Friday 28 March 2008

Scrummystashcafe challenge


The challenge this week was "Get the Edge" and you had to use decorative edges or borders in your project. I have used a stamp from Dimension fourth, stamped in black staz-on. I coloured the image with pencils, blended with Zest-It and a paper stump. I used decorative scissors to cut around the image and matted him onto some Rustic Gems paper. I then took some black cardstock and cut around this with the same decorative scissors, so that it was slightly smaller than my card blank. Finally, I placed the image onto the black card, again having left the greeting to be added at a later date.

My Time To Craft/Papertake Weekly sketch


As my week off work comes to a close I managed another couple of cards today. The first takes in two challenges. The My time To Craft challenge this week was "Sparkle" and the Papertake Weekly one was a sketch which can be seen by clicking on the blog link under My Fave Blogs below.
I have used an image from Funky Fairy which I coloured with watercolour pencils. For the bubbles is used my glue pen and added a liberal amount of glitter(this is the sparkle but I don't know how well it will show up!). The horizontal strip on the card is pink Bazzill cardstock and then vertical is a green Anita's Sticky ribbon. I have matted the image on to a piece of Laura Ashley paper and then added some Primas with a gem in the centre.
I have yet to add a greeting when I decide what I will use the card for.I really like this sketch and am sure I will use it again. As for Sparkle, well, you can't get enough of that, can you:0)

Thursday 27 March 2008

Yet more Fat Pages!



Being off on holiday this week has been great because I have caught up with loads of things, house related and crafty:0)
I am on a Tilda/Sugar Nellie Fat Book list on Craft Swap forum so have quite a few pages to make before the end of August. I made 6 pages today, all using Sugar Nellie stamps as I am still waiting for my Tildas to arrive. I have stamped all the images in black Staz-on and coloured them all with my pencils and Zest-It blending solution. I am really enjoying this new technique so may bore you all with it soon!
The papers are from The English Paper Co., a pad I got as a Christmas Pressie from Secret Santa.
That is all for today, promise no more fat pages for a while :0))))

Arty Girlz & Fat Book Challenge


The challenge from Arty Girlz this week was "Chocolate" and the Fat Book Challenge on Craft Swap Forum was "Glorious Food". As choccie is one of my favourite glorious foods I decided to do a page that incorporated both. It meant that I had to open one of my Easter eggs- the sacrifices I make in the name of craft :0). I have covered the page with the gold foil the chocolate was wrapped in. Then I took my scissors to the wrapper and placed the image of the chocolate truffle on the page. I cut out the "Heaven" from the wrapper and laid it over the page, just underneath the choc. YUMMY(the chocolate bar is yummier)!!!

Flowers Fat pages



I am on a Flowers Fat Book list on Craft Swap Forum. I have 19 pages to make before the end of June so thought I had better get started. I made seven last night and they will be posted tomorrow. I have used the new Laura Ashley papers and stamps on them all and highlighted areas with Stickles in Star Dust. I am loving these papers and stamps :0)

Wednesday 26 March 2008

Funky Fairy/My Paper World challenges



I have made a card which covers both of these challenges. The Funky Fairy challenge was "Bling" and the My Paper World one was sketch #7.The strip of paper and the stamped image are from the new Laura Ashley range. I have added the strip of paper to the card balnk per the sketch and placed some yellow Bazzill cardstock across it. I then painted the stamped image with Cosmic Shimmer Sparkle Paint in Lime Twist ( this is the bling part) and left it to dry. I then added more bling by using the same paint around the edges of the card. I then mounted the stamped image on 3D foam and added 3 Primas with flower brads in their centres to the bottom right per the sketch. I finished with a peel-off greeting mounted on some yellow Bazzill.I am hoping the bling will show up in the photo, the paint gives a wonderful shimmering two-tone effect.

