Anyone for Strawberries?

I've made this card using one of my favourite Magnolia stamps and am entering it in the following challenges:

Magnolia Mania - #85 Sketch
Magnolia-licious - Bling it up
Midweek Magnolias - Beautiful Buttons
Magnolia Down Under - #230 Butterflies

Cheeky Mouse

I'm entering my card today in the following challenges:

Divas by design - Rubber stamps only
Sunday Sketch & Stamp - 195
Delightful Challenges - Add a Flourish
House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge - 164 Anything Goes

Quotations

At CD Sunday this week it is the turn of Team B and Carol to choose the theme. Quotations are what it is all about this week.

The CD I used this week is Debbie Moore's Shabby Chic Vintage Travel and I have used this  backing paper with old postcards on it from the CD to cover my base card.

I then used an embossing folder with postal images on it and a piece of cordinations card which I then sanded back. The Joanna Sheen stamp was stamped onto a die cut by Crafter's Companion and coloured in using alcohol pens. I used a Marianne die for the label and stamped my quote onto this. I then added a few die cut shells and a couple more that were made using a mould and some air drying paper clay so it is not too heavy for the card. I used alcohol pens to colour these. I then just added some bakers twine to the label.

Don't forget to pop over to CD Sunday and join in the challenge this week.

Spring

CD Sunday this week is the turn of Team A. It is Beryl's turn to chose the theme which is All About Spring.

I've made this card using backing papers from Brambly Hedge by Crafter's Companion.

For the layout I followed Sunday Sketch & Stamp's sketch for this week:

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - for someone special. I thought this would be just right for MIL on Mother's Day. She is nearly 92 years old so very special.
Sunday Sketch & Stamp - No. 194 Marie's sketch
Di's Digi Design Challenge Blog - Tic Tac Toe - Flowers, Die Cuts & Sentiment

Just a Note

Friday Sketch Challenge 63 this week is the following sketch by Penny and here is my card. 

I stamped a SWALK image from Crafter's Companion and coloured her in using alcohol marker pens. I then edged this with a gold calligraphy pen and mounted it onto a frame that was die cut using a Marianne die. The large note is also a Marianne die and the burst of music in the right  hand corner is a Tattered Lace die. The bottom backing paper was printed from The Rachelle Anne Miller Collection CD the other spotty paper was printed from Here Come the Girls CD which I then embossed using the Tied Together folder. I distressed the edges of the papers using Peacock Feathers distress ink.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Friday Sketch Challenge 63

Delightful Challenges - Love Notes

Just Chill

I'm entering this card for the House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge No 163 which this time around is Amethyst, White + 1 and for my plus one I've chosen blue.

I have used a Joy die to mount my little mouse in a teacup on and used alcohol pens to colour it in. The sentiment was cut using a Spellbinder die.

Flowers for my Love

I took a 7 x 7 card for my base and some 1" squares of patterned paper which I edged with faux stitching. I then stuck all the squares in a patchwork design on the front of the card. (This took a while!) I printed out my di's digi design and coloured this in using alcohol marker pens. I finished by adding some extra texture to the hair using Prisma colour pencils and then matted this onto some cordinations card. I used petal pairs punches to make the flowers and added card candy for the centres. The leaves are die cut from a Marianne die.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Di's Digi Designs - Love
Delightful Challenges - anything goes

Vase with Flowers

I've used a sketch from Sunday Sketch & Stamp for this card.

I started by using Scattered Straw distress ink to stamp the vase. I then stamped the face over the top using Memento Rich Cocoa. The face is by Rubbadubbadoo and dated 2002. I'm not sure about the vase stamp but it has the code G431 - Pot on the side.

The floral die cuts are by Tattered Lace. The semi circle is die cut from kraft card using a Tonic die. The rectangle dies are by Spellbinders.

For the backing paper I found a creamy yellow design that is scented. I have had it for a long time but it still retains it's perfume. I overstamped this using the Scattered Straw and an unmounted stamp of seed heads. I then used I light application of Scattered Straw around the edge to soften the whole image.

I'm entering this in the Sunday Sketch and Stamp 193 challenge.

