A Very Pretty Friday Sketchers - Challenge 21!

And another challenge! This time it is the Friday Sketchers Challenge 21 which is:

I've not used my watercolours this time - instead it is the turn of the watercolour pencils! I wanted to use the flowers (Prima Esprit) which I got as part of a subscription offer to Papercraft Inspirations so decided to base the colours around those. The backing paper is Dovecraft Amethyst 6x6 which I bought ages ago (probably because it was on special offer at £1.99) but have not really used, but the layout of the sketch made me have another look and I think the pattern lent itself well. The green block is some old posh writing paper that I've had since I was 15 (so yeah, quite old!) and the pink is vellum.

All edges including sentiment have been inked in pink. The sentiment is another bargain Studio G clear stamp from a girly pack.

• Backing Paper: Dovecraft 6x6 Amethyst
• Other Papers: Green textured writing paper and pink vellum
• Image: Tilda coloured with watercolour pencils
• Sentiment: Studio G clear stamp
• Flowers: Prima Esprit
• Ribbon: Dovecraft grosgrain
• Brads: From my stash (probably Dovecraft)

It's a Good Luck Cat - Just Stamp Something Challenge!

I was asked to make this card over the weekend for a work colleague who is leaving and the team wanted a card that they could all sign. And I've been itching to make this one for ages! You see, I get these ideas and they run around in my head for a while so I can think it through and work out the logistics, so I knew it wouldn't take me that long to make once I got going.

And then I realised it fitted the Stamp Something Challenge for this week, which is:

STAMP SOMETHING.

Yep, that's it!! Grab a stamp, ink it up and have a blast!

The template is my own design and I've used decent thick black card - it took 2 sheets with some left over. The concertina has been joined in the middle as the card was not long enough! The outside edges of the front and back of the cat have been highlighted with 3d glitter paint to give them a bit of definition - and to be honest, what girl does not like a bit of bling?!

I've stamped the sentiment with my trusty Studio G alphabet, layered it onto green card, added eyelets and threaded it with fine wire and seed beads so it looks a bit like an ID tag. The eyes have been cut from white textured card and lightly inked with big green gems that I found in my bling box.

Whiskers have been made from curled thin white card and the silver star gems just cover the raw edges nicely. And the lush green satin ribbon - from my stash of course!

• Card: From my stash
• Ribbon: From my stash
• Sentiment: Studio G alphabet stamps
• Other Bits: All from my stash
  
  

Sketches by Tamara # 63 - And It's Not Festive!

This is such a pretty sketch this week on Sketches by Tamara. But I really had to think about what I was doing with the flourishes on the sides! I really wanted to make a Christmas card but it didn't really lend itself, so alternative strategy was put in place!

I knew straight away how I was going to create the semi-circles around the edges - my large heart punch and I've used a purple vellum and lightly inked the edges in black. The sentiment has been computer generated and layered. The buttons have organza ribbon threaded through and tied - the buttons point two different ways so that the ribbon is more flourishy.

I had to take the photo at this angle as it looked really flat head-on. Plus I had a three year old trying to see what Mummy was doing so I had to accommodate his requests! So that is why the sentiment looks a bit lop-sided but it isn't in real life!

• Backing papers: Lilac paper, purple vellum and deep purple card all from my stash
• Sentiment: Computer generated
• Buttons: From B&M Bargains
• Ribbon: From my stash
  
  
  

Bit of a toot!

Just wanted to share with you that my grumpy robin card that I made to the Sketches by Tamara layout #62 made it onto the Inspiration for that week! I have been trying to get a thumb of the page but it won't work. So hop over and have a look! My Funky Hand DT team mate Jozza has also been featured with her fab Dino-mite card!

A good start to the week!

Carol's Sketch 4 & Cute Card Thursday Lots of Sparkle

Combined two challenges into one for this as it sort of happened as I went along!

My Funky Hand DT team mate Carol's 4th fun sketch is:

And the Cute Card Thursday challenge is:

Challenge 29
This week the theme for the challenge is Lots of sparkle!
You can add bling, glitter, baubles, stickles, anything that makes your card sparkle!

Well, I'm still on a bit of a Christmas kick right now, so decided to go with that theme! And the baubles fitted right in! The baubles are made from a template I drew myself and they have been cut from some lovely silver thick card from the Scrap Store (I only picked up a few pieces and now I am kicking myself as they are fab!) which was then run through the Snowflakes Cuttlebug embossing die.

The baubles have been edged with 3d glitter paint, with ribbon around the top and for the loop and I've added fringe fibres and threaded beading for extra detail. Both the backing papers (left over from a challenge last week) are downloads from Mad About Cards, and they have been inked in blue before layering.

• Backing papers: Downloads from Mad About Cards
• Embossing: Cuttlebug snowflakes folder
• Ribbons & Fibres: From my stash
• Other Bits: All from my stash
  
  
  

Tilda Challenge 37 - On A Budget!

The Tilda Challenge this week is:

Spend Spend Spend...............No SAVE SAVE SAVE!!!!

This week I would like you to make your work on a budget.

The work must not cost no more than £1 $2/1.26euro to make.

This time of Year it is always “pennies are tight” people are trying to be good and save

Such a good challenge! And an excuse to use up some of the odds and ends I have lying around! The small dotted paper I've not got a clue where it came from but it has been printed onto photo paper so it is nice and shiny; the large dot paper is from the Mini Big Dots download by Pink Petticoat (complete bargain at only £1.99!) The ribbon is a Dovecraft 3 metres for 99p bargain roll and was on a BOGOF - Buy One Get One Free offer. The Tilda image has been coloured with my trusty watercolour paints, the sentiment stamp is from a Studio G girl set and is the first time I've used it.

• Card Blank: From a bargain pack - cost 7p
• Backing Paper: Small blue and white dots - don't know, but printed onto photo paper - cost 10p; red and white dots from Pink Petticoat plus cost of card - cost 2p
• Image: Coloured with watercolour paints and excluded from the cost
• Sentiment: Studio G and excluded from the cost
• Ribbon: Dovecraft - cost 20p
• Total cost to make = 39p. Bargain!!

Laura's Sketch 9

I do enjoy sketch challenges and this was no exception! It's my Mum's Birthday on 3 October and I always always leave the card to the last moment and I'm never that happy with it. As soon as I saw this sketch over at 2 sketches 4 u challenge I knew what I was going to do!


Again, sorry for the poor quality of photos - I took this one at around 7:15am this morning and was determined not to use the flash! The backing paper is a free download from Vicki's blog and from the Citrus Berry collection. It has been layered onto pale lemon backing card as I didn't like the white edge of the card stock. The fancy bracket has been cut from vellum (lightly inked in black around the edges) and is actually two leaves - there is one underneath too but I've not decorated it.

The ribbon has been added by punching holes at the top two sides of the brackets and threading the ribbon through (eyelets from Kath) and then simply tying together. I decided to keep the ribbon long as it such a beautiful colour! The gold wire has been pushed and glued through the knot on the ribbon and the flourishes occurred naturally as the wire came off the spool.

Two Prima flowers have been layered and then glued to the wire with a greeny pearly gem added to the centre that I found in my box of brads and eyelets - I enjoy finds like that! And to finish it off, the sentiment is from my ever growing collection of Studio G stamps (I think I have 10 of the acrylic sets now!) but they are so versatile and very good value for money at 99p!

• Backing paper: Free download from Vicki's blog - Citrus Berry collection
• Sentiment: Studio G stamp
• Ribbon: From my stash
• Flowers: Prima Esprit
• Other Bits: From my stash (eyelets from Kath)
  
  

Friday Sketchers Challenge 20 - And It's Festive!

The challenge this week at Friday Sketchers is this lovely sketch:

And this is my interpretation of it! You will have to not notice the fact that the image has been stamped onto cream card whilst the cardstock is white.... that is because I'm not being able to work by natural light at night as it goes dark so early now!! So slight oversight by me...

All edges have been inked in blue. The snowman image is part of the Anita's Cute & Cuddly Christmas Clear Stamp Set (you've not seen the last of those as I have more to go at yet!) and coloured with watercolour paints and pencils. Sentiment is a Studio G bargain stamp. Backing papers are downloads from Mad About Cards, snowflakes punched from vellum with a pale blue gem centre.

• Backing papers: Downloads from Mad About Cards
• Other papers: From my stash
• Stamped image: Snowman from Anita's Clear Stamps - Cute & Cuddly coloured with watercolour paints and pencils
• Sentiment: Studio G
• Other Bits: From my stash and snowflake punch

Cute Card Thursday - Food!

I had a rifle through all my stamped images for food images and I only found one! So, had to use it (thanks Jozza for the image!) The Cute Card Thursday challenge is:

Challenge 28 - Food

This week we would like to see some food on your card

The backing paper was from my blog candy win a while ago from Jozza so not got a clue what it is! And the Penny Black image was from the same package. The image has been watercoloured and the icing has been covered in silver glitter paint. The three square brads were also in the package from Jozza, but the grosgrain ribbons are all mine!!! They are Dovecraft - 99p rolls.

So really, the card is all down to Jozza's generosity - thanks!

• Backing paper: Don't know - from Jozza!
• Image: Penny Black - painted with watercolours and glitter paint
• Ribbon: Dovecraft grosgrain
• Brads: Don't know - from Jozza!

Stamp Something Challenge - Embellish!

Right back to the Christmas theme! The Stamp Something challenge this week is:

...embellish something.

It can be a card, a scrapbook page or something you altered; anything goes as long as it has a little something extra on it. (or a lot of something extra!)

I've gone for the understated 'little something extra'! Apologies for the poor quality picture but the days are getting shorter and I'm at work during daylight hours so have to resort to using flash in the evening. Anyway, I've had the reindeer die cuts for a while and they've been lying around just waiting for me to do something with them!

The backing panel is left over from the other day and is from It's Funky Too cd. The edges have been lightly inked (only because the ink pad is loosing momentum!) and also the sentiment which has been stamped in gold ink and is part of Anita's Cute & Cuddly stamp set (the little robin is from the same set but he's sad and not very cuddly!)

I've used chalks on the reindeer to give some definition as it was a bit flat to start with and the lights have been cut from shiny red card and attached with fine gold wire. The nose is a tiny red sparkly pom pom.

• Backing paper: It's Funky Too from Funky Hand
• Die Cut: From my stash, embellished with chalks
• Sentiment: From Anita's Cute & Cuddly Christmas Stamp set
• Ribbon: From my stash
• Die: Lights die from Quickutz
• Other Bits: All from my stash
  

Mr Postman!

Look what was sat waiting for me to open when I got home from work on Friday!

I'd been a winner on fellow Funky Hand DT mate Chris' recent blog giveaway and I'd actually won the Studio G clear stamp set, but look what else she sent me!

I don't have a huge amount of stamps yet (they and the ink pads fit nicely into a reasonable sized plastic lunchbox at the moment) so the stamped images are really appreciated! I think some of them will challenge my watercolouring skills though so may have to revert back to pencils!

And the card enlosed is beautiful! The photos don't really do it justice but there is some really nice glittery bits on it! It will be on my mantlepeice as soon as the boys' Birthday Cards come down!

Thank you Chris - you are too generous! And good luck for today!!

Arty Girlz - It's Our Birthday Challenge!

This is actually a commissioned card by Lisa for her friend who will be 40 soon. The brief was to do an 80's theme hence the white shoes, pink legwarmers and citrus colours! Oh, and the recipient loves paper crafting and shopping!

I thought it would fit nicely with the Arty Girlz current challenge:

...create something for a Birthday so could be a card or a gift, even a layout of a birthday ~ anything you like as long as its associated with a birthday

I layered the numbers, after cutting them out with a thin border, which had been printed over the backing paper, onto bright yellow card and used glitter paint around the edges for a bit of bling and definition. The little person is all Sizzix die cuts with some adaptations, plus beads, gems and ribbon for the leg warmers and rah-rah skirt.

• Backing paper: Funky Hand - Now That's Funky cd
• Flowers: Prima Esprit
• Brads: Making Memories brights
• Ribbons: All from my stash
• Little Person: All Sizzix die cuts plus my own creations
• Other Bits: All from my stash

Sketches By Tamara - Sketch 62

What's going on with me doing more sketch challenges? Must be coming down with something! Anyway, my fellow Funky Hand DT mate Carol is a member of Sketches by Tamara DT also, and to show my support I thought I'd join in (plus was getting an urge to make more festive cards....)



Here is Sketch 62:

And this is my interpretation of it! The backing paper is from a Papercrafts Inspiration cd, I've faux stitched the edges, watercoloured the image and added (lumpy) silver glitter glue to the hat. The sentiment and image have been layered onto matt gold card and the hidden circles are actually punched hearts with the pointy bit hidden - I didn't trust myself enough to be able to cut perfect circles so this was the next best thing!

And the ribbon is from my stash.

• Backing papers: Papercraft Inspirations cd
• Image: Anita's Cute Christmas Stamps, coloured with watercolour paints
• Sentiment: Studio G
• Ribbon: From my stash

Quick Dino-Mite!

Some quick cards I've made recently with a new dinosaur stamp that I bought. Coloured with watercolour paints which is great for adding and building up layers and depth to the image. Both images have been layered and the edges doodled with gold gel pen.


I've used bargain ribbon (10p from Blackburn market) on both of the cards but I had to seal the edges with glue as it's the type that frays really easily! Both cards use backing papers from The Funky One cd by Funky Hand from the olive collection. The dotty background has been printed onto photo paper so its nice and shiny!

• Backing papers: Olive collection from The Funky One by Funky Hand
• Image: Studio G stamp coloured with watercolour paints
• Brads: Dovecraft brights
• Ribbon: Blackburn market

2 Sketches 4 U - Kazan's Sketch 9

This is a new challenge for me and my rationale is that I'm really enjoying working to a sketch! And I need to keep making Christmas Cards! So I've decided to join in on this one this week! This is from the 2 sketches 4 u team and here is the sketch for this week:

Apologies for the brightness of the card - it's now going dark earlier in the evening and morning has not yet really dawned by the time I leave for work so I've had to use the flash when taking the picture for this challenge! It makes the ribbon look a bit strange, but it is really nice gold organza ribbon honest!


The reindeer stamp is one of my recent purchases (discovered a new craft shop and on my first visit all the Christmas stamps were half price!!!!! I was very restrained and only bought this one!) and I've coloured it with watercolour paints and added some silver glitter glue for a bit of sparkle. The sentiment was stamped using my fabby Studio G mini alphabet set and it reads 'Merry Christmas Dear!' And yes, I was intending to have a wobbly letter effect! Backing paper is one I printed ages ago with something else in mind, but it did not really suit so I left it lying around for future inspiration. Its from Funky Hand and the It's Funky Too cd.

• Backing paper: Funky Hand, It's Funky Too cd
• Image stamp: Stampendous - Trudy, coloured with watercolour paints
• Sentiment stamp: Studio G mini alphabet stamp
• Ribbon: From my stash

Funky Fairy Challenge 33 - Sketch 4

I don't think I'm going to be lucky for the third time on the Funky Fairy Challenge as I've won it for the last two weeks! But I do enjoy sketches and just had to enter!

I asked for the Boys and Girls backing papers download on my recent win (the last one I got Pinkie Pops) so decided to use those papers. I did have a hard time choosing which ones to use for the sketch!

I've had the alien die cuts for ages but never done anything with them and the papers from the download really fitted well! The majority of the layered edges have been inked in black as too the alien which has had wobbly eyes added and has been layered using 3d foam pads. The sentiment is computer generated and the gold stars are actually table confetti but I think are too good for that purpose so I use them on my creations!

• Backing papers: Boys and Girls from Funky Fairy
• Die cut: From my stash
• Sentiment: Computer generated
• Stars: Table confetti from my stash
  
  
  

Tilda - Chocolate Delight & Friday Sketchers 19 Challenges

I've decided to combine two challenges into one this week. So, to take the Friday Sketchers Challenge 19 Sketch, which is:




and combine it with the Tilda Challenge 36 for the week, which is to use the following Chocolate Delight image for inspiration:

And this is what I've produced! Apart from the brown (milk chocolate) backing, all the papers are from Funky Hand's Funky Season's cd. I've lightly inked all the edges with a pink stamp pad, plus the edges of the buttons.

The image has been coloured with watercolour paints and I think I'm now getting better at using the watercolours - well, it has been a long time since I did any real painting with them! Tilda's wings have been glittered with lumpy glitter glue. Didn't realise it was lumpy until too late but its actually dried ok!

• Backing papers: Funky Seasons cd by Funky Hand
• Image: Tilda, painted with watercolours
• Buttons: From B&M Bargains
• Ribbon: From my stash
  
  

Penny Black Challenge - A Mans Card But NO BLUE!

For the Penny Black Saturday Challenge this week, the brief is:

A MANS CARD BUT NO BLUE

As it would happen, I have quite a few off-cuts lying around and as I don't like waste, I used them! Both papers are from the same colour collection by Funky Hand - Now That's Funky cd. I've added a bit of doodling to the edges of the papers, lightly inked the edges of the image and card and added some Ellison die cuts to tie in with the golfing theme.

The sentiment has been stamped using the little alphabet set from Studio G (got the lining up a bit better on this one!) Image has been coloured using watercolour paints.

Backing papers: Now That's Funky cd

Image: Penny Black, painted with watercolours

Sentiment: Stamped with Studio G tiny alphabet set

Dies: Golf by Ellison

DCM Challenge - The Same But Different

This challenge was a bit of a tough one! I tried really hard not to look at the DCM Team's creations for fear of ripping off their ideas!

The DCM challenge this week is:

"One of the things I love about our dares is that although we all start with the same brief, the cards we produce are all so different.
So for my dare I'd like to see what happens when our starting point is the same quotation:
Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.
Henry Van Dyke
I'd like you to use this quotation somewhere on your card It doesn't have to be on the front, or even need to be immediately visible."

Anyhow, the backing paper I've had for ages and I actually think it was something I found and then decided to print it onto a card. So, sorry, don't know what it is or where it came from! I've printed the quote onto vellum using a font I honestly can't remember (its one of those days!) but I used it recently for some Wedding Stationery samples and it was in the 'recently used' selection at the top of the font drop down menu.....

The white bits showing on the cardstock have been dotted in gold gel pen, as too the edges of the vellum. The fibres are from my very first visit to the scrap store (won't be the last!) and were in a bag of fluffy odds and ends. And don't ask me what possessed me, but I've glued tiny gold seed beads onto each of the 6 strands so it hangs properly. Actually, Lord of the Rings was on tv and I just can't get it (probably because I never actually sit and watch something all the way through - I'm usually faffing with bits of paper and glue at the same time!) so it was probably a combination of that and the wine....

So there you go - my ramblings of a quite simple card!

• Backing paper: Don't know where it came from, plus clear / translucent vellum
• Fibres: From the scrap store
• Other Bits: Gold gel pen and gold seed beads from my stash and eyelets too

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 27 - Cats & Dogs

I've had the die cuts of the fashionable lady and her pooch for ages and have been meaning to do something with them, but not sure what! And it all came together after I'd printed off some of the Pinkie Pops papers from Funky Fairy.

And then I realised that it fitted the Cute Card Thursday Challenge # 27 which is:

Cats and Dogs
This week we would like to see Cats and Dogs on your cards!

The edges of the cardstock and vellum have been lightly inked in black, and eyelets have been used to thread the ribbon through. Added gems to the swirls on the vellum and the dog collar for a bit of bling!

• Backing paper: Pinkie Pops from Funky Fairy
• Ribbon: From my stash
• Die cut image: From my stash
• Other bits: Eyelets - Making Memories, gems from my stash
  
  

Jozza - You Are A Star!!

Just look at these little beauties that my Funky Hand team mate Jozza made for me for my boys! I really don't like seeing my own creations on the mantelpiece so I asked Jozza to make their Birthday Cards for me!

Top one was Samuel's - he is really into dinosaurs at the moment

And the one for Jacob - it had a treasure chest on the inside with two chocolate coins in! I don't think he realised they were chocolate as he didn't eat them!!

So thank you Jozza!!

Stamp Something Challenge - Cherry Inspired!

No faffing around for this challenge! I already had the papers printed off and waiting (ha - as if I knew!)

The Stamp Something Challenge for this week is to be inspired by:

Cherries! So here is what I came up with!

The papers are a download from Papercraft Inspirations, all edges with exception to the dotty one (as I forgot!) have been lightly inked in black. The smaller cherry panel has been attached with an eyelet and is moveable. And to tie it all together (no pun intended) is red grosgrain ribbon. I've stamped the sentiment with some fab little Studio G stamps which were only 99p but a bit tricky to line up hence the slightly wonky look!

• Backing papers: Downloaded from Papercraft Inspirations
• Sentiment: Stamped with tiny alphabet set from Studio G
• Ribbon: Dovecraft bargain ribbon on a roll
• Eyelets: From my stash (probably Making Memories)