Birthday cakes

These are some cards I made the other day - DCWV patterned card blanks (had these for ages) - everything else from Hunkydory kit - the images are pyramage built up.

These are for:

Card caravan (the hybrid chick): cheer
Let's craft and create 63: happy birthday
Broken box stock 20: happy birthday
Cardmakin mamas: it's birthday time
Sandy's crafty creations February: anything goes
Incy wincy: pop it up
Challenges 4 everybody 14: anything goes
My Grafico: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday: anything goes
QKR stampede 26: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 6: anything goes
Make it Monday 128
Inspire me Fridays 96
52 card pickup 2.7

Get well soon

A simple card that would be suitable to send to a male or female, particularly someone who is interested in gardening. I've used a slightly sparkly card blank, a Kanban topper, a couple of strips of glitter and a Creata textured rub on sentiment.

This is for:

A card a day facebook
Card caravan (the hybrid chick): cheer
Craft your passion 150: all that glitters
Love to create 53: all that glitters
Woodware UK 90: shining silver
De creatieve zebra 7: no flowers
My time to craft 209: men only!
Totally Gorjuss 171: for the men
Cards galore February: one for the men
Challenges 4 everybody 14: anything goes
My Grafico: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday: anything goes
QKR stampede 26: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 6: anything goes
Make it Monday 128
Inspire me Fridays 96
52 card pickup 2.7

Hello doily

The other day I made a lot of cards using elements from Hunkydory kits (I have a couple of sales coming up for charity and need to increase my stock) - this CAS card has a patterned card blank, a doily and elements from Hunkydory.

This is for:

A card a day facebook
Scrappy frogs: use red or pink
Crafts and me 120: doily heaven
Mema's crafts February: hello doiley
Unstampabelles 20: doilies
Pink by design: birthday
Shopping our stash 89: they say it's your birthday
Forever friends 55: anything goes
My Grafico: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday: anything goes
QKR stampede 26: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 6: anything goes
52 card pickup 2.7

Children decorating Christmas tree outdoor ...

... this is the name of one of the stamps kindly supplied by another of today's sponsors over at my CHNC challenge 112: let it snow again!

I deliberately left the image black and white (stamped with memento tuxedo black) and mounted on to silver mirror card. The paper is Echo park very merry Christmas and the ribbon with silver (not black as they look here) snowflakes is from stash. The sentiment was computer generated and printed, again mounted on silver mirror card (isn't this so awful to photograph!).

This is also for:

A card a day facebook
Winter wonderland: it's the most wonderful time of the year
Use your stuff 71: winter wonderland
CRAFT 194: Christmas in February
Christmas at sweet stampin 3: snowflakes
Gingerloft 58: the colour red
Clear it out: anything goes with red/white
Scrappy frogs: use red or pink
Inky impressions 97: ribbon or twine
No matter which February: ribbons and bows
CASology 31: red
The shabby tea room 153: sweet silhouettes
One stitch at a time 150: anything goes
Forever friends 55: anything goes
My Grafico: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Tuesday throwdown 134: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday: anything goes
QKR stampede 26: anything goes
Raise the bar 131: free for all - anything goes
Stampin with the dragon: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 6: anything goes
Make it Monday 127
Inspire me Fridays 96
52 card pickup 2.7

CHNC challenge 112: let it snow again!

Not that I want any more snow in reality - just on Christmas cards - I'd like to see snow, snow scenes, snowmen, snowflakes ... anything to do with snow for my CHNC challenge 112 that starts today.

One of the sponsors is Delicious Doodles and I've used their 'snowy postbox' digital image for these five CAS cards, just colouring the postbox with a red copic and mounting on to black and then on to white card blanks.

This is also for:

Winter wonderland: it's the most wonderful time of the year
Delicious doodles 23: for the boys (suitable to send to a male)
CAS-ual Friday 90: black & white plus 1

O little town of Bethlehem

This card uses a lovely digi image supplied to take place in Lady Anne's Christmas Progressive challenge. I've been meaning to make a card and join in with this, but somehow time has been taken up with other things in the last week or two. Anyway, here it is, with an offcut of Christmas stitched paper with stars and a piece of blue and silver ribbon. The image was colour with Marvy le plume alcohol pens and mounted on to silver mirror card, as was the computer generated sentiment. The challenge is being sponsored by Crafting with Jack.

