Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 143

The theme for this fortnight's challenge at Crafty Cardmakers and More is water. That's a pretty big topic, as you can use anything from waves and oceans to rivers or rain. So long as there's water depicted somewhere on your project, you're eligible to enter.

I remembered a mounted stamp I've had for some years showing a rocky beach and a lighthouse (with water around it), and so I dug out a box that doesn't often see the light of day. While searching for that, I came across this stamp which I decided was even more suitable for this challenge. I stamped the image with Memento ink and coloured with Promarkers. I created the background and sentiment in Photoshop elements then matted onto some purple card before finishing with some ribbon. I rather like the result - but then I love bright colours and like the simplistic lines in the image.

I hope you can join us this time.

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

Simply Papercrafts where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Crafty Friends where anything goes,
Scrappers Delights where anything goes,
Card Mania where anything goes,
Crafting from the Heart where anything goes,
Craft your Passion where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 232

This time at One Stitch at a Time, the challenge is, 'Anything Goes with Women'. So, not too hard, I hope.

We're sponsored by

See the challenge blog for details.

I used an image from Ike's Art called Rapunzel, to make a card for my daughter's 21st birthday. Despite my personal feelings on the matter, I think that, by 21, she just about qualifies as a woman even though she'll always be my little girl! She loves the film Tangled and so I thought of her when I saw this image.

I added the wording and border in Photoshop Elements before printing, then coloured with Promakers. The background paper was made using the same border as the image - it's a Dover image I recoloured and repeated. To embellish, I wanted a 'floral profusion', so I used a Creative Expressions die in the background and then various branch and small flower dies to create the blossom.

I hope you can join us this time.

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

Catch the Bug where anything goes,

Digi Galore where 'It's All About her',

Sister Act where anything goes,

Penny's where they want 'one for the girls',

Craft Your Passion where anything goes,

Crafting from the Heart where anything goes,

The Crazy Challenge where the theme is 'Birthday'.

Crafty Cardmakers and More Challenge 125

This time at Crafty Cardmakers, our challenge theme is, 'It's Only Words'. So, we want a sentiment to be the focus of your creation.

Now, I'm not a big fan of wordy cards. In the days before I used to make my own, I used to hate it when I chose a really lovely card only to find it had been spoiled by insincere saccharine inside. If there's something I want to say, I prefer to do it in my own words and my own handwriting. So, you won't find a lot of words on my card. The main exceptions (other than simple 'Happy Birthday/Merry Christmas' things) would be when I'm asked to personalise a card for someone and when the image is quirky enough to make a jokey sentiment necessary. So, I had a think and finally settled on a condolence card.

I made the card for my 'ready box' because it's always a useful type to have, and since it doesn't have a specific recipient, I've kept it neutral in terms of religious references.

I created the sentiment in Photoshop Elements and cut it and its frame with a Sizzix die. The background is another Sizzix die - a beautiful lattice rectangle which always cuts really well. The flowers are again made using Sizzix die cuts - from the Susan's Garden range, although the extra greenery was cut using a Crealies die.

I hop you can join us this time.

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

Eclectic Ellapu where the Pink team want to see anything floral,
Pile it On where they want us to use  two or more die cuts,
Crafting at the Weekend where anything goes,
Kitty Bee where they want die cuts/punches,
Aud Sentiments where anything goes with a sentiment.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 219

Yes, after a very long summer break, OSAAT is back! I must admit, it seems odd, after such a long break, sitting here while the schools still have a fortnight of holiday, posting for September. But here we go.

The challenge to start us off is 'Anything Goes with a Die Cut'. So, nice and easy, yes?

We're sponsored for this challenge by

and the winner will get this package of images and papers:

This time, I worked with a beautiful image from Scrapper's Delights called, Genie.

I've used quite a few dies on this one! I added the sentiment in Photoshop Elements then cut the image with a Sizzix nesting die and coloured with Promarkers (skin tones) and Spectrum Noir pencils. Although it doesn't show well on the picture, I edged the image with gold ink, and spattered the background with the same ink using an Ink Duster brush. The paper is from Papermania, and I've added a little gold to it - around the edges and with occasional stamped flowers which again don't show well in the photo. The embellishments use dies from Spellbinders and Sizzix's Susan's Garden range. I added a little Pan Pastel to the insides of the various petals and some more gold ink to the outside edges of petals, greenery and stamens, finishing the purple flowers with liquid pearls.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Crafts Galore Encore where they want us to make a card,
Doodle Pantry where 'any digi goes',
Kreativeinkauf where anything goes,
Ladybug Crafts where anything goes,
Sisters of Craft where anything goes,
Crafting by Designs where anything goes,
Penny's where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
My Heart Pieces where they want us to 'use a digistamp'
Sister Act where anything goes.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 120

This time, the challenge at Crafty Cardmakers is set by my team mate, Sharon, and she wants to see 'fancy folds'!

Our sponsor is Stamping Boutique.

See the challenge blog for details of the prize.

I used a lovely image from our sponsor called Audrey at the Well. I do like the Audrey character - she's so sweet!

I'm not a huge fan of fancy folds - several that I've tried over the years seem very impractical when it comes to putting the finished result into an envelope and posting it, so I went in search of something new. I spotted a tutorial for a Joy Fold card and liked what I saw, but the measurements given didn't work! So, once I'd worked out what I needed, I made one which will go into a standard six by six envelope, and here's the result.

and open

and again

I flat-coloured the image with Promarkers then added some shading with Spectrum Noir pencils. The papers are from the DoCrafts Tilly Daydream collection, and I created the sentiment in Photoshop Elements, mounting it onto s Spellbinders die cut.

So, not a terribly fancy fold, but the result is practical while still looking 'different', so I'm happy!

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

Doodle Pantry where anything goes,
Crafting at the Weekend where anything goes,
Crafty Calendar where anything goes,
Inkspirational where they want us to use pencils or markers (I used both Promarkers and Spectrum Noir pencils),
Suzy Bee's where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Stempelsonne where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 217

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we want you to 'button it!' So, what does that say to you?

We're sponsored by

See the challenge blog for details.

This week, I worked with an image from Reece's Scrap Pieces called Just a Swinging.

I added the sentiment in Photoshop Elements, and coloured the image with my new Spectrum Noir pencils. I'm getting mixed results with them - I  was fairly happy with this image, but others have been less successful. But, I got their new technique DVD today, so watch this space ...

I shaded around the image and background paper with Pan Pastels. The paper is from Papermania, and I finished with some brightly coloured wooden buttons I got from The Works while I was on holiday last week.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

2 Cute Ink where the theme is 'birthday',
Crafting from the Heart where anything goes,
Whoopsi Daisy where anything goes,
FanTastic Tuesdays where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Papercrafting Journey where anything goes,
Southern Girls where they want punches and die cuts (just die cuts here, hope that's ok.)
Crafting  by Designs where the theme is 'Happy Birthday',
Penny's Challenge where anything goes,
A Creative Romance where anything goes with a 'Happy Birthday' option.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 215

This week at One Stitch at a Time, the challenge is 'boy-ish', and we're sponsored by:

This week, I got to choose from the fabulous selection of Delicious Doodles images and decided on one called 'Sunset at Sea'.

Isn't that a gorgeous image? And it gave me ample chance to use lots of glorious colours which is always a bonus as far as I'm concerned. It's not specifically 'boyish' but it's not 'girlish' either, and I'm going to send it to my son for his birthday.

The image is coloured with a mix of Promarkers and Flexmarkers. The background is one of those supplied with my version of Photoshop Elements, and I've finished off with some shaped seashells which came from a CD I've had for ages called the Crafty Image Emporium which is full of images which are no longer copyright protected. I used my flower-shaping tools to add to their texture, scoring on the right side with a narrow tool and then on the opposite side with a much wider one.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Crafty Catz where anything goes,
Jellypark where they want 'bold and bright',
Sister Act where anything goes,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Addicted to Stamps and More where they want us to 'make your mark',
Inky Impressions where anything goes,
Simon Says Stamp where anything goes,
Fan-Tastic Tuesday where anything goes,
Party Time Tuesday where anything goes,
Pink Elephant where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 214

This week's challenge is everyone's favourite - Anything Goes!

Our sponsor is

See the challenge blog for prize details.

This week, I worked with one of a set of images chosen by my team mate Nikki. The set is from Reeces's Scrap Pieces and features various modes of transport. I chose to work with the quad bike.

I coloured the image with Promarkers then cut it out. The background was created using one of the backgrounds supplied within my Photoshop Elements software. I added a sentiment which was also created in Elements.

Hope you can join us this week.

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

Card Mania where they want 'clean and simple',
Sister Act where anything goes,
Brown Sugar where anything goes,
Rhed and Rosie's where they want no flowers,
QKR Stampede where they want 'clean and simple,
Simply Create where they want 'something for a male',
Wags and Whiskers where they want 'one for the boys',
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Addicted to Stamps and More where anything goes,
I Love Promarkers where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 210

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we're having another 'anything goes' challenge, so show us what you've been up to!

We're sponsored this week by

See the challenge blog for details.

This week, Hazel chose an image from Cootsy Creations called Squirrel, which consists of a digi stamp and a paper pack.

There are four gorgeous papers in the pack, and because I couldn't decide which to use, I decided to combine two of them in stripes as you see. The image is coloured with Promarkers, and I've embellished with some branches and oak leaves. The branches were cut using a die from the Susan's Garden range, and the leaves were punched. Both were highlighted using Pan Pastel.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

FanTastic Tuesday where anything goes,
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge where anything goes (with patterened paper),
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Brown Sugar where anything goes,

Sister Act where anything goes,
613 Avenue Create where anything goes,
Ditzie Digi Designs where anything goes,
That Craft Place where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 209

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we want to see your favourite things! That can be images of something you love or a favourite technique or favourite colours ... Lots of scope here!

Our sponsor is

This week, I got to choose from Stitchy's collection of images which is perfect for this challenge because my one of my favourite things to create with are Stitchy's silhouettes. And one of the advantages of having been on the OSAAT team for a while is that I've got quite a selection! Another favourite thing for me is designing on my computer. And among my favourite images are fairies. So, here's what I came up with!

For this, I created a background in Photoshop Elements using various shapes and gradients. Then, I added various images from Stitchy's selection of ground-cover silhouettes called Grazin' in the Grass. I then added two of Stitchy's fairy images - the larger one is called Reach and the smaller one is from a pack called Rainbow Magic. Once everything was composed, I copied everything, cropping it using a circle, then faded the background before pasting the circle on top. Apart from matting, the only other addition is another favourite - hand-made flowers. These used dies from Crealies and Cheery Lynn.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

ABC where the theme is, 'Just as you Like it',
Crafting Musketeers where they want monochrome,
Everybody Art where anything goes,
Party Time Tuesday where they want die cuts,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Crafty Calendar where they want 'things with wings',
Digitally Sweet where they want flowers,
Totally Gorjuss where they want die cuts,
Savvy Handmade Cards where they want fantasy creatures,
Sister Act where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 208

This week at One Stitch at a Time, all we want you to do is to use a digi. Even better, use a digi from the Stitchy Bear shop and you could win first prize, and you can enter as many times as you like!

Our sponsor is

This week, I chose an image from IkesArt called Dragon which is available from the shop - there's a link in my sidebar.

There's a sentiment available with the image, but I preferred to use my own - one of the wonderful things about digis! I added my sentiment in Photoshop Elements before printing. I coloured mainly with Promarkers, although the heart uses pencil and the background is Pan Pastel. The papers have been my stash for a very long time - they're some offcuts I bought online. I've used Spellbinders dies and some braid I picked up at a craft show. (Going there again today, so I won't be around to do my link ups until later.)

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Fan-Tastic Tuesday where anything goes,

Crafting from the Heart where anything goes,

Digi Makeover where the theme is 'Easter/Anything Goes,

Digistamps 4 Joy where they want wings,
Crafty Girls where anything goes,

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper where anything goes (with patterned paper),

Oddball Stamps where they want us to 'use a digi',

Crafty Hands where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes (so long as it's a card),

Easter Cards

I don't make a lot of Easter cards - just for close family who we don't see regularly. I like to retain a religious aspect to the design, but also to keep a 'spring' theme. Unfortunately, most of the available digis and stamps tend to either be very religious or veer off to chicks, eggs and, oddly enough, rabbits. (I don't really 'get' the whole Easter Bunny thing - it seems to be a recent innovation and I do my best to avoid it!) So, I decided to design my own cards from scratch, using some pretty floral papers from the Flower Power CD Rom I've had for a few years.

I played round in Photosho elements until I got the toppers the way I wanted them, and, after printing, layered as you can see. To finish, I made some punched flowers.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 204

This week at One Stitch at a Time, the challenge is to use a digi. So, that gives you loads of scope - anything you like so long as there's a digi somewhere.

Our sponsor this week is:

See the challenge blog for details.

This week, I worked with an image called Mushroom 2 from Srappers' Delights. I combined it with a silhouette from Stitchy called Watching You - both are available from the shop.

I used a background from Crafts and Me, to which I added the sentiment and the two images using Photoshop Elements. After printing, I coloured the mushroom image with Promarkers, and added a little glitter glue to the silhouette fairy's wings. I finished with some die cuts - the branches are from the Tattered Lace range, and the flowers are Memory Box, and I finished the flowers with a little glitter glue.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Crafting from the Heart where they want anything goes/favourite colours. (I love mixes of cyan/peachy oranges and browns.)
Love to Create where anything goes,
Fan-Tastic Tuesday where anything goes,
Papertake Weekly where they're playing bingo (centre vertical line),
Crafty Little Fairies where they want 'things with wings',
Milk Coffee where they want 'at least two flowers',
Addicted to Stamps and More where anything goes,

Crafting by Designs where they want 'things with wings',

The Crafters' Cafe where they want flowers,

Cards Galore Encore where they want a stamp or digistamp.

A Quiet Weekend

That's what we've had! And very nice it's been too. We managed to get out for a walk yesterday while the sun was shining, and today I've made some bread and between those things, I've been making some cards.

This first card uses an image I won some time ago. It's from Sassy Studios and it's called 'My Fair Lady'. I teamed it with some papers from my Pamela West CDrom. I did tweak the colours the papers to bring them closer to one of my favourite Promarker colours - Bluebell. I combined the papers in Photoshop Elements before printing them. I cut the image using a Spellbinder die, and coloured the image with Promarkers, finishing her beautiful feathered hat with a feather from my collection. Rather than matting the image, I decided to 'borrow' an idea I spotted recently. I thought I'd remembered where I found it, but when I looked, I couldn't find the project. So, apologies to whoever it was who I saw surrounding an image with flowers! The flowers were cut using some Cheery Lynn dies and finished with a liquid pearl in the centre.

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

The Doodle Garden where anything goes,
Bugaboo where anything goes,
ABC where the theme is 'Girls',
Natalie and Amy's Challenge where they want flowers,
The East Wind where the theme is 'use a digi',
I Love Promarkers where the theme is 'die cuts',
Tuesday Throwdown where anything goes.

The other card is really quite different.

Here, I've used a stamp from Crafty Individuals. I treated myself to a few in the run up to Christmas, and coloured it over the school holiday. I went searching through my digital papers to find something to use with it, but didn't find anything quite as I wanted it. I did find a paper that came from my Crafty Emporium CD (from Crafty Computer Paper), but it had a grey background. A little magic from Photoshop Elements, and the background is rather closer to the Promarker Shade 'Pastel Pink'. The image was coloured with Promarkers. The flower was made using a set of dies from Susan's Garden. The poppy is a little big for a six by six card - I do wish she'd done a smaller version of her dies - but as a single flower in this instance, I think it works. I shaded the flower with Pan Pastel in black and finished it with a liquid pearl.

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

CMC where the theme is 'Flaming Reds',
Sunflower Fields where the theme is 'birthdays and/or flowers',
Card and Scrap where the theme is 'use dies',
Sister Act where anything goes,
Fan-Tastic Tuesday where anything goes,
Party Time Tuesday where anything goes,

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 202

This week at One Stitch at a Time, our challenge is another 'anything goes'! So, whatever you want to share with us is fine, but remember, you can only enter a maximum of three times if you don't use a product from the Stitchy Bear Outlet.

The sponsor this week is

This week, I got to choose an image for Hazel, Shell and myself from Stitchy Bear herself. So, I had a look through the dozens of fabulous images, but finally decided on a silhouette. Stitchy does some gorgeous silhouettes, and I love everyone of them. The one I chose this time is called 'poppies'.

In photoshop Elements, I added a gradient over the image, changing it from black to something a little more colourful, and I added a red border.

After printing, I matted with red card, and I liked the result so much I decided to go fairly CAS for the rest of the card. I embossed some white card and picked up the vertices in the pattern with red glitter glue before matting onto more red, and that's it! I'm really pleased with the result - especially since I managed to resist the temptation to add more embellishment!

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Crafty Girls where anything goes,
Delightful Challenges where they want us to 'keep it simple',
Little Miss Muffet where anything goes,
Milk Coffee where they want embossing,
Baffies Kreativladen where anything goes,
Crafty Creations where they want us to 'keep it simple',
Fan Tastic Tuesday where anything goes (as long as it's square),
Party Time Tuesday where anything goes,
Tuesday Throwdown where anything goes,
Crafty Catz where anything goes.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 199

This week at One Stitch at a Time, our theme is 'with love'. So, use your imagination and come up with some loving thoughts for someone!

Our sponsor this week is:

and the winner will get $9 to spend in the shop. The only problem they'll have is limiting themselves to $9 - they're bound to want more!

I used an image from Stitchy Bear called Quilted Love. I decided it would make a perfect Valentine card for my husband, and it will, of course, be unsigned.

I designed the paper and added the text (and red hearts) in Photoshop Elements. I colorued the rest of the image with Promarkers, adding a shadow with Pan Pastels. The ribbon is from my stash, and the die cut is one I bought ages ago. I think it's a X-Cut die which has probably been discontinued. It's actually a bit big for an embellishment for the card sizes I usually use, but I thought it worked well with this image. Since it's for my husband, I've kept it fairly simple.

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Crafting from the Heart where they want 'anything goes/red',
Digi Makeover where anything goes,
Whoopsie Daisy where the theme is 'valentines',
Crafty Sentiments where 'Love is in the Air',
Everybody Art where the theme is 'valentines',
Flourishes where they have a joint theme of Red and Love,
Papertake Weekly where anything goes,
Milk Coffee where the theme is love/valentines,
Delightful Challenges where anything goes,
Sunflowerfield Designs where the theme is Valentines Day/Hearts.

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 198

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we've got that easiest of all challenges: Anything Goes!

Our sponsor this week is

This week, I got to work with an image from Beary Dust chosen by my team mate Hazel. It's called Shih-Tzu.

I decided to do a completely digital project this time, especially as the image is so complete without further work. I designed the background in Photoshop Elements, and then went hunting for a suitable quote. I found this one, which I'm sure will resonate with many dog-lovers. I finished with a stylised flower which is from Dover Books.

I hope you can join us this time.

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

Artistic Impressions where the theme is 'anything goes/animals',
Party Time Tuesdays where anything goes,

4 Crafty Chicks where anything goes,

Challenges and Candies where they want monochromatic,

Catch the Bug where anything goes,

Oozak where they want white with one colour (grey).

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 107

Welcome to a new year of Crafty Cardmakers challenges. There've been some changes, first, the name of the challenge is Crafty Cardmakers and Beyond, to make it clear that we don't limit your creations to just cards. And another change - there are going to be two teams, alternating challenges, and a third team producing mixed media projects once a month. Confused? Don't worry about it - the challenges will be explained on the challenge blog!

This first challenge is hosted by Feebs, and the theme is Bear with Me and she wants the main image to be of a bear (or bears) - whether of the 'teddy' variety or more realistic.

The sponsor for this challenge is

Flourish with a Bling,

 so why don't you go and take a look at the gorgeous embellishments they've got in stock.

For this challenge, I used an image I won several years ago. I didn't have a reason to use it right away, and then I forgot I had it! It's from Crafty Pad, and it's called Teddies Do Piano.

I made the paper in Photoshop elements. The image is coloured using Promarkers, and I embossed some white card using a Cuttlebug folder.

I hope you can join us this time.

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

Cards Galore Encore where anything goes,
Doodle Pantry where anything goes,
Flat Friends where anything goes,
Kreativeinkauf where anything goes,
Crafting by Designs where anything goes,
Crafty Creations where anything goes,
Creative Moments where anything goes,
Divas by Design where anything goes,
Digistamps 4 Joy where anything goes,
Inky Impressions where anything goes

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 190

This week at One Stitch at a Time, we're having that best of all challenges - an anything goes!

We're sponsored by:

See the challenge blog for details.

This time, the image was chosen by my team mate Shell, and it's Inviting Hug from Reeses Scrap Pieces.

I used the ready-coloured version, and added a background and wording in Photoshop Elements before printing. I then used all three of the supplied paper designs to complete the card!

It's a very simple card, but still quite effective, I think. And let's face it, we often need to make simple cards - especially for Christmas when we're making a lot more than usual!

I hope you can join us this week.

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

Cards for Men where the theme is 'Merry Christmas',
'C' is for Challenge where the theme is Christmas,
Deep Ocean where the theme is 'winter',
LEJ where the theme is 'Season's Greetings',
Papertake Weekly where the theme is 'snow and ice',
4 Krafty Girlz where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,

One Stitch at a Time Challenge 188

This week at One Stitch at a Time, our challenge is to use a digi! Easy!

We're sponsored by

See the challenge blog for details.

This time, I got to choose an image from Sentimental Susan for Hazel, Shell and Lisa. I chose Bear Guitar, as I've got two guitar-playing sons and it appealed to my sense of humour.

I added the wording in Photoshop Elements, printed, and coloured with Promarkers. For the background, I embossed some pearlescent white card using folders from Crafter's Companion and, I think, Papermania. I matted with blue to match the text, and die cut some snowflakes from the same card using Cuttlebug and Spellbinders dies. I finished the snowflakes with glitter glue to add a bit of sparkle.

I hope you can join us this week.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Crafty Sentiments where anything goes,
Party Time Tuesdays where anything goes,
Lady Anne where anything goes with a stamp,
Crafty Hands where anything goes,
Sister Act where anything goes,
Aud Sentiments where they want Christmas sentiments,
Moving Along with the Times where they want no patterned paper