Feels like Spring

I am entering my floral butterfly into the following challenges:

Whimsy Stamps Pretty in Pink
Milk Coffee Welcome Spring
Cute Card Thursday Butterfly Kisses
Simon Says Stamp Spring Flowers
I love Promarkers Embossing Challenge

The sentiment and small flower were heat embossed in Gold onto a label cut with a Spellbinders die.  The butterfly and flower stamps are by Hunkydory and are stamped on a Spellbinders fancy square.  I have used Promarkers to colour my butterflies.  The pink base card is by Anna Griffin and the pink wild rose has been in my craft stash for years.

Butterflies

Here is my card for the Cute card Thursday Butterfly Kisses challenge. 

The butterfly stamps are by Hunkydory and the sentiment is from Waltzingmouse stamps.  I used Spellbinders dies for the diecut labels and coloured the butterflies with Flexmarkers to match the embossed backing paper.  The card is finished off with 3 matching paper roses.

Vintage Page

The latest Play Date Cafe Challenge 176 colours Cappuccino...Slate...Burlap really appealed to me, which was a surprise as I generally prefer vibrant to neutral shades.  This vintage page was created with Serif Craft Artist.  It seemed to take forever but I am quite pleased with the result.

Pink and Brown

I am entering this card using one of my favourite colour combinations into two challenges:

Polka Doodles #14 Pink and Brown

CFC #97 Chevrons and Flowers

It's a simple card using stamps which were a gift with the latest Get Stamping magazine.  I used a fine liner pen to doodle patterns onto the stamped chevrons.

The Sweet Smell of a Color

This is my entry for the Play Date Cafe Challenge No 175 The Sweet Smell of a Colour.  I stamped the image direct onto the base card.  It's a pretty floral tag stamp by Rubber Stampede, coloured with Promarkers, as is the ribbon and die cut butterfly.  I added dimensional pearl paint and holographic glitter to finish the card.

Welcome Spring! PDCC174

I made this card for the latest Play Date Cafe Challenge - Welcome Spring! PDCC174.  The image was stamped using a floral background stamp by Elusive Images and coloured with Promarkers to match the challenge colours of amethyst, emerald and peridot.  The sentiment tab was made with a Whimsy stamp and die and again coloured with markers.  I finished the card off with amethyst coloured pearls and 3 roses to match.

LOVEBIRDS - Let's Be Friends PDCC172

I am entering this card into the latest Play Date Cafe Challenge.  The stamped image
has been coloured with Promarkers and the paper is (I think) by My Minds Eye. The
white card I used to stamp on was cut out with a Spellbinders die and I added a
few gems and pendant embellishment to finish off my card.

Secret Garden

I have just made this card for my husband's birthday and am entering it into the following challenges:

CWLC 18 Falling For Fall (use fall colours)

Anything Goes 80 Stitching (real or faux)

The floral/stitch background, owl, flowerpot, tag and word stamp are all from a Papermania set called Secret Garden.  I really enjoyed using the stamps which surprised me as I bought them years ago and have only just opened the packet!  I am not a fan of small stamps and thought they would be fiddly to use and possibly not give a clear impression but I am very impressed at how well they have turned out using Versafine and Memento inks.  The papers are Anna Griffin and the brad, twine, flowers, button and feather are all from my stash.  I used glossy accents on the flowerpot rim and owl's front to add a little dimension, plus glitter glue on his eyes. 

Baby Boy

I enjoyed making this card and had forgotten how many teddy bear themed stamps I have bought over the years.  I seem to recall that this one came from an unmounted sheet I bought years ago at a craft show.  The background was created by randomly stamping stars onto my base card.  The teddy bear image is stamped onto white card and cut with a Spellbinders die, as is the blue mat which I also ran through a dotty embossing folder and lightly sanded.  The sentiment is stamped on a scrap of patterned paper cut along one edge with fancy deckle edged scissors.  I finished the card off with 3 pearls and some gorgeous white silky crush ribbon.  I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Love to Create #41 Fancy Edges
Crafty Cardmakers #79 More than 1 diecut
Raise the Bar #120 Bears
The Pink Elephant #174 Dies
Cute Card Thursday Starry Night

21st Birthday

I am entering this card into two challenges:

Raise The Bar 119 (Birthday)
CWLC 17 (Birthday + number)

The stamped image is colored with Promarkers, the paper is by K & Co, the birthday sentiment was embossed with a very old Cuttlebug folder.