Sunday Stampers challenge


This weeks challenge was set by Linda E as it was her birthday. She chose "Party Hats" and I was stumped cos I don't have a party hat stamp! However, I found a sticker with a party hat on it in my Brenda Pinnick Scrapbook Kit. I stamped a Sugar Nellie image which I have coloured in using coloured pencils blended with some blending solution(Zest-it) and a paper stump. I tried this technique for the first time on another image and have discovered that I need to use lots of solution and more colour than I was initially. Once I sussed that out, it was fine. I have made a fat page for a Tilda/Sugar Nellie list that I am on. The paper is by K & Co (Brenda Walton)Scrap Pad To Go. I have then placed the stamped image over this. I placed the sticker on some cardstock and cut it out, then mounted it on 3D foam.

Tuesday 25 March 2008

March Scrapbooking Challenge


Each month on Craft Swap Forum Lesley sets us a challenge for a scrapbook page. As I am a novice I find these very good for ensuring I attempt to do something with my photos, even if only once a month:0). This month the challenge was "Spring is in the Air". You had to use green & yellow, flowers, journalling on a tag and photos on any theme. I have used a 12x12 paper and chipboard flowers from a Brenda Pinnick kit. The photos are all of a family day out we had last spring in a local heritage park. I have added some journalling to a chipboard tag and threaded this with green ribbon, both items are from the same Brenda Pinnick kit.

New Home card


I had to make a quick card this morning. I decided to open a recent TSV from QVC that I hadn't used yet- the Concept Card Kit. I haven't used one of the cards from the kit but have removed elements and added them to my own card blank. The door image has been mounted onto brown Bazzill cardstock and then placed on 3D foam. Very simple - I knew the kit would come in handy when I was short of time :0)

Monday 24 March 2008

Florries ATC challenge - 100th!!!!


Over on Craftswap we have a weekly ATC challenge which was started by a much loved member who sadly passed away last year. We have continued the challenge in her memory. This is the 100th Challenge and Hels has set the theme of "Friends and Flowers".
I have stamped "Friends" in clear embossing ink and covered it with a Cosmic Shimmer embossing powder in Mallow Flame Aurora(a gorgeous pink).The stamp is by Hot Of The Press. Once embossed I covered the ATC in Dusty Concord Distress Ink and wiped it over with a damp baby wipe. I have then added some Primas in co-ordinating colours.

The Batik Technique



The tag technique from my friend Hels this month is batik. I stamped a Paper Artsy image in clear embossing ink and covered it with clear embossing powder which I heated. Then I covered the tag with Distress inks in Scattered Straw and Broken China. Then using my house iron cos I don't have a craft one, I covered the tag with a paper towel and laid the hot iron over it. This melts the embossing powder and lifts it off the image. You are then left with a negative image on the tag. The boys in the image look a bit spooky with their white eyes I thought- next time I try this technique I will use a different stamps :0)
I stamped the text in Broken China. On the back of the tag I have stamped another image from the same plate and some text in Broken China again and finished the tag with some co-ordinating ribbon. Hope Hels approves of my efforts.(click on the images to get a closer look)

Friday 21 March 2008

House Mouse birthday card


I adore House Mouse stamps yet have only managed to acquire 4 of them. It is a friend's birthday soon so I decided to use one of the stamps to make her card. I stamped the image in black staz-on and coloured it in using watercolour pencils. They are just a cheapy set but I think I need to invest in better ones that blend and smudge better. All recommendations gratefully received.
I then matted the coloured image onto some red/pink paper from Funky Fairy and matted this onto the card blank. I finished off with a Happy Birthday peel-off. I hope she likes it :0)

Sugar Nellie birthday card


This is for a friend who has a birthday soon. I have stamped the image with black staz-on and coloured her in with Marvy le Plume pens. I covered a card blank with some K & Co paper, leaving a small border down the sides. I then mounted the stamped image onto the card using 3d foam pads and added a mat of pink Bazzill with a peel-off greeting on it.

