WOYWW - a bit late in the day!

If I'd remembered this morning that it's WOYWW day on Stamping Ground today, I could have shown you just have crowded and messy my space was. This evening it's not too bad, although there's still evidence of having made a couple of cards earlier.

Someone expressed concern last time that they couldn't see a chair in the photo - I had moved it to get a better shot.

Today I sat on the chair and took a picture to the left of me.



I also thought I'd show the area behind me (where things tend to get dumped until they are put away).

Anyone for cocktails?

This card is for this sketch for challenge 39 on Lili of the valley:



It's also for
2 red bananas colour challenge: red, yellow, orange and brown
Pink elephant 39: brown, yellow, neutral (white) and colour of your choice (red)
Cute Card Thursday 84: 'midnight margaritas!' - drinks/cocktail theme
Treehouse 21: fall color challenge
Kaboodle 17: 'fall splendour' fall colours
365 day 247: 'ad inspired' - autumnal colours
Mixed Media Monday: 'opposites attract' - well, the ladies are sitting opposite one another!
Another one for Gingham Girls WOW 10: chinwag

The papers are BG Indian summer and lime rickey.



I'm not sure what the stamped image is - I received it a while ago in a swap - would be grateful if someone could tell me the source of it (would quite like to get it).

Yummy chocolcate

The Wednesday stamper challenge last week was 'chocolate' (I prepared this card last night, but didn't scan and blog it). I was going to make a card with yummy chocolate on it - and then decided to go with the colours of papers and also to colour a stamped labrador chocolate - I absolutely love chocolate labradors, although, of course, I loved Josey, John's ex-guide dog (she is a yellow lab).

I'm not sure where the background paper came from - it was a download - if anyone recognises it please let me know so I can give credit to whoever produced it. The other bits were from my box of offcuts.

The card is also for Sketch and Stash 22:



Inspire me Thursday this week is 'dark', so I think it's good for that - dark chocolate is my favourite!

This is also good for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday 40: 'Our challenge is to combine a colored image, texture or textures, and any shades of neutrals we want. You can pack on the layers and textures just make sure you include an image to color and use only neutral cardstock. Just so you know you can us any combination of whites, creams, blacks, browns, and grays!' Well, some of the card is a bit textured - and the dog's coat certainly would be!

Lastly, the Saturday challenge on My creative clutter says: '
Todays challenge is a color challenge. BUT....there is a twist! I want you to think of your favorite Halloween Candy. Then think of the package that it comes in! I want you to use the colors off the package as your color for inspiration!' Well, I don't do halloween, but my favourite 'candy' is dark chocolate, so this card is appropriate for that.

A truly scrumptious card?? d'oh!!

This card is for the sketch on Truly Scrumptious challenge 19:



I've just realised that I did the card for the sketch, but forgot that there was a recipe that went with it - d'oh! Oh well, I still give credit for the lovely sketch and will try to do another card that incorporates the recipe as well.

I've used the colours purple, cerise and gold, which are those given for challenge 23 on My Grafico.

Funky Fairys challenge 40 is 'touchy feely' - to use texture on a card, so I embossed with d'vine swirls cuttlebug folder and one of the birthday sentiments - and also the flowers are 'feely'. I used one of the freebie Funky Fairy downloads 'birds', changing the colour and turning one of the birds to face the other, which I thought would be OK for Gingham Girl's 'word of the week' 10: 'chinwag' - I thought that these two birds must be having a tweeting chat.

Today's challenge on 365 cards (day 248) is :Imagine this: 'feathers' - well, birds have feathers, so I think this is OK for that.

I used 'nesties' for the scalloped circles and embossed sentiment, so I'm linking for Die Cuts R us 14: 'nest something'. And digital Tuesday 31 calls for the use of flowers as well as a digi element, which are both here. Bee Crafty 16 also calls for the use of a digi image and also 'distressing' - plenty of sanding of embossing here. And the scallops are right for My time to craft 84: 'so many scallops!'

