Love you, cupcake

This is for the sketch on Cards & things 64:

and for Paper cutz 76: make a card, LO or craft project for Valentine's Day using a hand stamped, digital stamped or Cricut cut image of a cake, cupcake, cookies or candy, using any colors you'd like.

This was a quick card to make, using elements from a QVC kit bought last year (still trying to use it up at various times!).


It's also for:

Scrappy frogs: hey cupcake
Prairie fairy Fridays 45: for a sweetheart
Moxie Tuesday trigger: sweets for the sweet
Passionately artistic: sweet Valentine be mine
Some odd girl: scallops galore
Crafty Emma 21: bold and bright
Cupcake inspirations 96
The paper variety: yummy hearts
Paper sundaes 54: Valentine's

Just a note

This is for Get Sketchy 72:

This was just right for using up bits of BG Periphery sauvignon and cupcake sunrise that were left over from making this card earlier today. In fact, I still have some bits left over, so perhaps I should make another couple of cards rather than put them in my scraps box (which seems to get more full all the time).

The stamp is All night media by Donna Dewberry and the image coloured with copics and cut with a nestie - for ABC: N is for nesties, Sarah Hurley 27: die cuts, and also for Totally stampalicious: Hello.

Spring is coming (wishful thinking)

This card is for the colour combo on SPCC 85:

The colours used are also good for Color dare 95: daffodil delight, marina mist, basic black (there is some black, although it's minimal).

The background paper is BG Periphery sauvignon and the stampotique image was stamped on to BG cupcake sunrise and coloured with copics - an entry for Basic grey 36: flower power.

Just the addition of a couple of buttons and the card was done - buttons are for Corrosive 101: button it up, Pixie cottage 55: buttons, Dutch dare 98: buttons, buttons, who's got the buttons.

It would be nice to think that spring is on its way (although I think that's probably wishful thinking) but that's my interpretation of For fun challenge 50 where we are asked to choose winter or spring.

It's also for:

Crafty Emma 21: bold and bright
Stamptacular 96: whateva!
PaperPlay 5: stamp it out
Pear tree designs 34: flowers
Papertake: anything goes + flowers

Salt: loving our enemies

Pauline chose the topic for this fortnight's Salt challenge - you can read what she wrote here.

I centred my LO on two passages of scripture - 1 Corinthians 13 and Luke 6:27-36 (the passage that Pauline referred to). I photographed these passages from Eugene Peterson's The Message, which is the New Testament in contemporary language.

The passage from 1 Corinthians 13 says:

Love never gies up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always 'me first',
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

This seems an impossible love, doesn't it - and, humanly speaking, it is, but, this love comes from God himself - 'love' is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

In his first epistle, John write: ... let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love - so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about - not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us - perfect love!' 1 John 4.

Coming back to the words of Jesus in Luke 6, he said: 'If you only love the lovable, do you expec a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. I tell you, love your enemies. Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults ... Don't condemn those who are down ...'

May God's grace enable me to reach out and show his love to others.

For my LO I used a DCWV textured 12 x 12 card, a piece of BG scarlet's letter paper, a stitched ribbon, two felt hearts and some lettering (can't remember the make).

I'm linking this for:

City crafter 42: all you need is love
Creative Cottage 32: words of love
Tanda teaser 164: share the love
One powerful hour: true love
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: love
Let's craft and create 12: heart felt - felt hearts
Challenge up your life 36: scripture in the background
Moving along with the times 84: red
Woodware 12: anything but a card
Paper romance: anything but a card
If the shoe fits Fashionista Friday 64: anything but a card
Stamping vacation: Pick 3 challenge for February - heart, anything black, the word LOVE

Zentangle

Zentangle is something I've sometimes thought of trying, but never have - although I used to doodle to my heart's content at times when perhaps I shouldn't have been doing it.

Well, I saw that Frankie's TIO 66 challenge for Dragons dream tags this week is 'zentangle', using at least one real stamp. I have to say that I was nearly put off trying with the thought of incorporating a stamp - and then I remembered that I bought this stamp ages ago and have often wondered why I bought it because it doesn't seem to be that 'usable'. I think I was attracted to it in the first place because it is a Magenta stamp (I have quite a few of this make) and thought it might come in useful.

So I stamped on to the top half of the tag, just using the bottom two-thirds of the stamp without the frame lines at the sides, which then gave a basis for building up the zentangle. I'm quite pleased with it as it is my first attempt.

I'm also linking this for the 'black and white' challenge this week on The three muses and 'black and white' for ECP 30.