Faux or Fleather

I've just finished sewing the pages into my very first attempt at Sheena Douglas' technique of making faux leather. It doesn't feel or look as if it started out as just a sheet of Kraft card.

I shall be making a few more of these. :-)

Part I is here

and Part II is here 

Such a clever lady!

Playing with Gelli

Having read Barbara Gray's blog I felt inspired to give some of her techniques a go and here's what I came up with.

I used the Gelli plate and a stencil together with a wooden stamp of old handwriting (which I noticed has come out backwards after using it on the Gelli plate but I like the effect) to 'print' my image. You can see Barbara's step by step here.

I then used her idea in this tutorial using gilding flakes for the edges.

I have printed the background paper from Pollyanna Pickering's British Wildlife CD and used Iced Spruce Distress Ink around the edges.

Love Always

It's time for CD Sunday's Challenge and this week it is the turn of Team B. Caz has chosen Love Always which is appropriate as Valentine's Day is on Friday.

Here's my card this week:

For my backing paper I've used Crafter's Companion Love CD. It was one of the early ones from Crafter's Companion but I've used it time and again for weddings, anniversaries and just when you want to send a little love - really useful one! I used a CD of Betty Boop Images that I found on ebay for my main image - don't you just love that girl! I used a die by Crafter's Companion to frame Betty. The heart dies where cut using an X-cut die set and embossed then rubbed over with the rather appropriately named Worn Lipstick. I used three red heart brads in the larger die cut heart. The sentiment was a free stamp from a magazine that very cleverly has spaces just the right size for card candy. I've also used some lovely dotty red satin ribbon. 

Of course your card doesn't have to be all about Valentine's Day, there are lots of occasions when we send our love. In fact I'm sending some your way right now. xx

I am entering this in the Divas by Design Challenge of Die Cuts.

Office Romance

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Sketch N Stash - 132 - The backing papers are from a bumper pack I bought when I was just starting out in crafting and because it was a bumper pack I still have quite a lot left!

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge 162 - Love

Friday Sketch Challenge

This lovely lady was made using the new stencils from Peerless Designs. I traced the shape and then started doodling. When I had finished I used alcohol pens to colour her face. I then put the mask back over the top and used distress inks to add colour to her doodled hair. The word BELIEVE was one of the sentiment stencils from the set of three face masks. I then mounted both pieces onto first black and then orange card. I decided not to add too much to this so just used a piece of ribbon, a flower and a black gem.

I'm entering this in the Friday Sketch Challenge.

Clean and Simple February 2014

This is my card for the CAS challenge at Crafter's Companion Blog Challenge for February.

I have used this beautiful fairy stamp from the artwork by Christine Howarth together with a sentiment from the same stamp plate. I used a ready made aperture card and ran a gold calligraphy pen around the opening and also around the sentiment which I cut using a Desire die. I used Spectrum Noir pens to colour her in and just added a ribbon to finish.

Ribbons and Bows

Team A at CD Sunday Challenge Blog have a new theme this week chosen by Jenny and it is Ribbons and Bows.

Here is my interpretation:

I've used The Cardmaker's Year CD by Joanna Sheen for the backing paper. The frame, grey backing square and the hexagon were all cut using spellbinders dies. I stamped the pears using an Anita's stamp and then started doodling in the white spaces. For the main pear I used my Prisma colour pencils for some gentle shading using a blending stump to soften the edges. I have to say I am quite pleased with the overall effect.
 :-)

It's February so it must be Love

Ingredients:

Distress Inks, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint and Weathered Wood.

Stamps from Clarity: Floral Corner, Boy with Cat and Grasses 1

Big and Juicy Waterfall ink pad

Black and white card

Two of the stamps that I have used were among the first stamps I ever bought from Clarity and it was nice to play with them again. I used the Boy with Cat stamp together with the distress inks to create a little scene within a die cut heart. I used the Grasses 1 stamp to add some foliage and create depth. I then mounted this onto another heart. Using a 5" square of white card I stamped the Floral Corner stamp using the Big and Juicy inkpad and then mounted that onto black card.

I'm entering this in this month's Clarity Stamp Challenge - Love and Romance