Colours are for Just add ink 154:

This is also for:

Christmas stampin all year long 3: all tied up - ribbon
Deep ocean 45: letter B - blue, Bethlehem

More hearts ...

... well, it is Valentine's day!

Cards similar to the previous ones, yet again with DCWV background card, various papers for die cut hearts and Hunkydory flower topper.

This is for:

Bloggers challenge: all you need is love
Cardmakin mamas: I'm in the mood for love
Daring cardmakers: love is in the air
Simply create too 30: hearts
Mayzyart 10: anything goes
Totally Gorjuss 170: love!
Card caravan (the hybrid chick) 37: hearts
Corrosive 167: hearts and flowers
Dream valley 50: Valentines
Kreativer Basel 15: love/Valentine's day
One stitch at a time 150: anything goes
Red carpet studio 23: where the heart is
The squirrel and the fox 37: love
Card mania 14: this love that I'm feeling
Collage obsession: love
Craft your passion 149: my Valentine
Fashionista 12: Valentines
Kaboodle 158: Valentines
Lexi 83: Valentine/love
Love to create 52: feelin the love
Ooh-la-la 123: love story
Songbird 13: hopelessly devoted to you
The pink elephant 186: love is in the air
Victorine 52: Valentine's & hearts
Celebrate the occasion 99: Valentine anything goes
Crazy amigo: Valentine
Each card a party 154: love
Emerald faerie garden 40: love
Flourishes timeless Tuesday 207: put your heart on it
Papertake: hearts & flowers
Scrap-cards 42: hearts
Top tip Tuesday 95: let me call you sweetheart - romance and/or hearts
Tuesday alchemy 50: my heart's all a flutter - hearts and/or wings
Crafty creations 209: love and/or hearts
Creative Belli 163: Valentines/hearts - until this recent batch of cards the DCWV card had been well neglected
Divas by design: love and romance
Little red wagon 172: the word 'love'
Nutcrafters 36: love and friendship
The paper shelter 99:  be my Valentine
Art impressions 100: 'show me the love' hearts required
DRS 59: the word 'love'
Moving along with the times: love is in the air
My heart pieces: my heart is for you
Papercrafting journey: love
Sincerely yours creations: Valentine/love
Wags n whiskers 97: love
2 sisters 130: hearts
Allsorts 193: Valentines
Catch the bug: affairs of the heart
My Sheri 103: Valentines
Pumpkin spice 6: Valentine
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 146: love
Crafters cafe 13: love/friendship
Heck of a challenge: love is all around us - love and flowers
Great impressions February: have a heart
GoFish 34: I love you
My Grafico: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Tuesday throwdown 134: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 6: anything goes
Make it Monday 127

Anniversary love

Similar to the previously shown card, these use the same background DCWV card and die cut hearts layered with Creata textured rub on sentiments:

These are for:

Bloggers challenge: all you need is love
Card crafters circle 61: love is in the air
Cardmakin mamas: I'm in the mood for love
Daring cardmakers: love is in the air
Little scrap pieces fun Friday: love is in the air
Simply create too 30: hearts
Creative creations 3: it must be love
Emergency crafters: romance
Totally Gorjuss 170: love!
Card caravan (the hybrid chick) 37: hearts

Quick hearty card

This week's 10 minute craft dash 11 is to make a card featuring hearts - within 10 minutes, of course - this card took me about 6 minutes as I had the die cut hearts ready:

Background card is DCWV, various papers for the die cut hearts, Hunkygory flower topper.

This is also for:

CAS on Sunday 1: be mine Valentine
Come and get it: show us your heart - love is in the air

It's only words

For todays challenge for the Christmas Card Club Dawn asked us to use only words, no images, on our Christmas cards. I remembered a 'Merry Christmas' oval that I'd had left from a Kanban kit long ago and thought I would use that ... then I had to hunt for papers to go with it.

The two main background papers are from Fancy Pants winterland pad - the one with script was brushed with bundled sage distress ink - the main part of the paper is much more pink than it looks here. The panel across the middle is from the Authentique peaceful collection, torn and edged with victorian velvet distress ink - on reflection, I think tattered rose would have been better, but it's done now.

Spotty ribbons from stash. Having used a lot of offcuts recently, how lovely it was to cut into new papers (and, of course, I now have some offcuts to use up!).

