Using bubblewrap

This card uses the sketch for challenge 33 on Stamps and Smiles The Fresh Batch:



The background is done with bubblewrap inked and stamped with Brilliance pearlescent purple and Stazon vibrant violet - some with large circles and some with small. This is the technique this week on Saturday's Workout challenge 73. For today's challenge (day 207) on 365 the topic is: DIY: patterned paper - 'This time, it's gotta be patterned paper. You can do this any way you want, but you have to start with a clean slate, so-to-speak.'

Challenge 16 on Creative Inspirations called for the use of lilac, purple and grey, which are all on this card. And challenge 38 on Crafty Pad says: 'Let's see at least 1 circle and the colour purple on your creation.'

I came across a challenge blog for cricut users called Just Buggin' - this week: 'For Challenge #4: Use the Black out feature of any cartridge for your project!' The lilac scalloped circle was cut from a blackout on 'accent essentials' and the two other circles from 'a walk in my garden'.

'Christmas in August' Simon Says goodies

I've received the goodies that I got with my 25$ from the 'Christmas in August' draw on Simon Says - you can read about it here.

I think I chose well - I am so pleased with my selection of goodies - thank you, Simon Says.

Some favourite papers

This card is for the Truly Scrumptious challenge 16 sketch, although I'm afraid I didn't use three stamps (in fact, I didn't use any), so I might be revisiting this sketch to do this additional part of the challenge.

Favourite papers and colours are the theme of this week's Stamp Something, so I'm linking for that.



The card is also good for:


The Color Dare 34: certainly blush chocolate

Cupcake 58: distressing techniques - I distressed the embossed Happy Birthday sentiment with an ink pad.

Created by hand: texture - the embossing, the flowers etc.

BG 4: embossing - the embossed HB sentiment is a cuttlebug folder. The BG papers I used are sugared and porcelain.

Today's challenge on 365 (day 206): Tuesday triplets - Three is the thing on this challenge. I want to see three of everything - anything you want, but if you have one blossom then you need to add 2 more - make sense? The only thing that can be just one is the sentiment. I used 3 patterned papers, 3 flowers, 3 buttons, 3 brads, three spiky circles (using nestabilities).

'Dress' card

This card uses the sketch on My Creative Clutter for their Saturday challenge:


The Inkadinkado dress stamp is one by Dawn Houser - I think it's beautiful. I stamped with rilliance Pearlescent crimson and then lightly water-brushed. Papers are BG sugared.

(I've just realised how much my scanner glass needs cleaning - the marks really show up on the white!).

As well as My Creative Clutter, this card is good for these challenges:

Stampavie and more 61: think pink
C.R.A.F.T. 17: pink and brown
Our Creative Corner colour combo: light pink, hot pink, white, chocolate chip

Christmas Serendipity

Day 198 on 365 cards was: make a mosaic.

I've used some serendipity squares that I've had in my Christmas bits box since last year - I thought they were just right to use for this challenge - and that's a quick Christmas card made (didn't take long at all because the squares had already been done). The background paper is PM a wonderful Christmas time:

BF September ATCs

I signed up to be part of the ATC swap again this month on BF, but hadn't done mine till today. I made 8 the same as this one:



Now I'm a bit worried that I didn't pay enough attention to the subject, which you'd probably never guess, was 'ribbon' - and what did I do but cover up a piece of wide ribbon that I put down the side - and in its turn that covered up the stamping that was underneath - not sure why I did that. I like the ATC, it's just that I'm not sure it's right for the swap. Oh well, 'tis done now and they are in the post.

I stamped the background of the ATC with a favourite Magenta stamp - not sure what it's called - it's like a very muted picture of part of a tree/bush. The autumn stamp is a Hero Arts one. The stamping was on to DCWV textured card, which gives a canvas look to it.

I'm linking this for Ooh la la challenge 37: shades of autumn; also Stamp with Fun challenge 25: autumn. Linking also for Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge 5: What are the colors of fall to you?

This week's Stamptacular challenge 25 calls for 'anything but a card' so I think this ATC qualifies.

Sketch and recipes

This card is for a sketch on Just Christmas and Birthdays challenge 45 (what a great sketch - think I'll be using this again):

I used the colours given in this challenge: Kelly Jo Color chef challenge 22: light blue, brown, red, cream

The stamped image that I received in a swap a while ago fits in with this challenge: No time to stamp Stamp simply 105: Clean and Simple, Black Ink Only OR Brown Ink Only. So clean and simple in style, with only ONE ink, black or brown, and NO coloring.

The card also fits these recipe challenges:

Creative card crew 28: a recipe - 2 Papers, 3 Flowers, 2 Brads, 1 Button & 1 Ribbon

Simon says follow a recipe: Use 3 embellishments, 2 papers, and 1 image on your creation!!! My 3 embellishments are flowers, brads and button

La la land 5: embellish it - Please use at least 3 different types of embellishments on your projects this week - flowers, brads and button

PIO 3 scoops

You may have noticed a new blinkie on my sidebar - it's the 3 scoops award from Pile it on for this card.

I am so surprised. Why not click on the link and visit PIO and see the fab crafting on there.

Banana split Sunday

This card is for the sketch on 2 red bananas challenge: Banana split Sunday



This is another card where I've had to take the photo at an angle to avoid getting me and my camera shown in the reflection of the mirri card - pity, because it doesn't show the card at its best.

Hexagonal snowflake

This card uses the sketch from Cutie Sunday challenge 59:



It is also for day 199 on 365 cards: Shape up! And today's shape is.................a hexagon! That should be the dominating shape on your card.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to get a photo without reflection on the mirri card - I had to take this at an angle otherwise I was mirrored on the card! I made the card last night, but waited till this morning to take the photo, but not too great a success.

A vintage Christmas card

This card is for Winter Wonderland week 16: A very vintage Christmas.

It's also for Fab's Big Christmas Card challenge week 37: Cute Santa Christmas Card - rectangular card or use your glitter pen. Well, this is definitely a rectangular card (an A5 one) and there is also quite a bit of glitter on the Santa motif.

The foiled card has lots of gold swirls on it and I've put white pearls on the end swirly bits - this is for Cupcake challenge 57: Pearls and swirls. It's also for How much is too much? challenge 115: 20/20 vision, because there are at least 20 white pearls on the card.

I've again used card and elements from the QVC Christmas kit I got recently. These challenges are helping me to use it in my own way.

Stamp with fun: Saphira's sketch

Scraping in at the last minute with a card based on Stamp with fun challenge 24, which is for this sketch by Saphira:



Papers are PM a wonderful Christmas time and the stamped image is my favourite Santa one:

And another similar card

This is another quick card very similar to the last one, this time with background paper from PM a wonderful Christmas time. It is for the sketch on Crafts4eternity challenge 49:



I took a scan and a photo and neither of them show the card like it is irl (could be something to do with trying to get a flash photo at night with reflective foiled card).

There is a frame around the floral image, so I'm also linking for 365 cards day 118: I've been framed.

Another simple Christmas card

This card is for the sketch on CPS 133:



The photo can't show the foiled card as it is irl, but you get a glimpse of that on the right hand side. Strange how the fancy strips and the sentiment look quite different colours on here, but match up irl.

Pile on the Christmas sparkle

This is a very simple card for a few challenges, one of which is Pile it on, which gives a good excuse to find a few other challenges to enter. PIO challenge 15 is a colour pop: use white, black and one more colour - my 'one more colour' being neon green (yes, I know that silver creeps in as well, but surely that's just a mix of black and white), which then qualifies the card for these challenges:

Colour Create 27: neon green and black

Gingersnap 23: black, white and silver (yes, I know there's the neon green as well, but I hope I'm going to be forgiven, as the majority of the card is black, white and silver)

Pollycraft 24: black, white and one other colour

If the shoe fits Fashionista Friday 3: lime green, white, black and white polka dots (yes, there are dots ... yes, I know they're small, but they are there!)

It's also good for the theme for Crafty Pad 37: Christmas sparkle and ribbon

Allsorts 19: snowflakes in September

And another one for Paper Cutz 9: Christmas with LOTS of bling!




The card came together quickly because the background was ready done, so all I had to do was stick it on the card blank, add the neon green sentiment, a few extra stick on snowflakes and the ribbon.

Sweet pea decoupage

I wanted to do a card for Ooh-la-la challenge 36: floral fantasy, but couldn't decide what flowers to use. I was all set to use some layered silk or paper flowers (I love using these) when I had a look at the Ooh-la-la downloads and discovered that they had a gorgeous Pyramid Decoupage download for free - beautiful sweet peas.

Challenge 37 on Charisma Cardz this week is: Flower power! so I'm linking this there.

I used the sketch given today for challenge 33 on Card Patterns:



The colours used fit very well with the colour inspiration for Dutch Dare 60:



The sparkly ribbon is quite a feature on the card, so it links with this week on Tuesday Morning and also another one for Paper Maniac challenge 2.

