City Crafter Challenge Blog - Monotone Colouring

This week, at City Crafter , Lucille is asking us to use monotone colours.

Here I used a Hunkydory stamp set. I masked the lid and then the paintpot and stamped the brushstroke behind. When I took my mask off the ink had slightly seeped onto the paintpot image. I decided that, instead of doing it again (after all, this wasn't my first attempt! Several other things had gone wrong previously!) - I would go with the grunge , and stamp some  splatters(Visible Image).

I hope to see you join us at City Crafter.

I'd like to enter:

CAS on Friday one layer 

Tuesday Throwdown masking

AAA masking 

Oooh Mixed Media!

I always feel quite artsy when I attempt a canvas!

Yesterday I had the house to myself, so I got out a small canvas, put on my pinny and clicked to Lynne Mizera's  tutorial.

But immediately, a problem..... step one uses paper towels and I don't have any! Then I remembered a pack of tissue paper I'd bought from a Paper Artsy stand at a show and then forgotten what I'd intended to use it for. I inked this up with Distress Oxide Inks and water and used it for my base layer. I think it gives a chalkier effect.

As well as the Distress Oxide inks, I used stamps from two different Paper Artsy sets, book paper, Distress spray, acrylic paint, gold watercolour splatters, a homecut stencil and some Nuvo crystal drops.

I'd like to enter:
Paper Artsy   hybrid inks
Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media  tissue paper
Try it On Tuesday in my garden

New Job with Coffee

This is a new job card for my daughter . (It's a bit late actually, she started last week!)

Not sure what coffee has got to do with a new job, really, but she's frequently swanning around with one of these kind of cups in her hand.

The coffee cup is a Verve digital stamp - I got it free, I think, not sure where,  I printed it onto cream linen cardstock and cut it out. I printed it again on big square of double-sided-adhesive, cut out the hearts and added glitter. Sticking the hearts onto the image was a nightmare tbh! I created and cut the 'good luck' on the Silhouette and the 'new job' on the lid was made from alphabet rub-ons. (Nervewracking!) The patterned paper is Basic Grey.

I'd like to enter:
Use your Stuff new beginnings
Just Add Ink  photo
Little Red Wagon  drinks
Creative Craft Cottage  sparkly

Cheers with chevron

I'm ridiculously pleased with the chevron (Lawn Fawn)  I stamped here , using lilac ink and then white.

The other stamps are by Stamping Bella and I coloured the woman with Promarkers. I cut the speech bubble on the Silhouette.

I'd like to enter:
Dragonfly Journeys  chevron chic
Little Red Wagon  drink
Cards in Envy  speech bubble

Inkspirational - Oldie But Goodie

At Inkspirational , Nonni has chosen the challenge - oldie but goodie.

This stamp is from a Non-Sequiter unmounted rubber plate - I got quite a few of these in my early stamping days and they were quite an extravagance for me at the time.

Here I heat-embossed the image in white on vellum and then embossed parts of the woman's outfit, using a Pergamano tool. I also created a perforated frame around the image using a wheel-thingy.(!)

I hope you'll join in our challenge, but not until you've been to our blog to see the wonderful creations of the DT, and our fabulous GD, Shirley . 


I'd like to enter:
Double D  all white
Christmas Card Throwdown embossed - 3 kinds of embossing here!
Winter Wonderland  embossing
Watercooler  Christmas
Tuesday Throwdown add metal - brads

Fox Hugs

I made this card to combine a few challenges.

The fox stamp is by Sugar Pea Designs and I coloured it with Promarkers. The sentiment is by Avery Elle. The wooden tag came in a scrapbook kit.

I'd like to enter:
Shopping Our Stash  wood
Allsorts  forest friends
Addicted to Cas  friends
Always Fun  tags

Summer Fun

Here's a 12 x 12 layout using some photos I took on my recent holiday in Cornwall.

I used the sketch at Stuck?!Sketches  - it's a great one to use if you like both sides of a double-sided paper! This one is from Secrets of the Sea range by Bella Blvrd.

Happy Birthday Nonni !

Happy Birthday to my dear friend and team-mate Nonni! 

Nonni, I fear you may not yet have received this card because Steven was supposed to have posted it and then I found it in his possession a few days later! Maybe tomorrow? Anyway, here's a sneak preview.

As well as being a talented crafter, Nonni is also a professional musician and it was she who actually drew these Clearly Besotted stamps to my attention.  So here she is, in rabbit form, starring on stage, inexplicably playing a different instrument to the one she normally does! The sentiments are by Alte New and Waffle Flower.

Nonni, I hope you have a great day.

I'd like to enter:
Inky Chicks  stars
Seize the Birthday  anything goes
Sparkles Monthly  birthday
Cards Und More  one layer card

City Crafter Challenge Blog - Back to School

This week, at City Crafter , Amy wants us to use school items on our project - eg pencils , rulers, letters.

For my DT project I made a 12 x 12 scrapbook layout, using a school photo. I used a layout from Stuck?!Sketches  to get me started.  On a kraft background I stencilled the alphabet from a Dylusions stencil. The pencils were cut from a Simple Stories paper and I used embellishments from my stash.

I hope you'll join in our challenge at CCCB - and please don't forget to check out the wonderful projects the rest of the DT have made.

