A bit vintage

I treated myself to some new stamps (I know soooooo unusual, lol) by Lilac Lemon, I got their Art Deco Set 1. They are just gorgeous and I knew I had some free paper from Making Cards that would go just perfectly with them. I used Distress Inks to colour her (Tattered Rose, Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick and a tiny touch of Bundled Sage) and added some Sakura Stardust to her dress and hat. I cut and matted with Nestabilities Labels Ten, and edged image, sentiment and torn DP with Worn Lipstick. The lace, ribbon and brad were from my stash, the pearls from Debbi Moore and the roses (again edged with Worn Lipstick) are from Wild Orchid.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Raise the Bar - Distressed

Sweet Stampin - Vintage

Prarie Fairy Fun Friday - Lace It Up

Create 4 Fun - use flowers

Wild Orchid - Lovely Lace

Sketch Saturday - week 113

Christmas Countdown Already!

Yep, I've succumbed to the 'C' word, lol. I've made a Christmas Countdown card using two different tutorials. The first tutorial I used was for a Tent card from the Just Magnolia blog and
the second tutorial was for the Christmas Countdown card from Stempeleinmaleins. I used the Magnolia stamp Christmas Edwin and coloured him with Whispers pens, a bit of Sakura Stardust on his wings and some Doodlebug Lily White flock on his hat (oooh I lurve this stuff!). The DP I think is from DoCrafts but I've had it so long I've lost the front page that told me who made it and I could be wrong. I also used some white glitter card and some card that I painted with Azure Sea Aster Starburst Stains, running the top bit through the Cuttlebug using the Snowflake folder. The little snowflakes are also Cuttlebug (Snowflakes 2) and the fibre is from my stash. I made the aperture and the countdown apparatus with trusty Nesties and used some gem brads to hold the wheel in place. Edwin is hung from a little jump ring with a ribbon bow on top.
I am going to enter this into the following challenges:

Magnolia Down Under - Christmas in July

Crafting Life's Pieces - Sketch 27

Flutterby Wednesday - Fairy, Angel or Butterfly (I think Edwin is an Angel, lol)

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge - Christmas in July

Polka Doodles - Christmas in July

Sending Donkey Smiles

I read on the Spoonfull of Sugar Challenge blog of Michelle's sad accident and decided I would join in sending her a card to cheer her up. She has a fabulous blog called Donkey Smiles that shows off not only her wonderful creations but her beautiful pets including the goats and donkeys she breeds. I used a couple of free digi downloads from Whimsy Stamps especially designed for this and coloured the little donkey with Derwent Studio Pencils and added a bit of Sakura Stardust bling. Of course these had to be matted with good old nesties. The DP is from American Traditional Designs Bright Cardstock bundle and the flowers are by Finishing Accents with PaperMania brads as their centres.

Enchanting

I got a lovely plate of Sweet Pea stamps recently and decided that I would have a play with Enchanting Gold. I coloured her with Distress Inks, a couple of pinky ones for the skin and lots of browns for her hair and clothes (7 different browns) and made the background using diluted Black Soot DI. I added a bit of clear Sakura Stardust pen to the circles in her hair. She is cut and matted with good old Nesties and the DP is from a lovely 8x8 pad (DCWV La Crème) that I've had for ages but just stroked, lol. Well the black is velvet flocking, very strokable! I finished off the card with a bit of velvet ribbon from my stash, a sentiment I printed out on the computer (chuffed that I worked out how to make it horizontal), some Pearls from Debbie Moore and a lovely flower from Wild Orchid.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Crafts and Me - Sketch
Sweet Pea - Black and White plus one other colour (I chose shades of brown)

Pollycraft - Happy Birthday

Spiral Pop-up

I found a brilliant pop-up card on Splitcoast Stampers and decided to make one. The DP is from a 12x12 pad from Dovcraft (Kate Knight Aquamarine Floral Prints) and then I printed out the sentiments then cut and mounted them with Nestabilies. I decided to use acetate for the spiral and the butterflies (stamps - Clear Choice 20 Best Friends) and then coloured the butterflies with Alcohol Inks (Pearl Mixative, Cool Peri, Stream and Wild Plum). I edged the paper on the front of the card with a Geo Punch (Daisy) and added flowers (white from Wild Orchid, green made with a Woodware punch, Mauve from Cardology Precious Petals)

I am entering this in the new Stamp Man challenge and Die Cut Dreams (Acetate used for butterflies and spiral) .

