Wednesday 30 September 2009
A card at last
Tuesday 29 September 2009
Spoonful of Sugar
Monday 28 September 2009
Needless to say Mr Mojo is nowhere to be found even if I felt like crafting which if I am honest I don't, so to keep things a bit alive, here is a fairly quick and simple one I did for Stampalot a week or two back using one of the new Christmas sets from Inkadinkado 98396. All of the stamping was done with versamark and embossed with Sticky Stuff, then brushed over with gold and green Perfect Pearls and some cerise crafting foil pressed on here and there. The border is Martha Stewart embossed zigzag.
Sunday 27 September 2009
Rosie Dees challenge
The theme for this card was Stars and Stripes. My stripes are in the form of DP from Daisy Bucket, two Christmas trees simply cut from brown cardstock and a pale blue pearlescent and run through the Bug using a swirly folder. A border punched with Martha Steward Embossed Zigzag, some velvet ribbon, a pearl ribbon slide and some star gems on the trees. Two stars atop the trees are from a punch and glittered with Stickles. The greeting is Penny Black 3995F.
Saturday 26 September 2009
Allsorts challenge
I have made a card with a matching gift box which my hubby came home with a few days ago........he got them from the pound shop and thought they "looked like me".......OK then, three plain cardboard boxes. When I questioned his comment he tried to redeem himself by saying what he mean was he knew I would make them into something pretty.
So here is what I did. First I made my own DP by stamping a sheet of heavyweight cream paper repeatedly with one of the leaf collage stamps from Inkadinkado 97513 using Brilliance copper, crimson, thyme and chocolate. I used this to cover the box and the card, distressing the edges of the piece on the card.
The tree is from the same stamp set and stamped with the same inks and the ovals cut on the Bug with Nesties.
The leaves on the box lid and panel on the card were stamped with the single leaf from that set onto shrink plastic, again with the Brilliance inks. The scallop border is punched with Fiskars threading water and the panel stitched using my vastly expensive new buy from Dunelm........all £12.99 of it - remember I gave my 'proper' sewing machine away. I edged the box with lace and aded a piece to the card to carry the theme and some pearls and swarovski gems.
Friday 25 September 2009
Beautiful Orchids
Thursday 24 September 2009
Now away to do what has to be done...............
Wednesday 23 September 2009
Blog candy winner and bits of news
I need to remind you that By the Short and Girly .......don't you just love the name........challenge starts on 1st October. There are some absolutely fantastic sponsors lined up with several prizes on offer every challenge and not just card making either. So if you haven't already been over and added your name for the welcome candy on offer what are you waiting for ?
Moving to Bernie, he came home this afternoon, he is very poorly and apart from the aftermath of the operation itself has developed an irregular heartbeat. He does not feel much like eating still - even the prescribed diet of puree chicken, so it's very much a day at a time. But at least he should feel happier in his own surroundings and he won't be short of love and attention.
On to my candy........I was thrilled so many of you took part and have really enjoyed reading your wonderful comments from all around the world........blogging really does make the world seem a much smaller and very friendly place. I am pleased to announce that random org., had chosen Tracey, so please mail me Tracey with your snail mail address and I will get your candy off to you and you should be well on your way with your Christmas cards.
Tuesday 22 September 2009
Poor Bernie
Monday 21 September 2009
Penny Black challenge and a candy win
Sunday 20 September 2009
Rosie Dees challenge
Saturday 19 September 2009
Allsorts challenge 19
Friday 18 September 2009
A little gift
Wednesday 16 September 2009
Passion for Promarkers and another Gray
Create and Craft this Friday
Back in July I shared several of my DT cards with you which I created for the show and was going to show you some more.......but my photo editor is just not playing ball and won't let me access the file........who said technology was good ? So having spent a couple of hours or more faffing about I decided it was quicker to just make some more. So here is the oh so jolly snowman JudiKins 2084H.
He is stamped with black memento ink and coloured with Promarkers and glittered with crystal fine glitter. The tree stamped with Tim Holtz Peeled Pain is Magenta swirl gran, the DP My Minds Eye and the snowflakes cut on Cricut Accent Essentials. I printed the greeting on the computer and added buttons and string to finish.
Tuesday 15 September 2009
A real mixture
Afraid the picture is pretty poor folks, I have taken it so many times now but the light is so dreadful today.......and it's raining as well this afternoon and I think this is the best I am going to achieve.
Monday 14 September 2009
ICS DT call
I should of course have known better when I made this card as we all know only too well that acetate does not lend itself to photographs, so I can but apologies for the quality here. The image is Hero Arts CO115, one of the new cling stamps which has a 'thank you' sentiment in the middle of the frame but I masked that out so that I could add my own sentiment behind the acetate. I stamped onto the acetate using versamark and embossed with detail copper. The card itself has been stamped round the edge with swirls from Inkadinkado 97513 using Tim Holtz Antique Linen which I also used to distress the edges of the card and DP's which are My Minds Eye. The small section has been stamped with Hero 2635 Old French Writing.The flowers have been stamped several times more on to acetate and heat embossed in the same way and decoupaged along with a couple of daisies punched from the same DP and held in place with gem brads. Two lace panels laid down the card, a sentiment added which is Penny Black (sorry no code) and ribbon down the side to hold the acetate in place.
Crafty surprises and Promarkers
The Glimmer Mist journaling classes at Sir Stampalot went really well and all the girls had a great time creating really varied and different finished results. Totally unlike the normal classes as we literally took over the entire classroom - by that I mean floor and all where one lady spent the entire morning in a lovely messy array of glimmer mists and inks - she told me she was going for the "ultimate grunge look". And it was lovely to have Janice join in and create a stunning journal of a very special recent weekend for her and Andy........I can tell you no more ! But thank you both for another great time.
Moving on to Sunday.......goodness, so much to tell. Weeks ago Jules a blogging buddy who has become a real friend over the weeks and months told me all about her plans for a Festival weekend in Derbyshire where she was having a stall in one of the local shops to sell her cards. Fortunately she told me enough in snippets here and there to enable me to research the Festival which is basically a weekend where the village opens it's doors (literally in the case of many houses) to visiting artists and musicians.
So the seed was planted that we would travel to Derbyshire, visit the Festival and track down an unsuspecting Jules.......planned I might add right down to how I would "introduce" myself courtesy of grey Promarkers. I could relay what happened when we found her, but Jules has written such a wonderful account on her blog I would love you to visit her and read it first hand here as I don't think I could better her account of it all.
As Jules explained, we had an brilliant day and I want to say thank you so much to you and your family for your warm welcome to both myself and husband. Sad as it may seem, we don't go out a great deal other than family events, a meal here and there etc., one of the down sides of lots of animals plus working from home in that you always feel tied to the phone lines. And as a person who doesn't do 'relax' too well, to spend a day like yesterday made such a wonderful change and one we both thoroughly enjoyed.
The Festival was lovely, my husband bought me a beautiful monochrome piece of artwork from one of the visiting artists.......although yet to find a home for it to give it justice.......sounds like an excuse for a bit of decorating to me. Now it's roll on the NEC where Jules and I had already planned to meet up......at least we will recognise each other now so can dispense with the need to wear a Penny Black stamp in our buttonholes !
And finally, guess what the Post Office delivered this morning.......yes, the new Promarkers, all 56 of them and not a grey in sight. Need to get seriously crafty now.
Sunday 13 September 2009
Rosdie Dees sneak peek
And I can also share my card for the current challenge which askes us to use ovals or circles on our project. I used this absolutely yummy DP from Black Market Paper Company and found some bazzil which matched perfectly. The ovals are cut with Nesties through the Bug and the image is Inkadinkado 98396 Winter Birds and the swirls 97513 all stamped simply with versafine black and embossed with detail clear. As you might have noticed I have used these sets rather a lot lately.......no apologies though as they really are so versatile. I finished with some gems, button and string.
Stamping for the Weekend
I also need to tell you all that there is a brand new Stamp Addicts Christmas programme coming up on Friday 18th at 11am. I shall share some sample cards with you later in the week and tell you more, but this card does use one of the stamps I used to create samples for the show.
My card is for this weeks Stamping for the Weekend challenge and boy did I struggle with it, don't get me wrong, it's a great sketch...... I just can't do busy and with all those layers I panicked I can tell you. But I have a finished card and I sort of like it, perhaps it will grow on me.
My main image is Judikins 2084H stamped with black memento ink and coloured with Promarkers and cut out on the Bug using Nesties. DP is My Minds Eye and the swirl was cut on Cricut Storybook, inked with brilliance lime and embossed with detail clear. The border is punched with Martha Stewart embossed snowflake and the tiny snowflakes are punched. The greeting is a Hero clear set for which I have lost the code.
Saturday 12 September 2009
Allsorts chalellenge
It's Saturday morning folks which means it time for this weeks Allsorts challenge and it's Emma's turn to set the theme which is sketch with a two colour combination of your choice.
My two chosen colours are blue and brown and the main image Hero CG105 stamped with Hero shadow ink soft pool and the sentiment Art Impression......but and a confession, I must have 'filed' it in the wrong drawer because I seem to have lost it and can't tell you the code. The circles are cut on Nesties through the Bug as is the sentiment using Nesites ribbon slides. The swirl stamped over the edge is Hero F5042. The DP is from Fancy Pants and seems to have been made to match that Hero shadow ink as it's virtually the same shade of blue. Finally, some flowers, ribbon and gems to embellish.
Friday 11 September 2009
News........By the Cute and Girly
Thursday 10 September 2009
Journal gimmer mist fun
I had a play with the kit last week and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself. As a cardmaker primarily this was a bit different for me and no way to I profess to be a scrapbooker, but this kit uses all the lovely messy Glimmer Mist techniques I so enjoy in my cardmaking. The glimmer chips and framed fonts were new to me, but again I love they way they add dimension to the journal. I did manage to incorporate some stamping as well and used a stamp I have had for ages, Stamps Happen 90913........one of those impulse buys that looked nice sitting on Stamplaots shelves, but which I have never found a use for - unill now, so it will get a good airing in class this weekend. Having just looked at the stamp again it is called "Baroque background" how apt when you take into account much of the Venetian architecture and especially the wondeful Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute which domiates the Grand Canal.
Even before I made up my journal, I decided I would base it on our trip to Italy this year and have included pictures of Veneto and Roma, I somehow felt the aged feel of the journal lends itself to the history of these magnificent cities. As you can see from some the the pages pictured I have followed my Italian theme with the wording with the exception of the gondolier, Luigi and I think the only words I can add there are "il piacere" (translated - enjoyment, delectation- there is no Italian translation for Hunk !) so I shall be adding that finishing touch shortly.
The Glimmer Mists included in this kit are Cherub Pink, Starfish, Rum Raisin and Creme de Cocoa. I used copper embossing powder for all my stamping as I felt it was less stark than gold and a variety of Tim Holtz distress inkpads for shading.
I will hopefully get the opportunity to take some photos in class and post them next week so you can see what the girls create.
Something very special
Now awards, you all know I am a bad blogger when it comes to these and whilst it is lovely to be awarded them, I let you all down when it comes to passing them on as I explain here.
Wednesday 9 September 2009
Inspirational Card Sketches and Passion for Promarkers
Tuesday 8 September 2009
Creative Card Crew
Monday 7 September 2009
Penny Black Challenge
Sunday 6 September 2009
Stamping for the Weekend
Rosie Dees challenge
For my card, which I confess is a rather quick one this week, following the colour theme of pink, brown and yellow I have used Stampendous N152 stamped onto brown cardstock with versamark and embossed with pink embossing powder. The striped DP is one of the new ones in the Magenta Tilda range which had some really pretty pastel designs as well as some lovely blues and browns. The borders are cut with Martha Steward doily lace punch and flowers, ribbon and gems added to embellish.
Friday Sketchers
Saturday 5 September 2009
Allsorts challenge
Friday 4 September 2009
Hero monochrome
This is one of he new cling stamps from Hero Arts CO105 stamped twice, once onto black cardstock using versamark and detail white embossing powder and once onto white cardstock using versafine back and detail clear. I cut each piece into three and matched tree pieces together following the pattern of the stamp. Matted simply onto silver mirri and black card then mounted on a shadow card, added gems and a butterfly punched from vellum, lightly shaded round the edges with Hero blossom shadow ink.