Pink and Black

I had a lovely, crafty evening to myself yesterday, and here's what I made.  The stamp was a magazine freebie from a few months ago but I hadn't got round to inking it up until now.  Isn't she just the sweetest?!  She been coloured with Promarkers and Flexmarkers, then I glittered her wings and the topper edge with Star Dust Stickles.  The sentiment is from the same freebie stamp set as the fairy.
The patterned papers are mag freebies too, which I've teamed with black card, pink mirri and pink satin board.
Both the border punch and the punch around the page set are Martha Stewart and the flowers and leaves were made with Marianne dies.
A black organza bow and a few gems finish my card off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Crafty Bloggers - #2 - pink and black
I Love Promarkers - #132 - anything goes
Sketch 'n' Stash - #95 - sketch
In the Pink - #2 - things with wings
My Mum's Craft Shop - #72 - all the threes - I used 3 roses, 3 large pink gems and three black gems
Bearly Mine - #50 -anything that glitters

Boofle Gift Bag

Here's my Monday night project from this weeks craft session.  We started our evening with tea and home made mini ginger cakes and then set to work decorating gift bags.  The brown paper bags are actually lunch bags from Poundworld, you can't complain at ten for a pound!  They're not the strongest bags in the world and benefited from some extra glue on the handles and some card stuck inside along the bottom, but hey, it's for gift wrapping and they'll do the job just fine for that, although, if I decide to give ninja death stars in them, I'll have to wrap them well in bubble wrap!!
The Boofle papers and decoupage are from the new Docrafts goody bag, which I picked up yesterday and couldn't wait to play with!  The bag is filled with lots of Christmas crafty goodness, all very usable stuff.
I made the bunting with my much used Stampin' Up punch and added Papermania cardstock letter stickers and some red buttons between the flags.
A matching tag was die cut from kraft card. and decorated with a Boofle sticker and a red bow before being attached with paper raffia and edged with Star Dust Stickles.  I also backed the tag with white card to make reading a handwritten message easier.
I'm sure I'll be making a few more of these gift bags as Christmas approaches!

I'm entering this project in the following challenges -
Tuesday Alchemy - #29 - bee, guitar, lunch - I used a lunch bag
Allsorts - #169 - it's a gift
Crafty Ann's - #72 - Christmas

Time for Cake

I was lucky enough to win three Limited Runs digis recently and I just had to play with this one.  My mouth was watering as I got busy with my Promarkers!
I've gone with neutral shades again, I seem to be having a brown phase!  The papers are ancient Papermania ones, I've got the blues ones with the same designs too, I must use them more because I still really like them even although they're geriatric.  I teamed the Antique Cream papers with kraft core Core'dinations and some Papermania textured cardstock on a 5x5 kraft blank, an inch smaller than my usual size.
The sentiment was a Papermania mag freebie and the flower was made with Xcut dies with a Card Candi centre.
A bow and some gems finish it off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

 Sweet Sketch












Love to Create - #30 - handmade flowers
Tammy's Scrappin' Corner - #25 - lots of layers
Crafts 4 Eternity - #86 - food
Emergency Crafters - tea and cake
Pixie Dust Studio - food
Emerald Faeries - #30 - dies and punches

Quirky Crafts GDT Card

I'm delighted to have been chosen as a guest designer for the Quirky Crafts challenge blog for their current challenge which starts today.  The theme is "Farmyard with a Recycled Element" and was lucky enough to be given this lovely Limited Runs digi to play with are they are the sponsor for this challenge.  My recycled elements are to kraft card which is made from recycled paper and the buttons which are from a favourite blouse which recently fell apart.  Luckily, it had had donated it's body to science and I was able to remove the buttons before laying it to rest!
I coloured the image with Promarkers and stamped the sentiment with a stamp from a Personal Impressions set.
The papers are positively geriatric, a Dovecraft stack I've has since the dawn of time, which I've teamed with kraft, scuffed edges, rolled corners and twine for a rustic look.  The horseshoe charm was left over from making some wedding stationary, I thought it was the perfect embellishment to go with the cute horse image.
The border punch is Martha Stewart, the flowers were made with Nellie Snellen punches and the foliage with a Marianne die.  A few gems finish it off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Great Impressions - animals
One Stitch at a Time - #128 - use a digi
The Crafty Pad - twine
Come and Get It - 3D flowers
A Gem of a Challenge - #53 - animals or teddies
Sweet 'n' Sassy - #68 - photo inspiration, I used the colours
I Love Promarkers - #131 - transport (horseback is my favourite way to travel, I can't drive but I can ride!)