It's also for:

Iris' spot 12: in with the new, out with the old - a new technique
Woodware 12: anything but a card
Paper romance: anything but a card
If the shoe fits Fashionista Friday 64: anything but a card

Wedding day

For this card I've used the sketch for Card making mamas 13, turing it to the right:

Papers are Best Creation Inc Mr & Mrs glitter papers, a piece of lace down the centre and the Anita's bride and groom stamped image. The groom's jacket and trousers were coloured with copic C1 and C3. I added pearls at the corners of the stamped image.

The papers are far more gorgeous than they look here - the stripes are like an embossed foiled glitter.

This is also for:

Paper crafting journey 2: weddings, optional: lace and pearls
Little red wagon 65: lace
Kaboodle 52: make it monochromatic
Crafts and me: monochrome
Frosted designs: monochrome
Cutie stampers 92: stripes
Penny's 45: anything goes
Copic creations 43: we're cool (colour colours - greys)
Iris spot 12: in with the new, out with the old - use new things (the papers)

Another one for the guys

This is for the sketch for Eat sleep stamp 115:

and for the colours for Color throwdown 126:
Nowadays I usually make square cards most of the time, but I need to make some A6 ones ready for when I have my next Tear Fund sale towards the end of March. My stock is very low, so I am going to make a conscious effort to make A6 as well as square.

Papers are Provo craft blue stries and blue squared by Christina Cole and the photo is one that came in a QVC kit.

This is another male card for:

Tellen's place: male - make it for guys
Aly's 34: for the guys
Alphabet: M for men
The crafty pad 106: something for the boys
Cutie stampers 92: stripes
Penny's 45: anything goes
Stampin' sisters in Christ 74: blue and green

Simple style

This is for the January sketch on In Style:

and for the colours for Color Dare 94: pretty perfect pears: pretty in pink, pear pizzazz, perfect plum.

I used some HOTP papers from the Jacie's vintage range (haven't used any of these for ages, so it was good to revisit them), cutting the fluted circles with nesties and scalloping the band across the bottom with my rotatrim. The addition of the three stitched ribbons brings the three colours together.

The stitching is for:

Paper pretties 138: sewing
Tuesday throwdown 34: stitching


It's also for:

Cutie stampers 92: stripes
Pear tree designs 34: flowers
Papertake: anything goes + flowers
Pixie cottage 54: flowers
Penny's 45: anything goes
Town scrapper: using dies

Easy peasy boy cards

At Hobbycraft the other day I bought a 12 x 12 by Best Creation Inc 'transportation' - I've used some of it for these cards - the first one is A6 and the second a standard square card. The strips across the card are from the reverse side. The card is glittered and foiled. All that was needed was a birthday sentiment - so I just dug deep into my box and found a couple of appropriate ones. What could be simpler?


These are for:

Ladybug 13: card for a child (I'll try to come back later with a card with a Ladybug stamp)
Tellen's place: male - make it for guys
Aly's 34: for the guys
The crafty pad 106: something for the boys
Crafty Emma 21: bold and bright
Crazy challenge 52: Happy Birthday
Penny's 45: anything goes

Simply Oriental

In recognition of Chinese New Year on 3 February - it will be the year of the rabbit - this week's challenge on Daring Cardmakers is to produce something oriental or featuring a rabbit.

This is also for Stamp man 15 'oriental', Asian/Chinese New Year for My Sheri crafts 42 and Chinese new year - celebrate Asia for Sentimental Sundays (sorry the sentiment is tiny, but the love sentiment is there in Chinese and English text).

For this card I used a piece of textured paper from the DCWV Far East stack - I do love these papers, but haven't used any of them for quite some time, so I enjoyed making this card. Because the paper has so much already on it, it's not necessary to add much to it and it would detract from what's there already.

I used some PM oriental stamps that I bought a while ago and hadn't used up until now. I stamped The hanging lanterns on the left towards the top with tattered rose DI, which only just shows up, but is in keeping with the other pale pinky images already on the paper. I then stamped the tree in the bottom left corner and the symbol with the word love in the top right corner. The addition of a few coins finished the card.

I'm really tempted to add more, but it doesn't need it, so I'm leaving it as it is.



I'm also linking this for Flourishes timeless 102: add some kind of hardware (the coins)

white winter birthday

This is for this week's sketch on Anyone for Anya:


Because the card is mostly white it is difficult to get a photo - if I try and whiten it more then you can't see the snowflake embossing on the righthand side - unfortunately, it ends up with a blueish tinge, but you get the general idea and I assure you it's white irl.

I've used one of my favourite Greeting Farm Anya stamps, just using copics for hair, face and clothes, leaving the coat white and adding crystal ice stickles for the fur.

