Fun with pictograms

'Fun with pictograms' is the theme for Daring cardmakers challenge this week.

I've cut some squares from an offcut that has been in my box for some time - not sure where it came from (think it might have been with a magazine) - another for Pixie's crafty snippets 30. I used a striped snippet on the right hand side as a cover-up-job because the Basic Grey offcut I'd used to cover the card blank had a mark on it. Sentiments were generated on computer and printed.

This is also for:

Gingerloft 45: silhouettes
One stitch at a time 123: sports or Olympic colours
Craftroom: sports
Tanda teaser 199: summer sports
Craft punked 29: Olympic games/sports
One stop craft 192: Olympics/sport
The secret craft Saturday 195: Olympic or sporty
St Luke's July: teenage kicks

On your birthday ... bee happy!

City crafter 118 this week is 'I've been hexed' - use hexagons. I found the background pattern on Microsoft Publisher clipart and printed it out. Kaboodle 129 is also asking for hexagons for their 'what's in' challenge.

I've used an ATC that I made earlier in the year for which I used the lovely Stampotique bee stamp by Jo Capper-Sandon, colouring with an acid yellow copic. I stamped over the bees with Penny Black sparklers using versamark and heat embossing with detail gold powder.

The sentiments were generated on computer and printed and distressed with mustard seed and black soot DIs, as were the edges of the ATC.

This is also for:

Stampotique 58: sentiments
Sentimental Sundays 112: things with wings
Card and scrap 35: wings

Paper pretties Wednesday 215: bling it on
Crazy amigo: free theme
Waste not Wednesdays 27: use your stash
Make it Monday 99
Inspire me Fridays 68
52 card pick up week 29

Red Christmas

This is for one of the sketches for There's magic in the air magical Monday:

I've used offcuts from my Christmas scraps box (when I talked yesterday about my various offcuts boxes, I forgot that, of course, I also have a Christmas one!) - another card for Pixie's crafty snippets 30.

I've used one of the Kanban pyramage pictures that I had ready made up - three glittery reindeer, matted on to a Kanban frame (still trying to use these up).

The red was inspired by the inspiration photo for Festive Friday 28:

And this is another for my monochrome CHNC challenge 82.

This is also for:

Love to create 24: 3 of something (reindeer)
Crimbo crackers 20: penguins or animals
Joanna Sheen: animal crackers
Hiding in my craft room 55: let's see those layers
Let's craft and create 49: decoupage
Paper pretties Wednesday 215: bling it on!
Lexi 70: Christmas in July
Addicted to stamps 35: Christmas in July
Cutie pie 23: Christmas in July
Whoopsi Daisy: Christmas in July
Hotshot 10: Kanban
Jingle belles: red or green
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us what you got - Christmas
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 117: Christmas in July
PaperPlay 29: Christmas in July
Creative Belli 148: Christmas in July
Die cuttin' divas 74: Christmas in July
Creatalicious 36: Christmas in July
Lollipop crafts 84: Christmas in July
Hooked on crafts 22: Christmas in July
2 sisters 101: Christmas in July + option: use an animal
Crafter's companion 26: ho ho ho Christmas
Clear it out: Christmas in July - something red or green or both
Crazy amigo: free theme

Waste not Wednesdays 27: use your stash
Forever friends 43: anything goes
Make it Monday 99
Inspire me Fridays 68
52 card pick up week 29

Birthday cake

This is for the sketch for Technostamper's Monday lunchtime 230:

Once again I've used card/paper and elements from The The Party kit by Hunkydory. The photo is taken at a strange angle to try and avoid reflection from the flash because of lots of gold foiling:

This is also for:

Do you stack up 81: food
Paperminutes 226: only patterns and ornaments
Freshly brewed 105: food and drink
Crazy amigo: free theme

Waste not Wednesdays 27: use your stash
Inspire me Fridays 68
52 card pick up week 29

Time for tea ...

This card was prompted by the photo given for The ribbon reel 32: sweet sparkles, which asked for us to use the colours in the photo, with a heart, sparkle and ribbon or lace.

and I've used the sketch for Stamp with fun 170:

I've used card, paper and the circular image from Hunkydory's 'The Tea Party' collection, with the addition of a piece of stitched ribbon. I stamped a heart with a Dawn Bibby stamp with blazing red stazon and filled it with stickles glitter glue.

