Diwali Card

This is the first time I've made a card for the Hindu festival of light, Diwali. It's for a work colleague. As it's not my culture, I had to do a bit of research into what would be appropriate - not the best occasion to try anything too cutting edge, I felt! I was lucky enough to find this blog by Chaitali who has created Diwali electronic cutting files and shared them freely.

I cut the lamp with Coredinations cs and embossed and sanded the base. I added glitter to the flame. a scalloped circle, lilac pearls and some paisley patterned paper printed from a Docrafts CD.

I'd like to enter:
Crafty Cardmakers Monochromatic Purple
Die Cuttin Divas Anything Goes
Twisted Tuesday Free for all
Dynamic Duos Wisteria and plum

Paris in a Sports Car

 

 

"At the age of 37, she realised she'd never ride through Paris in a sports car with the warm wind in her hair'" went the depressing song by Marianne Faithful.(The Ballad of Lucy Jordan).  Well, I'm rewriting those lyrics and giving Lucy some fun!

This image is from the Crafter's Companion CD ' Frou Frou'. I didn't like the colours so I took it into editing software and changed them. Okay, so her hair is now green, but I think she's the kind of funky chick who'd do that.

I'd like to enter:
CD Sunday  Travels Abroad
Moving along with the times Shape up
Pink Gem Challenge More than one fold.
Crafty Catz Spots and stripes

{Pin}spirational Challenge 81 - Mary Poppins

It's time for another pinspirational picture at Pinspirational Challenges and here it is:

I used a digi of Mary Poppins, supplied by our sponsors, Sassy Studio . The image was coloured with alcohol markers and the backgound was made with Cosmic Shimmer sprays and copper Brilliance ink. I added a die-cut skyline.

Now, I know what you may be thinking. Mary Poppins was set in Edwardian England and that skyline is definitely not Edwardian. Well, I like to think Mary is still around. Maybe that's your city and Mary is just about to drop in and take the kids off your hands. Wouldn't that be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?

How does the picture inspire you? Come over to Pinspirational Challenges  and join in.

I'd also like to enter:
Eclectic Ellapu Inspired by a film
Creative Fingers Inspired by the movies
 

Purple and Orange Witch

This is my final Halloween card for the year. All my previous ones were for the children in the family but this one is more grown up (not too grown up though!) .

The image is a digital stamp from a Craft Artist kit. I added the word Halloween before printing and then coloured it with Promarkers. The background is patterned paper and embossed mirror card, and  I added a die-cut flourish and some flowers.

I'd like to enter:
Divas by Design - Spooked
Papercraft Star - photo
Stampin for the Weekend Something spooky
Red Carpet Studio Hocus Pocus
Alphabet Challenge S for scary ( don't be fooled by her smile!)

Vampire

For this Halloween card, I cropped part of a background from a Craft Artist digi kit. The vampire is a pre-cooured image from Polkadoodles' Sundae of Seasons' CD - I cut him out and stuck him on with 3d foam.  The sentiment is a Docrafts stamp.

This should have been a quick and easy card but as usual I spent so long messing around with ideas that it took just as long as it I'd done all the colouring etc myself!

I'd like to enter
Crafty Creations Halloween characters
The Sisterhood of Crafters Trick or treat
Stamping with the Dragon   Halloween

Little Ghost

Another Halloween card. This digi is a freebie from Dearie Dolls. I coloured it with Promarkers and paper- piecing.

I'd like to enter:

Pink Elephant  Trick or Treat
Shopping our Stash Halloween
Cute Card Thursday Spooktacular
Digi Haven Orange and black
2 Sisters Challenge Cute and spooky

Inkspirational Challenge 42 - Wreath

We had a very busy fortnight at Inkspirational with our Anything Goes challenge and now it's back to our regular 'photo inspiration' challenge. Here's the picture:

For my project , I made a circle out of an old cereal packet.I covered it with different die-cut leaves and flowers, made from Basic Grey 'Figgy Pudding' paper , and edged with Distress Ink. I added centres to the flowers using gems, brads and buttons, and finished with glitter.

I hope you'll join us at Inkspirational. Our prize draw is still open.

I'd also like to enter:
Polkadoodles Christmas anything but a card
Winter Wonderland Check/tartan
Festive Friday wreath

Passsport Control

I was inspired by the photo at Inspired By, to make this aqua , white and grey card.  The camera and the passport control stamps were free with Get Stamping magazine, and I used a Lawn Fawn chevron stamp on the aqua mat, and a little adhesive gem.

Mr Fox's Travels

Okay, I know this is a bit weird!

I did wonder if I'd be able to play along with CD Sunday  this week . The theme is 'Fox and friends' and I was pretty sure that I didn't have any CDs with a fox on them. although I did conduct a search to check. 

Short of ideas, I googled for images of foxes and brought up a few of foxes dressed as Victorian/Edwardian gentlemen.   ( Anyone remember Basil Brush?). 

I copied the photo from the internet and brought it into the My Craft Studio programme , where I digitally punched it into an oval. I added papers and images from MCS Tinkering with Steampunk and A Very Important Date.  I inked all the papers and added cogs, the title and 'tape' and a feather.

As well as CD Sunday, I'd like to enter:
Corrosive Challenges Dress me Up
Red Carpet Studio Bicentennial Man (metal cogs)
Pumpkin Spice Dress up  

Trick or Treat

Here's a card with a pumpkin Jack-O-Lantern - but honestly, I think I was well grown up before I ever saw a pumpkin. As a child, in Scotland and then the north of England, we made Jack-O-Lantern's out of swedes (called turnips in Scotland). I think they were uglier and scarier!

This card uses a free Dearie Dolls digi, which I paper- pieced.  The papers were freebies from a magazine, except the spotty black, which is from a Docrafts CD. The sentiment is a Docrafts stamp, the web in the corners is a Stampin Up stamp and the spider was die cut.

I'd like to enter:
Eclectic Ellapu Halloween
Wags n Whiskers Paper piecing
Papercraft Star Photo inspiration
Simply Create Too Halloween
Clear it Out Challenge Halloween/ orange    

{Pin}spirational Challenge 79 - Anything Goes

This week's Pinspirational Challenge is Anything Goes!

 We're sponsored this week by Fresh Brewed Designs and they kindly provided the digi I've used - Wonky Christmas Tree. The papers are Prima North Country and I used Promarkers and an acrylic sentiment stamp.

Whatever you're working on, why not come and share it with us at Pinspirational Challenges? 

I'd like to enter:
Addicted to Stamps Christmas is coming
Scrap Creations Cut it out

A Rare and Gentle Thing

This looks like a collage stamp, but it is , in fact, printed from My Craft Studio Quintessential Country Garden CD, onto cream card. I then used various flourish stamps with Antique Linen Distress Ink. I added a heart-shaped hat pin and paper roses .

I'd like to enter:
CD Sunday - Butterflies
Hobby House Challenge - Roses
Crafty Ribbons - Butterflies

Branchline

It may be bucketing rain outside, but it's sunshine in my craft-room this morning. My intrepid partner has braved the weather in pursuit of his hobby and taken our son with him...so  crafting time for me.

I made this with Distress Inks, Indigo Blu text stamp (on the sun), Sheena Douglass bird stamp, Marianne clock die.

I'd like to enter:
The Squirrel and the Fox Things with wings
Crafter's Café Favourite Craft Item (rubber stamps)
QKR Stampede Anything Goes with circles
Two Sisters Challenge Anything goes

Inkspirational Challenge 41 - Anything Inkspirational Goes

Here's my DT card for this week's Inkspirational Challenge , and it's super easy this time as the theme is :

There's also a prize draw that will be running over the next few challenges:

For my card I used an A Day for Daisies digi, Promarkers, Papermania patterned papers ( can you see that that I sort of decoupaged the ruffles?) , a holly die, brads....

So, whatever you're working on right now, why not join us at Inkspirational Challenges?

I'd also like to enter:
Make My Monday Elegant Ladies
Pink Gem Challenge 321
Brown Sugar Challenge Anything goes
Winter Wonderland Wrap it up (holding present behind her back )
Stampin for the Weekend Anything goes

Fly Me to the Moon

I printed this spaceship from the Crafter's Companion 'Boys' Cd - it was precoloured in lovely bright colours...but they were too bright for me. I wanted to have a more retro look - like a childhood toy rediscovered by someone who's now very grown up. So I slapped it about with Distress Inks, mounted it on some 'Rocket Age' paper by October Afternoon, stamped a Hero Arts sentiment and slapped on more ink!

I'd like to enter:
CD Sunday  To the Moon and Back
Drunken Stampers Neil Armstrong
Tammy's Scrappin Corner  Inspired by a song - Fly me to the moon

Seal with a Rainbow Cake

Despite my prolific card-making, I never seem to have enough / the right birthday cards when needed.

To add one to my stock, I combined two challenges : Daring Cardmakers, who have a photo of a rainbow cake (and happy birthday to Daring Cardmakers Challenge) ; and Brown Sugar Challenge, circus theme.

