Tilda and Co challenge

This week's challenge over at Tilda and Co is a sketch created by Lorraine. As I am in the process of making baby cards, I thought I would do a ...baby card using an image kindly sent by Lorraine. Many thanks Lorraine.

The papers are from K and Co and I have used cream cardstock. I love the delicate scrolling and swirling pattern in the paper and thought it would work well on a baby card. Tilda is matted onto pearlised blue card, and then cream. The ribbon is from my stash and the yellow flower is by Making Memories.
The wording will be added later.

So thats 7, only 8 to go!

My Sarah Kays

I have put the baby cards down today and had a play with my Sarah Kays. Yes, that meant breaking a promise and stamping before I had used up all my stamped images ... but they are new so that can't possibly count, can it?! And I am coming to terms with the fact that my younger daughter has possiblt thrown my Sweet Ebonies in the bin, just before bin day!!! I can't find them anywhere, but still looking. Sadly they're out of stock too. I am not a very happy bunny!

I loved colouring these Sarah Kays in, but have struggled finding papers to matt them onto.



For this one, Picnics of Daisies I have used Papermania cardstock and K and Co papers. The flowers are Primas with brads from stash.








For this one, Precious Moments I have used Papermania's Rettro Floral papers and Prima flowers.

I have got back into faux stitching and think these really suited the stitched look.

Need to experiment with a few more papers I think.

Baby cards

I have been asked to make 15 (!) baby cards. I hardly ever make them so have been struggling a bit for ideas. I have used images and papers kindly sent to me by some crafting firends as my baby stamp/image selection is rubbish!!

The Penny Black Saturday challenge is to use the colours pink, brown and green. I have managed to incorporate this on to a baby card!!

I have used a selection of cardstock and papers, mainly Papermania. The image was kindly sent to me by Helen. The flower is by Making Memories, and the little ones are Primas.

Here are some of the others I have done so far.

The Tilda image has been sent by Lorraine, with a lovely house mouse image and a gorgeous card - thank you Lorraine!.

The card I have used for the CCT challenge is also one of the 15 - only 9 to go!!!

Sweet Ebonies and sketches

I have had another go at one of Katharina's sketches. I tried it out earlier in the week but felt the image was a little small, so I have used this Sweet Ebony image, Picking Apples.

The papers are by Roam by K and Ko. I have used Prima flowers attached with a brad.

Katharina has set up a YAOB (Your Artwork on her blog) and is featuring one person's artwork each week that uses one of her sketchs. If you use a Sugar Nellie then you are in with a chance of getting a Sugar Nellie stamp if your work is chosen.

This is for the Friday Sketchers sketch this week. The image is Sweet Ebony's Flower. I have used a selection of K and Co papers and chosen yellow as the theme. I had slight accident involving a cup of tea, but I think I have recovered it!!

The flowers are Making Memories and the scrolls are peel offs. I haven't added any text yet, as I am not sure what I am going to use it for.

baby card

The challenge this week from Cute Card Thursday is to make a card using no commercial backing papers. You have to create your own.

I have used my Cuttlebug embossing folders to pattern these papers, using the Swiss Dots and D'vine Scrolls folders. The cardstock in pastel blue and yellow is from Papermania. The organza yellow ribbon is from stash, as are the three yellow ducks. The image is, of course, Penny Black, which I have watercoloured and matted off centre onto the yellow. I have used a simple silver peel off for the greeting.

Thanks for looking,

Have I got competition?!

The challenge over at Tilda and Co is to be dotty.

I have gone for a very simple card this week.
I do love this Flower Power Tilda and her slightly windswept hair.

The spotty paper is K and Co, the yellow paper by Papermania and the flowers and ribbon from stash.


The main reason for the simplicity was that I was trying to make this card while Ellie and Beth had a go at making cards for one of their Aunties.



This is Ellie's (aged 3 and a 1/2!) card. She has done it all herself and used my water brush to blend(?!) the reds. I know her Auntie is older than Ellie but ...! Somewhere under all the candles and red is a pink petticoat image - obviously hot stuff!!

I think Ellie was having a 'need to put it all on' moment!



