Something a Bit Different

I finished a card today that's definitely not my usual style. I'm not sure how it happened - I can't even blame a DT challenge!

See what I mean? Where are the bright colours? (And where is that poor girl's nose and mouth, but that's a different story.)

The image is a Gorjuss Girl one - stamped with Memento ink and coloured with Promarkers. I cut it with a Spellbinders die, leaving her legs as you see. I then 'aged' the background with various Distress Inks and finished with a threaded ribbon which I'd already coloured with Promarkers. The papers are from Personal Impressions. I've had this set for ages, but the colours are so muted, I rarely use them.

Having done that, I made some flowers. For those I used some of my Sizzix Susan's Garden dies and a Crealies die for the leaf shapes.

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

Party Time Tuesdays where anything goes,
Crafty Ribbons where anything goes (with a ribbon),
Delightful Challenges where they want us to 'make the cut',
Papercrafting Journey where anything goes,
Lady Anne where anything goes,
Cuttlebug Mania where anything goes (with die cuts),
Creative Corner where the theme is 'Child's Play'.
Sister Act where anything goes,
Delicious Doodles where they want 'anything floral' (hope the paper and embellishments are 'floral' enough.)

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 178

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we're doing another 'anything goes' but with a twist! You've got to use an image of paper from the Stitchy Bear shop. And why not? There're loads to choose from!

Our sponsor is

And there are loads of prizes - check out the challenge blog for details!

This week, my image was chosen by my team-mate Shell. It's from My Heart Pieces and it's called Pretty in Sari.

I cut the image with a Spellbinders die, then coloured with Promarkers, adding some detail with Glamour Dust. The background paper is from Kate Knight - I love the vibrant colours, and thought they were ideal for this glamourous lady. I've used a Heartfelt Creations die to cut the corner piece - although I trimmed it a little. The flowers were made using one of the Sizzix Susan's Garden die sets - this one is flowering quince, although I've made no attempt to match colours to anything other than the card!

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Digi Sketch where they want us to make our own flowers,
Papertake Weekly where the theme is 'flower power',
ART where anything goes,
Happy Campers where they want us to use a stamp,
Papercrafting Journey where anything goes,
Digistamps 4 Joy where anything goes,
The House that Stamps Built where they want 'things with wings',
Paper Pretties where they want 'girly' creations,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Card Crafter's Circle where they want bright colours.

More Christmas Cards

I've been busy - some of these were made a couple of weeks ago, and some were done this weekend. This first group of four are all similar. In some, I ink dusted some card before stamping using a Chocolate Baroque Big Bold Backgrounds stamp, then added a heat embossed and glittered single bauble.

 In this instance, I used a Colourbox stamp pad in Berry Blaze

 In this one, I used an ink pad I've had forever - I think it's an Inkstone pad.

 In this one, I used a Colourbox ink pad in Autumn shades.

And finally, I used a Colourbox ink pad in Blossom shades.

In these two, I stamped using Memento ink, then glittered the background layer.

These next three all use a stamp I've had for many years. I've used it for a number of cards over the years, but, when I saw the background I've used here (which comes from Chocolate Baroque's Harlequin Christmas set,) it seemed like an ideal combination. Again, I've used a range of ink pads - some mulit-colour pads, and some are a mix of Distress inks. I've added some solid colour card, and Spellbinders Nestibilities and Fancy Lattice dies.

And finally, some more cards where I used another part of the Chocolate Baroque Harlequin Christmas set.

In these two, I used the Acrylic Block technique with Distress Inks in the background, and then stamped with Versamark ink and embossed in gold. The stamps are from various sources. I stamped the main image in Distress Ink, and then again in Versamark which I embossed in gold, before layering the diamonds on top of the coloured image, and finished with a ribbon.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 98

This time, at Crafty Cardmakers, our host is Lin and she wants to see some 'fun in the sun'!

We're sponsored by

and

See the challenge blog for details.

I got to work with a lovely image from our sponsor, Saturated Canary. When I saw it, it reminded me so much of my elder on and daughter, and I decided it would be perfect for a birthday card from her to him. (And it's his birthday today!)

Despite, or maybe because there's almost five years between them. they've always got on really well. She used to worship her big brother, and he doted on his little sister. I've often felt sorry for our younger son because he was too close to both of the others to be part of that, although now they're all grown up, they all get on really well.

I coloured the image with Promarkers, after adding the speech bubble in Photoshop Elements. I kept it fairly simple otherwise, since my boys (both of them) are not fans of busy cards. I added a Sizzix die cut, a cute insect and a metal sun, both of which came from a local book shop that used to do some crafty bits.

I hope you can join us this time.

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

A Little Bit Crafty where the theme is 'summer sun',
Kreativeinkauf where the theme is summer, sun, beach,
Happy Campers where the theme is summer,
Saturated Canary where the theme is 'winged things'. (Hope my insect embellishment is enough for your challenge.)
The Crafters' Cafe where the theme is 'the beach',
Crafting by Designs where anything goes,
I Love Promarkers where the theme is 'summer',
Little Red Wagon where they want us to 'use a sun',
Bearly Mine where anything goes,
Crafts Too where the theme is 'summer with beach colours'.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 177

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we're having a 'Back to School' challenge. Now, this is one of those that I find hard, as I've never sent a 'back to school' card in my life, and even if I wanted that, my kids are either working or at university so it's not relevant anyway. Still, I've gone with a 'learning' theme, and a wish that would certainly be appropriate for someone starting on a course of learning - whether formal or otherwise!

I chose an image from Reece's Scrap Pieces called Little Painter.

I designed a 'frame' in Photoshop Elements, but couldn't print it and the image onto the same paper because what's best for printed colour doesn't work well with Promarkers, so it's two separate layers.