The background papers are BG urban prairie and porcelain.

Day 144 on 365 cards (yes, still playing catch up!) was 'you raise me up' - Try to incorporate at least TWO ways to add dimension to your card - the decoupage is certainly raised and so is the ribbon, so I think this qualifies.

I love this stamp

Challenge 24 on Stamptacular Sunday this week involves using this sketch:



I've used a lovely stamp by Magenta and coloured with copics, as near to the given colours as possible for Copic Colour challenge 31, which asked us to use YR68 orange, G94 grayish olive, Y38 honey - I actually used YR07 Cadmium orange, G21 lime green and Y21 buttercup yellow.

Think Ink Tuesday challenge this week is a recipe, asking for 1 image 2 different ribbons 3 layers and scallops to be used in some way, so I'm linking for that, as all those ingredients are here.

I've used BG marrakech papers and Dovecraft ribbon - and I'm linking this also for challenge 2 on Paper Maniac: ribbon.

A bling Christmas

It's time to seriously get on with making Christmas cards, so I'm glad to see that a few challenges are spurring us on!

This card is based on the sketch for challenge 18 on Allsorts:



Allsorts also called for the card to be based on a colour combo, so my choice is bright red and turquoise - not colours I would often put together, but I think it's worked.

It also covers these challenges:

Winter Wonderland 15: Frosty the snowman (sorry - a bit late for this one)
One stop craft 46: Let it snow!
Paper Cutz 9: Christmas with LOTS of bling!

Because I need to make a lot of Christmas cards, I recently bought a kit of Christmas concept cards from QVC, although I prefer not to use it in the prescribed way, but take bits and pieces and use them in my own way.

Unfortunately, because this is a scan and the light is too poor to get a flash photo, the 'bling' of the foiled card doesn't show up as it does irl. It is a much richer, brighter red foil with cold foil swirls and the surrounds of the circle and sentiments are foiled with a bright turquoise. Also, the snowflakes are glittery.



I'm adding this photo taken in daylight that shoes the mirror card a bit better:

Autumn is nearly here ...

... and there seem to be lots of challenges on this theme atm.

I've based my card on the sketch provided on Dare U 2 digistamp for challenge 21:



and the digi image I've used was downloaded from Squigly's playhouse (which is really a kids' colouring site, but, hey, I liked the image, so why not use it:



These are the challenges covered:

Whimsy stamps 19: fun fall colors
Digital Tuesday 24: clean and simple fall card
A spoonful of sugar 69: fall into autumn
Creative Belli 74: fall or Halloween

Also for day 174 on 365 cards: Just peachy - the dominant colour on your card should be peach.

And, as I used water colours (made a change from copics) I'm also linking for Lots to do challenge 37.

I used core'dination card stock - the middle piece has been torn to reveal the inner colour and plenty of inking of edges with chalk inks.

Salt: Listening to God

It's Salt challenge day today - how the weeks go by!

It was Tanis' turn to choose the topic and you can read what she wrote about Listening to God here.

Nowadays, I lead a relatively quiet life - I'm at home most of the time because of God being so poorly and needing support - apart from visits to hospital, which involve ambulance travel with plenty of traffic noise. However, it's amazing that even so, there is still quite a bit of noise in our lives, whether it be the radio, TV, computer ... or the phone ringing, to name but a few noises that are daily occurrences.

And it isn't just noise that stops us from being quiet and listening to God - it's the general 'busy-ness' of our lives, whether that's out at work etc or, like us, indoors - there always seems to be something to do.

So, it's necessary to make time to pray, not only to talk to God, but also to be quiet for long enough to reflect upon what He is saying to us, whether it's through His word, the Bible, through what others minister to us or to that 'still, small voice' that communicates to us deep within our soul.

My LO has sought to depict some of the noise distractions that are part of modern everyday life and our need to find quietness. I used a plain piece of black 12 x 12 and the light strips are BG Urban Couture Lustra. The hymn I've used is one that I find beneficial for quiet reflection.

Please click on the picture so that you can read the hymn and the journalling.



Please pop over to Salt to see the lovely crafting of the fellow members of the team and perhaps visit their individual blogs to read what they have to say about this topic. And it would be lovely to hear your response - either leave us a comment or give us a link to the crafting that this has prompted you to do.

BF Suzie's CJ

Suzie's CJ is called 'circle of darkness' - I was nearly stumped by this one because I'm not into doing things about ghosts etc, but then I thought about owls.

All the die cuts were done on my cricut, using various ColorCore Cardstock - I enjoyed doing all the distressing: