Seeing double?

As we have 5 Thursdays in May, and this one being the fifth we have a special challenge for you from CAS -Colours and Sketches which we call 'the double'.  This time you get a sketch and the colours combined. Here they are:

I think I chose quite a difficult stamp set for this challenge and it didn't quite turn out as I had hoped but here is my card - another one for Christmas!

 I've used mirri card, which is almost the same shade as Real Red, for the centre circle mat. I think the images could have been placed better, as only the top right one is in the correct place - the others are too far over towards the centre. My only excuse is that I really didn't have time to make another one, as I'm actually away on holiday right now! Don't worry I will be visiting your blogs and commenting as soon as I get back and I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do with 'The Double'.

Inspirational Sketch Too

This is my second post for the challenge at Inkspirational Challenges - OK so first I don't enter and then I enter two cards! But, this sketch is a variation on my all time favourite design so once I started.....
The second card uses the nine square idea but I've gone a bit out of the box - see what you think..

These butterflies are nearly flying off the page! I marked where I wanted them and stamped the bodies, then stamped and punch out the wings in shades of Raspberry Ripple, Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit and Peach Parfait. I've added some stick on brads and the sentiment is from Happiest Birthday Wishes. I've stamped inside too, see..

Shutting down now and clearing away to go on holiday.  Back in a week or so, Happy Crafting!

Inkspirational Sketch

Two cards from me today, both for the same challenge and both quite different.  I used the sketch over at Inkspirational Challenges and this is the first time I think I've managed to create a card for this challenge, although I always look at it because there really is so much inkspriration!

My first card is almost a straight lift from the sketch and I've used it to showcase some fabulous DP from SU called Birds of a Feather.

 Not sure if this challenge accepts cards with just papers so I've stamped some tiny flowers in Midnight muse and added a little gem to the centres and a hand doodled border.  There wasn't any room for a sentiment so I've stamped that inside.
Love the way these squares fit together, I couldn't make them smaller or some of the birds would not have been recognisable- I particularly like that big, fat one in the middle!

A Little Twine Tree

For our last challenge of the month we have an embellishment challenge and I was so thrilled when I saw this one because you will know that I am a big fan of TWINE!

However, I usually tie it around my card, or make small bows (and there's nothing wrong with that!) but I wanted to go all out on this one and so, cruising around I came upon a technique where you make a twine panel and stick it behind an aperture. I knew I could adapt this for the 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown challenge, even if I didn't have a Christmas tree die cut. Here's my little twine tree....

and here's my card

I stamped the tree from Season Of Joy three times and cut out the central one with my craft knife. I stuck the green twine onto double sided tape before adding a dark green mat. I added a little more twine around the panel (you can surely never have enough twine on a Christmas card) and made a pop up banner in the same dark green, with a fussy cut sentiment from Sassy Salutations.  A few gems to add some sparkle and I'm pretty pleased with myself! I'm going to pop it into the challenge at Winter Wonderland where the challenge is 'All Tied Up'.

Swallowtail 2

It is a sketch week at CAS-Colours and Sketches and this one is a real classic. I think you will agree, it's very clean and simple.

This, in my opinion, needs a strong image and I think I know just the one for me - my new Swallowtail stamp. I've also used the colour challenge at Lexi's Creations  for a very classic colour combination -black, white and a pop of red-see what you think (I've just photographed it on a green background -that's not part of my card, as you can see from the nest pic!)

 I stamped the butterfly in white onto black cs and then used my white gel pen to add detail and make it stand out more.  A hand-doodled frame centres the off-the-page image. I matted this onto white cs which I die cut  with my Edgelits to make the scalloped edge. I used a black card base, and a strip of red cs for the banner, onto which I stamped a sentiment from Happiest Birthday Wishes and added some red bling. For balance I've added a little red bow.

Make a Meadow

There seems to be a lot of green challenges around - may be everyone in the Northern hemisphere is feeling that spring is really here. At Make My Monday this week the green is paired with yellow. I have also used white as my neutral, not much of it so I hope it's OK

 Today, whilst checking on my two horses, Rio and Buttons, I had the time to sit with them in the field and, in the (fairly) warm afternoon sun I noticed the flowers in the meadow. I started to plan this card - a green field filled with white daisies and yellow buttercups, so when I came home I started straight away.

My grass is sponged in Lucky Limeade, and the daisies were made with a white gel pen, whilst the buttercups are tiny dots of yellow paint.

My big daisy flower ( yes, I know it's not white, but through trial and error I liked this combination best) is from SU Decorate a Daisy stamp set.  My friend showed me a trick to stamp two in different colours and then cut out and layer them up.  I just love the sentiment from this set, which I've used in the centre of the flower. I've added a little butterfly, just cruising through the meadow.

  Not sure what Rio and Buttons would make of this interpretation of their field - I've got a feeling that they just like to munch on the daisies!

Hello Beautiful!

You will know that I am a cat lover, with the pictures of my three furbabies on here, but I do love all animals and so when I saw the theme at Less Is More I couldn't be happier - cats and/or dogs! I am sure there are a dozen different cards I could have made but this one came into being this morning, I think I'm just in that kind of mood!

This little chap is from an Inkadoodles set called Paisley Pets (not quite sure why he would be a Paisley Pet but...)and it was one of the first stamp sets I got, though I haven't used him before. Aren't his little ears and big, droopy jowls adorable?  I stamped him and coloured him in with my Promarkers, adding a single gem on his name tag. I just wanted the pop of red from his collar. The sentiment is hand doodled. Never quite sure about my writing on a card (one reason I don't scrapbook is that I don't like my handwriting for the journaling bits) but here I think it's OK .have a closer look.

If I had been more confident I would have gone one-layer, but I'm more than happy with the way this turned out!