This is also for:

A card a day facebook
Crafty ribbons 38: anything goes with ribbon
Avadares 8: green
One stitch at a time 150: anything goes
Brown sugar 28: anything goes
Challenges 4 everybody 13: anything goes
My grafico 144: anything goes
LEJ designs 39: anything goes
Papertake: anything goes
Tuesday alchemy 49: anything goes
Twisted Tuesday: free for all
DL.ART February linky party: anything goes
Mayzyart 10: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 6: anything goes
Bunny Zoe: anything goes
Nana Vickie's second challenge: anything goes
Inspire me Fridays 95
52 card pick up week 2.6

Another card for CHNC challenge 111

This is another card for my CHNC challenge 111: we don't want any more snow (for details please click the link). For this card I've used the Bugaboo Stamps akv girl xmas tree image, coloured with copics. Papers are offcuts of double sided K & Co paper.

The card is based on the sketch for Critter 150:

This is also for:

Hiding in my craft room 84: super scraps Saturday
Christmas stampin all year long 2: candy cane
Jellypark friends: so sweet
Sweet pea February: use a digital stamp
Moving along with the times: only girls allowed
Copic marker Europe 13: anything goes with copic markers
Crafty bloggers network 8: anything goes
Brown sugar 28: anything goes
Challenges 4 everybody 13: anything goes
My grafico 144: anything goes
Bearly mine 72: anything goes
LEJ designs 39: anything goes
Papertake: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Tuesday alchemy 49: anything goes
Twisted Tuesday: free for all
DL.ART February linky party: anything goes
Hanna and friends 164: anything goes
Mayzyart 10: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 6: anything goes
Bunny Zoe: anything goes
Nana Vickie's second challenge: anything goes
Make it Monday 126
Inspire me Fridays 95
52 card pick up week 2.6

CHNC challenge 111: we don't want any more snow!

From my little blogging this week you'd think that I hadn't made many cards, but, in fact, I've made loads (mainly using a Hunkydory kit that has been very useful for making quick cards), so time's been taken up with cardmaking rather than blogging.

Anyway, today, of course, sees the launch of a new challenge over on my CHNC weekly challenge blog and so for challenge 111 I'm asking for Christmas cards without any snow ... so, no snowmen, snowflakes, snow scenes ... anything really, except SNOW because we don't want any more of it!

There are three wonderful sponsors for CHNC challenge 111 - just go and check it out and, hopefully, join in and be in with a chance to win one of the prizes - one of the sponsors is a regular one, Bugaboo Stamps - I've used their image 'akv santa tree' for this card - coloured with copics.

The papers I've used are offcuts from my Christmas box (I really must start cutting into some new papers or I'll be having withdrawal symptoms - lol!) - you could almost think that the paper with hearts on is for Valentine, but it really is a Christmas paper - and the spotty grosgrain ribbon is from stash.

Why is it that yet again colours aren't showing up as they are irl - the tree and the sentiment match up much better than they look here - perhaps it's something to do with the reflection on the mirror card of the sentiment!

This is also for:

Sunday's with Santa week 3: trees (yes, I'm late with this one, but up to date now)
A card a day facebook
Pixie's crafty snippets week 58
Hiding in my craft room 84: super scraps Saturday
A and T 21: polka dots
Freshly brewed 2: hearts and dots
Sweet pea February: use a digital stamp
Forever friends 54: use ribbon or lace
Whoopsi Daisy: ribbon and/or lace
Penny's 113: ribbons and bows
Whimsical designs: textiles (ribbon)
No matter which February 6: ribbons and bows
Crafty ribbons 38: anything goes with ribbon
The pretty little ribbon shop February 19: anything goes and ribbon
Copic marker Europe 13: anything goes with copic markers
Crafty bloggers network 8: anything goes
Brown sugar 28: anything goes
Catch the bug February anything goes
Challenges 4 everybody 13: anything goes
My grafico 144: anything goes
Bearly mine 72: anything goes
Clear it out: anything goes: stash: red/white
Crafty sentiments: anything goes
LEJ designs 39: anything goes
Papertake: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Tuesday alchemy 49: anything goes
Twisted Tuesday: free for all
DL.ART February linky party: anything goes
Hanna and friends 164: anything goes
Mayzyart 10: anything goes
Crafting cafe 1: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 6: anything goes
Bunny Zoe: anything goes
Nana Vickie's second challenge: anything goes
Make it Monday 126
Inspire me Fridays 95
52 card pick up week 2.6

Doily easel card

This card uses a doily shape that came with a Hunkydory kit. I cut round the edge of a square card. The paper covering the bottom of the card is Forever Friends spring time. The doily is a cheapie one from Poundland brushed with Dusty concord distress ink. Silk flowers, gem ribbons and flower ribbons from Hobbycraft.