No backing patterned papers have been used on this card, just textured cardstock that's been sanded, so this is another one for Charisma Cardz 43: ''no backing papers'.

Also: Mixed Media Monday: 'opposites attract' - well, the birds are standing opposite one another!

Sweet friend

The digi images I used are from the Pink Frosting download I bought from Nutcrafters. The challenge this fortnight on Nutty nutshells (a new challenge blog to me) is to find a sketch challenge from another blog and use an image stocked by Nutcrafter's - hence the girl and cupcake digis from Pink Frosting. I coloured them with copics and mounted the girl on the cupcake (after a bit of fiddly cutting out). The sentiment is also from the Pink Frosting digi sheet.

For my card I chose the sketch from My Grafico challenge 22:



It also uses the colours on this week's Color throwdown 66:



The papers are BG wisteria, a couple of sticky ribbons and the mat surrounding the image is from DCWV far east collection. The use of ribbon makes it suitable for La La land 10. And the cupcake is suitable for Die Cut Dreams 21: 'food and/or drink'.

Pile on the thankfulness

This week challenge 22 on pile it on is to make a 'thank you' card. This challenge blog encourages us to combine as many challenges as possible with this one.

The first one I've chosen is the sketch for Crafty Catz challenge 6:



The main background paper is imaginisce Go for Baroque Rendez vous who? - this is double sided, so the ripped piece across the middle is the reverse side. I stamped part of a DB stamp with vibrant violet Stazon and then stitched round the leaves with green and the centres of the petals with purple thread. I went over the dotted swirls with Sakura metallic purple and also put in some more 'doodling' dots of my own. The piece of green patterned paper behind the orange scalloped card was from the inside of an envelope (never throw anything like that away). I ran a black Core'dination piece of card through the cuttlebug using the swiss dots embossing folder (one of my favourites) and sanded to show through the purple.

In the group of flowers, the purple one is felt and the green one material. The brads and gems add some sparkle to the card.

You can see the hand stitching clearer if you click on the pictures.




These are the current challenges covered:

365 cards day 129: You have me in stitches: 'Stitch an image on your card. Not just around the outside of the card, but an actual image. A flourish DOES count, since these are typically quite detailed.'
Paper Maniac Inspirations: die cuts (the orange and purple flowers and the sentiment)
Cafe Mojo: purple, orange and green
Creative Inspirations 20: doodle-ing (the dots added to the image)
The cuttlebug spot 55: give thanks (used the swiss dots cuttlebug embossing folder)
Fiskarettes Monday challenge: bling - the brads, gems and Sakura metallic dots
Kelly Jo 26: black, orange, purple, green (white if needed)
Sophisticat 9: buttons and ribbons
My time to craft 83: rip it up (the piece of paper across the middle)
Papertake weekly: spots 'n' stripes - no stripes, but plenty of spots
Try it out Tuesday 41: metal musings - brads
Card*a*licious 30: handstitching, buttons and felt
Crafty creations 39: thanksgiving/gratitude
Cuttlebug challenge 'be inspired' 55: something that has your favourite on it - swiss dots is one of my fav embossing folders
Flutter by Wednesday 81: open theme, to include a butterfly or fairy
Gingersnap spicy 26: brads
Gingersnap random redhead 28: thankfulness
La la land 10: ribbon
Simon says: all that sparkles - brads, gems and Sakura metallic dots
C.R.A.F.T. 23: orange and black (without the Halloween option)
Elzybells 30: glitter, sparkle and shine - brads, gems and Sakura metallic dots
Ildi Co 3: in stitches
Theme Thursday: favourite colours - purple is high on my list of fav colours

It'll be all white on the night

This is a card for sketch challenge 41 on the sweetest thing:



Colour Create 30 calls for 'all white' and Penny Black 73 is 'white on white' - and I've used a gorgeous PB stamp, just colouring the back of the music book with orange and the stand and flute with C1 grey copics.

