More Challenge Entries!

I have been busy this last day or so - lots of stuff to make (some I can't share just yet), updating my blog links (lots of the challenge blogs have either moved or gone - & I had a bunch of new ones to add) and getting back into doing the challenges myself! I haven't participated since before Christmas & I really do miss it - but I'm back now & having a go.
The first card is for Caardvarks 'Baby Love' challenge and uses Deanne Burton's Feb 1st card sketch. The second uses the same set of papers (Rusty Pickle) for this week's Sketch This! Cards challenge. That's me all challenged-out for today - lots of news coming later tho' about a RAK or two!

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

I made a couple of cards from the scraps left over from my altered projects - there's still loads left for other projects tho'. Both cards qualify for the current Caardvarks challenge, (arrrgh! missed it! The next challenge is up already!! LOL) which was to use die cuts - the little sentiment blocks are die cut tags, so I guess that counts. There's nothing difficult here, just basic cutting/tearing, layering & lots of inking.

The second card is similar to the first in design, just a bit more advanced. It also qualifies for the Arty Girlz challenge to use just 3 colours (that was really hard!!). It's mostly red & green but there's a bit of blue in there if you look closely! The papers are stitched together (wobbly stitching as always but I'm getting better! LOL). I love this snowman paper sooo much that I didn't want to cover it up - all the detail focuses on the tag to the left. This started as a manilla tag, which was trimmed and then covered with scraps of three papers. The die cut tag was stuck to the centre strip & then the ribbon, folded flowers and buttons (threaded with thin paper 'stitches') were layered at the top and bottom - everything is inked black and I've used a pad that is almost dry to sponge extra ink all around the tag edges - that gives a really soft effect. I keep two basic black pads: one is for stamping so needs to stay 'juicy'; the other I leave until it's too dry to use before re-inking. With the exception of a couple of ribbon scraps, all the goodies are Daisy D's.

Gotta Love Card Challenges!

I do love a challenge (or three) and they are just the thing to get the creative mojo moving! I couldn't wait to get into my scrap space today & make a start on some Christmas cards. I've used the fabby American Crafts double sided cardstock - great for decorating cards or for making patterned card blanks. Look out for a fabby offer over on the webshop later in the week!
The first card uses Di Hickman's latest sketch (October #4). This is such an easy design to do & will work for any occasion - just change the papers & sentiment for birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, get wells - anything! Anyway, I machine sewed the panels together, catching the three knotted fibres under the stitching. Don't worry if you can't sew straight (I can't!!) - wobbly stitching is fine but if it really bothers you, either leave it out or draw faux stitches with a black pen. The plain cardstock is the reverse of the patterned ones - I used it to mat the panels & to punch the sentiment square, using this punch. The sentiment is an A Muse stamp & the panel is mounted on foam tape, with a faux bow added to the left. Done!
The second card is based on the Pencil Lines #55a sketch by Gillian Hamilton. I'm loving the midweek sketches as I do most of my challenges over the weekend - which means I almost always miss Pencil Lines! More American Crafts papers but this time I've made the card blank from the cardstock rather than adding panels to a pre-made blank. As you can see, this is a fairly dotty card - so qualifies for the challenge over at Arty Girlz this week too! The arrow is handcut, edged with red fluid chalk ink & then outlined with a black fineliner. The bauble is die cut (Ellison Thick Cuts) & the trim across the middle is a strip of die cut friendly felt. 'Use die cuts' is the challenge over at Caardvarks this week - so this is my second entry for that challenge! Before adding the trim, I used a glue pad & the A Muse Tin Plate background stamp all over the bauble & sprinkled on red ultra fine glitter. The embossed words are by Hot Off The Press & the 'merry christmas' is another A Muse stamp.

If Barbie Made Christmas Cards ...

This is what they would look like! LOL. I had a play yesterday with some old DCWV papers & some new goodies. I've not been particularly brave with colours in the past but thought - xx years on that perhaps it was time I started.
The first one is from Di Hickman's October #3 sketch - so useable! I played with several new products here - Friendly felt (which die cuts beautifully - I'm sooo loving this right now!), Lots of Flakes & Winter Wonderland stamps from A Muse; Tsuneko Glue pad -
how I ever lived without it is beyond me! This is such an easy card to make - The glitter snowflakes are made by stamping using the glue pad & then the glitter is just sprinkled on like you would with a regular glue application - this works on the friendly felt too (oh, the possibilities!). The glittered sentiment panel was really easy too: the sentiment was stamped with black ink (I always use this one) & then the glue pad is applied direct to paper & glittered with Glamour Dust, which is translucent so you get all the sparkle but can read right through it. Thanks to Julie Ebersole (Lead A Muse Designer & fellow MCC Tutor) for that great little tip - not sure I'd have thought of it & gives such a great finish! And as I die cut the felt snowflakes I guess this also qualifies for Caarvarks 'use die cuts' challenge.

The second card is for the Sketch This! Cards weekly challenge. Same basic materials but with different stamps. I used the Deer Pals & Deer Friend A Muse stamps as well as the Lots of Flakes background, which is fast becoming a fave of mine. I used a Marvy Oval Scallop Mega punch for the oval & inked just the scallop tips. I think these are my 'Marmite' cards. You're either gonna love them or hate them!

The Power Of Three

These quick, fun cards were just right for Sisterhood of Scrap's Challenge Monday. The challenge was to make three cards: one birthday, one holiday & one everday. The glittery cupcake is die cut from these self adhesive glitter sheets & simply stuck on to a card along with the glitter sticker sentiments. The background paper is a HOTP 8x8 loose sheet. This card also doubles for the Caardvarks 'use die cuts' challenge.
The easter bunny is cut and layered from funky foam pieces & mounted onto a pink card blank, trimmed into an egg shape. I first made this card three or four easters back - but kids always love him so I make him every year (for different kids, obviously! LOL)
My everyday card is also a very quick one to do (although the quilling takes a while). A backing paper is cut with deco scissors & fixed to a coloured card blank. The quilled flower and tortoise are attached with PVA glue & the sentiment was from a sheet of clear stickers free with a magazine. I know quilling isn't the most cutting edge craft but I do go back to it from time to time. As it can be quite time consuming, I like to assemble a whole bunch of flowers, animals or whatever & then store them until I'm ready to use them. I saw some fabby quilled chocolates in a copy of Making Cards magazine a couple of issues back. I'll be making hundreds of them in the new year to decorate favour boxes for a friend's wedding. I guess I'll be sick of quilling for a few months after that! LOL

Daring Postcards

Here's another couple of cards I made at the weekend - although I think I've managed to miss all the challenge deadlines - I made them in time but I just haven't had the time to blog them! LOL. So I'll submit them anyway - and why not! The first was a Daring Cardmakers challenge to make & send a postcard. I sent it to my neice as she could do with cheering up right now - although with the state of the postal service and yet more strikes planned, I'm pretty sure I'd have been better off calling her. It's very difficult to have any sympathy with these strikes when they are seriously interrupting my business! Anyway, that's the postcard bit done. The sketch was from Sisterhood of Scrap - & I totally missed the deadline for their World Cardmaking Day celebrations. The challenge to use paint was from Caardvarks - and I made that one in time! (YAY!!)
I thought I'd been a bit clever there - I'm sure it's not a new technique but I cut stencils from the outer plastic packaging from a set of clear stamps using the Big Shot & then just stencilled the cupcake with acrylic paint. So easy & I'll be able to use the stencils again! I needed to keep the whole design flat in order to post it as a postcard (i.e., no envelope!)

The next card I couldn't show until today as I made it for Nina's birthday (which is today! Happy Birthday Hun!!) These are her fave colours right now, in fact they are also the ones she's chosen for her wedding next year. I used another of Janelle's sketches but didn't enter this one for the DT call as it's not that close to the original. Another of those yummy handmade paper flowers that I'm soooo into right now, the sentiment stamp is by A Muse. This would also have met the Sisters challenge to make a card for a friend & have it ready to post - but I missed that deadline too! LOL
I have to say though, I loved making it & there's more to creating (or should be) than deadlines. I really need to make more time to craft - these last few weeks have been a bit hard but I'm determined to make a bit more time. I've not done one of Di's sketches for a couple of weeks now - I'm sooo gutted about that as I just love her stuff. Check out her blog, it's soooo full of yummy stuff it almost makes me want to do digi! LOL. Must try harder!!

Sketch Cards

I'm desperately trying to get through the August Personal Shopper kit before September's arrives. This first card is based on Di Hickman's latest card sketch (September #1) & I'm really please with it! I always look forward to Wednesday and a new sketch to play with!


The second card is based on Janelle Richmond's sketch on the sketch this! blog. It has another of those paper flowers that I'm a little bit addicted to at the moment and has a fabric sticker (also in the kit) so it doubles as a card for this week's Caardvarks challenge too! The ink I've used is a fluid colour chalk ink, Chestnut Roan. After the Prussian Blue, it's the one I use most often.