International Art and Soul Challenge 148

 The new challenge from International Art and Soul was set by my team mate Crafty Girl. It's a long challenge - five weeks this time, and she wants projects on the theme of Winter.

It's a long time since I've made a card using only die cuts, but I was inspired to do this. The background panel die is from Frantic Stamper, the Winter die from Sheena Douglass, and the snowflakes were cut using a very old Cuttlebug die. It was one of the earliest I bought, and I could never cut it with my Spellbinders Wizard die cutter. It was simply too thick, and with the heavy-duty cutting plates that machine used, and the problems of reversing it if something went wrong, it simply lay, unused, until I got my Big Shot Pro. Now, of course, it cuts easily, and the combination of snowflakes and stars is always useful.

The white card is a pearlescent white with a lovely sheen that the photo has completely failed to represent,

In the meantime, I wish you a very happy festive season and all the very best for 2023, and hope you can join us for the challenge. 

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 196

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we've got an easy challenge - all you've got to do is 'use a digi'! Of course, if you use a digi from the Stitchy Bear shop, you've got a better chance of winning as you're eligible for a separate draw.

For this challenge, I chose an image from IKEsART called Finch on Pine. Now, I'm not what you'd call a bird enthusiast. Apart from a few obvious ones, I really don't know one bird from another, but this image looked so like the photograph for January on the calendar in our study, that I decided to colour it that way even though the photo is of a Blue Tit. (Apologies to anyone who can spot differences I couldn't.) Anyway, it gave me a chance to use lots of bright colours, which always makes me happy. And it shows the wonderful versatility of digi stamps; if you see the image differently from the original artist, then that's fine. It's your interpretation, and this is mine!

The image itself is coloured with Promarkers, but the background is shaded with Pan Pastels. I embossed a panel of light blue card using a Cuttlebug folder, and gently shaded the birds and vines, again with Pan Pastels. The background is also embossed, this time using an Embossalicious folder. To finish, I've added a couple of feathers from a pack I bought ages ago, but keep forgetting about. And feathers on a card featuring a bird (of any variety) seems very appropriate!

I hope you can join us this time.

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

Card Mania where anything goes,

LEJ Designs where anything goes,

Crafting for All Seasons where the theme is 'All Things Bright and Beautiful',
My Heart Pieces where anything goes,
Emerald Faeries where they want 'things with wings',
Cards Galore Encore where anything goes,
Doodle Pantry where any (digi) goes,
Brown Sugar where anything goes,

CMC where they want texture,
My Sheri where they want digis.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 107

Welcome to a new year of Crafty Cardmakers challenges. There've been some changes, first, the name of the challenge is Crafty Cardmakers and Beyond, to make it clear that we don't limit your creations to just cards. And another change - there are going to be two teams, alternating challenges, and a third team producing mixed media projects once a month. Confused? Don't worry about it - the challenges will be explained on the challenge blog!

This first challenge is hosted by Feebs, and the theme is Bear with Me and she wants the main image to be of a bear (or bears) - whether of the 'teddy' variety or more realistic.

The sponsor for this challenge is

Flourish with a Bling,

 so why don't you go and take a look at the gorgeous embellishments they've got in stock.

For this challenge, I used an image I won several years ago. I didn't have a reason to use it right away, and then I forgot I had it! It's from Crafty Pad, and it's called Teddies Do Piano.

I made the paper in Photoshop elements. The image is coloured using Promarkers, and I embossed some white card using a Cuttlebug folder.

I hope you can join us this time.

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

Cards Galore Encore where anything goes,
Doodle Pantry where anything goes,
Flat Friends where anything goes,
Kreativeinkauf where anything goes,
Crafting by Designs where anything goes,
Crafty Creations where anything goes,
Creative Moments where anything goes,
Divas by Design where anything goes,
Digistamps 4 Joy where anything goes,
Inky Impressions where anything goes

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 106

This time at Crafty Cardmakers, the challenge is set by my team mate Marie who wants us to create something depicting 'winter fun' without being Christmas or New Year based.

Our sponsors this time are

and

See the challenge blog (link in my sidebar) for further details.

This time, I got to work with a beautiful image from our sponsor, Paper Shelter. I chose to work with the ready-coloured image and paper supplied.