This is Beth's (age 21 months) card. She has coloured it all herself, and the only help I gave her was to peel the stickers of the sheet for her.
I think Beth might have added more ...only Ellie didn't leave her much!






I am sure their Auntie will love it!

Summer Tilda

The challenge at Tilda and Friends ATC challenge blog this week is

Summer in bloom

This week we would love to see you create an ATC featuring summer flowers such as roses, lilies, lilacs, summer daisies etc.

This is my ATC that I have made for a swap. I have used Swing Tilda and sat her on the old bench using foam pads to get some depth. The background is watercoloured and some Goblin spells grass added. The blooms are Goblin Spells sweet briars. I have coloured them in to look like the wild roses in my mum's garden.

She is in pink (my SBS sister Sue will be wondering what's happening to me!!) as Ellie helped me do the background, and she wanted Tilda to be pink so ... she is!

Ellie says it is her - when her hair grows!

Hope you like it,

My 1st Shaker Card

I keep looking at shaker cards and thinking I must have a go - so I have.
The challenge over at My Time to Craft this week is to use circles - the shaker is a circle. I have hidden the edges with flowers in an attempt to create a tree effect. I have put red and green punched circles in the shaker to represent apples in a tree!
The stamp is a Sugar Nellie - Sweet Ebony, and it is the 1st I have coloured. I am also using this card for the Spoonfull of Sugar challenge, which needs to have checks on it. I have used checked ribbons and paper.
The backing papers are K and Co and the flowers prima nad Making Memories. The brads are all Papermania.
Not sure I like it. -hmmmm.

Thanks for looking.

Katharina's sketches

I love using Katharina's sketches, and this week I get the chance to use two!

The Papertake weekly challenge is a sketch by Katharina.

Its a simple sketch that looks really effective. I loved the opportunity to use all the gorgeous papers I have that I often don't use as I feel they get lost behind images (I just sit and stroke them!LOL).

The papers are all K and Co. I love the rose pattern, but it doesn't look right with many of my cute images. It sits perfectly on this green paper.

I added pastel blue ribbon to the pink card (it is double sided K and Co) to highlight the blue in the roses.

I don't often put sentiments on my cards, and rarely use peel offs, but this silver peel off looks just right on this paper.

The flowers are Making Memories and I have added gems to the centre for a little sparkle.

This sketch I found on Katharina's blog - she has used a lovely island girl as her image. I have chosen Maggie as I am using up my stamped images before I start stamping again!

The papers are K and Co again, and some cardstock from my stash.

I think the image is a little small for the sketch so the proportions aren't perfect, but I love the backing paper, so you get to more of that!I have used peel offs again -just because they were out.

Katharina will be choosing 1 card on Sunday to feature on her website. Sugar Nellies Blog are also offering a lovely stamp if your card is chosen.

Hope you like,
Hugs

Friday Sketchers

This week's Friday Sketcher's challenge has been set by Murmur. Its a fab sketch, but I am not sure I have done it justice. I was asked to make a card for a girly girl in candy colours - not my strong point!Lol.
I have used an ATC that I made and decided not to send as a swap as the topper. The papers are K and Co and Papermania Retro Floral. I am not sure about it as it is too pink and girly for me - but hubby says its great and suits the girl it is for.

Sassy Crafts have set the following challenge:

Now this one is a real easy challenge!!It's your chance to win a Magnolia stamp from our stock!! Yes, thats right - the winner gets to choose the Magnolia stamp they want (stamp must be in stock).All you have to do is create a craft project of your choice, there are no rules except for it must contain at least one magnolia stamp and the stamp must be the focal point!! The rest is up to you.

So I am going to use this card for that too.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - friendship

This week's challnge from the Penny Black Saturday Challenge is to a make a friendship card. I love this stamp Sweet Slumbers, and so many of my close girl friends are choc-aholics, so I thought I would make a card dedicated to them. I know if I needed a choc fix, any one of them would (possibly reluctantly!) give up their chocs for me. Fortunately for them I'm not that keen on chocs!!
I have watercoloured the stamp and matted it onto some papers form my stash. The backing paper is from one of my new K andCO pads, and I have finished it off witha cerise ribbon and a couple of prima flowers with gems in the centre. I have added a computerised motive.

