One Stitch at a Time Challenge 201

This week at One Stitch at a Time, our challenge is to make something girly! Apart from that, you can do whatever you want.

Our sponsor is:

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

This time, I got to use an image from Reece's Scrap Pieces called Flower Bear.

I coloured the image with Promarkers. The background paper is from Papermania, and I just added a bit of lace from my overflowing box of ribbons and suchlike.

I hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
City Crafter where they want 'flowers and lace'. (Hope the flowers the bear's holding count - if not, feel free to delete my entry.)
Baffies Kreativladen where anything goes,
Digistamps 4 Joy where they want dies cuts or punches,
The Paper Shelter where they want punches or dies,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Chocolate, Coffee and Cards where the theme is 'teddy bears',
Sister Act where anything goes,
Stamping Boutique where they want die cuts/punches,
CMC where anything goes,
Lothian Crafts where they want us to 'love using dies',

A Birthday Card

It's half term this week, and so I'm trying to get a little bit ahead on all those March birthdays that seem to creep up when I'm still short of pre-made cards after the rush of Christmas. I've got a few coming up which have been made as part of DT commitments, but it's lovely to be able to make something just for someone specific without starting from constraints.

The lady I made this one for is someone I worked closely with for a few years, although we're now working in different rooms. She loves very feminine cards, and I have a suspicion that she was responsible for a Secret Santa gift I had a few years ago. It included a pad of paper from Papermania that I loved so much that I went out and bought a repeat when I saw it! The paper here is from that pad. Anyway, I know she likes yellow/gold/orange mixes. The image is a digi from Crafts and Me and the original artwork is from my favourite Crafts and Me artist - Sara Burrier. I cut the image using a Spellbinders die, leaving the hem of her dress and foot to overlap the edge, before colouring the image with Promarkers. Then, I added some glitter glue to her wings and some liquid pearls to her head band. The background uses Pan Pastels. The matting is also from Spellbinders - one of their Grand Nestibilities. I considered adding some flowers, but there's so little of that gorgeous paper still visible I couldn't bring myself to do so. Instead, I added some more liquid pearls, this time in blue, around the die cut.

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

Craft your Passion where the theme is 'Girly Girl',
Love to Scrap where anything goes,
Paper Nest Dolls where anything goes,
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper where anything goes,
Digi Galore where the theme is 'things with wings',
Doodle Pantry where anything goes (with a digi),
Feeling Crafty where they want us to use a die cut or punch,
CMC where anything goes,
Brown Sugar where they want us to use a die cut or punch,
Sister Act where anything goes,

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 109

This time, my team mate, Viv is challenging us to 'Come fly with me'! She wants to see birds or something bird-related as the main focus of the card.

Our sponsors this time are:

and

(See the challenge blog for details.)

Although it's not really my 'turn' to make for a challenge, I recently bought a Crafty Individuals stamp that seemed perfect, so I decided to give it a go.

Although it's a single stamp, I cut the four images apart and matted them separately. The images are coloured with Promarkers. In the background, I've taken matching card and embossed it using an Cuttlebug folder in my Big Shot Pro. I picked out the embossed areas and roughly tinted the edges of each piece with Pan Pastels.

I hope you can join us this time.

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

Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Baffies Creativladen where anything goes,
Crafty Hands where they want embossing,
Sister Act where anything goes,
The Crafting Cafe where they want embossing,
2 Sisters where they want embossing,
CMC where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 200

This week at One Stitch at a Time, our challenge is to use a digi! Other than that, you can do what you like!

Our sponsor this week is:

(See the challenge blog for details.)

This week, I worked with an image from Ike's Art called Fairy, and it's available from the Stitchy Bear shop.

I coloured the image with Promarkers, adding a little gold glamour dust to her wings. In the background I've used a paper from my Flower Power CD, and the two corner die cuts are from Spellbinders. The flower uses dies from the Sizzix Susan's Garden range, and I shaded the petals using Pan Pastels.

I hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Sparkle and Sprinkle where anything goes (with glitter etc.)
Top Tip Tuesday where they want us to 'make it girly',
Crafty Girls where anything goes,

Moving Along with the Times where it's fantasy week,

Baffies Creativladen where anything goes,

Brown Sugar where they want us to use a die cut or punch,

Sister Act where anything goes,

Stempelsonne where the theme is 'fairytale/fantasy',

Citrus Colours and Flowers

On a whim, I decided to make a card this weekend for no specific purpose. It seems I don't do that very often these days - it's normally for someone specific or it's a DT commitment that gets me crafting.

