A Clean and Simple Foiled Christmas card

I had the lovely Doodle Dear from Stitchy Bear Stamps to play with this week as they are sponsoring Through the Purple Haze Challenges this week.

It's such a beautiful design that I didn't want to try colouring it so decided to print it with my laser printer, then foil it with my Foil Master from Thyme Graphics. 

I created a simple frame in Craft Artist 2 and added a digital sentiment from Stampin Up.

I love the effect of the foiling, but it really is tricky to catch well in photos.

Look at the beautiful details on Doodle Dear! So pretty!

Bring on the Cake!

Who doesn't love cake? For a birthday, for a celebration - any excuse really! 

Ellen from Encino Stamps certainly loves her cake!

The sentiment is from the Stampin' Up Digi Stamp set 'Bring on the Cake' 

I used these Promarkers:

Skin - Burnt Orange, Coral, Sunkissed Pink, Blush with Pastel Pink Cheeks

Hair (which didn't work very well this time) - Cocoa, Henna, Chestnut, Walnut, Burgundy

Dress - Red, Berry Red, Cardinal Red, Burgundy

Cake - Vanilla, Saffron, Pastel Yellow

Candle - Gold Gel Pen, Yellow, Orange, Berry Red

I hope you like her x

Wings

The challenge at Digi Galore this fortnight is 'Wings' We're sponsored by Pickled Potpourri Designs.

I had 'Fly' to play with. The girl on the swing came with the lovely sentiment and was beautiful in her own right so didn't need much adding. I decided to use a tree from the Stampin' Up Bold Branches digital stamp set and cropped it so just the truck and branches showed. I then positioned Fly so she was swinging from the tree.

I was going to leave the card plain and white, but then decided to have some fun adding colour with my Dylusions sprays! I love the results so much I couldn't choose which one I liked best so have included them all! They sort of show the change of time - daylight, sunset and twilight.

Sky Blue, After Midnight and Calypso Teal Dylusions with some mica shimmer spray

Sky Blue, After Midnight and Crushed Grape Dylusions with Mica Shimmer spray

This shows the shimmer the shimmer spray adds to the cards.

Lemon Zest, Squeezed Sunshine, Squeezed Orange and Cherry Pie Dylusions sprays.

I hope you like them - I'd love to hear your thoughts and look forward to seeing your creations with 'Wings' over at Digi Galore x

Anything Goes at Through the Purple Haze Challenges

It's the first challenge of 2014 and it's a nice easy theme - Anything Goes! Our sponsor is Crafty Sentiments Designs and I had the lovely Eve to play with. I decided to make a nice bright birthday card to combat the grey rainy skies we've had with the recent storms.

I tried a new technique to make the background for this card - I wiped my Festive Berries Distress Ink Pad over the top side of a Papermania Happy Birthday Embossing Folder and then embossed white cardstock. It didn't give a complete coverage so I must masking tape on the back of the card to hold it exactly in place and repeated the inking 4 or 5 times until I had a coverage I was happy with. I love that it gives a slightly distressed look and lets the embossed words stand out clearly. 

The sentiment is a digi from the Heard from the Heart set from Stampin' Up. I printed it on card and cut it to the width of the card, then mounted a shimmery ribbon over the top so the sentiment looks as though it's on a ribbon.

I cut Eve out on my Cougar cutting machine and coloured her with my Promarkers:

Skin - Coral, Sunkissed Pink, Blush with Pastel Pink Cheeks

Hair - Tulip Yellow, Sunflower, Gold, Raw Sienna

Top - True Blue, Royal Blue, Indigo Blue

Shorts - Denim Blue, Storm Blue*, Midnight Blue

I hope you like my card. I'd love to hear what you think, and would love to see your entry at Through the Purple Haze Challenges

Thank you to our sponsor Crafty Sentiments Designs

Anything Goes at Digi Galore :D

It's the last challenge before Christmas at Digi Galore and the theme is Anything Goes. 

I decided to do something different with Digi's this time and used the Baby Prints Digi Stamp kit from Stampin' Up in conjunction with my Foil Master from Thyme Graphics to make a simple but effective personalised Birth Congratulations card. 

I love the effect of the Foil Master as it makes something printed with a black laser printer so so special. It's all foiled a beautiful rich royal blue, but it's difficult to catch on camera. I was lucky enough to have cuddles with the lovely Myles yesterday when he was only 9 days old. He was so adorable!

As I said something rather different with a digi this time as not a Promarker in sight, but that's what I love about Digi's - their flexibility!

Thanks so much to everyone who's joined in at Digi Galore  this year. We've had a blast and love seeing your creations. Next year is going to be even bigger and better with more amazing sponsors lined up so make sure you pop over and join in x

Homemade Advent Calendar

Advent is a big thing in our house. For the last few years I've treated myself to one of the Playmobil Advent Calendars (when I can get them on special offer) and I've built up quite a following with my friends on Facebook all asking what I've got behind each day's door.

I decided to make myself an extra advent calendar this year using digi stamps and my Cougar cutting machine from Thyme Graphics . The digi stamp sets are 25 & Counting  and Jolly Bingo Bits from Stampin Up - yep - did you know they now do digi versions of some of their stamps? I'm soooooo pleased!

I designed a grid in Inkscape with doors that were attached on the left hand side and in a tiny section on the right (to keep them closed until the day). I then lined the digis up to the doors before printing them on my laser printer. I did this in 3 sections for the front and each time passed it through my Foil Master so the coloured foil attached to the laser toner. It's really difficult to capture on camera just how luxurious and shiny the foil is, but it looks really festive.

I lined the printed and foiled card up on my Cougar and cut the doors.

I arranged the Jolly Bingo Bits and printed and foiled them to make the base layer, then fixed it to the back of the front section.

Here are the first two doors open.

Happy Advent everyone x

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

My Mum's Craft Shop - Winter/ Christmas

Paula Holifield Challenges - Christmas Cheer

Love to Create - Holiday Gift/ 3D Project

Craft Creations - Anything Goes

Craft Spot by Kimberley - Sparkle and Shine

ABC Challenges - Almost Christmas

Sketchy Colours - Red & Green

Crafty Hands - Sparkle and Bling

Jellypark - Christmas