I Love Promarkers DT Card - Anything Goes

It's challenge time once again at I Love Promarkers, this time our theme is the ever popular "Anything Goes", and we're sponsored by The Paper Shelter, who very kindly gave the DT some image to play with.  I chose to use Dragon's Birthday, colouring the image with my Promarkers, of course, in colours suitable for a male card.

 The patterned papers are from an ancient Papermania pad called Little Cake Shoppe, to which I've added kraft card for matting and mirri and satin board for die cutting.  The sentiment was stamped with a stamp from a Personal Impressions set.
All the die cuts were made with the same set, an Xcut birthday party themed set that I use a lot.  The finishing touch was to add a few blobs of Buttermilk Nuvo Drops.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

The Paper Shelter - #278 - Make It Digital
Artistic Inspirations - #171 - Anything Goes
Crafting From The Heart - #144 - Anything Goes
Incy Wincy - For the Men
Ooh La La - #220 - For a Man / Boy
Sweet Stampin' - Dies and Punches
Brown Sugar - #234 - Anything Goes

Kitty Bee DT Spotlight - Espresso Bun

It's that time of the month when I share my Kitty Bee spotlight project, which, this month is a card featuring a super cute digi, called Espresso Bun, available from the Kitty Bee Etsy store.
I coloured it with Promarkers and paper pieced the cup, then fussy cut it out so that it could be stuck to the card with glue gel for added dimension.

The patterned papers I used on the cup and teapot are Papermania, Blueberry Hill, the pink gingham cardstock is from Payper Box.
I used Xcut dies to create the doily and the teapot, and I embellished my card with a sentiment stamped with a Lili of the Valley stamp, and some pink ribbon with a matching pink bow.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Fab 'n' Funky - #334 - Use Ribbon
Crafting From The Heart - #143 - Anything Goes
Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends - #50 - Anything Goes
Brown Sugar - #233 - Anything Goes
Craft For The Craic - Pick Me Up - A nice cup of tea!
Pattie's Creations - #130 - Use an Animal Image
Aud Sentiments - #171 - Anything Goes + a Sentiment

Gorjuss Notebook

Something other than a card today, a little notebook, featuring a Gorjuss girl in shades of purple for Fibromyalgia Awareness.

 The notebook started off as a bare chipboard blank; I covered it with purple pearl card on the outside and patterned purple paper on the inside.  I used torn scraps of Papermania Capsule Collection papers in Heather (I used a sheet of this on the inside too) on the front cover, and stamped and heat embossed a Sheena Douglass sentiment with purple glitter embossing powder.  I used the same paper to add some tiny punched butterflies.  The edges of the book were rubbed with Imagination Crafts Alchemy Wax in Silver to cover the bare board and add a bit of shimmer.
The Gorjuss girl was made with my new Xcut die set, all the pieces are simply die cut, embossed and layered up.  I used papers from a Papermania Gorjuss paper pack, and added some seed beads for eyes and a little coloured pencil for rosy cheeks.
The notebook is held together with metal rings, so, to decorate these, and, as a nod to the Fibromyalgia purple ribbon, I knotted on a selection of different purple ribbons.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges -

Alphabet Challenge - V for Violet
Crafty Catz - #353 - Butterflies
Really Reasonable Ribbon - #155 - Anything Goes With Ribbon
Aud Sentiments - #171 - Anything Goes +  a Sentiment
Crafty Gals Corner - #105 - Use Patterned Paper
The Crazy Challenge - #239 - Three of a Kind - Three Butterflies
Pile It On - #124 - Colourfully Aware - Purple for Fibromyalgia Awareness

Chill, It's Your Birthday

A belated Happy New Year to one and all!
I'm finally back in the land of the living after having a nasty bug over the festive season, I've been knocked sideways by it over over three weeks but am getting back on my feet now.
This card is the one that I made for my Mum's birthday, which is on Christmas Eve, I just hadn't got round to blogging it due to not being well.

