The vintage dancer

This card uses the digital image 'The vintage dancer by Lady Crevy' put into a frame that I've had for ages and ages (can't remember where it came from). - this is for Our creative corner September: forgotten things. The surround of the frame is made from a faux suede fabric.

Papers are Basic Grey boxer, with the addition of a couple of strips of black trim.

I made this card for Lunagirl: vintage bellydancers.

This is also for:

Paperminutes 287: vintage woman
Nadia 64: 3D vintage
Sugar creek hollow 70: fall is in the air - colours and vintage
Card and scrap 61: vintage/shabby chic
Corrosive 183: maiden, mother, crone - image of girl or woman
Artistic inspirations 59: anything goes or frame it
Creative moments 26: anything goes or frame it
Creative craft 19: use ribbon
Crafty ribbons 62: anything goes with ribbon
The pink elephant 217: digital images or digital papers
Hiding in my craft room 116: LOL! lots of layers
Country view 7: layers
Craftitude 49: anything goes
Jo's scrap shack funday Friday 18: anything goes
Pink by design: anything goes
Divas by design: anything goes
4 krafty girlz 2: anything goes
Art impressions 119: anything goes
Designed to color 20: anything goes
Get creative September card challenge: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday September: anything goes
Inky linky 30
Sister act 25
Make it Monday 158
Inspire me Fridays 121
52 card pick up 2.38

Another card for CHNC challenge 143

I made a second card for my CHNC challenge 143 with my poor attempt at stamping the angel - I didn't want to waste it and thought it looked a bit ethereal, so I've used it with more MME Lost and Found papers, using some of the scraps from the other card (double sided papers, so useful). The snow angel stamp is Inkadinkado inked with Adirondack currant ink and the one of the Die'sire sentiment stamps is also inked with currant.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Pixie's crafty snippets week 90
Hiding in my craft room 115: super scraps Saturday
Christmas stampin all year long 34: Christmas cheer
Sparkles Christmas 32: non traditional colours
Tuesday throwdown 165: things with wings
Crafty bloggers network September: things with wings
Creative card crew 45: Christmas
LEJ 71: winter wishes
Word art Wednesday 98: anything goes
Stamp dreams 19: stampings
Digi sketch challenge: use a rubber stamp
Simon says Monday challenge: stamping on anything but plain paper
Simon says Wednesday challenge: celebrate STAMPtember and use a product from the Simon Says stamp store: Inkadinkado Christmas silhouettes
One crazy stamper September: Christmas
Papercreators 14: make it Christmassy
Craftitude 49: anything goes
Jo's scrap shack funday Friday 18: anything goes
Challenges 4 everybody 29: anything goes
Artistic inspirations 59: anything goes
Pink by design: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Creative moments 26: anything goes
Divas by design: anything goes
4 krafty girlz 2: anything goes
Art impressions 119: anything goes
LiaStampz 49: anything goes
Designed to color 20: anything goes
The rubber buggy 11: anything goes
Get creative September card challenge: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday September: anything goes
Inky linky 30
Sister act 25
Make it Monday 158
Inspire me Fridays 121
52 card pick up 2.38

CHNC challenge 143: stamp, stamp, stamp

This is my first card for CHNC challenge 143 where I'm asking you to use a stamp (not digi) on your Christmas card.

For my card I've used My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Christmas papers, stamping three Die'sire sentiment stamps randomly, inked with versamark and heat embossed with detail gold. The Inkadinkado snowflake angel stamp was inked with Adirondack currant.

This is also for:

Sparkles Christmas 32: non traditional colours
That craft place: things with wings
Crafty cardmakers 100: winged things
Tuesday throwdown 165: things with wings
Crafty bloggers network September: things with wings
Lady Anne September: must have wings
Sparkle n sprinkle September: anything goes with glitter, embossing powder and/or flocking
Creative card crew 45: Christmas
LEJ 71: winter wishes

Hope your birthday is a roaring success

I was invited to join Tammy's scraping corner challenge 80: anything goes - the challenge is being sponsored by Eureka Stamps and skdigis. The digital image 'dragon blowing candles' that I used for my card was kindly supplied by Eureka Stamps. I coloured this with spectrum noirs. Papers are Basic Grey, including the torn strip from my offcuts box. The sentiment was generated on my dymo letratag.

