Digi Madness

Hi Everyone, it's Sunday and time again for the weekly challenge at One Stitch At A Time. Go have a look at the digi madness examples from the design team and the images they have used. This week we are sponsored by Craftbrulee with a $10 voucher to spend in their store. Check out their gorgeous lace flowers.

On my card I have used the smiling seahorse from Lil Diva which can be found at Stitchy Bear Stamps. I wanted to make a summery beach/ocean theme card and this cute image really caught my eye.

I used promarkers to colour it in using denim blue, duck egg, soft green, pastel green and the blender which gave it a gorgeous effect and then I cut it out and edged with broken china and pine needles DIs. I then covered the image only with glossy accents.

The DPs are from the Soft Expressions set by Judy Melvin and Crafters Block. They have been distressed with TH distressing tool and edged with the above DIs then edged again with star dust stickles.

The real shells I collected the other week when I was in Swanage and the resin shell and starfish I bought in Swanage a few years ago.

I have also used some cream binding tape and notepaper and TH Alterations ticket strip both edged with vintage photo distress ink. The sentiment is from Raindrop Echo designs.

I love this photo of the shells, it looks as though there is a reflection in the water. Actually it was taken outside on my glass table. Not bad though eh?

Challenges I would like to enter -
Little paper Shop - Distressing
Pollycraft Monday - Bold and bright
Incy Wincy Designs - Distress it
Everybody Art - Holidays
Creative Card Crew - To die for
Gingersnap Creations - Markers
Stampavie - Anything goes
S2G - Make a splash
Shelly's images - Layers

Daring Cardmakers - Sea related
Mami Doodles - Anything goes
Allsorts - Summer Days
Stamp, scrap and Doodle - Animals
Bee Crafty - At the beach
Our Creative Corner - Beach layout
Oh Alice - Dancing under the sea
Anything Goes - Sparkle and shine
For fun challenges - colouring techniques
Practical Scrappers monthly - Just beachy

Flowers and sparkle

Good morning to another bright and sunny day, although thunder storms are threatened for later. Still the garden is looking good and I have nearly finished organising it. So much so I have taken my recent photos outside.

Well you know how I love sparkle, so when I saw Paperplay's challenge was flowers and sparkle I knew I had to design a card for that one. I also saw this sketch at Moving along with the Times and another theme of flowers at Charisma and Nordsalten Hobbyklub so I decided to combine them all. I had downloaded this gorgeous sheet music cover of 'Roses from Picardy' from Antique Images and a pink and green theme fitted perfectly, linking with the Creative Card Crew challenge.

I have used two DPs and some sheet music for the backgrounds. I couldn't make one of my own frames to fit this so I used double-sided tape to frame the green paper and cover it with glitter. I distressed the image, the rose paper and the music paper and used stickles on the edges of two of them.

The roses I had in my collection and I spritzed the lighter ones and the music paper with Tattered Angels water melon glimmer mist. I experimented with several things for the ribbon effect across the lower part of the page, but nothing seemed quite right until I die cut a long scroll shape to look like a stem effect for the flowers....... and so it all came together.

Supplies used
Stickles - Star Dust and Cotton Candy
Mireille glitter
Distress inks - Fired Brick and Vintage Photo
Glimmer Mist - Watermelon
Sizzix swirly decorative strip

Enjoy the weekend. Hopefully we will have a BBQ tonight and sit outside again, as we did last night with the family. Love the summer.

Love and hugs. Brenda xxxx
Challenge List
Paperplay Challenges #22 - Flowers and Sparkle
Moving Along with the Times #49 - Sketch
Charisma Cardz Challenges #22 - Flowers
Nordsalten Hobbyklub #8 - Flower Power
Creative Card Crew #51 - Pink and green

A Blessing in pink and grey (and prize)

Good morning Friday Followers, I hope life is good for you. This is such a strange year, we have had some really difficult things to deal with and at the moment it is Maddie who is constantly in my mind and I keep sending her my positive thoughts, love and strength. She is supporting her friend whose partner has cancer and has had to go into a hospice this week. What a good friend Maddie is and she has partly been the inspiration for my card. She really is a 'Blessing', as a friend, a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter and an aunty and I pray she stays strong for herself in the way she is strong for others. My thoughts and prayers are with all of them at the moment and the families of her friends.