It was difficult to get a photo with flash reflection so this is the best I could get of the whole card:

and this shows the circular topper (the rim is a lovely shiny gold foiling):

This is also for:

Crazy 4 challenges 146: stitching
Paperminutes 226: only patterns and ornaments
Freshly brewed 105: food and drink
Crazy amigo: free theme

Waste not Wednesdays 27: use your stash
Inspire me Fridays 68
52 card pick up week 29

Birthday buttons

This card is for the sketch for Stamps & fun = creativity 108:

and for Shabby tea room 123: sew crafty where this inspiration photo was given and we were asked to use buttons, ribbon/twine and stitching:

All papers used are offcuts from DCWV, another opportunity to visit Pixie's crafty snippets 30 - perhaps I should explain that I have boxes of offcuts because I have one for patterned paper, one for solid colours, one for cream and one for white - doesn't sound so bad then, does it?!

My buttons are the lovely Stampington 'antique buttons' stamp with a bit of copic colouring. The sticky stitched ribbon and the glittered tag sentiment are from stash.

Why is it that in the photo the blue striped paper looks crooked at the top?

This is also for:

Victorine 38: buttons & ribbon
Tuesday alchemy 23: button, button, whose got a button?
Cooking it up with Katie 99: birthday with blue buttons
Phindy's Friday 114: button it
Crazy 4 challenges 146: stitching
Aud sentiments 59: tag it - sentiment tag
Pile it on 30: tag you're it
Crafty creations 179: tags
Paperminutes 226: only patterns and ornaments
Crazy amigo: free theme

Waste not Wednesdays 27: use your stash
Inspire me Fridays 68
52 card pick up week 29

Cocoa kisses & marshmallow hugs

This card is for the recipe on Squigglefly 28 to use 1 ribbon or lace, 2 brads or eyelets and three die cuts - the nestie shape used for the main image, which is a digital one by Squigglefly, coloured with copics and the two butterflies cut with a Sizzix green die (a long time since I've used these). The image was distressed with mustard seed DI before the nestie was removed, leaving the white rim.

The embossed dot background was run through my cuttlebug with a crafts too embossing folder, using a core'dination card that showed through a darker yellow when sanded. The lace and brads are from stash.

The pieces of card used for this were offcuts, so this is another for Pixie's crafty snippets 30. Why do I never get the bottom of the offcuts boxes (you note, I said boxes)?

Colours are for Party time Tuesday 77:

and for the colours for Just inspirational 38:

This is also for:

DCC & friends 1: anything goes
Bloggers challenge: die cuts
Allsorts: distressing
Freshly brewed 105: food and drink
Do you stack up 81: food
Crafty boots: bingo - I chose: yellow, dots, lace
Emerald faerie garden 28: lace
Alphabet: L for lace
Top tip Tuesday 81: it's all about circles
My heart pieces: use square or circle in your creation
Crafts4eternity R81: crazy circles
The artistic stamper creative team July: circles
Sentimental Sundays 112: things with wings
Card and scrap 35: wings
Crazy amigo: free theme
Jackson's digital expressions: anything goes 15

Waste not Wednesdays 27: use your stash
Whoopsi Daisy: use up your stash
Inspire me Fridays 68
52 card pick up week 29

Love is the glue that holds the world together

'Love is the glue that holds the world together' is the sentiment on the little square in this card which is made with elements from the 'romance' section of the My Craft Studio everyday essentials kit. The cut up squares were mounted on to a navy blue card blank.

It is for the sketch for Graphicat 12:

Colours are for Just us girls 146 (unfortunately, the gold doesn't show up too well, but it is there):

This is also for:

Cupcake craft 201: Le tour de France
Inspiration avenue: je t'adore Paris, the city of love
Cutie stampers 131: quadrate - squares
My heart pieces: use squares or circle in your creation
Paperminutes 226: only patterns and ornaments
Crazy amigo: free theme

Waste not Wednesdays 27: use your stash
Inspire me Fridays 68
52 card pick up week 29

Chartreuse

For Woodware week 60 we were asked to use the colours of grey and chartreuse - a greeny yellow colour. The background paper is a Craft Creations offcut and the embossed card is core-dinations using a Design objections embossing folder and distressing with a mixture of shabby shutters and bundled sage DIs. As I've used offcuts, this is another for Pixie's crafty snippets 30.
The cut out girl was rescued from a card received some time ago. The 'grey' on my card is the silver mirror card mat which, unfortunately, here looks black.

This is also for:

Allsorts: distressing
Polka doodles 29: go green & recycle
Papertake: all things girlie
Rogue redhead rebel challenge12: distressed greens

In the pink

This card was made with some card and a border from Hunkydory left over from a previous card, so this is my first play of the week at Pixie's crafty snippets 30. The pyramaged girl image is one that I've had for ages - I can't remember where it came from.

This is also for:

Crafting when we can 23: monochrome
Papertake: all things girlie
Creative craft: pink and black

Oh Christmas tree

This card is based on the sketch for Card Positioning Systems 274:

The background paper is an offcut of some that was free with a magazine, with a snippet of another paper across the top. The image is a digital one from Charmed cards and crafts, mounted on to a Kanban frame. The circular sentiment is from Anna Griffin.