Please click on the link for the challenge and see the super crafting of the regular team at Tammy's scraping corner  and join in the challenge - it's an easy one because 'anything goes'.

Colours are for Eureka 57:

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Pixie's crafty snippets week 90
Hiding in my craft room 115: super scraps Saturday
Stempelsonne 97: orange, green, brown
Animal friends 6: brown, green + colour choice
Sentimental Sundays 172: humorous
Creative fingers 2: add a sentiment
The pink elephant 217: digital images or digital papers
Cute card Thursday 286: hip to be square
Cutie pie 53: a cute one for the boys
Clear it out: let's hear it for the boys
Papertake: child's play
Cardmakin mamas 74: for the kids
Jellypark friends: all about the kids
Emerald faerie garden 47: magical creatures
Card caravan (the hybrid chick) 48: happy birthday
Fairies 13: birthday
Parade our crafts 4: it's all about the birthdays
Seize the birthday: birthday with toppings (option)
Totally papercrafts 184: birthday boys
Victorine 68: birthday
Love to create 83: clean n simple
The sisterhood of crafters: use a digital stamp
Basic grey 102: anything goes
613 avenue create 37: anything goes
Challenges 4 everybody 29: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Artistic inspirations 59: anything goes
Pink by design: anything goes
Penny's 144: anything goes
Chocolate, coffeee & cards 48: anything goes
Designed to color 20: anything goes
Crafting by designs: anything goes
Get creative September card challenge: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday September: anything goes
Inky linky 29
Sister act 24
Make it Monday 158
Inspire me Fridays 120
52 card pick up 2.37

The cheerful stamp pad challenge 69

This is my design team card for the first week of The cheerful stamp pad 69: I love your hat. Please click on the link and see the gorgeous crafting of the rest of the team and join in the challenge. There is a prize to be won from Rick StDennis

I've based my card on the sketch given for Sketch and stash 121, using up quite a lot of stash that I've had for a long time, including the lovely Basic Grey papers:

I've used the 1935 hat digi stamp kindly supplied by Rick StDennis, our sponsor, coloured with spectrum noirs. I die cut around the image and distressed with peacock feathers ink and embossed a couple of die cuts to mat behind, using 'budding vine' embossing folder and Embossalicious dottie from Crafter's Companion. Papers are Basic Grey majorlaine, again brushed with peacock feathers distress ink. Various other elements from stash including the lace that was coloured with the peacock feathers to match and flowers from Poundland. Although I cut into new papers, I couldn't resist using the offcut piece of Hunkydory foiled card, so this is one for Pixie's crafty snippets

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Crafter's companion September: embossing (I used the bought Embossalicious dottie from Crafter's Companion)
Natali and Amy 12: embossing
The pink elephant 217: digital images or digital papers
Basic Grey 102: anything goes
C is for challenge 6: make it sparkle
Crafts and me: lovely lace
Mema crafts September: ribbon/lace and/or flowers
Just inspirational: flowers
Paper-crafting journey: flowers
Card and scrap 61: vintage/shabby chic
A creative romance: dies or punches
Oozak 21: anything goes/die cuts/punches
Corrosive 183: maiden, mother, crone - image of girl or woman
Paper pretties 275: distress
Simon says Wednesday challenge: emboss it
Flourishes timeless 237: dry embossing
Whoopsi Daisy: use more than 2 patterned papers
Seize the birthday: birthday with toppings - one particular colour
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: roll'em - I've used 4 layers, dies, dry embossing, flowers (item of choice), markers, 3 different patterned papers, bling
Victorine 67: vintage
Fairies 13: birthday
Parade your crafts 4: it's all about the birthdays
Creative moments 25: birthday/anything goes
The sisterhood of crafters: use a digital stamp
Designed to color 20: anything goes
Pink by design: anything goes
4 krafty girlz 1: anything goes
Crafty sentiments: anything goes
Crafting by designs: anything goes
Get creative September card challenge: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday September: anything goes
Inky linky 29
Sister act 24
Make it Monday 158
Inspire me Fridays 120
52 card pick up 2.37

Distressed embossing

A simple Christmas card using part of an 8 x 8 Embossalicious embossing folder run through my eBosser, having first inked the inside of the folder with fired brick distress ink. The piece of white card was from my offcuts box. This was then mounted on to a deckle edged red card blank, with a sentiment added.

I chose this embossing folder for Atalantic hearts sketch 20:

This is also for:

Crafters companion September: embossing
Simon says Monday challenge: embossed
Simon says Wednesday challenge: emboss it
Flourishes timeless 237: dry embossing
Paper pretties 275: distress
Lisa B designs September: Christmas - predominantly white with a splash of colour
Paper creators 14: make it Christmassy
Crimbo crackers 50: quick and easy
Cute card Thursday 286: hip to be square - lots of them
A little bit crafty September: clean and simple
Crafter's cafe 28: no designer paper
Left of center 14: no designer papers
Bloggers challenge: backgrounds
Crafty sentiments: anything goes
Crafting by designs: anything goes
Get creative September card challenge: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday September: anything goes
Sister act 24
Inspire me Fridays 120
52 card pick up 2.37

Time for a male card

This is a simple card made with a tri-boss embossing folder used with a pearlised broonze card that had metallic gilding wax added in places - golden light and deep red, with just the addition of a Craftwork cards sentiment circle. I bought the gilding waxes a while ago, tried them and put them aside because I couldn't get on with them - glad I gave them another try.

Inspired by The shabby tea room 183: time flies - include a clock:

This is also for:

Cards in envy: manly challenge - although this is embossed it is thin enough for regular post
The squirrel and the fox 52: it's raining men - creations for men
Ruby's rainbow 62: it's a male thing
Totally papercrafts 184: birthday boys
The cupboard trilogy 15: male
Whimsy 63: masculine cards
Creative moments 25: hirthday/anything goes
Simon says Monday challenge: embossed
Simon says Wednesday challenge: emboss it
Flourishes timeless 237: dry embossing
A little bit crafty September: clean and simple
Crafter's cafe 28: no designer paper
Left of center 14: no designer papers
Bloggers challenge: backgrounds
Moxie fab world: all that glitters is gold
Designed to color 20: anything goes
613 avenue create 37: anything goes
Challenges 4 everybody 29: anything goes
Kreativer bastel 31: anything goes
Crafty sentiments: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Crafting by designs: anything goes
Penny's 144: anything goes
Chocolate, coffee & cards 48: anything goes
Scrap-cards 51: anything goes
Get creative September card challenge: anything goes
Inky linky 29
DL.ART thankful Thursday September: anything goes
Sister act 24
Inspire me Fridays 120
52 card pick up 2.37

CAS sympathy

Having taken on a few design team positions recently, I've been crafting away in preparation for future challenges, but haven't made so many other cards in between. As I have some charity sales coming up quite soon I need to make some other cards. Sadly, I can never make enough sympathy cards - that slot is empty in the box I have at church and I haven't got any left at home.

This is a clean and simple one, made with a ready shaped card blank that has a very light green shaded background. I inked the La Blanche foam stamp with memento cottage ivy and coloured the centre and petals of the daisy with copics. The sentiment stamp is a Dovecraft one that I picked up for 50p at The Works.

Use of the daisy stamp inspired by the photo for Inkspirational 37:

This is also for:

ABC 44: sympathy
House of cards month three: clean & simple
A little bit crafty September: clean and simple
Soartful September: a single flower with a minimalist design
Paper-crafting journey: flowers
Stamp dreams 19: stampings
Digi sketch challenge: use a rubber stamp
Eureka 56: shaped cards
Stamp with fun 223: not square

The glory of Christmas 16: monochrome

This is my design team card for The glory of Christmas 16: monochrome. It was lovely to see so many joining in last fortnight's 'anything goes' challenge - I hope that many will return during this coming fortnight and take part by making a monochrome Christmas card. It doesn't have to be black and white, it can be shades of any colour. And there will be a prize for the randomly chosen winner, so do hop on over to The glory of Christmas and join in - you've got to be in it to win it!