I added the sentiment in Photoshop Elements before printing the image onto photo paper. I cut it with a Nestibility and matted using gun metal mirror card cut using a Grand Nestibility. I completed the card with snowflakes cut from the same card using a Cuttlebug die.

I hope you can join us this time, and don't forget to come back in the new year for more Crafty Cardmaker challenges!

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

Everybody Art where the theme is 'winter',
Papertake Weekly where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Shelley's Images where the theme is 'welcome winter',
Crafty Hands where the theme is 'winter',
Sister Act where anything goes,
Sweet Pea Stampers where the theme is 'It's Cold Outside',
A Gem of a Challenge where anything goes,

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 179

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we're challenging you to 'make one for Christmas'!

My image is from Floppy Latte and it's called Santa Sleigh Silhouette.

And, if fact, I've made not one, but four!

I coloured the image and added the text in Photoshop Elements before printing. Then, I kept things fairly simple - adding some backing paper (all magazine freebies), a border cut with a Memory Box die, some sticky ribbon and some die cut snowflakes (Cuttlebug die.) I added a little glamour dust to trail from the reindeer, although that's not obvious in the photo.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

ABC where they want 'no flowers',
Simon says Stamp where they want things that're dotty,
Bearly Mine where they want digital images or papers,
Cuttlebug Mania where they want die cuts,
Party Time Tuesdays where anything goes,
Creative Fingers where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,

Silent Night?

For this card, I used a new (to me) Sarah Kay stamp. Look at those choir boys. You can almost believe they're angelic ... It's stamped on Ryman ink jet card and coloured with Promarkers. The edging is Cardinal Versamark ink applied with crumpled climg film. The backing is the same card, but embossed in a Cuttlebug folder in my Wizard with the same Cardinal ink applied to the background. The ribbon and sentiment are from my stash, and the poinsettia was made using a Marianne die set. I cut and embossed four layers in my Wizard, then applied Glimmer Mist to the layers and edged with stickles.

All White!

There're a couple of challenges around at the moment which call for a card that's all white except for the image - Simon Says Stamp and Crafting Your Days Away. I had a birthday recently, and since my OH won't buy me craft things (in case he gets the wrong thing, he says), I ordered myself a few bits and pieces - among them a gorgeous stamp from Gillian Roberts and Stampavie.

I stamped the image on Ryman ink jet card in Memento black and coloured it with Promarkers. I mounted the image, and cut the border in a lovely white sparkly card I've had for a long time and almost run out of! The background is the same Ryman card, embossed using a range of Cuttlebug and Papermania embossing folders. I finished it off with some ribbon threaded through the border.

I'd also like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Charisma Cards which is looking for Christmas,
Sir Stampalot who are looking for Christmas Traditions (and what could be more traditional than the school Nativity play?)
I Love Promarkers who are looking for snowflakes (embossed in the background)

And, since I mentioned Sir Stampalot just there, I'd like to compliment them on the fastest order delivery I've ever had. I ordered a new trimmer from them after work on Tuesday and it was waiting for me when I got home on Wednesday! That's pretty amazing, I think.

Pretty in Purple

One of the challenges on my swap group last month was 'purple'. By now, it's either been received or it's got lost so either way, it seems like a good time to post it.

The image, of course, is one of Ching Chou Kuik's fairies, and she's coloured with Promarkers. Now, maybe it's me, but the lilac/purple shades I've got in Promarkers all seem a little grey.  Which is a pity because I love vibrant purples. (Or vibrant almost anything, to be honest!) I'm always a bit disappointed by them. But then, I haven't got he full set yet, so may be missing the brighter shades. Anyway, I've mounted her on some lilac mesh I've had for years, and also used some purple mirriboard that I embossed in my Wizard using a Cuttlebug folder. The backing paper is one I made in Photoshop Elements to match the Promarker colours, and I finished it off with some flowers. Three were stamped, embossed with holgraphic powder and cut out ages ago, and have been languishing in my box of bits since then. The fourth is even older - bought about the same time as the mesh! I finished them all off with sticky gems. And finally, I added a sentiment which I picked up at our local Wilkinsons!

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

Flutterby Wednesdays (Favourite colour and wings), and

The Wild Flower Patch which is looking for embossing

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 22 (Again!)