All Aflutter

It was my lovely crafty buddy, Alison's, birthday on Friday and this is the card I made for her.  It's another gatefold stepper, this time using Prima Sun Kiss papers. The panel at the back was made with a Kanban stamp which was stamped in Rich Cocoa Memento ink.  I then coloured the butterflies with Promarkers, glittered with Stickles in Yellow and Aqua, and, once that was dry, glazed with Anita's 3D Gloss.  When the glaze was dry, I added some colour with Distress Ink in Scattered Straw and Wild Honey.  Finally, I gave it a spritz with a gold Cosmic Shimmer spray, wiping the butterflies clean.
The other butterflies were fussy cut from the paper and the sentiments are Papermania from the Tulip range.

A close up of the main panel.

The back where a message can be written.

The card closed.  I made the flower with a Woodware punch with Flower Soft in the centre.  The leaves were made with a Spellbinders die.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Crafty Catz - #147 - ribbons and bows
Pattie's Creations - #51 - birthday
The Poodle's Parlour - winged things
Dare to be Sassy - #139 - decorate the inside
The Paper Shelter - #78 - anything goes
Flourishes - #183 - butterflies, bees, spiders
Creative Stamp Friends - #58 - unusual card shape 

Fussy and Fancy DT Card

Today sees the start of a new challenge over at Fussy and Fancy, this time our theme is "Back to School".  The schools in Inverness have already been back a fortnight, it'll be the October holidays before we know it!
I've gone a bit left field with my card, choosing to steer away from bright colours and cartoon style kids, opting for a vintage feel instead .  I've had this lovely image stored on my computer for a while now, waiting for the right project to come along, so I was delighted to print her off and play with her.  The image is from Free Vintage Digital Stamps and has been coloured with Promarkers, including some of the new Autumn limited edition ones.  I then went in with Old Paper and Antique Linen Distress Ink to add some age to my bright white cardstock.
The scrummy papers are Prima Botanicals, a recent magazine freebie, and are just divine, I love the soft vintage colours.
The lacy border strips were made with a Martha Stewart punch and given a hint of Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  The flowers were made with Nellie Snellen punches and the leaves with a Marianne die.
Some ribbon, a bow, some pewter pearls and a scattering of blobs of Pearl Pen provide the finishing flourishes.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Digi Haven - days gone by
Crop Stop - #86 - back to school
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - #49 - back to school
Digi Doodle - #122 - use pearls
Inky Impressions - back to school
Simon Says Stamp - back to school
Raise the Bar - back to school
Simply Create Too - #20 - back to school

Pink and Brown

I haven't had this sweet Gorjuss stamp out for a while, I think she might be my all time favourite Gorjuss girl as she's so versatile, so I dug her out for a play.  When I saw the challenge over at Passion for Promarkers, which is "Mono with Contrasting Hair", it sounded fun so I decided to have a go.  I love challenges for getting me to try something new!  I went for neutral browny shades with pink hair.  I was tempted to go wild and whacky with the colours but eventually settled for soft tones.  She has, of course, been coloured with Promarkers.
The papers are Papermania Capsule Collection in Lincoln Linen, I love these collections, as you may have guessed, as I use them a lot.  I added in a bit of kraft for matting and the leaves.
The flower was made with Spellbinders Poinsettia dies, the old ones from a few years back.  They're quite versatile for making all sorts of flowers, not just poinsettias.  I cut three medium and three small flowers from kraft core Core'dinations, giving them all a scrunch and a good sanding before shaping and layering.  The stamens were made with a Nellie Snellen punch.  The finished flower was then lightly dabbed with PVA and sprinkled with Glamour Dust for a touch of sparkle.  The punched strips were made with a Martha Stewart punch from the same card as the flower.
The sentiment is from a Personal Impressions set, and has been die cut and edged with Platinum Stickles.
Ribbon, bow, pearls, done!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Passion for Promarkers - #163 - mono with unusual hair
The Paper Shelter - #78 - anything goes
Lollipop Crafts - #87 - anything goes
Tammy's Scrappin' Corner - #24 - anything goes
The Pink Elephant - #162 - make your own embellishments, I made the flower and bow

