gold)
Woodware USA - anything goes
Bunny Zoe - Spring flowers everywhere
One Stop Craft - Spring flowers everywhere
Sundays with Chrissie - stitching
For Fun Challenges - purple, green and yellow
The Rubber Cafe - stitching
Cute Card Thursday - signs of spring
Stamp Insanity - texture (embossing, stitching, cut and decoupaged image, layers)
Fussy & Fancy - embossing and/or paper piecing (dry embossing used)

Guest DT Posting for House Mouse & Friends Monday - your favourite stamp

I was really excited to be chosen as a Guest Designer for February at House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenges, it's been very hard not to to let the news slip:).  Thank you so much to the HM & Friends Team for their friendly welcome:).  I found the theme really challenging; it is to use your favourite stamp.  Deceptively simple and yet so tricky LOL!  I looked over my stamps and coloured several images (you may have seen them blogged recently) and ended up with one of my new stamps as my current favourite.  This is from a Joanna Sheen unmounted Spring set and it is just adorable!

It's coloured with Copics and Glossy Accents.  The sentiment is also from the set, the green DP is Basic Grey Sugar Rush and  I've embossed white card, sponged Mustard Seed Distress Ink over it and stitched it down.  Add in a bit of bling, a bit of sunny yellow/orange ribbon from stash and that's my card!

I'm also entering my card for the following challenges:
Woodware - embossing
Incy Wincy - colour me wonderful - favourite colouring method is Copics!
Simply Create - bold and bright
Aly's Sunday sketch - bling bling
One Stitch at a Time - make it pretty

Determination

 I've seen so many great cards made with this image from Phindy's Place and decided I'd better make one too! I got a bit stuck on the sentiment and opted for one from Paulette at  Create with TLC. Phindy has designed several of these images, you can choose girl, boy, glasses, Afro American, Caucasian, I chose Big Boots girl. 

The card is based on this week's challenge at Friday Sketchers, the large circle is cut freehand then embossed and inked with Distress Ink.  I used brads to attach the sentiment, then I took silver card candy and scored lines in it from the wrong side to make more screws, which kept the weight of the card down.
My card is for the following challenges:
Friday Sketchers - sketch
Woodware USA  - anything goes
I Did It Creations - card for a child
Stamp Fairy - Circles and more circles
Cute Card Thursday - 1-2-3 recipe - 1 image, 2 cardstock circles, 3 sets of "screws"
Critter Challenge Blog - Distressing and circles

Phindy's Place Challenge #38 - Valentine or loved one

Good morning, it's Friday - hooray - so it is time for a new Phindy's Place Challenge.  This week we're making cards for Valentines Day or for a loved one. I've used the adorable image "We meet again" from the Phindy's Place store.  This image is very evocative of my marriage:  two people with a terrier constantly doing its best to get between us lol!  Don't forget we also have a Design Team Call at Phindy's Place, you need to let us know by 22 January if you'd like to joni the fabulous Phindy team, check out the details here.

I tried something new with my digi, printing onto glossy cardstock so that I could try brushing inks around to get shading to the ice.  I found my image printed just fine onto glossy cardstock but it was tricky to get the ink really dry so it didn't smudge.  I used the heat gun for ages on this one before I inked it with Distress and Memento inks in a variety of colours.  Then I was worried it looked too grey, so I gave it too coats of iridiscent glitter spray and now it's full of sparkle:).  The figures are decoupaged onto the glossy card, after colouring with Copics.  I didn't have big enough pieces of mirri card to mat my scene so I rubbed my embossing inkpad over the deges and covered them with silver embossing powder, it doesn't look the same but it's a really nice effect.  I saw this on Stamp TV first and it's a great idea, thanks Gina!  The red DP is from an Artylicious CD, elegant brocade I think,  the background is Cuttlebugged and the sentiment has been inked, it is from Craftwork Cards.

My card is for the following challenges:
Card Patterns -sketch
Papertake Weekly - cold and frosty morning
CD Sunday - something new - 2 new to me techniques.  Also THANK YOU for my prize from last week!

Meljens Designs - square or round cards
Do you stack up? - distress it
Pals Paper Arts - Valentine
Some Odd Girl - embossed
Bunny Zoe - love is in the air
Woodware USA - hearts
One Stitch at a Time - love and Valentines
Wags n Whiskers - with love
Crafty Cardmakers - red and a die cut
Cupcake Craft  -something new - techniques
Sweet Stampin - try something different

Happy New Year to everyone - and a Thank You card

 

Here's my last card to blog for 2010, a Thank You card.  I'd like to say something clever  about 2010 but I'm all out of clever sayings, so I will just remind you that our Challenge at Phindy's Place is now open to all-comers and the Thank You Challenge runs for two weeks, until 7 January.  Oh, and I'd also like to wish everyone a healthy, happy New Year!  I've stuck with a caramel and chocolate colourscheme for my card, do you think I've overindulged on the choccies over Christmas LOL?

The image is part of It's All Yours, a fun image from Phindy.  I've coloured it with Copics and mounted it onto a  gold pearlised circle that is stitched to a bronze pearlised square.  The DP is from a Bearly Mine CD called Designer Extreme Vol III and the sentiment is Craftwork Cards.  The circle and the DP are stitched on my sewing machine.  I should tell you that my hamster is far lower than I intended; I stamped Thank You onto the circle so that it was the centre of the card and all the stitching was shown off.  But the Versafine ink didn't set on the cardstock and when I stitched it the sentiment smudged under the sewing machine.  Grr!  Oh well, at least it was able to be rescued with a change of plan.

My card is for the following challenges:

Cute Card Thursday - Thank You

Papertake Weekly - be thankful

CD Sunday Challenge - in stitches

Cupcake Craft Challenge - Thank you

Woodware Challenge - anything goes

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Thank You

Phindy's Place Challenge #33 - Frugal freebie

  Good morning and welcome to a very chilly Friday.  It's time for this week's Phindy's Place Challenge and this week we are challenging you to make a frugal project using a freebie.  Phindy has very generously offered many freebie over on her Papercraftplanet group and I have used the one she released to celebrate 1,000 members to the group.  You could use a different freebie such as free DP downloads or a freebie sentiment.  After all, if you can't find the right one then computer generated is free!  Just be sure to use a Phnidy image!

My card is based on this week's Simon Says Challenge sketch.  For the month of December their prize is a massive $50 to spend in store.  How generous is that!
My freebie card consists of Join the Party, a great digi for lots of occasions, I've added a Craftwork Cards stamped sentiment.  It's coloured with Copics and lots of Glossy Accents on the martini glass, I hope you can see the sheen, this is a dreadful day to try to take photos:(. The edges of the image and the DP are distressed, I've also inked the background.   The glitter glue was a freebie with a magazine, the DP was a magazine freebie from last year and the flowers are Prima ones from winning the Somino Says Challenge a year ago, so a sort-of freebie!  I hopw you dig out some freebies to use with your Phindy's Place images and join us!
My card is for the following challenges:
Simon Says - sketch
Woodware USA - anything goes
Whoopsy Daisy Challenge - girly
Tuesday Throwdown - embellish it
Totally Stampalicious - anything goes
Paper Cupcakes - anything goes

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.