I used an A5 landscape opening card, cutting away half of the front. I randomly stamped the Anita dove stamp inked with stazon black, stamping just one on the inside panel so just the curl of the tail shows when the card is closed. The Personal Impressions sentiment stamp with also inked with stazon.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
One crazy stamper September: Christmas
Sparkles Christmas 32: non traditional colours
Emma's cards 20: birds
Creative card crew 44: things with wings
Crafty bloggers network September: things with wings
Lady Anne September: must have wings
House of cards month three: clean & simple
Nutcrafters 51: CAS

Another Christmas fairy with sparkle

This is my second card for the September mid-month inspiration for the CCAYR Christmas fairy with sparkle challenge.

This time I've used 'snappy tots' Christmas fairy, die cut with a nestability bauble and matted on to a larger bauble with a piece of gold Kanban paper. The background paper is Graphic 45 'we wish you a Merry Christmas'. I added some sparkle with the gold stars from Poundland and added a Craftwork cards sentiment circle.

This is also for:

Hobby home: Christmas
Paper creators 14: make it Christmassy
Emerald faerie garden 47: magical creatures
Sparkles 48: fairies and/or butterflies
The sisterhood of crafters: use a digital stamp
A creative romance: dies or punches
Penny's 144: anything goes
Designed to color 20: anything goes
Crafting by designs: anything goes
Get creative September card challenge: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday September: anything goes
Sister act 24
Inspire me Fridays 120
52 card pick up 2.37

Christmas fairy with sparkle

It's mid-month already and that means an inspiration post on Christmas cards all year round. This is the first of my mid-month cards for the September challenge. Please click on the link and see the lovely cards of the rest of the team ... and you still have until the end of the month to join in the 'Christmas fairy with sparkle' challenge.

 The digital image was a freebie I found on the internet, which I dotted with a quickie glue pen and added silver glitter, then matted on to a couple of offcuts of mirror card. The shaped card blank was already decorated. I added ribbon on to the silver strip, then on to the card, adding the flowers with brad and the silver sentiment.

Colours are good for Festive Friday 17:

This is also for:

Hobby home: Christmas
Creative creations 18: early Christmas makes
Southern girls 77: make believe
Eureka 56: shaped cards
Hanna and friends 180: special cardform
Lady Anne September: must have wings
Joanna Sheen: ribbons
Craft your passion 179: glitter and gloss

CHNC challenge 142: cut it out

A new Christmas challenge begins this morning and this week's CHNC challenge 142 is all about cutting out. I'm asking you to include something on your card that has been cut out - by hand, die cut or punched - anything you like as long as it has been cut out in some way.

I went for the hard route and chose to cut out by hand with scissors. Now I see the finished card it doesn't look complicated at all - looks as if it would have been made in minutes ... but in reality it took me ages. Firstly I used this Embossalicious 8 x 8 folder with my eBosser and then cut out each bauble. I then painted each on with Papermania precious metals - either the copper or the patinum - this was quite a messy process. I left them to dry, but wasn't that happy with them, so I gave them another coat and impatiently waited for them to dry. I then stuck them on to a piece of  paper from the My Mind's Eye Christmas glitter book and added an Anna Griffin sentiment.

The paper is much more glittery and the baubles much more shiny in reality than they are in the photo:

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Creative creations 18: early Christmas makes
Simon says Monday: embossed
Simon says Wednesday: emboss it
Crafters companion September: embossing
Craft your passion 179: glitter and gloss
Polka doodles 37: one for the boys - think this would be OK to send to a male
Paper creators 14: make it Christmassy

The sweet pea stampers 'kraft' challenge

This is my design team card for The Sweet Pea Stampers: use kraft paper/card on your project, that starts today. The challenge lasts for two weeks - please click here and go over and see the wonderful crafting of the rest of the team. We would love to see you join in  - it would be lovely if you used a Sweet Pea stamp, but any image is allowed.

