The Play Date Cafe

Tuesday 28 September 2010

Pink Christmas - Waltzing Mouse Sketch Challenge 16






















As I enjoyed using this week's sketch I decided to make another card for Waltzing Mouse's Sketch Challenge 16.  The tree and sentiment/image stamps are from the Nutcracker Sweet set and the background is from Asian Garden additions.  I couldn't quite get the light right in my photos but the colour is mainly bright pink on white as I used Adirondack Watermelon ink for the background and embossed the images on bright pink vellum in white, though the centre tree is on a paler pink vellum to give a bit of a contrast.  I added a few score lines and matching pink ricrac ribbon to finish off this simple card.

Monday 27 September 2010

Anniversary Card for WMSC 16

























This is my card for the latest Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge (#16).   I used a sentiment from the Say it with Style set and stamped onto a length of brown and blue ribbon and then rolled the ends in to create a scroll effect.  The 3 flowers and 2 hearts on the right of my card are from the same stamp set and the tiny bird is from the Teeny Trees set.  The gorgeous papers are GCD Studio Ella Blue (it wasn't easy to cut into them but I managed it).  I finished the card off with teal blue organza ribbon and 3 co-ordinating mesh flowers. 

Friday 24 September 2010

Time ATC Set






























Today I made a set of 4 ATCs which I am entering into three challenges:

PDCC48 (deep purple, lime green and grey)
Rainbow Lady's Challenge 120 - Tick Tock (big-time, part-time, show time and tea time)
Crafty Ann's Challenge #24 (anything but a card, i.e. ATCs)

I don't normally make ATCs, in fact I have probably made less than a dozen ever but thought I would have a change.  I used Stazon purple ink throughout, green card, green Stazon, green and grey Promarkers, purple Stickles and Ranger matte accents.  The large clock face stamps are Paper Artsy, the lady with a cuppa and pocket watch are by Tanda Stamps, the zig zags and flourish behind the word 'show' are stamps by HOTP, the skyscrapers are Rollagraph and I can't recall where the Can Can girls are from.


Thursday 23 September 2010

Chinese Lanterns






















Here is my card for the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #15.  I stamped the lanterns from the WMS Asian Gardens Additions set straight onto my white card blank using two shades of ink from the Kaleidacolor Royal Satin rainbow ink pad (the tops are stamped with Versafine purple).  I used the same stamp for the sentiment over a white embossed greeting and blossom from WMS Asian Gardens and cut it out with a Nestie Label 8 which was then matted onto a slightly larger white label.  The backing paper, which was inked around the edges, is Eastern Promise by Dovecraft, as is the ribbon with Chinese characters.  I was going to draw the lantern strings freehand but bottled it and used slivers of backing paper instead!

Wednesday 22 September 2010

Feathers



















I made this card on Monday for Rainbow Lady's Challenge 119 "Feathers."  I have only just got around to taking a photo of this as I am still unsure about it (I think I may have overdone the distressing).   I used Stampin Up and Rollograph stamps, Versafine Sepia, TH Distress Ink Corduroy, various shades of Colorbox Queue, Pink Petticoat dots paper, Nestabilities labels 15 and large eyelets.  I finished off the card by threading a length of string through the eyelets and a couple of feathers through the punched holes on the smallest label.  I don't think my mind is on crafting this week as I am off to hospital later today to have the plaster cast removed from my foot, which is good and I can have a nice soak in the bath, but I think the X Rays will confirm the osteotomy hasn't worked...we will see!

Saturday 18 September 2010

Ride a White Swan










































This is my creation for The Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC47.  I decided to go digital for a change (not sure why as it takes me forever!) and this is the result.  I started with a photo of a swan I took earlier in the year during a dog walk and it reminded me of a song by Marc Bolan and T Rex (my favourite band of the 70s).  The pretty gothic gal is from a digital image sheet by Itkupilli (love that hat) who also does some very colourful designs.  Speaking of colour, I do like the combination in this week's challenge and found the photo and PDCC team's creations particularly inspiring.  I have other ideas which I may just try out too.

Friday 17 September 2010

September Bog Waltz - Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps - Halloween


















































Here is my entry for the Friends of Waltzingmouse Stamps September Waltz, where the theme is, as you can see, Halloween!  I have spent hours trying to photograph my card and although not entirely happy with this particular photo, it is the best of the bunch. 

Unfortunately, I don't have any of the WM Halloween stamp sets so I had to improvise.  I used the tree from the Asian Gardens set as the main image, stamped with brown ink onto a brayered landscape background.  I created the lined effect on the tree trunk by pressing the inked up stamp onto the Cuttlebug branches folder, then heat embossed the image with clear powder.  

As I don't have a bat stamp either, I made the bat by turning the owls ears/head feather die cut upside down and adding a punched cat head!  (maybe I should have stuck the decapitated cat on there somehow as it is Halloween after all?)  The haunted house stamp at the bottom of my card is from the Waltzing Mouse Blessed by You set.  I just drew a little ghost, cut him out and added him to the roof.

The skull was made by adapting the owl die cut (bought the die at a craft show last year and only just used it) then shading with Promarkers, the pumpkin was hand drawn and cut out of a card scrap, as was the bloodshot eyeball and witches hat.  The letters on the tag were made with Cuttlebug alphabet dies and I cut a simple shape from foam to make my spider.    His body was covered with brown eyelash fibre to make him nice and hairy and his legs are inked raffia. 

The tag is hanging from a Tim Holtz swivel clasp and the leaves and candy corn papers are by DCWV.  I think that's everything described...oh, I also used two sets of nestabilities and the large label behind the tree was run through the branches embossing folder to add texture. 

Tuesday 14 September 2010

Dance of Butterfly - Sweet Pea Stampers



This card is for the latest Sweet Pea Stampers challenge, which is the above sketch by Pascale.  I stamped
Ching-Chou Kuik's Dance of Butterfly on watercolour paper and coloured the image with Promarkers before adding the odd touch of glitter, glaze and gold liquid pearl.   My background is made up of blue and green Coredinations card embossed with various Cuttlebug folders. The embossed sentiment is matted onto a piece of card from the DCWV glitter stack.  The faux ribbons are scraps of pale blue embossed vellum and I finished it all off with various embellishments, including beads, gems (and a starfish as I wanted to create a watery theme). 


Monday 13 September 2010

Black & White Blooms with a hint of Pink



I am entering this card into two challenges - The Play Date Cafe #46 (black & white with a splash of pink, copper or gold) and Waltzingmouse Sketch challenge #14.    

I tried very hard to get a decent photograph of this card but failed miserably, they all looked off white or pixelated so this rather blurry scan will have to do.  I have used a variety of Waltzing Mouse stamps here, the large and small blooms are from the Chrysanthemum set, the sentiment is from Blessed by You and the narrow strip separating the two backing papers I made uses the border stamp from the Say it with Style set. The scallop egde was made with a Martha Stewart punch and I threaded a length of  cerise pink organza ribbon through as one of my splashes of pink.  The black, white and pink flower die cut was made by my friend Beverley who runs the Chop o Holics card club.  I enjoyed making this card and am quite pleased with the result as I think a touch of another colour adds something to the monotone look.

Willow Tree

This is the first of two cards I have made for the Waltzingmouse sketch challenge #14.  I have used the lovely willow tree stamp from their Blessed by You set as the focal point.  It was stamped in black Versafine ink onto a background I made by brayering lettuce and denim Adirondack dye inks onto a piece of plain cardstock.  The flower and sentiments stamps are from the WM Asian Gardens set and the paper is by Hot off the Press.

Tuesday 7 September 2010

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #13

I made this card for tbe Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #13 with 3 stamps from their Say it With Style set.   After stamping the just a note sentiment and frame I used a Nestie label 4 die to cut out, ran the shape through the Cuttlebug with the birds and swirls embossing folder and inked the raised sections with Ranger Stormy Sky distress ink.  The edges of my card base were embossed with the CB dots border folder.  The large flower was made using a Sizzix Bigz die and matted onto a Nestie label 2 mat.  The papers are Pink Petticoat and K&Co Addison.


Saturday 4 September 2010

Bright Birthday



















I made this card just because I felt like going a bit mad with colour so not sure who the recipient will be, though they may need sunspecs!  The chrysanthemum stamps are from Waltzingmouse Big Blooms set and the sentiment is also by WMS.  I used Ranger inks for the flowers and also the stippled background.  It took forever to make the woven mat from strips of coredinations card as it kept falling apart but I got there in the end.  I finished my card off by adding a strip of teal coloured die cut felt, matching organza bow, red ricrac, orange buttons and a fabric covered brad.

Thursday 2 September 2010

Myth & Magic






















This is my card for the I love Promarkers challenge #30 Myth & Magic.  The card is pink in real life but not quite as intense as my photo for some reason.  For example the 3 little hearts are irridescent and quite delicately coloured in reality.  I love fairy stamps and this Bubbles Fairy is no exception.  After colouring her in with my Promarkers I added a touch of stickles to her wings and the bubbles, plus gold Perfect Pearls to the flower centres on the cup. I finished the card off by punching a fancy edge and adding a couple of punched daisies, ribbon and buttons.

Honey

Honey