Flower Power

I haven't managed to make many cards this weekend as I've finally got back into my Kit & Clowder colouring class and have managed to complete the first lesson on colouring skin. I can already see an improvement in what I'm doing and strangely seem to have found the advanced technique easier than the basic one- I never have done things the easy way!

After practising my skin technique, I decided to colour up one of my Polkadoodles Work & Play 2 images (florist) to have a try. I'm not overly happy with the hair but I haven't got to this part of the class yet!

Here it is made up onto a card

I started by colouring up the image using a whole host of Spectrum Noir pens. I hand cut the digi into the shape using a Kanban mat as a template and then used a slightly larger version to cut a mat from a 12x12 DCWV 'timeless textures stack' paper. I chose 2 different 'rose' patterned papers to pick out the roses in the digi. The dark one came from a 6x6 Papermania paper pack (freebie with the DoCrafts Creativity magazine) and the larger one is from a Creata A5 paper pack. I trimmed the papers slightly to fit onto the 8x8 card.

I tried out lots of different layouts before settling on this one- I liked the idea of making the smaller darker paper sit at an angle but my brain couldn't deal with it- it was much happier with a nice straight line!

The ticket sentiments also came from the Work & Play 2 collection so I simply cut them out, inked them with 'worn lipstick' distress ink and attached them to the card with a small piece of double sided tape. the top right hand corner looked a little bare so I added the 3 pale pink gems just to finish it off.

It's a bit more fussy than my usual style but still fairly CAS considering it's got 3 different papers on it!

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-
The Paper Shelter '3+ layers of paper' 3.2
Creative Inspirations 'roses' 3.2
Cute Card Thursday 'stamping mad' 4.2
Polkadoodles 'flower power' 13.2
Crafts Galore Encore 'stamp/digi' 28.2
Crafty Hazlenut Patterned Paper Challenge 'anything goes' 28.2
The Pink Elephant 'photo inspiration' 9.2
Craft Your Passion 'anything goes' 8.2
That Craft Place 'anything goes' 14.2

art deco- red & black

I know that the run up to Christmas is going to be absolutely manic for me both at work and at home, so I'm trying to make the most of half term this week by making as many cards as I can. Over the next couple of months there are nativity plays, pantomimes & everything Christmassy at work and then various shows (so I can buy lots of new goodies) & craft fairs (so I can hopefully sell a few bits & bobs too)!

I was also lucky enough to win a £100 Create & Craft voucher in a Pinterest competition, so I'm doing my best to spend it (suprisingly not that difficult!) and this card uses 2 of the new things I've ordered.

I started with a decoupage topper from the Papermania 'Art Deco' Ultimate Die Cut & Paper pack, which I mounted on to some bright red mirror board from Creata (one of my freebies!). I then took a sheet of black A4 card and folded it to make the base card. I attached the layered topper to the corner of the card and added the 3 Hobby House gems to the corner. I completed the card by adding the paper bow to the corner which is from Craftwork Cards Paper Bows pad (another C&C freebie). The bows are all white/gold & black- so I coloured it with Barn Door & Festive Berries distress ink to match the card better. I attached it to the card and then edged it with 'xmas red' stickles.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-
Creative Card Crew 'sun, moon & stars'
Paper Shelter '2 colours'
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenges 'anything goes'

beautiful birds

My second card of the weekend uses one of my newest Saturated Canary images- I absolutely love Krista's designs and find them surprisingly easy to colour even as a relative newbie!

I folded a sheet of mint green A4 card in half to make an A5 card blank and then layered this with the backing paper which is from a Creata A5 paper pad. I then inked the edges of a Kanban 'cameo' die-cut with Tumbled Glass distress ink and then touched the real edges of it with a gold metallic brilliance ink pad. I coloured the topper with promarkers (except the skin which was my spectrum noirs) and then cut around the image carefully leaving a small white edge. I used 3d foam pads to attach my image to the 'cameo' die-cut and then attached that to the base card. I also punched 4 gold mirror hearts which I added to each of the corners to echo the scalloped corner punch I had used on the card & paper.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-

Saturated Canary 'all things bright & beautiful'

Stampin' for the Weekend 'punches &/or die-cuts'

Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenges 'animals'

Cute Card Thursday 'come fly with me'

Crafting Musketeers 'anything goes'

Crafty Catz 'inspired by a song' (Flying Without Wings- Westlife)

Daring Cardmakers 'mint green, pale pink & gold'

Totally Gorjuss 'swirls' (backing paper has swirls on it but difficult to see)

New Home card

I had an exciting delivery from C&C this week as I treated myself to a early/late birthday present at the start of their birthday weekend- I ordered it before my birthday but it arrived after! I got hold of the Inkadinkado stamping system that allows you to stamp in circles, ovals, squares & rectangles perfectly. It looked fab on screen and I've barely played with it yet but I know there will be lots of cards made using it appearing on my blog over the next few months. The corners of the card were stamped using the system and a simple heart stamp.

I started with my favourite 8x8 white card blank which I stamped using a heart stamp and the circle wheel from the Inkadinkado set. As I overlapped the hearts, they created the almost floral image. I then cut a piece of heart patterned Creata cardstock (that has a hand-drawn look) to a smaller square and mounted this onto the card. The topper is a pre-coloured die-cut from Lily of the Valley. I inked the edges of the topper with the same ink that I used for the stamped corners- 'Worn Lipstick' distress ink. I then got a Kanban die-cut heart and inked it using the same ink and then added the peel-off sentiment.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-

Cutie Pie 'clean & simple'

Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenges 'sentiment'

Lili's Little Fairies 'double take'

Polkadoodles 'new home'

Challenges 4 Everybody 'anything goes'