For my card I used an old Stampin Up stamp, dies, a scrap of October Afternoon paper and marker pens.

And while I have your attention, can I make a shameless plug for our challenge at Inkspirational Challenges . Come and take a look.

Scarecrow

Here's a CAS (I think) autumn card, using a Little Claire stamp, two Stampin Up leaf stamps, a Personal Impressions sentiment and two colours of distress ink : Spiced Marmalade and Scattered Straw.

While I have your attention, can I make a shameless plug for our challenge at Inkspirational Challenges . Come and take a look.

I'd like to enter:
Casology Harvest
Simply Create Too autumn
Addicted to Stamps photo
Allsorts  Autumn Colours

Deer and Masks

Glossy white card

Matt pale grey card

As you can see, I made two versions of this at the same time, using different cardstock.  I used Distress Inks, Cosmic Shimmer Mist, white acrylic paint, two masks and my trusty old Non-Sequitur deer stamp. I sprayed them over with glitter varnish but it doesn't really show in the photos. 

While I have your attention, can I make a shameless plug for our challenge at Inkspirational Challenges . Come and take a look.

I'd like to enter:

Fashionable Stamping Challenges Use a mask or stencil 

Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge No patterned paper

Santa in Silhouette

I'm probably making about one Christmas card a week now - so at this rate I'll have at least 15 by Christmas! I suppose I'll have to step up production at some stage.

This santa silhouette is an electronic die-cut, which I stamped with a Darkroom Door  word block stamp. He's standing on a bought die-cut from My Mind's Eye and the background is a Coredinations card embossed with a holly embossing folder and sanded.

I'd like to enter:
Christmas Card Challenges Anything Goes
Crimbo Crackers  Embossing
Delightful Challenges Holiday Spirit
Sweet Stampin Christmas Here comes Santa

Autumn Fairy

I'm an avid follower of Michelle JM's blog, so when I saw she was hosting a challenge at Ooh-la-la Creations , I wanted to join in. The challenge is 'F is for...' . This matched up nicely with another challenge I wanted to enter - Use a Fence at Little Red Wagon . I ended up with F being for fence, fairy, feather and fall. I think the creature on her shoulder is a squirrel but the one on her foot is (guessing) , a chipmunk?  I'm not sure if you'd find them in autumn as I don't think we have them in England. Mind you, we don't have fairies either, especially full-size ones, which she appears to be.

I used a Crafts and Me digi, die-cut fence, lots of patterned paper and Stickles on the wings and shoes.

Oh - while I have your attention, can I make a shameless plug for our new challenge at Inkspirational Challenges . Come and take a look.

As well as Ooh-la-la and Little Red Wagon, I'd like to enter:
Parade your Crafts  Fall
Tuesday Throwdown Colours of Fall
4 Crafty Chicks  Autumn
A Creative Romance Fairytale and winged creations
Heck of a Challenge  Autumn colours

Inkspirational Challenges 40 - Colour Challenge - Pick Two or Three

This is my DT card for this week's Inkspirational Challenge  and here's the colours - but you can choose to use all three or just pick any two of them:

For my card, I used an A Day For Daisies dig stamp, a Tim Holtzs embossing folder , raspberry and turquoise inks, a Judikins crane stamp, a chevron stamp and Glossy Accents (on the earrings) , Promarkers and flowers.

From now on, I'm responsible (with the help of the fantastic design team)  for making the Inkspirational Challenges happen - yikes! I do hope you will come along and join us.

I'd also like to enter:
Creative Craft Challenges2 Anything Goes
Paper Make up Pretty in Pink
Red Carpet Studio Pretty in Pink 
Make it Monday Linky Party
2 Sisters Challenge Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody Anything goes
 

Autumn Colours

I love autumn colours. Here I used a variety of inks and a grass / grain stamp by Indigo Blu which I heat embossed in gold. The sentiment is Non-Sequitur.

I'd like to enter:
Fashionable Stamping Challenge  autumn colours
Artful Times autumnal colours
Rogue Redheads Challenge  autumn colours

{Pin}spirational Challenges 77 - Apples

This is my DT card for this week's Pinspirational Challenge and here's the pinspirational picture:

The bucket of apples was cut from a digi kindly provided by our sponsor Stamping Dragon. 
I coloured them with Promarkers and stuck them onto a background embossed with an Xcut embossing folder. The sentiment was created by Mynnette Kitchen.

How does our photo inspire you? Come over to Pinspirational Challenges and join in!

I'd like to enter :
CCEE Stampers  Fruit
Digi Haven Use 2 colours
Creative Fingers Food glorious food
Dis Digi Designs  Show off those colouring skills