Crafty Cardmakers 2nd Challenge

It's Challenge time again at Crafty Cardmakers and this is the second DT card I have made. This week we have a colour wheel challenge. There is a great tutorial on there which Vix has done which gives some background on different colour schemes and we were asked to make a card using colours at the opposite end of the colour wheel.

I chose purple and yellow which are individually 2 of my favourite colours, but I have to admit I would have NEVER mixed them together in this way. This is why it's called a challenge ain't it?

First things first I decided to use a sketch for the layout from Di Hickman. This is the 2nd July sketch. She does 1 a week and they were the 1st sketches I was ever introduced to and thus the addiction began...... Di uses lots of bright papers like HOTP and DCWV and I love her style. She is definitely one of my biggest cardmaking heroes.

The base card is an A4 sheet of card folded over. The yellow dotty paper is HOTP from a Citrus pad from QVC. The rest of the papers are handmade textured ones, you know the ones you buy because you think they are a good idea at the time but actually you haven't really used them???? Go on, admit it, you've got them in your stash haven't you?

Anyone who knows me, knows I love butterflies and I have them everywhere, even tattooed on my shoulder! Sizzix brought out a range of Sizzlit 'Build a Butterfly' dies and I had to have both designs, but you know I have never used them before now. I knews I wanted to use them for this design as I felt the layering of the colours would work perfectly. Afterall, when you see butterflies they are every colour of the rainbow and they work perfectly together don't they?

Using the different dies in the pack I cut out the pieces from the relevant papers and ran them through my Xyron sticker maker. I love those for intricate die cuts as otherwise it would have been very difficult to glue them together. I raised the upper wings on 3D foam for dimension. The flowers are Primas, the gems are from Poundland and the sentiment is a rub on from a Let's Make Cards pack. The Cadbury's purple ribbon was from a grab bag from Ebay some time ago, I just love the richness of the colour.

As a keen participant at 365 Challenges I have entered this into an older challenge for Day 26 which was to use your least favourite colours on a card. Definitely not my least favourite colours but not a colour scheme I would have used and can't see me using it again. Mind you, it reminds me of a pansy so it definitely works as a colourscheme...... maybe I should go for more subtle hues..... but maybe I won't, subtle? that just wouldn't be me LOL

It would be lovely to see your creations if you participate in this challenge at Crafty Cardmakers. I have enjoyed seeing the cards for the 1st challenge and it was fabulous to see so many people join in especially the newbies to blogs and card challenges. I hope you come back and join in the fun :)

365 Cards Day 79 & Di Hickman May #2

It's day 79 at 365 Cards and the challenge for today is to make a card using your favourite manufacturer. I love bright colours and tend to use them the most when cardmaking. I tend to veer towards DCWV for a lot of my papers as they have such a diverse range of papers and the colours between collections work together. I particularly like the papers that were in the 3 seasons 2 drawer sets I got from QVC last year as they were fantastic value for money and have so many lovely bits in them.

I used last weeks Sketch May #2 from Di Hickman for the layout. I thought it particularly suited as I wanted to make a feature of the swirl on the backing paper as it is only one small part of a 12" page. In the summer drawers there are 3 sunflower papers that all work together the paper is one, the brown swirly border is an offcut from another. The glittered yellow and orange one is from an entirely different sheet but liked them together. The chipboard shape is glittered and from the same 'collection'. This is the last of my chipboard flowers in this set, boo hoo :( I think I could have had 20 of those and still used them all.

The card is finished off with card candy from Craftwork Cards. If you have never seen them before they are like brads but without the legs. You stick them on your card with a 3d foam square or some silicon glue and they add a little bit of depth without lots of bulk. They are also a lot cheaper as you get oodles of them (in co-ordinating colours) in a bag for £1 . The sentiment is a rubber stamp from Hero Arts. It is the 1st time I have used it today and there is a tiny bubble in the 'k' so it won't stamp perfectly. Tried it a few times on scrap card and it was the same each time so for once it's nbot my dodgy stamping !!

365 Cards Day 67 & Di Hickman May # 1

It's Day 67 at 365 Cards and the challenge today is to 'Think Pink' and make a card where the predominant colour is pink.

Been to the hospital to visit Grandad so I was late getting back, by the time we'd had something to eat and do some washing I couldn't hit my craft room until 10:30pm so needed to do something quite quick. As soon as I saw Di Hickmans sketch which she revealed this evening I knew what I was going to do.