 I used a John Lockwood for Creative Expressions stamp set for this card, heat embossing the central piece with white embossing powder and decoupaging the flowers, and, using a snowdrop cluster stamp, I stamped in green ink on patterned paper to create a matching background.  The stamp set comes with a variety of sentiments, I chose "Chill, It's Your Birthday" to add to my frosty card.  I also added some glitter and gems to the topper for a touch of sparkle.
The patterned paper is Papermania Capsule Collection in Eau de Nil, to which I've added white and eau de nil card for matting.  The doily was cut with an Xcut die in white pearl card.
To embellish, I added a double bow, some tiny punched snowflakes and blobs of white Nuvo Drops.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Crafty Gals Corner - #104 - Use Something New - New Stamp Set
The Crafter's Cafe - #164 - Monochrome
Crafty Girls Creations - #32 - Anything Goes
Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes
Crafty Creations - #332 - Anything Goes

Snowy MacSnowface

I made this advent calendar for my young niece and nephew to help them count down to Christmas and my sister has christened him Snowy MacSnowface!  His nose moves round to count down the days, it's held in place with a chunky brad.

 It's made from a very sturdy MDF blank that I bought at the SECC in October, from a company specialising in laser cuts.
I painted it with Imagination Crafts Starlight paints, which are made with crushed gilding flakes and have the loveliest shimmer, and dabbed on some Imagination Crafts Sparkle Medium in some areas for extra bling.  I also added a stenciled design to the hat with Sparkle Medium which hasn't shown up very well in the photos.
I used an Xcut die set to make the numerals and stuck on a blue gem to mark each day.  I then gave the whole piece a coat of varnish to seal the numbers in place and to help protect them as the nose passes over the top of them.  The final touch was to add some red ribbon as a hat band.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges -

Craft For The Craic - Anything But a Card
Crafty Boots - Christmas
Sparkles Christmas - Anything But a Card
Daring Cardmakers - Decorate It

Kitty Bee Spotlight Card - It's That Cow Again

It's the third Wednesday of the month which means that it's time for my Kitty Bee showcase project, which this month is card, using the same image as last month: Cow Barely Over the Moon.  It's just so cute, I couldn't resist using it again!

 I printed the digi twice, flipping one of them so that once they'd been coloured with Promarkers and cut out, they could be glued back to back and hung in the aperture.  The moon was coloured with a Crafter's Companion clear glitter pen over the Promarker colouring, I then drew on craters with a Quickie glue pen and applied yellow glitter.  The moon sparkles beautifully in real life, I haven't been able to capture it in the photos, in fact the whole project was a nightmare to photograph, it looks so much better in reality than it does in the pics.
I used a sheet of old Papermania Forever Friends paper on the inside of the card and a sheet of magazine freebie paper on the outside, the edges of which I gently inked with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink.
I added a decorative border to the top of the card, made with a Tonic punch, and border round the aperture, made with Spellbinders dies.  The star embellishments were made with Xcut dies, the sentiment was stamped with a Personal Impressions stamp, and the numeral is a Papermania sticker.  The final touch was to add some gold gems.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
Sunny Day Crafting - #19 - Anything Goes
Dream Valley - #142 - For the Boys - This is for my nephew
Love to Scrap - #88 - Anything Goes

Double Z Fold Christmas Card

I saw this fun fold shown at a Docrafts demo recently and decided to give it a try at our Monday night craft meet; it's really easy and I'm sure you'll find a tutorial if you Google "double Z fold cards".