Why is it that the silk flowers are more purple irl than in the photo?

This is for:

A card a day facebook
Mema's February challenge: hello doiley
Pile it on 5: fancy folds
One stitch at a time 149: not square
Crafty catz 168: anything but square
Crafts and me 119: your favourite colour combo - I love all shades of purple/pink
Dutch dare 202: tic tac toe - I chose: bright colours, bling, ribbon
Totally gorjuss 169: anything goes with lace

P-p-p pick up a present or two ...

... this is my second card for my CHNC challenge 110 that starts today where the theme is 'P-p-p pick up a penguin ... or anything beginning with P'.

I've used the 'Sarah's Christmas' image kindly given by Robyn's Fetish digital stamps and more, one of the sponsors of my CHNC challenge 110, coloured with copics. The background paper is an offcut that I've had for a long time, originally part of a 12 x 12 paper.

This is also for:

Pixie's crafty snippets week 57
Joan's gardens: vintage card
Sparkles Christmas challenge February 25: anything goes
Mayzy art 10: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 6: anything goes
Catch the bug February: anything goes
One stop craft 214: anything goes
Hanna and friends 164: anything goes
Bunny Zoe: anything goes
My Grafico 144: anything goes
Make it Monday 125
Inspire me Fridays 94
52 card pick up 2.5

CHNC challenge 110: P-p-p pick up a penguin ...

... or anything else beginning with P - that's the theme for my CHNC challenge 110 starting today.

My first card uses the 'Paul Penguin' image kindly given to me by one of the sponsors, Robyn's Fetish digital stamps and more, coloured with copics - I torn round an oval template and coloured the distressed edges with a copic.. The background is made up from some card blanks that I bought ages ago and hadn't used.

This is also for:

A card a day facebook
Sparkles Christmas challenge February 25: anything goes
Raise the bar 129: animal attraction
Mad for markers February: movies - Happy Feet
Allsorts 192: let's get cute
Crimbo crackers 34: male
Crafty bloggers network 8: anything goes
Mayzy art 10: anything goes
Spark your creativity now 6: anything goes
Catch the bug February: anything goes
One stop craft 214: anything goes
Hanna and friends 164: anything goes
Bunny Zoe: anything goes
My Grafico 144: anything goes
Make it Monday 125
Inspire me Fridays 94
52 card pick up 2.5

CHNC challenge extra for February

It doesn't seem possible that we're into February already - this means another challenge on my CHNC challenge extra blog - this is always 'anything goes' as long as it's Christmas, so why not hop on over there and join in - you'll be thankful later in the year that you have some Christmas cards made instead of rushing at the last minute.

My CHNC challenge extra are always sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps and they kindly supplied the 'angel' image which I coloured digitally using Paint. The bright backgrounds were cut from cards that I bought ages ago and have never wanted to use ... but I thought they went with the angel images (although you may well have to put sunglasses on!!):

These are also for:

A card a day facebook
Sparkles Christmas challenge February 25: anything goes
Hanna and friends 164: anything goes
A gem of a challenge 64: holidays
My time to craft 206: things with wings
Bunny Zoe: anything goes
My Grafico 144: anything goes
Make it Monday 125
Inspire me Fridays 94
52 card pick up 2.5

These are also a bit early for Sunday's with Santa week 5: non traditional colours

Make a scene ...

... no, I haven't been stamping my feet and having a tantrum ... but making a scene with a brayer and inks - how I wish I was half as good at it as Barbara Gray is (I so admire her work) ... but I tried. I used my splodge mat for the first time (had it for a long while and this is the first chance to use it). I used a variety of ink pads - broken china, stormy sky and bundled sage distress inks and lake mist, meadow, pitch black and salmon Adirondack dye inks. All of the trees and bushes are Clarity stamps, inked with pitch black, but using faded stamping as well.

