Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 57 - Heat Embossing and DT call

We are having a DT call over at Crafty Cardmakers.  The new team won't start until January and all information can be found here.

Our new challenge starts today and this week our theme is heat embossing.  It was set by Josephine who says 'Any technique using heat embossing - stamping or ultra-thick embossing powder or something else I haven't thought of.'  We are sponsored by the fabulous Stampman who are offering a set of Starburst stains, Holiday Wreath, as a prize for one lucky person.  I've got this set and I have to say they are really, really lush!

I chose to use the snowflake flourish from Inkadinkado.  I stamped it with Encore Silver ink onto dark blue pearlised card.  Then I heat embossed it using some fab Holographic Embossing Powder.  I'm afraid my picture doesn't really show the fabulous glimmer this powder gives.  I mounted it onto silver card and then onto a white card blank.  I added silver peel-offs round the edge and a silver snowflake cut with my Cuttlebug die.

I then had a play with a new stamp, Robin Script by Funstamps.  I stamped this onto red mirror card with Encore Gold ink and embossed it with Holographic EP, mounting it onto gold card and using gold peel-offs.  This was sooooo hard to photograph but I think you get the idea.

Dream Valley Challenge 21 - Sparkle

This week we have a great theme at Dream Valley - Sparkle!  Any kind of sparkle on your creation will count.  This week one of our fab teamies is offering two Lily of The Valley stamps as a prize - go check them out. 

I decided to have some fun with masks I got from Hobby Craft.   For the first one I gave it an undercoat with white acrylic paint.  Then I gave it a second layer with a pearlised white acrylic paint to give it it's first bit of sparkle.  Next I stamped some butterflies (Dark Room Door) onto tissue paper using StazOn Teal and Fuschia.  I stuck them to the mask then added some glitter glue and gems.  I added more gems and finally some feathers (think 'Her name was Lola' LOL).

I had a second mask and lots of paint left so I did this one too.  Instead of an undercoat, this time I painted the pearlised white acrylic paint direclty onto the brown mask and it gave it a coppery effect.  Then I stamped the flowers (Crafty Individuals 206) onto tissue paper and coloured them with Inktense pencils then stuck them onto the mask.  I added some lovely gems (they were on my friends table and were soooooo calling to me!) and a few flowers layered together.  I think this one is from Rio!

Sweet little cupcake

I have a niece who is an absolute saint (well I have several nieces and they are all fabulous).  She is training to be a nurse and I can tell you she is going to be one wonderful nurse.  It was her birthday so I made her this little charm bracelet.  She is a real cupcake fan - not just the edible kind but when she gets her own place I can see there will be cupcakes on every wall, curtain, kitchen appliance, etc, lol.  Aren't these little charms sweet - almost good enough to eat!

ATC Challengess 15 - Lace

Our theme this week at ATC Challenges is to add lace to your project.  I've had this stunning pink lace for a while and thought it perfect for this.  I stamped out a corset from Hampton Art ATC corsets onto pale pink card and added a bit of colour with a Sakura Stardust pen.  Then I attached the lovely lace behind the top of the corset.  I popped it onto my ATC using foam pads and added some bling to the corner.  Very Ooh La La!

This land . . .

Yep, I was singing away while I made this card.  I might not know all the words to This Land is My Land, but I can hum, lol.  I got my lovely Hobby Art Countryside Scene-Its stamps and made my little scene then watercoloured it using Whispers pens (oh how I love watercolouring!).  Then it was cut and matted using Nestabilities Curved Rectangles.  The green bg card was stamped with the wheat stamp from Stampin' Up Autumn Days in SU Wild Wasabi.  My lovely sentiment is from Stampscapes Sheet 4.  The little banner at the top was made by punching penants using my new SU Petite Penants punch, stamping the wheat again (this time using SU Rich Razzleberry) and 'hanging' them from a piece of SU linen thread.  Finally I added some old buttons from my rather large button tin.