A birthday card for my uncle


My aunt asked me to make her a card to give her hubby on his birthday this Sunday. I have used papers and an image from Joanna Sheen's Egyptian Adventure. The image is mounted on some Bazzill cardstock as it the greeting. Hope they both like it

Tuesday 18 March 2008

Daring Card Makers challenge


This weeks challenge was "Teen Spirit" I have used a stamp that I got from Dimension fourth of a Sk8ter Boy as I think some teenagers are into skateboarding(aren't they)?
I have coloured him in with a mixture of watercolour pencils and Marvy le Plume pens. The stripy background paper is from a Dovecraft 6x6 pad. I have then coloured in some peel-offs with a black peel-off marker and added the word COOL to the card(again, a word I associate with the youth of today :0)

ATC weekly challenge


This weeks challenge was "purple" so I used Milled Lavender Distress Ink pad to cover the entire ATC. I then stamped one of my new Gibson Lady stamps from The Artistic Stamper using Dusty Concord Distress Ink. I then edged the ATC with the Dusty Concord and added a purple flower brad.

Monday 17 March 2008

Sunday Stampers Challenge



This weeks challenge is "I'm a Laydeeeee!" so I have made two cards. I couldn't decide between my new oriental lady stamp or the lovely one I got the other week. The oriental lady has been stamped in black-staz on and then watercoloured. I had to copy the image on the wooden block to get the shading right. I then edged the mat with gold Krylon pen and mounted it onto red pearlescent paper which I had covered the A6 card blank with.
The other stamp is again stamped in black staz-on and coloured in with Marvy Le Plume pens and a black watercolour pencil.I covered an A6 blank with some Basic Grey Periphery paper(which I love). I took an Adirondack Dabber in Bottle along the edges of the stamped image and then mounted this onto the card. I haven't added greetings to either card as yet as I don't know what I will use them for. I am much happier with these efforts than other recent ones :0)

Another mishap



I have attempted the Hidden Depths challenge on the Craft Swap Forum challenge blog. You had to follow the folding instructions and then decorate the inside using different techniques from the outside (the hidden depths).The theme was to be Spring. I have inked up the inside of mine using distress inks over some flower, butterfly and dragonfly peel offs which I then removed. I was happy enough with this part. Then I decided I would use papers over the outside- my mistake.I cut it into 3 strips and used DS tape to stick it in place, matching up the design. HOWEVER, when I close the card, the creases show as these have not been papered over??? Perhaps I should have used inks on the outside and papers inside. Will have to have another go at this when I get the chance. Well, Simon did call it a challenge

Sunday 16 March 2008

Papertake Weekly challenge


This weeks challenge was a frame card. The frame tutorial gave instructions and although I tried to follow them, my card is a bit dodgy!!!! I have used a Henrietta image from Funky Fairy for inside the frame and the matching text along the bottom of the card. I used some red pearlescent paper on the front of the card and some Prima flowers with a flower brad to finish. You should pop over to the Papertake blog and see the fab cards shown on there. Mine is not quite up to the same standard but I shall keep practising :0))))

Friday 14 March 2008

Arty Girlz/My Paper World #6 challenges


I have used a sketch from My Paper World for this card. I love these sketches, they give you such great ideas for cards. The Arty Girlz challenge for this week was "Stars" so I incorporated some on this card as well.
I covered some white cardstock with Adirondack Dabber in Pink Sherbet and then stamped the stars with a Cranberry Dabber. I then matted this onto the card together with some HOTP textured paper, following the sketch design. I then cut a strip of pink Bazzill cardstock and matted this across my two sections. I stamped Baby Millie from Sugar Nellie and coloured her in with Marvy Le Plume pens. I mounted her on some 3D foam and placed her on the pink Bazzill. Finally a co-ordinating strip of Anita's Sticky Ribbon and pearlescent card with a Best Wishes peel off on it. Hope I have done the sketch justice!

Flower tag swap



I have already shown one of these tags this week for the My Time to Craft challenge. I made another two last night. I have coloured the tags using Distress ink pads in Shabby Shutters for the green one and Broken China for the blue. I then stamped two Anna Griffin stamps in black Staz-on and coloured the images in with watercolour pencils.
On the reverse of the tags I have stamped another Anna Griffin floral design in Pine Needles Distress ink for the green tag and Nick Bantock's Deep Turquoise for the blue one. I have added a Little floral brad to each and some co-ordinating ribbon/fibres. Thanks for popping in for a look :0)

Wednesday 12 March 2008

Tickled Pink!



