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Thursday 28 April 2011

AIF078 Anything Goes


We have a new challenge for you today at AI Factory and this week we have an Anything Goes theme. Can't get much easier than that can it?

We're showcasing a fabulous Clipart set of Flourish designs available the AI Store here.
You get 12 different images featuring swirls and butterflies, they really are gorgeous. The store is being re-vamped at the moment, a lot of time has been spent on it and it looks great but please bear with us whilst the products are being loaded back into the store.

Now for the details of my card. I have used the largest of the images from the pack which features 3 butterflies on it. I have cut a second layer of flutterbies to attach over the base, I have left the wings flapping to create the illusion they are flying.

I have used Sakura glitter pens throughout to colour the design so it has a gentle shimmer all over.
The base of the card has been covered with a glittered cardstock from the Penny Lane collection by My Minds Eye. I love the purples and greens together throughout the pad. I used a scrap of purple card and punched with the Fiskars treading water punch, adding a piece of green ribbon from my stash and a bow to match. Finally the sentiment is from an Anita's die cut sheet of assorted designs. The finished size of the card is A5

To enter this week's challenge visit the AI Factory Challenge Blog where you will see the full rules and details. If you play along with us and upload your image you could win this week's image.

You are not required to use an AI Factory image to enter, but there are some great freebies available here in the freebies section of the store. You will need to link up your entry before midnight EST on Wednesday May 4th. If you use an online gallery Such as AiF, PCP or SCS then please tag your entry with the challenge code AIF078 so we can see all your cards in one place. Whilst you are at our challenge site please take a look at the rest of the DT's wonderful creations.

I look forward to seeing your entries in our challenge and Good Luck !

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical order) :-

Monday 25 April 2011

Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight

Over at Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenge Paula has set us the challenge to use bottlecaps in our creations. They can be the metal ones from bottles of booze or the plastic caps off the top of milk or pop bottles.

I wanted to use a metal bottlecap as the centrepiece of a flower I had made on a Hana Ami flower loom. It was my first attempt and took blinking hours but it is very tactile and I'm quite pleased with it. The bottle cap is a silver one that was recycled from a bottle of vodka based drink. Fortunately it didn't have any writing on it but did have a dent from the bottle opener. I used an Imaginisce rub-on to add a pattern and a gem to cover the dent.

The doily was coloured with an inkpad in black to match the DCWV flocked paper and the black and silver velour ribbon. The sentiment is also from the DCWV paper pad.

The rest of the teams have made some fabulous creations with bottlecaps, much more adventurous and arty than mine I have to say. I do hope you will pop over to the blog and drool over their creations and give them some love, it is always appreciated.

I'm looking forward to seeing how you use these bottlecaps in your creations. Don't forget you've still got a week to enter our challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers too.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in alphabetical order):-

Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge #19




It's Molly's turn to set the challenge over at Happileigh Scrappin' Challenges this week and she want's us to make a start on our Christmas cards.

I used the Christmas Jan digi which is available to purchase HERE in the Christmas section at the Happileigh Scrappin' Store.


For my creation I started with an A4 sheet of cream card to create an A5 blank. The main background paper is a glittered one from Imaginisce, the gold snowflake one is a wrapping paper from Paperchase, the text and spotty ones are from a DCWV Christmas stack.

I coloured the image with Promarkers and created extra layers for the hat and clothes. All the images are on 3d foam and have been attached to the backing paper which was matted with gold. I used a sketch from Sketch for You To Try for the layout.

Last but not least I have added 3 snowflake brads to the bottom of the card.

Please pop on over to see the lovely creations my Happi Sisters have added. There are lots of lovely cards to feast your eyes upon.

Remember, for our challenges you don't need to use a Happileigh Scrappin' image but if you do your entry counts twice and with freebies available here it is easy to use one of Leigh's fabulous digis.

At the Happileigh Scrappin' Store Leigh is having a Spring sale.

For Every 3 images you purchase can choose another one completely free. Leigh is also giving away a free Mother's Day sentiment with each purchase.

We would love to see lots of entries in this challenge. Leigh gives away her lovely digis to the top 3 so it is well worth entering and me and the DT love to see your creations, so come on over toHappileigh Scrappin' Challenges to join the fun.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in alphabetical order):-

Sunday 24 April 2011

OSAAT #59 Digis With Attitude Spot





Over at OSAAT this week one of our sponsors is Digis With Attitude and I am very fortunate to have been given one of their designs to work with.


The image is from the Tween's With Attitude range and is called Gift Giving Tween.