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:

Gingersnap Creations - Farm Fresh

Let's Ink It Up - Favourite Technique (Watercolouring)

Stampalot Challenge - Blue and Green

Card Patterns - Sketch 141

Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge - Favourite Technique (Watercolouring)

A Sparkly Angel

I decided to have a go at a Centre Step card and I must say I like this style.  I decorated the card using silver mirror card and then white card that has been run through my Cuttlebug using the Snowflake folder.  The little angel image is from The Stampsmith and stamped in Versafine Smokey Grey then matted onto white glitter card and then popped onto a silver label (Stampin' Up Decorative label punch) and two little pearls popped each side.  For my sentiment I dug out a tiny Dovecraft stamp set I've had ages and stamped it in Encore silver then used two more SU punches to mount it (Large Oval and Extra Large Scallop Oval).  I've added two layers of ribbon behind the sentiment.  Finally I added some roses (from Wild Orchid) that I blinged with silver Stickles, and lots of snowflakes cut with the Cuttlebug Snowflake die.

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Stamp and Create - Easel or Centre Step card

Stamptacular Sunday - Punch it

Craft Your Days Away - Embellishment Bingo (Pearls/Flowers/Ribbon)

CES Challenges - Roses and Ribbon

Little Claire's - Shaped card

Crimbo Crackers - Make it Sparkle

10 minute Christmas Card

One of the groups I'm on has challenged us to make a Christmas card in 10 minutes or under.  Easy peasy I thought!  I got myself organised and it took  me just under the 10 mins to do this card.  Clearing up took much, much longer - not helped by the fact that my ribbon fell off the spool and I had to wind it back on!  I started with a stamp I bought from Oyster Craft ages ago and stamped it onto white card using Versafine Onyx Black.  While it dried I cut my silver mat to fit my card blank and wrapped some black ribbon round it.  Then I popped it onto my card and added a little bow using a glue dot.  I stuck my image onto black card and cut round the edges with deckle-edged scissors then using a glue runner, stuck it to my card.  Finally I added some stickles to the corner decorations.

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Allsorts - Black and White plus one (silver)

Crafts and Me - Simples

Crafters Companion - Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Really Reasonable Ribbons - CAS Christmas and ribbon

Have you ever seen a triangle mouse?

I found a pack of unopened triangle cards in the back of a drawer and thought they would  make fun Christmas cards.  I covered each section with paper from Paper Mania Contemporary Christmas.  Then I stamped my little mouse (soooooo cute) from Penny Black's The Wonder, watercoloured him with Whispers pens, and added some bling to his stocking with Crystal Stickles.  I cut him out using my Dahlia Nestabilities and matted him onto gold card, added some mauve pearls to the top.  Then I mounted the image onto my triangle card using foam pads.  The sentiment was stamped in gold ink and I added a few more pearls to the card.

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Charisma Cardz - Cutesy

Winter Wonderland - A Christmas Mouse

Bunny Zoe Challenge - Christmas and Pearls

Penny Black and More -  All Creatures Great and Small

Little Claire - Shaped card

Christmas Hedgehog

I got busy yesterday and actually made 3 (yep 3!) Christmas cards.  This is the first one and it uses the cute little hedgehog pulling a sleigh full of presents from Penny Black's The Wonder set.  I watercoloured the image with Whispers pens and added some gold and crystal Stickles for sparkle then matted it onto some gold card.  The bg papers are from a pad I've had since last year and hardly used (Paper Mania Contemporary Christmas).  I added a sentiment and ribbon and bow to finish off my card.

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Sketch and Stash - Old Christmas DPs

Penny Black Saturday - Gold + Presents

Charisma Cardz - Cutesy

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 56 - Recycle

We are getting all green over at Crafty Cardmakers and our theme this week is recycle.  You could, for example, turn a container into a pen pot, use the inside of a roll of tape to make a jewellery box, or use a piece of a box for your card.  The possibilities are endless and it gives us Crafters a good reason for saving all those bits and pieces we hoard away, lol.  We are sponsored this week by the lovely Joanna Sheen who is offering a £10 voucher for her fabulous online shop to one lucky winner.

I decided to do something with the old Smash container that I've kept my Whispers Pens in for the last 3.  I know a musical theme is unusual for a pen pot but my choice was dictated by the paper I used.  The paper is from Stampin' Up called Newsprint.  I added some cream lace and then stamped some music notes directly onto the paper using Encore Copper ink.  The stamps are from Aspects of Design Classical Instruments set.  Then I stamped a couple of the instruments onto copper Art Emboss Metal using black StazOn, cut them out and popped them onto the container.   

