Saturday 25 August 2012

Frosty the Snowman


Here is another weekly challenge for you from the DT at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown and this time we want to see your creations using chipboard pieces. Click here to have a look at the other fantastic ideas from the team.
I had a lot of fun with this one, not least shopping for some chipboard pieces  as they're not one of my regularly used items! I found some letters (which I will use another time) and then I found this little chap:
I covered the chipboard base with a layer of white card so that I could add colour using my Promarkers.  Then I heat embossed him several times to create a lovely 3D effect (the photo doesn't really do him justice!).  Then, to put him in a snowy scene I dry embossed a white card blank with polka dots (snowflakes?), added three layers of ripped white card stock  (snow drifts?)and with a sprig of  holly, punched out of dark green CS in his hat I think he looks fine! The sentiment is from a SU set, inked in dark green and accentuated with another holly sprig and a tiny red gem for a berry.
I am still away in the sun but will be back next week.  Happy crafting!

Saturday 18 August 2012

The Holly and The Ivy

I am posting this even though I am not really here this week as I am enjoying a family holiday in the sun...weird feeling! Anyway, it's theme week for the August challenges and this time it's Christmas carols

I love a good Christmas carol, but I don't have any stamps with angels or kings or a stable so I chose The Holly and The Ivy as my inspiration for this week's challenge at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown (I even had to borrow the ivy leaf stamp, when I'd come up with my idea - thanks Jacqueline ;)



I stamped and cut out the leaves in various shades of green, then added silver or green Stickles to the edges. I used a woodgrain stamp to make the mantelpiece and picture frame and used some Holly Berry Bouquet DP for the 'wallpaper'. A freebie brad from SU -thanks to my wonderful SU demonstrator (also known as the evil temptress!) and a sentiment from a (retired?) SU hostess set completes the job.

Monday 13 August 2012

Happy Anniversary

It's my 23rd wedding anniversary today so I have made my husband a card.  Of course, I combined the need for a card with a challenge or two and decided to try the one layer challenge at Less Is More, where Fur or Feathers is the theme, and Cas-ual Fridays, where the team are asking for square shaped CAS cards.
Here it is
I found the little cat outline stamp at my local craft store and just had to have it. First I stamped a tiny red heart in the middle of the square then stamped the cat outline on the left.  I stamped on acetate and transferred the image to give the mirror image for the ginger cat. I coloured the cats in using Promarkers and made up the sentiment from a couple of stamps. It did take a couple of goes to get it just right (especially getting everything well balanced) but I'm happy with it now... my husband will love the card and the fact that I made it for him, and that's the main thing!

Saturday 11 August 2012

Baubles and Bows


It's the second week of August at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown   and that means a colour challenge. 
Jacqueline's choice of red, black, white and silver is a particular favourite of mine and I use it loads for my Christmas card creations. I also recently took possession of a new SU Ornament punch, so this challenge gave me the excuse to play (as if I need an excuse!).


I used silver Glitterati thread to suspend the baubles and added silver bows so that they look as if they are tied to the sentiment.
Here's a close up of those baubles so that you can see the 3D on the red one.
Over at Sparkles Christmas Challenge Blog they are looking for any projects featuring punches during the month of August - anything as long as it's Christmas! Very happy to add that this card made their Top 3 picks.

Thursday 9 August 2012

Butterflies Inside and Out

If you have visited my blog this week you'll know that I'm not at home.  I have made this card for some fantastic friends who have lent Ellie and me their house for a couple of weeks. Of course I got the idea from Cas-ual Fridays to start me off - things you would find in the sky!
First I brushed some Pool Party onto a card blank just to give an impression of sky, rather than white.  Then I inked up some white CS with blue, green and pink using my brushes again and stamped the butterfly and sentiment and snipped them out.  I dry embossed the card blank with some more butterflies and used the negative side (you'll see why!). I used some Glossy Accents to highlight the wing edges and body and used dimensionals to pop up the butterfly.
The inside of the card looks like this:
Now you see why!
I am going home tomorrow and will leave this behind. Of course the card will be accompanied with a small hamper of gifts and I'm sure they will love it!

Wednesday 8 August 2012

Duck Pond

OK, so I got a bit carried away with the pond theme! Still, I thought I would share this one with you and the DT over at CASology.
This is the card I started with, but the idea for the lily pad took over (see earlier post).  Later I went back to my craft table and rediscovered the little duck and the 'pond' I'd made.  I decided to finish the card and I'm happy that I did, it's a cute one, don't you think? The stamp is from an SU set called Easy Events, and I cut out the duck and umbrella after colouring with my Promarkers.  The trickiest bit was masking the stamp to get the sentiment on it's own at the top.  Finally I added a paper twine bow and a scored frame.

Pond Life For You

Two challenges have inspired my card this morning, CASology, where the cue is 'Pond' and Less is More where it's a colour challenge, asking for blue and green - well you get the connection, don't you! It's the first time I've entered the LIM challenge, although I often take a look at the cards other crafters submit and am in awe of the brilliant ideas. Anyway, this is my offering:
I started by creating a pond with Pool Party and Lucky Limeade inks, applied through a mask which i made from my oval punch. then I created a lily pad with a circle and a daisy punch.  I cut out a section from the circle to resemble the leaf and curled up the petals on the daisy so that they are more 'lily-like'. I added a couple of dragonflies, the large one I stamped in Pool Party and overstamped in Lucky Limeade to try to get an irridescent effect.  A small sentiment also from SU and I double scored around the edge of the card to make a frame (I did this by hand as I don't have a scoring board, but I might get one now I've tried it!).

Monday 6 August 2012

Dynamic Duo Green and Orange

I am not at home at the moment, so crafting is a bit more difficult than normal, but I thought I would still have a go at one or two of the challenge blogs.  This is my first offering - it's for Dymamic Duos colour challenge - orange and green.

I stamped the green leaf image from SU's French Foliage set first and then added a punched daisy flower to each one. I put a little orange rhinestone for the centre of the flowers. Then I stamped and coloured the leaf from another SU set, Paisley Petals, and coloured it using Promarkers.  I stamped the flower from the same set onto orange cardstock and heat embossed it to make the definition on the flower stand out and then snipped these two images out to combine them and pop them up with dimensionals. I edged the card with my Pear Pizazz Stampwrite marker and the paper twine and little leaf and flower tag finishes the job!
I have to admit that I'm really into watching the Olympics, and was in London yesterday to see the Ladies' Marathon...wow, they are amazing, but, watching them, I think I'll stick to crafting!

Saturday 4 August 2012

Stars and Stripes

It's sketch week over at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown and this time Jacqueline has designed a fabulous one for you all to play with!

I liked it so much I made two, actually I have 'lost' the one card and made a second as I had forgotten that I had already saved a photograph of the missing one.  Oh well, I'll share both with you.
I made this one using glue stickers and adding the foil, I love doing this! I used a freebie background paper and I don't have a star punch so I cut all these out from glitter card by hand. I used silver mirri board for the mountings and the card stock is from my stash, chosen to match the paper.
For this card I used paper from SU's Holly Berry Bouquet set, and then I emptied my stash of Christmas toppers!.  I made the banner by cutting a strip from the DP and threading it though the chipboard sentiment.  This is the card that's gone walkabout - hope I find it back before Christmas!