Inkspirational Challenge - Thank You with Something New

Our new challenge at Inkspirational is to make a thank you card using something new.

My new thing is the girl stamp, which is from a set by Personal Impressions/ Lindsay Mason. I bought these just before Christmas.  As she is hugging ('feeling') a heart, I thought it's be fun to team it with the Clearly Besotted sentiment 'Heartfelt Thanks'.

On this card I used two of my favourite 'techniques'. First I cropped the stamped image - she is full length, but I cut her off at the thighs. The other is paper-piecing, which I did on the heart.

At Inkspirational this challenge we are joined by an amazing Guest Designer, Maaike , so I hope you'll come over and see what she, and the DT have made, and join in the challenge.

I'd like to enter:
Just Us Girls  thank you
Natalie and Amy  thank you
Crafter's Cafe  square cards
Sweet Stampin  something new
Allsorts what's new ?

Empty Box Project #3 - Fairy

On New Year's day I revealed my stamping shame - a big box of unused stamps - and started my Empty Box project. My aim is to work through the box , one stamp/ stamp set at a time and see if I can use them. If I can't use them, I will dispose of them. The aim is to finish with an empty box.

This time, I tried out this set, which was a free gift with  Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine:

I stamped the fairy and the sentiment onto watercolour paper washed with gelatos. I mounted the paenel onto black and onto a green and gold butterfly embossed card (I think this was a Hunkydory freebie). I stamped the card base with the butterfly from the set and sprayed a die-cut leaf with green and gold. 

I'd like to enter:
Fantasy Stampers Fairy nice
Paper Creators Crafts anything goes 
Darnell's Challenge NBUS  

Inkspirational Challenge - Ombre

We have a great challenge today at inkspirational, chosen by our fabulous teammie Pia - ombre.

Aaagh! I had heard of ombre, I kind of knew what it was but I still had to pretend it was just for our followers that I needed a clear definition and here it is :Ombré is when the colour is graduated in tone eg. a colour that fades from dark grey to light grey. Of course any colour can be used on the project.

So this was a challenge for me, but one I'm glad I tried and I hope I've got it right.

I used a digi from A Day for Daisies and two sentiment stamps from Clearly Besotted.

One person who has definitely got it right is our brilliant guest designer Deepti.  

Why don't you give it a try and join us at Inkspirational?

I'd like to enter:

A Day for Daisies  ombre 

Addicted to stamps make your mark 

Red Rubber Inspirationals  birthday bash

Creative Cutting Challenge - Anything Goes with an SVG

We have an Anything Goes challenge for you at Creative Cutting Challenge , the challenge blog for SVG cutting files.

I've used Big Ben from the travel set by The Creative Pointe, a Stampin Up stamp (Celebrate) and a background using shaving foam technique.

If you've got an electronic die-cutter, why not join us?

I'd like to enter:
Artistic Inspirations new
Crafters Cafe new
Cute Card Thursday new
Simply Create Too  celebrate

Make My Monday - Winter Birthday

Make My Monday is back and our first challenge for 2015 is 'Winter Birthday' .

I think the snowdrop is a lovely flower, with a touch of winter and the promise of spring - this digi is by Pink Gem and I coloured it with Promarkers and liquid pearls. I also used a computer generated sentiment, Martha Stewart border punch, green glitter paper and stick-on pearls.

I hope you'll join in our challenge at Make My Monday. 

I'd like to enter:
Try it on Tuesday  favourite things - snowdrops and liquid pearls
Wags n Whiskers  anything goes
The Stamping Boutique winter birthday

Blast

Anything that looks navy on here, is in fact, black! 

I'm often reluctant to enter CAS challenges because of a fear that my card isn't CAS enough. I hope this card qualifies as CAS because I made it using the colour combo at Showcase Your Style - a challenge I found through Kylie's lovely card.

These stamps are from a 50s style set from Creative Stamping magazine. I wrote earlier that I have a difficulty with the stamps that come with this magazine - often there are so many samples in the mag that I feel there is nothing original left to do. So this time I used the stamps before opening the mag!

As well as Showcase Your Style, I'd also like to enter:
Red Carpet Studio  stars and new - new being the stamps.
Creative Card Crew for a child
Fantasy Stampers  birthday

Empty Box Project # 2 - Dovecote

On New Year's day I revealed my stamping shame - a big box of unused stamps - and started my Empty Box project. My aim is to work through the box , one stamp/ stamp set at a time and see if I can use them. If I can't use them, I will dispose of them. The aim is to finish with an empty box.

My son randomly picked out the first 3 stamps/sets for me. You can see the results of the first two here.  This is the third set: 

This set came with Creative Stamping magazine. Their USP is that they provide a full stamp set every issue and lots of samples in the magazine. But,perversely, after I've seen all the samples I feel less inclined to use them ! Anyway, the magazine is lost now and I've forgotten the samples but I was still stuck on what to do with these pretty stamps. 

I was playing around combining some of the smaller stamps in the set when I remembered a challenge I'd seen, and discounted at the time - anniversary at 4 Crafty Chicks . I don't generally make anniversary cards as I don't really have anyone to give them to, but I thought the sentiment (To love and to be love is to feel the sun from both sides) was perfect for this occasion. 

I stamped on some of the paper I made at my shaving foam session and added punched flowers, a die-cut fence and liquid pearls. 

As well as 4 Crafty Chicks, I'd like to enter: 

Love to Scrap - Liquid pearls, Text, Stamps, Corrugated card, Birds 

Ooh La La  words to inspire 

Creative Corner  Love is in the air 

Scrapping 4 Fun Guest Designer - Happy Birthday

Today I'm one of the Guest Designers at Scrapping 4 Fun  and the theme is Happy Birthday.

The papers I used for this card were made using shaving foam and acrylic paint. I have seen this technique demoed on the TV and no-one has ever got their arms covered in colourful foam like I did!

The stamps I used were given to me by my friend and teammie Sandie  and I paper-pieced them with the patterned paper I'd made.

Expect to see more of these shaving foam papers over the next few weeks, as I made a few.

I hope you'll join in the fun at Scrapping 4 Fun  with your birthday themed creations.

I'm entering this card into challenges for new things, as both the stamps and the shaving foam technique are new to me ( Crafty Boots, Shopping Our Stash, Country View) , and also Quirky Crafts CAS.

Make My Monday - New Beginnings

It's the first challenge of the year at Make My Monday, and our theme is New Beginnings.

Just before Christmas , my daughter's partner started a new job, so I made this card for him. Inside I wrote (Hope you don't find one of these (typewriter) on your desk.)!

I used a digital stamp of a typewriter ( I think it's from a Craft Artist digistmap collection ), to which I added text and coloured. The papers are from my scraps box and I used an embossing folder to make a chevron pattern on the base.

I hope you'll join us at Make My Monday. 

I'd like to enter:
Natalie and Amy  all things new
Crafter's Cafe  new
Sweet Stampin  new
Pink Gem  something new
Crafty Calendar  what's new

Winter Walk

I was inspired by the challenge theme at CD Sunday , Winter Walks. Animals often enjoy going out in the snow. We used to have a pet rabbit who loved to run round the garden in the snow.

I used the My Craft Studio CD 'Setting the Scene Christmas'  and combined four different elements to make the scene. Then I stamped 'Warm Wishes'  and mounted onto scrap patterned paper. I attached snowfall acetate over the top.

I think you could use this for different winter occasions, but I will use it to kick off my Christmas card stock for 2015!

As well as CD Sunday, I'd like to enter:
Love to Create icy winter days
Come and Get it  snow much fun

Empty Box Project #1

Yesterday I posted a photo of my big box of unused stamps  and announced my self-imposed project to empty the box.

To get me started, I asked my son to randomly pick out three items from the box. I have used the first two.

The first item was this box of stamps:

This box came as part of a scrapbooking kit that I bought for the embellishments and papers. I tested the stamps and you can see below why I wasn't really happy with them:

I know I could take them off the block and trim them, but I just don't like the images enough to be bothered! So if anyone, (UK for postage costs reasons) wants them, I will pull them off the block and put them in the post, if you leave me a comment with your email.

The second item was the flapper stamp, from Artisitc Stamper,  you see in the card above. I can't remember buying it but it had a £1 sticker on it!  I have never used it, I think, because of her hand - it looks like it should be doing something, like waving through a window or putting a bauble on a Christmas tree. Using a bit of masking, I made her touch some hanging stars (Sarah Hurley), and added Docrafts text stamp and a Wink of Stella (which of course, you can't see in photo!).

I'd like to enter:
Darnell's Challenge  NBUS
Sweet Stampin  anything goes
Seize the Birthday party
4 Crafty Chicks  celebration
Simply Create Too  Let's Celebrate

Challenged! - Koi

My Out-Laws are koi carp enthusiasts, so I have several stamps on this theme. They're very good at having my son to stay for a few days, for which I always make a thank-you card.

The Thank You stamp is by Hero and the Koi stamp has no brand name, but I think it is Once Upon a Stamp. I cut an oval with my die-cutter and sponged the shape with Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink. I highlighted the fish with Papermania Metallic Pencil in gold.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Less is More Seeing Double
Stamp, Scrap and Doodle Saturdays  Thank You

Challenged! - Fairy Wishes

I buy craft CDs, then never use them! I am going to try and rectify that... or give up and chuck them all out.  These images were from My Craft Studio Flourishes CD. I printed onto acetate and brushed tha back of the image with mica powders. It is for the Fairy Wishes challenge at http://digitaltuesdaychallenge.blogspot.com/.

