Polkadoodle Challenge 30 - English Country Garden

Welcome to another Polkadoodle challenge! This week the theme is:

English Country Garden

So pretty scenery, flowers, butterflies - as long as you'd find it in an English country garden then enter it into the challenge! The closing date is 12noon GMT on Sunday 7 August and please visit the challenge blog for more inspiration.


The last challenge of the month means that the Design Team can delve into their hard drive or stamp box and use a non Polkadoodle stamp. I've used a digi stamp from Soft Pencil and coloured it with Aquamarkers.

All the papers are from various Polkadoodle cds and are from my offcuts box (I am trying to minimise what I add to it on a frequent basis!) The ribbon is actually ribbed plastic and is from my local scrap store along with the string tied through the buttons. The buttons are from my stash.

Good luck with the challenge!

I'd like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Diva's By Design: Summer
Digital Tuesday: Gardens with Things with Wings
CCEE Stampers: Winter or Summer
Delightful Challenges: Dog Days of Summer

• Image: Soft Pencil, coloured with Aquamarkers
• Papers: Various Polkadoodles
• Ribbon and string: Scrap store
• Buttons: My stash
  

Two for One

Apologies for being missing in action recently - still been quite poorly and have been rather sick and ill. Bit like having a really massive hangover but without the alcohol and a bad cold on top of it. Nice.

Anyway, I'd started the last Sarah Hurley challenge which was a sketch and didn't manage to finish it in time. So I was pretty pleased when I saw that the current one was

To Use Die Cuts

Perfect! So I combined last weeks sketch (sort of) and this week's die cuts! And managed to make two cards with it as well! All the papers are from Dreams Come True from Funky Hand. I've used images from Soft Pencil and coloured with Promarkers.


The die cuts are Cuttlebug train set and I think Sizzix train track (bought the train track die cuts from ebay a long time ago!) The buttons and string are from my stash.

Apologies for the slightly blurry second picture - combination of yuckiness and having to kneel on a hard kitchen floor to take the picture!

With a bit of luck I'll be feeling better soon and back to normal!

• All papers: Dreams Come True from Funky Hand
• Images: Soft Pencil, coloured with Promarkers
• Die Cuts: Train - Cuttlebug, Track - Sizzix
• Everything else: My stash
  

Cutie!

There's a new challenge blog - Bearly-Mine challenges and their first one is a sketch:

The stipulation for each challenge is to follow the theme and to use Bearly Mine digital papers. Which is not difficult with a great range of freebies to download! And I've used two of them! The card blank is the other part of this card which looks a bit purple in this photo although in real life it is more pink.

I've rounded the corners of the papers and inked them. The image has been coloured with Promarkers and is from Soft Pencil and I've used a set of Nesties to cut and layer the image. The chocolate brown pearlescent card is left over from some Wedding stationery I made in 2009 (see - I just don't throw things away!)

The Prima flowers I found in my stash and the Papermania sparkly brads I bought from Hobbycraft at the weekend for 49p - bargain!

• Papers: Bearly Mine freebies
• Image: Soft Pencil, coloured with Promarkers
• Flowers: My stash
• Brads: Papermania
  

Bug-eyed Ladybird

Now this was one quick card to make! I've got quite a few bits of off-cut card this shape and I need to make something with them and, well, this card just happened!

The Allsorts challenge this week is:

Summer Days

The image is from Soft Pencil as I won a gift certificate last week and I chose this one along with some others. Lovely to colour - used Promarkers for this and have added two tiny wobbly eyes to the ladybird.

I've used my Nesties to create the shapes and have dotted a fine black line around the edges. The ribbon I got from Fantastic Ribbons (and yes they are!)

I think I'll make more of these cards and put them into a gift set of perhaps 5. Mainly to use up the off-cuts of card that I have as they are seeming to take over my spare card box!

• Image: Soft Pencil, coloured with Promarkers
• Dies: Nestabilities
• Ribbon: Fantastic Ribbons
  

In The Pink!

Yeah - I won last week's Charisma Cardz challenge and got to pick $15 worth of digi stamps from Soft Pencil - so thank you to Elizabeth and to the girls at Charisma Cardz!

I've used a freebie Bugaboo stamp for the current Charisma Cardz challenge which is:

Pink!

The image is from Bugaboo and I've coloured her with Promarkers. She actually looks a lot like Jacob's little friend Isabel at nursery and if I remember, I'll keep the card until her Birthday (September!)

I've used bits from my stash to make the flower in the top corner and used a Nestabilities die for the aperture. The sentiment is computer generated which has been layered, along with the image onto some papers from Polkadoodles - Candy Doodles cd.

The ribbon is from Fantastic Ribbons (I won a recent Penny Black challenge!) and they were on a freebie sample that Keith sent me along with my winnings! How very generous!! You must check out Fantastic Ribbons but be warned that you may drool!

• Image: Bugaboo coloured with Promarkers
  
• Backing papers: Candy Doodles cd from Polkadoodles
  
• Dies: Nestabilities
  
• Sentiment: Computer generated
  
• Ribbon: Fantastic Ribbons
  
• Everything else: My stash
  

Good Luck!

A wonderful challenge over on Passion For Promarkers as they are celebrating their First Anniversary with some fantastic prizes up for grabs!

The challenge is:

Anything Goes

I've made this sweet good luck card as a work colleague is moving to pastures new in the next few weeks. The image is a freebie I got as part of the 50/50 Stamping Group and is from Soft Pencil. I've coloured it with Promarkers with a little glitter glue over the flowers for a bit of sparkle.

The backing papers are from Funky Hand - the pale pink is from The Funky One and the spotty paper from Funky Daze. I've handwritten the sentiment and used ribbon from my stash. I've also doodled around the edges of the image, sentiment and spotty papers.

• Backing papers: The Funky One and Funky Daze
  
• Image: Soft Pencil, coloured with Promarkers and glitter glue
  
• Sentiment: Handwritten
  
• Ribbon: My stash
  

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

Lovely weather we are having! And so fitting for this card which is for the Lily Boo Too Challenge for April which is:

Spring Colours - Yellow, Pale Green and Blossom

I've used papers from Retro Fun Word Book download from Funky Hand with an image I got as part of the Special 50/50 Digital Crafting Group from Soft Pencil. Isn't it such a lovely image?

I've coloured it with my Promarkers and you can now see that my range of colours has been extended - I now have 3 packs (and a fourth is on it's way!) The sky has been coloured with watercolour pencils as the blue I have was a little too dark.

I've added organza ribbon underneath the bottom of the image and fastened it with a matching button and some fancy shaped wire. Only because it was an off cut of ribbon and only just the right length!!

• Backing papers: Retro Fun Wordbook download from Funky Hand
• Image: Soft Pencil coloured mainly with Promarkers and a touch of watercolour pencils
• Everything else: My stash