Yellow Lily

As we are at the dying breaths of summer, I decided to make something in sunny yellow before I move onto my autumn and winter projects.  Here in the Highlands, many of us still have lilies flowering as they came up so late because of the poor weather.  I love their heady scent and large blossoms.
The image I've used here is a digi from A Passion For Stamps and it's been coloured with Promarkers.
The papers are all Papermania Capsule Collection in Sunshine, a pack I've had for ages, which I've teamed with kraft.
The leafy border punch is by EK Success and the butterfly is an Anita's Flutterdie.
I simply finished my card with some flower shaped buttons threaded with baker's twine, a twine bow, some gems and a butterfly trail of Pearl Pen.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Love to Create - #29 - yellow, kraft and one other, I used green
Tuesday Morning Sketches - #160 - sketch
Crafty Sentiments - flowers
Craft Your Passion - #123 - power of three, I used three buttons
Created With Love - #3 - three of a kind, I used three buttons
Robyn's Fetish - #121 - use a digi
Crafty Creations - #184 - gems and twine

Cutie Pie DT Card

Today sees the start of a new challenge over at the Cutie Pie challenge blog.  This time our theme is "Borders and Frames", please do pop on over and play along.  Our sponsor this time is the fab Pink Gem, with digis up for grabs as a prize.
For this challenge the DT were all lucky enough to get a digi of our choice to play with and I just had to have this adorable image.  Does anyone remember the kid's TV show Pigeon Street?  These chickens so remind me of the pigeons on that programme!  I've used my Promarkers, including some of the yummy new limited edition autumn ones to colour the image.
To create the frame, I die cut an aperture with a Nestie in a piece of brown card and used a Martha Stewart border punch down the sides.  This panel was then raised up with foam pads and placed in the middle of a square blank which was matted up with Dovecraft Fairytale Princess papers.
The flowers were made with my trusty Woodware punch with Cosmic Shimmer gold PVA blobs for centres.  The foliage was made with a Marianne die, yet another recent purchase...oops!
I finished off with two shades of blue pearls, some white Liquid Pearls and a bow.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Robyn's Fetish - #121 - use a digi
Stamptacular Sunday - #176 - girl image
The Crafty Pad - #184 - dies and punches
Card Crafter's Circle - #36 - rich, earthy colours
Totally Papercrafts - #130 - inspired by a song, I went for Chick, Chick, Chick, Chick, Chicken, Lay a Little Egg For Me
A Gem of a Challenge - #53 - animals or teddies

Poinsettia

Here's yet another one from my lovely Henbury Lane Poinsettia bargain pack.  Once again it's a 5x7 kraft blank and all the papers are from the pack, in fact, all I added was a ribbon, a bow, some gems and a little Anita's 3D Gloss to the berries. Simples!  That's another one to put aside for the end of the year.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Challenge up your Life - #76 - Christmas in summer
Craft Punked - #33 - flower power
Crafty Ann's - #72 - Christmas in august
My Mum's Craft Shop - #70 - kraft

I couldn't resist sharing these pics of my wee man, Robbie "driving" a vintage bus a friend drives.

Strictly Anniversary

Here's another card I made with the lovely Docrafts Strictly Party collector's pack that I treated myself to recently.  I love it, the images are just that little bit different and the papers and colours are lush.
The card blank is a shaped, embossed edged one from Craftwork Cards which I gently inked and added Liquid Pearls to the flower centres.
The sentiment stamp is from a Papermania Country Companions set.
All the card needed to finish it off were some tiny punched butterflies and a good splodge of Star Dust Stickles.

 I'm entering this card in the following challenges - 

Stampalot - take flight

Ruby's Rainbow - #35 - butterflies

Cardigan Card

This is my project from our Monday night craft session, this week we all made cardigan cards based on Ruth Hamilton's design in Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine.  She also has a tutorial on her blog which you can find here.  We kicked off, as usual, with tea and home baking, this week I'd made sticky toffee cake from the new Great British Bake Off recipe book.  It was gorgeous and I can't wait to try out some more of the yummy recipes in it.
The papers I used for the top under the cardi are Papermania Capsule Collection in Boysenberry and I added some faux stitching detail round the neckline.  The cardigan was made with pinky purple cardstock and was embossed with an Embossibilities folder.  I made the pocket in the same way using a different folder.  The lace trim was made with a Martha Stewart punched strip which was then passed through a crimper for added texture.  I made the brooch with some punched shapes placed under a Tim Holtz Fragments tile and finished the card with some Capsule Collection buttons.
We had great fun fun making these, my crafty pal, Alison, made one in pale pink with lots of lace and a wee duck on the pocket as a new baby card, its so cute!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Craft-room Challenge - fashion
Shopping Our Stash - #64 - try something new, I've never made a cardigan card before and I finally used one of my Fragments tiles which I've had for ages and not used.  Faux jewelery is a new one on me too.
Paper Pretties - #219 - square cards
CI Paints - monochrome
Robyn's Fetish - #120 - monochrome

