One Stitch at a Time, Challenge 133

This week at One Stitch at a Time, our theme is 'Butterflies or Buttons' and we're sponsored by

and this is the prize:

This week, I got to work with some gorgeous papers from Panda Bear Designs and decided to make an exploding box.

I shrank the papers in Photoshop Elements to the size I needed (oh, the wonders of digital papers!), and printed them onto photo quality paper. The butterflies were cut with a Marianne Die, using some Craft Creations Shimmer paper.

Hope you can join us this week.

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

Totally Gorgeous where they want us to use punches and dies,

Party Time Tuesdays where anything goes,

Creative Craft Challenges where anything goes,

Whimsy Stamps where anything goes,

The Paper Shelter where anything goes,

Flutterby Wednesdays where they have an open challenge;

Crafting for All Seasons where they want 'things with wings',

Love to Create where anything goes.

Some Christmas Cards

A few weeks ago, Joanna Sheen reduced a CDrom I've had an eye on for  while, and so I had to have it! It's the Enchanted Dreams CD, and I've been having some fun with that. I decided to use a couple of the winter-themed images to make a couple of Christmas cards.

Before I got into the actual images, I put together a template for a step card in Photoshop Elements, then digitally sized and cropped the image and backing papers to fit. Because these beautiful images have so many 'sub-plots' - images within images - I cropped sections of the main image and used them as supplementary focal points.

This card design actually works best (I think) with a portrait orientation image, but it can be adapted for a landscape type. The only disadvantage is that the image has to be a bit small.

Aren't the images gorgeous? I really haven't added anything to either beyond some pretty gold/white card for matting and the snowflakes (using my new Spellbinders die set) and the same gold/white card.

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

Natalie and Amy's where anything goes,
Simply Create Too where anything goes,
Creative Craft Challenges where anything goes.

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

ATCs and Cards with Attitude where anything goes,
Little Miss Muffet where anything goes,
Whimsy Inspirations where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 132

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we're sponsored by ...

Our theme this week is Bingo!

I decided to work with the middle line down - embossing, digi and lace. (Whichever line you use, you must come through the middle square.)

I got to work with a gorgeous silhouette from Floppy Latte called Flights of Fancy.

I started by reversing it in Photoshop elements, so that the image is white on a black background. Then, I printed it onto film. I decided to use some Stickles - I've got various shades, but don't often bring it out. When I want glitter, I tend to go for either Glamour Dust or Sakura Stardust pen, but the first has a limited colour range, and the second doesn't work too well on film. So, I put Stickles in Blueberry on the back of the image over the swirly background, but not the fairy herself. When that dried (and it took ages!) I mounted the film onto some blue holographic card backed by silver mirror card, using brads.

I embossed the background black card in my Wizard, and added some pretty white lace to finish.

Hope you can join us this week!

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

Creative Crafts where anything goes,
Digital Tuesdays where they want 'things with wings',
Shopping Our Stash where they want embossing,
Crafting for All Seasons where they want 'things with wings',
Fab 'n' Funky where they want 'things with wings',
Stampavie and More where they want glitter,
Whimsy where anything goes,
Charizma Cards where they want 'things with wings',
Sarah Hurley where they want 'something magical',
Digi Doodle Shop where anything goes.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 75

This week, at Crafty Cardmakers, the challenge is set by Lin, and it's to make something with stitching and lace, and as a (non-essential) twist, use a stitching-related image.

We are sponsored again by 

with this fabulous prize

I hunted through my available images, and despite having got into cardmaking by means of various forms of embroidery, I didn't have many stitching-related images, but I did find this one.

The image is a Sarah Kay, stamped with Memento ink and coloured with Promarkers. I trimmed the image and rounded the corners, then adapted a border from Erica Forgens 101 Ideas for Embroidery on Paper. After pricking the holes, I stitched it with gold thread. I cut and scored a piece of yellow card to make a 148mm square blank, and finished the card with some white lace.

So, show us your stitches and lace, and join us this week!

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

Digi Doodle Shop's Best where anything goes,

Dutch Dare where they want 'sugar and spice and everything girly',

Shelly's Images where anything goes,

Stamp 'n' Doodle where they want stitching,

Bearly Mine where anything goes,

Papelitos where anything goes,

A Couple of 70th Birthday Cards

In the last week, I was asked by two different people to make 70th birthday cards for two different men. They've got fairly different interests, so they turned out rather different, although I tend to make my 'male' cards fairly plain as I know my oh and sons don't like things to look 'fussy'.

This gentleman, apparently likes to sit outside in or close to his shed, drinking a beer. So, I adapted an image from the Joanna Sheen CDrom of images by Pamela West by adding a beer glass! I designed the background paper using colours from the image, as the papers on the CD tend towards the floral!

The second gentleman is a life-long supporter or Harrow Borough Football Club. I used an image from Pollycraft, which I adapted using Photoshop Elements to give him a 70 badge, and to add the words to the scarf and to colour it red. I coloured the rest of the image with Promarkers, and put the stripy paper together in Photoshop Elements. 

And those are both examples of why I love digital images - you can add those little details that personalise  a card.

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

The Crafty Pad where they want autumn colours,

Secret Crafter where they want milestone birthdays,

My Heart Pieces where anything goes,

Bearly Mine where anything goes.

