The sweet pea stampers easel card challenge

This is my design card for today's Sweet pea stamper's easel card challenge. Please click on the link to see the wonderful crafting of the rest of the team and to join in and link your creation.

After a few failed attempts, I managed to make this easel card. Having used some cream card I had in my stash, I realised that the promarkers alcohol ink was bleeding and colours were running into one another, so I started again with printing the Concetta Kilmer's 'owl hearts' Sweet Pea digital image on to  my usual Ryman's brilliant white coated card which is a pleasure to use with alcohol pens. So I used a combination of promarkers and flexmarkers to colour. I then stuck the print out on to an easel that already had the scalloped edge, which meant that I had to cut round the image card that I'd stuck on - no easy job ... and I began to wonder why I was bothering. But with some light sanding and brushing with antique linen distress ink I was pleased with the result and carried on to finish the card with a iece of Doolicraft mocha paper for the base with a strip of cream card with some Tim Holtz tissue tape raised with 3D form for the stopper. I printed the sentiment and brushed the card with antique linen, sticking it on with 3D foam. The fabric flowers were from Poundland  (only a few left now, which is a shame - and they don't stock them any more).

This is also for:

One sweet challenge February: love
Cupcake inspirations 249: birds
Crafty cardmakers 110: come fly with me - birds or cages
Paperminutes 310: in flight
Jellypark friends: things with wings
CCEE 1409: chocolate - I've used the colour, not the real thing, although I LOVE the real thing
Order of the opus gluei 177: chocolate
Stamp dreams 31: tone on tone
Whoopsi Daisy: monochromatic
Little tangles 31: monochromatic colour scheme
Ribbon carousel 90: washi tape
Sweet stampin: humour
Ladybug: flowers galore
PumpkinSpice 60: flowers
Eclectic ellapu: gems
Dare to be sassy Thursdays 218: flip or fold it
Flat friends 17: more than 1 fold
Allways something creative 69 special form cards
Crafty sentiments: love
Beyond grey 46: love is in the air, but no red or pink
Stamp and create February: love is in the air
Whimsy 68: love is in the air
Bunny Zoe February: hearts/love
QKR stampede 77: anything but a square
Passion for promarkers 236: make it digital
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Crafty catz 220: anything goes
Creative fingers 25: anything goes
Sister Act 46: anything goes
DL.ART February
Inky linky 46
Make it Monday 180

Safari anniversary

I was asked by a friend to make an anniversary card for her to give to her husband while they are away on a safari holiday. This is what I came up with, creating this totally digitally before printing out and matting on to a card blank:

This is for:

Fairies 20: celebrate
Crafty sentiments: love
Bunny Zoe February: hearts/love
The sisterhood of crafters: one for the boys
Crafty little fairies: one for the boys
Dare to be sassy Thursdays 217 it's raining men
Sentimental Sundays 195: make your own background paper (I created this digitally)
Card mania 41: use a sentiment
The paper shelter 147: animal magic
Crafty creations 257: keep it simple
Digi sketch: anything goes
613 avenue create 60: anything goes
Love to create 104: anything goes
Fan-tastic Tuesday 25: anything goes
Party time Tuesday 161: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Tuesday throwdown 184: anything goes
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Sister Act 45: anything goes
DL.Art February
Inky linky 46
Make it Monday 180

Golf, anyone?

This is the card I made for mum to send to my great nephew (one of her great grandchildren), using some Buzzcraft die cut pyramage and other bits and pieces. The angle of the photo shows the layers although when seen 'head on' it just looks like one picture.

This is for:

Catered crop: good birthdays
Dare to be sassy Thursdays 217: it's raining men
A little bit crafty February: man up
De creatieve Zebra 6: men
Crafty bloggers network February: all about boys
Papertake: lovely layers
Penny's 165: lots of layers
Cardmakin mamas 81: stack it up
Quirky crafts 4: pile it high - layer it up and 3D it
Crafting by designs February
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Sister Act 45: anything goes
Make it Monday 180

The Cheerful stamp pad challenge 80 second week inspiration

This is my design card for the second week for the Cheerful Stamp Pad challenge 80 - please click on the link to see the lovely crafting of the rest of the team. The challenge is being sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps. Please click here to see the challenge week 1 where you can add your black and white creations to the linky.

The image is 'Santa's reindeer globe' by our sponsor, Bugaboo Stamps. The background card is from an old Kanban kit - unfortunately, silver foiling is always hard to show on a photo - there is also some silver on the die cut bauble that doesn't show here. The black, white and silver pieces of ribbon are scraps that were waiting to be used somewhere.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
The 12 months of Christmas card link up
Winter wonderland the most wonderful time of the year
Christmas card challenges 13: anything goes
Pixie's snippets week 113  (scraps of ribbon and offcut of background card)
Little tangles 31: monochromatic
The squirrel and the fox 64: something spooled - ribbon
Handmade harbour midweek papercraft party 25: ribbon
Nutcrafters 62: ribbon and bling
Paper prettie 298: ribbon
Crafty ribbons 77: anything goes
Eclectic ellapu: sparkle
Crafting by designs February
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Sister Act 45: anything goes
DL.ART February: anything goes
Make it Monday 180

Teenage birthday card

One of my great nephews is sixteen today and this is the card I sent him.

I  used some papers that I haven't used for a long time (mainly because I can never think quite how to use them) - they seemed appropriate for the card I wanted to mak - Artic Frog Sunday Brench . I also used some sentiment paper for the middle panel which was from an Art & Craft Bloc (I bought lots of these years ago and don't think I'd manage to use them up even if I used a piece on every card for the next few years - not sure why I bought so many at the time, but I suppose we all do that at times!).

The new element is a bicycle paper clip, so it clipped niftily behind the panel before being glued down.  I bought  a pack of these in different colours from Tiger who have recently opened a shop in Bromley - they sell all sorts of things - it's a good place for a look around.

Inspired by this Pinterest picture for Pinspirational challenge 95, which this week is 'anything goes:

This is also for:

Catered crop: good birthdays
Artistic inspirations 79: anything goes/masculine
Melonheadz friends: for the boys
Dare to be sassy Thursdays 217: it's raining men
A little bit crafty February: man up
De creatieve Zebra 6: men
Crafty bloggers network February: all about boys
Crafting by designs February
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Sister Act 45: anything goes

Commissioned 30th birthday card

I was asked to make a 30th birthday card for a daughter - not girly or with flowers, but to include some musical notes and butterflies with the wording given, which I generated on computer and printed on to card that has Happy Birthday repeatedly printed - very feint, so quite hard to see here.

I used an 8 x 8 embossalicious embossing folder with my eBosser, using some pearlescent card that was a lilac colour, brushing this with dusty concord and chipped sapphire distress inks. The 3D acetate butterflies are some that came in a pack with a recently bought magazine.

I hope I've hit the right note with this card (no pun intended) - I know it is simple, but I couldn't make it fussy and girly and also it needs to be posted abroad so the request was to keep thickness and weight to a minimum.

The torn piece of acetate had been prepared on the computer and printed and run through my xyron so that no glue showed through.

This is for:

Facebook A card a day
Catered crop: good birthdays
Craftitude 59: anything goes or hit the right note (music themed)
Crazy 4 challenges 224: music inspiration
Sentimental Sundays 195: make your own background paper
Crafty hands 8: embossed background
2 sisters 173: embossing
The crafting cafe February: embossing
Ruby's rainbow 73: texture
4 crafty chicks 182: things with wings
Hiding in my craftroom 138: what's buggin' ya?
Quirky crafts 4:pile it high - layer it up and 3D it
Little tangles 31: monochromatic
Crafting by designs February
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
DL.ART February: anything goes
Sister Act 45: anything goes

Thinking of you

A simple card made with some paper that was first shown here, with roses stamped randomly and the Inca sentiment stamp designed by Lyn Lockwood.