Sprinkled With Fun

I have stepped away from the Christmas cards for a few days and embraced my girly side with this very pink card.  The image is a freebie from Sliekje and has been coloured with Promarkers, then the icing was glittered with lashing of Cosmic Twinkles in Iced Candy.
The papers are Papermania Capsule Collection in Red Hot and the cute cupcake border punch is Martha Stewart.  The cupcakes were made with a Spellbinders die and were inked then glittered with Star Dust Stickles before being topped with  paper flowers.  The sentiment is from a Creative Expressions stamp set.
A bow, punched flowers and a couple of wee pink hearts and it's done.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Digi Haven - yummy in my tummy
In the Pink - #1 - 50 shades of pink
Cupcake - #205 - inspiration photo, I used the colours and went with a sweet treats theme
Love to Create - #28 - sparkle
Critter Sketch - #128 - use a digi
Lexi's Creations - #71 - sparkle and shine

Christmas is Here!

Yep, it's another card made with my Henbury Lane Poinsettia bargain pack!  It's such fun to work with, I can't leave it alone.  Once again I've used a decoupage image on a 5x7 craft blank and those Spellbinders cones are back again!  Some glitter domes and pearls and it's done.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Just Some Lines - lots of layers
My Mum's Craft Shop - #69 - Christmas

I Spy a Mince Pie!

Here's card number two made with my Henbury Lane Poinsettia bargain pack.  Once again it's a 5x7 kraft blank, I'm so loving kraft at the moment.  I also love mince pies, I make cheesecake mince pies which get gobbled up in no time, even my mince pie hating hubby loves them!

Everything bar the ribbon, gems, pearls and some cardstock for matting was from the pack.  The papers are so yummy it's hard to decide which ones to use first but I plumped for lime and tomato this time.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges - 

Mojo Monday - #253 - sketch 

Crafty Hazelnut Christmas - #85 - food and drink 

My Mum's Craft Shop - #69 - Christmas

Peace

Guess what?  I've only gone and bought another bargain Docrafts pack!  I bought the gorgeous Henbury Lane Poinsettia collectors pack when it was released a couple of years ago, but, when I saw it on sale for £3.49 and the matching stamps for £2.49, I just couldn't resist.  I'd used most of the original pack up and loved it and I've really enjoyed playing with it again.  I've decided to make 5x7 kraft cards with this pack for my neighbours, so this will be the first of many!
Everything for this card, apart from the ribbon, gems, cones and fir branch came from the collectors pack.  I just love the rich raspberry colour in the image and papers.
The cones and fir sprig........well....... emmmm........ another new purchase.  A stunning new Spellbinders set of autumn foliage.  It is to die for!  The cones were cut from kraft and inked with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, expect to see these cropping up on lots of my future projects, I love 'em!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
My Mum's Craft Shop - #69 - Christmas
Poodle's Parlour -  die cuts
Sweet Sketch - #166 - sketch, I flipped it so the embellishment is on the right

Tropical Teacups

Here's my make from my Monday night craft session with the girls.  After generous slices of peach melba cheesecake with raspberry coulis, we all made stacked teacup cards.
I downloaded the cup templates from the Papercraft Inspirations website and used the free papers from this month's issue of Cardmaking and Papercraft.  I love the pretty designs and bright colours and all the papers are double sided too.  I opted for four different bird designs for my quirky cups and some patterned papers for matting to give a lively, eclectic look.
My much used Stampin' Up bunting punch was called into service as were my Nellie Snellen flower punches, and I finished off with some buttons and a ribbon.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Dancing in Pajamas - #221 - colour inspiration
Crafting for all Seasons - #33 - bright colours
Try it on Tuesday - anything goes
Papertake - anything goes
Cupcake - #204 - bunting
Unstampabelles - #14 - paper flowers

Lily the Pink!

