Wednesday 25 January 2017

Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge #313


It's time for a new challenge over at Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog. Our theme this week is anything goes and we have two great sponsors, All Dressed Up and Digi Stamps 4 Joy.
I used this fun image for my card from Digi Stamps 4 Joy. The image inspired me to make a stepper card (using a tattered lace die set), so after I'd printed and coloured my image with copics I used the mat dies in the set to make its frame. I cut some card to make a cliff and coloured it to match the cliff on the image and added some water with a little glamour dust below and some green grass on top.
I wanted to add some sheep on the cliff, but didn't have a stamp small enough. I used the sheep from the Hobby Art, Bah Humbug set and stamped them in stazon on frosted shrink plastic (I couldn't find any white) and coloured them with pencils and shrunk them down. I wasn't happy with the whiteness of their wool and so I added some white nuvo drops to them. I added a sentiment (possibly tattered lace) and dotted the spare sheep on the card to finish. 

Tuesday 24 January 2017

Happy Retirement


One day I'll learn to say no, when people ask me to make cards for them, especially if they give me combinations of things to include. The brief for this card was, sunsets, dogs and the beach. 
I started off making a sunset with pixie powders, water and a wide brush. It doesn't really show up, but there is a mica shine to the sunset.
I added a strip of blue card to represent the sea and added some glamour dust to it. I cut a strip of kraft card for the beach and added some die cut bits of grass, trimmed down from a strip of grass die to make it look a bit like a sand dune. The dogs and bones are from a Katzelkraft set, I some of them with zig clean colour pens and some with copics and then fussy cut them out. The blue bows were coloured with a spectrum sparkle pen. I die cut the letters with a memory box alphabet die set and then mounted the whole thing on gold mirri card on an 8x8 card to finish. Oops and glossy accents on their eyes and noses!

Saturday 21 January 2017

Sweet Stampin' - Dies and Punches


Thank goodness it's Saturday! Is it just me or has it been a long week?
It's time for a new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' and we want you to use your dies and punches along with your stamps this week.
I made this super simple card using the Mama Elephant "Three Amigos" stamp and matching die set. Very simply coloured with copics and a doodled border, simple and very quick as I wanted to catch the post to send it to friend who is struggling at the minute. I'll try to make another, more complex card to share for the challenge later x

Wednesday 18 January 2017

Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge #312


How did it get to Wednesday again? Time is flying at the moment, isn't it lovely that the days are starting to get longer again?
As it's Wednesday it's time for a new challenge over at Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge Blog. Our theme this week, is the all encompassing "Anything Goes" and we have a great sponsor this week, Little Blue Button.

I used this wonderful magnolia digi stamp from Little Blue Button for my card. I'm ashamed to say that this was the first time I'd played with my polychromos pencils that I hit for my birthday in November. I didn't use anything to blend them with, but I loved how you could layer up the colour with them, something that I'd been disappointed at not being able to do with the original spectrum noir pencils.
I loved the image so much, that I felt it needed a simple card to show it off. I used tattered lace rectangle and pearl rectangle dies and Clearly Besotted's hello die, but I snipped the squiggles of the ends of the hello. It doesn't show in the picture, but I added some clear wink of Stella to the centre of the flower to add a subtle sparkle. Simples!

Sunday 15 January 2017

Flower Blog Challenge Reminder - Blue and Yellow


It's time for some more halfway inspiration over at The Flower Challenge Blog, and as you can see our theme this month is blue and yellow (bur we will let you add green foliage). You can use stamps, uncoloured Digi stamps or die cuts to create your project, just make sure that flowers are the focal point of your card. My fab teamies have been busy creating some wonderful creations to inspire you.

My card uses the tattered lace Autummnal Country House die set. I coloured the roses with yellow spectrum noir sparkle pens to give them more definition and then got a bit carried away with some tiny gems! The sentiment was a freebie with a magazine some time ago. I echoed the square corners with larger gems to finish the 6x6 card base. 

