One Stitch at a Time Challenge 106

This week at One Stitch at a Time, our challenge is very easy - just use a digi!

Our sponsors this week are

who is offering a £10 voucher for her store. To be eligible for this prize, you must use an image/paper from Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps.

But, don't worry if you want to use something else - there's still a chance to win the runner up prize of a voucher from the Stitchy Bear shop!

This week, I had an image set from Digi Blessings called Flower Girl. There are actually four images in the pack, there's the girl, the table and the large flower as well as a pre-coloured version of the girl. I combined all the uncoloured images to produce my card.

First, I had to alter the png images so that the insides of the pictures weren't transparent, but white. I did that in Photoshop Elements. Then, I sized and placed the images as I wanted them. I used the flower at a range of sizes, and created a partial frame. I printed out the main image, along with three extra copies of the largest flower. I coloured everything with Promarkers, then layered the large flower. I cut a mat using a Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page set, and added the result to white card.

The result is a lot simpler than my usual style, but I didn't think it needed anything else.

Hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
House of Gilli where the theme is 'spring',
Going Grey with Scrap Creations where they want flowers,
Sassy Cheryl where they want us to 'think spring',
Crazy Amigos where the theme is 'spring',
My Mum's Craft Shop where they want us to 'go digital',
Whimsy Stamps where anything goes,
Poodles Parlour where anything goes,
Stamping for the Weekend where anything goes,
Pattie's Creations where anything goes.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 64 - Time!

I don't know about you, but there are some days when there just isn't enough time! I get to the end of the day and wish I had a bit more to finish something. Then, there's how quickly it passes. It doesn't seem that long since my eldest was born, but here I am, and my youngest has just turned 18. It's scarey! So, when my team mate, J, suggested 'time' as a theme for a challenge, I thought it'd be easy, but I soon decided it was harder than I'd thought! I had several ideas, but in the end, I managed to come up with something.

We're sponsored this week by

and

After several false starts, I decided to make a card for my husband for our upcoming anniversary.

The first thing I did was to design the clocks and hearts image in Photoshop Elements. I printed the result, and coloured the image with Promarkers. The clocks background uses a Tim Holtz/Sizzix embossing folder. I embossed the dark brown card, then dabbed the raised areas with Versamark ink, and applied Perfect Pearls in gold and copper shades. Finally, I stamped a Craft Stamper freebie, again using Versamark ink, onto brown card, and then embossed the result in Champagne Gold.

Hope you can join us this week.

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

Whimsy Inspiration where they want embossing,
The Paper Shelter where they want something for the boys,
Shelly's Images where anything goes,

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 105

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we're challenging you to make it girly! (An ideal challenge for Mother's Day too!)

Our sponsors this week are

Now, there's a lot of scope with this theme, but for me, there's nothing girlier than flowers!

So, I took Delicious Doodles gorgeous image Floral Watering Can which is available at Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps. I coloured it with Promarkers, first deciding to have a pink and purple theme for the blooms. Then I decided that the watering can just had to be green, but since the flowers were already fairly dark, I decided to go for a limish green. The result was very bright, and I initially despaired of finding some paper to work with the colours. (Note: illogically, I didn't do it the other way round. I rarely do!) Then, I remembered a paper pad I got with a magazine a while ago. I can rarely resist magazines that give paper pads (unless they're full of cute critters, of course), but I have to say that the colours in this pad are so bright I wondered if I'd ever manage to use them (I think it's a Kate Knight pad with the word Tropical in there somewhere.) Anyway, to my amazement, it seemed to work perfectly, so I added a lime green mat or two, die cut a mat in a strong purply-pink, then some die cut flowers (Spellbinders) and butterfly (Marianne) and a couple of sticky gems.

Having done it, I think I'll probably be using more of that pad, as I like the result - even if sunglasses are needed!

I hope you can join us this week, and I wish every mum out there a very happy day! I'm off the the Stitch and Craft show at Olympia with my daughter, so I'll have to wait to link this card to challenges when I get back!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp where anything goes,
Totally Stampalicious where they want flowers,
Digital Tuesday where the theme is 'think spring',
I Love Promarkers where anything goes,
Shelly's Images where anything goes,
The Poodle's Parlour where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 104

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we're challenging you to 'use a digi'! Our sponsors are Crop Stop

and Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps.

This week, my team mate, Hazel, chose an image which had me out of my comfort zone a bit. (I tend to go for 'pretty' images, and don't have any children to make cards for!) But, with the magic of digital images, I came up with something that'd work for almost anyone.

I raided the backgrounds on Photoshop Elements, and came up with this lovely watery one. I 'filled in' the png of the image so that only the background was transparent, then put the image onto the background, adding some suitable text. I printed the result, printing an extra copy of the diver. I coloured both images, then cut out the second image, and layered it on top of the first.

At that point, I thought it needed some embellishment, and while I've got flowers, gems, ribbons, and all manner of charms, I didn't have any fish. So, I pulled out some shimmer paper (gorgeous product from Craft Creations), and drew some fish onto it with a Promarker fitted with a fine nib. I backed the paper onto card for substance, cut them out, and you see the result! I used two slightly different shimmer papers, but they never photograph that well, because the colours you see depend a lot on the angle!

And to finish, I did a matching insert,

Hope you can join us this week!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Papertake Weekly where anything goes,
Craft Your Passion where anything goes,
The Paper Shelter where anythhing goes,
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge where  there's a photo inspriation (who looks like she's under water!).

A Variation on that New Stamp!

A couple of weeks ago, I showed off a new stamp that I'd bought. Well, I've had another play, and come up with something a little different.

 

As you may have guessed, it's impossible to photograph this card straight on!

I stamped the image in Memento ink in brown, then coloured it with Promarkers. I cut the image panels apart, then mounted them on bronze card, using Papermania background paper, and finished the inside with cream card edged with a Punch Around the Page set from Martha Stewart.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Papertake Weekly where anything goes,
Craft Your Passion where anything goes,
My Craft Spot where it's 'for the birds',
Crafty Catz where they want us to use punches and dies,
Sparkles Forum where they want things with wings,
Do You Stack Up where they want things with wings,

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 63 - A Sketch!

This week at Crafty Cardmakers, our challenge is a sketch by my team mate, Susie!

Our sponsors this week are

and

And the sketch:

I was lucky enough to be able to choose a gorgeous image from our Sponsor, and knowing that I need to get started on my Easter cards, I chose a lovely rose bouquet.

I coloured the image with Promarkers (and the background with a Flexmarker), and matted the image using some Spellbinders Nestibilities. The ribbon is threaded through another Spellbinders die cut, and the papers are from Papermania. To finish, I've used some ribbon roses and some sticky gems (which I coloured with Promarkers). The sentiment is hand-written and edged using a Letraset metallic marker.

Hope you can join us!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Crafter's Companion where the theme is spring,
Cupcake Craftroom where the theme is spring bouquets,
The Stamp Man where the theme is Spring/Easter,
Delightful Challenges where the theme is Spring Colours,
Just Inspirational where they have a photo inspiration (from which I used the colours)
Crafty Emma's Challenge where she wants a flower frenzy,
Craft Your Passion where anything goes,
Totally Stampalicious where 'spring is in the air'

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 103

This week at One Stitch at a Time, our theme is Reuse or Recycle! Our sponsor this week is Creative Craft World.

This week, I worked with an image from Beary Dust called Berry.

I coloured the image with Promarkers and mounted it onto some card from the Papermania Capsule collection. The backing paper came from the same collection. The black card is Coredinations Black Magic which I embossed using a Sizzix folder in my Wizard, before sanding the embossed areas.

As for the recycling/reusing, here it comes! The flower was made using newspaper. I did shade it with Promarkers to soften the effect a little. I cut some scallopped circles in my Wizard with a nestibility die and joined the layers with a brad before scrunching and then unfolding each layer. I added two skeleton leaves to complete the effect.

Then, there's a bit of re-use going on. I've had some of those wire spring 'beads' for years, and I strung them onto a bit of jewellery wire, adding a clear 'jewel' I found at the bottom of a jewellery box. I then curled the ends of the wire around some round-nosed tweezers, and attached the result to some more of the Black Magic card with a couple of jewelled brads.

Hoep you can join us this week!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
The Crazy Challenge where anything goes,
Ladybird Crafts where they want 'pink and girly',
Partytime Tuesday where anything goes,
Stamp n Doodle where they want embossing,
Flutterby Wednesdays where anything goes with a fairy or butterfly,
The Sisterhood of Crafters where they want a digi,
Simon Says Stamp where anything goes,
Emerald Faerie where they want embossing,
Sparkles Forum where they want things with wings,
Do You Stack Up where they want things with wings,