I stamped the Elaine Cox's 'playing with stars' rubber stamp directly on to kraft paper with memento rich cocoa. I coloured with copics, which was very interesting, firstly to see the colours that emerged on the kraft (I did have a spare piece handy to try them out first) and secondly, the alcohol ink sank quickly into the kraft paper, so I had to be very careful to keep within the lines as best I could.

I used a kraft card blank on to which I matted a torn piece of music paper (can't remember where I got this from), which I had torn and brushed with a mix of antique linen and tattered rose distress inks. I also used these on the torn piece of birthday sentiments card, the Craftwork cards sentiment and also the piece of lace. The flowers are Prima.

This is also for:

Crafty creations 239: let's get krafty
Paper pretties 275: distress
The paper shelter 128: sun, moon, stars
Stampotique 115: lots of layers
Marker pop 30: anything goes (used copics)
Addicted to stamps and more 62: make your mark
That craft place: music
Card crafters circle 91: portrait of a woman
Creative inspirations 231: anything goes

The cheerful stamp pad challenge 68 week 2

The cheerful stamp pad challenge 68 continues for another week, with inspiration from this picture:

Please click on the link and see what the rest of the team have created and, hopefully, join in the challenge - let us see what the picture inspires you to create.

I was inspired to use cherries, cakes and an embossed diamond panel using an embossalicious folder with my eBosser. The plaid background paper mounted on to a red card blank was a magazine freebie. The strip of cherries mounted between strips of gingham ribbon was printed from a digital image from The Crafty Pad, which I coloured with spectrum noirs. The circles of cupcakes were from a Kanban kit. They are glittered around the edge.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Crafter's companion September: embossing (I used the Embossalicious 'argyle' A4 embossing folder bought from Crafter's Companion
Natalie and Amy 12: embossing
Get inky 12: cakes, cakes and cupcakes
Everybody art 243: birthday
Creative moments 25: birthday/anything goes
CCEE 1336: birthday card
Seize the birthday: anything goes birthday
Di's digi designs: birthday
Stamp and create September: birthdays
Delightful: you're a treat - Halloween or something sweet
There she goes 224: cake, cupcakes and birthday treats
Joanna Sheen: ribbons
Just inspirational: ribbons
Penny's 143: spooled items - ribbon
Perfect sentiments 90: ribbon, twine, seam binding or all 3
Crafty ribbons 60: anything goes with ribbon
AnMaCreatief 24: round - circles
Creative craft cottage 6: round like a record - something round includes - circles
One stitch at a time 180: use a digi
613 avenue create 36: anything goes
Addicted to stamps 63: anything goes
Scrap-cards 51: anything goes
Hobbycutz 15: anything goes
Papertake: anything goes
4 krafty girlz 1: anything goes
Totally gorjuss 200: anything goes
Parade your crafts 3: anything goes
Sister act 23: anything goes
Get creative Sept card challenge: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday September linky
Make it Monday 157
Inspire me Fridays 119
52 card pickup 2.36

Monochrome Christmas

It was Claire's turn to choose the theme for today's challenge for the Christmas Card Club and she asked us to make monochrome cards.

My card uses background paper from a Papermania signature linen paper pack 'A Christmas Carol'. The stamp is the same candelabra image as on the paper - I simply stamped with London fog memento and mounted on an offcut piece of grey paper and then on to a scrap of darker card. I added the snowflake panel, greeting and Craftime silver grey flower.

I followed the sketch for Sketch n stash 120 (turned it upside down and tweaked a bit):

This is also for:

Creative creations 18: early Christmas makes

Winter wonderland: candles

Pile it on 35: all that flickers - the candles

One crazy stamper September: Christmas

Sparkles Christmas 32: non traditional colours

Addicted to stamps and more: anything goes

ABC: U for unlimited

Lady Anne's stamp challenge: anything goes

CHNC challenge 141: layer it up

Time for another challenge on CHNC and this week CHNC challenge 141 is all about layers: layer it up.