I think the card also fits the bill for day 214 on 365 cards (a bit of a stretch of the sketch there, but I think it's just about recognisable!).

My heart is full of thanks

Pile it on challenge 12 this week is a colour combo: blue, green and yellow (just to explain that the card is definitely yellow - it's been sprayed with 'lettuce' colorwash). The idea of 'pile it on' is that you see how many challenges you can combine with theirs. If you have a peep further down my blog, you'll see that I've done a lot of that already this week!

This card is also for sketch 139 on CPS:



and also for Get Sketchy challenge 12:



With this sketch we were also asked to use spray ink, so I've used Adirondack lettuce colorwash (I tried to use stream, but the nozzle was blocked, which is why there is a different patch of colour - and I decided to leave it).

These sketches are so similar that even one of the DT members went for both of them, so I know it's OK for me to do so.

Stampin' Sisters for Christ challenge 10 this week says: 'Make a card that expresses your thankfulness for someone or something they have done, or that encourages someone to be thankful.' - so this is it! Crafty Creations 39 also has the theme of 'thanksgiving/gratitude'. Gingersnap Random redhead challenge 28 is 'thankfulness' too.

'Thank you' seems to be a common theme atm because it's also challenge 22 on My Grafico - and to include dry embossing - mine was done with d'vine swirls cuttlebug folder.

Day 145 on 365 cards was an 'ad inspired' challenge with a picture supplied (you can see it if you click on the link) - I was inspired by the colours and also the butterflies. And talking of butterflies, this is another link for Flutter by Wednesday 81. It's also another one for My time to craft 83: 'rip it up'.

After all that, here is my card (which looks more 'busy' on here than irl for some reason!):

In my thoughts

This card is for sketch 65 on Cutie Sunday this week:



I've used red paper, sentiment (both HOTP), a square image and three buttons, the ingredients for the recipe this week on 2 red bananas.

It's also one for 'kind thoughts' Tanda Teaser 121.

It's fall y'all

The challenge on Stamptacular this week (it's just still this week - last minute one) is 'it's fall y'all' - use fall colours and stamping.

I used an orange base card, I can't identify this brown paper (it's been in my box for a long while, unknown), Dovecraft ribbon and the ATC that I made for the October swap on BF. The idea is that we make an ATC for everyone in the swap, which means we also get one of our own back, so I decided to use it on this card. There is stamping on the ATC - you can see my original post about it here.

Tropical bouquet

I used to take part in HS:MS and show photos on a fairly regular basis, but I haven't shown many photos for a while. I thought I would just share some pictures of a tropical bouquet that I got yesterday with my online grocery shopping:

Skateboarder 'whoosh'

The image on this card is a download called 'whoosh' from Mo's Digital Pencil where challenge 4 is to make a card with a different fold - I hope this gatefold is different enough.

I coloured the image with copics, mainly keeping to shades of grey, C1, C3, C5 and C7, which is OK for Copic creations challenge 14.

The Secret Crafter Saturday challenge is 'orange + 1 other colour' and 'orange and black' are the colours for challenge 23 on C.R.A.F.T. (I chose not to do the halloween option). The colours also fit day 216 on 365 which was an 'ad inspired' challenge (more details if you click on the link).

There is a 'male' theme for Crazy Amigo, Die Cuts R us 'the boyfriend challenge' and on Polka doodle , where 3 brads are also asked for. 3 Clovers 37 asks for a card suitable for a teenager.

The punched corners make this suitable again for DCM 'getting punchy with it'.
The papers used are BG ambrosia.

Traditional Christmas colour

EBKewl colour challenge 9 is 'handsome hunter (green), whisper white and real red' with a Christmas theme.

Today's challenge on DCM is 'getting punchy with it', hence the corners of the card - also another one for Flourishes Timeless 39' border punches'.

