Salt and Pepper - Scallops and Scallops - DCM Challenge

I did a little squeal of delight when I got a sneak preview of the new Funky Hand download - Salt and Pepper as it very nicely fitted in with the Daring Cardmakers Challenge this week which is:

Use your imagination, your scallop punches, your corner rounders, your cricuts and cuttlebugs to create any card to fit any style as long as it shows scallops

All the papers are from the Salt and Pepper download - I printed the background paper at A5 size as I wanted a smaller patter but the scalloped circles have been printed at the default setting. The edges of the card and background have been lightly inked in pink, and some of the scallops have been doodled with silver gel pen. The fluffy pink fibres are from the generous JennyFlower and the brad from my stash.

Sometimes I don't want to make a specific occasion card - I just like to do my own thing and this is one of those times!

More to come this week using these fab papers!

• Backing papers: Salt and Pepper download from Funky Hand
• Brad: From my stash
• Fibres: From JennyFlower
  
  

The Pie Experience on World Card Making Day

Yesterday (4 October) was in fact World Card Making Day. So, what did I do? Here is a potted history of my day:

5:50am - Get up with the boys and have numerous cups of tea

5:51am to 8:40am - Complete a card (Cute Card Thursday challenge) and start on 3 other challenges, give boys breakfast, referee tv / dvd watching, make a car slide from a large cardboard box

8:41am - Get the boys dressed (no mean feat when the youngest refuses to wear anything other than jeans without patches)

8:55am - Get myself ready

9:10am - Take Samuel to swimming lesson

10:15am - Go to The Range for essential crafting supplies. Samuel enjoys my kind of shopping as he likes looking at all the stamps

10:50am - Brave Asda for some baking supplies. I decided after a generous donation of cooking apples that I was going to bake a pie. This has been attempted before with success. And with a new oven, it would be a doddle

10:51am to 11:20am - Mutter constantly under my breath at the cages of stock blocking virtually every product I decided to buy in the store. Curse more at the stupid people who decide to 'chat' with their equally stupid friends and block the aisle whilst doing so, oblivious to any other shopper within a 10 mile radius. Go through self service till and have an argument with the automated voice as I did not have anything in bagging area.

11:21am - Decide to get petrol whilst I'm at Asda as its 1p cheaper than the one in Preston that I usually use

11:50am - Arrive home. Make lunch.

12:35pm - Look at recipe again. Swear. No white cooking fat. Try and ring Mum. Remember she is out at a school reunion. Text Jozza in a panic who now knows that I am certainly a loony. She advises to get white cooking fat. Help make a Birthday card for my Mum with Samuel.

2:30pm - Decide to return to Asda for said white cooking fat. Took Jacob along who had refused to have a sleep so probably would be grumpy and unco-operative whilst battling through Somerfield and no doubt Asda again

2:31pm - Husband kindly shouted after me that Blackburn were playing Manchester United at home, kick off being 5:30pm so there may be some traffic....

2:50pm - Got to Somerfield to find they did not have Trex. So off to Asda. Manage to find a parking spot at Asda. Drag child into store and around it to find Trex so I can make the pie.

3:15pm - Find Trex. Queue in shortest queue which is self service. Another pointless argument with automated voice.

3:50pm - Get home and start cutting up apples for the pie. Start making the pastry with a grumpy Jacob who only wants to eat milky ways and biscuits. We argue.

4:15pm - Stop making pastry and wrap it in cling film and put in fridge as per recipe.

4:45pm - Sort the tea out as kids tired and need to go to bed earlier than normal. Plus I can then finish pie off.

Well, I did manage to finish the pie off, but I could not, for the life of me, roll out the pastry to a shape that would fit a large circular pie dish. So I made little ones instead. And here they are:

I had enough pastry left over to make some other pies - I found the dishes in the cupboard and I'd forgotten I had them. I'd had almost half a bottle of wine at this point and sort of lost the plot a little with how much pastry I would need to make a lid on the pie.

And then with remaining pastry, the last one ended up being a lattice pie. And I had a slight accident when removing it from the dish.

So far, no-one has been ill. So they can't really be that bad. And I am proud of my new oven - it cooked it all very nicely and no burnt bits!

So, I do attempt to do wifey things from time to time, but I think it will be a while before I venture near the oven again!

What did you do on World Card Making Day?

A Christmas Hedgehog - Cute Card Thursday Challenge #30

And this time I CAN use a Christmas Image - the challenge says so! The Cute Card Thursday Challenge this week is:

Christmas Animals

This week we would like you to use Christmas themed animals on your cards.

So here is a cute Penny Black stamped hedgehog which I have coloured with watercolour paints and a little gold glitter 3d paint. The backing panel was a in a bargain pack for £5 last year at Hobbycraft (there were loads of bits and bobs in it and around 20 of these embossed cream panels and also 20 similar ones in red). The ribbon, as always is from my stash and I think Blackburn market originally.

The image has been layered onto dark gold card for a bit of emphasis as it looked a little lost just bunged on the card!