I printed out an image I've had for a while: it's from Delicious Doodles and it's available via the Stitchy Bear Outlet - link in my sidebar.

Now, it seems that whenever I use this image, I'm drawn to my collection of Kate Knight papers, and this time is no exception. I chose this rather pretty citrus-themed paper, and coloured the image to match using my Promarkers. I cut the image with a Spellbinders die - one I've found less useful than I'd hoped, but it worked well here. I edged the image with Distress Ink (vintage photo) and completed the card with some hand-made flowers. The larger ones were made using Crealies dies - not my favourite because they're foam backed making it harder to get a good cut. However, I was successful this time. I used a variety of punched shapes for the centres. The smaller flowers use the dies for the small lily from Susan's Garden, but I've used them to make a rather different-looking flower.

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

Suzy Bee's Blooming Challenge where anything goes,
ABC Challenge where 'E is for Embellish',
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper challenge where anything goes,
Feeling Crafty where they want die cuts/punched shapes,
Come and Get It where they want us to 'make it girly',
The Alphabet Challenge where they want 'zesty colours'.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 199

This week at One Stitch at a Time, our theme is 'with love'. So, use your imagination and come up with some loving thoughts for someone!

Our sponsor this week is:

and the winner will get $9 to spend in the shop. The only problem they'll have is limiting themselves to $9 - they're bound to want more!

I used an image from Stitchy Bear called Quilted Love. I decided it would make a perfect Valentine card for my husband, and it will, of course, be unsigned.

I designed the paper and added the text (and red hearts) in Photoshop Elements. I colorued the rest of the image with Promarkers, adding a shadow with Pan Pastels. The ribbon is from my stash, and the die cut is one I bought ages ago. I think it's a X-Cut die which has probably been discontinued. It's actually a bit big for an embellishment for the card sizes I usually use, but I thought it worked well with this image. Since it's for my husband, I've kept it fairly simple.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Crafting from the Heart where they want 'anything goes/red',
Digi Makeover where anything goes,
Whoopsie Daisy where the theme is 'valentines',
Crafty Sentiments where 'Love is in the Air',
Everybody Art where the theme is 'valentines',
Flourishes where they have a joint theme of Red and Love,
Papertake Weekly where anything goes,
Milk Coffee where the theme is love/valentines,
Delightful Challenges where anything goes,
Sunflowerfield Designs where the theme is Valentines Day/Hearts.

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 109

This time at Crafty Cardmakers, our theme, chosen by my team mate, Carole, is It's a Man's World. So, a project for a male of any age is what we're looking for.

Our sponsors this time are:

and

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

I got to work with a lovely image from our sponsor The Stamping Boutique called AJ the Race Car Driver.

I coloured AJ and his racing car using Promarkers, but added a little shading in the background using Pan Pastels. The papers are from Paper Pizazz - a pad I bought from a colleague who was giving up her cardmaking. I love this pad - so many gorgeous papers, but I've never seen any Paper Pizazz papers in the shops. I must ask her where she got it from. I finished the card with a checkered flag I made with some card and a spent matchstick that I coloured with black Promarker.

I hope you can join us this time.

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

Party Time Tuesdays where anything goes,
4 Crafty Chicks where anything goes,
Crafty Catz where anything goes,
Catch the Bug where anything goes,
Hiding in my Craftroom where the theme is, 'I'm Blue without You',
Challenges 4 Everybody where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 198

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we've got that easiest of all challenges: Anything Goes!

Our sponsor this week is

This week, I got to work with an image from Beary Dust chosen by my team mate Hazel. It's called Shih-Tzu.

I decided to do a completely digital project this time, especially as the image is so complete without further work. I designed the background in Photoshop Elements, and then went hunting for a suitable quote. I found this one, which I'm sure will resonate with many dog-lovers. I finished with a stylised flower which is from Dover Books.

I hope you can join us this time.

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

Artistic Impressions where the theme is 'anything goes/animals',
Party Time Tuesdays where anything goes,

4 Crafty Chicks where anything goes,

Challenges and Candies where they want monochromatic,

Catch the Bug where anything goes,

Oozak where they want white with one colour (grey).