I am really pleased with this card and I have enjoyed working with the colours, they were inspired by a fab photo over at Sketcy Colors. 

This is covered in glitter as I wanted a sparkly card and I have been experimenting in new shapes for embellishments. The flourish is one of my new TH dies and the frame is off of the Home Accents Cricut cartridge. I used the sewing machine again and also made the flower as in my last card and put it over another shape cut on the cricut and covered in glitter. The backing papers and butterfly were printed from a Papercraft World CD and the rose image was cut from a 12x12 scrapbook paper.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy whatever you are doing.

LOL Bxxx


WOOHOO the postman has just been and I have got a lovely new stamp from WHIFF OF JOY called 'Willow with basket'. It is part of the prize from Lexi's Creations for my win with my Easter boxes, I have also received a digi stamp from Lexi called 'A trio of ballerinas'. Thankyou Lexi and everyone at LC, your generosity is much appreciated. I shall have great fun playing with my new stamps.


Challenge List
Rosie D's Challenge 68 - Blessings
Totally Gorjus Challenge 25 - Texture
Corrosive Challenges #59 - Texture
Sketchy colors #19 - Pink, grey and white
One stitch at a time - Torn, distressed or shabby
Sophisti-cats #29 - So distressing
Crafty Angels #30 - My favourite thing  -  which has to be 'sparkles'
Cuttlebug spot - Bling
Practical Scrappers - Glitter and bling
Daisy Doodles - Pink + 1 (I didn't think the white would count????)
Creative Belli - Diecuts
Creative Cottage Challenge 6 - Things with wings
Flutterby Wednesday 105 - Butterfly, angel or fairy
Cute Card Thursday #108 - Touchy, feely

Shabby Squares

Good day everyone. It's now a glorious late afternoon and evening and the sun is streaming into my craft room. We had a great day yesterday at Chessington and there were 23 of us altogether. A real family day out which the children (big and little) thoroughly enjoyed. Again we had glorious sunshine and blue skies all day which was wonderful.

On to my next creation. I was inspired mainly by two challenge blogs for this one, both Pollycraft, to use pink, brown and either green or yellow (as you can see I chose green) and the Shabby Tea Room which has a lovely photo of patchwork and the theme is squares. I was also inspired to try new things by watching some of the demonstrations at Alexandra Palace at the weekend. This is the result.

I started by making the frame and used a mix of PVA and water to make layers sandwiched by lime acrylic paint and heat blasted the top layer of paint to get this cracked, weatherboard effect. Then I dabbed the TH acrylic paint over the top in raspberry, heat blasted it again and then rubbed most of it off so that the cracks are filled with the pink colour. I made the layer underneath this by using all squares to make it look like a montage of patterns and colours.The layer beneath this I used the Spellbinders butterfly impressabilities on white card, edged it with DI vintage photo and sprayed it with coffee shop Glimmer Mist. Lastly I mounted it on white card edged with a MS punch and onto green card. The flower I made myself by cutting out about 7 different sized squares and folding them to cut petal shapes, then spraying them with tea rose Glimmer Mist, scrunching them up to get the shabby look and layering them up and securing them with a pearl brad. During this process I found that the colours in my box I use for spraying came through on the edges of the petals and gave it a real vintage look. This was a happy experiment that worked better than expected. My butterfly was one I printed off and cut out and then covered it with crackle accents, this has given it a nice effect. The button flower was another experiment using coloured string and sparkly thread and I added lace and a pin with beads on it. I finished off with a brown ribbon, a brown flourish and a pearl trail from the butterfly. With the vintage image in the centre I am quite pleased with the overall effect. Another shabby chic vintage card to add to the collection.

I love reading the comments that come with entering challenges, so I always look to see what other challenges I can enter with my cards. I have quite a list this time. There are some fabulous challenge blogs out there that give real great ideas. Thanks evereyone for providing such inspiration and support.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

LOL Bxxx

Challenge List

Pollycraft Challenge - Pink, brown and green or yellow

The Shabby Tea Room Week 5 - It's hip to be square

Totally Papercrafts Challenge 11 - Distressing

Our Creative Corner - Bows

Allsorts Challenge 47 - Petals and Pearls

Stamp, Scrap and Doodle week 35 - Birthdays

Totally Gorjuss Challenge 25 - Texture

Corrosive Challenges 59 - Texture

One stitch at a time - Torn, distressed or shabby

Sophisti-cat Challenge 29 - So distressing

The Cuttlebug Spot - Bling

Practical Scrappers - Glitter and bling  and blog hop

Tuesday Taggers - Happy Birthday

My Time to Craft Challenge 87 - Pretty Pearls

Creative Card Crew Challenge 48 - Birthday

Flutterby Wednesday # 105 - Butterfly

 

A trip to paris

Hi again
I thought I would post this tonight as I am out all day tomorrow with my family and with the extended family from Kent. We are all off to Chessington World of Adventures and we think there will be around 24 of us with all the big and little children!!!! I think we will be very tired tomorrow night.

Anyway. Here is my second card of the day. This was inspired by the S2G challenges where they invite you to join the S2G DT for a jaunt to the land of 'crossiants, cafes, & haute couture'. It is a blog hop and they would love for you to join them on an adventure to PARIS this week. The Twisted Thursday Challenge TWIST this week is to use the word "MERCI" on your card or project. So I have completed the blog hop and I am entering this card. The word 'merci' is there but just difficult to see in the light. (See below)

I have really gone to town on this one and it grew and grew. I downloaded some images to use and chose this as the central one, behind it is a postcard which has merci in the text but it got covered by the leaves. I have stamped several TH French theme stamps on the backing paper which was also a download and then distressed. There is texture on the card on both the yellow mount (I used a cuttlebug embossing folder of musical notes) and the paper that I sewed the lace to is also embossed. I made 2 of the flowers myself and embellished the butterfly. The backing paper and the flowers I made have been misted using glimmer mists. Here is the merci saying and the flower embellishment.
            I had great fun playing around with this one, but I have to say it isn't one of my favourites now it is finished. Never mind. We learn in lots of ways and I am happy to experiment.

"Man is not made for defeat".    -   Ernest Hemingway


See you again soon. Take care. LOL Bxxxx

Challenge List
S2G Challenges - April in Paris Blog Hop and Twisted Thursday #51
Creative Belli #88 - Colour Spray
Totally Papercrafts challenge 11 - Distressing
Totally Gorjuss challenge 25 - Texture
Corrosive challenges #59 - Texture
One Stitch at a Time - Torn, distressed or shabby
Sophisti-cat Challenge #29 - So distressing

Vintage Gift Card

Wow Saturday again, the weeks are slipping past so quickly. When I got up this morning to feed the cats it was a grey start to the day but now the sun is trying to peek through and it looks promising. Fingers crossed!!

 I have had such fun making this card. I wasn't sure how to approach my next project, although I knew I wanted to make something that I could put some money in as a wedding present for Matt and Sam next week. Having found some inspiration through the challenge blogs I set about gathering the things I would need. It took me a while to choose the image, which is from a pack by Debbie Moore. The layout, colours and recipe for elements were from challenge sites (see list below). The backing papers are from an Old World mat stack and the rose are a HOTP pack called Blossoms & Buds. The two flowers I have made using lace, buttons, punches and the cricut. I couldn't find the right coloured ribbons in my collection so I cut three pieces of cream organza and coloured two pieces using cosmic shimmer mist and tattered angels mist, I used these on the leaves and tiny butterfly too. I have distressed edges and used Stickles and Cosmic Shimmer Twinkles

This fits challenges -
Colour Create - Mint, chocolate and cream.
Simon Says Stamp - sketch
Gingersnap Creations - Frosting
Crafty Creations - Make your own flowers
Creative Inspirations - Charms
Everybody Art - Recipe - 2 papers, 2 flowers, 2 buttons.
Fussy and Fancy - Green
Raise the bar - Go Green

I went on to then make the inside into a gift card to hold the money. I used brown paper as the backing papers and stamped 'celebrate' in gold. On the left side I made a tag printing and embossing the swirls and edging it with cosmic shimmer twinkles. Again I used punches and the cricut to make the flowers and the sentiment. On the right hand side I used the roses paper to make the pouch and made an envelope from vellum to hold the money, again embellishing it to reflect the other side.
This fits challenges -
Cutecard Thursday - Celebrations
Frosted designs - background stamping

Finally I made the envelope to match and reflect the colours of the card. I used a 12x12 paper and cut it down to make my own template for it. Again I have used the roses paper, the 'faith' sentiment and the flowers that reflect the midle of the card.
This fits the challenge from Cuttlebug Challenge to make an envelope to match the art.

What do you think?

Have a great weekend. I am going to go out shopping for a while, haven't mooched for ages.

Take care. *luv* Bxxx

ATC - distressed bumblebees and butterflies

Oh I have missed being able to create and blog this week, but, more importantly, Mum is home from hospital. Between us, my sister and I have managed to overcome some of the beaurocracy and get Mum back into her own environment. She needs care, and at the moment that is me, (hence no cards or blogs this week) but she is on the list and we hope to hear very soon.

That said, I did manage to grab a few hours last night which resulted me staying up till 1.00am, but this is the outcome. The two photos show the difference light can make to the same image. The first one was taken laying flat, the second one was standing up, and you can see what a difference it makes, but by comparing the two, the details and the shimmers can be seen.
I haven't made ATCs for a while but found Fun With ATCs challenge blog and this week shadows need to be included, so I thought I would experiment to see what I could do. It is just possible to see shadows behind the foliage and the butterflies and I double stamped the bee to get it to look as though it was really buzzing around. I used the swirl and butterflies stamps from the Shabby French collection by TH, the bee and the foliage are tiny stamps that I purchased at the weekend at the Farnborough Make It craft show and are from Lavinia Stamps. The Tuesday Taggers challenge this week is to include swirls and curls, they are being sponsored by Crafty Individuals. The flourish has been coloured with Promarkers (and I added to my collection at the weekend - money, money, money!!!). The background is distressed using TH distress inks and water, spritzed onto my craft mat and fits in with the Pollycraft challenge for distressing. I added perfect pearls to it as well to get the shimmer.  I highlighted the foliage with sepia accents and the butterflies with crackle accents to get the glossy, glassy look for the Cuttlebug challenge. The colours fit Think Monday ATC orange challenge and the Pink Elephant green challenge. Finally I edged the card with my Sakura glitter pens.
I love all this experimenting with new techniques and feel this is a good result for what I set out to achieve. It just so happened ,when I had finished, I realised that the content fits my blog name. Result!!
I am adding some photos at the bottom of the page that show that Spring is really on it's way. They were taken Tuesday morning along lovely Oxfordshire lanes as I was on my way to work . It was such a gorgeous morning and, as I was early for my appointment, I was able to stop a few times to take photos. These I just love for the colours and fabulous blue sky, but also because I felt very uplifted to feel the warmth of the sun and see the beautiful snowdrops.
Thankyou for looking I hope you are having a good week.
Take care. Luv Bxx

Shabby Chic??

Wow, busy day today. I have been to see my sister and off to the hospital again soon, but just wanted to post this card.

This started as a simple card following the sketch at Pink Elephant and I wanted to add some polka dots and plaid to enter Frosted Designs and If the Shoe Fits challenges and some embossing for the Sophisticat challenge, but I couldn't leave it and added the embellishments so that it became more shabby chic in style. I have dry embossed some card and some DIY silver pipe lagging tape for the back layers. The stamp is from Personal Impressions, I coloured it using the Whispers pens and then edged it with MS glitter glue and misted it with Tattered Angels Vanilla Breeze and Rose Tea. The scalloped border is MS punch which I edged with Scattered Straw and Worn Lipstick distress inks. The 3 roses in the bottom left corner I handmade, the others are ones from my stash but I have altered them with inks and mists adding other embellishments etc to them. The black swirls ared cut on the Cricut using the Home Accents cartridge.

I am starting to see the finished card in my mind when I begin, but this didn't end up exactly as I had imagined it. But I think it is better, so I am pleased with the colours and the end product. Hope you like it too.

Take care and don't work too hard, have some fun when you can.

Luv Bxx

Challenge List

Frosted Designs - Polka dot and plaid challenge

If the shoe fits - Mad for Plaid

The Pink Elephant - Sketch

Sophisticat - Embossing
Simon Says Stamp challenge - Simon says vintage with flowers
Just Buggin - Emboss it
Crazy for Challenges C4C26 - It's all about texture
Theme Thursday - Flourish