I pulled out my DCWV Blossoms & Butterflies pad and the backing paper is an offcut from another card I had made previously. The paper has silver metallic swirls on it (which have scanned in black, sorry) I absolutely adore it and I'm glad I could use the offcut as I only have 1 sheet left - 1 to use , 1 to stroke LOL

The scalloped 'ribbon' is a scrap piece of card that I cut a scalloped border from using a Fiskars Shapecutter template. The stitched ribbon is a self adhesive DCWV. The butterfly is a Cuttlebug die and emboss combi with a small amount of pink ink on the edges. I have folded the wings up and only stuck it down in the centre. The scanner has squashed it but it springs straight back up. The pink gems are Paperchase and I used a tiny bit of silver gel pen on the ends of the antennae.

I have left the card without a sentiment but may add something at a later point in time. 

I'm glad Pam gave us an easier challenge today as I don't think I would have been able to complete the challenge this evening otherwise.

365 Day 61 & Di Hickman April # 5

Day 61 at 365 Cards and the challenge today is to incorporate at least one leaf into your card.

I used the latest sketch from Di Hickman and I was rifling through a box of various floral elements and came across these glittered daisy die cuts which I am sure are from a Lets Make Cards pack. I added some clear alpha stickers by MAMBI to the panel and dug out my favourite Tim Coffey Daisy papers from K & Co. I covered the card with the yellow plaid and cut out square panels to mount the flowers to. I edged these with a little ink as they blended into the paper too much. 

I do love daisies and this is such a cheerful card, a perfect antidote to the horrible wet weather we have had all day in Birmingham today. 

365 Card Day 58 & Di Hickman April # 4

 It's day 58 at 365 Cards and the challenge today is to incorporate something fishy into your card.

I have used the latest sketch over on Di Hickman's blog for the layout. It is perfect as I wanted something quite simple.

The starting point was the chipboard shape, the fish was red so I coloured it black with a permanent Sharpie pen and highlighted it with a bit of Sakura clear glitter pen and a Papermania gem for it's eye.

The shimmering panel at the back is a piece of illusion film which is a sheet of textured plastic which moves when you tilt the card, it's like those ruler's with moving scenes on that we all had as kids. I liked that it looks like waves and always saw me using it for this type of fishy card. However, it has been in my stash for years and unused up till now. Sound familiar anyone ?

The sentiment strip and panel are from a Making Cards Male Special issue and the card has been finshed off with some blue gems from Poundland.

365 Cards Day 43 & Di Hickman Sketch

Woohoo, I've managed to do a bit of crafting at long last. It's been a while !!!!!

The good news is Grandad is getting better. He's still in hospital but due to be discharged soon soon. Then we will have an interime period where we will need to provide care and support until the Social Services has sorted his plan out, fingers crossed it won't take too long. I swear my grey hairs have doubled in number over the last 3 weeks. 

I have missed loads of 365 Cards challenges and loads of sketch challenges, worse I have still got loads of new goodies to play with that are still in their packets!!

Anyhoo, it was Score It week at 365 Cards and there have been some fabulous projects to do. I started on an easy one with day 43 which was to make a gift card holder. Fortunately whilst shopping at Asda I had to return an item and the credit was put onto a gift card, perfect for this project methinks.

I used the latest sketch from Di Hickman for the layout. The papers are from Papermania with a liberal amount of inking around the edges with an almost dry inkpad. The chipboard shape is from the same Sweet Nothings range and I added stickles glue to highlight some of the dots.

For the inside my immediate thought to hold the gift card inside was to use some metal photo anchors from HOTP with some tiny brads. I have had these in my stash for a mighty long time and never used them. I think it works well to hold the card in place.

There have been some fabulous examples made by some very talented crafters. It's great to see the 365 blog get stronger with more people taking part in the challenges as it gets more well known. Pam and the DT work really hard to bring lots of fresh challenges and I'm loving combining them with other sketches and building up a stockpile of cards to help me with a Christmas Pressies project I am working on for the family.

Di Hickman March # 1 & 365 Cards Day 9

I have made a card for our friends birthday using Di Hickman's Sketch and Day 9's challenge over on 365 cards to only use scraps of paper.

The base card is covered with the left overs of a freebie sheet from Crafts Beautiful magazine. The lower spotted paper is from a sheet I made Paul's 40th card in December !! The blue strip was cut from a scrap which has dots on it butthey were very pale so I have added some bling to it. The slide mount was a horrible pattern so I have covered it with a scrap from my little box.

The ribbon is HOTP, all gems are Papermania and the little cupcakes are from Paperchase. The sentiment is from Lets Make Cards 

Di Hickman Feb #2 & Forever Friends Love Challenge

This the 4th card I have made for the Docrafts Marie Curie Cancer fund. I have used the latest sketch February #2 over on Di Hickman's blog and adapted it for use on an A6 card.