I have used a sketch from Midnight Madness for the layout of the card, opting to go for the more simple of the 2 options. The DP is a double sided paper from Papermania Woodland friend pad. I had already coloured the image beforehand with Promarkers and added a couple of layers on the bow of the package with 3D foam squares. I love the combination of purples and magenta so knew matching papers would not be a problem.

I backed the image with mirri card and used this to cut the architectural corners which are a Sizzlit die. Foe the ribbon I have layered 2 metallic ones over one another and then added a sentiment from my stash. For a finishing touch I have added a bit of bling and a couple of the waste pieces of the die to the corners of the image.

Please pop over to our challenge blog at One Stitch At A Time where the current challenge is a Father's Day or Sports theme. What better excuse to get your Father's Day card made early eh?

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical order) :-

OSAAT #59 Fathers Day/Sports Collab


Over at OSAAT we have a new challenge for you today which is based on the theme for the store collaboration which is Father's Day/ Sports

For this Challenge Cosmo Cricket are offering a an Upcycle Crafting Kit as a prize to one lucky winner.
And Digis With Attitude are offering a prize of 3 digis of the winner's choice from there store.

In the Newsletter this week we have spotlight on a very talented Creator, Angela from Toucan Scraps. If you don't already subscribe I would suggest that you sign up as there are some fabulous images given away as freebies and you will always be kept up to date with the latest image news.

For this Designer's Collaboration challenge I was very lucky to work with a set of tickets with a Dad theme from Lexi's Creations.

I chose the 'You're a Star' one as my Father in law is not one for slushy sentiments. I picked the star theme for the card. I have made an A5 size with a huge glitter star in fun foam which is self adhesive and already had the glitter on it. Absolute bargain from Poundland at Christmas with 4 assorted A4 sheets for only £1. I was quite impressed that there wasn't a lot of glitter shedding too.

I covered the card front with a star paper I have had for years. I added a pale blue ribbon with silver stars onto a silver one so it stood out from the paper better. I added some colour to the edge of the ticket with a Sharpie marker and a bit of twinkle with a Sakura clear glitter pen. The chipboard lettering is from a QVC Brenda Pinnick kit and the star brads are by Papermania.

The rest of the team have made some smashing cards with goodies from the Collaboration set and it is definitely well worth getting your hands on.

If you are looking for a bargain please pop over to the Stitchy Bear Store as many of the designer's digis are going on sale this week with a whopping 20% to 30% off. This is definitely a good time to fill your basket with the designs on your wish list.

I really enjoyed visiting the blogs last week and seeing the most gorgeous of creations. I hope you will join in with our challenge this week and look forward to passing on some love.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical order) :-

Thursday 21 April 2011

Ladybug Balancing Act

** Edited post to add much better photo **

This card has been made using the latest free digi from Designed 2 Delight for Week 3 of the Delightful Inspirations progressive challenge. I am so proud of myself for having made a card each week this month and each subsequent digi has been better than the last (didn't think it was possible, Faith you do a wonderful job!)

Anyhoo, I used sketch #104 from Sweet Stop which was also asking for things with wings. I know you can't see wings but ladybirds do definitely have them :)

The image has been coloured with Promarkers and I added a second layer of ladybirds with 3D foam for dimension. Please note the little expressions on their faces, the one on the bottom is happy, next one up a bit undecided, the likkle one on the top is definitely shaky and has a quivering lip ~

I have added glitter to the flower and leaves and a big blingy centre. The papers are from DCWV and First Edition Desert Blooms. I have used ink around the edges of the layers a a Fiskars punch on the bottom edge of the orange spotty paper.

I have added paper flowers from Prima and Flora Doodles, spotty brads from Papermania & Dovecraft and a sentiment with a bit of bling added to cover the little stars that are embossed on it.

The bright sunshiny colours are very apt as we are having some smashing weather in the UK at the moment. I went to do some shopping today and when I got back in the car it was 31 degrees C (about 92F) and it was a bit blinking hot. With the AC it went down to 24C, that is still about 78F, definitely warm for us. We are off for a few days in Wales next week so keep fingers crossed the weather is nice for me :) We are going on the Steam train that goes up Mount Snowdon and tootling around north Wales for a couple of days so really looking forward to that.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (In alphabetical order) :-

Blog Candy at Wuvie's Whimseys



Bonna of Kelley's Kids Digi Stamps has some blog candy on her site Wuvie's Whimsies. Details of the blog candy are below :-

Hello and Welcome to the first Kelley Kid’s Blog Candy Contest!

