Just one more....

I thought I'd finished with Halloween cards, but I was die-cutting these witches' legs as cake toppers and couldn't resist using some on a card.

The pumpkins are from Inky Doodles, the sign is Craft Asylum, and the legs are cutting files from the Silhouette store.

I'd like to enter:
Just Add Ink  w - witch legs
Die Cuttin Divas Halloween
A Gem of a Challenge too cute to spook
Casology heart
Addicted to Stamps holiday 

Purple Poppies

When I saw the challenge at Fusion  I immediately thought of this Stampin Bella stamp, which I've used a few times before in different colour schemes.

This time I wanted to keep all the focus on the purple poppies, so I kept the design simple and the colours subdued. The sentiment is by Clearly Besotted.

As well as Fusion, I'd like to enter:
Artistic Inspiration  birthday
Shopping Our Stash go paperless
Aud Sentiments  birthday sentiment
Brown Sugar flowers

Look at the Stars

I wanted to try out this patch of stars stamp from Personal Impressions - I wasn't sure how it would work (as opposed to  covering the whole background with stars).

The tree is also from the same PI set and the sentiment is a favourite of mine, by Sarah Hurley. I added Wink of Stella to the stars in the sky and on the sentiment.

I haven't really decided what I think about the patch of stars!

I'd like to enter:
One Layer Christmas - no twist this time
Cupcake Inspirations stars 
Winter Wonderland  anything goes
Moving Along with the Times  trees

Amazing Adventure

I love this week's colour combo at Just Add Ink and so wanted to play along but I'm not sure how well I've achieved it. It's tricky when you're trying to match up the colours from your own stash and then when you photograph them, they look slightly different again!

This is not really a card. Inspired by the books on the shelves in the Just Us Girls inspiration photo, I made a postcard that I could use (or give) as a bookmark.

The main stamp is from Stamping Bella, the sentiment is Kaisercraft and the stamps used for the background are by Uniko.

City Crafter - Creatures of the Night

I hope you'll like this week's challenge at City Crafter - if not, you can blame me , as it was my choice and the challenge is:Creatures of the Night.

Some of you may now be singing Susan Sarandon's song from the Rocky Horror Show ! But I went more Hammer Horror than Rocky Horror.

I have no idea of the brand of this stamp. It's called 'Moon Dreamer' and is a big wooden stamp, one of my oldest. The bat and vampire were cut on my Silhouette.

Please visit us at City Crafter Challenge Blog . We have a great Guest Designer , Denise Price  and lots of inspiration from the Design Team. I hope you'll join in with our challenge,

I'd like to enter:
That's Crafty  Halloween
Crafty Boots  Halloween
Addicted to Stamps  wings
Flonzcraft dies
Use your Stuff die cuts 

Make My Monday - Recipe

This week's challenge at Make My Monday  is a recipe - use sequins and teal/turquoise and twine.

I converted an electronic cutting file of a bauble into a shaker and filled it with 'shaved ice ' and sequins. The background stamp is by Darkroom Door.

Please come and see what our DT made and join in our challenge at Make My Monday .

I'd like to enter:
ABC Christmas unusual colours
Crafting By Designs Christmas
Christmas Card challenges  anything goes

Inky Pinky

Here's the second baby card I made yesterday.

I had a new set of Avery Elle stamps on my desk , awaiting their first inking, when I discovered there was an Avery Elle challenge 'pink'.  The elephant and 'hello' are Avery Elle stamps ( elephant is coloured with markers) , the clouds are Inky Doodles and the sentiment is Stampin Up. I inked the back panel using orchid Brilliance ink and then stamped that drippy background (Hero ) using raspberry. I then spray it with pearlised water for a more distressed look.

Actually I should rename this blog 'My tragic craft life' as this is the second version of the card I made. The first time, just as I was adding the sentiment as the finishing touch, I dropped the black ink pad and got it all over it!

I'd like to enter:
Avery Elle pink
My Time to Craft  inspired by The Beatles ( 'Hello Goodbye' song goes 'hello, hello'- can't stop singing it now)
Fantasy Stampers  animal antics
Addicted to Stamps  make your mark

New Baby in Blue

This is the first of two new baby cards I made yesterday. The bear is a digi-stamp (or is that digistamp or digi stamp- I never know) from Polka Doodles (or is that Polkadoodles , ha ha!) Paper Boutique 3 CD.

I coloured the bear with markers and cut out a vellum sentiment which I coloured on the back and attached with brads.  I stamped the 'stitching' (Inky Doodles) and added some buttons.

I'd like to enter:
CD Sunday - baby love
Addicted to Stamps  make your mark
Creatalicious  male

Back to the Drawing Board.....

Well, I was making this card for one of my DT's upcoming challenges (can't say which one!) the theme is 'no stamping' so I thought I'd go to town with a multi-layered Lettering Delights SVG cutting file. This is NOT a quick and easy card - there are lots of layers to cut and stick ,and some of the pieces are really tiny  (look at the girl's shoes) , so I had to keep searching for missing pieces and fishing them out of the bin (it's okay, no food waste in there, just sweet wrappers!) .