My Time To Craft challenge this week is to make something pink!. I need to make some tags for a swap so decided to make one of them pink. I used Adirondack Dabbers in Pink Sherbet and covered the entire tag. Then I stamped a cala lily stamp by Joanna Sheen in red Staz-on on the front. On the back I stamped the wording and then the top part of the lily stamps again.I then coloured this in using Sakura stardust pens and a little water. Back to the front again and I stamped the word "lily" at the top. I took a green watercolour pencil and gently shaded the leaves of the lilies, blending with a little water. I added a pink butterfly brad from Lakeland and some pink ribbon, then edged the tag with a Cranberry Dabber.

Funky Fairy Challenge





This weeks challenge is as follows
In with the OLD
Out with the new
Create an Item
That's just for YOU
Go through your stash
That you've had packed away
And fetch out those Goodies
To have a little play! :)


I decided to finally alter an old teabag tin to store my bits & bobs in. I covered the tin in my gorgeous Rustic Gem papers then stamped images from Clear Art Stamps randomly around the tin. I covered the rim of the tin with Adirondack Dabber in Gold and brished this lightly onto the edge of the paper. Then I used my Cropadile to punch some holes round the tin and threaded some ribbons through these. This is my first attempt at tin altering, feel the urge to try some more :0)

Tuesday 11 March 2008

Sunday Stampers - Turning Japanese....


This weeks challenge set by Hels was oriental. As I had no oriental stamps, Hels came to my rescue and sent me a couple of stamped images. I inked up the oriental script using Nick Bantock Vermillon Red ink pad and Distress Inks in Scattered Straw & Black Soot. Then I used the Scattered Straw direct to paper to colour the other two stamped images. I then covered these in clear embossing powder and attacked them with my heat gun. I matted the larger image , which I love, onto the script and the smaller image onto some white cardstock. I then inked the edges of the cardstock with the red & black ink and did the same round the edge of the card. Finally I attached a couple of oriental charms with gold brads.
I love these images, must find out where I can get my hands on them. Thanks for helping me out Hels :0)

Di Hickman Sketch


I thought I would try another sketch card as I really enjoyed the last one I made. This one was from Di Hickman. I used papers from Funky Fairy's purple papers and added a purple Prima, with a black brad in the centre. I also used some of Anita's sticky ribbon to edge where the different papers meet and then mounted a greeting on black cardstock to finish.I really like the end result and will use this sketch again. If you want to see other cards made using this sketch, visit Di's blog, the link is in My Favourite Blogs below.This was March sketch #1 posted 05/03/2008.

Notebook for a friend




I decided it was time I used my BIA again. I used K & Co Sweet & Sparkly papers to cover the chipboard covers. I then tied co-ordinating ribbons to the wires and used some Stickles in Crystal to highlight the flowers.I used some bubble stickers to spell out "notes" on the front cover. Finally a little stamped message on the inside back cover and I'm done. :0)

Monday 10 March 2008

30th birthday cards




My cousin will be 30 later this month so my aunt and my mum asked me to make cards for them to give him. I also made my own card to give him. He is a big fan of Glasgow Rangers and a keen golfer. I got the images for Rangers FC from Google and matted them on some navy Bazzill. I then mounted these on 3d foam onto some blue paper which I had attached to the card blank. I typed out the text on my PC and matted it on Bazzill as well. The golfer image and backing paper is from a Joanna Sheen disc. For the other card I used paper by HOTP and then stamped Hamish by Sugar Nellie onto some cardstock and coloured him in with Marvy Le Plume pens. I have mounted him on 3d foam onto a mat of navy Bazzill and again typed the text on my PC.
Three different cards, hope he likes them all.