This is also for:

Hotshot 10: Kanban
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us what you got - Christmas
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 117: Christmas in July
PaperPlay 29: Christmas in July
Delightful: Christmas in July
Creative Belli 148: Christmas in July
Die cuttin' divas 74: Christmas in July
There she goes 165: Christmas in July
Creatalicious 36: Christmas in July
Amusing challenges (stamped blessings): Christmas in July
Lollipop crafts 84: Christmas in July
Hooked on crafts 22: Christmas in July
2 sisters 101: Christmas in July (I didn't go for the option!)
Crafter's companion 26: ho ho ho Christmas
Clear it out: Christmas in July - something red or green or both
Cardmadfairy's digi days 38: Christmas in July
Paperminutes 226: only patterns and ornaments
Crazy amigo: free theme
Jackson's digital expressions: anything goes 15

Waste not Wednesdays 27: use your stash
Make it Monday 98
Inspire me Fridays 68
52 card pick up week 29

Sassy Suzi Christmas red

I never get tired of using this Greeting Farm wild sprouts 'sassy Suzi' stamp - I stamped with memento tuxedo black, coloured with copics and highlighted the fur on her coat with stickles glitter glue. I torn round the image with a perspex oval template and edged with copic red.

The backing paper is a piece that was free with Making Cards magazine quite a while ago and the spotty ribbon, flowers and sentiment are from stash.

I've used the sketch for Anyone for Anya super Sunday sketch:

This is another card for my own CHNC challenge 82.

It is also for:

DCC & friends 1: anything goes
Great impressions July: show us your best stay in the lines colouring
Sweet stampin: monochromatic
Totally stampalicious: Christmas in July
Stampavie and more 172: Christmas in summer
Stampin with the dragon: Christmas in July
Shelly's terrifically thrilling Thursday: show us what you got - Christmas
Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 117: Christmas in July
PaperPlay 29: Christmas in July
Delightful: Christmas in July
Creative Belli 148: Christmas in July
Die cuttin' divas 74: Christmas in July
There she goes 165: Christmas in July
Creatalicious 36: Christmas in July
Amusing challenges (stamped blessings): Christmas in July
Lollipop crafts 84: Christmas in July
Hooked on crafts 22: Christmas in July
2 sisters 101: Christmas in July (I didn't go for the option!)
Crafter's companion 26: ho ho ho Christmas
Jingle belles: red or green
Christmas cards all year round July: Christmas flowers
Clear it out: Christmas in July - something red or green or both
Bizzy Becs July: flower power
Papertake: all things girlie
Hiding in my craftroom 55: let's see those layers (5 layers including the flowers and sentiment)
Crazy amigo: free theme

Waste not Wednesdays 27: use your stash
Whoopsi Daisy: use up your stash
Make it Monday 98
Inspire me Fridays 68
52 card pick up week 29

Simply blue

This is a simple card made with old HOTP papers - the one with little flowers on is actually vellum. And, yes, there's a peel off sentiment and a couple of peel off strips at the top and middle.

This is for:

CASology 2: Happy
Crazy amigo: free theme

Waste not Wednesdays 27: use your stash
Whoopsi Daisy: use up your stash
Make it Monday 98
Inspire me Fridays 68
52 card pick up week 29

For someone special

I was asked some time ago to make this card, but never got round to blogging it. I think it's good for Addicted to stamps 34 : for someone special.

The photo isn't a very good one - for some reason a bit of the right hand side of the card is chopped off - the dymo tape wasn't really so near to the edge. The little hearts on the bigger heart and on the starry tag are brads as is the flower in the centee of the cluster of flowers.

The card and papers used are from Kanban stock that I bought quite some years ago.

This is also for:

Mishelflo's July challenge: happy blooming birthday
Crafty creations 179: tags
Card and scrap 35: wings
Hotshot 10: Kanban
Crazy amigo: free theme

Waste not Wednesdays 27: use your stash
Make it Monday 98
Inspire me Fridays 68
52 card pick up week 29

Simply leaves

This is a cut out picture of leaves (recycled from an old card) mounted on to a green card blank with a few butterflies added and a couple of die cut leaves, with the addition of a peel off sentiment (yes, I still have a few!).

This is for:

Totally Gorjuss 141: leaf it in
Polka doodles 29: go green & recycle
Card and scrap 35: wings
Crafty catz 142: monochromatic
Bloggers challenge: die cuts
Crazy amigo: free theme

52 card pick up week 29

Suzie's 365 photos day 203: three's a crowd

I've had to resort to a photo that I took some years ago for today's 'three's a crowd' for Suzie's day 203.