 I used cream pearl card to make the card base, and used Papermania Festive Fauna papers to cover all the panels.  I love these papers, a new addition to my stash, the colours are very neutral and soft and go very well with cream, grey and kraft.
The main topper was made with an Xcut die set and the largest die from my Spellbinders Adorning Circles set.  I used bits and bobs from my scrap box, including a piece of lovely stardust card, that has pearl flecks, for the background to the scene and the snowflakes.  The sentiment dies are also from Xcut, I cut the greeting in kraft card, and the running deer die I used on the small panel is from Marianne, it was also cut from kraft card.
The final touch was to add some iridescent gems to the middle of the snowflakes for a little touch of festive bling.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Crafty Catz - #341 - More Than One Fold
4 Crafty Chicks - #319 - Die Cuts
Aud Sentiments - #165 - Anything Goes + a Sentiment
Crafty Gals Corner - #92 - Punches / Die Cuts
Fab 'n' Funky - #321 - Include the Word Happy
My Time to Craft - #331 - Fancy Folds

Autumn Shoe

A card that's very much in keeping with the season today, in autumnal colours.  I've used a quirky House of Zandra stamp that I coloured with my Promarkers, this stamp is from Fabulous Shoes Set 2.  The sentiment stamp is from Lili of the Valley.

 The patterned papers are from a Lili of the Valley pad called Enchanted, they have a lovely autumnal palette.
All the die cut embellishments, except the Michaelmas daisies which were made with Sue Wilson Cornflower dies, were made with my Xcut Forest Flourishes die set.  It's a gorgeous set which has so many dies, I especially like the toadstool.

 I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Come and Get It - Welcome Autumn
Glitter 'n' Sparkle - #208 - Fall / Autumn
Robyn's Fetish - #336 - Square Cards
Stamping Sensations - Autumn
QKR Stampede - #211 - Cut It Up
Cards 4 Galz - #32 - Fall / Autumn Colours
Crafting From The Heart - #130 - Anything Goes
Crafty Boots - Autumn
Crafty Cardmakers - #174 - Birthdays
The Crazy Challenge - #232 - Autumn is Coming

Kitty Bee DT Card - Birthdays

We are at the halfway point of our "Birthdays" challenge at Kitty Bee, you still have a week to play along.  We're sponsored this time by All Dressed Up and Make It Crafty, both of whom kindly gave the DT some image to play with, I chose to use the super cute Carlie With Flowers, from Make It Crafty, and I have to say that I really enjoyed colouring her with my Promarkers.

 The bright and beautiful papers are from a Craftwork Cards pad called Countryside, in my favourite colour combo of pink and green.  I added some deep pink card for matting and inked all the edges with dark brown ink.
To embellish, I added some crochet lace, some hot pink satin ribbon with a double bow, a sentiment tag stamped with a Lili of the Valley stamp, some butterflies made with Xcut dies and topped with tiny pink pearls, a flower made with a Crafter's Companion die and topped with Card Candi that matched the paper pad I used and finally, a leafy flourish cut with a Spellbinder die.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

QKR Stampede - #211 - Cut It up
As You Like It - Favourite Colour Combo - I love pink and green, any shades of pink and green, they are opposite each other on the colour wheel and complimentary colours appeal to me.  I even got married in pink and green, although in softer tones than on this card!
Craftaholics R Us - #3 - Birthday Cards or Tags
Craft Rocket - #25 - Ribbon and/or Lace
Crafty Ribbons - Ribbon or Lace
Crafting By Designs - Favourite Season - Summer
The Paper Shelter - #266 - Blooming Days
Craft Your Passion - #331 - Anything Goes
Addicted to Stamps - #132 - Your Favourite Embellishment + a Stamp - Mine is ribbon
Glitter 'n' Sparkle - #207 - Birthdays

Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding

I borrowed an Xcut die set of my Mum's to make this card; I was so pleased when she bought it because I knew I'd get to play with it!

