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Sunday 28 December 2014

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 227

This time at One Stitch at a Time, our challenge is 'anything goes with stitching'.

Our sponsor is:
See the challenge blog for details.

This time, I chose to work with a fabulous set of digis from Stitchy Bear called 'Vineyard'. I've been on the OSAAT team for a while, and that means I've collected quite a lot of images, and I really love Stitchy's silhouettes. So, I combined several of them including from the Rainbow Magic set and the Grazin' in the Grass sets.

I used PSE to combine the various elements, and 'drew' the background seascape you see, framing it in black. I stitched a border for the image using various Krenik threads, and that's it. The grass and vineyard silhouettes are absolutely perfect for use in combinations like this, and I'm pretty sure I'll keep coming back to them.

I hope you can join us this time

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

That's Crafty where anything goes,
Creative Knockouts where anything goes,
Divas by Design where anything goes,
Inspiration Destination where anything goes,
Paper Shelter where anything goes,
Penny's where anything goes,
Scrapper's Delights where anything goes,
Whimsy where anything goes,
Crafty Sentiments where anything goes.

Sunday 14 December 2014

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 226

This time, our 'anything goes with a ... is Glitter! So, this close to Christmas, that's easy, isn't it?

Our sponsor for the challenge:

See the challenge blog for details.

I chose a digi from Sentimental Susan's range at the outlet called Christmas Tree Scene.

I added the sentiment in Photoshop Elements before printing, then coloured with Promarkers. To fulfil the 'glitter' requirement, I got out my Sakura Stardust pens and coloured the baubles and tinsel on the tree, the stars, and highlighted areas of the snow. That doesn't seem to be very clear on the photo. I dotted the sky with highlighter pen, but that wasn't quite bold enough for what I wanted, so I went back over with a Sakura Souffle pen in white.

I added some paper from my stash - something bold and bright like the image, and apart from a little matting, that's it.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Creative Romance where anything goes,
Chocolate, Coffee, Cards where the theme is Christmas,
Crafty Catz where the theme is 'Last Minute Christmas',
Sister Act where anything goes,
Crafty Sentiments where the theme is 'Christmas',

Monday 8 December 2014

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 129

This time at Crafty Cardmakers and More. our challenge is simple! Make a Christmas project!

Our sponsors for this challenge are:


and my team-mate Kim is providing 'a large box of crafting yumminess'! See the challenge blog, link in my sidebar, for details.

Now, I make a lot of Christmas cards. I generally start at around Easter, so by this time of year, I've finally got a chance to move on to other things, so, this is actually a card I made a little while ago but which I've only just got around to photographing.

When it comes to styles of cards, I have two main favourites. I do like very pretty cards with lots of flowers or similar embellishment, and I also like very simple designs. I'm not very good at very simple designs, but this sort of thing, with die cuts and clean lines is definitely something I enjoy doing. I've used a beautiful gold pearlescent card from Lime Tree Crafts and some gold mirror board and let them have centre-stage. The embossing was done using a Crafter's Companion folder and the die cuts used Spellbinders dies. The sentiment is from pre-inked stamp I've had for many years.

I hope you can join us for this, our last challenge of 2014, and I hope to see you back with us in the new year!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges;

A Creative Romance where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Inkspriational where anything goes with gold,
Robyn's Fetish where they want Christmas cards,
That Craft Place where the theme is Christmas,
Crafts Galore Encore where anything goes,
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra where anything goes,
Die Cut Divas where the theme is snow/Christmas,
Sisters of Craft where anything goes,
Addicted to Stamps and More where the theme is 'snowflakes'.

Sunday 30 November 2014

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 225

This week at One Stitch at a Time the challenge is: Anything Goes with Lace! So, look out your frilly laces and see what you come up with.

Our sponsor is:

see the challenge blog for details.


I used an image from Kaz Kraft called Christmas Candle.