This is my first Blog Candy, and totally new to me.
I just learned a few days ago what Blog Candy was!
So I am going to start out slowly and see how it goes.

OK, so my first Blog Candy I am going to offer a $10.00 gift certificate for Kelley Kid’s Digi Stamps.
It can be used at the Stitchy Bear Stamp Store for any of the Kelley Kid’s Stamps.

THE RULES TO WIN:
Now, the rules are very, very simple……..
1. If you are not already, become a follower! ( I so love new friends)
2. Add a comment on the linky and make sure you include your NAME & EMAIL ADDRESS in case you win!
3. If you’d be so kind as to spread the word about my Kelley Kid’s Blog Candy on your facebook or blog, I’d so very much appreciate it! Don’t forget, the more NEW followers I receive, the quicker we get to the giveaway, so you can help by spreading the word! Here’s the Blog Candy Button for you to share.




So hop on over to Wuvie's Whimseys and pop your name down. You've got to be in it to win it!

Monday 18 April 2011

Spring Blooming

This stunning image is a freebie from Tortagialli. I just love the happy smiley sunshine and coloured it in my favourite bright colours of oranges and yellow. It just makes me smile so much and I have to be honest I may not give it away. Would you believe that for about 6 years our living room and dining room were decorated in pretty much colours, a bright but rich coloured orange on the bottom and a mustard yellow on the top. After many years of living in rented accommodation or with relative I needed to put my own mark on our house so we had bright colours. It did however make it look cosy and dark so we changes to more neutral creams & browns a couple of years ago. OMG, I have turned into my parents LOL.

I used a sketch from Going Grey with Scrap Creations for the layout and picked my papers. The base card is a sheet of A4 textured so it makes a large A5 card which is my favourite card size. The hibiscus paper and textures cardstock are DCWV as is the sentiment sticker. The stitched ribbon and bow are Papermania and the Candi dots are by Craftwork Cards. I love the little flowers that are on them.

We took my Mother in law out yesterday for her birthday treat and went for a posh cream tea dinner in Ludlow. It was the most glorious sunny day and it made me all smiley like the sunshine in this picture. We are going to see Adele in concert tonight an I am soooooo excited. We saw her 2 years ago and she was fabulous. I love singers with really strong voices and she can certainly sing live. I've got her new album on repeat in the car I loves it so much :)

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in alphabetical order):-



Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge #18


It's my turn to set the challenge over at Happileigh Scrappin' Challenges this week and the UK is readying itself for the event of the year, the Royal Wedding on the 29th April celebrating the marriage of Prince William & Kate Middleton. We've even got a special Bank Holiday in it's honour!

In honour of this occasion I want to see lots of wedding cards, but with a twist. The Royal Family are renowned for their Crown Jewels so I would like to see you add some jewels to your card. The card can be in any colours but it needs to have some bling on it to make it suitable for Royalty :)


I used the Royal Couple digi which is available to purchase HERE in the Special Occasions section at the Happileigh Scrappin' Store. Leigh has also designed a fabulous Bride & Groom image as well.

For my creation I started with an A4 sheet of pearlescent cream card to create an A5 blank. I have used gold card to mat the image and Princess sentiment which is from Elegant Word Art. The swirly paper is from a Dovecraft wedding set and I kept to a cream and gold colour scheme throughout.

I coloured the image with Promarkers and added lots of small crystals to the bride's veil and the bottom of her dress. The big jewel around her neck is of course befitting a Princess. The groom is in his Naval uniform and is wearing his golden jewel medals of honour.

The cream ribbon with a gold edge is a wired ribbon that I wrapped around the gold card before I attached this final layer to the cream base. This has ensured there are no unsightly loose ends. The lattice heart is a punch from Martha Stewart to which I have added a couple of small gems. Last but not least I made one of those Yo Yo flowers that I have seen on lots of cards around blogland. I simply used a wide gold ribbon which has wired edges, folded it over in the middle and pulled the wires to form a ring. I have popped a jewel brad from American Crafts into the centre and used this to attach it to the card.

Please pop on over to see the lovely creations my Happi Sisters have added. There are lots of lovely cards to feast your eyes upon.

Remember, for our challenges you don't need to use a Happileigh Scrappin' image but if you do your entry counts twice and withfreebies available here it is easy to use one of Leigh's fabulous digis.


