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