This is for:

Butterfly challenge 1: butterflies and flowers
4 crafty chicks 182: things with wings
Hiding in my craftroom 138: what's buggin' ya?
Crafting from the heart 7: anything goes/use flowers
PumpkinSpice 60: flowers
Little tangles 31: monochromatic
Timbro stamp mania 88: monochromatic
Divas by design: rubber stamps only
Crafty creations 257: keep it simple
Word art Wednesday 120: anything goes
Sweet stamps 157 anything goes
Crafty sentiments: anything goes
Crafting by designs February
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
One crazy stamper February: anything goes
Sister Act 45: anything goes

Valentine collage

This is a Valentine collage that I made for the day, but didn't get it done in time to turn it into a printed card for John (norty girl!!). It was created digitally using the heart shape from Shape collage with lots of photos that I had on the PC. The background is the one that I used for my card for the Sweet Pea Stampers Valentine/love challenge - I showed the card here.

The colours in the photo inspiration for Digitally sweet 76 are all here - and this is 100% digitally produced.

This is for:

Mema's crafts February who or what makes your heart smile - John!!
Bunny Zoe February: hearts/love
Alphabet: A for always and forever
LEJ 86: Valentine/love
Red carpet studio 63: love actually
Deep ocean 71: love is all  around
Creative moments 36 anything goes/love
Rhedd & rosies 26: love is in the air
Scrappers delights 16: all you need is love
The sisterhood of crafters: love is in the air
The cupboard trilogy 19: love
Crafting by designs February
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
4 krafty girlz 12: anything goes
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Sister Act 45: anything goes
Make it Monday 179

Butterfly birthday

This card was made using part of a recycled card that had been received, on to which I added the 3D acetate butterflies that were a magazine freebie and a Craftime sentiment.

This is for:

Butterfly challenge 1: butterflies and flowers
4 crafty chicks 182: things with wings
Hiding in my craftroom 138: what's buggin' ya?
Fab n funky 204: spots or stripes
Corrosive 193: in stitches (faux stitching along the bottom)
Top tip Tuesday: stitching
Crafting from the heart 7: anything goes/use flowers
PumpkinSpice 60: flowers
Kreativeinkauf 12: spring flowers
Challenges and candies 28: spring around the corner
Catered crop: good birthdays
Totally papercrafts 207: spring
Lexi 110: monochromatic
Little tangles 31: monochromatic
Crafting by designs February
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Sister Act 45: anything goes
Make it Monday 179

First Easter card this year

This is the first Easter card I've made this year (and I ought to be getting on with lots more) using a recycled image matted on to some very old K & Co paper with some 3D sticker strip from Hobbycraft down the side.

I've used most of the spring colours for Craft room colour challenge

:

This is also for:

Crafting by designs February
Cuttin and stampin 14-7: spring is here
Challenges and candies 28: spring around the corner
Totally papercrafts 207: spring
Kreativeinkauf 12: spring flowers
Papertake: lovely layers
Penny's 165: lots of layers
Cardmakin mamas 81: stack it up (3 layers or more)
Simply create too 55: St Patrick's day or use green
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Sister Act 45: anything goes
Make it Monday 179

CHNC challenge 165: use a sentiment

It's time for CHNC challenge 165: use a sentiment - and amazing to think that by the time this challenge ends, two months of the year will have passed already, so it really is worth thinking about making Christmas cards now rather than wait for panic to set in later in the year.

So this is my card for CHNC challenge 165 - please join in if you can - it's an 'easy peasy' challenge this time - just add a sentiment! I've used a Di's Digi Download called 'to both of you', coloured  digitally in Microsoft Paint and mounted on to an offcut of Hunkydory card. The base card has been covered with a piece of My Mind's Eye Christmas glitter paper that was left over from a project long ago. It is much more glittery in real life than shown on here. And the snow lady's hat and cuff have been blinged up with crystal ice stickles. The red strip with gold foiling is a left over piece from a Hunkydory kit and the flowers from Hobbycraft.