I printed the image onto watercolour paper and then coloured with Promarkers. I cut the image and mat using a Spellbinders label die. The poinsettia was cut using a Marianne die set. papers are from Papermania, and I finished with some lace from my stash.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:

Penny's where anything goes,
Scrappers Delights where they want 'traditional Christmas',
4 Crafty Chicks where they want die cuts,
Crafty Calendar where 'it's all about Christmas',
Brown Sugar where anything goes,
Crafty Catz where anything goes,
Digitally Sweet where anything goes,
Winter Wonderland where they want die cuts,

Sunday 16 November 2014

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 224

This time at one Stitch at a Time, the challenge is: Anything Goes with Giving. So, lots of scope again, and we're really looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Our sponsor is

See the challenge blog for details.

For this challenge, I chose an image from BBKakes called 4 You, so that definitely seemed to fit the bill!

And so you can see the rest of the sentiment, here's the inside:


I added the sentiment in Photoshop Elements before printing and colouring with Promarkers. I added a little shine to the watery areas using a Sakura Stardust pen, and tried to give the impression of a tiled floor by adding a grid using a fine-tipped Promarker. The background paper is from a Joanna Sheen CD - Ivory Cats and I finished with a die cut (die from Joy Crafts, I think.). I used the same digital paper to produce the insert, again using Photoshop Elements.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafts Galore Encore where anything goes,
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper where anything goes,
Sisters of Craft where anything goes,
A Crafty Mess where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Milk Coffee where they want a hand-coloured image.

Monday 10 November 2014

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 127

It's my turn to host the challenge at Crafty Cardmakers this time, and the theme is: A Touch of Charm. So, any subject, colour, or project style you want, so long as it's got a charm clearly visible on it.

For this challenge, I made a card for a friend's parents.

The image is one I've had for a long time but never used before. I'm pretty sure it was a freebie, and it's from The Creative Mind of Sylive. She used to sell through the Stitchy Bear shop but doesn't any more, and I'm not even sure if her images are available anywhere at the moment. It's called Heart Blossom. I printed the image, having changed the outline colour from black to a burgundy shade and adding the sentiment, then die cut and coloured with Promarkers. I edged the topper with Distress Ink. The paper is one of the fabulous papers from the Joanna Sheen Ivory Cats CDrom that I bought recently. The flowers are made using craft punches, and I shaded the centres and petal edges with Pan Pastel before finishing them with some sticky gems. The heart charm is one I got at the recent BSSBS at Alexandra Palace. I created an insert to match using the same digi paper.

I hope you can join us this time, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challengs:


Sunday 2 November 2014

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 223

This time, at One Stitch at a Time, our challenge is, 'Anything Goes with Distressing'. So, lots of scope for you. Our sponsor for this challenge is:


And the prize is a pack containing images and papers.

This time, I worked with an image from Hope Jacare called 'Snowman Wreath'. Of course, the first card I made, I forgot the 'distressing' requirement. But first, the one I remembered to 'distress'!


A very simple design. I embossed the Coredinations card in the background with an Embossalicious folder and sanded it so the pattern stands out more clearly. The image is coloured with Promarkers, and I finished the card with a couple of bows made with my new Creative Expressions dies.

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:

Sisters of Craft where anything goes,
Crafter's Companion where the theme is Christmas,
Creaine where they want red/green themes,
Doodle Pantry where 'any digi goes',
Always Something Creative where they want red/green,
Bearly Mine where they want Christmas Cards,
Crafts Galore Encore where anything goes,
Christmas All year Round where they want 'no patterned paper'.


And here's the one where I forgot the distressing requirement.


This time, I used a background I made using the acrylic block technique with Distress Ink, and I stamped and embossed a greeting over that. Again, the image is coloured with Promarkers, and the card is finished with some die cut bows.

I hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:



Monday 27 October 2014

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 126

This time at Crafty Cardmakers and More, the challenge has been set by Sonia who wants us to 'Cut it Out!'

Our sponsor for this challenge is:
with this prize

For this challenge, I used one of my favourite images - a Crafts and Me digi of a Sara Burrier image.

