Wednesday, 25 June 2008

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,

Tuesday, 24 June 2008

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.

Monday, 23 June 2008

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

Sunday, 22 June 2008

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.

Saturday, 21 June 2008

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,


Thursday, 19 June 2008

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.

Tuesday, 17 June 2008

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!