Merry and Very Bright

Well, this just looks like I grabbed a box of sparkly things and chucked the lot on a card, doesn't it? But I enjoyed making this blingy thing , so hopefully someone will enjoy receiving it.

I cut the words out on the Silhouette, coloured them in Perfect Pearl Mist and raspberry Distress Ink. The little stars are glitter texture paste stencilled onto pearlescent card and the bigger star is a Sizzix die, which I then embossed in a folder.

I'd like to enter:
A Song in your Heart  wish upon a star
Sentimental Sunday Christmas
Delightful  Challenges Bling it on
Completely Christmas  anything goes

Embossing and Colour

I was playing around with some dry embossing techniques and decided to put a card together, using the colour pallette at Artistic Inspirations. The technique on the heart is a new one for me ( learnt it from Online Card Classes). You dry emboss, sand the raised area and colour bits of the sanded areas with markers.

I'd also like to enter Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge , 'emboss it.'

Make My Monday- Butterflies

'Butterflies'is the theme this week at Make My Monday . I had intended to do quite an ornate card, but I had some Stampin Up Cherry Cobbler ink on my desk, used it for a test stamping , and decided to stick with it.  Both the stamps used are old favourites - the 'negative ' one by Impression Obsession and the other by Anita's. I embossed everything with sparkle embossing powder.

I know you have a butterfly stamp, die, punch or digi in your collection! There's absolutely no excuse not to join us at Make My Monday this week.

I'd like to enter:
Try it on Tuesday  things with wings
Sweet Stampin  take flight
Less is More  anything goes
Pink Elephant  anything goes

Bird Bookmark

My daughter asked me to make her a tag she can use as a bookmark . I punched some hearts and used some new bird stamps - I think they are Woodware but I have already lost the packaging! I used a resist technique with Versamark, glossy paper and Distress Ink. More resist on the background - clear ep, an Indigo Blu script stamp and a Judikins Harlequin backgroud stamp. The ribbon with the charm is quite long, so that it pokes easily out of a book.

I'd like to enter:

Artful Times  tag
Cute Card Thursday  for the birds
Melonheadz wings or tails
Try it on Tuesday  wings

East

Had fun colouring this digi, from Polka Doodles' Dollie Daydream Goes East CD rom, with Promarkers . I also printed a paper from the CD to use as a background and to paper-piece her dress. The writing (fortunate) and the waterlily (stamped in the corners and covered with gold mica are Sheena Douglass stamps.

I'd like to enter:
Quirky Crafts oriental
Craft-room Challenge  Green Inspiration
Eclectic Ellapu  country, travel

Festive 48 - week 28

I won this Art By Miran image in a challenge and it's not something I would normally go for, but I really enjoyed using it. I coloured it with Promarkers and added glitter glue. I mounted it on silver mirri board and pink patterned paper. I added punched snowflakes, gems, ribbon with a sentiment, and a charm. If nothing else, I'm sure you will agree that it's very pink! 

Just to recap, I have challenged myself to make a Christmas card every week , and post it here (to make sure I do it!) . If I do this, by the beginning of December I will have 48 Christmas cards. I have also issued an invitation to anyone who would like to join me by linking up ONE card each week. 

This link up is always 'Any Christmas Card Goes'. 

Thank you to everyone who's joined me so far. I love seeing your cards. 

I'd like to enter: 

Card Mania add a charm 

Shopping Our Stash can't put it down (gems!) 

Crafting for all Seasons  tic tac toe - ribbon, square, pink 

Jellypark Christmas 

Christmas Cards All Year Round  non trad colours 

An InLinkz Link-up

Keep in Touch

Having some colleagues take redundancy lately, and a friend move away , has made me want to have a card in stock for those kind of occasions.

This was designed digitally, so I could quite easily duplicate it. The basic design is quite masculine but I added some embellishments to girl it up.

The phone, text frame and two 'stains' are all elements from Papermania Portobello Road CD.  I die cut everything and slapped everything, including the embellishments, with distress inks.

I'd like to enter
CD Sunday - Kind and caring thoughts
Love to Scrap  colour scheme - vintage/sepia
Ooh La La  vintage

Boy on Ruler

I'm still making teacher thank-you cards. The image is by Bugaboo and coloured with markers. I used some star patterned paper - an old magazine freebie - and Coredinations card embossed with a honeycomb folder and sanded.

I'd like to enter:
Catch the Bug bing - stars, Bugaboo image, texture
Craft Hoarders Anonymous who's the boss? star paper is hoarded.

Pinspirational 117 - Owl

It's time for another challenge at Pinspirational  and here's the picture:

When I saw this digi from our sponsors, Zap Pow Designs, I knew it'd be perfect for a teacher 'thank you' card. (Schools in the UK are just finishing for summer, although I understand that in the US, they are soon going back!) 