Anything Goes

I am entering a card I made today into the following 3 challenges:

The Crafty Pad Challenge #195 Anything Goes
Raise the Bar Challenge 118 Anything Goes
Anything Goes at Anything Goes

I haven't used this stamp for quite some time as it is wood mounted and I have stored all my wood mounted stamps away from the unmounted ones which I tend to use more often.  I love this image and decided to keep to a mainly black and white theme with touches of colour (hair, skin and clothes).  I made the background paper using a randomly stamped swirl and finished the card off with a wire mesh butterfly and 3 pearls.

Tweet

Here is my entry for the I Love Promarkers Challenge 141 - Cute.  The cute bird cage stamp has been coloured with Promarkers to coordinate with the colours in the papers I have used.  The card is finished off with gems and matching ribbons.

Songbird Silhouette

I am entering a card I made today into Joanna Sheen's Silhouette Challenge.  I have used a mix of digital images and rubber stamps to create this large card.  The bird, tree and swirly corners were created in Serif Craft Artist.  The peacock background is by Elusive Images and the stamped words are Paper Artsy and Waltzingmouse Stamps.  The tag/label was cut from white card using a Spellbinders die then inked with blue and lilac inks to match the background.  I added a few tiny gems to finish it off.

Autumn

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Joanna Sheen - Autumn Breeze

No Matter Which No 3 (Halloween theme or colours)

The image and sentiment stamps are by Walzingmouse Stamps.  The tree is stamped in black onto card inked with various shades of yellow and orange and I decided to team it with purple as it reminds me of autumn and Halloween.  To finish I mounted the purple tag shaped card onto a kraft card blank and added embellishments are from my stash.

Party Girl

This is a not so great photo of a card I made today.  I was supposed to be making at least
6 cards but am feeling under the weather due to a virus so I just managed one in the end.  I am
entering this into the following challenges:

CRAFT Challenge 176, Monochromatic

Paper Crafting Journey, Add some Bling


Divas By Design 56, Anything Goes

I found the backing paper whilst looking through my stash for something else, no idea where
it is from.  The stamp was free with a craft mag and  I used promarkers for shading and a spot of
colour.  I then added a little glitter, a few gem and a pink bow.

Flowers

I am entering this card into 3 challenges:

The Crafty Pad Challenge 190 Floral
Love to Create Challenge 35 Thinking of You
Joanna Sheen - Down in the Garden

The sentiment stamp is by Waltzingmouse Stamps which I stamped onto a fancy label by Spellbinders.  The flowers are scraps of monochrome patterned papers cut using a floral die in the Grand Calibur; the mats are Nestabilities (the white one has been embossed using a Cuttlebug folder).  I finished the card off with a black ribbon, organza and wire butterfly and a few pearls. 

Wine Pumpkin Moss

Here is my interpretation of the Playdate Cafe Challenge 151 (wine, pumpkin and moss).
I do like this colour combination, it reminds me of autumn.  I stamped my kraft base
card with a pumpkin coloured ink on a text stamp by Walzingmouse Stamps.  I used
the same ink for the thank you sentiment and a wine coloured one for the flower (both
stamps are by Stampin Up).  I finished it off with matching brad to attach the key charm,
pro marker coloured bow and a pearl gem.  The mats are Spellbinders and again the
base one is inked with the pumpkin colour.

So Sweet

Having been away from crafting and blogging for ages I recently discovered Joanna Sheen's challenge blog and as I have a lot of JS stamps I had to have a go and here is the result.  I love this mother and babe fairy image, definitely so sweet!  The card blank features swirl and flower stamps (not sure which brand) and inks from a Big & Juicy pad.   I think the sentiment stamp is by American Crafts and I finished the card off with a few matching gems and some sari ribbon.  I hope you like it.