The background uses four strips of Coredinations Black Magic in shades or red, orange, yellow, and green. I embossed using an Embossalicious folder and my Big Shot Pro and sanded to reveal the core colours.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Bearly Mine where anything goes,
Cuttlebug Mania where they want embossing,
Top Tim Tuesday where they want embossing,
Just Inspriational who have a photo for inspiration (from which I took the rainbow of colours.)
Crafting by Designs where anything goes,
Colour Me Creative where anything goes,
Sweet Stamping where they want 'bold and beautiful'.

Some Christmas Cards

I was very tempted recently by some Chocolate Baroque stamps. I treated myself to a set of older stamps, of which more later, and two of the recent additions to the range - the 'big bold backgrounds' - specifically the ones with baubles. I've been playing - really playing and getting my fingers inky and everything, and I've come up with a couple of ideas for them, and still haven't gone the more normal 'stamp and colour' route.

This first set use Perfect Pearls and Versamark ink. It's never quite as bold as a result as I think it's going to be, and in this instance, some of the card I used had a slight texture, making the stamped image a little less crisp than I had hoped for, but I was still fairly happy with the result.

 In all three, I've finished with some ribbon and an embossed greeting - using a 'no inkpad needed' stamp I've had for many years. Although it's limited to black ink, the ink stays wet long enough to allow embossing, so it's really quite versatile. Dies used are from Spellbinders.

The next set really got my fingers inky! First, I took some watercolour paper and my Aquamarkers. I used the acrylic block technique recently featured in the Chocolate Baroque Monday Mojo post. I scribbled some colour onto the block, sprayed with water, and then placed the paper on top. When it was dry, I inked the second of the two stamps using a couple of Distress Inks, and stamped. Because of the texture of the watercolour paper, the impression is fairly faint, but still quite attractive, I think

 For the second layer, I again applied the stamp - this time to some smooth card, and I inked with Versamark before embossing with either Cosmic Shimmer or a metallic copper powder. I then picked out some of the uncoloured areas with an embossing pen and applied some Perfect Pearl.

In this final card, I again used watercolour paper, but had no coloured background. Instead, I added a little colour to the baubles using my Coloursoft Pencils for a fairly understated hint of red and green. In this instance, I used a Big and Juicy stamp pad to apply the image to the background.

No challenges this time. I generally enter challenges with my DT cards - because that's only fair to the sponsors. But I rarely do more than an occasional cursory check of winners lists, so not entering really won't make an awful lot of difference!

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 176

This week and One Stitch at a Time, we're keeping it easy. If, like me, you find summer weather a trial, you'll be glad to hear that all we're asking is that you use a digi! So, show us what you've been up to.

Our sponsor this week is:

See the Challenge Blog for details.

So, this week, I got to work with a sweet image from Gingerloft called Bird with Leaves. It's quite a simple image in some respects, so I kept the design fairly simple too.

I cut the image and mat usings some Nestibilities Labels, and coloured the image with Promarkers. The papers are from Paper Pizazz, and the die cut is an adapted version of a new one I've got from Crafts Too. (It was too wide, so I shortened it and reattached the outer two leaves ...)

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Papertake Weekly where anything goes,
Crafts and Me where anything goes,
Paper Pretties where they want two or more patterned papers,
Whimsical Designs where anything goes,
Hanna and Friends where anything goes,
Brown Sugar where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 175

This week at One Stitch at a time, our theme is In the Summer! So, lots of scope there. (Those of you in the southern hemisphere could even make Christmas cards!)f

Our sponsor this week is:

I got to work with an image from Beary Dust this week. It's called Belle.

Now, I don't know about you, but that's a sun hat if ever I saw one! I've coloured with Promarkers, and cut the image and mat with nestibilities. The paper is a Kate Knight design from Dovecraft, and I've mirrored the brown flowers using a Sizzix die set (the daisy one from the Susan's Garden range), and a Spellbinders die for the leaves and trailing vine. I cut the flowers using some pretty brown card that's flecked with metallic gold, and finished the flowers with a liquid pearl in bronze.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

A Little Bit Crafty where the theme is 'Summer Sun',
Card and Scrap where anything goes,
Cut it Up where they're celebrating summer,
Delicious Doodles where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Crafting Boutique where anything goes,
Happy Campers where the theme is 'summer',
Papercrafting Journey where they want die cuts,
Pollycraft where the theme is 'fun in the sun',
Nutcrafters where the theme is summer.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 97

I'm late! I had this one set up to publish while I was on holiday, but it didn't. So, here's hoping we're 'better late than never'!

This time, our challenge at Crafty Cardmakers is to use a recipe: One image, Two papers and Three embellishments! So, not too hard.

Our sponsors are

and

See the challenge blog for more details.

My card this week is definitely busier than I usually aim for - but that's good. It forces me to think beyond fairly simple designs which tend to be what I go for.

I've used several favourites here: The image is from Sara Burrier/Crafts and Me. Sara's my favourite of the Crafts and Me artists, and that image is one of my favourites of hers. The papers are from Kate Knight - another favourite. She does the most beautiful floral patterns - bright, bold and beautiful! I've coloured the image with Promarkers and finished it with Glamour Dust. The flowers were made using some Sizzix dies, and the butterfly is from a die from Spellbinders.

I hope you can join us this time.

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

Creative Creations where anything goes,
Paper Playtime where they want patterned paper,
Whoopsie Daisy where they want 'things with wings',
Die Cutting Divas where anything goes,
Party Time Tuesdays where anything goes,
Crafting Boutique where anything goes,
Little Miss Muffet where they're 'Away with the Fairies',
Papercrafting Journey where they want die cuts,
Crafting by Designs where anything goes,
Paper Shelter where anything goes,