Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge week 81

It is my turn to set the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge and I have chosen

Friendship.

I have made this card for my best friend ... my lovely hubby.
I made this card at a crafting session at Wendy's (Secret Crafter). I watercoloured the iamge and used nesties labels to cut it out. The image is distressed using tumbled glass. I love this dp and matted it onto navy and grey cardstock. I love this colour of ribbon and just had to use it. Whilst the colours might not be the first that spring to mind for a romantic card ... but the image reminds me of depression Mid west and these colours are fitting for that.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Sarah Kay A Kiss for Chloe (Secret Crafter)
Colouring Media: Distress inks (Secret Crafter)
Papers: Basic Grey granola (Secret Crafter)
Embellishments: nestibilities and ribbon (Secret Crafter)

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #54

It's Mandy's turn to set the challenge this week, and she wants to see old or neglected stamps on your creations.
I found this cute Penny Black in my Christmas box ... not inked up for 2 years, poor thing!
I coloured the image in distress inks and then added 3d gloss to the baubles. I added some organza ribbon, punched snowflakes and gems. Still looking for the CHristmas sentiment stamps!! I know if I buy some more they will turn up!!

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Penny Black wishing
Colouring Media: distress inks
Papers: DCWV
Embellishments: punched snowflakes, gems and ribbon from stash

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #53

It's Debby's turn to set the challenge this week, and she has chosen Autumn colours. To me autumn is full of oranges and reds, golds and browns.
I love this image, and she reminds me of autumn breezes. I watercoloured her using orange and brown distress inks and then distressed the edges. Mellow has to be my favourite set of autumn papers, so they out they came! I used some leaves from last year's Magnolia Autumn kit and stamped over the cardstock in versamark and heat embossed them using gold embossing powder.
Here's a close up of them.
Do check out the other DT members' blogs to see theiur interpretations.
Recipe:
Stamp(s): Sugar Nellie Windswept; Magnolia autumn leaves and sentiment
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: Basic Grey Mellow
Embellishments:

Cute Critters

Wendy sent me some images of Tina Wenke's Cute Critters. There are really cute images, although maybe a bit too cute for me ... or so I thought until I started colouring them.

I watercoloured the image and resisted very hard the temptation to distress the background. I have kept the layout simple, just using 1 sheet of dp and cardstock. I added organza ribbon tags, some raffia and buttons to complete it.

As its a summery theme I am entering it into the Stampavie challenge.


Recipe:
Stamp(s): Tina Wenke Cute Critters Mouse on Orange Daisy
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: Basic Grey Urban Priarie
Embellishments: buttons, cotton, ribbon and raffia from stash

Secret Crafter Saurday Challenge #42

Its Donna's turn to set the challenge and its a recipe this week - 2 design papers, 3 buttons and 1 ribbon.

I coloured my image and distressed it in antique linen, tattered rose and shabby shutters before masking the image and spritzing with glimmer mist. I matted the dp onto olive green cardstock and punched some flowers. I added the buttons to the centres of the flower. I made a paper bead and threaded it through my ribbon.

Do take a peek at the other DT cards.

We're away this weekend - camping (?!) at Bodnant garedens so hopefully it will be nice enough to get to the beach ... but no crafting for me :(

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Sarah kay Spring blossoms
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: Basic Grey Porcelein
Embellishments: punched flowerrs, buttons and ribbon from stash

Take two Penny Blacks and a few challenges!!

What a busy weekend!! We have had friends staying so have been out and about with the girls, and the girls had a birthday party to go to. when we have people to stay the girls sleep in my craft room, so I haven't got back in there until this afternoon. I have made a couple of cards and combined a few challenges.

As both cards use flowers I am entering them both into this week's Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge which is flowers.

For the first card I combined the PBSC which was to use 3 shapes on your card with the Colour Create challenge which was red, cream and brown.

I love this PB stamp, but it has been neglected recently. I coloured it in distress inks (antique linen, fired brick, vintage photo and tea dye) and distressed the image. I used coredinations cardstock for the card and distressed it with my sander and inked the edges in brown. I punched my flowers and inked the edges. The cream cardstock does look pink on the photo, but it is cream. The shapes I used are circles, rectangles and and oval.

