Wedding window

Last week Rainbow Lady's challenge 45 was 'windows' - I know this is late, but I still wanted to join in this one.

The challenge on Our Creative Corner this week is 'Inspiration challenge' - to use a favourite embellishment - well, I have to admit that I wouldn't exactly normally call alcohol inks embellishments, but I suppose they are, so I think it might fit this challenge.

I started off with a cream linen card and two arch window frames. I carefully cut out the window shape from the front of the card (using the Fiskars craft knife that you hold like a pen - can't remember what it's called, but it's super, because I used to shy away from using a craft knife and now I love using this). Anyway, back to this card. I stuck one of the arched window frames on to the front of the card. I then used alcohol inks - red pepper, denim and butterscotch, with a tiny hint of oregano, to ink a piece of acetate. I cut round this and stuck to the other arched frame and then put the two together, so that you can see through the inked acetate into the inside of the card, but there is a window frame both sides of the front of the card. I added the wedding couple die cut.

It was difficult to get a picture. This was taken with flash:


This one was taken without flash (although it's not such a clear picture I think it shows the inking better):

And this is the inside of the card:

Going for gold!

There are a few challenge sites atm that have 'gold' as their theme, so I decided to incorporate a few into my ATCs for this month's swap on CBC. The subject for that is 'X' to be interpreted in any way, so my ATCs are called 'Blowing you kisses xxxxx'.

I found the picture on the internet and mounted on to gold foiled card. I stamped randomly with versamark using a Rhona Farrer swirl stamp and heat embossed with gold detail.

So this fits very nicely with challenge 28: gold and black on Ooh-la-la and equally with this week's 'Gold!' challenge on Created by hand. Today's challenge on My Time to Craft 48 is 'Going for gold'.

Challenge 46 on Cute Card Thursday is 'metallica' - using metal of some kind, so I hope the gold embossing counts for this, although I might well try some metal sheet embossing later.

Lastly, these ATCs are perfect for the 'kiss, kiss' theme on Wednesday Stamper - and they do qualify because I've used the swirl stamping/embossing for the background card.


One a bit bigger to see the detail:


The gold embossing is much more vibrant irl - the scan doesn't really do it justice.

Arty Girlz challenge 70 was to make an ATC, so I'm linking this. Also Dutch Dare for challenge 34: create a love theme without red or pink.

Still a lot of love around!

Many of the crafty challenge blogs are concentrating on love themes atm (obviously, with Valentine day drawing close).

For tonight's card I used the Dawny's sketch 8, the new one today on Papertake Weekly:


I used a download from Pollycraft, so this fits their challenge 8: love.

Mixed Media Monday's current challenge is 'romance', so this is OK for that.

Caardvarks new challenge is to use hearts, which are included on this card.

The challenge 47 on My Time to Craft this week is 'a little birdie told me' ... and there are two little birdies on this card.

And, lastly, challenge 21 on BG this week is 'Let's mix it up!' I always enjoy the BG challenges with the opportunity to use some of my favourite papers and this week I've mixed up Cupcake papers (those used for the main background) and Scarlet's Letter papers (for the strip on the left and the panel behind the stamped image) for this challenge.

Karen's blog candy

I was really surprised when I learned that I'd won Karen's blog candy and this morning I received it:

Thank you, Karen, so much for a lovely selection of crafting goodies.

BF inchies swap

Postie brought me my inchies today from the swap on BF. They are fab-a-roo!! Thanks so much to all the girls on BF who swapped and to Karen for organising and sorting.

These are great!

4th folder 4th picture tag

A few days ago I was tagged by Karen 'to take the 4th folder from your picture file and then blog the 4th picture. (Sorry, Karen, that I've taken while to do this).

When I remember to do so (which isn't as often as it should be) I transfer photos to memory sticks, so this is the 4th picture in the 4th folder on one of those sticks.

It was taken during a day out to London with our DIL and three girls, seen here with 'Grandad John' outside Buckingham Palace:

Not a terrific photo, but one that brings back memories of a happy day out.

Now I'm supposed to tag five others to do this, but, as this has been doing the rounds a bit, I think I'll just say that if you haven't done it, please grab the tag now and let us see your picture - please leave me a comment with a link so I can come and have a look.

Mojo Monday 72

This is the sketch for Mojo Monday 72:
For my card I've mainly used DCWV pocketful of posies papers with a few other bits and pieces, a vintage photo, a cuttlebug embossed 'happy birthday, sticky ribbons etc.

The card is clearer if you click on it.

Sketch & Stash 3 + Rainbow lady 46

This is the sketch this week on Sketch and Stash: The idea is to use new or neglected stash to complete the challenge. I've mainly used K & Co Hannah papers - quite a while ago I bought a 12 x 12 pad of these and used them quite a bit, but for some time now they have been neglected, so it was nice to get them out again for this challenge. I just stamped a flower on the oval and embossed with white detail.

Challenge 46 on Rainbow Lady is 'rainbow colours monotone', choosing a colour of the rainbow and using only that in various shades (black is allowed for stamping - I hope white is OK in this instance).

