Friday Sketchers challenge 62

This is my entry for the Friday Sketchers challenge, following their sketch obviously! I really like this sketch and I'm sure I'll use it again. I've used another 'Josh' image from Digistamp Boutique, the paper is by Bo-Bunny and was one of my Craft Haven purchases at the weekend. The red card is just plain cheap red card that I've rubbed Fired Brick distress ink over.



close up

Materials/ Tools used

• 'Josh' downloaded image from Digistamp Boutique, coloured with promarkers
• Bo-Bunny 'Splendor Stripe' paper, red cardstock from stash, yellow coredinations card
• Tim Holtz distress inks in Fired Brick, Scattered Straw & Brushed Corduroy
• Black ric-rac from John Lewis
• Sentiment stamp from Cuddly Buddly, on a scalloped circle (bought in a pack from a craft fair)
  
  
  

Spoonful of Sugar challenge 62

Here's my entry for the Spoonful of Sugar challenge, which was a sketch this week. I've used an image from Digistamp Boutique and had my first go at 'distressing' with my new distress inks. I've coloured with promarkers as usual though. For a change I'm quite happy with how this turned out, although I'm not sure about the sentiment, maybe it should have been mounted instead of stamped directly onto the paper.

Close up

Materials/ Tools used

• 'Josh' image from Digistamp Boutique, coloured with promarkers
• Spotty paper is a download from Printable Heaven, cardstock from stash
• Tim Holtz distress inks in Scattered Straw, Brushed Corduroy and Walnut Stain
• Nestabilities scalloped ovals
• Stars cut on Big Shot using a Sizzix die, with Woodware button centres

Cute Card Thursday challenge

I had to make some new baby cards to go in my box at hubby's work, so thought I'd pop some eyelets on them so I could enter the Cute Card Thursday challenge. I'm not the best at setting eyelets straight, so if they look a bit wonky, they probably are!

Here's my girl version
and close up

Here's my boy version (definitely wonky!)

and close up

Materials/ Tools used

• Stamps (sentiment & image) from Elzybells, coloured with promarkers
• Gingham paper is a Funky Fairy download, coredinations cardstock
• Eyelets in a set with my cropodile
• Nestabilities plain & scalloped squares
  
  
  

Distress inks

I've been busy making cards for my box at Pav's work today, he brought it home with him yesterday because it was looking a bit empty. I haven't got round to taking pics though, so will probably do that tomorrow.

I did manage to pop out to the craft shop today (Craft Haven), supposedly for some dst that I'd nearly run out of. I did get that and a few papers that I liked the look of. But I was about to pay when I spotted Distress Inks! I hadn't realised they sold them in there and I've wanted to try them for ages. I've been quite happy with my promarkers, but I fancied trying something different for colouring, just for a change. I've been umming and aahing about koh-i-noors or prisma pencils, but of course once I spotted the Distress Inks my mind was made up lol!

I've bought 4 colours - Tattered Rose, Scattered Straw, Walnut Stain and Shabby Shutters. Obviously I'll need some more to do things properly, but I've been having a play with them tonight - quite enjoyed myself! I'm not good enough to show anything I've coloured with them yet though!

Any tips or advice on which colours next or what card I should use?

Colour Create challenge

I've made this one for the Colour Create challenge, which is to use the colour combination blue & white, with the optional extra of vintage. I have no idea if my card is even remotely vintage! I've used the MS scallop dot punch to make two border layers down the side and raised them up with foam pads, then added a strip of lace - it's quite hard to see in the photos but it looks quite nice in 'real life'. I've used promarkers (sponged on) to edge the nestie, and also sponged it onto the sentiment.

Close up

Materials/ Tools used

• Sugar Nellie 'windswept' stamp from Funky Kits, coloured with promarkers
• Sentiment stamp free with Docrafts mag, stamped in versafine & embossed
• Papermania papers (I think!)
• Lace from Cuddly Buddly
• Martha Stewart scallop dot border punch
• Nestabilities scalloped ovals
• Flat back pearls from local craft shop (Ideal Envelopes)
  
  
  
  

One card - 4 challenges!