The second card uses this week's sketch from Sketch Saturday (I won last week's challenge :)!!) which I have flipped as the leaves didn't look right on the left.
I watercoloured the image and distressed it. As it quite big I didn't matt it,just put it onto the dp. I aded lace for the scalloped edge and organza ribbon. The flowers are punched out of dp fromthe same pack and the leaves cut out.

I haven't taken the pic at a very straight angle - oops!!

Carly from Carlz Cards has given me this fab award - thank you Carly. Doesn't that bunny look cheeky.For the award I need to tell you 10 things about myself and 10 crafty things about myself ... so I'll get baack to you when I have worked them out LOL!!

Off for my tea ... hubby is cooking so can't/daren't be late.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Penny Black Squeeze til I squeak; Sweet Slumber
Colouring Media: distress inks
Papers: Coredinations; Basic Grey Sugared
Embellishments: punched flowers, pearls, ribbon and lace from stash

Saturday challenges

I had a day crafting yesterday as Dave took the girls to Blackpool to allow me time to get ahead with my Design Team cards ... and I sneaked in a challenge card LOL!! I combined the Sketch Saturday sketch (but amended it a bit to fit a circle shape), Creative Crew's Round and round challenge, PBSC Anything Goes and Secret Crafter challenge, a Shape Card. The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge are also doing a DT call, and having participated so much and been lucky enough to win one of their prizes, I would love to be considered.

I made my card base using my nesties, I placed the circle so the fold was just inside the die. The card base is pearlised card which I have inked in silver. I used my nesties to cut out the various cricles, and my SU scallop punch to do the scalloped edges. the image is watercoloured and them I added stickles to it for a bit of sparkle. I stamped the sentiment onto pearlised card and cut it out using my nesties (where would I be without them LOL!). I used thin black velvet ribbon and the trim is a bit of glittered beaded paper from the same stack.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Cat on the Moon (Penny Black); Penny Black Party Critters sentiment
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: DCWV glitter stack, cardstock
Embellishments: velvet ribbon from stash

A little scene

Where does the time go - I can't believe it is already late afternoon! We had friends over yesterday and this morning, and after they left I attacked the compost heap and garden. I needed to empty the broken down heap on to the garden so I can start filling it again with all my veg waste. So it has all been moved from the heap at the back of the garden to the raised flower beds (my back loves me not now!). Ellie and Beth then helped me plant some bedding plants in the beds and some peas, dwarf beans and radishes in pots (thank you Auntie Jo-Jo!). When we bought the bedding plants Ellie was a little confused by the name ... she thought they were night time plants that you put by your bed!!
Anyway I have managed to drag myself from the glorious weather in the garden up to the craft room to make a couple of cards.
For this card I have used this week's Secret Crafter challenge, make a scene, and the sketch from Sketch Saturday (with just a ickle resizing of some of the elements!!)

I stamped Tilda and masked her before adding the grass and signpost. She is watercoloured as is the background. Again BG papers from the same pack, a smidge of ribbon and the punched flowers (but no swirl LOL!)

Here is a close up of the scene.I am quite pleased with the masking and positioning ... but it would be sooo much easier if they were clear stamps LOL!!

Well I really ought to be cutting the lawn or making the DT cards I need to for next week's challenges, but I have been a little neglectful on the blogging front for the last couple of weeks so I might put the kettle on and do some blog hopping.

Recipe:
Stamp(s):
Colouring Media:
Papers:
Embellishments:

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge

This easter holiday is turning out to be jinxed ... 1st we (well hubby) had to go back home to get all the things we (read he!) forgot, then the car boot gets dented, he traps my coat in the boot lock and tears it, Beth has got a bad cold/cough and is cutting her last back molar, and finally having arrived to 5 lambs on the land there are now only 3 :(.