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

Quirky Crafts where they want numbers,

Just Some Lines where they want two different colouring media (Promarkers, but the scarf was coloured digitally)

Tuesday Taggers where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 131

This week at One Stitch at a Time, our theme is Autumn. Now, my mind did drift towards autumn colours and leaves, and then it did a right turn and ended up with something rather different. This time last year, our eldest was about to start his first permanent job after graduating from university. I searched for an image suitable for him, and couldn't find anything suitable for the occasion. So, when I saw this image and paper pack from Reece's Scrap Pieces, I thought it'd be perfect for any young woman starting on a professional career this Autumn.

The pack is called 'Business Like' and it's available from the Stitchy Bear shop.

I used two of the papers supplied, and I coloured the image with Promarkers. I used a Tonic border punch (one of the new geared style) and a Nellie Snellen die to cut the image. I added some colour around the image with Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick Distress ink.

Our sponsors this week are:

and

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Everybody Art where they want pink and black,

Paper Pretties where they want us to use paper punches.

Digi Doodle Shop's Best where anything goes,
My Heart Pieces where anything goes,
Shelly's Images where anything goes,

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 130

This week at One Stitch at a Time, the challenge is 'Under 18s'. So, you could make a card for a child, or maybe even just be inspired by one. I've gone for a bit of both ...

Our sponsor this week is

This week I chose a lovely and unusual fairy image from Pookie Designs called Fae 1.

I added the wording in Photoshop Elements before printing. I coloured the image with Promarkers, cut it with my circle cutter then added some Distress Ink in Mustard Seed by sponging around the edge, then added a more subtle shading towards the image using an Ink Duster brush. The background paper is from Papermania, and I've sponged on some Distress Ink in Peeled Paint before adding the matted image and  a doily.

The wording is a quote from a book called Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae. It's a book I've become very familiar with this past year, as one of the boys I work with loves it. If it's available, he'll push you onto a chair, hand you the book then touch your lips in a silent command to 'Get reading,'. The image, when I saw it, seemed perfect for the wording. So, thanks to that child for the inspiration, and I've got a card suitable for just about anyone, but definitely for a child. 

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Ladybird Challenges where anything goes,
Natalie and Amy's Challenge where anything goes,
Unique Crafters where anything goes,
Emerald Faeries where they want us to use a doily,
Deep Ocean where they want 'things with wings',
Papertake Weekly where anything goes,
Tuesday Alchemy where anything goes.
Just Some Lines where they want two different colouring media (Promarkers and Distress Inks),
One Stop Crafts where they want no floral embellishment.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 72

This week, at Crafty Cardmakers, we want to see 'Winged Things'! The challenge has been set by team mate Marie.

We're sponsored this time by

 

and

It won't surprise anyone who visits here regularly to find I've chosen a fairy image, although it's not from Ching Chou Kuik or Molly Harrison this time!

The image is from a stamp by Crafter's Companion, called something like Rose Bay Willow or some such. (Lost the details!) I've finally been happy with the stamped image, having mounted it onto some Kling On. Previously, I've tried the Crafter's Companion idea of rock-a-blocks, but they make the lines too chunky for my taste. And, I didn't use Promarkers! Just for a change, I pulled out my Derwent Coloursoft pencils. I blended using a blending pencil, and although it hasn't come out in the photo, I used four coats of the burnishing pencil on the wings for shine, before adding some detail with Sakura Stardust pen.

The paper is from Kate Knight (I love her bright, bold designs). I've added a Spellbinder die cut (Lotus medallion) which I cut using Coredinations Whitewash (outer section, raised) and Craft Creations Shimmer Paper(inner section, flat to paper). I decided the result needed just a little further embellishment, so I added some small punched flowers, and gave them bead centres. Then, I decided that the same beads would look great in the central cut out of the die cuts, so I arranged some there.

 I hope you can join us this time!

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

Fashionable Stamping where they want floral/hand-made flowers,

No Matter Which Challenge where they want die cuts/punches,

ATCs and Cards with Attitude where anything goes,

Fat Pages and Cards with Attitude where anything goes,

QKR Stampede where anything goes,

The Poodle Parlourhttp://thepoodlesparlour.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/winged-things.html where they want Winged Things,

Everybody Art where anything goes,

Paper and Such where they want winged things,

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 129

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we've got a great challenge, and prize. The artists on the team have been busily creating images and papers to make a grand prize!

And don't forget, is you're not lucky enough to win, you can still get this set of images and papers free if you buy $12 worth of products from Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps!

I got to work with a lovely image from Reece's Scrap Pieces. She's called it Back to School but it's got many more uses than that! I've incorporated it into a digital collage that I made as an e-card for my son. He's spending a year abroad as part of his degree, and so far, he's been in Germany for three weeks, and will soon move onto France for a semester at university there. Then, in the spring, he'll go back to Germany again. He'll be living in university halls while he's away, but getting actual postal addresses for those is hard unless you're actually there (we don't have any idea of room or building numbers, for example), so sending him a paper card would be difficult or at least delayed.

I used Photoshop Elements throughout. The background is one that came with that software, and the various other additions came from some vintage images in the Crafty Image Emporium CD that I bought from Crafty Computer Paper a couple of years ago.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

(I checked each set of challenge rules and didn't see any prohibition of e-cards. If this project doesn't fit your rules, I apologise. I've never entered an e-card into challenges before!)

ATCs and Cards with Attitude where anything goes,
Fat Pages and Cards with Attitude where anything goes,
Fresh Brewed Designs where the theme is 'end of the summer',
The Perfect Sentiment where anything goes with a sentiment,
Everybody Art where anything goes,
CD Sunday where it's Allsorts.
Unique Crafters where anything goes.

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