I've based my card on the sketch for Feeling sketchy 68:

Regular visitors to my blog will  know that I quite often try to use up offcuts - I have a few boxes of them - plain card, patterned papers, Christmas papers, mirror card etc - I can't imagine where they all come from! Anyway, for this card I felt like cutting into new papers and I used four, yes four, papers from an Echo Park very merry Christmas pad - and, of course, I now have some scraps that have been cut off that will have to go into the appropriate box.

For the image I used the 'prissy poinsettia' image kindly supplied by Robyn's fetish, one of the sponsors of CHNC challenge 141. I digitally coloured it in Microsoft Paint and then printed it out four times, cutting my own decoupage pieces. I edged the pieces with a spectrum noir pen and layered them. I tore round the edge of a perspex oval and edged with a Le Plume alcohol pen.

Colours for Fab 'n' funky 183: opposites attract - I choose red and green:

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Country view 7: layers
Woodware UK: layers
Christmas stampin all year long 32: layers
Oldie but a goodie: spots and stripes - the image was given to me long ago for a previous challenge
One stitch at a time 179: make one for Christmas
Graph it markers 10: reds and greens for Christmas colours
Christmas card challenges week 40: something new (the papers)
Squigglefly 3513: add a flower
Hiding in my craftroom 113: freeystle
Creative fingers: anything goes with Delicious Doodles
Scrap-cards 51: anything goes
Get creative Sept card challenge: anything goes
4 krafty girlz 1: anything goes
Papertake: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
De creatieve zebra 1: anything goes
Little scrap pieces fun Friday: anything
Catch the bug: anything goes
Totally gorjuss 200: anything goes
Bearly mine 102: anything goes
Addicted to stamps 63: anything goes
Red carpet studio 52: anything goes
Parade your crafts 3: anything goes
Glitter n sparkle 48: anything goes
Sister act 23: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday September linky
Inspire me Fridays 119
52 card pickup 2.36

The wolf and the seven little geislein

When I saw the challenge for The tiny fairy tales: the wolf and the seven little geislein (I think this translates as 'kids'), I thought of the lovely 'wolf in snow' picture that I had saved long ago from animal galleries.

So I used this within a digital composition for Digitally sweet 52: anything goes, combining with some pictures of stamps with the fairy tale creatures and also the title.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day

Fairies 12: animals

Simon says Wednesday challenge: animal antics

Brown sugar 58: animals
Allways something creative 58: beastly
Hiding in my craftroom 113: freeystle
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Bearly mine 102: anything goes
Glitter n sparkle 48: anything goes
Sister act 23: anything goes
DL.ART thankful Thursday September linky
Inspire me Fridays 119
52 card pickup 2.36

Wedding gazebo

I wanted to use  my new Spellbinders D-lite gazebo die and what better than to make a wedding card, but the dilemma was: what to put in the middle of the gazebo. I had some die cuts of bride and groom, but they were too big. So I dug out some old shrink plastic and took a gamble. I stopped with my old Anita's favourite wedding stamp and then used the heat gun to shrink the plastic. I couldn't believe it when it fitted the space, although I did have to chop off the sides a bit (not sure whether it's done the blade much good on my guillotine).

It would have looked much better if the shrink plastic had been pure white instead of the cloudy version, but I'll know that for another time - and I'm going to experiment so I cut out to a size that will shrink perfectly (think that will need a few sessions to get the correct measurement).

I used an offcut of gold mirror card to die cut the gazebo, using my eBosser to cut and emboss.

The sides of the gazebo looked a bit too bear so I hit upon using some tiny rosebuds that I've had for ever and a day.

If you look at the wedding card I made here, using the same sort of card blank, you'll get a good idea of how much the stamped image shrunk.

This is for:

Facebook A card a day
Stamp-n-doodle: wedding
Brown sugar 57: wedding
Delightful: make the cut
Oozak 21: anything goes/die cuts/punches
Whimsical designs: something old (the rubber stamp, flowers etc), something new (the D-lites gazebo die)
Whoopsi Daisy: show us texture
Totally gorjuss 199: texture
Art impressions 117: people parade
Alphabet: O for one word sentiment

It just gets more exciting!