I created the card blank with Grand Spellbinders dies, and added some interest to the plain circle, that I cut from Stardust card, with an Embossalicious embossing folder.  I used a section of doily that I highlighted with Star Dust Stickles to create a sparkly Christmas tablecloth, it shows up so much better in reality than it does in the photos.
I used Mum's Xcut die set to make the pudding and all the accessories, it even comes with a die to cut a little sixpence.
To finish, I stamped a sentiment and cut it out with a Sizzix tag die, topping it with a tiny clear gem.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Holly Jolly Christmas - #81 - Technique Challenge - I chose embossing
Dream Valley - #141 - Embossing
Get Creative - #48 - Embossing
Robyn's Fetish - #335 - Use an Embossing Folder
QKR Stampede - #210 - Embossing

Winter Window

A little bit of scene building today, along with some die cutting, to make another Christmas card to add to my ever growing collection.

 The only ink I used on this card was Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink (not Crippled Sapphire as my Mum misread it!), along with three stamps, some torn paper and a Clarity dusting brush.  The sentiment stamp is from a Buzzcraft set, the tree stamp is from a Clarity set, and the sleigh and reindeer stamp is by Inkylicious.
The window frame was made with my Memory Box Madison Window die and the cat was made from navy card, with an Xcut die from a Build-a-Scene set.
All this fitted very nicely onto an A6 card blank to give a clean and simple card, a great way to use up those small cards that have been lurking in my stash since the dawn of time!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Double D - Trees
Addicted to Stamps - #131 - Trees, Branches or Leaves
Christmas Cards All Year Round - Shabby Chic and/or Monochrome - I chose Monochrome
Crafty Friends - #40 - Monochrome
Creative Corner - No Patterned Paper
Craft Rocket - #24 - Mostly Blue

Kitty Bee Showcase Card - Cow Barely Over the Moon

It's that time of the month when I share my Kitty Bee showcase project, which this time is a new baby girl card, featuring Cow Barely Over the Moon from the Kitty Bee Etsy Store.  I coloured the image with Promarkers, apart from the moon, which I coloured with a Crafter's Companion clear glitter pen, then I added craters with a Quickie glue pen and sprinkled on Glamour Dust; this, unfortunately hasn't shown up very well at all in the photos.

 The patterned papers are from a First Edition pad called Sweet Owl, I think that the pink and brown colour combo makes them perfect for baby girl cards.  I added in some latte coloured card for matting and one of the banners.
I used a few dies on this one, Xcut ones to cut the doily, rose and little stars, and a Sue Wilson set to make the banners.  I used a Personal Impressions stamp for the sentiment.
The final touches were to add a pretty pink bow and a few pink gems.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Crafty Gals Corner - #90 - Critters
Craft Your Passion - #330 - Anything Goes
Creative Fingers - #116 - Anything Goes
Simply Create Too - #118 - Pink and Brown

I Love Promarkers DT Card - Flowers / Nature

It's challenge time again at I love Promarkers, this fortnight our theme is "Flowers / Nature", and we're sponsored by The Paper Shelter, who kindly gave the DT a couple of images to play with.  I chose to use The Sweet Gardener, which I coloured, of course, with my Promarkers.

 The papers are from a First Edition Pad called Paper Flowers, I love the colours of these papers, I added some lilac pearl card for matting.
To embellish, I added a sentiment stamped with a Lili of the Valley stamp, a sprig of flowers made with a Sizzix die set that I got for my birthday from a crafty friend, and a trio of butterflies made with Xcut dies from my Rose Flourish set, which I topped with tiny blue pearls for their bodies.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Inspiration Destination - #104 - Anything Goes
Crafting From The Heart - #128 - Anything Goes
Love to Scrap - #86 - Anything Goes
Broken Fairy - #11 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist of Make it Girly

Crafty Boots GDT Card - All Squared Up

After being placed in the top three in a recent challenge at Crafty Boots, I was very kindly asked if I would like a guest spot with them for their "All Squared Up" challenge, which is running just now, you still have a week to get your square themed projects linked up.  Always happy to oblige, here is my square creation, another Christmas card to add to my not so small stack, I'm doing quite well with my festive makes.

