New Home

The Sketches by Tamara challenge this week is: And here is my creation! All the printed papers are from a free cd in a current craft magazine (can't remember which one - sorry!) and I thought they looked so pretty. Sorry about the blueness of the photo - it was around 6am when I took it! I've layered the two images in the centre onto pale yellow card and then again onto a shaped square so they stood out a bit more.

All edges have been inked with chestnut Whispers ink. The sentiment has been cut with my Cuttlebug Baby Face alphabet set and the ribbon is from my stash.


These papers are so pretty and don't be surprised if you see them again!

• Backing papers & toppers: From a free backing paper and font cd in a current crafting magazine
• Sentiment: Cut using the Cuttlebug Baby Face alphabet set
• Ribbon: From my stash
  
  

Huge Ladybird!

I've had quite a productive weekend so managed some challenges! I do like simple uncluttered sketches, this one is from Tamara Sketches:

You'll have to excuse the size of the wobbly Lulu Ladybird in the centre - I'd not realised just how big she was until I'd done the colouring and tried to add her to the card! Ah well! Everything on the card (with exception to the ribbon) is from the very soon to be released Sugar Birdies cd.

The sentiment oval has been handwritten as it was blank, and I've cut a ladybird from the remains of the backing paper to hide the one which was upside down. More concentration needed when writing sentiments!

I've ripped the edges of the backing paper, inked with faded black and then red ink, and doodled a line around the edge. Lulu has been coloured with watercolour paints and pencils and I've made the antenna from wire and black card with a wobbly eye added! I recycled a big spring from one of my Birthday cards which I've attached to Lulu so she wobbles.

• All paper elements: Sugar Birdies cd
• Ribbon: From my stash
  
  
  

Sketches By Tamara # 91

It's been a while since I followed one of Tamara's sketches - this is sketch 91: And I've finally used one of my Craftwork Card oriental stamps! This one is Akina and I've used chestnut Whispers ink and then coloured her with watercolour paints and pencils.

Papers are Simply Elegant 6 x 6 and I've also inked the edges. Sentiment is from a 4 block stamp and the flowers are wonderful freebies that I got from an internet site (so sorry but can't remember where as I've unpacked them!) - the white ones are from one pack and the brown printed one from another. Brad is from my stash.

I really liked working with this stamp, so expect to see more in the future! The detail is really amazing too - very delicate!

• Backing paper: Simply Elegant 6 x 6
• Image: Craftwork Cards
• Sentiment: 4 sided sentiment stamp
• Flowers: From my stash

Sketches by Tamara - Butterflies

The Sketches by Tamara challenge this week is:

And this came together so easily! Again, scraps and left over bits of card in my stash were used - the yellow / green strips are from It's Funky Too and the pink strips are from Huge Funky Love. They have sort of been randomly cut but not too much to look out of place. Edges have been inked with pink or green ink and then worn black as the colours were a bit too bright for my liking.

The butterflies were a freebie pack from the Do Crafts magazine an issue or two ago and I thought they were too pretty just to sit in the packet!

Get me with the fancy arty shot eh?! The lighting was a bit pants yesterday so I struggled a little - believe it or not, but these photos were taken in front of a huge french window at 1:30pm with white card reflectors and still the lighting is flat. Just can't win!

The sentiment stamp was a 4 block one from Mad About Cards - the sentiment is in 4 different fonts.

There was one butterfly left over from the pack and I used that on another challenge - will show that in a day or two!

• Backing paper: It's Funky Too and Huge Funky Love from Funky Hand
• Sentiment: 4 sided stamp from Mad About Cards
• Butterflies: Freebie Dovecraft embellishments from a recent Do Crafts magazine

Another Patti Picklicious Freebie Card!

Another lovely sketch for Sketches by Tamara challenge this week :Again I've used the fab free papers from Kirsty Wiseman from her new Patti Picklicious range - these papers are the other half to these. See how I don't like to waste ANYTHING! The flower is a template that I drew myself and I've layered the two circles onto contrasting papers for a bit of a lift.

All the edges have been inked with my trusty fading black ink pad and a line doodled around the edge. The black gem is Club Green.

And I've added a dab of gold glitter glue on the candle. A very simple but striking card!

• Backing papers & sentiments: Free download - Patti Picklicious from Kirsty Wiseman
• Gem: Club Green
  

Sketches by Tamara - Card Sketch 77

The sketch for Tamara's challenge this week is:

I've recently bought the Cuttlebug flowers dies - these are two strips of dies with 4 different flower designs on each, so 8 flowers in total and they just cry out to be layered!

Quite a simple card and I specifically picked the colours from the new Funky Hand cd Funky Daze as lilacs and soft colours are not something I usually go for. Bit of a brash, in ya face kinda girl! The backing paper and flowers all use the same collection - edges have been inked a bit heavy handed (the ink pad was loosing the will to live so I moistened it and didn't realise just how much life it then had in it!)

Ribbon and brads are from my stash and the sentiment has been stamped onto the same background paper and raised from the card with 3d foam pads.

• Backing paper: Funky Daze from Funky Hand
• Flowers: Cut using the Cuttlebug flowers
• Sentiment: Studio G clear stamp
• Ribbon & Brads: From my stash
  
  

Something A Little Warmer!

I'm a bit Christmassed out card speaking, so decided to make something nice and bright and warmer for Tamara's Sketch this week:
I've used Prima Esprit flowers, layered with pearl centred brads, a computer generated sentiment which has been tied with orange organza ribbon, yellow ribbon to hide the paper joins, a Martha Stewart border punch and paper from a recent purchase - Rich Yellow 8x8 pad.


Quite a simple card and it didn't take me too long to make which is quite good as I'm thinking I'm needing a crafting break. Plus the dining table needs clearing (yes, it is Christmas!) and I could do with sorting out my ever expanding stash. So I think I have 2 more challenge posts to write before Christmas and then that's it for a week or so.....

• Backing papers: 8x8 Rich Yellow
• Sentiment: Computer generated
• Ribbon: From my stash
• Border Punch: Martha Stewart
• Flowers: Prima Esprit
  
  

Tamara's Sketch #74 Challenge

Sketches by Tamara for this week is the following sketch:




This card actually did not use what I originally intended! I have a lovely ornate circle stamp which I attempted to use. I think the fact I tried to stamp on 'bobbly' card did not help as the image would just not work. So I decided to use one of my new embellishments - bought from the £1 shop section from Mad About Cards. Oh, and the papers were from the £1 section too. All the edges have been inked plus the sentiment and I found the tangerine organza ribbon in my stash which matched the metal tag embellishment quite well!

• Backing papers: Papermania Colossal Pad 8x8 - Olivine
• Embellishment: Papermania metal embellishment
• Sentiment: Computer generated
• Ribbon: From my stash
  

Sketches by Tamara Card Sketch 73

How good am I keeping to my early New Year Resolution of using up what I have before printing off new stuff?!! The papers I decided to use for this weeks Sketches by Tamara challenge I'd printed a while ago as they were free downloads from Mad About Cards and I thought it was about time I used them!And what do you think of the photo styling?! I can only do this during daylight hours and if it is nice and bright. Otherwise, all my items will be subject to flash or camera shake!

I've layered all the squares onto perfectly matching brown card and highlighted the spot detail with some lovely pale green gems. The sentiment has been stamped with my little Studio G alphabet stamp (and yes, it was supposed to be a little wonky, honest!) and the heart clip is from Paperchase. I could well be using these papers again as I do like them!

• Backing papers: Free download from Mad About Cards
• Sentiment: Studio G mini alphabet stamp using Chestnut Whispers ink
• Embellishments: Metal heart from Paperchase, everything else from my stash
• Ribbon: From Blackburn market
  
  

Wintery Snowflakes

Sketches by Tamara this week is:
I'd actually printed this backing paper off my mistake (well, not really, but my pre New Year Resolution would have been broken!) from a free Crafters Companion cd that I found. Its a really pretty paper and I think I will be using it again for future Christmas Cards! All edges have been inked in blue and I've made the tag from an off cut of card and layered it with the same backing paper.

The camera really did not like this card - I tried to take it in daylight but it was so blue (typical of the time of year!) and the flash just over exposed it, so this is a sort of compromise, but the organza blue ribbon looks really dodgy - it isn't, honest!



The snowflake has been cut from a Sizzix die and I've used 3 shades of blue vellum, pinched the edges together so that it has a bit of shape, punched a snowflake shape for the centre and added a blue gem (hides all the glue too!) The sentiment is a Studio G 99p clear stamp and I've used blue ink.

• Backing paper: From a free Crafters Companion cd
• Dies: Sizzix snowflake
• Sentiment: Studio G clear stamp
• Ribbon: From my stash
  

Robot!

I do like Tamara's Sketches - they are so simple and easy to work with! This week is the following, and because I'm getting good at these sketches, I decided to flip it round!!This is the robot stamp that I used on Samuel on Sunday! I used a black Stamp It Up water based ink pad as I wanted a bit of a mottled look to it which has worked out just how I wanted. The robot has been layered onto some silver wavy card and then onto some really shiny (but not mirror) silver card - hence the flash bounce!

The backing paper is Salt and Pepper download from Funky Hand, and yes, those are paperclips that I have used with a small star in the centre! I found a big tub of paperclips a few weeks ago, I've not got a clue what possessed me to buy so many, but waste not want not, so I decided I'd better try and use them!

The two stamps are fairly recent purchases, and I can't remember the maker, so will update this post when I eventually remember to look!

It's not often I make male cards, and I did have one to make for the end of the month, so this fits nicely!

• Backing papers: Salt and Pepper download from Funky Hand
• Stamps: I've had a look and they are both Papermania!
• Paperclips: From a big tub from Tescos
• Punch: Star from my box of stuff

Tamara Sketch 70 - Funky Flowers!

This is the first challenge I've managed for a few weeks and as soon as I saw it, I knew what I was going to do! There are a number of Funky Hand Design Team birthdays in November and as I cannot cram 30 hours into a 24 hour day, I've had to double up challenges and birthday cards. So this one is for Enfys - so you ain't seen it, right?!!



Tamara's Sketch this week is: And here is my card:

There actually is a panel behind the two flowers, I just cut it a bit too small! The flowers have been cut from vellum - the black and white is cut from backing paper from Funky Seasons from Funky Hand and has been alternately layered with clear vellum. The flowers are my own template and have been cut by hand, all secured with daisy brads. The main panel is also clear vellum which has been inked lightly around the edges with a very worn black ink pad!

The panel which is largely hidden under the flowers is silver vellum and has been embossed with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. The ribbon is velvet and the sentiment is hand written.

Happy Birthday Enfys!

• Backing paper: Vellum printed with the Black and White collection from Funky Seasons and layered with clear vellum
• Embossing: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots
• Ribbon: Velvet from my stash
• Brads: Papermania daisies

A Little Bit of Fame!

My blue denim flower card was featured on Sketches by Tamara Inspiration! Click here to have a look at my moment of fame - I did try doing a screen shot thingy but, well, the momentum was very lost in the size of it!!

It's Not Square! Sketches by Tamara #64

The Sketches By Tamara sketch for this week is: And here is what I've done!

I used my new compass (who would have thought things like that would come in handy so many years after leaving school?!) to draw the circle, but I kept the straight edge otherwise the card would probably not open! Backing paper is the new Funky Hand download Salt and Pepper and I thought it looked a bit snowflaky! The snowflakes are Sizzlit die cuts from silver card and layered onto more Salt and Pepper papers with a red gem centres. The ribbon is from my stash, edges have been silver glittered, and the sentiment is a Studio G stamp.

• Backing paper: Salt and Pepper download from Funky Hand
• Dies: Sizzlit snowflake from the Christmas set
• Sentiment: Studio G clear stamp
• Ribbon: 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!

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