Think Outside the ATC

Over at Rogue Redhead Designs, the Rebel Challenge is to Think Outside the ATC.   What they want is an ATC that has an element protruding beyond it's borders.  I am entering this ATC

I started with some card that I had made ages ago by sponging on Brilliance Pearlescence Yellow and Lime.  I added the lovely Lavinia fairy and butterflies in StazOn Dove Grey to give them a 'far away' look.  Next I added the word 'Believe' (from Crafty Individuals stamp CI 012) and then the silhouette flowers from Hot Off The Press Botanicals, giving them a bit of bling with a Sakura Stardust Pen.  My protruding element is the lovely little girl from Rogue Redhead Designs Reading Relish plate, stamped onto watercolour paper and painted using Whispers pens.  She is cut out and raised with foam pads.  I also added the little butterfly on foam pads too.  You just know she has spent the afternoon in the garden reading Fairy Tales and dreaming of fairies.

Fabulous Friend

I got out some of my Stampin' Up supplies to have a play today.  I started with a Cherry Cobbler card blank and than ran my Very Vintage Jumbo wheel across the bottom third using SU Basic Black.  Then using Very Vanilla cardstock I stamped the central pannels.  I used the fern and butterfly from A Touch of Nature in Crumb Cake and Cherry Cobbler, the dotty frame from Four Frames in Cherry Cobbler, and using my stamp positioner I added one of the Oval All stamps in the centre in Basic Black.  I cut the label out using the Decorative Label punch.  I added colour to the flowers and butterfly using Whispers and Sakura Pens, adding a black border to the rectangles.  Then I added a line of dashes with the Sakura pen and popped on some little butterflies cut with an old Dovecraft punch, finally adding a bit of SU twine tied in a bow.

Just a Quickie

This is another project I did while I was on my jolly hols in Wales.  My daughter wanted me to make her a bookmark.  I used a pattern from an old Parchment Craft Magazine (September 2009) by Ruth Venables called Daisy Chain.  I traced the pattern in white pencil then embossed the daisies and leaves, adding a bit of colour to the centre of each flower with a purple felt pen.  Then I did the grid work using a small, straight grid, and finally popped it into a bookmark cover.

ATC Challenge No. 11

It's time for a new Challenge over at the ATC Challenge Blog and this week the theme is What Are Little Boys Made of OR Anything Goes.

I started with a brown ATC blank and added a layer of lighter brown that has been stamped with a great pencil stamp from Lost Coast in Stampin' Up Crumb Cake.  I added a bit of colour to the pencils with Derwent Studio pencils but I'm afraid it hardly shows.  Then I stamped the boy and books (Reading Relish stamps from Rogue Redhead Designs) in SU Early Expresso onto cream card, cut them out and mounted them ontop of the pencils. 

Holiday Homework

I have been up to Wales for two weeks and while there I took my parchment to play with.  This is one of the cards I made.  It is an old pattern by Josephine Davidson (published in Parchment Craft Magazine August 2007).  I coloured the butterflies and flowers with Derwent Studio Pencils on the reverse and used a large, straight grid for the grid work.  I wish now I'd used the small grid as there isn't much pattern between the butterflies and flowers.  I added some peel-offs to finish it off.  If I make this again I will change the pattern slightly so that the two front pieces don't overlap but it sits more like a gatefold card as you can't really see the fancy edge of the gridwork when the card is closed.

Dream Valley Challenge 16 - Buttons

This week at Dream Valley we'd like to see what you can do with BUTTONS on your creations.  We are being sponsored by Digis With Attitude this week who are offering one lucky winner a $10 Canadian Dollar voucher for their on-line store.

I decided to get out my teeny-tiny buttons for my card.  I started with a square, white card blank, added a cream square matt then a piece of paper from the Papermania Exquisite pad.  I wrapped a piece of organza ribbon round and then added a cream scalloped circle (Nestabilities) and my image, which is from Penny Black Hugs! set.  I watercoloured the image with Whispers pens then added the teeny uttons and some flowers around the edge.  The sentiment is from the same set and then I added some slightly larger buttons underneath.