 The papers used here are from two First Edition pads, Gilded Winter and Silent Night, both very soft, muted colours.  I used some oyster coloured pearl card for matting.
The squares were cut with Crafter's Companion Die'sire dies, they're the nesting component of an accordion card set and have lovely faux stitched detail.  The little scalloped square in the centre is from the same set, I stamped a sentiment onto it with a stamp from a magazine freebie set.
The mistletoe was cut with an Xcut die from dark green card, it looks much darker in the photos than it does in reality.  I added blobs of Liquid Pearls to form the berries.
To finish my card, I added some clear glass dew drops to the corners and some high gloss pearls to the central square.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Glitter 'n' Sparkle - #206 - Anything Goes
My Time to Craft - #329 - Stitching Real or Faux - I used dies which added faux stitching to all the squares
Winter Wonderland - Use at Least Two Dies
CRAFT - #381 - Christmas
Crafting By Designs - A Stitch in Time - Faux stitching provided by die cuts
Fab 'n' Funky - #318 - Inspired By Nature

More Jolly Gingerbread

More Christmas gingerbread today; I do so enjoy combining my love of card making with my love of baking!

 The papers are Dovecraft Back to Basics, Christmas, Traditional, to which I added some deep red pearl card for matting.  I inked the edges of the papers with Ground Espresso Distress Ink for definition.  The fancy central mats were cut with Spellbinders Decorative Labels Twenty-Seven dies.
The gingerbread lady and her clothes were made with dies from an Xcut set, I embellished her with a little glitter pen and a few gems.
To finish my card, I added a sentiment stamped with a Papermania stamp, and some green gems.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Winter Wonderland - At Least Two Dies / Add Some Sparkle
CRAFT - #381 - Christmas
Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Christmas Die Cuts
Cuttlebug Mania - Anything Goes with Die Cuts
Crafty Cardmakers - #172 - Layer It Up

Gingerbread Scene

Another Christmas card today, using a die set and paper that I got as birthday presents and had itchy fingers to play with.  I have to say, that the gingerbread house die set from Xcut is such fun to use, as it has so many elements to add interest to the cottage, and to build up a super cute little festive scene.

 The backing paper is from a Crafter's Companion pad called Contemporary Christmas, a lovely selection in soft blues and purples, I thought it made the perfect backdrop to the sweet scene.  I used white card, which I tore to create the snowy foreground, and a selection of plain coloured card for the die cuts.  The only other embellishments I added were a few tiny seed beads for the eyes and buttons on the gingerbread man. The only die set I used was the Xcut Gingerbread House set, and this card doesn't even include all the dies!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Shopping Our Stash - #269 - No Stamps
Sunny Day Crafting - #14 - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion - #329 - Anything Goes
Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Christmas Die Cuts
Crafty Gals Corner - #89 - Freestyle
Inspiration Destination - #103 - Anything Goes

Cutie Pie DT Card - Birthday Party

It's our 5th birthday at Cutie Pie, and to celebrate, our challenge theme this month is "Birthday Party".

We have lots of prizes up for grabs this month as we have FIVE fabulous sponsors - Crafty Ribbons, Di's Digi Downloads, Crafty Sentiments Designs, Robyn's Fetish, and Bugaboo.
I've used a Bugaboo image from my own collection to create my DT card, colouring the digi with my beloved Promarkers.  I added a little Old Paper Distress Ink to the edges of the topper for definition.

The background was embossed with a bunting design using an Embossalicious folder and the topper and frame were cut with Spellbinders Grand dies.  the bunting was made with a Joy die and the birthday cake embellishment was made with dies from my Xcut Birthday Party set.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges -

Sweet Stampin' - Cute and Cuddly
Brown Sugar - #215 - Anything Goes
Simply Papercraft - #36 - Anything Goes
4 Crafty Chicks - #315 - Birthday
Seize the Birthday - Birthday + Frames
The Paper Shelter - #263 - Embossing
Artistic Inspirations - #163 - Anything Goes
Ooh La La - #213 - Anything Goes