The backing paper is from the Papermania Scrumptious pack. The heart ribbon style trim was cut from a freebie paper from Crafts Beautiful this month. The Martha Stewart punch edged silver paper is from my stash.

The backing panel of brown card was run through the Cuttlebug Heart Blocks folder. The two little hearts are cut from the leftover ribbon border and I have used little peel offs for the kisses.

The main embellishment is a Forever Friends clear sticker that was adapted a little bit to make it fit the heart shape that was cut using a Fiskars template. The little bow is from my stash, probaby recycled from an old Christmas card.

This card also fits in with the Forever Friends Challenge this week which was love or valentine. As I had already made Paul's Valentine I thought a more generic love card would be a better make for me this time. I think when I showed it to Paul he thought it was his Valentine, I hope he won't be dissappointed with the one I have made him.......

Di Hickman February #1

I love the latest sketch over on Di Hickman's blog!! I didn't chop a flower up though I used all of it. It's one layer of a silk carnation, don't you just love the 2 tone colouring ?

The papers used are from the Papermania Sweet Nothings pack. The 'ribbon' is from one of the sheets and the sentiment is from another. It is a great sheet with lots of different panels on it. I have matted this onto a scrap of dark purple cardstock and used glitter glue to highlight the dots that were on the panel and the ribbon. The button is from an accessory pack that I picked up from Poundland.

All papers have been dusted with my tiny almost dry ink pad which is perfect for distressing :)

Di Hickman January #4

This card was made using Di Hickman's latest sketch January #4.

Most of the items are Papermania. I purchased the Spring Burst pack of papers on Friday to cheer me up after losing my job (that's a good enough excuse for spending £20 I think !!)

The spotty paper and floral paper are from this pack, the cardstock is DCWV, the ribbons are Papermania, the blink is Paperchase and the rub on sentiments is from Letraset.

Di Hickman December # 2

I made this card for a double challenge, one for a forum challenge set by my great crafty mate Chocoholic and also using a Di Hickman Sketch December #2

The blank is from a LMC pack, the papers are Papermania Scrumptious. The ribbon is a Papermania felt ric-rac. The sentiment is a vellum with gold print from Lakeland and the butterfly is a layered sticker from a magazine freebie. A liberal amount of clear Sakura glitter pen has been applied to the hearts and butterfly.

I haven't made many cards yet this year but looking at the ones I have made I seem to be in a pretty pink phase at the moment.

Di Hickman December # 1

Love the sketch over at Di Hickman's this week, I was inspired to make this card as soon as I saw it and KNEW the 3 elements had to be snowflakes, must be because it is so bloody freezing in Birmingham at the moment. The UK is having a very cold spell, goodness me you'd think it was Christmas soon as the weather is doing what it is supposed to at this time of year !

The main paper on the background is a recycled gift bag from last year and the white snowflakes are flocked, it is so very tactile and I thought it was a perfect item to recycle. Best bit is it was a large bag so I've got a nice big piece left !

The ribbon is a sparkly wired edge one I got from Poundland some time ago. The sentiment is a DCWV sticker from the QVC drawer set. I punched holes and set eyelets with my Cropodile Big Bite and used the wire from the ribbon to 'dangle' the snowflakes from which were purchased as Christmas decorations.

I really like this card and think all the elements work well together. Thanks to Di for a great sketch.

Di Hickman Sketch October #5

Both these cards were made using the last October sketch on Di Hickman's blog.

The stamped images were from a forum swap that we did last year. I had coloured most of them using H20's but Christmas was a bit of a non event last year and I didn't end up making many cards.

I decided I was going to make the 2 cards at the same time using the same sort of things but in different colours.


The holly pattern papers are magazine freebies, the stripy paper is almost the last of the afore mentioned HOTP paper ( I only have a small sliver left!)

The sentiment strips have been cut from a sheet of freebie patterned paper and the sentiment panels are from the latest Lets Make Cards pack.

That's another 2 more Chrismas cards done! YIPPEE!!!!!

Di Hickman Sketch October #3

I used the latest Di Hickman Sketch to base this card around.

Now, for the record I do not like the word XMAS and it is very rare you will see me use it, however this sketch just screamed it to me so I went with my gut instinct.

The red cardstock, patterned paper and chipboard glitter letters are all from the DCWV drawer set from QVC and the brads are from an assorted Christmas designs pack I got from Lakeland in the sale last year.

Di Hickman August #2

I have a lot of family birthdays coming up so rather unlike me I am trying to get ahead of myself and not leave them to the last minute.