Hope you like it.

Cute card Thursday - a birthday card

The Cute Card Thursday challenge this week was to make a birthday card. I really enjoyed making the gatefold card that my SBS sister Kylie introduced to the sisterhood (look here for my last attempt), so I have had another go. This card is for a friend's little boy.
I have used some scrapbook pages I have as a backing - the ribbon and buttons are part of the pattern. I faux stitched diagonally along the bottom edge. The stamps are Penny Black and the butterfly is a stickeroo. I used my Cutlebug to do the exta balloons.
I used the computer to generate the text and mounted it on the edging of the scrap book paper. The butterflies, dragonfly and mushroom are stickeroos, and the Stamp Penny Black's Balloon Days. I love this type of card - it is just a little time consuming.

Whilst I was in the mood I made this birthday card using Hamish. The papers are by K and Co. It is rare for me to put a text/greeting on my cards, but I thought this needed something, so I have added the gold peel off.

I also did this card for another friend and a challenge on the docrafts forum.
The backing paper is a free download, the matting papers from cardstock. I love this stamp, Party Animals (Penny Black) and it is great for children's cards. The balloons are made using my Bug. I made the scalloped border using my Fiskar cutter and shape template. I added some gold glitter glue to the balloons to add a bit of sparkle.

Hope you like them,

Busy couple of days

Its been a bit hectic here over the last couple of days. Ellie has got tonsillitus again, and was sent home from Preschool on Tuesday. The poor thing has got a really high temperature and doesn't know what to do with herself. While Ellie just wants to be cuddled Beth wants to be played with, preferrably outside - not sure how I have managed to amuse both of them!!

The hubby forgot that his MOT was due until yesterday - the day it was due, so I have been at the garage today with it - a really 'pleasant' experience with a poorly 3 year old and a hyperactive 2 year old!!

We also have my Mum's dog staying with us for a couple of days. Pav is Butch's sister so is brought back lots of memories, and getting his dishes out for her last night was a bit tear inducing.

Anyway here's hoping Ellie is going to be better tomorrow, so life can resume to the normal chaos it is!

Amidst all of the above I have managed to craft and change my blog template! I got a bit bored of the last one and I have a little treat money, so I have asked Donna to make a me a header.

Ellie made a card this afternoon whilst I tried to have a go at the Tilda and Friends ATC challenge. Jacqui is the guest designer and set this challenge:
"I've been blogging now for around 2 months and been inspired by so many wonderful blogs that I've visited during that time, so you can imagine my surprise and pleasure when I was asked to be a guest designer for Tilda & Friends, the first blog I visited! I was asked to come up with a theme for the challenge and with the longest day of the year almost upon us my inspiration comes from my favourite Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. I'm looking forward to seeing all your Midsummer creations."

I didn't think fairies (it was my O level Shakespeare text so done to death!), I thought Summer Solstice.So I have made 2 ATCs based on Tilda watching the sun rise at Stonehenge. Ellie has helped alot so they are quite simple. We used brush markers and a water pen to create the background (Ellie loved that bit!), and I cut stones out of beige cardstock as I don't have any grey, and inked the edges. Ellie dabbed them with a sponge of black ink to add a bit of texture. We used glitter glue to add sparkle to the moon and the sun, and on the night one a bit of iridescent glitter glue at the base of the stone. Ellie added the gems - they are moths at night (she can be a little pedantic!).

This is the card that Ellie made on her own while I was colouring Tilda. It is a bit PINK! She has collaged the background, coloured the image and used my water brush, and stuck some gems on. The finishing touch is the generous amount of pink glitter glue which took all afternoon to dry!!

Hope you like them.

Kylie's SBS 17 challenge

My lovely SBS sister sister Kylie makes some beautiful cards. Based on one of her cards (Katharina's Papertake sketch) she has set all the SBS 17 sisters a challenge to make a long gatefold card with a message which follows from the outside of the card to the inside.

So this is my 3rd attempt and is work still in progress!!! I had problems with the PB hedgy stamps I was using - I kept cutting the wrong bits! So I have resorted to using 2 of my birthday Tildas (the basket one is from Vicky).