I'd also like to enter the Back to School challenge at Stamp Ink Paper.

Pro-Am Showdown # 11 - Cutesy Christmas Makeover

This year, my self-imposed challenge is Pro-Am Showdown, where I take on a commercially produced card I've received (the Pro) and see if I can beat the professionals at their own game with my amateur card.

This is the card I am using as inspiration:

the professional card

So, you can see that I've kept with the monochrome look and the penguins and the general design. But I've given mine a cutesy makeover with these skating penguins from Avery Elle.  I masked and stamped the penguins, coloured them with Promarkers and then decided their scarves looked too plain, so I doodled some pattern onto them. 

You may not be able to see that the original card is covered with glitter. So my card has lots of glitter too.

glitter shot 

I'd like to enter:
Sweet Stampin  doodling 
A Gem of a Challenge  snow fun 
Dream Valley  Christmas animals 
Watercooler  masculine 
AAA Cards masking 

Wish Part 2

Well, if you read my previous post , I'm pleased to announce that I found the die-cut S - it had cunningly disguised itself as a bit of rubbish. But now here it is on a card with W I and H.

All the stamps here are from a set I had  before I started blogging- the packaging is long gone and I don't know what the brand is.

I'd like to enter:
Less is More  perfect holiday
Challenge Up Your Life  summer
Stempelgarten  summertime

Cherchez La Die Cut

This card is not quite as I planned it. I cut the WISH out on the Silhouette, intending to use the cut out letters. I put them back into the negative space to ink it and as I was inking my beach scene realised I might be able to get two cards out of it.

This card was made from the negative cut of the letters. I added a stamped sentiment (unknown brand) and Clearly Besotted  hibiscus flowers and leaves.

Then I went to make my other card with the die cut letters and guess what? The S is missing!!!! Honestly, I seem to spend half my life searching for die-cuts!

I'd like to enter:
Curtain Call hibiscus
Less is More  perfect holiday
Shopping Our Stash  relaxin
Stamp Ink Paper  travel




Thanks to Stamp Ink Paper for picking this card.

Stay On Target

As soon as I saw this weeks 'Bow and Arrows' challenge at Little Red Wagon, I knew it was time to dig out this stamp set by Sugar Pea Designs.

I stamped and masked it and used a stencil (very old and don't know brand) and ink to make the background. I coloured the woman with Promarkers and paper-pieced her top. I stamped the sentiment and added glitter pen to the bow and arrowhead.

As well as Little Red Wagon, I'd also like to enter:
Always Fun  going in circles
Just Add Ink  stencils
Moving Along with the Times beginning with b - bow

Jumping Hedgehog

When I saw the new challenge at Time Out  (Autumn/ speed stamping) I thought there was no way I would enter - autumn is weeks away- the schools are still on summer break  - I even left a message telling Sandie I thought it was a bit previous!  And yet, here I am entering this challenge.

Why? I was looking for some stamps for a different card when I stumbled across the Lawn Fawn set with the hedgehog and realised I could use it to also enter Casology  prickly challenge. And I do love the oranges and browns of autumn. Furthermore, once I had the idea and the materials, I knew I could make the card in under 10 minutes! (ie , Time Out's speed stamping).

The hedgehog, large sentiment and leaf pile are by Lawn Fawn. The small sentiment is Avery Elle. The 'bounce' is a kite string from a Lil' Inker set.

I'd also like to enter two birthday challenges Sparkles Monthly  and Seize the Birthday . 

Mug Shots

Here's a scrapbook layout I made using a sketch and a 'tic tac toe' board .

The papers are by Fancy Pants . The smaller letters are by Papermania and the larger ones are from a different Fancy Pants range.

I'd like to enter:
Sketch n Scrap  sketch 134
The Studio Challenges  flair/ 2 types of alpha/ blue

City Crafter Challenge Blog - You Don't Bring me Flowers

I chose this week's challenge at City Crafter and it's a nice and easy one (for some, anyway) - no flowers allowed!

For my DT project I made some graduation cards that my daughter had asked me for....she's a midwife and has to mentor student midwives, so these graduation cards for them.

I cut the grad hat and the sentiment on the Silhouette . The baby is a Mo's Digital Pencil digi, coloured with Promarkers.

I hope you'll join in our challenge at CCCB and show us your non-floral creations.

I'd like to enter:

Use your Stuff  for the love of children

My Time to Craft hats 

Happy Little Stampers  anything goes with dies 

Rainforest UK

Here I scrapped a photo taken in the Rainforest biome at the Eden Project in Cornwall. It was a great opportunity to use some exotic stash! Most of the stuff I used was by Echo Park or My Mind's Eye.

I used a sketch from Creative Scrappers :

I'd also like to enter the large photo challenge at Scrap the Boys . 

Colour My World

Here's a card I made to enter some great challenges. First, the 'spotlight' challenge at 4Crafty Chicks - it's many years since I made a spotlight card! I decided to use a bug image - ladybirds - so I could combine it with the challenges at Little Red Wagon  and Cards in Envy.

The image is a digistamp from Bugaboo, coloured with Promarkers. The sentiment - at last, this sentiment spelt in British English!- is by Hunkydory.