I was going through some bits and found the spotty border which is a funky foam one I have had for ages. When I saw the latest Di Hickman sketch I thought of this and immediately knew it would make a good design for a card for the little girl next door. She is a proper girly girl and likes anything pink.

The main pink paper and floral paper are from a Inspire Me pack I won from a draw on their website. The central panel is from a Dovecrafts Retro Floral pack, the sentiment is from my stash. The princess word is from recycled plastic packaging and the likkle girl is from a kids hair scrunchie. For definition I have used ink edging, loads of sakura clear glitter pen and layered using 3D foam.

Well that's one down and about 10 more to go !

Di Hickman Sketch August #1

I needed to make a RAK card for a forum buddy who is having a rough time of it at the moment and decided to use the latest Di Hickman sketch for it.

The sketch was designed to use the card closures that we all have but have never used (i know I've never used mine!)

The dimensions haven't worked out as well as I had hoped as I started off with an A5 piece of card and I hoped it would be a bit wider when finished, HEY HO !

The patterned paper is from the Papermania Amethyst floral pad. It has a border along one edge which I cut out and used as the bottom of the card. The right hand side is the same piece of paper - 1st time I have used that and I was quite please with the result. I added a liberal sprinkling of Sakura stardust pen to embellish the flower centres.

The card enclosures are chipboard from a Brenda Pinnick QVC TSV kit which I have used so much and still have tons left. I have used eyelets to attach them and have used my Cropodile Big Bite for the first time and absolutely love it. It makes punching holes and setting eyelets soooooo easy it is ridiculous, AND NO NOISE !!!!!! Paul will be really pleased about that as I have been known in the past to scare him half to death with my banging.

I will have a go at this style again but will make it a bigger card so I have more space to play with. I am really pleased with the finished result of this card though.

Di Hickman Sketch July #5

One of my forum buddies has managed to get me a Big Bite Cropodile from the QVC Clearance shop in Warrington for a silly price so I wanted to send her a card to say thankyou.

I used the current sketch from Di Hickman for inspiration but rotated it to make the elements fit.

Would you believe that the patterned paper, the main image and the sentiment are wallpaper? I went to choose some for our dining room last weekend and saw the coffee paper. It is mainly cream squares but every now and again it has a image or sentiment to do with coffee. The PP is a mettallic which has got a lovely sheen to it. Infortunately the scanner just cannot pick it up so you will have to take my word for it.

So tip of the day, go to your local DIY store and look at all the lovely patterned papers you have to choose from. Look at them with a different eye and you may find a way to expand your stash for nothing!

Di Hickman July #3

I used the latest sketch from Di Hickman as the layout for this RAK card.

The papers are Kate Knight's a Hink of Pink from Dovecraft and I have also got the chipboard shapes tin to go with it.

The papers are really nice, but I don't know what to do with them! I discovered that the pink chipboard flower is the same size as the black ones on the 8" square paper so tried to be a bit arty and overlaid it on the top of the paper. In hindsight I think I could have done with cutting through the paper lower down so the flower would stand out more. I inked along the edges to define the paper and the flower.

The stamps are the 99p sets from Dovecraft. Absolutely amazing value. I cannot believe they are so cheap. The gems are from Papermania. I played about and moved them 3 times until I was happy with them but I am still not sure they are in the right place. Something looks missing on this card, there is a lot of white background.... not right for me LOL

Di Hickman May #3

I don't always have time to do the Di Hickman challenges straight away, but I always do a little sketch and have a little clip on my desk so I can easily reach to them for inspiration for random cards and RAK's etc.

I used this sketch from Di as inspiration for the layout for this card.

Paper is from Dovecraft Retro Floral pack and I used a scrap of black card to mat it onto.

The flowers are Prima's cut in half and the buttons are Papermania. The sentiment is a clear sticker from MAMBI which I got in the sale at Capture the Magic

Steve's Birthday & Di Hickman Challenge June #1

Paul's Sister Jill has been going out with Steve for a couple of years and he has been a fabulous influence on our nephew CJ. I made this birthday card using a Di Hickman template and we gave it to him at a party on Sunday 29th.

It wasn't his birthday until Monday but I was absolutely gutted when it became apparrent that it was his 40th Birthday and I hadn't encorporated it onto the card. Paul said he knew and was surprised it wasn't on my card - I wish he had told me ! Bloody men !

Anyway the glitter cardstock used on the card is DCWV, the glittered S is from a recent DCWV QVC TSV (Phew) The ribbons are Anita's and one from Little Silver Hat. The black panel is accented with liquid pearls and the card banner is from my stash.

Love this design for a man, got a bit of bling on it but sophisticated at the same time.