(Second post of the day - scroll down for more from One Stitch at a Time.)

I suppose I could've put this card on the last post, but I decided to keep them separate because it's easier for those checking and commenting from challenge blogs if they're separate.

Remember, One Stitch at a Time is sponsored this week by Craft Brulee.

So, I made a second card for this challenge due to someone being unavailable, and this is it. I'm so lucky to have had two images from two talented artists to work with!

I used an image called Lady Klmt Esq. by Hope Jacare which is available from the Stitchy Bear shop, and there's still 30% off almost everything in the store. Isn't she amazing? I loved the swirls and flowing lines, and immediately thought of my Divine Swirls Cuttlebug folder and my new swirl punch. To make the most of the embossing, I used Coredinations card - some Black Magic which I sanded to reveal the pink, and some Gemstones which has a lovely lustre to it. I coloured the image and Prima flowers with Promarkers, and finished the flower with a jewelled brad. The image and green swirls have been raised on foam tape to give a little more dimension to the final result.

I think I'll be using that image again - I love that style of image to start with, and it's really fun to colour!

Don't forget to watch out for news of the exciting changes coming at Stitchy Bear stamps!

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

Totally Stampalicious which is calling for a splash of red. (Her collar and dress detail),
Wild Orchid Crafts where they want to 'Say it with Flowers'. (I hope one flower with three layers counts,)
One Stop Craft Challenge which is looking for pink, blue, green and a hint of red (collar and dress detail), and flowers and bling (jewelled brad in the flower) are also welcome,
For Fun Challenge whose theme is 'Favourite Colouring Technique' (Promarkers),
and Crazy Challenge whose theme is 'It's Cool to be Square'. (Square Card)

Notelets

I had to think of a little addition for my sister's birthday, and, after a day of frustration dealing with a bank that doesn't know its own procedures, I really needed some distraction. Well, my new subscription to Craft Stamper came to the rescue as the magazine dropped onto the doormat this morning. There was a feature on doing a Masterboard and it looked like an ideal starting point for some notelets. I checked my stash of A6 cards - I rarely use that size these days for greetings cards - and found six bright yellow cards. With that and the knowledge that my sister loves pink, I set to work.



I used a variety of stamps from various sources, Promarkers and Sakura Stardust pens for colouring and Memento black and Versacolor inks in olive, raspbery and marigold. I then cut sections of the masterboard and mounted them in a variety of ways - using my nesties, borderabilities, edge punches and Cuttlebug embossing folders. I then made a box and topped it off with a large section of similar pattern. As you can see, while there's an overall theme, they're all quite different. I kept them all pretty flat - seems more practical for notelets really! Now, all I've got to do is work out how to get it to her without the box getting too bashed!

Sunshine

Don't know what the weather's like where you are, but it's very hot and sunny here. Got to say, I'm not a fan of summer weather, but knowing it would be hot today, I was up fairly early so I could cycle into Hobbycraft. I got some new stamps from Crafts and Me yesterday and I needed some Kling-On for them. And despite the early hour, I was still too hot when I got back. Still, it's good for me, and it saves the train fare.

So, not a rubber stamp on this card, but a digi-one - from Lilly Boo. I really like the window collection!



I've coloured it with Promarkers and then added papers from Personal Impressions, some card embossed in a Cuttlebug folder in my Wizard then inked, and a hand-written sentiment.

One of the challenges I'm entering it for requires that the inside is somewhat decorated too, so this is what I did:



I used some Versacolor ink and a small butterfly silhouette stamp from Lavinia stamps, then added some handwritten words.

The card fulfils the requirements for three challenges: Sketch Saturday, Colour Create and Crafty Cardmakers.

No Colour but Promarkers!

I was intrigued by this weeks' challenge at Passion for Promarkers - which was to use only Promarkers in your backing paper. It definitely makes a change from my usual method of trying to match backing papers to the Promarkers using my colour chart. I thought about it, and went a little further - unless you count the black printer ink of the image and the stamped sentiment, everything not white on this card was coloured with Promakers.



The image is from Precious Moments, and the backing card was embossed with a couple of Cuttlebug folders in my Wizard. I then picked out the embossed areas with Promakers in Rose Pink and Pastel Green. Similarly, I coloured the outside of the layers (square and scallopped) with Rose Pink. The flowers were punched and again coloured with Rose and Baby Pink and the leaves with Pastel Green. The sentiment is from a ready-inked stamp I bought a while ago. (Must stamp some more of those - it's useful to have some ready in my box of bits.)