We would love to see lots of entries in this challenge. Leigh gives away her lovely digis to the top 3 so it is well worth entering and me and the DT love to see your creations, so come on over toHappileigh Scrappin' Challenges to join the fun.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in alphabetical order):-

Sunday 17 April 2011

OSAAT #58 Make it Sassy


Over at OSAAT we have a new challenge for you today hosted by Stitchy which is to " Make it Sassy"


For this Challenge there will be one winner and we are sponsored by
Joanna Sheen who is offering a prize of:-
£10 Joanna Sheen voucher


We have a special spotlight on the blog today for Keith Garvey. Some of the girls have made some fabulous projects using his images. Please do take a look at them, he has a very unique style.

In the Newsletter this week we have spotlight on a very talented Creator, Angela from Toucan Scraps. If you don't already subscribe I would suggest that you sign up as there are some fabulous images given away as freebies and you will always be kept up to date with the latest image news.

While you are there don't forget that for the Month of April we have a store collab with the theme of Mother's Day & Babies which is free with a $10 purchase.

Here's some definitions of sassy, thanks Julye for finding these!

sas•sy 1 (ss)
adj. sas•si•er, sas•si•est
1. Rude and disrespectful; impudent.
2. Lively and spirited; jaunty.
3. Stylish; chic: a sassy little hat.

For my card this week I have used a great digi called Fire by Gingerloft. I felt as an image she was very sassy and wanted to keep to the fiery colours so used reds and oranges throughout.I coloured the image with Promarker and added lots of shading to her hair in different colours of coppery tones. The swirly red paper is Papermania, the glitter embossed paper is by DCWV.

I have added Prima flowers, a star shaped diamante in her hair, bling on the skirt and in the centre of the flowers. The tissue paper flower I am really proud of as it is my first attempt at making my own and it came out much better than I thought it would. I used the 2 smallest sizes in the Nestabilities scalloped circle dies, poke a hole in the centre of the layers and added a small flower shaped brad then just separated the layers and scrunched away until I was happy with the shape. I added some copper and red ink to the edges and attached to the card. I am amazed how easy it was to do yet looks so effective. It's great when you see something in blogland and attempt it for yourself :)

I used sketch #99 from Midnight Madness for the layout. I didn't add a sentiment as I don't think the image really needs it. This is a totally different image for me to use but I am so pleased with how it turned out.

I really enjoyed visiting the blogs last week and seeing the most gorgeous of creations. I hope you will join in with our challenge this week and look forward to passing on some love.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical order) :-

Friday 15 April 2011

Bunny



This Easter card is made using a freebie image from Daisy Doodles. I have coloured it in with Promarkers and added a white fluffy tail with puff paint by Woodware. I haven't used it for ages and it still amazes me how much it puffs up with a heat gun. Small children are pleased by little things LOL

I used the sketch at Gem of a Challenge for the layout of the card and it measures a finished size of A5.

I have used one of my new Nestabilities sets to cut a mat out for the image with a paper by Basic Grey. I used a Marianne creatables die to cut the chick paper and a Fiskars punch on the Easter text paper. Both Easter papers are by Papermania, another half price bargain purchase from WH Smiths at Christmas.

I have added some Easter letter chipboard stickers from a pack I used on another Easter card. The little chick in the corners is from that too, isn't she sweet with her little pink ribbon :)

Last but not least I added some embroidered flowers which were one of the very 1st purchases I made in 2002 when I started cardmaking. They were on a lovely trim of assorted colours and I very carefully cut each flower and stored them, never to be used until now.



I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical order) :-

Thursday 14 April 2011

Garden Party

Yay for me, this is the second week I have completed the challenge over at Delightful Inspiration so I will get the digi from Designed to Delight to play along next week. I saw a preview of it and it is gorgeous. Thankyou Faith, I am enjoying taking part and need to make a concerted effort to do every week if I can.

This card and image are so me :) Lovely bright colours and just look at the cute little meeces <3 I used a sketch from Paperminutes for the layout of the card.

I decoupaged the mice and cupcake, the bee and one of the flowers. I also enlarged the bee and added those as an embellishment to the card.

The papers are from the Woodland Friends pad by Papermania. I thought the bright little flowers would match the image well. I used a punch from Martha Stewart on the purple spotty paper and a new Nestabilities die on the image. I went to a cardmaking show at the Motorcycle Museum in Coventry and managed to get few sets of nesties I wanted for only £14 each, even got some of the new ones :) The image is of course coloured with Promarkers and I have distressed the edges of that and the DP with a small black ink pad.

I added a gorgeous flower lace (which was hard to use I can tell you....) a sentiment from my stash and loads and loads of gems.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical order) :-