Come and share your project, inspired by the photo, at Pinspirational  - we have great prizes provided by our sponsors. 

I'd like to enter:

My Time to Craft paper piecing

Suzy Bee's anything goes

Melonheadz wings or tails 

Wishing Well

I made this card for my partner's  friend who is in hospital. I used a Silhouette cutting file, cut in white and coloured in inks and markers. I used a brick stencil on the base and embossed the hood with dots and stuck it on with 3d foam at the bottom, to create a slope. The background was embossed with a butterfly folder. I added a punched heart and a sentiment from Stampin Up.

I'd like to enter:
Just Us Girls  colour
Cheerful Stamp Pad For a man
That Craft Place  anything goes
Craft your Passion  anything goes
Curtain Call  anything goes

Big Apple

Another card for one of my son's many teachers/teaching assistants.
The digi stamp is from A Day For Daisies and I coloured it with marker and added glitter to the worm and leaf and stamped the sentiment. The rulers were cut from Echo Park paper.

I'd like to enter:
Sketch Saturday  sketch
Hobbycutz anything goes

Make My Monday - Vacation / Holiday

Inside

Front cover 

This week's theme at Make My Monday  is vacation/ holiday. For my DT project, I'm sharing a mini-book with tags and pockets for holiday notes, photos, tickets etc.  I used plain cardstock and one of my favourite ever scrapbook ranges - Cosmo Cricket's Joy Ride. To construct it , I followed the instructions from Kathy Orta Files.

I hope you'll join us at Make My Monday  and share your holiday project.

I'd like to enter:
Anything but a Card anything goes
Little Red Wagon  vacation
QKR Stampede vacation
Open Minded Crafting Fun  vacation

Inkspirational Challenge - Splash

At Inkspirational we have a 'word prompt ' - splash . For my DT card I have added bubbles to the splashes! I used a Jellypark digi, which I coloured with Promarkers. I paper- pieced the bath with a scrap of Cosmo Cricket's Salt Air collection and then used a digital versio of it for the sentiment shape, the splash (left hand bottom) and the bubble background. I used stickles on the bubbles in the bath, and the champagne.

There are so many ideas for the theme 'splash' - just look at the variety of projects from the Inkspirational DT and our fabulous Guest Designer Cinni. I hope you'll join us.

I'd like to enter:
Crafter's Cafe Birthday
Daring Cardmakers  Out on the water (although actually 'in, in the water'! But the theme description says to show any way humans enjoy water.
Fairy Tale digi stamp image

Look North

Ten years ago, when I moved to my town, I joined a reading group and made a good friend. Now, she's left me and cleared off to Yorkshire!

I used a Tando chipboard house and fence, coloured them with ink and stamped with a flourish stamp. I made a hill out of a page torn from a book we did at the reading group, which fell to pieces. The numbers in the sky are an Inkadinkado stamp. I masked off the edges of the card black and inked through a stone wall mask.

I'd like to enter:
City Crafter chipboard
Time Out  picture - the home theme, the blues and greens and the triangle shapes (roof)
Creative Knockouts  friendship
4 Crafty Chicks The Great Outdoors
That's Crafty  mask

Festive 48 - week 27

Here I used a fox family digi from Oak Pond Creations, coloured with markers and 'frosted ' with glitter ( wish it showed up on photo!).

Just to recap, I have challenged myself to make a Christmas card every week , and post it here (to make sure I do it!) . If I do this, by the beginning of December I will have 48 Christmas cards. I have also issued an invitation to anyone who would like to join me by linking up ONE card each week. 

This link up is always 'Any Christmas Card Goes'. 

Thank you to everyone who's joined me so far. I love seeing your cards. 

I'd like to enter: 

Holly Jolly  Christmas critters 

Eclectic Ellapu  Furry Friends 

Jingle Belles - one year old stuff (embossing folder)

Shopping Our Stash - one year old stuff (embossing folder)

Addicted to Stamps  holiday 

An InLinkz Link-up

Make My Monday - End of Term

I've been with the Make My Monday DT for two months now and I'm excited to say that I've chosen this week's challenge, End of Term.

I chose this challenge because not only have I a school-aged child, but I also teach in a college and I've got a four week holiday coming up!

I like to try to make cards for my son's teachers at the end of the school year. This year, I have seven to make! The class teacher, reading group teacher, 3 TAs and the workers at after-school club.

For this card I used a Bugaboo digistamp coloured with markers and a Papermania 'thank you ' stamp that comes with its own die. I kept it simple by just mounting it onto a white textured card blank.