I printed the image onto watercolour paper and coloured it with Promarkers. For the background, I embossed a piece of glossy yellow card using an Embossalicious folder. I added a little distress ink to the background to bring out the embossing. The panel at the bottom uses a fabulous Sue Wilson die that I treated myself to recently. I cut the panel in violet card, and again in white, collecting various cut out shapes which I coloured in the greens from the image before placing them into the apertures. I backed the whole thing with more of the yellow card.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Craft Room where they want us to make our own background,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Inspiration Destination where anything goes,
Brown Sugar where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,



Sunday 19 October 2014

Another Attempt with Watercolour Paper

Yes, I've been having another go. Well, the sheets of watercolour paper are A4 sized, so I printed out four images at once. This time, I've used an image I've used several times before but which remains a favourite. It's another Crafts and Me digi - this time from Sara Burrier.

I've combined several favourites into this card! First, there's the image which I do love. Then, there's the colour scheme. I love blues with peaches and golds. And then there's the punched background. one of the reasons I like die cuts is because of their clean, hard edges. There's nothing woolly about them. But before I invested in my first die cutter, I used punches. This punch is one of a pair I bought at a show at Olympia before they decided to switch to just stitching and knitting. They came with a little bracket which allows you to do repeat patterns. It's much simpler than the more recent Tonic device (which I've also got).

I coloured the image with Promarkers on some Clas Ohlsen watercolour paper. I managed to create a stippled effect in the stonework which i think worked fairly well, and I added a background in shades which (I hope) are reminiscent of a beautiful sunrise (or sunset). I finished with a little Sakura Stardust pen on her dress, wings and hair.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Sister Act where anything goes,
ABC where 'V is for Vibrant',
Emerald Faerie where they want 'things with wings',
Sisters of Craft where anything goes,
Crafting at the Weekend where anything goes,


One Stitch at a Time Challenge 222

This time at One Stitch at a Time the challenge is: Anything Goes with a Butterfly! So, not too hard? I know I love using butterflies on my cards - next to flowers they're my favourite embellishment!

I used a lovely image from IKEsART called Japanese Lady Colour, which, as you might expect, comes ready-coloured!

The image is so lovely that I didn't want to overpower it with lots of embellishment (apart from a butterfly, of course) so I simply matted it onto yellow card and embossed some shiny black card for the background using an Embossalicious folder. I added some ribbon and a Spellbinders butterfly, and that's it.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafting at the Weekend where anything goes,
Kitty Bee where they want die cuts/punches,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Sisters of Craft where anything goes,
Divas by Design where they want texture,
Inspiration Destination where anything goes,
Penny's where anything goes,
Whimsy where anything goes,
Hiding in my Craft Room where they want embossing,
Allsorts where the theme is embossing.

Friday 17 October 2014

A Little Bit Oriental

I've finally got enough Christmas cards done that I can turn my attention to other things for a while, so I decided to try something a little different. Recently, I've watched a couple of videos from Letraset showing shading techniques with Promarkers, and the artist whose name I didn't catch, claimed that he preferred to colour on watercolour paper. So, I decided to have a go.

I used a Crafts and Me digi - from artist Meredith Dillman called Jade. I used a fairly lightweight watercolour paper that I got from Clas Ohlson which goes through my printer easily. (I've got some 300gsm Bockingford watercolour paper that won't although I can use other 300gsm cards.) I've got to say that it's easier to blend on this paper than it is on others I've tried; Crafter's Companion Neenah, Ryman Ink Jet coated card, Joanna Sheen. I suspect I used a lot more ink that I would have with the other cards, and I doubt it'd give a good result with pencils, but I must admit I'm fairly impressed. Colouring's not my strong point, but I was fairly happy with the result - especially the skin tones.