I've been fortunate enough to have been accepted as part of the Design Team for Crafting Musketeers. I enjoyed being their Guest for challenge 4 and am now thrilled to accept a permanent position.

You can get to know the new members of the Design Team here and follow links to their blogs.

I feel very privileged and proud to be joining such a talented group.

For a while I said that I wouldn't join any Design Teams. I set up my own Christmas challenge blogs, but thought I'd leave it at that. But I'm very excited to now have the opportunity to join some teams, including Crafting Musketeers. The time is right to do so and I feel it will give me the spur I need to go on and develop as a cardmaker.

My first project as a team member will be for the October challenge. Meanwhile, there's September challenge 5: vintage - I hope you will join in.

The cheerful stamp pad challenge 68

This is my card for today's challenge 68 on The cheerful stamp pad, which is this inspiration picture:

Please click on the link and see what the rest of the team have created and, hopefully, join in the challenge - let us see what the picture inspires you to create.

I was inspired by the cherries. The stamp is G-1286 by PSX, inked with memento tuxedo black and coloured with spectrum noirs. The background card and the strips of cherries are from Kanban. I used a Martha Stewart punch on some offcuts of red card and added a Craftworks cards sentiment circle. Everything was mounted on to a cream card blank and the front was cut away to reveal the red punched edge underneath.

This is also for:

Facebook A card a day
Pixie's crafty snippets week 88 (all red pieces of card were offcuts)
Addicted to stamps 63: anything goes
Happy campers 21: use a stamp
Nadia 63: stamp
Lacy sunshine 16: dies and/or punches
Delightful: make the cut - punch
Oozak 21: anything goes/die cuts/punches
Docerela (Bee crafts and cards) 44: use a border
Crafty boots: last days of summer
Tammy scraping corner 78: end of summer
Stampin' for the weekend: colours of summer
Aud sentiments 88: any sentiment
Country view 7: layers
C is for challenge 5: lots of layers
Woodware UK: layers
Red carpet studio 52: anything goes
Parade your crafts 3: anything goes
Simon says Wednesday challenge: anything goes
PumpkinSpice 35: anything goes
Glitter n sparkle 48: anything goes
Sister act 22: anything goes
Inky linky 28
Inspire me Fridays 118
52 card pickup 2.35

4 x 4 cards

In one of those moments when I thought I would use lots of them, I bought some small cards (envies included) thinking that I would use them to make up packs of 5 Christmas cards, but I confess that up until now I've had no enthusiasm for using them, preferring to work with a bigger surface.

However, I saw the sketch for Fat-tastic Tuesday 9: should have gnome and I thought I should use some of those cards. This is the sketch:

When I first saw the sketch I thought that I would never get all of that on to such a small surface, but, with a bit of tweaking that I hope is allowed, I managed to make five cards.

The pictures of the cats are decoupaged - I bough these years ago (another of those moments!) and thought it was about time they were used. I used scraps of silver mirror card to mount them. The bling gems were from Poundland, silver glitter border from Paper Cellar and the red and white snowflakes from Hobbycraft (no, I've never seen any red and white snowflakes either ... but I think anything is allowed when being creative!).

There are two of one cat and three of the other (didn't have five all the same):

A closer look at one of each:

Some of the silver looks a bit gold because of the flash, but the backing of the images are definitely all silver mirror.

These are also for:

Pixie's crafty snippets week 88
Let's craft and create 77: animal antics
Totally papercrafts 182: decoupage
One stitch at a time 179: make one for Christmas
ABC Christmas: Q for quick
Christmas stampin all year long 31: mini cards
Country view 7: layers
Simon says Wednesday challenge: anything goes
PumpkinSpice 35: anyhing goes
Red carpet studio 52: anything else
Challenges 4 everybody 28: anything goes
Glitter n sparkle 48: anything goes
Through the craftroom door: anything goes
Sister act 22: anything goes
Inspire me Fridays 118
52 card pickup 2.35