This is also for:

Crafting by designs February
Pixie's snippets week 112
The 12 months of Christmas card link up
Winter wonderland the most wonderful time of the year
Squigglefly 7: use a digi image and a digi sentiment
Crafting from the heart 7: anything goes/use flowers
PumpkinSpice 60: flowers
Ladybug: flowers galore
Craftin desert divas 25: glitter
Digi sketch: glitter it
Love to create 103: make it sparkle with bling
Cardmakin mamas 81: stack it up (3 layers or more)
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Creative fingers 24: anything goes
4 krafty girlz 12: anything goes
613 avenue create 59: anything goes
Scribble and scrap 12: anything goes
Inky linky 45
Sister Act 45: anything goes
Make it Monday 179

Suzy Bee's Bloomin' challenge 17: whimsical/fantasy ...

This is my design card for today's Suzy Bee's Bloomin' challenge 17: whimsical/fantasy ... Please click on the link to see the wonderful crafting of the rest of the team and to join in the challenge.

I've used the 'fairy and butterfly' image kindly supplied by the sponsor, the Stamping Boutique, stamping over it with an oval inked with stazon vibrant violet. I then tore round a perspex oval and edged with some of the vibrant violet. The background of the card blank was randomly stamped with a Dawn Bibbly swirls stamp inked with the stazon vibrant violet, before adding the strips of gingham ribbon (I had to cheat with the purple one because it wasn't long enough, so the gap is hidden beneath the Craftime sentiment.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Crafting by designs February
Pixie's snippets week 112: (the snippets of purple ribbon)
Stamping sensations February: wings, fantasy and fiction
Catered crop: good birthdays
Fairies 20: celebrate
Woodware UK: flourishes and swirls
Wordplay Saturday February: swirls
Delightful: add a flourish
Crafty sentiments: anything goes
Inky chicks 23: black and white and your fave colour - I love to craft with all shades of purple and lilac
All kinds of cards 98: no design paper
Handmade harbour midweek papercraft party 25: ribbon
Paper pretties 298: ribbon
Crafty ribbons 77: anything goes
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Creative fingers 24: anything goes
4 krafty girlz 12: anything goes
613 avenue create 59: anything goes
Scribble and scrap 12: anything goes
DL.ART February: anything goes
Inky linky 45
Sister Act 45: anything goes
Make it Monday 179

The Cheerful stamp pad challenge 80: black and white

This is my design card for the Cheerful Stamp Pad challenge 80 - please click on the link to see the lovely crafting of the rest of the team and join in the challenge with your black and white creations. The challenge is being sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps.

The image is 'reindeer silhouette' by our sponsor, Bugaboo Stamps, matted on to black card. The background reindeer card is from an old Kanban kit. The card was finished off with a piece of stitched ribbon, some punched snowflakes and a rub on sentiment.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Crafting by designs February
The 12 months of Christmas card link up
Sparkles Christmas 37: anything goes
Robyn's fetish 199: add lots of snow
Penny's 164: monochrome
Open-minded crafting 4: monochrome
Timbro scrap mania 88: monochromatic
Little Claire 42: monotone
Lexi 110: monochromatic
AnMaCreatief 29: 3 of something - 3 punched snowflakes
CAS on Sunday 27: masculine card
Artistic inspirations 79: anything goes/masculine
Melonheadz friends: for the boys
Corrosive 193: in stitches
Crafty sentiments: anything goes
Sentimental Sundays 194: pack a punch
One stitch at a time 200: use a digi
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
613 avenue create 59: anything goes
Scribble and scrap 12: anything goes
DL.ART February: anything goes
Sister Act 44: anything goes
Make it Monday 179

Confession time

John got me a lovely card and a bowl with red tulips for Valentine's Day:

We had planned to go out for lunch, but we had  to go up to Guy's for an early appointment for John's foot and by the time we got back to Orpington Station it was lashing with rain once again, so we got a taxi home and ordered  pizzas etc to be delivered. We then sat over a late lunch for ages, enjoying a glass of wine each.

But ... I hadn't made a card for John. I can make the excuse that life has been difficult for the past few weeks and I've only really been doing necessary crafting (although perhaps a Valentine card for John should have been included in the 'necessary'). Anyway, I had the card that I made last week that you can see and read about here, but it had an image of a little boy and wasn't appropriate. I carefully peeled off that image and added two wooden spotted hearts and the sentiment pieces instead - job done!  And I did buy him a mug!