As with most of the Crafts and Me digis I've bought, the image is very detailed and hard to colour if you print it at the size I normally do for a 6 by 6 card, so I printed this a little bigger and used a 7 by 7 card! (I do like that size - 8 by 8 seems a little over the top sometimes. I kept the design fairly simple, although I did do quite a lot of matting and layering. The background uses some paper from MME I've had for ages and a Sizzix die cut. I finished with a couple of lace flowers that I coloured to match with my Promarkers.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Kitty Bee where they want die cuts/punches,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Wags 'n Whiskers where they want stripes,
ABC where 'V is for Vibrant',
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge where anything goes,
Doodle Pantry where anything goes (with a digi),
The Crafting Cafe where they want pink,
Sisters of Craft where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Inspiration Destination where anything goes.





Monday 13 October 2014

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 125

This time at Crafty Cardmakers, our challenge theme is, 'It's Only Words'. So, we want a sentiment to be the focus of your creation.

Now, I'm not a big fan of wordy cards. In the days before I used to make my own, I used to hate it when I chose a really lovely card only to find it had been spoiled by insincere saccharine inside. If there's something I want to say, I prefer to do it in my own words and my own handwriting. So, you won't find a lot of words on my card. The main exceptions (other than simple 'Happy Birthday/Merry Christmas' things) would be when I'm asked to personalise a card for someone and when the image is quirky enough to make a jokey sentiment necessary. So, I had a think and finally settled on a condolence card.

I made the card for my 'ready box' because it's always a useful type to have, and since it doesn't have a specific recipient, I've kept it neutral in terms of religious references.

I created the sentiment in Photoshop Elements and cut it and its frame with a Sizzix die. The background is another Sizzix die - a beautiful lattice rectangle which always cuts really well. The flowers are again made using Sizzix die cuts - from the Susan's Garden range, although the extra greenery was cut using a Crealies die.

I hop you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Eclectic Ellapu where the Pink team want to see anything floral,
Pile it On where they want us to use  two or more die cuts,
Crafting at the Weekend where anything goes,
Kitty Bee where they want die cuts/punches,
Aud Sentiments where anything goes with a sentiment.

Sunday 5 October 2014

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 221

This time at One Stitch at a Time, we're challenging you to use the colour orange! That's it - otherwise, you can do whatever you want.

Our sponsor for the challenge is:

See the challenge blog for details.

I chose a sweet digi from My Heart Pieces called Sleeping Santa. An odd choice of digi for an 'orange' theme, but by this time of year, I usually need to get on with my Christmas cards!


I first added the sentiment and orange frame in Photoshop Elements before colouring the image with Promarkers, adding a little extra shading with Spectrum Noir pencils. The background paper is from a CD Rom I bought recently - the Joanna Sheen/Ivory Cats one. It's definitely got more cat images than I'll ever use, but the backgrounds are fabulous - lace and patchwork being just two examples. I altered the shading of this background from green shades to orange to match the theme. To finish, I added a couple of die cut corners which used a Joy craft die.

I hope you can join us this time

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafter's Cafe where they want die cuts,
Crafty Creations where they want us to 'use orange',
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge where anything goes (so long as it's Christmas),
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge where anything goes (with patterned paper),
Doodle Pantry where any digi goes,
Anything Goes with a Twist where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
That's Crafty where they want us to 'keep it simple',


Monday 29 September 2014

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 124

This challenge is hosted by my team mate Pamellia who's chosen a theme of Bs! She wants you to use three of the following in your project: blue, buttons, butterfly, banner and birthday. You have to use at least three of them - three butterflies alone won't be enough.

Our prize for this challenge is this beautiful Aspects of design stamp set.



And here's my card:


I kept it fairly CAS this time, but managed four of the Bs: butterflies, banner, birthday and blue. The dies I used (including for the sentiment) are from Spellbinders and Marianne and the paper is from Papermania. I finished the butterflies and banner with some liquid pearl.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Addicted to Stamps and More where they want CAS
Brown Sugar where anything goes,
Keep it Simple where they want 'no stamps',
A Gem of a Challenge where they want CAS,

Sunday 21 September 2014

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 220

This fortnight at One Stitch at a Time the challenge is 'Anything Goes with a Flower'. So, easy? If you're like me, then making a card without a flower is the hard thing!