Leaving Card

One of my colleagues is leaving the school where we work to move north, so I decided to make a card. It might make sense here to say that we work in a school for children with moderate learning difficulties, and we first worked together in the autism base. Although the children we worked with are aged from about four, Mo Manning's images seemed perfect for the card.



I combined two of her 'terrible twos' images, and added the wording with Sakura Stardust pen which, unfortunately doesn't photograph too well. So you don't have to look too hard, it says 'Won't let you go, Sian' and adds at the bottom 'without one last tantrum'.

The image is coloured with Promarkers and the backing is Co'ordinations card which I've run through my Wizard with a Cuttlebug embossing folder and sanded. Then, I added a few gems and a colourful butterfly from my collection.

The card fulfils the criteria for this week's I Love Promarkers challenge which was a sketch and a ban on backing papers, and the Saturday Challenge on The Secret Crafter which was an 'anything goes' requirement!

Easter Cards

Now, I know lent has just started, but I managed to do my Easter cards yesterday. I only send them to close family, and these days, that numbers five cards.



I used a stamp I got from Mad About Cards in their £1 shop, and watercolour markers. The sentiments are computer generated. Then, I did something a little different with each card. This one uses a fabulous flower from Fred She Said which I cut out and layered and finished with a lilac gem, and some lilac Co'redinations embossed with a Cuttlebug folder.


A completely different colourscheme here, and this time I finished it with some paper from Papermania and flowers cut with my nesties. I printed out some circles with a gradient from pink to maroon and used those to get the tinting. The flowers were actually made for a different card but they didn't work in the end, so I was very pleased to be able to use them here.


This is the third of my colourschemes, and this time I embossed some yellow Co'redinations card with a Cuttlebug folder and finished the card with some paper flowers from my collection, each with a golden gem.


Back to the first colourscheme, but this time the backing paper is from Papercellar, but it originally had alternating white and grey flowers. I coloured the white ones with lilac Promarker , and finished the card with a multi-layer tissue paper flower.


This final card is another repeat colourscheme, but this time I used some really pretty paper that came with a magazine a while ago, and I finished it with another of those nestie flowers - this one is larger than the others, and was cut so it had white petal tips on the bottom layer, and I coloured those with pastel yellow Promarker to fit the rest of the scheme.

I don't often use watercolour markers like this, but this stamp just cried out to be used that way. I like the way it can give cards which are bright and spring-like, while still remembering the point of Easter.

Allsorts Challenge

I saw this new image from Cute Daisy May and had to have it! It's my daughter, even if it wasn't intended that way. Well, she's not known for wearing hats, but otherwise ... And she's sixteen in March so I used the sketch in the Allsorts Blog and this is what I came up with.



Her friends tease her that she always wears blue, and she definitely always wears jeans (unless she's at school). I've coloured it with my Promarkers, and backed it with some pearlescent card which has been embossed with a Cuttlebug folder in my Wizard. The Happy Birthday paper is from Papercellar (I think, but the label's gone from the pad!)The embellishments are from the local 99p shop and the sentiment is hand written with a Sakura silver pen. Unusually, I haven't used a square format - the image doesn't easily lend itself to that being so long, but I think it works pretty well.

Sketch Saturday 88

This was a pretty sketch, and I had an image all coloured ready, so I put it together.



The image is a Sarah Kay girl I got from my Secret Santa at Crafty Cardmakers. (Thanks, whoever that was!) I coloured her with Promarkers - mainly playing with some recently acquired colours - pastel green, soft green and mint green, and adding denim, bluebell and pastel blue and skin tones - ivory and blush.

The background paper is from a MME pad currently available free with Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine. The other patterned paper is from Papercellar, and the blue pearlescent paper and card, and the standard green are from my stash. I embossed some of the blue with a Cuttlebug folder in my Wizard, and used my oval and Blossom 2 nesties to mat and layer and to cut the flowers. I finished the card with a hand-written greeting and a tiny peeloff butterfly coloured with mint green Promarker.