Message inside:

I'm linking this for the following challenges:

Pinspirational 94

The  pink elephant 237: happy Valentine's day
Fan-tastic Tuesday 22 romance
Flourishes timeless 258: wood you be mine (the hearts are wooden)
Going grey with Scrap-creations: Valentine's day
Tuesday throwdown 182: roses are red ...
Crafting for all seasons 70: show us some romance
Fab n funky 203: love/Valentine theme
The paper shelter 145: be my Valentine
Dare to be sassy Thursday 216:  Valentine's day
Alphabet: A for always and forever
Craftitude 58: anything goes or Valentine love
Fussy & fancy 107: be my Valentine
Jo's scrap shack funday 37: Valentine
The stamping boutique 4: Valentine love
Totally papercrafts 206: Valentine/love
Wags n whiskers  122 bingo: middle line down: die cuts, hearts, flowers (also lots of red)
Scrap-cards 58: Valentine hearts
Sunflowers 1: Valentine's day/hearts
LEJ 86: Valentine/love
Crafting from the heart 6: anything goes/use red
Papertake: with a heart
Pause dream enjoy 3: hearts
Crafter's cafe 50: must have hearts
My heart pieces: red is the symbol of love
Mema February: who or what makes your heart smile - John!
Shelly's February: use two hearts and red
Bunny Zoe February: hearts/love
Red carpet studio 63: love actually
The squirrel and the fox 63: love
Card mania 40: love is all around
Crazy challenge 164: love is in the air
Love to create 102: colour - red and/or pink
Make my Monday: love is in the air
Cardz 4 guyz 5: truly, madly, deeply
City crafter 198: love bug
Clear it out: love is in the air (with flowers)
Deep ocean 71: love is all around
Ladybug: for the one I love
Paperminutes 308: love is in the air
Creative moments 36: anything goes/love
Divas by design: with love
Rhedd and rosies 26: love is in the air
Scrappers delights 16: all you need is love
The sisterhood of crafters: love is in the air
Little tangles 30: celebrate love#
Paper-crafting journey: love is in the air
LiaStampz 59: add a heart
Frosted designs: love is
Polka doodles 7: love/romance
Just for fun February: love is in the air
Natalie and Amy 17: love is all around
Crafty calendar February: love is all around
Whimsy 68: love is in the air
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Crafting by designs February
Sister Act 44: anything goes

Crafting Musketeers 10: butterflies

This is my design team card for Crafting Musketeers challenge 10: butterflies (my team provides inspiration mid-way through the challenge - to see the beginning of the month and join in with the link please click here.

The challenge is being sponsored by Dreamees and I have used an image from their topper set girls 7, tearing round a perspex oval template and colouring the torn edge with a spectrum noir. The background paper was a magazine freebie which i randomly stamped with a Dawn Bibby swirl stamp inked with stazon vibrant voilet. The butterflies were another magazine freebie, the sentiment circle from Craftwork cards and the bow from Papermania.

This is also for:

Take a word: butterflies
Come and get it:: butterflies or dragonflies
Top tip Tuesday: girly
MilkCoffee: girly
Little miss muffet 79: happy birthday
Catered crop: good birthdays
Wordplay Saturday February: swirls
Crafty ribbons 76: ribbon n bows
One stitch at a time 200: use a digi
Whoopsi Daisy: include a sentiment
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Crafting by designs February
Sister Act 44: anything goes
Make it Monday 177

The glory of Christmas 27: snow

This is my design card for the Glory of Christmas challenge 27: snow.

I've used images from Beccy's snowman set. The background was created with a piece of Hunkydory card that already had snowflakes on it which I then ran through my eBosser with the Embossalicious 'star of wonder' embossing folder, brushing the embossed effect with stormy sky distress ink, which I also brushed around the image. Just the addition of a couple of pieces of spotty ribbon and the card was done.

This is also for:

CRAFT 246: Christmas
The 12 months of Christmas card link up
Robyn's fetish 199: add lots of snow
Whoopsi Daisy: include a sentiment
One stitch at a time 200: use a digi
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Crafting by designs February
Sister Act 44: anything goes
Make it Monday 177

White Christmas

It was my turn to set the challenge for the Christmas Card Club for today.