Our sponsor this time is:

 and the prize is a fabulous collection of images and papers:


So, this time I chose an image from the Gingerloft collection, and this is the result:

The image has been coloured with a combination of Promarkers and Spectrum Noir pencils I cut the image with a Spellbinders die and edged it with a little Pan Pastel. For the background, I embossed some card , and finished with some die cut bluebells (dies by Memory Box and Sizzix).

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Reves2scrap where they have a colour combination,
Creative Craft Cottage where they have a colour combination,
Sisters of Craft where anything goes,
Ladybug Crafts where anything goes,
Doodle Pantry where 'any digi goes',
Sweet Stamps where anything goes,
Passion for Promarkers where they want us to 'make it digital',
Inky Chicks where anything goes,

Sunday 7 September 2014

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 219

Yes, after a very long summer break, OSAAT is back! I must admit, it seems odd, after such a long break, sitting here while the schools still have a fortnight of holiday, posting for September. But here we go.

The challenge to start us off is 'Anything Goes with a Die Cut'. So, nice and easy, yes?

We're sponsored for this challenge by


and the winner will get this package of images and papers:


This time, I worked with a beautiful image from Scrapper's Delights called, Genie.

I've used quite a few dies on this one! I added the sentiment in Photoshop Elements then cut the image with a Sizzix nesting die and coloured with Promarkers (skin tones) and Spectrum Noir pencils. Although it doesn't show well on the picture, I edged the image with gold ink, and spattered the background with the same ink using an Ink Duster brush. The paper is from Papermania, and I've added a little gold to it - around the edges and with occasional stamped flowers which again don't show well in the photo. The embellishments use dies from Spellbinders and Sizzix's Susan's Garden range. I added a little Pan Pastel to the insides of the various petals and some more gold ink to the outside edges of petals, greenery and stamens, finishing the purple flowers with liquid pearls.

I hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafts Galore Encore where they want us to make a card,
Doodle Pantry where 'any digi goes',
Kreativeinkauf where anything goes,
Ladybug Crafts where anything goes,
Sisters of Craft where anything goes,
Crafting by Designs where anything goes,
Penny's where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
My Heart Pieces where they want us to 'use a digistamp'
Sister Act where anything goes.

Monday 1 September 2014

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 122

This time at Crafty Cardmakers and More we're challenging you to 'make an impression'! We want to see dry embossing on your creation.

Unusually, I had free rein of my image stash for this challenge, so I dug out my box of stamps - something I do rarely these days. I picked out a stamp from one of the earliest I bought - from Debbi Moore. I think I got a bad batch of the stamps - they always smelled very strong and seemed inclined to bend in unexpected ways, but since I didn't have much confidence in my stamping ability and since I bought them at a show at Olympia, I didn't take them back. However, now, many years later, they finally seem to have got over their problems! I think the excess solvent has finally evaporated and they're a lot less smelly and the stamped results look ok to me too. So, a happy ending to this rather long-winded story. So, on to what I did!

The stamps were a set of butterflies on various backgrounds, and this one is probably my favourite. I stamped with Memento ink and coloured with Spectrum Noir pencils. I did a little blending with Zest It, but tried to leave some of the pencil-work visible. The background was embossed using two small folders. (I'm so pleased manufacturers have finally realised how limiting the so-called A2 folders are - too short and wide for a small A6 card, but not big enough for anything else unless you use several pieces. But I've got quite a few so it's good to use them.) The folders are from Craft Concepts (the butterflies) and Sizzix (the grid.) The butterflies were emphasised using some Versamark Ink and some Pan Pastel in Pthallo blue. The lovely background card is a new one to my stash. I normally buy from Craft Creations, but since we were on holiday in the Lake District for a few days I popped in to somewhere that stocks Papermill Direct card. I was disappointed with the range available - there used to be a much wider range in the now-closed shop in Hatfield which I occasionally visited. However, that dark teal-green shade was definitely worth the visit since I haven't seen anything similar elsewhere.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Art by Mirian where anything goes,
Brown Sugar where anything goes,
Creative Corner where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Crafting at the Weekend where anything goes,
Treasured Times where anything goes,
Inky Impressions where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,

Monday 18 August 2014

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 121

This time at Crafty Cardmakers and More, the challenge has been set by Lin whose theme is, 'A World of Fantasy'. So, whether it's fairies, dragons, mermaids or unicorns, any fantasy creature is allowed.