It's not just thank you cards for teachers that will fit this theme. How about a congratulations card for a student who's passed their exams ? Or a Bon Voyage card for someone taking a summer break? Come over to Make My Monday and join in.

I'd like to enter:
Oldie but Goodie  school's out
Catch the Bug  anything goes
Artistic Inspirations  anything goes

The New Boy

I was at my lovely local crop yesterday and this is one of my layouts. It's my friend with her newborn grandson. The patterned paper, patterned cloud and plane are all from Little Boy collection by Echo Park. I die-cut and punched the white clouds and the hearts.

I'd like to enter:
Craft Your Passion  on the move
Creative Knockouts  sew it up (hope the faux stitching isn't too unconvincing! )

Parade

I've made these cards as 'thank you cards'  for the two workers who run my son's after-school club. I know it's summer and the kids are wearing jumpers but , hey, this is Britain - it could be jumpers , umbrellas or shorts for the summer holidays - or(most likely) all three!

The digistamp is by Jellypark and I coloured with markers and paper-pieced with scraps.

I'd like to enter:
City Crafter  sunshine and lavender
My Time to Craft paper piecing
Hiding in my Craftroom  paper piecing
QKR Stampede paper piecing

Pinspirational Challenge 115

Here's the inspirational picture for this week's Pinspirational Challenge:

For my DT card , I used a digi- stamp, kindly provided by our sponsors Aurora Wings . I coloured the flowers, butterfly and eyes with shades of purple marker and added gems. As the inspirational photo is a butterfly, I tried to emphasise the butterfly by cutting out a wing , covering it with glitter glue and sticking it on at a dimensional angle.  I mounted the image onto torn mulberry paper.

Please come and join us at Pinspirational Challenges . We have great sponsors and prizes to be won.

I'd like to enter:
Eclectic Ellapu girly birthday with butterfly
Delightful Challenges  fave embellishment (gems)
Bearly Mine go digital
Paper Make up  anything goes
Sister Act  anything goes

Thank You Mentor

My daughter asked me to make a thank you card for the community midwife who has mentored her during her midwifery training.

I used a digital version of Carta Bella Beautiful Moments papers, which I used to fill  shapes in the Silhouette electronic cutting machine and then print and cut. The advantage of using the Silhouette Studio software is that you can scale the patterns - I used the same pattern on the 'thank you' and the bunting, but scaled it larger on the bunting. I outlined everything with a dusky pink marker.

I'd like to enter:
Pink Gem animals
Silhouette Challenges print and cut
Tando Creative  come fly with me
Just us girls  bird
Brown Sugar anything goes 

Make My Monday - Mail Art

This week's challenge at Make My Monday  is 'mail art' and this theme was a new one for me , so , before making my DT card I had to 'google'. I discovered that mail art can be several things, but the one that attracted me was stamping on an envelope.

First I masked off spaces for address and a postage stamp and inked using different colours. Then I went through my drawers of stamps and made a pile of stamps that I haven't used for ages, and really enjoyed myself using them to create an (unlikely) scene.

Whether you love mail art, or whether it's new to you too, I hope you'll come over to Make My Monday and join in with our challenge.

I'd like to enter:
Suzy Bees Blooming Challenge  ag
Artistic Inspirations  going places ( I hope my envelope will go places!)
Love to Scrap anything goes

Festive 48 - Week 26

This week I used a vintage photo image which has been kindly provided for download at Completely Christmas. I layered it on white on white die cuts and embossing, including a poinsetta die from Marianne and a Stampin Up sentiment.

Just to recap, I have challenged myself to make a Christmas card every week , and post it here (to make sure I do it!) . If I do this, by the beginning of December I will have 48 Christmas cards. I have also issued an invitation to anyone who would like to join me by linking up ONE card each week. 

This link up is always 'Any Christmas Card Goes'. 

Thank you to everyone who's joined me so far. I love seeing your cards. 

I'd like to enter:

Completely Christmas anything goes
Merry Monday white on white 
Simply Create Too Christmas in July 
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge anything goes 
Papertake Weekly anything goes 

An InLinkz Link-up

Inkspirational Challenge 60- Mermaids

Here's my DT card for this week's Inkspirational Challenge.  This time it's a photo challenge:

Well, I chose this picture and to be honest, I could have picked any one of a dozen ideas from it ...but I went with this mermaid stamp from Enchanted Ink.

I stamped onto acetate, put adhesive on the back and brushed on several colours of mica powder. Then I attached this panel the layers of cards using eyelets and added gems for water bubbles.

I hope the picture will give you some ideas and that you'll come and join us at Inkspirational and also check out the projects of our fantastic design team.

I'd like to enter:
That's Crafty all at sea
Papercrafting Challenges anything goes
Open Minded Crafting  water