However I have seen my lovely friend Samantha (and the girls got to harrass her chickens and ducks!) and been to the Papermill shop to stock up on card. And the weather has been glorious over the last couple of days. Oh and I have made a card!! This week's SCSC is a sketch with a colour combination, chocolate orange. Orange is well out of my comfort zone!

I watercoloured my image and cut her out. The matting layers are cut using mylabels nesties, and I added a WOJ swirl. I embossed the brown cardstock using my D'Vine Swirls folder. I used my fiskars threading water punch to make the scalloped edge and added the brads - they are supposed to rise towards the centre!) and some organza ribbon. The flowers are punched using my EK Success punches (green and pink) (hope this helps Jane!) and fastened together using an orange brad.
Ellie arrived in our roomthis morning at 6.30am devastated that the easter Bunny hadn't been as there were no chocloate treats on her bed... if she has used her eyes she would have seen the little basket with chocolate in on her bedside table!!! But heck whats the fun in that ... always better to wake the grown ups up really early!!!! So by 7am the girls had done the chocolate and treat hunt and were happily devouring chocolate!

Have a very Happy Easter Sunday.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Sugar Nellie Gorguss Girls Sitting; WOJ swirls
Colouring Media: image stamped in Versafine Sepia, distress inks
Papers: My Minds Eye Everyday Tango
Embellishments: punched flowers, bradsand ribbon from stash

Stripey Sketch Saturday

Where does the time go these days ... I can believe its already mid afternoon and I have hardly done any crafting, well non apart from the time it took Dave and the girls to go to the shop for some bread and milk. I have done the cleaning, gardening, tidied up outside ... being a childminder both inside and outside need a lot of tidying after the whirlwinds have gone ... and I have them full time next week, not just after school. So my week will be lots of tidying and no crafting!
On a better note, I have won this month's Secret Crafter prize so I am looking forward to doing a bit of shopping later on!
Well onto the card I have made for this week's Secret Crafter (Stripes) and Sketch Saturday.

I love the Making memories papers but haven't used them for ages, so out they came for the stripes. Melinda is coloured in using promarkers due to the small window of crafting time I had! She is matted onto papers from the same pack. I rotated the sketch, and used ric rac fro the scalloped edges. I tied some ribbon through a clear button and made it the centre of my floewr. Some simple brads finish the sketch. I wanted this to be quite clean and uncluttered so no extra embellishments, swirls, distressing!
We are off out later to stay with friends overnight so I am going to go and do the packing, and will catch up with the blog hopping tomorrow.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): WOJ Helpful Melinda
Colouring Media: Promarkers
Papers: Making Memories
Embellishments: brads, ribbon, ric rac, flower, button all from stash

April Showers and Christmas

Its been a mixed weekend really - horrible weather yesterday, and glorious sunshine today. Hubby is poorly, Ellie's still got a cough and Beth is ... well just Beth!! Dave took the girls to see old buses yesterday so I could get some crafting done ... made a couple of cards, sorted out and put away a load of toys and booked our summer holiday! Today I have taken the girls to a bouncy castle and football party - they now look like beetroots and are exhausted!
Anyway, as I said I made a couple of cards yesterday. The first uses the Sketch Saturday sketch, Faux stitching (Secret Crafter) and is a spring card (PBSC) - well I have done April showers which is spring (got a bit fed up of all the Easter cards I am making and the pastel colours!)
I watercoloured this gorgeous teddy and cut it out using my nesties. I haven't used this BG paper for ages, but thought it fitted the sketch and the spring theme with the colours and flowers. I used my cutter bees to pierce the paper for the faux stitching. I added a few flowers and wrote the sentiment myself, and put it in the centre of a flower.
I finally got round to the JCBC sketch - I have had the papers out and the image coloured for a few days.
I thought I would go for colours I don't normally use on Christmas cards - I got the 12x12 paper stack for about £5 after Christmas. I think it wotks. I added ribbon and punched snowflakes.

Well now I am going to go and sort duplo out into boxes - isn't that fun!! Have a great afternoon.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Penny Black Raining Daisies; Sugar Nellie Snow Love
Colouring Media: Distress inks; Promarkers
Papers: Basic Grey Eva; DCWV Christmas Stack
Embellishments: Prima and flowers and gems from stash; ribbon and gems from stash, punched snowflakes

Combined challenges (again!!)