Today's challenge 59 on Sukkersott is to use anything between 4 and 9 inches, so I've used a Whispers stamp that has nine background inch squares - stamped with versamark and clear embossed (sorry, doesn't show up here as well as irl).

And it's another card for the open theme on Winter Wonderland challenge 22 (have you guessed that I quite like making Christmas cards?).

The circular chipboard pieces are ones that have been in my Christmas box since last year (or perhaps even the year before) - I think they are Brenda Pinnick, but not absolutely sure. The textured card is DCWV.

I haven't used any patterned backing papers, so I'm linking for Charisma Cardz challenge 43.

I think it's also suitable for ABC G for green (as the main colour). And as there are a lot of circles on here, I'm linking again for Alphabet C is for ... circles.

Unfortunately, the scan has chopped a couple of the corners a bit, but irl they are fine!

Christmas blues ... and silver

This card is for the sketch for Stamp, Scrap & Doodle 12:



It's also for Fashionista Friday 8 on If the Shoe Fits, which is a colour challenge: blue, white and silver. The same colour combo is challenge 86 on Paperminutes this week, also on Stampavie and more challenge 67 the combo is blue and silver.

On Alphabetchallenge blog, B is for ... blue.

Challenge 15 on Paper Cutz calls for the use of stars.

As this is a Christmas card, it's another one for the open theme for Winter Wonderland challenge 22. It's also another one for Papertake weekly: spots and/or stripes - stripes on one of the strips across the card.

I'm wondering whether this can be counted as a 'furry friend' for challenge 24 on Allsorts? And hopefully OK too for 'cute and fuzzy somethings' on Stamp Something this week. I'm not sure that the stamped image could be called 'fuzzy', but I definitely think it's cute.

The base card was covered with blue mirror card, which was then covered with vellum (most of which is covered up with the different strips across the card). The stamped image is one that I got when we had a 'stamp in the post' event on CBC last year.

BF October ATCs

The subject for the October ATC swap on BF was 'orange' and I received these fab little crafting compositions - amazing what different results there were from just 'orange' - thanks, girls.

Crazy!!! never again!

I came across this challenge: Royal challenge 1
'SO HERE IS YOUR CHALLENGE: I WANT TO SEE COLOR PINK - a bit of pink/ lots of pink/ any shade of pink- all other colors are good as far as you have pink too!! COMBINE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CHALLENGES TOGETHER WITH MY " PINK" ONE IN ONE SINGLE PROJECT AND ALL OF THEM ARE RELEVANT FOR THE DAY YOU LINK IT TO MY COMMENT SECTION. IT CAN BE THIS WEEK CHALLENGES+ MONTHLY CHALLENGES AS FAR AS THEY STILL RUN ON WEB ON THE DAY OF LINKING'

I'm always up for a challenge. I had a peep at what others had done for this and could hardly believe what I saw - so many challenges all rolled into one.

Well, here goes - this is the sketch (Little Paper Shop) and card:







and this is the list of challenges covered:

365 cards 202 once upon a time: the fairy story is 'The Christmas Fairy on the top of the tree'
Sparkle creations Christmas card challenge week 47 - some kind of cooked/baked holiday goodie - Dottie is holding a Christmas pud
Corrosive 35 shaped like ... not a square or rectangle - make a shaped card
Dottie's world: child's play - a card for a child - I used a Charmed download (Christmas fairy)
Paper Maniac Inspirations - make a project for a child
Winter Wonderland: 22 - open Christmas theme
My Creative Clutter: special Sunday challenge 3D - there are a few 3D elements on the card (built up flowers, raised chipboard, brads, raised snowflakes etc
Creative Inspirations 19: special card with a number on it - Baby's 1st Christmas
Fab's Big Christmas 43: scalloped edge
Forever friends: Christmas (the Christmas pud, snowflakes and sentiment are FF elements)
Incy wincy designs 15: favourite embellishments - flowers and brads
Little Paper shop 39: gettin' around to our next challenge - round sketch
Sophisticat 8: colour combi - pink and brown, plus flowers
Artful inkables 'think ink Tuesday': use any technique you have never tried before - I daubed the chipboard swirl with Adirondack acrylic paint and sprinkled with glitter
Creative card crew 34: snowflakes
Flourishes Timeless 39: border punches (hope the cricut counts - did also use a corner rounder punch on the cuttlebug embossed snowflakes
Jacksonbelle Tuesday: 1, 2, 3 - 1 stamp (the Charmed digi), 2 embellishments (brads and flowers), 3 papers - three BG eskimo kisses papers on the front of the card
My Time to Craft 83: rip it up - the paper across the middle of the card
Papertake weekly: spots 'n' stripes - spots on the fairy's wings and on the snowflakes BG eskimo kisses paper
Spoonful of sugar 75: kitchen/cooking - Dottie is carrying the Christmas pud
Follow your heart: Try it out Tuesday: 41 metal musings - the brads
Tuesday taggers - bursts of colour like fireworks - the Stickles fairy dust being spread by the fairy's wand
Copic colour 37: R20, YG06, E33 (I used the nearest I had to colour the Dottie fairy)
Creative Belli: 77 raffia or twine (the bow around the top of the card)
Cuttlebug challenge: Be inspired 55: something that has your favourite on - I used the snowflakes embossing folder - and also fav embellishments of brads and flowers
Flutter by Wednesday 81: open theme - include a butterfly or fairy
Funky Fairys 40: touchy feely - texture (the cuttlebug embossing, flowers, glittered chipboard etc
La la land: 10 ribbon (across the middle of the card)
Paper Blooms: a circle card
Simon Says: all that sparkles (the fairy dust Stickles, the glittered chipboard, the brads)
Cooking it up with Katie 4: start with Christmas theme, add some sparkle, finish with a border (the scalloped edge)
Elzybells 30: glitter, sparkle and shine (things already mentioned)
Hand full of stamps: Looking for some layers: 2 - layers, layers, layers - three of the same layer - three BG eskimo kisses papers, 3 flowers layered
Ildi Co 3: in stitches (stitching on the ribbon across the middle)
Mo's digital 4: a fancy card fold
Theme Thursday: favourite colours - pink/brown
Crafty Catz 5: buttons or brads (both on the card)
Dare U to digi 24: no squares allowed - shaped card (used a digi: Charmed download)
Daring Cardmakers: favourite things - these are a few of my favourite things: pink, cricut 'wild card' doiley, BG papers, brads, flowers, distressing, cuttlebug embossing, copics to colour, Dottie image, ribbon
Frosted designs: make it pop - use pop dots, foam dots, something 3D, something layered
Bee crafty 16: distressing - the torn paper across the middle (and I've used a digital image, which is necessary for this challenge)
Paper cutz 14: 3 kinds of patterned paper
Crazy 4 challenges 8: it's all geometric - at least three different shapes - circular card, rectangles - the image and layer, diamonds on the cirlce of BG eskimo paper
Lots to do 43: a recipe - stamping (digi), paint (on the chipboard, which was then glittered), metal (the brads)
One stop craft: 52 celebration - Christmas!
Our Creative Corner: card inspired by a book or movie - the fairy story: 'The Christmas fairy on the top of the tree'
Cook up a card (monthly challenge for October) - recipe: 2 rectangles (the image and the mat underneath), 1 button (in the middle of the flower, 1 ribbon (across the middle) and 4 patterned papers - the 3 BG eskimo kisses on the front and the BG on the inside
Paper Garden Projects - fourth Friday fun challenge: October - bring on the bling (the brads, glitter, Stickles fairy dust)
The crafting pot: 'thinks pink' (extended to 31 October)
Dream girls 38: embrace the negative (the 'punched out' bits around the edge of the cricut Wild card 'doiley card' and the shadow through from the middle
Pixie Cottage 2: celebrate - Christmas!
Alphabet: C is for circles
Creative Craft 1: the first one - nclude the number 1 (on the inside)

Never again!! It took almost as long to list all the challenges as it did to make the card (although, admittedly, that took quite a long time too)

You might like to look at the post below this one details of a PIF - why not join in?

