International Art and Soul Challenge 73

Our last challenge of the year is to make anything other than a card. So, a perfect chance to showcase a hand-made gift, tag or piece of home decoration. (Or something else ... so long as its not a card.)

My son's partner loves to travel, so I decided to make her a travel journal.

 I made a box to keep all the bits in too. The front is decorated with Acrylic paper and acrylic paint applied and textured using a rubber tool. The compass was cut using a Tonic die, and both it and the edges of the paper were brightened up with some gilding wax.

And the journal in the box.The journal was cut using a Sizzix/Eileen Hull Wrapped Journal die. I put a layer of Kraftex over some grey board before cutting, then decorated using acrylic paint, my gelly plate, and various stamps and stencils. I added a little gilding was to complete the effect, and made a closure with gold elastic. When the messy bit was done, I covered the inside in some white paper.

I used papers I printed from a Crafter's Companion CDRom to create the pages, although I did make them less saturated, as I wanted a more subtle effect. I printed direct to Ryman Matte double-sided card.

You'll note that I didn't add any details to the pages. That's because I wanted her to be able to add things where she wanted, rather than where I'd stuck something. So, I provided some bits to do that.

 A box containing some tiny envelopes. The post mark stamps are from Marianne, and the envelope die is from Printable Heaven.

A box filled with pouches cut using a Tonic die set, and offcuts of the Crafter's Companion papers.

And finally, some pockets cut using a Sizzix/Tim Holtz die.

 This is my first time using Kraftex. I would have preferred to use some leather or even faux leather or the journal, but I've struggled to get supplies. I know I could buy faux leather by the metre, but then I would have loads of a single colour and I'd like variety. And each piece needs to be about 6 by 13 inches, so most offcuts wouldn't be big enough. I hope the Kraftex gives the journal a robust enough cover, but won't know that for a while!

I do hope you can join us.

International Art and Soul Challenge 68

Our challenge for this fortnight is to make tags. They can be for any purpose, and I chose to make some Christmas tags.

I used a die from Marianne which punches holes (a 16 by 16 grid) in card to allow you to cross stitch directly. I actually punched two lots of holes to get the rectangle shown, and the basic tag shape was cut using a Tattered Lace die. I put a second tag shape on the back to cover the 'working'.

The cross stitch patterns came from some magazines I've had for at least 20 years. When I first got in to cross stitch, I used to buy magazines and take out any pages I thought might be useful. I stored these in plastic wallets. I still have a couple of lever arch files of these.

To complete the tags, I punched a hole and added some baker's twine.

I do hope you can join us.

International Art and Soul Challenge 59

The theme for this fortnight's challenge is Lace and Pearls.

I belong to a craft group that's made up of people who do a variety of crafts but mainly include pottery and knitting/crochet. Three times a year, we plan our sessions with one member agreeing to lead a session. As a papercrafter, I find that quite hard. It's not that I don't have ideas, but rather that I struggle to come up with ideas which translate to a hall where I don't have access to most of my craft room!

For the next meeting, I'm going to take this project as a suggestion. It's a basic pop up card, and obviously, people can decorate it any way they want - pre-printed images, decoupage, stamped images, things cut from magazines. Anyway, this is what I came up with.

The front of the card. I've used some paper I bought years ago. It was part of a lot which I suspect had been cut from much larger sheets. This one was always a favourite, but I'd never found the ideal project (until now.) I've added a strip of card and lace, as well as the butterfly which was cut using a very old Marianne die. I added lots of sticky pearls and some matting that's about it for the front.

The inside. As you can see, the 'pop up' mechanism is about as simple as possible! I've covered the inside with some Dovecraft paper, and used dies from Tattered Lace and Joanna Sheen to make the flowers and vase.

A close up of the vase.

And a slightly different angle on the front ... just because!

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge

The challenge for this fortnight is Easter. Other than that, you can make whatever you want, so long as you have an Easter theme.

Now, if you saw my recent post for the Crafty Cardmakers design team, you might spot something a little familiar. I made a pair of Easter cards using the same base dies and similar colours, and this is the second one of those.

I made a box card using, as a basis, a Spellbinders die set. I covered the panels in paper from a Kirstie Alsop set. The flowers were made using dies from a variety of manufacturers including Crafter's Companion, Apple Blossom, and Marianne. To finish the card, I generated a sentiment in Photoshop Elements.

I do hope you can join us this time.

International Art and Soul Challenge 19

The challenge at International Art and Soul for this fortnight is Anything but a Square or Rectangle!

I've continued on my attempt to get some more Christmas cards done, and this is what I came up with.

I've used dies from a variety of manufacturers for this card. Firstly, the card itself was cut using a Tattered Lace die set. The various embellishments supplied don't really work for Christmas, so I looked elsewhere in my collection. The lower mirror board was embossed using a Cuttlebug folder, and the Season's Greetings is from a Tonic die set.

The poinsettia was cut using a Marianne die I've had vor a very long time. I added some detail using Pan Pastels.

And the robin is, I think, a Dovecraft die. I chose not to pop out the inner cuts as I liked the texture they provide.

And that's it! I hope you can join us this time!

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 197

This fortnight, the theme at Crafty Cardmakers is Fancy Folds. So, no standard book folds, and the fancier the better!

I've gone for something fairly simple, but I think it's quite effective.

Well, the front looks simple enough, but inside ...

I made the base for this card using the Marianne Carousel die set, although the lovely lacy edging is covered by my 'carpet'. The images come from the My Craft Studio CDRom Festive Deco Follies which I've combined using Photoshop Elements. I've used supplied backgrounds and added foreground elements. On the front, I had to extend the brickwork, and I added a suitable greeting.

It's something a little bit different , and of course, another Christmas card off my to do list!

I hope you can join us this time.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 169

This time at Crafty Cardmakers, the theme is Summer.

I decided that images from the Crafter's Companion Halcyon Days CDRom were perfect for this theme.

I gave my new Carousel die from Marianne a try out. I've used a sandy background from Photoshop Elements for the 'floor' and two really pretty images from the CD and added text using an XCut die. I  die. I finished the card with some embellishments from my stash.

I hope you can join us this time.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 239

This time at One Stitch at a Time, the theme is Anything Goes with Men. We're sponsored by:

See the challenge blog for details.

I decided to make a card for my son, who grew up hearing about Dr. Who, only to have them resurrect the series some years ago. So, when I saw this image from Alipeep's Art, especially when it's a picture of The Doctor, it was perfect for him.

The wording, of course, comes from the series. I made the background paper using some key words from the series, and coloured the image with Promarkers, after adding the speech bubble in Photoshop Elements. The watch is a Marianne die cut which I've touched up with Pan Pastel to make the details more obvious.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Creative Corner where it's 'Just for Boys',
Krafty Katz where they want CAS,
Graph'it where the theme is blue/boys,
Kitty Bee where it's 'for the boys',
Left of Centre where the theme is 'for the boys',
Polkadoodles where the theme is 'masculine',
Simply Create Too where the theme is 'masculine',
Simply Papercrafts where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 139

This time, at Crafty Cardmakers and More, we want to see shaped creations. Any shape you want so long as it's not a plain square or rectangle.

I actually planned to make a circular card for this challenge, but the die set I ordered has failed to materialise so far (looks like it had incorrect postage on it), so I had to re-think a bit.

And yes, it is a Christmas card - my second of the year. I normally try to get started on Christmas cards during the Easter break, but that didn't go to well this year, partly because we were away for a few days and partly because I'm just struggling for inspiration. Still, I'm quite pleased with how this one turned out.

I cut the card base using Spellbinders Grand Nestibilities and covered the plain card with some shimmery white card. I matted with two shades of pearly aqua card. The grid was cut with a smaller Spellbinders die and framed to give it a finished appearance, then it was adhered using a glue gel to give it a bit of height from the previous layer. The poinsettias used Marianne dies, and I added a little hint of detail to the leaves using Pan Pastels and finished with a little silver glitter glue in the centres. The sentiment is a pre-inked stamp I've had for many years.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Sister Act where anything goes,
Crimbo Crackers where they want die cuts,
A Gem of a Challenge where they want 'more than one fold',
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge where they want some our your favourite things (die cuts, pearly paper and flowers ...)
Penny's where they want 'more than one fold',

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 236

This time, at One Stitch at a Time, our theme is 'Special Lady'. And we're sponsored by

See the challenge blog (link in my sidebar) for details.

I got to choose an image from the collection by Reece's Scrap Pieces and chose a set called 'Leaving the Nest'. It comes as a digi stamp and a pre-coloured image, and I decided to use the pre-coloured version.

Where does the special lady come in? It's a card for my sister!

I added the sentiment and frames in Photoshop Elements, and printed, adding extra layers of the clock and little bird, which I layered. I embellished with a pocket-watch die (from Marianne) which I used to add the detail with Pan Pastels, and a little bird from a different company (whose name I can't remember.) I completed with some pretty lace to give the card a more feminine feel.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Be Crafty and Craft where anything goes,

Crafts Galore Encore where anything goes,

Crafting Musketeers where they want us to use a die cut,

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge where anything goes,

613 Avenue Create where anything goes,

Come and Get It where they want something feminine,

Sister Act where anything goes.

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 133

This time at Crafty Cardmakers and More our challenge is to use stripes! Other than that, your project can be anything you like.

I chose to make a card for my son's birthday.

The stripy paper comes from the Joanna Sheen Thomas Kinkaid CDRom. I cut it using a Sizzix grid die to make a jazzy background, then used a little more to make the cake case for the Marianne fairy cake die. I finished with a computer generated sentiment.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafty Calendar where anything goes,
Simply Create Too where anything goes
Sister Act where anything goes,
Inspiration Destination where anything goes.

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 132

This time, our challenge is hosted by my team mate, Lorraine, and the theme is love. So it can be a valentine, or a card for a wedding or engagement - it's up to you so long as the theme is love.

I chose to make a valentine card for my husband, although naturally, I won't be signing it!

I've used a gorgeous lacy paper from Joanna Sheen's Ivory Cats CD - and I've got to say it was well worth the money I paid for the background papers alone! Normally when I buy a CD, I love the images and am disappointed with the background papers. It's the opposite this time. (Well, not really. The images are fine, but there are only so many people you can send cat images to.)

The front heart is made using a couple of Marianne dies, and the inside one uses a Sizzix die. I generated the sentiment in Photoshop Element. The flowers were made using a set of Sizzix Susan's Garden dies and were shaded using Pan Pastels.

The card is a bit fussier than I'd usually do for my husband, but I didn't want it to be completely plain.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Brown Sugar where anything goes,

Chocolate, Coffee and Cards where 'Love is in the Air',

Crafts 4 Eternity where the theme is 'With Love',

Fussy and Fancy where 'it's all about love',

Kitty Bee where the theme is Valentines/love,

Simply Create where they want valentines/hearts,

Sister Act where anything goes,

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 225

This week at One Stitch at a Time the challenge is: Anything Goes with Lace! So, look out your frilly laces and see what you come up with.

Our sponsor is:

see the challenge blog for details.

I used an image from Kaz Kraft called Christmas Candle.

I printed the image onto watercolour paper and then coloured with Promarkers. I cut the image and mat using a Spellbinders label die. The poinsettia was cut using a Marianne die set. papers are from Papermania, and I finished with some lace from my stash.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this into the following challenges:

Penny's where anything goes,
Scrappers Delights where they want 'traditional Christmas',
4 Crafty Chicks where they want die cuts,
Crafty Calendar where 'it's all about Christmas',
Brown Sugar where anything goes,
Crafty Catz where anything goes,
Digitally Sweet where anything goes,
Winter Wonderland where they want die cuts,

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 124

This challenge is hosted by my team mate Pamellia who's chosen a theme of Bs! She wants you to use three of the following in your project: blue, buttons, butterfly, banner and birthday. You have to use at least three of them - three butterflies alone won't be enough.

Our prize for this challenge is this beautiful Aspects of design stamp set.

And here's my card:

I kept it fairly CAS this time, but managed four of the Bs: butterflies, banner, birthday and blue. The dies I used (including for the sentiment) are from Spellbinders and Marianne and the paper is from Papermania. I finished the butterflies and banner with some liquid pearl.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Addicted to Stamps and More where they want CAS
Brown Sugar where anything goes,
Keep it Simple where they want 'no stamps',
A Gem of a Challenge where they want CAS,

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 90

April is almost over, but we're celebrating April in this challenge. Our theme is, April Showers May Bring Flowers! To qualify, your creation must have something rain-related (umbrella, puddles ...) and at least two flowers.

Our sponsors for this challenge are:

and

See the challenge blog for more details.

For this challenge, I used an image from Reece's Scrap Pieces which is available from Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps. It's called Stroll in the Rain.

I coloured the image with Promarkers, and added some background shading with Distress Inks and an Ink Duster. (So much easier to use than sponges.)

The background was embossed using an Embossalicious folder in my BSP, and to finish I added a corner die cut (Marianne Creatables) and some punched flowers to which I added some seed beads.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Stampin' for the Weekend where they want die cuts/flowers,
Stamping with the Dragon where 'Spring has Sprung',
Cute Card Thursday where the theme is, 'Can't Stop the Rain',
My Heart Pieces where they want embossing,
Crafting by Designs where anything goes,
Creative Moments where the theme is 'Spring',
Crafty Calendar where the theme is 'sunshine and showers'.

More Christmas Cards

Because I bought a couple of Debbi Moore CDs at Alexandra Palace, I was rooting about the website looking for ideas. I didn't find many ideas, but I did find a whole load of freebies, and I've put a couple to work in my attempt to get ahead with Christmas cards.

For this card, I took a paper, image and greeting from the freebie collection. I added some glitter to the image and matted with gold mirriboard. To finish I used a Marianne Creatables die set to cut and emboss the poinsettia.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

A Little Bit Crafty where anything goes,

Digi Galore where they want 'one for the girls',

Card Crafter's Circle where they want die cutting/ dry embossing,

Again, the image, sentiment and paper came from the Debbi Moore freebies section. I added glitter to the image and matted, then finished with some gold ribbon and a poinsettia made using a Marianne Creatables die set.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Card and Scrap where they want die cuts,

Marianne's Design Divas where they're 'going girly',

Pattie's Creations where they want us to 'make it sparkle',

ABC Christmas where they want 'girl or guy creations'.

A Couple of Birthday Cards

I had to make a couple of cards for upcoming birthdays. The first is for my nephew who's turning 21. He's into bikes, so this decoupage from Imag e nation seemed idea.

I used a small version of the image to tile into a background paper over some Photoshop Elements generated stripes, and a larger version to print onto some shrink plastic. I've personalised the card inside, but won't show because I'm very wary of putting other people's names online. The ribbon is one of those pre-sticky ones from Tiger.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Digital Tuesday where they want something masculine,
LEJ Designs where they want us to 'show us your ribbons',



The second card is for a colleague. I made this one a while ago. While the card was being passed around at work for signatures, one person implied that she'd like to keep the card for herself rather than passing it on. So, her birthday's coming up now, and so I did something similar.

I made it into an 8 by 8 card because these image from the Enchanted Dreams CD are too detailed to print any smaller. The paper is from the CD too, and I've used a Martha Stewart border punch and butterfly dies from Spellbinders, and Marianne. To give them some sparkle, I sprayed the butterflies with Crafter's Companion Spray and Shine in irridescent.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Cute Card Thursday where the theme is 'Butterfly Kisses',
Creative Moments where they want 'things with wings',
Flutterby Wednesday where it's an open challenge,
Catch the Bug where anything goes,

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 87

This time at Crafty Cardmakers, the challenge, set by my team mate Yvonne, is 'Friendship'. She wants to see the word 'Friend' or 'Friendship' somewhere on your creation.

Our sponsors this time are:

and

For more details of prizes, see the challenge blog - the link's in my sidebar.

I got to work with one of the image from sponsor Saturated Canary. I haven't worked with any of their digis before, but they always look lovely so I was keen to try.

I didn't set out to make a large card, but it ended up eight by eight! I'm kind of between trimmers at the moment, so I decided to rely on die cuts as far as possible. 

I added the words in Photoshop elements before printing, then cut the image with a Spellbinders die. And that's when the card started to grow! I was planning on using one of the larger Labels 1 (from Spellbinders) to matt with, but when I saw how it looked skewed through 45 degrees, I had to go that way, and that made it too big for my normal six by six cards. I've matted using blue mirriboard and some gorgeous foiled paper I got a while ago from Craft Creations. The bottom layer is another bit of blue mirriboard, and on top of that, I've used some pearlescent pink which I've cut using my new Marianne Anja corner die.

I hope you can join us this time.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Lady Anne where anything goes,

One Stop Craft Challenge where anything goes,

Clearly Inspired where anything goes,

Digital Tuesday where they want something 'framed',

Nana Vic's Challenge where anything goes,

Natalie and Amy's Challenge where they want die cuts.