A birthday card for a friend


My hubby bought me a new stamp yesterday so I have used it to make a card for a friend whose birthday is this week. The stamp is by Creative Expressions and I have coloured the image in with Marvy Le Plume pens. I mounted the image on some red paper from Funky Fairy and completed the card with a Happy Birthday peel-off and a couple of sequins. Nice & simple, she isn't a crafty friend so wouldn't appreciate a card that had taken hours. Hope she likes it :0)

Sunday 9 March 2008

Altered Dominoes


Well, this is my first attempt at altering dominoes. I used alcohol inks in Wild Plum, Stream and Butterscotch and dabbed them all over until I was happy with the overall effect. I then used my lovely domino stamps from Cats Life Press to stamp onto each domino. I took the photo and since then have covered the stamped image in Glossy Accents to make them shine.

Funky Fairy Challenge


I managed to fit in another challenge. The Funky Fairy challenge this week was to use "eyelets and ribbons". I used my new Sugar Nellie stamp Baby Millie and coloured her in with some watercolour pencils. I mounted her on some paper from Funky Fairy's purple papers. I then used my lovely Cropadile to set two pink floral eyelets and fed some pale pink ribbon through each of them. I love this stamp and all the purple papers are gorgeous :0)

Friday 7 March 2008

Furry Friends


This is this weeks ATC challenge on Craft Swap Forum, set by moi! I have used backing paper from Funky Fairy and the image is from Joanna Sheen's Animal Antics disc. I trimmed round the animals so they would fit on the ATC. I then used my trusty Cropadile to set a pink floral eyelet in the top right hand corner and threaded through some sparkly pink fibres. Ta-da!

Thursday 6 March 2008

DIY challenge


The current Fat Book challenge on Craft Swap forum is "D.I.Y." set by Vanessa.
What about a bit of DIY? Do something yourself on your fat page, i.e. handwrite your own message/sentiment, do a little bit of doodling or a little drawing! It doesn't matter how little or how much!


Well, at first I was despairing because I cannot draw!However, I remembered when I was young my mum taught me how to draw a ladies face. I drew one then decided that the best thing I could do was cover it up again lol!
I cut a hat shape out of some pearlised cardstock and added some lines with a Sakura glitter pen in pink. I added a bow to the hat and positioned it so you could only see the tip of her nose and her mouth. I coloured her lips in with the pink pen and then mounted this on some lovely paper from Funky Fairy. I added two small gems for ear-rings and finally doodled around the flowers on the papers and drew a stitch line round the page with a purple Sakura glitter pen. I surprisingly am quite pleased with the end result but my was it a challenge :0)

Black & White


That is the ATC weekly challenge on Craft Swap Forum this week, set by June. I have used paper from a Papermania black & white pad and then stamped one of my thirties ladies form Artistic Stamper in black staz-on on to a piece of white card. I used Stickles in Crystal to highlight her the straps of her dress and headdress and matted it onto the ATC. Then I used the same Stickles to highlight the swirls and dots on the paper for added bling!

Wednesday 5 March 2008

My Time to Craft & DCM challenges


Again I have made the most of my available crafting time and combined two challenges with one card. DCM challenge this week was "I am Woman" so I have stamped one of my lovely stamps, from Artistic Stamper, in black staz-on, onto some white cardstock. I have then coloured her in using Marvy Le Plume pens and matted this onto some paper from DCWV Once upon a Time stack(I love those papers).
I finished off the cards with a couple of co-ordinating Primas and a little gem to incorporate the My Time to Craft challenge this week which is "Flower Power". I really like the end result, very elegant I thought!

Papertake Weekly Challenge


This weeks challenge was "Squares". I had to make a 30th birthday card for my brother-in-law who is a huge Aberdeen football fan. I cut out squares from red pearlised paper and stuck them to white card in a chequerboard fashion. I googled a couple of Aberdeen F.C. images and mounted them on black card which were then placed on 3D foam pads and popped on the card. I stamped the word "Goal" in black staz-on in some of the white squares. Finally I printed off some text and mounted this on black card as well. My mother-in-law has paid some shop in town £4.99 for a handmade card for Simon(she forgot I could make her one!) and hubby says mine is much better :0). Let's hope Simon likes it.