Summer lovin'

I have a lovely set of stamps by Personal Impressions (27279) that all have shells and seaside themes so I decided to get out my rarely used ColorBox inks and make this card. First I embossed the shells in white then rubbed over inks in Bisque, Seaglass and Papaye Cream. I then stamped the little girl on the beach with Dove StazOn and watercoloured the image with Whispers Pens. The ribbon, fibre, mother of pearl charm and starfish charm are from my stash.
I am entering this in the following challenges:
Sir Stampalot - Lazy Hazy Days of Summer
Allsorts - Summer Days
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Summer Holidays

Oriental Resist

I have been reading my ATC book by Bernie Berlin and in it she does a resist technique with Metallic Pens. I decided to give it a go with a Gold Marvey Metallic Marker but instead of drawing on the paper with the pen I ran the pen over a stamp (Cards Unlimited Trendy - Oriental)and stamped with it. Then I brushed diluted Distress Ink (Barn Door) over the top. Neat!!! I decided to make this card with the background I'd made and used a free stamp from Craft Stamper framed with a black slide mount. The ribbon, coin and fan are from my stash.
I have entered it into the GC62 challenge (Markers) at Gingersnap Creations.

Paris

When I got up this morning it looked like it was going to be an 'inky' day so I got out my Brilliance Inks to see what I could come up with. I made a background by sponging on Brilliance Pearlescent Lavender and Pearlescent Lime then overstamped with various stamps (Clear Art French Mail, Clear Choice 22 Travel Stamps and Creative Expressions French Script) in StazOn in Vibrant Violet and Cactus Green. I ran a piece of green vellum (yep - it really is green) through my Cuttlebug using the Script folder and attached at the side. The Eiffel Tower and word Paris (from above sets) were stamped in Violet on white card and then I sponged round the edges with Pearlescent Lime and mounted them onto purple card. Et Voila!!
I am entering this in the following challenges:

Drunken Stampers - Sketch Play Date Cate - Photo inspiration (purple/lilac/lime)

Not quite Purple

I decided to have a play with the Ching-chou Kuik stamp Purple Woods from Sweet Pea today. Crafts and Me (where I got the stamp) have a challenge to use Pink, Black and White so I thought I'd see how she looked and I must say she looks good, lol. I coloured her with Distress Inks (Black Soot, Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Tatterd Rose, Shaby Shutters and Tumbled Glass) and added some bling on the trees and cat's wings with white glitter. The tree shadows are drawn in with a felt pen. The background is made with Alcohol inks (Pearl, Pitch Black and Shell Pink) and then blitzed with Glimmer Mist (Tattered Rose). The row butterflies are a Stitchel Stamp (Dashy Dot) coloured with Distress Inks, Glitter added and then Glimmer Mist again, and stamped on paper that has been edged with a Martha Stewart punch (Scallop Dot). I've added glitter to the large flower (all flowers from the wonderful Wild Orchid) and the little silver butterfly is from my stash. Lastly I've added bling (cos I thought there wasn't enough, lol) with the little gems from Carole's Crafts.
I've decided to enter this in the following challenges:

Sweet Pea - Recipe (no pattered paper, 2 images, 1 butterfly, 3 different embellishments)

Crafts and Me - Pink, black and white

Pear Tree Designs - Glitter/Sparkle

My Time to Craft - Butterfly bliss

Fishing Edwin

I haven't played with my Magnolia stamps for ages so today got out Edwin with his fishing rod to make a Birthday card. I'm into shaped cards at the moment so this is a Side Step one. I partnered him with two stamps from High Hopes (Gilbert the fish and the Hermit Crab). The images are watercoloured with Whispers Pens and H2Os (H2Os for the water, background and Hermit Crab shell) then I've added sparkle with a Sakura Stardust Pen (Edwin's wings) and Cosmic Shimmer (Gilbert). The sentiment is an old Anita's stamp that has been soooo useful. I matted and layered all the images using my Cuttlebug and Nesties and then ran the background pieces through the bug using the Swirls and Curls folder (cos it looks like waves).