I'm not over the moon with this card, but I'm happy that I've managed to fit 4 challenges into it! It's the first time I've combined challenges, so hopefully I've not gone wrong anywhere or missed any rules!

Challenges are

• Spoonful of Sugar (swirls)
• Promarker challenge (rose pink & lime green)
• Papertake Weekly (choose any colours from pink, black, white, yellow, green, grey & lilac - I chose pink, green & white)
• Pollycraft challenge (a sketch & include food or drink)

Close up

Materials/ Tools used

• Sugar Nellie 'Cup of tea' stamp from Funky Kits, coloured with promarkers
• Papermania paper & coredinations cardstock
• Green Tara flowers with flatback pearl centres
• Gingham ribbon from stash
• 'Best wishes' stamp free with do crafts mag, stamped in versafine & embossed
• Nestabilities plain & scalloped squares
  
  

Crafty Cardmakers DT!

I've been a bit shy about saying anything so far, but I've just noticed that I'm now officially on the list - I've made the design team for a new challenge blog which is aimed at cardmaking & blogging beginners Crafty Cardmakers. I'm soooo excited! I really want to put the DT link on my blog, but I haven't worked that sort of thing out yet, bit technically challenged unfortunately! Hopefully someone will help me out.... please? Lol.

Elzybells challenge

Thought I'd have a go at the sketch challenge on the Elzybells blog. I bought quite a lot of Elzybells stamps recently and have used quite a few of them, but not this one until now. I decided as the sketch was quite a simple one, I would try to keep my card quite simple - it's quite a change for me to have so much 'white space' on a card! It's all made using the 'Just Desserts' clear set - I've made the backing paper with the little cookie stamp, and the sentiment is also from the same set (stamped sentiment in versafine & embossed). The flower is another Green Tara one, it has a little cork centre - very cute! Although I'm not sure if I should have left the flower off and kept it really simple....

Close up

Materials/ Tools used

• Elzybells 'Just Desserts' clear stamp set, coloured with promarkers
• Bazzill & Coredinations cardstock
• Green Tara flower
  
  
  

My 1st Sugar Bowl challenge

I've made this card following the sketch for the Sugar Bowl challenge. As well as following the sketch there was the extra of using ribbon and/or bows, so I've used some lace (does that count as ribbon?), some ric rac and tied a bow in thread through the button on my flower. Not sure if I've made the most of the stamp - I realised once I'd stamped it that I didn't really know how to colour cows!



And close up

Materials/ Tools used

• Sugar Nellie 'Custard' stamp from Funky Kits, coloured with promarkers
• CCSR paper & coredinations cardstock
• Lace from Cuddly Buddly
• Ric rac ribbon from John Lewis
• Green Tara flower, with Woodware button centre, tied with Bazzill In Stitch'z thread
• Martha Stewart scallop dot border punch
• Nestabilities scalloped squares
  
  
  

Spoonful of Sugar - my 1st ever blog challenge!

I've followed a sketch for the Spoonful of Sugar challenge, the first blog challenge I've ever done. I rotated the sketch to fit the stamp. Hope it's ok! Now I just have to work out how to do the link to enter the challenge.... hmm....


Close up
Materials/ Tools used

• Stamp from Elzybells, coloured in with promarkers
• Gingham paper is a Funky Fairy download
• Green Tara flowers & Craftwork Cards card candy dots
• Happy Anniversary peel off (thought I'd got an anniversary stamp but apparently not!) from Little Claire
  
  

Thank you card

We're all feeling a bit off today, and I think we may have a mild case of swine flu, which now seems to be going through Morgan's school. Trying not to be too paranoid though, and we don't feel too awful, just a bit limp and we have coughs and headaches, but I'm sure we'll all be fine!