Dream Valley Challenge 20 - Stitching

This week we'd like to see stitching on your creations at Dream Valley Challenges.  It can be faux stitching, sewing machine stitching or even hand stitching.  Our sponsor this week is the fabulous One Stop Card Crafts who are offering one lucky winner a £10 voucher for their shop.  Here is my attempt but go check out the fab creations from my teamies, such variety and talent.

I decided to do some cross stitch.  I used to do it ages ago but as I haven't done any for a long, long time I went into Hobby Craft and bought one of their Christmas kits (very cheap!).  It came complete with aida, thread (enough to do the robin twice) and even an embroidery needle.  It took no time at all and was fun to do.   I covered a card blank with paper that was free with a magazine and then cut an aperture with my round Nestabilities and mounted my cross stitch behind it.  I framed my work with glitter card (also cut with nesties).  The sentiment is from Habico Christmas Greetings stamped in Stampin' Up Red Riding Hood.  I've also added a bit of faux stitching round the edge and too finish it off I added a couple of bits of bling.

I'd like to enter my card in Samuel Taylors November Challenge which is to make Christmas Cards, and Rogue Redhead Designs RC005 - only one DP.

Daisy Chain

I love Penny Black stamps and this has to be one of the cutest.  Little mice making a daisy chain!  I watercoloured the image uisng Whispers pens then rounded the corners and mounted it onto pale green card.  The DP is from a K&Co pad called Daisy.  I added some green organza ribbon and some pearls to finish it off. I decorated the inside with the same paper, used my Stampin' Up punch to make somewhere to write the message and then stamped the little mice feet and a mouse with a balloon each side.

I'd like to enter this into the Penny Black & More November challenge - All Creatures Great and Small.

Mousey Stockings

Aren't these Penny Black mice the cutest.  They are from 'The Wonder' set.  I watercoloured them using whispes pens and then added some sparkle with Stickles in Holly and Crystal, and then added some flock to the top of one stocking using Doodlebug Crushed Velvet in Lily White.  The DP is from an old stack by Paper Mania called Contemporary Christmas.  I then added the lovely Christmas Tree charm and a sparkly silver ribbon.

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

The Pixie Cottage - Sketch

Penny Black @ Allsorts - All Creatures Great and Small

Samuel Taylor - Christmas Cards (Prize is fab Martha Stewart Snowflake punch)

Out of the Box

Yay, I've actually got on with some Christmas cards today.  For this one I used my brand new Stampin' Up Beautiful Seasons set.  I watercoloured the image with Whispers pens and then added some bling with Holly Stickles (oooh I'm loving stickles at the mo!).  I followed the fab tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers to cut my image using Nestabilites Labels Four.  I've seen this done before and always wondered how it was done and now I know I shall use it again.  I then matted my image onto a green die cut to make it stand out more.  The bg paper is from SU's Holly Berry Boquet DP (so sparkly).  For my sentiment I used the free stamp from the recent Craft Stamper (by The Stampman) and stamped it in Black Cherry StazOn onto clear shrink plastic and then shrank it.  Such a fab technique.  Then I added some sparkly ribbon (also from SU).

I'd like to enter my card in the following challenges:

Christmas Card Challenge 49 - Sketch

Little Claire - Christmas

Jingle Belles - It came upon a midnight CLEAR

Winter Wonderland - Make your card sparkle

Delightful Challenges - A Very Sparkly Christmas

Flourishes Timeless Tuesdays - Out of the Box

The Ribbon Girl - Jingle All the Way to Christmas

ATC Challenges 14 - Mermaids

We have exciting news at ATC Challenges.  We have decided to go weekly so are having a DT call in order that we can field two teams.  All you have to do is leave a comment on the ATC Challenge Blog if you are interested.

Right, on to this week's challenge.  Our theme is Mermaids.  You can use any medium (decoupage, stamping etc) but it MUST BE AN ATC. 

I decided to use a stamp from a set I've had for ages - Water Myths and Fantasy by Non Sequitur.  I stamped the mermaids on Versafine Onxy Black then added colour to the seaweed with a Whispers pen and some sparkle to the mermaids' tails with a Sakura Stardust pen.  Then I mounted my image onto some silver mirror card and then onto a black ATC.