Our sponsors for this challenge are:


See the challenge blog for details.

Anyone who visits my blog regualrly will realise that I love fantasy images - especially by Sara Burrier and Ching Chou Kuik. Unusually for me these days, I went the rubber stamp route rather than going digital, and chose a Ching Chou Kuik image from my collection.

I stamped her using Memento ink and coloured the skin tones using Promarker, before doing the rest of the colouring with Spectrun Noir pencils and blending with Zest It. The background is one I made ages ago while having a play. It uses stamped and heat embossed swirls along with some distress ink. The effect is fairly subtle, and not that obvious in the photo. The various flowers were all hand made using die cuts from a range of manufacturers including Sizzix, Memory Box, Spellbinders, and Cheery Lynn with shading by Pan Pastel.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew where they want embossing (wet or dry). I've got both - heat (or wet) embossing in the background and a little dry on the Spellbinders die cuts,
Crafty Sentiments where anything goes,
I Love Promakers where anything goes Promarkers used for skin tones,
Crafty Creations where the theme is 'Flower Power',
Miriam's Crafting Blog where the theme is 'Fantasy',
Nutcrafters where anything goes,
Paper Shelter where the want punches or dies,
Penny's Challenge where anything goes,
Scrapper's Delight where they want die cuts,
Natalie and Amy's Challenge where they want die cuts and flowers. (My flowers are made with die cuts.)

Monday 4 August 2014

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 120

This time, the challenge at Crafty Cardmakers is set by my team mate, Sharon, and she wants to see 'fancy folds'!

Our sponsor is Stamping Boutique.


See the challenge blog for details of the prize.

I used a lovely image from our sponsor called Audrey at the Well. I do like the Audrey character - she's so sweet!

I'm not a huge fan of fancy folds - several that I've tried over the years seem very impractical when it comes to putting the finished result into an envelope and posting it, so I went in search of something new. I spotted a tutorial for a Joy Fold card and liked what I saw, but the measurements given didn't work! So, once I'd worked out what I needed, I made one which will go into a standard six by six envelope, and here's the result.

and open
and again
I flat-coloured the image with Promarkers then added some shading with Spectrum Noir pencils. The papers are from the DoCrafts Tilly Daydream collection, and I created the sentiment in Photoshop Elements, mounting it onto s Spellbinders die cut.

So, not a terribly fancy fold, but the result is practical while still looking 'different', so I'm happy!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Doodle Pantry where anything goes,
Crafting at the Weekend where anything goes,
Crafty Calendar where anything goes,
Inkspirational where they want us to use pencils or markers (I used both Promarkers and Spectrum Noir pencils),
Suzy Bee's where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Stempelsonne where anything goes.

Monday 7 July 2014

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 119

This time's challenge at Crafty Cardmakers and More has been set by my team mate, Julie, who's chosen the theme of 'Under the Sea'. To fit the challenge, your undersea theme must be a large part of the whole - not a little embellishment in the corner!

The theme made me immediately think of my Josephine Wall CD Rom, Enchanted Dreams. I've used it quite a lot, but haven't particularly used any of the sea image, so this was a great opporutnity!

These images are so beautifully detailed, that it always seems to be a shame to print them small. That inevitably leads to fairly simple designs because there isn't a lot of space left! In Photoshop Elements, I added one of the supplied embellishments to the image, and printed a second copy of it separately for layering. I created the background paper (again in PSE) using a sample from the image which I tiled.

I hope you can join us this time!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Papercrafting Challenges where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes.

