Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 171

This week's challenge at Crafty Cardmakers is to make something on the theme of Under or Beside the Sea.

We're sponsored by

(See the challenge blog for details.)

Well, there's nothing more 'sea side' than sea shells, right? So, while I was considering what to do for this challenge, I happened to be taking out some paper recycling at work. I opened the bin and spotted a paper pricking book lying at the top of the pile. Naturally, I took it out, and found it was in perfect condition. So, I laid claim to it, and took it home. Admittedly, it's one of those books with gorgeous pricked patterns on the cover, but when you look inside, it sends you to buy one of their templates to get the result. (I always think that's really rather dishonest, but since I didn't pay for this book, I'm not really complaining.) However, while none of the bigger designs were in the book, there were a couple of sea shell motifs, so, with some tracing paper and a ruler, I put together a grid and added the motifs.

I stitched the shells and grid using some machine embroidery thread which I've always thought is perfect for this sort of embroidery on paper. It took ages to prick and stitch the pattern, but since my craft bits are in even more disarray than usual (due to my oh converting our study to a craft room), it kept me sane!

Apart from that, all I've added is some layering, and it's all mounted on a 7 by 7 in card.

I hope you can join us this time!

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 112

This time at Crafty Cardmakers, it's my turn to host the challenge, and I've gone for something I enjoy but don't often find time to do - Paper Pricking (or Piercing if you prefer.) I'd like to see some decorative paper pricking on your project. It can be a border, an embellishment or the whole design, so long as the paper or card has been pierced. If you want, you can stitch the holes - that's up to you, but no faux-stitching! As far as I'm concerned, the more decorative, the better!

Our sponsors this time are:

I used an image from our sponsor called Tess Summer Fun.

As you can see, I've pricked and stitched a frame for the image. I did consider leaving it unstitched, but in the end, I just couldn't! The pattern from the frame comes from The Art of Decorative Paper Pricking by Janet Wilson, although I had to adapt the inner pattern to make it work the way I wanted it to. I stitched it with some thread I keep for paper embroidery - it's got a beautiful sheen and it's nice and fine. I think it's intended for machine embroidery, but I wouldn't trust myself anywhere near a sewing machine! The image is coloured with Promarkers, although I shaded the background slightly with Pan Pastels. The image and matt were cut using Spellbinders dies, and I threaded some ribbon from Papermania through the eyelets. I finished the card by adding some liquid pearl to the pricked pattern.

I hope you can join us this time. I'm looking forward to visiting your blogs to see what you've come up with - and I'll be choosing a winner and top five. So, let me see how decorative you can make your paper-pricking!

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

Fan-Tastic Tuesday where anything goes,

Papertake Weekly where they're playing bingo (centre horizontal line - I've used a corner rounding punch - hope that covers the 'punched shape' option, if not, ignore this entry.)

Tuesday Throwdown where they want stitching,

Addicted to Stamps and More where anything goes,
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 105

This time, our challenge is set by my team mate Viv, and she wants 'clean and simple'.

Our sponsors are:

See the challenge blog for prize details.

Now, I think my style tends towards 'clean and simple', but as with anything, there are degrees. I love my layers, patterned papers (although I don't like combining them) and I prefer a little embellishment especially when I use a simple image. But, for this challenge, one of Viv's requirements is 'white space', so I put on my thinking cap and came out of my comfort zone.

I paper pricked a dog rose image by Janet Wilson before die cutting and mounting it onto blue mirricard. I've stuck with a big expanse of white in the background, but felt it needed something to stop it 'bleeding off the edge of the card', so I matted with more mirror card leaving a very narrow border, and finished with some velour ribbon and a spot of glitter glue.

I hope you can join us this time.

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

Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge where anything goes,
Scrapper's Delight where anything goes,
4 Crafty Chicks where anything goes,
Baffie's Creative Shop where anything goes,
Creative Moments where they want clean and simple,

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 102

This week at One Stitch at a Time, our theme is Easter/Spring, and we're sponsored by Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps.

And this is what you could win!

My image this week is from Ike's Art and it's available at the shop here.

I coloured the image with Promarkers. The papers are from MME, and I used a Marianne die to cut the flowers.

I hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Stamps R Us where anything goes,
Paper Pretties where they want us to use punches or die cuts (flowers, image and mat are die cut),
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge where anything goes,
The Sisterhood of Crafters where they want us to use a digi,
Truly Scrumptious where they want 'all creatures great and small',
Crafty Ann's where they want 'bold and bright',
Delightful Challenges where they want patterned paper,
Sarah Hurley where they want die cuts.

A Valentine Card

I always make a valentine card for my husband, but of course, traditionally, valentines must be anonymous, and so it's never signed! (I'm pretty sure he know who is 'secret admirer' is, though!)

This year, I decided to do a mainly stitched card.

The heart frame came from a book I bought recently called 101 Ideas for Embroidery on Paper by Erica Fortgens. I bought it from Amazon, and I was a little disappointed in it. The front cover of the book is full of various stitched borders and I thought it was exactly what I wanted. In fact, there are no actual borders inside. There are some frames, including some square and rectangular frames which I can adapt, but no actual borders. More irritating is the fact that some of the ideas rely on buying separate brass stencils with pricking patterns on them. Still, I decided there are enough ideas that I'll use, so I'll be keeping the book.

I had to increase the size of the heart circle, which I did by photocopying at 1.41 of the original size (equivalent to blowing A5 up to A4). I pricked some mirror card, and stitched it with some red thread that I think is intended for machine embroidery but which I think works perfectly on paper.

The plain border on the matting was done using the new (to me at least) Sew Easy from Making Memories. I bought the handle and a few pricking wheels from Hobbycraft, and was very disappointed with the result. Using a pricking mat I already owned or a foam mouse mat, I either got no pricking or the card got so mangled it wasn't usable. I decided to give the thing one more chance, and bought the pricking mat designed for the purpose, and had much better results. It will still work best on paper that's really too thin for stitching on, but it can be made to work with 'normal' card, providing you don't try to use one of the more complicated wheels. The straight line wheel that I used here, and one that does a blanket-stitch type effect worked well. The one that's supposed to put little circles of holes - I think it's called 'burst' or 'starburst' just won't work.

Here, I pricked some card, then matted it onto gold mirror board, and then I went round and pricked the holes right into the lower layer before back stitching using gold thread.

The sentiment was created in Photoshop Elements and cut with a scalopped circle nesitbility die.

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


Allsorts where they want one or more hearts
Di's Digis where they want valentines,
One Stop Crafts where they want stitching,
My Sheri Crafts where they want something new (new book and new Sew Easy)
Stamp, Scrap and Doodle where anything goes,
Mami Doodles where they want something for a loved one,
The Poodles Parlour where they want love/valentine projects,
Stamping with the Dragon where anything goes,
Wags n Whiskers where the theme is love/valentines,
Craft Us Crazy where the theme is 'full of love'

A Different Style

It was my turn to pick the challenges for September on the Cardmaking group I've mentioned before, and I wanted to go for a technique we hadn't used before. After some thought, I went for Paper Pricking. I went hunting for patterns and found an amazing collection in Alisha Sneddon's Photobucket account. I was spoilt for choice, but eventually chose this one:

 I hand cut the two blue pieces of card to mirror the central pricked area of the pattern, and added some flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and the local 99p shop. The paper-pricking itself is time-consuming (and hand-cramping!) but it's a really easy technique otherwise. And now I know my card's been received by my swap-partner, I can show it here.

There's no card from me for the One Stitch at a Time challenge this week. (It seems like ages since I last did one, but between holiday and rota changes, things have been fairly complicated for the organisers. But I've got one coming up next week for our Autism Awareness week.) But if you go over, you'll see some great work from the other DT girls, and if you take part, there's a chance to win some fabulous digi-images.

Geometrics and Patterns

I love cards which are more abstract, but I don't make them very often. Then I spotted a challenge over at Paper Sundaes which is sponsored this week by Fred she Said which calls for 'White plus One' colour. That combination struck me as ideal to do with one of Fred's paper pricking patterns, and this is the result.

I've added one of the 'geometric' patterns that I picked up from the weekly sampler from Dover Books, printed it and coloured it with Promarkers, then raised it on sticky pads above the pricked layer. The patterned card is some I've been hoarding for a few years, but it seemed perfect for this, and I finished the card with some Spellbinders die cuts from my In Spades pendant set and some Promarker-coloured sticky gems.

I love the lacy effect of that paper pricking!