We got back from a lovely weekend away last night, and I managed to get a card made (WOW!!) to fit three challenges:

PBSC (doodling), Secret Crafter (Favourite colour) and Sketch Saturday.

I love this ickle hedgie in the nutshell, and having coloured him I inked the edges and doodled. I used up scraps of my current favourite papers and doodled on and inked the edgesof some of them. I layered it all up onto my favourite colour of the moment - green, and stamped pink scrolls. Hubby got me some glamour mist from the girls as part of my Mothering sunday present so I sprayed some of that over the flowers and added gems. I stamped a sentiment to finish it off. Shock horror - it has no ribbon again (a total oversight!).

I have been amazed by the number of people who entered my blog candy - I will do the random generator thing later on this evening, and announce the winner. Thank you so much to all of you who entered.

Finally I am really sorry that i have not been visiting many blogs and making comments, especially those who have entered challenges on the ABC, DDCC and Sketch and Stash blogs - my laptop has died again and I have just been really busy with life in the last couple of week. Hopefully normality will resume this weeek and I can visit all you fantasic blogs.

Off to pick Ellie up and go to Tumble Tots (I am sure I am just a taxi service for my children's social life LOL!!)

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Penny Black In a nutshell; Scrolls TAC; Papermania sentiment
Colouring Media: watercolour pencils
Papers: DCWV Nursery stack; cardstock from stash
Embellishments: Prima flowers

Edward's good luck card

Vicky's little boy, Edward, starts Nursery on Monday, so I have made him a good luck card.

I masked Oakley off so I could have him sitting on the steps, and then coloured the image in Distress inks. I edged the image in ink too. I followed this week's Sketch Saturday sketch by Ria, but have kept it quite simple and boyish (no ribbon and flowers again!!). I love these MME papers - love the distressing in them!

As I have masked Oakley and the steps, this is my card for this week's Saturday Secret Crafter Challenge.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Oakley in slipover; Magnolia steps
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: MME Everyday Tango
Embellishments: buttons from stash

Diamond duckling

Its a sketch challenge over at the Saturday Secret Crafter this week. It is niteresting that both Friday Sketcher and Secret Crafter have done triangles on their cards ... I love both sketches and have mastered cutting the triangles!
I have made a cheerful spring card, that I will probably use as an Easter card. I watercoloured the image and cut it out using my nesties. I love these papers and matted them onto matching golden yellow cardstock. I cut the photo corners using a woodware chipboard one as a template. Flower brads finish it off.
I am really 'off' over embellishing my cards at the moment, definitely liking a more clean and simple look ... oh and it saves on stash LOL!!


Recipe:
Stamp(s): Penny black Duckling
Colouring Media: Distress inks
Papers: Doodlebug, cardstock
Embellishments: Papermania brads

Sketch Saturday

This is just a quick post - we are back from my parents, girless :)! We've had a great weekend, seeing 2 lots of friends and playing in the remains of the snow. I managed to find time to make this card using ther Sketch Saturday sketch this week. I just have to do the unpacking and sorting out now.

I do make quite a few Easter cards, and I am loving this image for the non-religious ones (I have to make religious ones for my mum). I have used spring colours for the papers and watercoloured the image. I have used the knot in the ribbon for the circle on the sketch. I worte the sentiment myself - need to practise the handwriting LOL!

I will be blog hopping like mad tomorrow catching up with everyone.

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Penny Black Embrace
Colouring Media: Distress ink
Papers: Doodlebug, cardstock
Embellishments: ribbon and brads from stash

PBSC sketch

This week Nat has desingned a sketch for the PBSC. I love sketches so just had to have a play will the girls warmed up in bed - it is really cold and murky today in the Lake District.