Indeed, this was quite a time ago because sadly two of these dogs are no longer with us.

We were visiting our son and daughter-in-law's and John is with his guide dog, Oscar. Willow is in the front and Boxie is trying to get in on the act at the back, but I think he realises that 'three's a crowd'!

CHNC challenge 82: monochrome

The week's go by so quickly and here we are getting towards the end of July already. If you haven't yet started thinking about making Christmas cards perhaps you can be tempted to do so by going over to my CHNC challenge 82 - this week I'm asking to see monochromatic cards, either black and white or mainly various shades of one colour.

This is my card for the challenge, using 'sliding penguins' digital stamp from Digi Doodle Shop who are this week's sponsors of CHNC challenge 82.

I've used Merry Monday sketch 16 for my card which is my third entry for Merry Monday sketch with a twist, where we were asked to use any of their past sketches and make 4 cards during the month of July.

I used a black card blank and three strips of white and silver Kanban card. I coloured the penguins with copics (not that there was much colouring to do) and added stickles glitter glue on the snow drifts. The sentiment was generated on computer and printed. The snowflakes were cut with a Woodware punch.

This is also for:

Marker pop 3: black and white
Creative card crew 15: black card stock
Crimbo crackers 20: penguins (or animals)
Christmas stampin all year long 20: sketch - any sketch you like
Ruby's rainbow 33: cute animals
Charisma cardz 28: your favourite animal - I love penguins on Christmas cards
Creative craft world July mini challenge: monochrome
52 card pick up 29

Simply British

The theme on Try it on Tuesday this week is 'so very British' - to show a little bit of Britishness on a project.

So I've made two cards, one with a London taxi and the other with a London bus. These tags are embroidered items that I bought ages ago thinking they would come in handy one day.

The backing papers are Best Creation Transportation - the one with the bus has a piece of the reverse side across the bottom and the one with the taxi has a couple of pieces of stitched ribbon. These were offcuts from a previously used 12 x 12 paper that had been in my snippets box for far too long.

These are also for:

Pixie's crafty snippets 29
Hiding in my craftroom 54: super scraps Saturday
The pretty little ribbon shop 12: tags (the second card)
One stop craft 191: let's travel around the world
Nutcrafters 22: one for the boys
Paperminutes 226: only patterns and ornaments
Crazy amigo: free theme

52 card pick up week 29

Relaxing in the sun

It would be wonderful to be relaxing in the sun ... we've seen precious little of the sun lately.

For this card I've used the skerch for Sketch Saturday 216:

I've used offcuts from the DCWV papers used earlier this week, adding an ATC that I made almost three years ago (I took part in a swap and made more than I needed) - I used two rubbadubbadoo stamps, masking one behind the other.

The die cut flipflops, shells, sun and clouds are all from my stash.

This is for:

DCC & friends 1: anything goes
Pixie's crafty snippets 29
Hiding in my craftroom 54: super scraps Saturday
Crafty mess 13: sun or moon
Our craft lounge 126: sunny days
Crafty calendar July: fun in the sun
Friday mashup 68: summer
Stempelsonne 67: summer/holiday
Pile it on 29: kick back and relax
Tammy scraping corner: summertime
Everybody art 201: summer
Blog a doodle: summer holiday
Freshly brewed 103: summertime
Little Claire 23: summer/holidays
Crafty ribbons 24: holidays
Dare to be sassy 134: hit the beach
Order of the opus gluei 135: where d'you get your suntan?
Fussy & fancy 67: photo inspiration:

Inky impressions: photo inspiration:

Crazy amigo: free theme
Waste not Wednesdays 27: use your stash
Make it Monday 98
Inspire me Fridays 68
52 card pick up week 29

Surfing

This card is in response to the photo inspiration given for Inspired by 33:

I've used on offcut of some 12 x 12 DCWV paper that I cut into for a card yesterday, so this is for Pixie's crafty snippets 29 and Hiding in my craftroom 54: super scraps Saturday.

The T shirt topper is one that I've had for ages. I printed the quote.

This is also for:

Mark's finest papers speedy fox and friends 116: masculine birthday
St Luke's July: teenage kicks

Suzie's 365 photos day 202: matched pair

As soon as I saw the prompt for day 202 on Suzie's 365 photos for today I knew what I was going to do.

Soon after we married, my dad gave us two ducks. He had heard a story that said that if the two ducks were facing each other then there was harmony between the couple. If one was upset with the other they should turn their duck round to face away from the other one ... the idea being that the other person would see this and realise that the other was upset. When harmony is restored the ducks could face each other again.

The only trouble is that now John's vision is so poor that he wouldn't notice if I turned my duck round or not - lol! However, most of the time there is harmony, so no problem!

The ducks sit on a shelf in the bathroom: