Yee Haw!

Well, howdy!! Do you like my little Woody character? I've made him from various Sizzix dies and he has real jeans too! He's available to buy (along with a lot of other characters from my website). I've added his lasso with some garden twine. The lettering I bought ages ago on ebay so I'm not sure what die was used to cut them.

All the papers are from A Work In Progress by Vicki and its an old kit and retired by now (sorry!) All I've added is a bit of inking and a faux running stitch around the outside - the papers do it all for me!I've used the current Sketch and Stash Challenge for inspiration (above) as the papers and embellishment I've had for ages!

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

Cards For Men: Wild West
Charisma Cardz: It's In The Stars
Papercrafting Journey: For Him
Crafty Creations: Boyz to Men

• Papers: From Vicki, A Work In Progress
• Woody embellishment: My website - www.tiptoptoppers.co.uk
• Everything else: My stash
  

Herd It's Your Special Day!

It's no secret that I do enjoy working with sketches and the less fussy the better! This one is from the current Paper Play challenge: And I've used an image and sentiment from Digi Sparkle which will be part of the bundle of images that can be won on the November Digi Blog Hop - I'm part of the Design Team and receive the images so I can create something with them! I've coloured the very cute sheep with Promarkers and have layered both the sentiment and image onto card from my stash.

The background papers are from A Work In Progress (Cinnamon Toast Collection) and are intended to be used for digi scrapbooking but I like the papers so much I print and use! I've doodled a black line around the edge for definition and the thin black ribbon is from my stash.

The October Digi Blog Hop is still running - it is open until 25 October so there is still time to enter! For more details click HERE!

• Backing paper: A Work In Progress
• Image and Sentiment: Digi Sparkle, coloured with Promarkers
• Everything else: My stash
  

Lateness

A Bugaboo challenge with probably my favourite digi stamps at the moment equals a good evening of card making!! The current challenge is this sketch:

And I've used one of the freebie stamps from last Friday - which I presume is the white rabbit from Alice In Wonderland. I've coloured him with watercolour pencils and layered onto raspberry pearlescent card, beautiful chocolate pearlescent card and some silver pearlescent paper that I had in my stash.

The 'wobble' bit underneath the chocolate brown satin ribbon has been made by punching hearts from the same coloured card - easy peasy to do!! And a little bit of card candy to the side. A great card to send if you are like me and remember Birthday's just a few days too late (despite making herself a Birthday Book, but has not written in it......)

Backing paper is from A Work In Progress and I can't remember the collection off the top of my head but its one that has been retired.

• Papers: A Work In Progress freebie download plus oddments from my stash
• Image: Bugaboo Freebie coloured with watercolour pencils
• Everything else: My stash
  

Christmas All Year Around - January

I am planning on being very organised for Christmas this year! Probably only in the Christmas Cards, but none the less, organised!

The Christmas Cards All Year Around challenge for January is:

Any Christmas Card Goes!

I have to make 5 cards for the challenge and here are my five:

You'll have to excuse the slightly dodgy set up and wonky photo underneath, but Jacob insisted on helping me....

I've used my Spellbinder Nestabilities die to cut the apertures - the red patterned cards are Kirsty Wiseman, Patti Picklicious cd (which is currently half price!!) and the green are from an old digi freebie download from A Work In Progress.

I've dotted around the edge of the digi image Peas On Earth (geddit??!) which is from Whimsie Doodles. I coloured one image with watercolour pencils and then scanned it so I could print it as many times as I liked! A bit of glitter glue has been added to the peas hats.


The gems are from my stash and the silver snowflakes I got in the January sale at Matalan for £1 - there are 20 in a lovely wooden sectioned box and should be parcel stickers. Too good to stick on parcels if you ask me!

• Backing papers - reds: Kirsty Wiseman
• Backing papers - greens: A Work In Progress
• Image: Whimsie Doodles coloured with watercolour pencils and glitter glue
• Snowflakes: Matalan
• Gems: My stash
  
  

Purple, Ribbon and Bling

Now this was a nice quick and easy card to make! I made it for the current Lexi's Creations challenge which is:

Purple, Ribbon and Bling

I was so pleased to have won the last challenge and I'm hoping that lightening strikes twice! Thank you to the DT for choosing me!!

The backing paper was a free digi download from A Work In Progress but it has been retired and I can't remember which collection it is from either as I printed it a while ago and left it in my bits box. The ribbon, gems, flowers and button are all from my stash and I liked that the orange flower added a splash of colour!

• Backing paper: Digi free download (now retired) from A Work In Progress
• Everything else: My stash
  

Peas On Earth

This is my entry into the current Rosie Dee Challenge which is:

Red and Green and a bit of bling

I originally wasn't going to make a Christmas card but I'd seen the Peas on Earth image from Whimsie Doodles and just had to buy it!

I've coloured the image with felt tips, watercolour pencils and added a little glitter glue on the hat bobbles and also in front of the wording. I've inked the edges of the image with red and brown ink and have added a fine dotted line of gold around the edges too.

The printed backing paper is from the Rustic Walk collection from A Work In Progress - this was a freebie from a while ago which is no longer available. I've used my little sewing machine for the double stitching around the edges. And yes it is supposed to be a little wonky!

The ribbon is from my stash and the gold heart is a brad which I've simply glued onto the ribbon as the knot is too chunky for me to get the brad through! You'll have to excuse the fact that the glitter glue was not dry when I took the photo!

I think this could be my last Christmas card for the time being. But then again, you never know!

Thank you to Rosie for my winnings from the last challenge I entered - arrived really quickly and lovely emails!

• Backing paper: A Work In Progress
• Image: Whimsie Doodles, coloured with watercoloured pencils, felt tips and a bit of glitter glue
• Ribbon: My stash
• Everything else: My stash
  
  

Woof

Although this is a new challenge blog for me, I do click on it every now and again, but never managed to make anything to enter, however, this sketch screamed at me! Well, actually it woofed!

The current Just Christmas and Birthday Cards is this sketch:

And I've made the Birthday card with the recipient very much in mind! The stickers are from a wonderful pack I bought some time ago from the Pound Shop - I like the bit of bling on the dog collar and heart! The ribbon is from my stash (I'm always amazed that I can match ribbon colour to the papers I've picked! Then again, I do have quite a lot of ribbon, so I shouldn't be that amazed!)

The papers are digi from A Work In Progress called Puppy Love - they were $1 in a sale not so long ago - I got about 10 digi papers, an alphabet and a load of digi images - the paw prints and stripes are from the paper set.

A bit of corner rounding and some inking and it's complete!

• Backing papers: A Work in Progress - Puppy Love kit
• Chipboard stickers: Pound Shop
• Ribbon: My stash

Inspired by.....

...... Lythan! And her DMC card for this challenge! Not quite a direct blatant copy, but inspired!


The DMC challenge this week is:

Getting Punchy With It

So to use my punches. All two of them. That are border ones. But both are Martha Stewart, so I think I can be forgiven! I think the one I've used is a double scallop - I forget since I threw away the packaging.


I've used papers from A Work In Progress - the Rustic Walk collection and have printed them off small enough to fit on my card. Lightly inked edges with Chestnut Whispers and a bit of wonky cutting around the sentiment (Studio G), a bit of red raffia ribbon and a random large brad (Dovecraft Ho Ho Ho collection) and there you have it!

• Backing papers: Rustic Walk from A Work In Progress
• Punches: Martha Stewart
• Brad: Dovecraft Ho Ho Ho collection
• Sentiment: Studio G
• Raffia ribbon: My stash
  
  
  

Bubbling Brewing Cauldron

I found a new (to me) challenge blog whilst hopping around last week. The Incy Wincy challenge currently is:

Halloween

I've used freebie downloaded digi paper from Vicki - A Work In Progress (although I know that this particular collection, Grape Crush is no longer available) and the bubbling brewing cauldron image is a freebie digi image from Robin Willis.

I've not done much except liberally ink the edges with my faded ink pad and my good one, and then doodled a wobbly line twice in black in and once in white gel pen. The ribbon is from my stash and I've coloured the bubbles with two different shades of green glitter glue. It looks a bit flat but the card is really quite punch in real life - I blame the kitchen lights and for being up at before 5am (the clocks have gone back an hour in the UK) with one of the boys.........

• Backing papers: Grape Crush freebie download from Vicki
• Image: Freebie download from Robin Willis
• Ribbon: From my stash
  

Train and Colours

The Digitial Ink challenge this week is a colour combination:

I've used a lovely Crafty Downloads image which I resized to fit my card. The blue backing paper is a digital download from A Work In Progress but I can't remember which collection, and the stripy one was a magazine freebie. And I've had that one ages too so can't remember where it is from - sorry!

I've coloured the image with felt tips plus a bit of white gel pen highlighting because the colours of the backing papers are so strong, I thought that watercolour pencils would be a little insipid. I've inked the edges of the papers with some really quite faded black ink which I refuse to throw away as I've found that by dropping a little coca cola on the pad it revives it enormously! The red grosgrain ribbon is from my stash.

I've had a real busy weekend this week. For a change. Hope to be able to show you some of the highlights of it some point over the next few days. Which, incidentally, is also going to be a busy one and I'm out nearly every night this week.....!

• Backing papers: Dark blue freebie from A Work In Progress, stripy one from a magazine
• Image: Crafty Downloads coloured with felt tips
• Ribbon: From my stash
  

Bookmark Card

The Bee Crafty challenge this fortnight is to:

Make a bookmark

There is a free image of a stack of books that can be downloaded and this is what I have used as my bookmark. I've also made a card for the bookmark to go with plus this is now earmarked for a Birthday in November - see - getting organised!

I've used digital papers from About A Boy freebie download from Vicki's blog which I have resized to fit the card blank. The bookmark isn't actually quite finished as I want to laminate it so that the image and letters don't get spoilt.

I've coloured the image with watercolour pencils and the lettering is cut using my Cuttlebug Baby Face alphabet set. The reverse of the book mark is quite plain but I may change that before I laminate it.

The scrabble tile lettering on the front of the card is Anita's - it was a bargain £1 so I just had to have it!

• Backing papers: About A Boy download from Vicki
• Image: Free download from Bee Crafty, coloured with watercolour pencils
• Dies: Cuttlebug Baby Face Alphabet
• Stamps: Anita's Scrabble Tile stamps

Secret Santa - Blue Tag

I promise that this is the last festive thing you will see for a while (maybe a week or two!) but just could not resist the Tag You're It Challenge this week which is:

... based round the Secret Santa. So we'd like to see your tags for that "special someone" and perhaps you can incorporate their favourite colour, maybe their hobby or something witty and funny - whatever you like OR take the theme literally and make a "Secret Santa"!!

I am a regular visitor to Vicki's blog and although she designs for digital scrapbooking, I have used some of her freebies in my previous creations. So, I was having a mooch and clicked on a link which took me to here. And this is where I found the fab tag which I've used for the basis of the challenge. I re-sized the image, printed it out and then layered it onto some dull silver card, added the silver gel dots around the edge, some punched snowflakes with gem centers and the blue star ribbon.

So a quick make but I do like it! And I don't think I'll be using it on either of the boys' presents as I don't think they will stay wrapped for long and they are not yet at an age where they appreciate the effort that has gone into either wrapping the gifts or the tag!

• Tag design: Free download from Snowsmoon blog
• Silver card: From my stash
• Ribbon: From A & M bargains
• Punches: Snowflake
• Gems: From my stash
  

Recent WIP - Camper Van Diva Swop

Now all can be revealed as my Camper Van Diva swop partner has received my package! I did show some sneaky photos a while ago, but here are the finished articles:

Each card has an oval tag cut from a 1970 road map sheet which was inside an old car magazine. I've punched a larger hole through which I've threaded ribbon in complementary colours (I did say I'd use ribbon somewhere!) and I've inked the edges of the tags and also the edges of the cards. The sentiments have been stamped with my trusty mini Studio G wooden alphabet stamp and as you can see - the lettering is not as wonky these days!

All the backing papers are downloads from various collections from Vicki's blog which I have printed to fit a 13.5cm square card. The camper van die cuts I've had for ages (I knew I'd be able to put them to good use one day!) and I've layered different colours to achieve the finished result. All have frosted windows added (translucent vellum) and silver gel line highlights.

And I'm so pleased you like them Allie! My package arrived yesterday which opened with aid from Samuel and Jacob who thought it was my Birthday and kept giving me hugs! They weren't that far wrong as it did feel like my Birthday as there was so much to unwrap! It was far too dark to take decent photos but I will do over the weekend and will share in the next few days. Thank you Allie!

• Backing papers: All from Vicki's blog, vintage road map background from an old magazine
• Die Cuts: From my stash
• Sentiment: Mini wooden Studio G alphabet stamp set
• Ribbon: From my stash
  
  
  

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)
  
  

Tilda & Co Challenge 32 - Cold as Ice

I think I must be doing something right at the moment because cards are not taking me that long to make - everything is just falling into place!

The Tilda & Co Challenge 32 is

Cold as ice...
The sun is now drifting away very fast and soon it will be as cold as ice....
Using the colours Blue & white Only . Show us how cold your projects can feel this week.

The backing paper is from the beautiful Deep Blue collection from Vicki's blog and I printed it off so it would fit the cardstock perfectly. The pale blue snowflake backing card is a download from Mad About Cards (I think a freebie too) and is one I printed off last year with such good intentions and never used it! Tilda (from Jozza) has been coloured with watercolour paints and I've added a bit of silver glitter sparkle to her wings and shoes.

The snowflake is cut with my Sizzix die and from vellum with added white fibres around the points and a square blue blingy gem to hide the 3d foam pads underneath! The sentiment I found so I don't know where it came from and the ribbon threading overlay was sent to me by my fellow Funky Hand DT mate Kath. Blue grosgrain ribbon from my stash.

Tilda actually has a bit of a blue shiner - I was over zealous in daubing a bit of colour on her cheeks and must have had blue paint on my finger too! Ah well, its in keeping with the blue theme!

• Backing paper: Deep Blue collection from Vicki's Blog and download from Mad About Cards
• Image: Water coloured Tilda
• Ribbon & fibres: Both from my stash (and previously Blackburn market)
• Embellishments: Sizzix snowflake cut from transparent vellum
  
  

Just a little something I made earlier!

I made this card on a whim - I loved the little image and I'd printed some of the Brit Pop papers from Vicki's Blog because I just liked them and needed to use them on something!

• Image - Penny Black 'Birthday Dog' coloured with watercolours
• Backing paper - Brit Pop download from Vicki's Blog
• Eyelets - From stash
• Ribbon - Ivory satin from Blackburn market
• Brad - From recent blog candy win from Jozza
  

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 20 - Things That Grow

I really enjoyed the Cute Card Thursday Challenge last week and decided to go for it again! This week it is:

Things that grow!
The obvious things would be plants etc but really there are lots more things that grow, we look forward to seeing your own interpretations!

I think the image is a Penny Black one which has been coloured with watercolour paints and pencils. The background is paper from the Berry-licious collection from Vicki's blog and the layers are also from Vicki's blog but use two of the Rustic Walk collection papers. Each of the panels have been 'dotted' with 3d gold paint, with the outer edge of the card having the same treatment but with a gold gel pen. And I've hand written the 'for you' sentiment, added some perfectly matching (no way eh??!) silky ribbon.

My stamp collection has grown!

Simple card made with backing paper from a wonderful freebie blog that I have recently discovered - Vicki's Blog. I can't remember which collection the backing paper is from but the downloads are primarily designed for digital scrapbooking but I've reduced the file size and printed them - they all print square.

Green ribbon from Hobbycraft bargain bin (it was wired but took that out!). Welcome house stamp another bargain from The Range - 99p and coloured with watercolour pencils and a bit of chalking around the edge. Sentiment from (wait for it!) the mini alphabet stamps for 99p at The Range - I think Dovecraft.

The sentiment was not supposed to be so wonky - I held all the stamps together to form the word and obviously did not hold them quite as straight as I thought but I think it turned out ok!!

I'm quite liking stamping at the moment - made some other cards but not photographed them yet - so they will be later in the week!