I've been lucky enough to play with with some of the new Tonic Studios Pick of the Bunch stamps, designed by my buddy Ruth Hamilton.  I have to say, I was highly impressed with the quality of the stamps.  As all stampers know, clear stamps are not all created equal, but these stamp beautifully and are a joy to colour.  I coloured mine with Promarkers and made the lilies Stargazers, but I quite fancy colouring them orange too.  The sentiment is from a Personal Impressions set.
I went for a cream on cream colour scheme with a splash of pink to showcase the lilies rather than the papers and embellishments, but still gave it the Wendy treatment with ribbon, a bow, gems, pearls, a metal heart and some Stardust Stickles.  I added some texture with Sheena Douglass and Papermania embossing folders, along with some ridged cardstock.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Emerald Faeries - #29 - bling
Fab 'n' Funky - #133 - gems and pearls
Bearly Mine - sparkle and shine
Tuesday Alchemy - #26 - bingo - ribbon, flowers, pearls/bling
Lexi's Creations - #71 - sparkle and shine
One Stitch at a Time - #125 - white + 1

A Game Old Bird!

It's my brother-in-law's birthday this month and, as he's a stalker (game, not the sort injunctions are taken out against!) I decided to use this gorgeous image from A Passion For Stamps.  I used the washout function in word to print the image with very faint grey lines, then coloured with Promarkers using a photo for colour reference.
The lush papers are Papermania Hampstead, a paper pack in lovely, earthy shades with a linen texture which makes it perfect for male cards.  The sentiment is a magazine freebie which I coloured with Old Paper Distress Ink.
Had had to resist the temptation to add my usual ton of embellies and just used two gunmetal pearls and a couple of brown buttons.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
House of Gilli - #38 - fall colours
Come and Get It - adult birthday card
Clear it Out - manly, two or more patterned papers.  Old stash is my papers.
Sassy Cheryl's - #127 - all about the boys
Can You Digi It - #15 - bird is the word

Cutie Pie DT Card

Today sees another new challenge over at the Cutie Pie challenge blog.  This time we'd like to see spots and stripes.  Nice and easy eh, and a good way to use up those papers we all have lurking in our stash.

I've used a Bugaboo image, they're our sponsor this time, and I've coloured it with Promarkers.
The papers are Papermania Little Cake Shoppe, a lovely double sided pack, I don't know why I haven't used it more, the colours and designs are really nice.
The flowers were made with Woodware punches from stripy paper to continue the spots and stripes theme.  The cupcake border punch is Martha Stewart, and the sentiment is a Lili of the Valley stamp.
Gems and ribbon with a bow finish it off.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
I Love Promarkers - #128 - spots and stripes
Tammy's Scrappin' Corner - #22 - bling
Whoopsie Daisy - die cuts and/or punches
Quirky Crafts - #16 - cupcakes
That Craft Place - things with wings
Clearly Inspired - #57 - things with wings

Joanna Sheen GDT Card

I'm delighted to have been picked as guest designer for the Joanna Sheen challenge blog!  The current challenge is "Try Something New", for my card I used a technique for faux pressed flowers which I have used before but never as a frame.  I've added a tutorial if you fancy a go too, check out the post below.
The super sweet image is a House Mouse stamp, part of a massive House Mouse prize I won in a magazine competition earlier this year, and has been coloured with Promarkers.
The scrummy papers are Meadow Lark by Prima, I just love them, the designs and colours are so pretty.
The 8x8 parenthesis card was inked with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink and all the layered papers were distressed with my Tim Holtz tool to add to the shabby look.
I completed my card with a doily, lace, pink raffia, pearls and gems.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -
Penny Black and More - whiskers and/or wings
Great Impressions - animals
Di's Digi Designs - no squares
The Ribbon Girl - bingo - pearls, bow, lace
Our Creative Corner - bling and nature
Pattie's Creations - #49 - animals
Sisterhood of Crafters - diamond, pearls, lace

Faux Pressed Flower Frame

Here's a quick tutorial for a frame which looks like it's been made from pressed flowers.  It's really easy to do and gives a fun result.

Cut a frame to fit the topper of your choice, I've inked mine with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink to match my project.

Next, go wild with your flower punches in a selection of colours.  This is a good way of using up all those scraps we crafts always amass.  You can also use ready made flowers for this, as long as they're flat.  Stick the flowers to the frame randomly, using a gluestick.

Place your frame in an embossing folder and pass through a die cutting machine.  A small design works best for this technique, I've chosen dots.  5x7 embossing folders are very useful if, like me, you want to make a frame which is a reasonable size.

This is how it looks after embossing.

It can, of course, be left plain, but I've added some gems for the flower centres.  You could also use buttons or beads.

Here's my frame with the topper in place.

The finished project.