I am entering this in the following challenges

Craftalicious - Birthdays

Pollycraft - Bold and Bright (I think it's that, lol)

C.R.A.F.T. - Babies and children

Prarie Fairy - For the Boys

Creative Inspirations - Lets get Physical (Sports Theme) - I'm hoping it counts as sport and apologise if it doesn't. In my defence my husband tells me that the England Fishing Team have just won the World Championships again and I've had to serve sandwiches and tea all afternoon while he's been watching a live fishing match on the telly!!!

Definitely challenged!

I finally decided to take the plunge and enter multiple challenges but I've got a feeling I've got a bit carried away! I needed to make a purple card for a swap so this is what I've come up with. I went for an easel as I love easels (the theme for the Spotlight week over on Crafty Cardmakers is easels next week) but have only made square ones so far. I really enjoyed making a card that fitted in with several challenge and you never know, I may do it again.

I decided to use Tilda gathering straw as it looks like lavender and to enhance this I've added Heather Flowersoft to the 'straw'. Tilda is coloured with Whispers Pens, using the watercolour method. She is then cut out with a Lg Oval Nestie as is the purple glittery oval. The 2 DPs are from a 6x6 pad by PaperMania (Amethyst Infusion). The little asters are from Wild Orchid and the other flowers from my stash (with a touch of Sakura Stardust pen to give them bling!), as are the pearly brads.

These are the challenges I'm entering into:

Flutterby Wednesday - 3 layers and a butterfly/angel/fairy (Tilda has wings)

Project Tuesday - Easel card

Sweet Stampin - Things with wings

Wild Orchid - Say it with Flowers

One Step Crafts - Monochromatic

Pocket full of Posies - This week's sketch plus flowers

Craftalicious - cute (well Tilda is def. cute!)

Challenge 25 at Crafty Cardmakers

The Challenge this week over at Crafty Cardmakers is to use a photo as inspiration and Judie has chosen a gorgeous picture of love hearts which I just loved. I decided to go with the colour theme for my card. The stamp is from PaperArtsy Asian Plate 2 on a background made with Brilliance Inks (and an extra bit of blue brushed on the flowers). The larger bg is brayered (Big & Juicy Waterfall) with a leaf from Elusive Images Tall Trees plate embossed in white. Found a bit of ribbon and this curly thing when I tidied my Craft room and thought they went perfectly

Baby Easel Card

A friend needed a baby card so I got out an old stamp (free with Craft Stamper) and this is what I came up with. I thought it would be fun to make it into an Easel card. The papers are from PaperMania Sweet Nothings 6x6 pack. The corner stamp is from a set by Design Objectives that I've had about a year and never used! I used my fav. Distress Inks to stamp and colour and a Geo Punch (Glory) to edge the square. I won't say how many times I had to do the square before I got it right! The pearls, flowers and button are from my stash.

Knights in armour

It's one of my nephew's birthdays this month and when I searched through my stash I found some faux metal I had made ages ago. Perfect I thought. I made a black card blank and using Encore Ultimate Metallic Silver ink stamped the background with stamps from Basic Grey's Insignia set. I topped the faux metal (run through the Cuttlebug and inked with StazOn inks and black acrylic paint) with a piece of parchment that I had embossed with the Knight (KayCee Crafts).

Floating Softly

I bought this stamp a while ago because I just loved the image. It's just the most enourmous stamp! I stamped it with my fav. StazOn and coloured it with Whispers pens using them as watercolours, then added a bit of Sakura Stardust bling to the flowers and stars. The sentiment is a stamp I got ages ago in a bundle from a craft shop that was closing and the borders are from Cuttlebug. Then just a couple of flowers attached with pastel brads and its finished.

Beaded Bracelet

Ages ago I decided to make a beaded bracelet using 3-drop Peyote. I went through my stash of beads and decided I didn't have enough black beads so would have to use a mixture of black and white. Well, yesterday I finally got round to making the bracelet and guess what! I had enough black beads. I'm pleased with how this has turned out. Although it was cheap to make it did cost me an extra £6 cos I just HAD to have the hand to display in on (from Sainsburys)!