So I was just adding the finishing touches to this card when I went back to the brief to check something and , belatedly, spotted the words: 'No DP' !!!!!!!!!!

Yikes! How did I miss that?  I used a digital version of Echo Park 'Tis the Season' to add pattern to some of the layers!

So I can't use it for the challenge I made it for, so instead, I'm sharing it with you today. Back to the drawing board.

I'd like to enter :
Christmas Cards All Year Round   no stamping
Incy Wincy fun with my friends
Crafting by Designs  getting ready for Christmas
Simply Create Too baby it's cold outside
Polkadoodles  - sprkle, bling, glitter ( used Stickles on the girl's coat and Stampendous shaved ice under their feet.)

Inkspirational - Cute Halloween

Carol has chosen this theme for our new challenge at Inkspirational.

For my DT card I used a character from a dingbat font, enlarged it , layered it and cut it out using my Silhouette cutting machine.

To be honest, I'm not sure if it's a child dressed up in a clever costume or a slightly spooky , yet cutish, being. You decide.

Please visit us at Inkspirational , see what our DT and fabulous Guest Designer Becca  have made, and enter your own cute seasonal project.

I'd like to enter:
The Male Room  Halloween
Cards4Guyz I put a spell on you
Aloha Friday Halloween
Moving Along with the Times Halloween
Eureka Halloween
Addicted to CAS spooky

City Crafter - Into the Wood

Our new challenge at City Crafter is:

Into the Wood - Create a card or project and add something related to wood. It could be an embellishment, a woodgrain stamp , an embossing folder with woodprint etcetera. But NO tree!

My streamlined approach to this challenge was....just look for anything wood-y and shove them on a card! Well, almost ...I found the wooden snowflake and the peg, and I went to my digital supplies for the papers. The deer, 'cozy' and the pennant are from a digital version of Carta Bella 'warm and cozy' - the joy of having a digital version , I think, is that the deer was probably quite small in the paper version but I was able to print and cut him out large.

I hope you will come over to City Crafter , see the work of our talented guest designer, Donna . and the always-fabulous DT - Kirsty, Stella and Ros, - and join in our challenge.

I'd like to enter:
52 CCT  the wild woods
Fairytale Challenge forest animals
Christmas Cards All Year Round no stamping 

Monster Tower

Gruesome or cute?

These monsters are Lettering Delights cutting files. I resized them , piled them on top of each other and cut them out of black card on my Silhouette cutting machine.

I made the background using Distress Inks and pearlised water spray.

I'd like to enter:
Challenge up your life  monster
Simon Says Stamp Monday  monster mash
QKR Stampede make background
Eclectic Ellapu  Halloween
Try it on Tuesday  Halloween

Make My Monday - Inchies or Twinchies

Our new challenge at Make My Monday is 'Inchies or Twinchies' - that is, one inch or two inch squares.

For my DT project I covered a piece of card with inks, white spray mist, embossing and stamps from a Uniko stamp set. Then I cut it into two-inch squares and stuck them onto a card blank, adding two score lines and a sentiment.

We’d love you to make a project using inchies or twinchies – actually even just one inchie would be great – and to join in our challenge this week.  

I'd like to enter:
Stamplorations  fave colour combo - blue and white is my fave for Xmas cards
Love to Scrap anything goes
Cute as a Button   Christmas 

You Make Life Fun

At last! I've made a card I actually like, using the Lawn Fawn Playground set.

I also used splatter stamps from Visable Image.

I'd like to enter:
Aloha Friday  animals
Cupcake Inspirations forest friends
Casology  you
Seize the Birthday splatter
My Time to Craft autumnal colours

City Crafter - Paste It

Our new challenge at City Crafter is to use texture paste, embossing paste , crackle paste or crackle paint.

For my DT card I made a background using distress inks and then used a stencil and embossing paste, The embossing paste picked up the background colours so I then waited for it all to dry off and went over it again with more embossing paste. I like the two tone effect that resulted. The little spots on the flowers are a pearlised spray - there are little pearly droplets on the background but they don't show up in the photo. The sentiment is a die-cut.

I hope you'll join us at City Crafter this week - we have a wonderful Guest Designer, Karren J , so I hope you will come and see what she, and the DT , have made and join in the challenge.

I'd like to enter:
Unicorn Challenge pink
Inky Chicks pink
Country View texture
Crafty Boots pink
Ooh La La pink

Make My Monday - Orange and Black

Our challenge at Make My Monday this week is : Orange and Black.

For my DT card I used a rubber stamp from Sweet Pea Designs and coloured it using Promarkers. I added a Basic Grey sticker Jack-o-Lantern and some enamel dots.

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

I'd like to enter:
Addicted to Stamps photo
The Craft Barn  light
Eureka Stamps  pumpkins
Artistic Inspirations  Halloween
Dream Valley  Halloween

The most wonderful time of the year

Sometimes I make cas cards...but this isn't one of them! This card has everything!  Die-cuts, digi, stamping, patterned paper, Promarkers, frantage, liquid pearls, pearly stars......

