ABC challenge V is for ....

This week's ABC challenge is

V is for Violet

I loved doing this challenge as violet/purple/lilac is my favourite colour.

I used this gorgeous Sugar Nellie stamp, Mailbox, and coloured it in using Distress inks. I matted her onto cardstock used my SU scallop punch to edge the Papermania paper. I ran the coredinations paper through my script embossing folder and them attacked it with an emery board!. I added two lots of ribbon from my stash, and a couple of gorgeous Prima Hydraganea flowers to finish it off.

I look forward to visiting your blogs this week to see your violet creations.

Dotty sketch

This week's Papertake Weekly challenge is to use spots or dots on your papers, and the Spoonfull of Sugar challenge is a fab sketch by Nikki, so I have combined the two challenges to create my 1st Christmas card of the year. Yes I said Christmas card. Having made nearly 200 in 3 months last year, I have decided to take a more organised approach and make a couple each week. It also means that I don't have to put those papers away and I can use the less Christmasy ones for other cards - well that's my excuse!!


I love this Sugar Nellie Snowflake image, she is really beautifully. I coloured her using distress inks (getting the hang of them more now!). The papers are all Basic Grey Wassail papers, and the spots come from the snowflake style paper. All the papers have been distressed using a Papermania earth tone ink pad, and I did some stitching. I added a gold organza ribbon, some Prima flowers and a snowflake charm (which isn't behaving itself!!) attached with wire. The snowflakes are picked out using stickles. The sentiment is computer generated.



Straightness has been an issue with this card - thanks to the cat. She is very keen on learning the art of crafting, so 'helps' with everything. She really loves my cutter bees so the stitching is wonky, she loves ribbon so helps pick it!!! What do I do?!!

Sketch and Stash Challenge #1

Becky, Chrissy and Lisa have launched a newly fortnightly challenge blog, Sketch and Stash, in which you follow a sketch and use something new/unused from your stash (there goes my resolution not to buy until I have used up my stash!!)


I coloured Tilda using my new (Christmas present!) promarkers and added part of a stamp from PB Transparent Salutations set in the corners using pink Papermania ink. The sentiment is from the same set. I matted Tilda on to Basic Grey Eva papers. Its the 1st time I have used this paper from the Eva pack - far to pink and busy for me, but perfect for my friend who will be getting it. I inked up 2 woodware corners and added ric rac and ribbon from my stash. The flowers are Prima (of course!).
There is a fab prize up for grabs so why don't you have a go?

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!!

A couple of challenges

My lovely hubby took the girls off for a tram ride and a junk food lunch to give me some crafting time so I had a go at three challenges, My time to Craft (simple elegance), PBSC (embossing) and Sketch Saturday.
I am trying to use up all my papers and ribbon before I get any more so I have used papers from the bottom of my stash for these.
These two cards follow the Sketch Saturday Sketch for this week.

I love this gorgeous Sugar Nellie, it has to be one of my favourites. I coloured her using distress inks (getting the hang of them now!). I matted her onto cardstock. I embossed the backing cardstock using my D'vine Swirls embossing folder and added a ribbon by Anitas. The corneres use Papermania papers and cardstock, the flowers are by Prima and I have distressed them a bit. I added lilac gems to the flowers and a bit of wire.

I followed the Sketch Saturday sketch for this lovely PB Embrace image. The papers are from my stash and Papermania. I embossed the bp using my Swiss dots folder and added prima flowers distressed with tattered rose ink. The ribbon is an Anitas.


I watercoloured the image and backed her in raspberry and black cardstock. I ran a piece of card through the CB folders, Happy Birthday and D'vine swirls, and scored the edges. I matted it onto raspberry and black cardstock and added a raspberry coloured ribbon from my stash. This is my Easy Elegance card for MTTC.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

A couple of other door plaques

I have been making door plaques for the rooms in our house, and made one to coincide with the launch of the new Sugar Nellie Challenge blog and its sister blog, Sugar Sugar. I thought I would show you a couple of the others I have made ...

I made this for the dining room. I used K and Co papers and Papermania earth tone inks to distress the papers.

I love this Sugar Nellie image and it reminded me of both my own two littlies and the little girl I mind - they are forever having tea parties and birthday parties for the cuddlies.

This is the one for the girls' room. I have had to add the ribbon and paper beads as Ellie was very taken with the ones I made for the Craft room plaque. There were 3 beads until a certain 4 legged member of the house got at the plaque!!

I used these gorgeous Magnolia stamps as they seem to reflect the girls' personalities so well. Ellie is growing out of pink and was happy to be coloured in blue, whereas Beth ("I like pink") had to have pink! I have tried to make it look as if they are sitting on the stairs.

The papers are all Making Memories and distressed the edges in making Memories rose ink. I did some faux stitching and used my Olivia CB alphabet for the lettering. The beads were made using off cuts, and the ribbon is from my stash.

I now have the slight problem that the plaque won't go in the frame unless the the beads get squidged!

Sugar Sugar beads!

OK so I am the first to admit I am a bit of a Sugar Nellie fan, so the new blog and and its sister blog have appealed to say the least!!

As a childminder I have started amking plaques for all the rooms in our house so the children know what is in them and where they can go. So I am making door plaques that will go in simple Ikea frames.

So I have used Marlene's tutorial on paper beads and Tiets sketch to create the plaque for my craft room. The tutorial for the paper beads can be found on the sugar sugar site. I was amazed at how easy they were to make.

This is Tiet's sketch

and this is the best photo I can do of the plaque!!

I have mounted it onto cream hammered card that has been distressed using Versafine Sepia and Papermania Earth tones. The lettering is Cuttlebug Olivia. I used my Hero Arts scroll stamps to add scrolls to the corners of the card.

The image is the gorgeous birdhouse, which to be honest I find too big for many of my card projects. I have coloured it using my Distress inks and created a background using them too. I distressed the edges in sepia and earth tones and did a bit of faux stitching. All the papers are Making Memories and Stampin Up. I scalloped the edge of one using my SU scallop punch.

The beads I made using off cuts from the papers - how therapeutic is bead making - a feel a new hobby coming on!! The buttons and ribbon are from my stash.

1st Sugar Bowl Challenge

The Sugar Bowl has launched its 1st challenge today, a sketch by Tiets. If you are a Sugar Nellie fan, you should check the blog out.

Its a fab sketch and I loved having a go at this challenge, might even make another card for it!

This is a large card for me, 6x6" as I love this blue swirl paper by K and Co, and really didn't want to cut it up. So I chose Rope Swing which is quite a big stamp and coloured it using Distress inks. All the papers are K and Co Bailey pad, and have been distressed using Making Memories Sky ink. The sentiment is Penny Black and again distressed with sky ink. I wanted to keep the card quite simple as it is for my Mum and she doesn't like fuss, and the papers are a bit busy, so I added blue organza ribbon from my stash and clear and blue adhesive gems.

Katharina's Sketch 37

Katharina does the most fantastic sketches and I love having a go at them. With the launch tomorrow of her latest WOJ stamps she has this to say ...

I thought I would combine my preview with a sketch challenge for you and even offer the cute little mouse as a prize for one lucky crafter.

So here is the sketch

and my interpretations - yes I did 2 and am really surprised how different they are.

I used Willow and umbrella for this one, and Basic Grey's Urban Prairie papers. I coloured Willow in in Distress inks and inked the edges of all the papers in Making Memories celery ink. I did a bit of faux stitching, using a white gel pen for a change and added ribbon from my stash. I used ribbon for the bits coming out of the square (very technical!!) and stapled them on. I added some green and blue gems for a bit of bling.

For this one I coloured Melinda in with promarkers and cut her out using my nesties. The papers are making memories and have been distressed with Distress ink (Tattered rose). For the bits coming out of the square I used a scroll stamp and stamped round the flowered square in Tattered rose distress ink. It just about shows up on the picture. I added little scrolls to two opposite corners and to the opposing corners of the image. I finished it off with ribbon from my stash and Prima flowers, fixed with papermania brads.

If you fancy a go at the sketch and a chance to win the cute mouse, you have until the 4th January.

I have been playing quite a lot with my promarkers and distress inks over the last week, but can't decide which I like the best. I love the effect of watercoloured images, but promarkers are so bold and quick.

So I have done a comparison using one of my Sarah Kay stamps - the one on the left has been coloured with distress inks and the one on the right promarkers. Which do you think is better/more effective?

Hubby prefers the distress inks, my mum the promarkers!!