This is for:

Incy wincy 78: winter wonderland - but no Christmas cards
Stamp something: winter somethings
Die cut dreams Christmas 51: winter birthday
Drunken stampers 52: birthday bash
2 sisters 24: girls just wanna have fun
All that scraps Wednesday: let it snow
Fun with shapes and more 75: snow or ice (die cut snowflake stickers)
Cutie Sunday 129: white
Double Dutch 60: white wishes
Hodge podge 7: white on white
CCEE 1104: white on white
Wags n whiskers 46: white
Crafts and me 22: monochrome
Frosted designs fabulous Friday challenge: monochromatic
My time to craft 125: emboss, emboss, emboss - dry
Totally Gorjuss 65: as you like it
Penny's 45: anything goes
Woodware 11: anything goes
Let's ink it up 8: anything goes
Shabby tea room 46: winter wonderland - photo inspiration:

Thinking inking

It's the end of the month once again and time to get the next circle journal into the post tomorrow for the group on BF forum. This time I had the pleasure of contributing ny DLO to Hels' 'thinking inking' CJ - an opportunity to get inky fingers (yes, they are very inky!).

I used a couple of text stamps from the Tattered Angels rockin' renaissance that I received as part of a prize - you can see them here. I also used some printed flowers Hero Arts stamps - stamping on to acetate and then using alcohol inks on the back - a mixture of stream, red pepper and wild plum, although very little of the red pepper seems to have survived!

I distressed the edges of the pages with stormy sky and dusty concord DIs. I ran the acetates through my xyron to stick on to the pages. I stamped some white flowers with a Hero Arts flower print stamp and used the DI to colour them - and a bit of stickles in the centres.

The flash photo makes the stormy sky colour look lighter than it actually is irl.


The sign in tag, using some of the same stamps and DIs:

I'm linking this for:

Dragons dream tags TIO 66: make a statement - the text on the tag
Crafty Ho's: no designer paper
Wednesday stamp: inky backgrounds
Stamptacular 96: whateva
Paperminutes 150: flowers
Pixie cottage 54: flowers
Tuesday throwdown 33: distressing
Crafty purple frog: a distressing challenge
Crafty Emma 21: bold and bright
Crazy 4 challenges 72: vintage or shabby chic
Paper romance: anything but a card
If the shoe fits Fashionista Friday 64: anything but a card
Penny's 45: anything goes
Woodware 11: anything goes
Let's ink it up 8: anything goes

A touch of lilac

Oh dear - I entered a couple of cards for this week's Play Date cafe challenge 66: colour splash - lilac, but, unfortunately, I didn't look properly and failed to see that the card should have been black and white with a splash of lilac.

So here is a card that I hope fits the challenge. The paper and the large topper was from a pack by 'red line' - when I bought this I thought the toppers were die cut, but they weren't, so I had to cut by hand. I then mounted on to a piece of DCWV textured lilac card and cut round that - the result: a very simple card. The topper is so big that there isn't room for anything else, even though it's a 6 x 6 card - and it hides most of the swirly paper underneath. I added a couple of PM ribbon bows just to add a further little splash of lilac.

This is also for:

Kort o mania 32: create a fantasy (ohhh, when I went into Kort o mania to find the link, I discovered that I'd won a prize for challenge 31 - yippee!!)
ABC: M is for magical
Pollycraft 77: black, white and 1 other colour

Look what postie brought me this morning

In August it was announced that I was the July winner on Creative Prompts challenge blog - you can read about it here. The prize was $20 to spend at Let's Capture our Memories online store. Because of various things going on at the time I didn't actually choose my items until the beginning of December and then there was a hiccup with the post ... all sorted out by the lovely Tanya from Let's Capture our Memories ... and this is what arrived this morning:

I'm so glad I chose these items - I can't wait to start using them. In fact, I need to make a commissioned card today for a 40th birthday and the request was to include pink/purple, so I think some of these gorgeous primas are going to be put to good use straight away.

BF January inchies received

Here are the lovely inchies I received this morning from the group swap on BF forum for January 'green and orange'



Thank you, girls, for the lovely crafting.

White on white

This is for Card Patterns 99:

There are a few challenges around atm calling for a lot of white to be used, so this is for:

Double Dutch 60: white wishes
Flutter by Wednesday 139: white on white + butterfly
Hodge podge 7: white on white
CCEE 1104: white on white
Wags n whiskers 46: white
Crafts and me 22: monochrome
Frosted designs fabulous Friday challenge: monochromatic

I'm afraid I had to resort to a scan which makes the card look grey in parts because of the various depths of ribbon and card - everything is white irl with various textures. The image ( Funstamps 'swirling wings' stamped with versamark and heat embossed with detail silver) and surrounds were cut with nestie labels, the surround being cut from glitter card. The embossed dots were embossed with a Crafts-too folder with my cuttlebug.