Spinner Card

I decided to make a Spinner Card with a difference and used the idea from Carol Staples that was published in Craft Stamper in March 2009.  I covered my card blank with some Butterfly and Flower patterned vellum (no make) and added silver border peel-offs round the edge.  Then I cut my circle and hoop from yellow card and decorated it with Rubber Stamp Tapestry stamps (Floral Filigree Wreath and Garden of Blue) using Stampin' Up inks in Regal Rose, Daffodil Delight and Tempting Turquoise.  I placed my circles using 2 layers of foam pads and added a penny with a foam pad in the gap.  Then I added another penny, a circle of yellow card and my butterfly - made by cutting 2 layers of vellum using the Cuttlebug Cut and Emboss Butterfly (bottom layer pink vellum, top layer Paper,mania Exquisite Vellum).  To finish my card I added the sentiment and a double ribbon, plus a little bit of Sakura Stardust pen to a bit of bling.

Design Team Call

We are having a major reorganisation over at Crafty Cardmakers and The Spotlight Challenge and we have a new boss (Lin).  We are interested in people who are willing to try different styles or showcase their own particular technique.  Your commitment will be to produce 2 projects per month and to contribute ideas for the challenges plus leave comments on a limited number of entries.  If you are interested in joining our fab team, please create a blog post in which you showcase your three favourite projhects or those that you think reflect your style best, and also a NEW CREATION for the call along the theme of New Beginnings and link it to the Crafty Cardmakers Blog.  The call will run until 26th September, so we look forward to hearing from you.

ATC Challenges No. 10 - Anything Goes or Something that Represents You

Well what would you make if asked to make something that represented you?  That is the challenge over at the ATC Challenge blog this week. 

Well, what says 'ME' more than an elephant escaping from it's background, LOL.  I think anyone looking at this ATC will know it's made by me as this is my absolute favourite type of project.  It involves stamps, ink and masking!  First I started with the green ATC, then I matted some blue card on top.  Then I got a piece of white card and stamped my elephant (English Stamp Company) in Stampin' Up Basic Grey.  I masked the elephant, then cut an oval (using my trusty Nesties) out of a Post It Note and placed that over the top.  I tore some strips of paper and sponged on SU Old Olive and Bashful Blue to make the background, then removed the masks.  To balance my ATC I added the old faithful Stampscape branch.  And there you have it!

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 52 - Summer Holiday Memories

Hope you have all enjoyed the Summer Break.  And what a summer - where was it, LOL!  Well, we are back at Crafty Cardmakers and our challenge for this week is Summer Holiday Memories.  Now come on, it wasn't all rain.  We did have a couple of nice days, lol.  Our prize for this week is a £10 voucher to spend in the lovely Joanna Sheen online store.

For my card I decided to let you all have a peek at what a glamorous bathing costume I wear, LOL.  I live about 35 mins from the coast so I spend a lot of time there (although I very rarely put on this lovely bathing costume).  I made the background picture using my The Light and the Sea set of stamps from Stampscapes, then watercoloured the scene using Whispers pens.  Then I made a frame by cutting the square out of a piece of blue card using Nesties and then running the card through the cuttlebug using Tim Holtz's Texture Fade Retro Circles.  The bathing beauty is from Artistic Stamper Seaside No 1 plate and the sentiment is from Hero Arts Anytime Messages.  To finish off I added the little seashell buttons.

Dream Valley Challenge 15 - Photo Inspiration

This week over at Dream Valley we have this lovely photo for inspiration. 

We are lucky enough to have two lovely sponsors this week.  First we have One Stop Card Crafts who are offering one lucky winner a £10 voucher for their online store.  Secondly we have Sassy Studio Designs who are offering 4 images to one lucky person.

For my card I decided to go with the colours from the photo.  I started with a square card blank, then added a mat of green card.  On top of this is my background made by stamping leaves (Clear Art Choice 20 Best Friends) in Stampin' Up Certainly Celery, then running the card through the Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots folder and adding a piece of SU ribbon.  Then  I used my lovely Stampin' Up Stamps from the Greenhouse Garden set. I stamped the flowers in Delightful Daffodil (SU), cut them out and matted them with Nestabilities and then popped some of the smaller flowers on top.

Cream and Maroon Butterflies

I have at long last found time to join an ATC swap on one of the groups I am on.  There was no theme but you had to use the colours Cream and Marooon.  I started with a Maroon ATC blank and then added a cream top which I had stamped with some lovely butterflies (Darkroom Door) in Stampin' Up Bravo Burgundy then added sentiments from Hero Arts Anytime Messages in Cherry Cobbler.  The little flowers were made using my Woodware Multi Sunflower punch and I added little pearls to the centres and to the ATC.