Saturday 28 June 2014

Baby Card

Since I bought myself a set of Spectrum Noir pencils, I've spent a lot of time practising with them without necessarily intending to use the results. And then my daughter returned from university for the summer to tell me she's been invited to a 'baby shower' for the older sister of a friend, and could she have a card. Now, neither she nor I get the idea of 'baby shower'. It's obviously an import, and it flies in the face of tradition in the UK where it's seen as unlucky to get very much for a baby before he/she is born. I still remember the horror on my mum's face when we told her our eldest's pram would be arriving before his due date!

However, she was going to choose an image for me to work with, and then she got busy and last night realised that she needed it first thing this morning. So, I found one of my practise pieces, and went with that.

Fortunately, the mother-to-be knows she's expecting a girl and has a horror of 'baby pink', so my peach and blue colour scheme didn't seem too unreasonable.

This was a trial of flat colouring with Promarkers and then shading with the pencils, and I do think that's the best option for me. It allows definite but fairly subtle shading without excessive bleeding or mottling of the card. The paper is one I've had for many years - really pretty papers that for some reason I find very difficult to use. I suspect it's because they've got limited colour ranges - peach/white or pink/white or cream/white, and I do like to combine colours!

I cut the image using a Spellbinders die and embellished with a wooden teddy I've had pretty much forever, some ribbon, and some flowers I made using dies from Sizzix and Cheery Lynn. The image is from BB Cakes and it's called Flora Fae. It's available from the Stitchy Bear Outlet (link in my sidebar).

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Little Miss Muffet where anything goes,
A Creative Need where anything goes,
Crafty Catz where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Creative Card Crew where they're having a 'fairy day',
FanTastic Tuesday where anything goes,
Lacy Sunshine where anything goes,
Incy Wincy where they want 'things with wings'.

Monday 23 June 2014

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 118

This time the challenge at Crafty Cardmakers and More is set by Suze, and she has chosen the theme, Wooden it be Lovely! So, something wood related is required. That should be more than just paper, but it can be an image of a tree, wood-effect paper or wooden embellishments - or anything else wood-related that you can think of.

Our sponsor is

And you can win three images of your choice!

I worked with one of the sponsor's images called Little Friends.

I tried a slightly new (to me) technique for colouring the image. First, I flat-coloured with Promarkers. I used pale shades for everything and didn't add any shading at all. Then, with my Spectrum Noir pencils, I added areas of shadow and blended using Zest It. Finally, I added a little extra texture in her hair and the grass without blending. For the sky, I shaded with Pan Pastels in cyan and white. The paper is from Papermania. To fulfill the 'wooden' requirement, I used some wooden embellishments. All were plain when I started, so I drew some marking on the butterfly, and then coloured it and the flowers with Promarkers. Then I added some liquid pearls and glitter glue. The image and mat were cut using Spellbinders dies in my Big Shot Pro.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Hambo Hoedown where the theme is 'Here Comes Summer',
Die Cutting Divas where the theme is 'things with wings',
Shopping our Stash where they want to see our 'oldest dies or punches' (my Nestibility circles were among the group I bought immediately after I got my Wizard),
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Papercrafting Journey where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
A Creative Need where anything goes,

Sunday 22 June 2014

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 218

This week at One Stitch at a Time, it's the easiest of all challenges: anything goes! So, show us what you've been up to!

I got to work with an image and paper pack from Coosty Creations chosen by my team mate Sue. It's called Princess Nataliya.

I used two papers from the pack. They're really gorgeous, and I suspect they'll be used a lot - imagine them on a wedding card, for example ...

The image was coloured with a mix of Promarkers and Spectrum Noir pencils and Pan Pastel (sky only). I'm still getting used to the pencils, but having spent a lot of time practising with the pencils recently, I struggled with my Promarkers, although I think that's because of the card. I've been using Joanna Sheen's card for Promarkers, but find it too smooth for the pencils. So, I got some of the Crafter's Companion Neenah card and, while it's got a bit more tooth for the pencils, I find it causes the Promarkers to 'leak' over the lines more than I'm used to. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but I find these transitions difficult. Still, I think the result's ok.