Postcard

I've used a photo of my mum balancing on a chair! This is for today's challenge on Sunday Postcard Art: chairs.

Today's Sunday Stamper also asks for a photo - challenge 46: Wishing (if I had a photograph of you). As for the 'wishing' but I think mum must have been saying 'I wish I could get off this chair now'.

I've used linen card as the background and stamped with stazon using a Dawn Bibby swirls stamped randomly.

Sketch Saturday 37 + Cupcake 25 colour challenge

I've made this card following this week's Sketch Saturday 37:


I've also followed the colours given for Cupcake challenge 25:


I used HOTP papers (from the Cardmaker's Floral ultimate pad again), cutting out the layers on my cricut. The middle circle was stamped using a stamp I received from Paula recently as part of her give-aways to raise money to sponsor her moonwalk - for more information and to support Paula please have a look at her blog where you will find details of how you can donate and also have the opportunity to win some crafty goodies. Poundland gems were added at the corners and centre.

Forever friends: tall and thin (+ oriental)

I missed last week's challenge on Forever Friends, which as 'oriental', so I've combined it with this week's, which is 'tall and thin'. I used to make quite a lot of this type of card, but haven't done so for a long time now, so it made a change.

Bakcground paper and strips are Kanban; the forever friend stamp was embossed with detail powder and coloured with copics.
I was going to also link this as another card for the DCM 'oriental splendour' challenge, but then realised that it has got some black in it (but not much).

DCM: oriental splendour

On DCM this week the subject is 'Oriental Splendour', but Sue has said that there must be no red or black. I think my card qualifies, with the yellowy beige and purple colours of the Kanban papers, with the gold embossing of the stamped image and sentiments:

Inchy by inch: winter (revisited!)

I admit that with my first attempt for this week's Inchy by inch challenge I cheated and made a couple of twinchies.

So I've revisited the challenge and I cropped and resized down part of one of my snowy pictures taken in the garden early this week - and added the 'Summerhouse in Winter' text. This is the inchie scanned in real size:



Just so you can see it a bit more, here it is blown up to a bigger size user the scanner, but it does lose some of its resolution, so is a lot crisper in the inchie size:

I think a few snippets of photos like this might work well on Christmas cards - sort of make a serendipity of snow scenes.

UKStampers 24: postcard from Australia

I know that I'm late with this one, but I ordered the koala and kangaroo stamps specially and they didn't arrive in time to do this challenge. I used a rubbadubbadoo stamp that I got with a giraffe one to stamp the leaves randomly over and over again, placing the koala within them (sorry, not very clear on the scan). The kangaroo was coloured with copics and the G Day is PM alphabet stickers. The background paper is K & Co Brenda Walton mira pad:

As I used archival inks (library green for the leaves and sepia for the koala and kangaroo) and also copics, I'm submitting it also for the challenge CBCC079 on CBC: pens, pencils and paints.

UKStampers 25: postcard from Iceland

Having said I'd use my twinchies on a Christmas card, I suddenly remembered UKStampers challenge 25: postcard from Iceland and thought they were appropriate to use on this.

The background has been run through the cuttlebug swiss dots folder and then stamped with a PM stamp and white embossed. Having already embossed the card, I wasn't sure whether the stamping would 'take' but it did (wouldn't have shown up if I hadn't heat embossed).



You can see the UKStampers blog here.

Inchy by inch: winter

The current challenge on Inchy by inch is 'winter'. I have used core'dinations card with cuttlebug embossing folders, distressed with one of my BG precision files.

I have a confession to make, though - these are twinchies, rather than inchies (because of the size of the embossing folders):

I think I'll make some more of these and incorporate them on to Christmas cards. Although I had the embossing folders way before Christmas, I never used them last year.

Inchy by inch: buttons

This one is a week behind with this Inchy by inchy challenge, but I thought I'd still join in, especially as I found this appropriate background paper among my K & Co berry sweet papers.

Irl the buttons are tiny - this really is an inchie, even though it looks bigger here (and you can see traces of the silicone glue, which you can't see irl!):

Clown card

This is a card I've made incorporating the twinchie I made last night for the 'clowns' challenge. The pieces of red/purple backing are DCWV pocket full of posies. The card could have a number added for a child's birthday.

Brown card

This card is for this week's sketch on 2 Sketches 4 You: Kazan's sketch 19:


I've used papers from the unearthed HOTP Cardmaker's Floral pack of papers and stamped with a PM stamp with Brilliance coffee bean; the sentiment is a HOTP stamp. Being brown and incorporating using stamps, this card is right for this week's challenge on Sunday Stamper: brown.

The lace was some I got as part of a group purchase on CBC. Having made a border with this, I'm linking for Theme Thursday challenge: borders.



Once again, the scan is a bit crooked, not the card!

Small World of Inchies & Twinchies: clowns

This is my twinchie for this week's challenge on Small World of Inchies & Twinchies: clowns:

I think I'll use it somehow on a child's card.

"Peace" card

I've now used what I did for the Sunday Postcard Art challenge 'circles', mounted it on card, with the addition of a sentiment:

Apologies that the scan is a bit crooked - the card isn't!