Here's the finished thank you card, to go with the little post it note holder for Morgan's teacher. I used the biggest scalloped square nestie to cut the card blank, first time I've tried this and the first cardstock I used just wouldn't go through the big shot so I had to use a thinner one. The flowers are from my huge bargain order that I placed with Calico Crafts - they were selling off all the Green Tara flowers for 20p a packet... let's just say I ordered quite a lot of them, lol!

The card and post it note holder together

Materials/ Tools used

• Stamp from the retail therapy set from Elzybells, coloured in with promarkers
• Thank you peel off (from Little Claire I think)
• CCSR backing paper & coredinations cardstock
• Green tara flowers with Craftwork Cards card candy dot in the centre
• Nestabilities scalloped squares and scalloped ovals
  
  

Post it note holder

Had a bit of a shock tonight. One of Morgan's friends has been diagnosed with swine flu! I'm not too worried about Morgan getting it, I'm fairly sure he'd be fine if he did, but I'm not sure Dex would be. I think it's probably a good thing the kids finish for the summer hols at the end of the week, at least it should stop it spreading around quite so badly. Scary stuff!

Here's tonight's attempt at Morgan's teacher's present, I think it'll do. Morgan said she loves shopping (and has too many shoes apparently!) so I thought this little stamp would be quite appropriate. I just need to make a matching thank you card now. I can't make up my mind whether to also make a gift for the teaching assistant... dunno!

Close up

Inside

Materials/ Tools used

• Stamp from the retail therapy set from Elzybells, coloured with promarkers
• CCSR backing paper
• Post it notes & mini pencils from Staples!
• Spotty ribbon from Hobbycraft
• Nestabilities scalloped ovals, edged with rose pink promarker (sponged on)
  
  
  

It's my hubby's birthday, so I won't be crafting much today. I have been in the craft room for a little while though, been trying to make Morgan's teachers pressies - making little post it note holders. I was quite happy with my first attempt, and then realised that the pencils I bought were slightly too big for that design, oops! So I had a go at a different version today, all finished apart from deciding which stamp image I'm going to use. Will pop pics on later if I manage to finish it this evening.

I realised today that I didn't take pics of my card for hubby, so here it is. I used one of my new stamps from Elzybells - loving those teddies, so cute! I paper pieced it so that the chair matches the backing paper.

And a close up of the teddy

Materials/ Tools used

• 'Snoozing Ted' stamp from Elzybells, coloured with promarkers
• K&Co paper, and coredinations cardstock
• Circle 'with love' sentiment stamp from Cuddly Buddly
• Teddy punch from Hobbycraft
• Lettering die cut using sizzix Night & Day alphabet
• Nestabilities Labels 3
  
  

Another card finished - this one is for hubby's birthday, from the boys. It's my first attempt at a 'side-step' card, and unusually for me I'm quite happy with it.

Materials/ Tools used

• Penny Black cat stamps, from the 'bubbly' clear set, coloured with promarkers
• Round 'happy birthday' sentiment from Cuddly Buddly
• Think the backing paper is Papermania, but can't remember!
• Lettering cut with Sizzix Night & Day alphabet dies
• Woodware buttons
• Labels 3 nestabilities

Hurrah, I've finally finished a card that I've been trying to make for the last few days! Am I the only one who has the occasional card that just won't come together, no matter what? I'm still not all that happy with it, but I'm not doing anything else to it now!

Materials/ tools used

• Bee stamp from Little Claire, coloured in with promarkers


• Yellow bazzill cardstock


• Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder (for background)


• Cuttlebug divine swirls embossing folder (to emboss the heart)


• Nestabilities Labels 3


• Computer generated sentiment


• Flat-backed pearl (on heart) and ribbon, from stash


• Martha Stewart scallop dot border punch
• Glamour dust (on bees' wings)
  

My first ever post on my blog! I'm not the most technical person so it may take me some time to get used to blogging - bear with me!


Perhaps I should start by attempting to add some pics of my cards, here goes.... as you can probably tell I'm a bit addicted to Sugar Nellie stamps.