Anyway, my challenge to the team was:

I love seeing snowflakes on Christmas cards (although I don't actually like snow in reality) and I love seeing 'white on white' cards, so please make a card that either features snowflakes or that is all white.

Well, I went for both - snowflakes and all white (well a bit of silver crept in, but I think that's allowed - lol!).

I used some beautiful pearlescent paper that has a spotted look that changes a bit according to the way the light shines. I used some to cut the snowflakes using a set of Die'sire snowflakes dies run through my eBosser - these are quite fiddly dies, but work well if wax paper is used between the die and the paper (and the paper is free from a cereal pack - I now have John well trained to hand them over when the box is empty!).

The organza ribbons with silver gems were from Hobbycraft and I used matching gems to decorate the centres of the snowflakes.The sentiment was rescued from a card received.

As is always the case, it was very difficult to get a photo of all the white - and I've just realised that the way I cropped the photo has made  the  sentiment look crooked, whereas it itsn't really.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Crafting by designs February
CRAFT 246: Christmas
The 12 months of Christmas card link up
Robyn's fetish 199: add lots of snow
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Penny's 164: monochrome
Open-minded crafting 4: monochrome
Little Claire 42: monotone
Whoopsi Daisy: include a sentiment
Aud sentiments 100:  bingo - I chose the top  line monochrome colours, 'two word sentiment', use texture of some type
Brown sugar 81: use a die cut or punch
Sparkles Christmas 37: anything goes
Scribble and scrap 12: anything goes
DL.ART February: anything goes
Sister Act 44: anything goes
Make it Monday 177

More blue and white for CCAYR mid-month inspiration

To read about the CCAYR mid-month inspiration and the February challenge please scroll down or click here for details.

For this card I used an offcut of striped Hunkydory card, rounded the corners and matted on to the dark blue card blank, again rounding the corners. I used a very old Kanban silver foiled frame, using a silver littered snowflake in the middle with hearts within that.

This is also for:

CRAFT 246: Christmas
The 12 months of Christmas card link up
Christmas card challenges 11: silver and blue
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Squigglefly 6: square pegs - square card
Scribbles 14: frame it
Whoopsi Daisy: include a sentiment
Penny's 164: monochrome
Open-minded crafting 4: monochrome
Oozak 31: anything goes/white with one colour
Artistic inspirations 78: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Crafting by designs February
DL.ART February: anything goes
Sister Act 44: anything goes
Make it Monday 177

Christmas fairy for mid-month inspiration on CCAYR

It's already mid-month, so it's time for some inspiration from the team for the February challenge on Christmas cards all year round. Please click on the link to be inspired. And click here to get details and join in the challenge which has the theme of 'blue and white' with the optional addition of a heart.

The challenge is being sponsored by Sassy Studio Designs, who kindly supplied the digital image, 'Little Honey's Tinkerbell', that I've used for my first card for mid-month inspiration. I coloured with spectrum noir pens and streaked some quickie glue on her wings and sprinkled some Art Institute glitter - and some on her hair as well.  I die cut with a Nellie Snellen die, brushing the edges with stormy sky distress ink. The background card is some old Kanban Christmas stock, with the addition of a piece of stitched ribbon and a padded white heart.

This is also for:

CRAFT 246: Christmas
The 12 months of Christmas card link up
Christmas card challenges 11: silver and blue
A creative romance: let's get sentimental
Whoopsi Daisy: include a sentiment
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Squigglefly 6: square pegs - square card
Little blue button 2/14: using only image rubber/clear or digital stamp
Stempelsonne 108: fairytale/fantasy
Winter  wonderland: fairies
Cute card Thursday 308: clever cutting
Brown sugar 81: use a die cut or punch
Feeling crafty 25: dies
Top tip Tuesday: girly
MilkCoffee: girly
Delicious doodles 75: ribbon and bling
Cards galore 2: add glitter (or any bling)
Scribbles 14: frame it
Oozak 31: anything goes/white with one colour
Artistic inspirations 78: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Polka doodles digi choosday: anything goes
Creative fingers 23: anything goes
Sparkles Christmas 37: anything goes
Inky linky 44
Crafting by designs February
DL.ART February: anything goes
Sister Act 44: anything goes
Inky linky 44
Make it Monday 177

CHNC challenge 164: Christmas love

As it was Valentine's Day yesterday (more about that later), I thought for CHNC challenge 164 we would have the theme of Christmas love - however you wish to interpret that. Please click on the link and join in the challenge.