Birthday Card

I was asked by someone at work for a card for her parents to give to their daughter-in-law, and this was the result. Apparently, the woman in question favours autumn colours - so I stuck to gold, moss green and coppery tones.

The image is from Dover Books Flower Designs and Motifs collection, and I changed the outline colour to a tan shade, and then coloured it with Promarkers.

I took an uncoloured image and also coloured it in Photoshop Elements and used this image to make the backing paper. The strip at the bottom is card coloured with Moonglow Ink in Burnished Brass and Copper and embossed in my Wizard using a Cuttlebug folder. The sentiments were designed in Photoshop Elements and, in the case of the round one, cut and mounted using my Nestibilities. (I do wish there was a better sized rectangle for sentiments - they're all too square, and none of the tags I've got was the right size.) The flowers were cut using my Blossom 2 dies, and they were also embossed using the flower screen embossing folder, and finished with some brads I've had forever but can rarely bring myself to use!

I've Been Busy

It's been hard to do much cardmaking over Christmas due to more people in the house, to say nothing for the Christmas paraphanalia that always seems to be left around. I even had to put some of my bits away that normally stay within easy reach! But, even though it's a couple of days until twelfth night, things have got a bit quieter - eldest is back at work and two younger children at school (My school doesn't start until tomorrow!) And I managed to take over the table for long enough to make some cards.


This card uses a digi stamp from Cute Daisy May and I've teamed it with papers from Papermania and tried out my new Martha Stewart punch. The image is coloured with Promarkers, and I even pulled out a punch I've had forever that does those photo corners. The sentiment is computer printed and cut using my circle nesties.


This one is similar in layout, but uses a Sarah Kay stamp. The paper's from the same pad as the last card, and again, I've done a sentiment on the computer and cut it with my nesties.


A different layout this time, although the Martha Stewart punch was used again. This time the image is a Sugar Nellie stamp, and again, it's coloured with Promarkers. I didn't have any ribbon to match this peach/brown colourscheme, so I improvised, using the papers I'd used for matting and layering, punching one and embossing the other using a Cuttlebut border folder. Like the others, the sentiment is computer generated and cut with my nesties.



This one uses some more of the Kars Oliphant stamps I got for my birthday. I masked so I could add the dog and some grassy mounds behind. Oddly enough, what I thought were grassy mounds turn out to be hedgehogs in reality, but it's amazing what a bit of green colouring does! Again coloured with Promarkers, and with some more Papermania paper, and finished with an embossed flower I made a while ago and kept as a spare embellishment.

Christmas Cards

Not entered for anything, but I thought I'd post a few of the over one hundred I made this year.



This one is magazine freebie! The image was a stamp which I watercoloured and the backgroud paper came direct from Papercraft Essentials.



This is a simpler one - two stamps from my See Dees collection and I've embossed them in silver. The paper is one I put together.


This one is similar, but embossed in gold and the paper is from Debbi Moore.








This is another pair of See Dees stamps, embossed in clear and coloured with Sakura Stardust pens.












This one is a recycling special. The main image is the front of a card from last year which I loved. I added some backing paper and ribbon, and there it is!









And finally, this is one I did for my other half. The stamp is one I bought from Mad About Cards in one of their 50p specials, but too late for most of my Christmas cards. I suspect it'll be heavily used next year. I inked part of it in black and embossed it with clear powder, then inked the stars with clear and embossed in gold. The background is my first attempt at the cling film technique from The Stampman, although using a different product. The background card is wizarded using a Cuttlebug folder.

Colour Create Challenge 33

It's been a while since I made any cards - I blame pre-Christmas busy-ness and a long-running low-level lurgy. Still, I got inspired today by the Colour Create challenge which was to make a card with the colours lilac/purple, aqua, black and white. Now turquoise/lilac is one of my favourite colourschemes, but I was a bit wary of having black with them. Still, I coloured a couple of Cute Daisy May images and this is what I came up with.





They both pretty much fulfil the challenge, but if I've got to choose one, I'll go for the first one.

Both images are coloured with Promarkers. I've used some Co'ordinations card embossed in my Wizard with a Cuttlebug folder in both too, and the sentiment is from an Anna Griffin stamp, embossed with Cosmic Shimmer embossing powder.

The larger flowers are made with my Wizard and the smaller ones came from Craft Creations.