Tuesday 10 January 2017

Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge


Wednesday again, and time for a new challenge over at Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge. We have a fab sponsor, The Paper Shelter, who provided this sweet image for my card today.
I coloured her with, yes, you guessed correctly, my copics! I used tattered lace pin dot squares, normal squares and sentiment strips on the card. The coffee in her hand inspired the colours for this card, with a pop of blue. I tied a small bow with creative expressions, silky crush ribbon, but trimmed off the tails to keep it more compact and then added pearly embellishment from eBay in the centre. Very simple, but hopefully effective.

Monday 9 January 2017

Happy Birthday


A quick post for a quick card, rustled up for a colleague who takes delight in being the oldest person in our office, she can also take a joke!
Time Holtz Crazy Birds and accessories stamps and matching dies. Coloured with copics and glossy accents and glamour dust added to the balloons. Sentiment is Clearly Besotted. Faux stitching to finish. Right, bed calls. Sweet dreams!

Sunday 8 January 2017

Good Luck


This is the card I made for her team to sign for the friend who was leaving. Sorry, for the wonky photography. The sentiment was straighter in reality, honest.
I used a lili of the valley stamp and papers from one of their now obsolete paper pads. For a change I stamped on watercolour card and used my zig clean colour pens to colour the image. I used tattered lace pin dot square and pearl square dies for the image, along with a Memory Box alphabet and my fave Sue Wilson ivy does. Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, ribbon from stash and a sparkly embellishment from eBay (about £2.50) for 6.

Saturday 7 January 2017

Sweet Stampin'


It's time for our first challenge of the year over at Sweet Stampin' and to celebrate the new year, this week's theme is "Something New".
My take on something new, is a card for a friend who is starting a new job next week. I stamped the Clearly Besotted Fuschia on water colour card with Versafine ink and coloured it in with zig real brush markers. Die cut the image and frame with Simon Says Stamp stitched rectangles and stamped the sentiment - Lili of the Valley handwritten sentiments set on the 6x6 card base. Job done x

Wednesday 4 January 2017

Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge


Wow, Wednesday already and time for our first challenge of the new year at Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge. This week's challenge is sponsored by the fab Bugaboo Di's Digi Stamps and our theme is Anything Goes, so plenty of scope there for you to play along.
I used this versatile Bugaboo flower jar image and hand wrote my sentiment on the blank jar label and used my copics to colour it. I used my tattered lace fancy labels yo cut out the image and its mat. The flower was lurking in my stash (I think from the days when Lakeland used to sell craft stuff) and the leaves and ladybird were in my leftover/unused die cut box. A bit of faux stitching and job done.
I'm looking forward to seeing all your makes this year.

Tuesday 3 January 2017

Passing out....


Not passing out of the drunk variety, or the shattered variety (although I feel close to that one!)
I don't think I shared this card with you last year, please tell me if I did, my memory's shot these days!
My colleague's grandson joined the army last year and she asked me for a card to celebrate his "passing out" parade.
I struggled to find a suitable stamp, but remembered the little hero's set I think it's called by Lil of the Valley that includes this sweet little soldier. I masked and repeat stamped him and surprise surprise coloured him with my copics. The sentiment was computer generated (after I gave up trying to stick down die cut letters). All layered up with red, black and gold mirri card and a little faux stitching to finish.
Bed calls, sweet dreams to you all x

Monday 2 January 2017

2017, Day Two (to be read in the voice of the Big Brother announcer)


Bank holiday Monday, and guess which muppet volunteered to work?! Still, the roads were very quiet at 7.30 this morning....
Today's photo is of the present I made for my parents. Another Bucilia kit and a heck of a lot of beads and sequins, so why have I bought several more kits to keep me busy over the coming months? Must be mad. Guilty as charged!

Sunday 1 January 2017

2017


Hopefully, I should be back to posting much more frequently from now on. I'm looking forward to catching up with you all again soon.
Today's make is a present that I made for my sister and her family. It's a Bucilia kit, the felt is stamped with the shapes and markings for you to cut out, embroider, sequin and stuff. I guess the wreath is about 15 inches across. They loved it, it even reduced some of the family to tears!
Back after work tomorrow, to show you the gift I made for my parents.
Love to you all x