For my card I've used Eureka Stamps' 'caroling bunnies' (one of the three sponsors of CHNC challenge 164) coloured with spectrum noir pens, mounted on to silver mirror card and then on to some Kanban pink paper with silver foiling (been in my Christmas stash for ages). The eyelash fibre wrapped around the inner edge gives the simple card a bit of sparkle.

This is also for:

CRAFT 246: Christmas
The 12 months of Christmas card link up
Merry Monday 95: animal
Lacy sunshine 26: use a sentiment
A creative romance: let's get sentimental
Whoopsi Daisy: include a sentiment
Savvy: it's love challenge
Card and scrap 70: hip hip hooray - everything can be celebrated
Squigglefly 6: square pegs - square card
Little blue button 2/14: using only image rubber/clear or digital stamp
613 avenue create 58: anything goes
Crafting by designs February
Inky linky 44
DL.ART February: anything goes
Sister Act 44: anything goes
Make it Monday 177

Suzy Bee's Bloomin' challenge 16: mid-month sketch

This is my design card for Suzy Bee's Bloomin' challenge 16, which is to make a card based on this sketch:

The sponsor for the challenge is Lacy Sunshine and I used her 'keiko' image that was kindly supplied. Please click here to see the lovely crafting of the rest of the team and to join in the challenge.

I used some long neglected papers from a Far East stack by DCWV that I remember receiving as a Christmas present some years ago. I used quite a lot of the papers soon after that, but for a long time it's been in a box with lots of other papers. I cut into a new piece for the background, but used a couple  of offcuts for the two strips, brushing all edges with fired brick distress ink. I printed the keiko image directly on to a piece of the Far East paper (well, it's more like card than paper really), which is textured and coloured it with ordinary colouring pencils (made quite a change to alcohol pens). I even found a few chipboard stickers to use that had come with a matching pack from DCWV (it just shows that it's worth keeping all those little bits and pieces). I tore around the image using a perspex oval template and used another larger one for a background piece, lightly brushing the torn edges with some of the fired brick.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Pixie's snippets week 111
Hiding in my craft room 136: super scraps Saturday
Lacy sunshine 26: use a sentiment
A creative romance: let's get sentimental
Whoopsi Daisy: include a sentiment
Bloggers challenge: two or more pattern papers
Squigglefly 6: square pegs - square card
Little blue button 2/14: using only image rubber/clear or digital stamp
613 avenue create 58: anything goes
Crafting by designs February: anything goes
Inky linky 44
DL.ART February: anything goes
Sister Act 44: anything goes
Make it Monday 177

The Sweet pea stampers vintage challenge

This is my design card for the Sweet pea stampers vintage challenge that starts today for the next fortnight. Please click on the link to see the wonderful crafting of the rest of the team and to join in the challenge.

I used Ching-chou Kuik's 'Flowing in Blue' rubber stamp (but I decided not to use blue!) coloured with spectrum noir pens, tearing around the edges. The background paper is a piiece of Core-dinations ColorCore cardstock embossed with Jenni Bowlin Studio design, which was sanded to reveal a yellowy beige colour, brushing lightly in places with vintage photo distess ink. The stitched pleated card down the side is Bazzill and the felt flowers were from Poundland.

Colours are for Sketchy colors 197: brown, orange, yellow:

This is also for:

DL.ART thankful Thursday 126: vintage
Stampavie and more 205: lots of flowers
The artistic stamper creative team February: use distress
Cardmakin mamas 80: make it sparkle
Take a word: butterflies
Stamping sensations February: wings, fantasy and fiction
Let's craft and create 88: fabric or felt
Addicted to stamps and more 82: make your mark - using markers