As well as the papers from the pack, I've used some silver mirror board and a strip of cloth I bought several years ago. There were various gold- and silver-themed patterns and they're lovely, but it's only now I've got my guillotine that I've found a (fairly) reliable way of cutting it straight! My rotary trimmer always just bent it and if you see me trying to cut straight with scissors, you're liable to hear a lot of huffing as things go wrong. And don't start me on craft knives. I do use them, but I'm always convinced I'm going to do some serious damage with them!

Anway, I hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Digi Chooseday where the theme is 'In the Pink',
Love to Create where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Papercrafting Journey where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
A Creative Need where anything goes,

Sunday 15 June 2014

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 217

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we want you to 'button it!' So, what does that say to you?

We're sponsored by

See the challenge blog for details.

This week, I worked with an image from Reece's Scrap Pieces called Just a Swinging.

I added the sentiment in Photoshop Elements, and coloured the image with my new Spectrum Noir pencils. I'm getting mixed results with them - I  was fairly happy with this image, but others have been less successful. But, I got their new technique DVD today, so watch this space ...

I shaded around the image and background paper with Pan Pastels. The paper is from Papermania, and I finished with some brightly coloured wooden buttons I got from The Works while I was on holiday last week.

I hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

2 Cute Ink where the theme is 'birthday',
Crafting from the Heart where anything goes,
Whoopsi Daisy where anything goes,
FanTastic Tuesdays where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Papercrafting Journey where anything goes,
Southern Girls where they want punches and die cuts (just die cuts here, hope that's ok.)
Crafting  by Designs where the theme is 'Happy Birthday',
Penny's Challenge where anything goes,
A Creative Romance where anything goes with a 'Happy Birthday' option.

Sunday 8 June 2014

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 216

This week at One Stitch at a Time the challenge is to use a digi. And, if that digi came from the Stitchy Bear Outlet, then you'll be in with a chance of the top prize.

This week, I chose from the range of images at Scrappers Delights called Lady Jane.

I printed the image several times and coloured with Promarkers and Flexmarkers. I layered the skirt for added depth. The background paper is from Paper Pizazz, and the flowers were punched and again, coloured with Promarkers.

I hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

The Crazy Challenge where they're playing 'bingo'! (I've used the centre vertical line - punch, digi, flower.)
Papertake Weekly where anything goes,
Card Mania where they want flowers,
Crafting from the Heart where anything goes,
Digi Makeover where anything goes,
Love to Create where the theme is 'happy birthday',
Paper Nest Dolls where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
A Creative Romance where the theme is 'Happy Birthday!',
Sister Act where anything goes.

Sunday 1 June 2014

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 215

This week at One Stitch at a Time, the challenge is 'boy-ish', and we're sponsored by:

This week, I got to choose from the fabulous selection of Delicious Doodles images and decided on one called 'Sunset at Sea'.

Isn't that a gorgeous image? And it gave me ample chance to use lots of glorious colours which is always a bonus as far as I'm concerned. It's not specifically 'boyish' but it's not 'girlish' either, and I'm going to send it to my son for his birthday.

The image is coloured with a mix of Promarkers and Flexmarkers. The background is one of those supplied with my version of Photoshop Elements, and I've finished off with some shaped seashells which came from a CD I've had for ages called the Crafty Image Emporium which is full of images which are no longer copyright protected. I used my flower-shaping tools to add to their texture, scoring on the right side with a narrow tool and then on the opposite side with a much wider one.

I hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafty Catz where anything goes,
Jellypark where they want 'bold and bright',
Sister Act where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Addicted to Stamps and More where they want us to 'make your mark',
Inky Impressions where anything goes,
Simon Says Stamp where anything goes,
Fan-Tastic Tuesday where anything goes,
Party Time Tuesday where anything goes,
Pink Elephant where anything goes.

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