Updating with this photo, although, unfortunately, I think this is worse than the scan - lol! It's so difficult to get a picture of white on white.



This is also for:

Creative stamp friends 17: shapes - die cuts
Crazy amigo: labels (the nesties)
My time to craft 125: emboss, emboss, emboss - both heat and dry
Crafty creations: 103: let's heat it up (heat embossing)
Anything goes: butterflies
Pals paper arts 78: bows - clean and simple with a bow
Some odd girl: scallops galore (cut on my rotatrim)
Crafts4eternity R4 technique/theme recipe: polka dots
Gingerloft 10: things that fly
Creative inspirations 51: celebrate (birthday)
Penny's 45: anything goes
Cutie Sunday 128: anything goes
Woodware 11: anything goes
Let's ink it up 8: anything goes

Another sympathy card

This is for Eat sleep stamp sketch 115:

This is another sympathy card (insert: with deepest sympathy) for Speedy the cat (Mark's finest papers) 39: sympathy card.

The stamped image is Penny Black sparklers and the embossing with cuttlebug folders, which is good for My time to craft 125: emboss, emboss, emboss, Southern girls: a pressing new challenge - dry embossing and Res-Q 67: dry embossing,

The colours are for Play date cafe 66: colour splash - lilac or any shade of purple and for Creative craft: monochromatic madness and Crafts and me 22: monochrome.

It's also for:

Stamp insanity 44: find your zen - peaceful project
Everybody art 126: my favourite thing - the colour purple and stamping
Crafty sentiments: my favourite things - the colour purple and stamping
Paper cutz 75: your choice
Penny's 45: anything goes
Cutie Sunday 128: anything goes
Woodware 11: anything goes
Let's ink it up 8: anything goes

With deepest sympathy

This card is for Waltzing mouse sketch challenge 31:I've used the colours for Cards and things colour challenge 63:

Papers are from my offcuts box - the main background is K & Co and the other two papers are DCWV. The stamped image is Magenta coloured with copics.

There is no sentiment on the front, but the insert inside it printed: 'with deepest sympathy'.

This is for:

Paper sundaes 53: distressing (the torn paper)
Tuesday throwdown 33: distressing
Crafty purple frog: a distressing challenge
Speedy the cat (Mark's finest papers) 39: sympathy card
Challenge up your life 35: clean and simple
Paperminutes 150: flowers
Fairy tale 6: flowers

Prize from I love promarkers

I received a £10 voucher to spend in Joanna Sheen's online shop for winning I love promarkers challenge 47 - you can read about it here.

This is what I bought:



I love embossing folders, so it's good to be able to add to my ever-growing collection.

It's official!!

I should definitely stick to cardmaking.

It's just as well that my 'playtime' today was to create something just for me, because nobody else would want it!!

I showed lots of crafting supplies on my WOYWW 86 post, getting ready to decorate a canvas just for me - well, it's staying 'just for me' because I'm too embarrassed to show it here!

I still love my melting pot (oh yes, it made a good job of melting the beeswax) ... but as for the encaustic art stylus ... mm ... anyone want to buy it?

The canvas is going in the bin ... and I'm going for a much-needed cup of tea.

WOYWW 86

Yes again, Wednesday has come round again with lightning speed, so it's time for WOYWW 86.

I've just got out lots of things so that I can have a play - not sure what I'm going to achieve, but this has been sparked off by the challenge this week on DCM: it's all about me!

Long ago I bought an encaustic art stylus with the intention of trying out some crafting with beeswax heated in my melting pot ... but, until yesterday, I hadn't got round to getting any beeswax. I had been enthused originally by watching Suze Weinberg's videos - and, so, at last, I thought I'd try and put some of my enthusiasm into action.

I might or might not use the supplies in front of me - I'll see how it goes and how the mood takes me. If and when I make anything that is remotely presentable, I'll share it later.

Meanwhile, I'm going to be creative for the sake of it - it will make a change from making things for other people.

You'll notice that I'm going to be working on a canvas (something I'm not that comfortable with, but, hey, I need shaking out of my comfort zone) - it's about 11.5" x 9.5", so quite a nice size to be able to try out lots of techniques and hope that they come together - lol! And it was only £1 from Poundland, so nothing much lost if it turns out to be a distaster.




Update: you can read about the results of my 'playtime' here.