I do love this cat and thought I might use it for a couple of Easter cards - with the miserable weather I feel like looking forward to brighter, warmer days and ... chocolate!! I have rotated the sketch to suit the image. I watercoloured the image and cut it out using my nesties. I love these bright colours - very Spring like - and the armful of daffodils. This week's Secret Crafter challenge is Spring so this will also be entered for that.
Recipe:
Stamp(s): Penny Black Embrace
Colouring Media: distress inks
Papers: Doodlebug, cardstock from stash
Embellishments: ribbon from stash, brads by Papermania, flowers by Prima

Tilda with rose

I have made a simple thank you card fro my Mum as she is going to have the girls for a few days at half term so I can get some bits and pieces done ... she thinks cleaning, I think mega crafting!!LOL

Vicky gave me this image and I am so tempting to buy the stamp, Tilda is so beautiful. I have coloured her in purplpes to match the rose. When I was little I thought roses were red, white, pink or yellow as thats what grew in out garden. But then a lady up the road began to grow these beautiful lavender coloured roses and every time I walked past her garden with Mum we would stop to look at them. Well after the trip down memory lane (LOL) I kept the card simple as the dp is so gorgeous. The bow is off a box of chocs (yes I have the kind of friends that buy us chocs based on the adornments on the box, rather than the contents!) so I am using this as my Secret Crafter card this week, as their theme is recycling.

The last card I made today was a get well card for a friend who hads just has a knee replacement op. Again the image is from Vicky, but I couldn't resist using it, especially with the plastered knee (shame its the wrong leg!!). Again I have kept it nice and simple - fuss is definitely not his style!

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Tild with Rose, Bandaged Edwin
Colouring Media: Promarkers
Papers: Kanban: K & Co Hopscotch
Embellishments: ribbon from stash, bow from choc box.

First Love

Another combined challenge for me. I have used the Sketch Saturday sketch, the recipe from Secret Crafter (1 image, 2 papers and 3 embellishments) and the Charisma Card challenge theme, love, to create this card.

This is one of my new acquisitions from the Glitterpot sale. Rather than do the traditional pink/red colour theme, I chose these lovely blue and purple papers, and I think they go so well with these Rachelle Anne Miller stamps. And I managed to get the scallops right this week!

Recipe:
Stamp(s): Lily and Milo First Love
Colouring Media: Promarkers
Papers: DCWV Adhesive papers
Embellishments: ribbon, buttons and heart gems from stash

Secret Crafter Challenge

This week's Secret Crafter challenge is to make anything but a card. I have been making a book for a very special friend who is going through a bit of low patch. I finally finished it today.

The book is 6"x6" and covered in papers from my stash (think they might by Stampin' Up). I love the flower and butterfly detail on them. I coloured these two Sugar Nellie Sweet Art Ebony's using distress inks and cut them out. I made paper beads using Marlene's tutorial on the Sugar Bowl. The text at the bottom is from a Making Memories Defined set. The flowers are Prima and the ribbons from my stash. I made a bookmark using matching ribbon and a paper bead.

I don't often show pics of my gorgeous Gremlins ... however this is Ellie drawing a hot air balloon with a flower on it. Not bad for a 4 year old I think (and certainly better than me LOL!)

Secret crafter sketch and beads

I have completed my card for this week's Secret Crafter. It is a fab sketch which I have rotated by 180 degrees.

I coloured this gorgeous Sugar Nellie, Penpal, using distress inks. I am getting better using them, but it is still a bit hit and miss!! (not helped i have to say by the cat!)
I used K and Co papers and doodled round the papers and images. I used an earth tone from Papermania to distress all the papers - it adds an almost gold touch to the papers.
I added ivory lace to under the image to add a vintage touch.

Finally i made the tag, which I punched using my Dovecraft punch. I distressed it using the earth tone ink and then made paper beads (love these!). I used a cocktail stick rather than a bamboo stick which made finding ribbon to thread through a little difficult. I found this ivory fibre that with some encouragement threaded though the beads. A lovely Prima flower and white brad finished the tag off.

So this card is going to friend who I didn't write to at Christmas - I sent her a card but didn't do a letter in due to living in the sick house and having loads to do. This is the guilty catch up card!!