Actually, I think I might have gone a bit OTT on the frantage ( the embossed snow) - probably because I expected more of it to blow off ! Obviously my frantage technique is getting better.

I'd like to enter:
Cupcake Inspirations - Forest friends
Jingle Belles pink
Fairtytale Challenge   forest animals
Crafty Catz embossing (the frantage snow)

Inkspirational - Glow

Our new word prompt challenge at Inkspirational is Glow. For my DT project I stamped a candle using a Dark Room Door background stamp. Then, using my Silhouette cutting machine, I designed and made a gift box for it, using Basic Grey patterned paper and the stamp once again.  

I hope you'll join our challenge at Inkspirational . We have a fabulous Guest Designer, Hannelie , and I hope you will look at what she and the DT have made, then enter your own project.

I'd like to enter:
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - words
Christmas at Sweet Stampin festive decor 

Bloomin' Bowl of Rice

I went into my Polka Doodles Dollie Daydream Goes East CD with the intention of making an oriental floral card for CD Sunday's Bloomin' Marvelous challenge. I got sidetracked by this bowl of rice. I hope the card is still blooming enough to qualify for the theme.

I used the digi-stamps from the CD with the printed digital papers. I coloured the lanterns, flower corner, chopsticks and rice with Promarkers and paper-pieced the bowl. The sentiment was just a computer font. I cut the scalloped circle card blank on my Silhouette cutting machine.

As well as CD Sunday, I'd also like to enter:
Polkadoodles  favourite card shape.
Crafty Cardmakers circular
Paper Girls  food
Scribbles Designs  good luck

City Crafter - Scribble Doodle Fun

This week's challenge at City Crafter is 'Scribble Doodle Fun'. 

I wanted to give the effect of something that'd been doodled onto the back of a school exercise book, torn out and stuck to a card! Nothing, though, was hand-drawn. The bird was from a Polkadoodles CD, the little doodles around the speech bubble are a font, even the ground beneath the bird's feet was scribbled using my computer mouse. 

I hope you'll have a go at joining in with this fun challenge. We have a great Guest Designer, Theresa , so please check out her creation, and what the DT has done and then enter your doodle fun project at City Crafter. 

I'd like to enter: 

4CraftyChicks  washi 

Ooh La la  kraft 

Make My Monday - Cats, Big or Small

Our new challenge at Make My Monday  is cats - big or small.

As you can see, I've gone down the Halloween route. The stamp set is an old one called Daisy and Dandelion (I think it may have been a Docraft brand but it doesn't seem to exist anymore).

Here I used five separate stamps, and masking and paperpiecing were involved on the hat and pumpkin. I'm always very pleased with myself when I do successful masking and feel the need to point it out! Wouldn't want you to think I'm a stamping slacker!

Come and join in the challenge at Make My Monday! 

I'd like to enter:
Get Creative  Halloween
Fat-tastic Tuesday  pets
Crafty Calendar  Halloween
Animal Friends Halloween 
Creatalicious Halloween

Little Autumn Witch

One day in the summer, my son and I had a lovely afternoon painting in the garden and I made the background you see here, using acrylic paint and stamps on recycled cardboard.

The image is a new one from A Day for Daisies, I coloured it with markers and inks, using autumnal colours. I didn't put a sentiment on because I think this could be used for a 'thank you' or birthday card around Halloween.

I'd like to enter:
The Craft Barn people
Try it on Tuesday  autumn
Crafty Creations  falling for you
Time Out  autumn
Naughty or Nice feeling witchy

The Dormouse

I found this digi on my computer when I was looking for something else, and thought it'd be perfect for the Alice-inspired challenge at My Time to Craft . I'm sorry, I don't know where it came from!

I coloured it with Promarkers, punched the corners and added dry embossing, lace, liquid pearls and the words 'drink me'.

I am also entering Dream Valley Challenges , recipe - lace, pink, embossing ; and Inky Chicks , Pink.

Thinking of You

Here I used a Stampendous wildflower stamp and I think the sentiment is Hero Arts.

.....And ink pads.

I'd like to enter:
Just Us Girls sympathy
Allsorts nature
Friday Mash Up  mash up

Monster Birthday

I'm getting a lot of use out of this ADFD alien!

I cut the word 'monster' on my Silhouette electronic cutting machine, using a font on my computer,

If I wasn't on the DT, this would be perfect for the challenge at City Crafter this week.

I'd like to enter:
The Challenge  photo
Cute Card Thursday masculine
Cardz4guys beginning with m - monster
Artistic Inspirations  twist of black

Floating Penguin

The balloon I used here is by W plus 9 , and it comes with the top half of animals to put into the balloon. But I wanted to make a Christmas card, so I took a penguin from an Avery Elle set and masked off its bottom half to put it into the balloon.

I created the snow using a Versamark pen and ink, and torn white paper for the landscape. I paper-pieced the balloon and hat and added a sticker sentiment.

I'd like to enter:
Winter Wonderland - pick up a penguin
Fab n Funky  Christmas
ABC Christmas Challenge transport
Chocolate Coffee and Cards  animals
Mod Squad  wings