One Stitch at a Time Challenge 197

This week and One Stitch at a Time, we're challenging you to limit your colours: we want white plus one!

Our sponsor this time is

I got to choose from the huge range of images from Hope Jacare this week, and with the theme, I decided to get ahead and do an anniversary card for my husband.

Isn't that a fun image? It's called Love Overflowing, and it's available from the Stitchy Bear outlet - there's a link in my sidebar. I backed the image with a mosaic of die cut squares. Interestingly, since I was using four different cards from four different sources, the squares are slightly different in size. I don't know if it's because some cards emboss a little more deeply or if it's due to some squashing factor for the card, but it was quite noticeable as I put the grid together. I did wonder if it was that my squares weren't quite square, but doing a 90 degree turn didn't help, so it's not that.

I finished with some more die cuts - hearts this time. All dies are Spellbinders, and I coloured the image with Promarkers in various reds.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Victorine Originals where the theme is valentines/love,
Cards for Guys where they want monochrome (card is for my husband),
2 Creative Chicks where anything goes,
Country View where they want monochrome,
Crafter's Companion where they want hearts,
Crafts and Me where they want us to use a heart,
Digi Galore where the theme is 'monochrome',
Sister Act where anything goes,
Challenges and Candies where they want monochrome,
Crafty Catz where they want monochrome

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 108

This week at Crafty Cardmakers and More, the challenge is set by my team mate Kim, and she wants everything to be black and white! She's willing to allow other shades for skin and hair colours, but otherwise, just black and white.

Our sponsors this time are

and

Just over a year ago, I splashed out and bought a Big Shot Pro, thinking it would solve all my problems regarding dies that wouldn't cut. Not surprisingly, it didn't, but then, dies are getting more and more intricate. Among the most intricate I've got is the fancy lattice die from Spellbinders. It's one of those dies that's supposed to be infinitely 'stretchable', but I'd never had the patience to go for more than a single cut of it because it took so much shimming and so many passes through the machine. This week, I finally got my hands on some Spray Emboss from Once Upon a Stamp and I tried it. Does it now cut in a single pass? No. But! I didn't use any extra shimming, and it cut completely in three 'double' passes through my machine. (The position of my BSP means I prefer to load and unload from one side only.) I then lined it up and cut a partial section alongside, and this time it cut completely in two double passes. This is such an improvement, I'll have to try it out with my other 'hard to cut' dies. I have a suspicion that the product is just a dilute soapy solution, but it does seem to work well. And the result?

You can see the fancy lattice there - I've cut it again using a Spellbinder Grand Labels One die, and framed it using the same set. The sentiment uses the standard dies - one large and one small. The sentiment is done with a 'ready inked' stamp I've had for several years, but don't often use. (I don't often put sentiments on the front - unless it's a personalised card or for humour.) The paper is from Papermania. The flowers are punched, and the centres shaded with black Pan Pastel before having the centres added. The flowers are attached to some vining die cuts from Spellbinders. The final addition is some ribbon from my collection.

I hope you can join us this time.

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

Crafty Sentiments where anything goes,
LEJ Designs where anything goes,
Crafting by Designs where they want flowers,
Milk Coffee where the theme is 'monochrome',
My Heart Pieces where anything goes,

Country View Crafts where the theme is 'monochrome',

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper where anything goes (with patterned paper),

Brown Sugar where anything goes
Addicted to Stamps where they want flowers,
Di's Digi Designs where they want spots.

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.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 195

This is the first One Stitch at a Time challenge of 2014, and the theme is 'new'. So, new life, new romance, new year ... you get the idea.

I decided to go for a Spring theme - new growth, and used an image from Stitchy Bear herself called Roots, which is, of course, available from our sponsors,

.

I cut the aperture in the front using a Spellbinders die. the paper on the front is from my collection - I've had it for literally years. The inside uses a paper from Stitchy's Oriental Beauty set. The arched dies are from Sizzix and, as usual, I coloured with Promarkers.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Card and Scrap where they want flowers,
Cards Galore Encore where anything goes,
Doodle Pantry where any (digi) goes,
Kreativeinkauf where anything goes,
Seemacrafts where anything goes,
Creative Craft Challenge where anything goes,
LEJ Designs where anything goes,
Papertake Weekly where anything goes,
Crafty Boots where anything goes,
Creative Creations where anything goes.

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

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 194 Continues!

Don't forget the five week long challenge over at One Stitch at a Time which is continuing!