Challenged! - Anniversary card

This card is for my friend's silver wedding anniversary next month. Is it controversial that I didn't use silver??? A few challenges inspired my decisions - paper piecing, the umbrella ( 'inspire by a song' - Rihanna's Umbrella-eh-eh-eh). The tree is papermania. The couple is Unity Stamp, as is the sentiment , although I only inked part of it. The papers were Nancy Watt freebies from a magazine.
I'm entering this card for the following challenges:
Charisma Cards Inspired by a song.
Stampin' B's Anniversary card
Secret Crafter Inspired by a song
Challenge up your life Paper Piecing

Challenged! - Poppy Tag

I made this tag for the 'Mostly Red' challenge at Dragons Dream. My fingers are now mostly red too!

Doing the Docrafts - Goody Bag Done!

So...I set myself a challenge...to use a bit of everything in the September 2011 Docraft Goody Bag . The contents of the bag are here. There were 13 items in the bag-some of them not to my taste at all - so I didn't find it easy.

First up the card above -  I used the text stamp and embossed it on some of the red card. I cut out a Santa from the 'Postage Stamps' and tags and stood him on top of the text. The gold paper and patterned strip were from the paper pack and I used one of the gold brads. That was 5 out of the 13 items used - easy so far!

I'd also like to enter this card into the following challenges:
http://sparklesforumchristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/  Santa
http://christmasblogchallenge.blogspot.com/ Santa Claus is coming to town.

The 'Reason for the Season' toppers were probably my least favourite item in the bag but, strangely, this card is probably my favourite out of these items. I thought they were too brightly coloured and I wanted to get more of an antique look. I dabbed the topper with distress ink, stamped it with a crackle pattern and edged it in Krylon pen. I layered it onto black card, then an alcohol ink background I had leftover and then onto a card blank that I inked and stamped with a text. That brought the total up to 6/13!

These little die cut wreaths were a real challenge - I had not idea what to do with them. Then I decided to stick them back-to-back on a cocktail stick and write on them. They could be used as lables on a plate of sandwiches, or put into a wineglass as a name card. Just don't have any sandwiches or friends with long names! That was the 7th item of the 13.

I enjoyed making this one - my only complaint could be that it was too easy! The decoupage was already die cut and only needed layering with sticky pads. The greeting was ready to stick. I cut a jagged edge on the card and stuck some of the sticky ribbon behind it. If you had a visitor who you'd forgotten to make a Christmas card for, you could whip this up while pretending to make a cup of tea! Greeting, sticky ribbon, decoupage - that's another 3 items and 10/13.

I had a plan for the 'Outline Sticker' tags- I was going to use one as a mask. But when I peeled it off I realised the blank areas were covered with acetate. So I stuck it to some of the patterned paper , trimmed round it, made a hole and- voila- a gift tag. 11/13.

Finally I stamped and embossed the sleigh stamp in gold and used the metallic pencils to colour it in. The stars were from the other pack of outline stickers. So that was the final two items - I had used all 13 ....Docrafts:done!

Doing the Docrafts - September 2011 Goody Bag

It's arrived!

It’s all about Christmas in this month’s goody bag and , as usual , there are some real hits and some ...er...misses.

Here’s the stuff I’m really pleased with :

...and here's some stuff that I think will come in handy:

...and here's the stuff that I would never normally buy and don't have a clue what to do with.

As usual, my complaint is they're a bit too 'made'.

So, once again, I'll be challenging the My perfect Life Design Team ( that's me!) to Do the Docrafts. The challenge is to use at least a bit of every item in this month's Goody Bag. Check back to see how I get on!

Challenged! - Wedding Menu

I decided to give myself a real challenge and make something for the ‘picture inspiration’ challenge at

Dreamvalley Challenges.

I made a wedding menu, pressing my big shot into service for cutting and embossing; and then coloured with chalk.

So now I’ve got the menu for the wedding, all I need is a venue, a dress....and a groom!

Challenged! - The first Christmas Card for 2011

Not just my first Christmas card this year, but my first Shaker card ever! Do you think icing sugar goes off? Maybe by Christmas the snow will have turned green!

Thank you to http://bah-humbug-christmas.blogspot.com/ for kickstarting my Christmas cardmaking. When I saw their 'sentiment/text' challenge, I remembered the 'softly fell...' stamp and the ideas fell into place.

Challenged! - Metallic Autumn

For this card, I used alcoholic inks to make a background paper, stamped a leaf with Versamark and embossed it with clear EP, with a little copper EP at the edges. I cut out the leaf and then rubbed it over with metallic rub-ons...rubbing it off again , so it was left in the veins of the leaf.

This card is for these challenges:

http://craftuscrazy.blogspot.com/ autumn colours

http://polkadoodle.blogspot.com/  autumn colours

http://thesecretcraftersaturdaychallenge.blogspot.com/  clours of  autumn

http://simplylessismoore.blogspot.com/ metalic