Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight on Teenage Boys

I don't know about you, but I struggle with male cards. And worse than the average male card, there are those for teenagers. So this was a bit of a challenge, but an image I've had for a while came to the rescue.

The image, of course, is from Kenny K. It was a freebie a while ago, so I snapped it up while it was available. I've coloured the image with Promarkers including my new Silver one, and cut it with my new diamond Nesties. I've been looking at those for a while, and was very pleased to see them and the scallopped hearts at a very good price at Olympia in March.

The background paper and sentiment were generated in Photoshop Elements using a brick pattern which came with my older software - Namo Web Canvas - although I've de-saturated it to give a more neutral background. Then, I've added some band names supplied by my sixteen-year-old daughter. Logically, since both my sons will no longer need teenage birthday cards, it'll probably end up going to one of her friends.

Our sponsor is  this week is "Stamping Scrapping"  owned by Kevin and Cindy Echtinaw.

Hope you can join us in the spotlight!

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:
Papertake Weekly where it's 'Anything Goes'
My Grafico where 'anything goes'
Fussy and Fancy where they want something for a child. (To my mind, that's someone under 18! Sorry if you mean younger than that.)
Crafty Ann's Challenge where they want us to raise a smile. (Guaranteed since I've hidden some very local band names in the background graffiti!)
Aud Sentiments where they want something for a child. (To me, all under 18s are children. Sorry if you meant younger than this.)

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 57

Another Sunday, another challenge at One Stitch at a Time. This week, the theme is new babies, and we're sponsored by The Stamping Boutique who're offering five digis of the winner's choice.

I was lucky enough this week to be working with one of Sylvie's images - Baby on a Blanket which is available at the Stitchy Bear shop.

Since I don't have any new baby cards in my stash, I decided to be prepared and make two!

Both images are coloured with Promarkers, with spots added to the blanket with a Souffle pen. I've matted onto some patterned paper, and backed with some Co'redinations card. The paler one in each case is Whitewash, while the darker is the standard variety. (I wish I knew how to get hold of some more Whitewash in the UK, preferably a mixed pad. I've been hoarding what I've got, and that's kind of silly since I bought it to use it!) The card has been embossed in my Wizard using an embossing folder. Not sure whose - I didn't keep the packaging, but it's lovely and embosses a bigger area than the Cuttlebug ones - definitely a plus.

The sentiment is hand-written on a nestibility die-cut which I've shaded with distress ink in either Tumbled Glass or Spun Sugar and finished with some ribbon.

The flowers are either ribbon buds I was given for Christmas, or roses I've made using punched shapes and shaded with distress inks in the same shades as above.

When I come to use the cards, I'll probably personalise them with another circle on top of the greeting.

Hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter these into the following challenges:
ABC Challenge where 'R is for Ribbon',
There's Magic in the Air where they want flowers,
Lexi's Creations where they want monochrome,
The Crazy Challenge where they want us to 'just add flowers'
Craft Your Passion where 'anything goes'
The Stamp Man where they want embossing,
Crafty Catz where they want embossing,
Crafty Emma's Challenge where they want monochrome
One Stop Craft Challenge where they want monochrome.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 56

First, a Happy Mother's Day to all mums reading this. Hope you're being thoroughly spoiled.

Now, onto this week's challenge at One Stitch at a Time. This week, we want you to make something 3D. That can be decoupage, or anything else that stops your creation from being flat on the page!

We're sponsored this week by Michelle's Scrap

So, I could have chosen to do some decoupage, or some other technique to give lots of dimension, but I thought I'd try something a little different. I chose Tree Set from Gingerloft, and despite wanting to use several of those gorgeous images, settled for using just one, several times.

I first put together a digital background, consisting of a gradient that went between green and blue, and printed it onto paper. Then, I took the tree image, and separated it digitally into 'foreground' - the main tree and ground texture, and 'background' - the rest. I printed those two images separately, and then layered them with the background using sticky pads.

 

As you can probably see, I added a frame, which is also mounted on sticky pads.

Finally, I made a 'tray' into which the whole thing fitted so you can't see the sticky pads any more!

The effect is remarkably three-dimensional in real life, but I struggled to show that well in a photograph, so you're probably going to have to take my word for it!

I had originally thought of making it into a card, my my husband liked it and suggested it stay just as it is, so it's currently on display in our living room!

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

Paper Playtime where anything goes,

Top Tip Tuesday where they want something 'nature inspired'

Digis with Attitude where anything goes,

Stamp Something where it's Digi Day.

Easter Cards

I don't know what it is this year, but I really struggled to find time to do some Easter cards. It's not like I do an awful lot - just close family - a grand total of six.

I originally planned to use some decoupaged flowers and stitching, and I made one using that format.

And that card was all I managed, until I gave up the idea of stitching, and instead used one of a set of stamps I got at Olympia a couple of weeks ago. It's from 'Words Like Honey', and it seemed like a really useful set of crosses of various designs which will be useful for Easter cards as well as sympathy and other religious occasions. And once I got started, I created five!

I embossed the central cross image with Gold Mirror powder, then stamped around it using some tapestry stamps and a range of Versacolor inks. I edged the image layer with more Versacolor ink, then finished the cards with Papermania Capsule Collection papers, again edged with ink. The greetings are hand-written with my new Promarker Gold pen.

And in more detail,

I'd like to enter the top card in the following challenges:
If the Shoe Fits where the theme is 'sewing'
Karen's Doodles where the theme is Easter,
Papercutz where the theme is Easter,
Delightful Challenges where they want flowers,
Little Miss Muffet Challenges where they want stitching,


I'd like to enter the lower card in the following challenges:
The Res-Q Challenge where they want us to use our corner rounder (which I did, on all five!)
Tellen's Place where they want embossing,
Floweret Stamplar where the theme is 'Easter'
Stampin' Royalty where they want heat embossing,
Creative Craft World where they want Easter cards.