Paying it forward

I visited Pauline's blog and saw that she was taking part in a crafty 'pay it forward' challenge. I thought I'd give it a try and join in - well, I have a year to do it!



The rules are:

1. I will make a little something for the first three people who comment on this post. It will be a surprise and it will arrive on your doorstep when you least expect it!

2. I will have 365 days to do it in.

What’s the catch? To get a handmade prezzie from me, you have to play too.

1. You must have a blog.

2. BEFORE you comment here, you must post about your Pay It Forward on your blog to keep the fun going, and display the Pay It Forward button

So, come on, who's going to join in?

Salt: Serving for God's glory

It's time for a new Salt challenge and Kim chose the topic - you can read what she had to say here.

I marvel that God has entrusted me with any gifts to use for Him - it is such a humbling thought and one that I find difficult to get my head round - and yet, He has told us in scripture that if we desire the gifts that He has for us, and ask for them, He will give them to us - so it is my prayer that I use such gifts to minister to others for His glory.

The cardstock is DCWV textured and the other bits and pieces of paper are BG wisteria; Prima pearls and crystals. The picture I've used is one I found on the internet (sorry, can't remember where) - I changed the colour to suit the LO.

As usual, you can see the LO better if you click on the picture. There are stamped and embossed hearts on the card beneath the picture.

In stitches

I used to do a lot of cross stitch, but found that it hurt my back too much to sit doing it and I had to give it up. The piece on this card was made quite some time ago and was just left in a book, waiting to be used some fine day!

Day 220 on 365 cards was 'in stitches' - 'How do you feel about cross-stitching? Well, that's what I'm going to ask you to do. There doesn't have to be much, but if there are any cross-stitchers out there, we'd love to see what you can do on a card!'

'In stitches' is also the topic this week for Ildi Co's challenge 3

It's a bit spoiled, in that I mounted the piece of cross stitched aida on to a piece of black card first and then decided to trim it because the black card didn't look right, leaving the corners showing.

A touch of autumnal velvet

This card is for challenge 74 on A spoonful of sugar: sketch by Debbie:



I've used Laura Ashley papers - the squares being velvet flocked effects and the centre image one of their matching velvet rub ons - I wish you could feel them! They are definitely 'touchy, feely' so are just right for 365 cards day 188 'touchy, feely Friday' - to use felt or flocking on your card.

I hope the colours I've used are autumnal enough for challenge 43 on the crafty pad.

Crafty Calendar (a new monthly challenge blog) challenge 1 is also 'autumn', with the option of using plants or vegetation - well, there's no vegetation, but I think there's a floral feel to the card.

A new monthly challenge blog 'By the cute and girly' started this month (a new challenge will be held on 1st of each month) and the topic is 'autumn glory', so I'm linking this card.

Lastly, Belli challenge 76 is 'fall, thankgsgiving with a leaf ...' and there are definitely some leaves on here.

I have to confess that the velvet rub on didn't go quite as it should have done. I hadn't realised how brown the rub on would be and put it on brown card to match the card blank and it really didn't show up very well (although I might still use it some time). What I actually used on this card is the image that was left after the rub on had been done - in other words, the negative effect, which has a flock velvet feel, but the other way round - so, by accident, I've discovered that you can get two for the price of one from each rub on!

The velvet flocking gives a really nice embossed feel to the card, which is another one for the treehouse challenge 20.(faux embossing was allowed).



This is the rub on as it should have been used, but it really is quite dark on the dark card (it's difficult to tell from the pack how the rub on will turn out - now I've done one I know what to expect):