Anyway onto the card.
I made the gatefold card using white cardstock.
The patterned papers are from Tescos - Card Inspirations I think. I have tried to create a feeling of grass and sky, but still have a pattern. I have watercoloured Tilda with a flower and mounted her across the opening of the gatefold. I have used a gold peel off in a pink very large die cut flower,and completmented it with a gold peel off on the opposite side. I cut small die cut flowers around her feet with Papermania gems at their centres. The stamped text is a Hero Arts stamp. I have added green gingham ribbon to soften the edge of the card.




Inside I have used Tilda with a basket which was a birthday present off Vicky. I have used the same die cut flowers and complementary gold peel offs as on the front, and the Hero Arts greeting stamp.
I have also used some Prima Autumn green fowers as it looked a bit bare, again with papermania gems.

It is looking a bit bare so I am going to add some butterflies, ladybirds etc - just waiting for the gloss to dry!
Looking at it now I am also going to add a bit of gloss to the wellies to make it look like Tilda has been walking through dewy grass! So I will update the pics later.

Hope this is what Kylie meant!!

Finally finished it to my liking. I have added Cuttlebug 2 die cut butterflies and PB Stickeroo bees and ladybirds. I glossed Tildas' toes and glossed the inside of one of the butterflies and the outer of the other.

Two challenges in one

For the Papertake challenge this week you have to use hot colours, and for the Spoonfull of Sugar challenge you have to make a card for a celebration.

I have been dying to use some of my K&Co papers as they are really bright, but until now haven't had the courage! The backing papers are from K&Co Kimberley Hodges pack. I have scalloped the bottom edge of the cerise paper.
Maggie is watercoloured in oranges and matted on the yellow paper and the striped papers from Papermania's Retro Floral papers.

I have finished it off with a dark pink ribbon and two layered die cut flowers.

I nearly forgot the greeting (oops) so it is a little squashed!

Hope you like it!

Serendipity

The challenge at Tilda and Co this week is ...

Serendipity!

You may be thinking what is Serendipity? Well it is a Fun Crafting Techniquethat i thought would be fun for us to all do as a challenge, Also it is a Great way to use up all your scraps of paper!

Well I confess I had heard of it vaguely, but always thought too much like the collaging I spent years doing in infant classrooms (and spent hours de-glueing myself!!LOL)! Well now its my turn to have a go and I have to confess that I have loved it!




I spent yesterday evening tearing and glueing scraps of paper onto a sheet of cardstock. I have gone for purples and a tinge of pink and green. I have used lots of different types of papers, and ones with bits in or embossed to create some texture. I added skeleton leaves for texture and interest.
I left it overnight to dry.






I cut it into squares and randomly picked 9 of them. I have tried to choose the squares so there is a variety of colour and texture. I mounted these onto lilac/purple cardstock.












Finally, I chose a Shabby Chic Tilda, partly because of her size as I didn't want to take too much away from the background. I was going to choose the sitting Shabby Chic but it seemed popular with the Design Team so I went for this one instead.
I have watercoloured her in tones to match the backing and matted her onto lilac and dark purple cardstock.
I played around with the positioning for a long time before I finally decided on where she should go.
I feel that I need something else but having tried ribbon and flowers I haven't been happy with the effect. Any ideas!


A great challenge, and I have loved it!
Thanks for looking,

Penny Black Saturday Challenge

This was a challenge in more ways than 1!

The 1st week's challenge was to use your 1st PB stamp - I can't remember!!! I have had to extensive research through my galleries on forum and the PC to work out roughly which was my 1st!!!

I think (but not 100% sure!!) that this is my 1st stamp - Spring Air. I have watercoloured the image and used gloss on the wellie to make them shine. I wasn't thinking so I glossed before I matted, so had to wait for ages while it dried - the waiting was another challenge!

I have matted the image onto orange and yellow cardstock and then onto DCWV Pocketful of Posies paper. The striped background is from a download. The quilled flowers and leaves are my own (not too bad, if I do say so myself!!) and I have doodled the stems (as I couldn't get the quilling paper to stick on its edge! (a failed challenge on my part!)). The greetings are from PBs transparencies sets, again mounted onto orange and yellow cardstock.

I love this card!! Hope you do too.