• Backing panel: Part of a bargain pack I bought last Christmas from Hobbycraft
• Image: Water coloured Penny Black image with a little gold glitter 3d paint on the present
• Ribbon: From my stash (more than likely originally Blackburn market)
  

Be Warned - It's A Bit Red! Arty Girlz Challenge 54

I did warn you that its a bit on the red side! But that is what the Arty Girlz Challenge wanted!

This weeks challenge is to use the colour RED on your creations, as always interpret the theme as you choose

A quick and easy card to make - an another one that I knew straight away what I was going to do. Oh how I like it when that happens!! I cut some of the high gloss red card (got loads of it!) into 4 squares so they would overlap in the centre, which would be covered by the ribbon, and then ran them through my Cuttlebug embossing folders - Snowflakes and Swiss Dots. Stuck them to the card stock and added the ribbon. I quite like the simplicity of this card although its a bit on the loud side!

• Red card: High gloss red card from my stash
• Embossing Folders: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots and Snowflakes
• Ribbon: Snowflake ribbon from my stash but suspect it came from Lynsey as I don't remember buying it! Red satin ribbon certainly from my stash!
  

A Pink Snowman! Funky Fairy Challenge 35

Well, the Funky Fairy Challenge this week was the sketch below and also to make a 'Non Traditional Christmas' item. Just up my street!


So I used the Pinkie Pops download which I won a few weeks ago (yay!) and added the snowman image which Allison sent to me as a swop which I coloured with watercolour pencils. Quite simple when I started making it, but it was one of those cards that I knew what I was going to do straight away!

• Backing paper: Funky Fairy Pinkie Pops download
• Image: From Allison and coloured with watercolour pencils
• Gems & Ribbon: From my stash

Salt & Pepper Funky Hand Download ...

.... will be released this weekend!! Just thought I'd let you know! As part of the Design Team for Funky Hand I've been lucky enough to have a sneak preview and I'll be making some cards this weekend from the papers which are black, white and greys. And I feel a Christmas card or two just bursting to be made from the papers, in a cool, modern yet funky style!!

So, go and visit Funky Hand and treat yourself!

Lilac & Pinks - Tilda Challenge 38 - Sketch

Oh look - its not festive! I really enjoyed making this card and once again delved into the Dovecraft 6x6 Amethyst papers for colour inspiration.

The Tilda challenge this week is the sketch below, which I rotated to incorporate all of the Tilda image



The lilac background is paper which has been inked in pink with a silver gel pen faux running stitch around the edge (and yes it is a bit wobbly in places as Jacob was trying to get on my knee to see what I was doing!) The image has been coloured with watercolour pencils and her wings have been lightly glittered.

I twisted the raffia ribbon so that both colours would show as it looked a bit flat with only the pink or lilac and I wanted some texture too. A fairly quick and simple card to make - just the colouring took a while!

• Backing papers: Dovecraft 6x6 Amethyst papers and plain lilac paper
• Image: Tilda coloured with watercolour pencils
• Raffia: From my stash
  

King (or Queen) For A Day! DCM Challenge

I had a card to make for a commission with a fairy princess brief so decided to combine it with the Daring Cardmakers Challenge which this week is:

... My Majestic theme is quite a simple one....

I would like you to incorporate a Crown (or Tiara) somewhere upon your card! Have fun and I can't wait to see what you create :)

And this is my response!

Crown cut from my own template (inspiration drawn from my new 99p Princess stamp) onto the silver card from the Scrap Store which has then been run through the swiss dots Cuttlebug embossing folder and edged with 3d silver glitter paint. The backing is pink tissue paper which has been ruffled a little!

The little princess was made from the commission specification and uses Sizzix dies and more of the pink tissue paper to make the floaty princess dress. The tiara and wand are Quickutz dies.

Apologies for the card angle - husband is in charge of taking photos at the moment as the daylight does not really extend beyond my working hours and he's not as 'thoughtful' with the photos as I am!

• Card: From the Scrap Store, tissue paper from my stash
• Dies: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, Sizzix and Quickutz
• Other Bits: From my stash

Who-hooo! I've been Cuteabled!!!

If there is such a word!! And its my Friday Sketchers Tilda which has been officially deemed as Cute!! To have a look click here. Now, be warned, you'll be lost in the abundance of Cuteness!!!

Seasons - And Yes I've Picked Christmas! Penny Black Challenge 16

Oh dear - it's another Christmas card! Which, in my defense I could not resist as I have quite a lot of Penny Black stamped Christmas images and well, they need to be used!

The Penny Black Challenge for this week is:

Seasons (Take Your Pick)
You can choose any 'Season' - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter

The little sentiment is another Studio G bargain clear stamp and I've used gold ink. The backing paper was a freebie from a recent magazine (sorry, I can't remember which!) Green organza ribbon was originally wired but I took that out. The fir bough from which the stockings hang has tiny red gems for berries.

• Backing paper: Free from a recent card magazine (can't remember which one!)
• Image: Penny Black, coloured with watercolour paints
• Sentiment: Studio G stamped in gold
• Ribbon: From my stash
• Brad: Dovecraft