Cut it Out

Long time no blog.....thought it was about time I made some cards and uploaded to my blog.
The year got off to a bad start with the threat of redundancy (again!) but have just started a new
temporary job so all is well.  I am entering this card into the latest Passion for Promarkers Challenge
(Cut it Out) and have used various Spellbinders and Cuttlebug dies in addition to colouring the
stamped image with my Promarkers.  I think the sentiment stamp is by Waltzingmouse Stamps.

Peace

I am entering this Christmas card into the latest Colour Create Challenge (silver, white and blue).  The dove (Clarity Stamps) is stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with a sparkly blue powder.  The snowflake and frames were cut using Spellbinders dies and the sentiment was handwritten with a silver marker pen.

Red Rose

I am hoping that my red white and green birthday card is eligible for the latest

Colour Create Challenge using those 3 colours as the obvious thing to do is to

make a Christmas card, especially as the optional extra for this challenge is

a snowflake!  The lovely rose stamp is from an Elusive Images set.  I stamped it

in black and used clear embossing powder followed by watercolour paints.

The backing paper is by Joanna Sheen and the sentiment Pink Petticoat.

Play Date Cafe Challenge 109

I normally have to think long and hard when entering a colour challenge but as soon as I saw the above colour scheme on the Play Date Cafe Challenge blog I knew I had the perfect backing paper from an old oriental themed pack.    I am not sure where the lady image on the tag is from as it has been in my graphics folder on the PC for a few years.  The embellishment is also something I have had for ages, so a quick and easy card and a few elements used from a very large craft stash.  I keep looking at all the stuff I have accumulated and promise myself I will never buy any more crafty bits ever but my resolve doesn't last long.



It seems only fitting



I made this card today for my friend who will be 50 next month. I saw

the sketch relating to Sketch Saturday's week 13 challenge and decided

to use that as my inspiration. Apologies for the awful photograph. It

looks rather grainy but I am pleased with the card as it looks in real

life. I used a large square Kraft card as my base. The papers are all

from a set called Ella Blue which I was too afraid to cut up for ages.

I have used Spellbinders dies to cut them out. The dress form and sentiment

stamps are from a Stampin Up set. The ribbon and lace which I inked with a

Promarker are from my stash and I finished the card

off with a tiny gem and a pearly hatpin which I stabbed my

finger with before I managed to anchor it into place...luckily I did not

bleed onto the card.....that would have been frustrating after it took so long

to make. I would love some advice....as I said this card is for a 50th

birthday but I am loathe to stick numbers on it but what do you think?

Star

This card features one of my favourite stamps by Non Sequitur and it is also my entry for the Colour Create Challenge #84 - pink, white and gold.  The image is coloured with various paints and pens.  The sentiment is by Pink Petticoat.  The pink paper and card are from my stash, as are the pink sequins and ribbon.

Cranes

I am entering the above card into this week's Play Date Cafe challenge - black & white with a splash of orange.  I stamped the background in Memento black ink using Clarity Stamps' large swirl.  The cranes were stencilled onto a piece of white card using the same ink and matted onto a piece of orange cardstock, which started out as a piece of white card I inked and stamped up using versamark and two shades of orange ink so a bit of a waste as not much is visible.  The black and white frame was cut from a piece of DCWV patterned paper.  One layer of the daisies was punched from the same orange piece of card and the other from a scrap of patterned paper, finished off with sticky gems.  The sentiment is by Hero Arts.

Winter Solstice

Inspired by the beautiful cards I saw on the Stamp Man Challenge Blog today where the theme for the fortnightly challenge is 'Night Time' I made the above card.  The stamp, which appropriately enough I bought from The Stamp Man eons ago is from Non Sequitur's Winter Solstice set.  The image is stamped in black Versafine ink and I added colour with Promarkers, Adirondack and distress inks.  I also used promarkers to colour the flower embellishments to match.  The sentiment stamp is an old wood mounted one I find useful and tend to turn to quite often.  I am quite pleased with the overall effect as it nearly went in the bin at one point!

My Time To Craft

Here is my entry for the My Time To Craft Challenge No 163 (to have white space on your card).  The pretty garden image is from one of Joanna Sheen's CDs and the sentiment is is Pink Petticoat.  The only other additions are clear gems and a bow.  I tend to pile it all on so it's not really my thing!

Thistle

I am entering this card into the Play Date Cafe Challenge 104.  I can't remember the brand of the image stamps I'm afraid.  They were stamped in Black Memento and coloured in with Promarkers.  The sentiment stamp is by Waltzingmouse Stamps and the ribbon, ribbon roses, gems and sunflower brad are all from my stash.  The card was not meant to have that sunflower brad on it but it looks a bit better than the mauve ink smudge I managed to get on my finished card...ooops!



A Little Bird....

I am entering this card into this week's Daring Cardmakers challenge 'A Little Bird Told Us.'  A difficult card to photograph as it contains acetate.  I have stamped the bird three times onto my white scallop card blank and added a little gem for the eye.  The stamp is from a Hot Picks set.  The sentiment stamp is stamped in black onto red cardstock and I think it is from an American Crafts clear stamp set.  The card is trimmed with black grossgrain ribbon and two red bows.

Bird Tag

As a change from a card I made this birthday tag for the latest Play Date Cafe Challenge.  The stamp is by Elusive Images, stamped in black onto purple cardstock then attached to a green tag embossed with the Cuttlebug branches folder.  The sentiment was cut out with fancy scissors and matted onto fuchsia card.  I threaded some fuchsia and purple sari ribbon through a black We R Memory Keepers eyelet and finished it off with a brad coloured with ink to match the tag threaded onto elasticated black & white ribbon.

Autumn Flowers

A simple card for Rainbow Lady's Challenge No. 172 - autumn flowers.   I couldn't decide whether or not to add a bow but as I put bows on 90% of the cards I make I decided it was time for a change so just die cut flowers - cannot recall the brand of die used - on kraft card and a printed sentiment by Pink Petticoat.  The patterned cardstock is Anna Griffin.

Sugar & Spice

I have actually made another card!!!! This is for a friend's daughter who has just given birth to a beautiful baby girl.  I am entering this card into this week's Waltizingmouse Sketch Challenge 64 and also the Colour Create Challenge 79 - pink, brown, cream & white.  I think the baby stamp is by Stampendous; the frame, sentiment and heart stamps are all by Waltizingmouse Stamps.  The card is finished off with embellishments from my stash.



Apologies

I knew that I hadn't posted on my blog for months but was shocked to note that this is my first post of 2011 and we are 3/4 of the way through the year!  The sentiment on this card is therefore rather appropriate.  I have to confess I didn't particularly enjoy making it and I can see the result is pretty poor (think I am off pink!) but I am pleased I actually achieved it even though it took ages....ages to find the craft stuff I needed, ages to stamp, emboss, cut, put together etc. etc.  It's a belated birthday card for a relative and is about to be popped into the post. 

I have decided to enter this card into Rainbow Lady's latest challenge where the theme is embossing and also the Walztingmouse Stamps Sketch Challenge No. 62.  The sentiment is from their Say it with Style set and the frame from Holiday Labels 14.  I used Versafine Grey and Versamark inks, gold embossing powder, ribbon flowers, rose bow, organza ribbon, rhinestone stick on gems and two strips of Anna Griffin paper.  I thought I had a Nestabilities die to match the shape of the label but if I have I can't find it so cut round it scissors.

I am not sure if I will ever get back into crafting in a big way as I have lost interest for various reasons and this has not been a great year for me personally.....we will see!

Vintage Tag - PDCC 61

Here is my entry for the latest Play Date Cafe Challenge, a vintage tag. I used Distress Ink to colour the tag itself and then stamped a flourish pattern with a Clarity stamp. I used the same stamp on the frame along with some clear crackle paint. The little girl image is a rub-on and I just added a wine coloured fabric flower I have had for years and a bright blue ribbon.

Blue for You

I love this GDS Studios Ella Blue paper so much that I decided to make it the main focus of this birthday card for the latest Papertake Weekly "anything goes" challenge. The little girl is one of my favourite wood backed stamps by Stampa Rosa.  She is coloured with Promarkers (hair, skin and flowers) and her clothes are paper pieced with scraps from the Ella Blue pad.  She is matted onto Coredinations Gemstone cardstock cut with a Spellbinders label die.  The sentiment is by Waltzingmouse Stamps, stamped onto a punched scallop oval (again EB paper) embellished with bows made from ribbons to match the colour theme.