I was prompted to get the inks and brayer out by the Daring cardmakers challenge for this week (closing very soon): Setting the scene. This challenge is being sponsored by Docrafts who are giving one of their 4 exciting new sets of Build-A-Scene Dies each worth £19.95.

For the first scene I masked off a circle for the moon, but then brayered over to create a cloudy, mist where the moon is just about evident.

On this one, the moon was masked off, but then brayered gently to create a slightly layered look (which is actually more salmon looking irl):

This is also for:

A card a day facebook
CRAFT 192: make a mask/use a mask - for the moon
Alota 99: make your own backgrounds

Thankfully, the snow has all gone ...

... so I don't mind seeing it on cards. The background paper is an offcut of DCWV paper, with an embossed panel created with a snowflake embossing border folder on a snippet of white card brushed with stormy sky distress ink, with some sticky ribbon either side. The image is one that I stamped and glittered a long, long time ago - I got the stamp in a 'pass it on' challenge at the time and stamped so many of them and this is a stray one that didn't get used.

This is for:

Holly jolly Christmas challenge: snowmen and/or snowflakes
Always playing with paper merry Monday 47: tic tac toe - I chose: blue, dry embossing, snow
Rudolph day 25 January
Pixie's crafty snippets week 57
Christmas at sweet stamps 2: cold and frosty
MilkCoffee: snowflakes plus sparkle and/or glitter

Birthday candles

This is a card that I made a couple of weeks ago for my brother's birthday. I was keen to get it in the post, so I forgot to take photos, but he has kindly taken some and emailed so I can now show the card. It was a special birthday, which explains the number of candles - and there was an appropriate message inside. I used a Docrafts candles tamp, masking off some of them to stamp the middle ones, colouring them with copics. The sentiment background paper was some I've had for a long time. The card is an 8 x 8 because I needed lots of room for all the candles!

This is for:

Card a day facebook
Moxie fab world Tuesday trigger: happy birthday to you
All kinds of cards 72: song inspiration - happy birthday to you
Creative inspirations 199: one for the guys!
Inkspirational 5: anything goes:

Lady Anne Friday is sentimental: anything goes
Willow sketchie: happy birthday
Bloggers challenge: they say it's your birthday
Little scrap pieces fun Friday: birthday
Timbro scrap mania 63: create the masculine

Three cards out of one

Last February I made a multi-fold easel Christmas card, but it didn't get used and I wasn't that keen on  it, so didn't see any point in keeping it. But there was no way that I was going to discard it so I decided to take it to pieces and use most of those pieces along with other bits from my offcuts box to make three new cards.

This is the original card and you can read about it here:

And here are the three cards I made:

This is for:

A card a day facebook
Rudolph day 25 January
Pixie's crafty snippets week 57
Christmas cards all year round January: anything goes
Sunday's with Santa facebook week 4: Santa (the first card)
Chococlate, coffee & cards 31: rock on - music related (first and third cards)
Frosted designs fabulous Friday: music (first and third cards)
Crafting by designs: getting ready for Christmas - snowman (second card)
A gem of a challenge 64: holidays
Card caravan (the hybrid chick) 36: winter
Bunny Zoe: anything goes
My Grafico 144: anything goes
Spark your creativity 5: anything goes
Make it Monday 125
Inspire me Fridays 93
52 card pick up 2.4

Simply Holly

Carol challenged the Christmas Card Club to make cards without designer paper. I decided to use the sketch 8 for Less is more 104 - they asked that the card stays in this orientation ie that the band remains in the horizontal plane, in the lower part of the card and that it takes up no more than 1/3rd of the height of the cardbase:

I used a 'holly doodles' stamp designed by Sheila Oliver for Tanda Stamps - I haven't used any of these for quite some time, but always enjoy them when I do.

I inked the stamp with versamark and heat embossed with detail black (sadly, knocking the pot over so that some went on the carpet - it had to happen with black, didn't it!) I coloured with copics apple green G14 and strong red R46, also drawing the red lines with R46. This is for CAS-ual Friday 87: make your mark - use markers.

The sentiment stamp was from a set that came with a magazine.

I tried all sorts of ways to get a better photo ... but it didn't happen. The white is much more vivid irl and the embossing shows up brightly.

This is also for Sunday's with Santa on facebook week 2 (yes, I'm behind already): traditional colours.