A Mega-Card

I've never really been seriously tempted to make big cards before. I usually go for about 6 by 6, or if I want a rectangular format, 5 by 7. Occasionally, I'll do an A5, although I rarely make A6 any more as I just think they look a bit basic. But, a few weeks ago, I bought a CDRom which has had me re-thinking, and when I was at Alexandra Palace a few weeks ago, I bought a pack of 8 by 8 cards. I think I might have to keep stocked up with them, too.

The CDRom is from Joanna Sheen using beautiful artwork from Josephine Wall. There's just so much detail in the images, that it seems mean to print them very small. Having said that I love the images, I've got to say that I'm less impressed with the backing papers supplied. Some are lovely, but some seem a bit insipid compared to the images. The one suggested for this image is very pale and washed out in appearance, and I wasn't sure how well it would work with such a vibrantly coloured image. So, I took a couple of sections of the image, and created a couple of papers by tiling them. The darker paper uses  section of the fairy's wings, while the paler one uses a section of one of the bubbles.

I matted using card from my collection, and edged it with a Martha Stewart punch. The butterflies were made using one of my newer Spellbinders dies - can't remember what it's called, but I love the fact that you've got a lacy version and another that's solid. It's not obvious from the photo, but while the solid butterfly shapes were still in the die, I spritzed with Glimmer Mist in Pearl so they've got a bit of shimmer.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Crafts and Me where anything goes,
Divas by Design where anything goes,
Simon Says Stamp where they want die cuts or punches,
Creative Craft Challenges where the theme is 'fantasy',
Top Tip Tuesday where they want 'things with wings',
Craft Your Passion where it's 'hit to be square',
Incy Wincy where anything goes,

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 76

Our challenge today is called Indian Summer and is hosted by Mynnette 
Mynnette would like to see a created scene using any nature themed stamps you have, digis welcome. Examples of nature themed stamps are leaves, grasses, wildflowers, etc.  Anything nature and autumn! Plus use only oranges, yellows, and reds for colors (black/brown and white/cream are allowed as well).  Perhaps a sentiment of gratitude or autumn would also be appropriate!

Here is some inspiration for you~

  
We are sponsored by

DI'S DIGI DOWNLOADS 

I've used an image from the recently closed Digi Doodle Shop. I was really sorry to see the shop close - they had a wonderful range of landscape images which I love (and bought!)

I coloured the image with Promarkers. The paper is from the Papermania Capsule Collection, and I finished with some glittery brown card, some ribbon, and some stamped leaves I made last year! I embossed in gold and painted them with Twinkling H2Os. I made more than I needed then, but they work perfectly with this image!

I hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter this card intot he following challenges:

Paper Pretties where they want something Autumn-inspired,

Can You Digi It? where the theme is 'Indian Summer',

Everybody Art where the theme is 'Autumn',

Passion for Promarkers where the theme is 'Autumn Leaves',

Crafty Creations where the theme is 'Autumn Leaves',

Digistamps 4 Joy where the theme is 'All the Leaves are Brown',

I Love Promarkers where they have a 'male theme' this week. (Hope you consider this card 'masculine' enough!

Deicious Doodles where the theme is 'Autumn',

Emergency Crafters where the theme is 'Autumn Leaves',

Pattie's Creations where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time, Challenge 133

This week at One Stitch at a Time, our theme is 'Butterflies or Buttons' and we're sponsored by

and this is the prize:

This week, I got to work with some gorgeous papers from Panda Bear Designs and decided to make an exploding box.

I shrank the papers in Photoshop Elements to the size I needed (oh, the wonders of digital papers!), and printed them onto photo quality paper. The butterflies were cut with a Marianne Die, using some Craft Creations Shimmer paper.

Hope you can join us this week.

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

Totally Gorgeous where they want us to use punches and dies,

Party Time Tuesdays where anything goes,

Creative Craft Challenges where anything goes,

Whimsy Stamps where anything goes,

The Paper Shelter where anything goes,

Flutterby Wednesdays where they have an open challenge;

Crafting for All Seasons where they want 'things with wings',

Love to Create where anything goes.

Some Christmas Cards

A few weeks ago, Joanna Sheen reduced a CDrom I've had an eye on for  while, and so I had to have it! It's the Enchanted Dreams CD, and I've been having some fun with that. I decided to use a couple of the winter-themed images to make a couple of Christmas cards.

Before I got into the actual images, I put together a template for a step card in Photoshop Elements, then digitally sized and cropped the image and backing papers to fit. Because these beautiful images have so many 'sub-plots' - images within images - I cropped sections of the main image and used them as supplementary focal points.

This card design actually works best (I think) with a portrait orientation image, but it can be adapted for a landscape type. The only disadvantage is that the image has to be a bit small.

Aren't the images gorgeous? I really haven't added anything to either beyond some pretty gold/white card for matting and the snowflakes (using my new Spellbinders die set) and the same gold/white card.

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

Natalie and Amy's where anything goes,
Simply Create Too where anything goes,
Creative Craft Challenges where anything goes.

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

ATCs and Cards with Attitude where anything goes,
Little Miss Muffet where anything goes,
Whimsy Inspirations where anything goes.