Aud Sentiments #42 Anything Holiday

Gosh the weeks are flying by and it's time for a new challenge at Aud Sentiments and this time we're looking for anything holiday. We're being sponsored by Polkadoodles and the DT were given images to work with.

Base card is made with a large scalloped nestie circle. Backing paper is from Wild Rose Studio and this is matted onto a Papermania card scalloped circle. Image is coloured with promarkers and mounted 3d onto the card. Tree is a Spellbinder die and I've used ribbon, pearls and stickles to dress it. Doily is from Cheery Lyn Dies. Card is finished with a fancy button and a sentiment.

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see the inspiration of the other Design Team members.

Challenges entered:

The Crazy Challenge - shaped cards

Papertake Weekly - Christmas crackers

Ribbon Carousel - any holiday

I Love Promarkers - anything goes

Little Red Wagon - Christmas theme

Polka Doodles - shaped Christmas

Lexi's Creations - no straight edges

Little Claires - shaped cards

Tuesday Throwdown - lots of circles

Bearly Mine - all my favourite things

Carol x

Exploding Box

I'm still croaking like a frog and I still don't have a complete kitchen so things haven't improved much this week so far. Tomorrow, should I be able to speak I'll kick ass!

Haven't made an exploding box in a long time but I've had a kit stashed away waiting to be put to good use so decided to give it an airing.

Everything was die cut so all I had to do was pop it out, stick it together then added a ribbon to the tags.

Simples!

I've haven't added any extra embellishments yet until I decide who/what to use it for - may give it to hubby and ask him to fill it with something big and sparkly lol

Challenges entered:

Bah! Humbug! - gift bag or box

Fussy and Fancy - anything but a card

Carol x

Christmas Challenges (with sketches) #14

It's time for a new challenge at CCWS and this time it was Wilma's turn to provide the sketch. We are being sponsored by Michelle Perkett. Here is my card:

Using a gorgeous freebie image from Sliekje's Stamps which I downloaded ages ago and haven't used yet, coloured with promarkers and highlighted with stickles. Backing papers are from Wild Rose Studio. Card is finished with raffia lace, sentiment ( which has lurked for years in a drawer), bow, pearls and a Spellbinders die cut snowflake cut out of glitter card from my bit box.

Do visit the challenge blog to find the sketch and see the inspiration from my team mates.

Challenges entered:

Daisy Doodles Creative - Christmas + digi

Kaboodle Doodles - baby it's cold outside

Lollipop Crafts - anything goes

Paper Creations Ink - Christmas

Pollycraft - Christmas fun

Creative Craft Challenges - free for all

Digital Tuesday - sparkle and shine

Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT - winter blues

Shopping our Stash - Christmas

Shelly's Images - anything goes

Pile it on - anything P (pussy cat, pooch, pearls)

Whoopsi Daisy - anything goes Christmas

The House that Stamps Built - Christmas + snowflake

Carol x

Thank You

I'm very excited today to have a Guest Design spot at Use it Tuesday which I won a couple of weeks ago. The theme this fortnight is Thanks, this is my card:

Flower decoupage is die cut and been in my stash for ages, backing paper is a magazine freebie designed by Nancy Watt which I was keeping safely in a drawer, the ribbon was bought from Joanna Sheen many moons ago. The doily is from Marianne Design and is brand new and being aired for the first time. All other embellishments from my stash.

Challenges entered:

Our Craft Lounge - thank you

Crafts 4 Eternity - embellishment recipe (doily, butterfly, flower)

Heart Song Inspirations - circle shaped and/or thanks

Hooked on Crafts - punches or die cuts

The Pink Elephant - give thanks

The Paper Variety - thanks

Catch the Bug - give thanks

Creative Inspirations Paint - thanks

The Ribbon Girls - pink and white

Carol x

Christmas Tag

It's been a gorgeous day today, more like spring approaching than winter. I've spent the day dust busting and my there was plenty of dust to bust! Some more progress in the kitchen, we now have all the work tops and up stands in position and the plumbing is finished. Hopefully the electrician will get all his bits done tomorrow and I can start moving stuff back in. Still full of cold though so shattered tonight.

I made this tag yesterday:

Tag has been embossed with a music embossing folder then distressed with bundled sage and fired brick DI. Christmas tree die has been put through an embossing folder then distressed with bundled sage and shabby shutters DI. Image is from Joanna Sheen's Enchanted Christmas CD printed onto acetate and cut with a nestie then mounted onto a scalloped nestie oval which had been distressed with bundled sage and fired brick DI. The stiff lace, tartan ribbon and the gold metallic beaded rope are all from Costco. Tag is finished with a Christmas tree button stitched to the bow, some red stickles, a  sentiment and a pearl.

Challenges entered:

Bows and Berries - tags

Art Impressions Stamps - red, green and metallic

Charisma Cards - lace and pearls

Digi Doodle Shop's Best - red and green

Challenge up your Life - music

CHNC - music

Just Some Lines - tic tac toe (embossing, tag, glitter)

Paper Sundaes - beautiful bows

Sentimental Sundays - masculine gift tag

Get Hippity with Ippity - embossing

Carol x

Christmas Tag

The Inkylicious tag has been decorated with resist stamping using a snowflake stamp and DI inks. I've then re-stamped the snowflake with the darkest ink. Stamp is a very old one from QVC. Snowflake die is from Spelbinders and has been cut from blue glitter card and white stardream. Tag is finished with a button, pearls, ribbon, bow and a bell.

Top Tip - to save pennies use household sponge scourers for inking, cut them into small squares and have one for each ink pad. 

Challenges entered:

Oldie but Goodie - let it snow

Top Tip Tuesday - tags

Cooking it up with Katie - die cut a tag for Christmas

Fussy and Fancy - anything but a card

Crafty Emma's - snowflakes

One Stop Craft - blue
Fashionable Stamping - I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Little Darlings Challenge - silver bells
CBGM - mens monochrome
My Partner in Crafting Crime - Christmas tag

Carol x

Dancing with Shadows

Still croaking away here and felt pretty lousy this morning. I've managed a bit of crafting and the ice cream man has just been so I'm munching on a 99 while writing this post - purely for medicinal purposes you understand!

Image and frame are from Joanna Sheen's Dancing with Shadows CD. The image is printed onto acetate and is mounted behind the frame aperture. The frame is mounted to the card base with 3d foam for dimension. Card is finished with a silver bow, a sentiment and some silver peel off stars.

Challenges entered:

Sparkles Forum - vintage Christmas

Christmas Card Challenges - black and white (nearly!)

CD Sunday - trees

Paper Pretties - non traditional Christmas

The Cheerful Stamp Pad - trees

Sweet Stamps - Christmas non traditional colours

Unstampabelles - trees

Really Reasonable Ribbon - CAS plus ribbon

Quirky Crafts - CAS

Carol x

Christmas Card Club

Clare has challenged us to make a set of four cards this time, so I'm sharing four of my special cards (for Mum, my brother and two of my sisters).

All bases are 8 x 8 card blanks and images are from a die cut decoupage kit from C&C which a friend gave me. Backing paper is embossed vellum layered onto mirri card. All cards are finished with a ribbon,  button or bobble, sentiment and a personalised sentiment cut with nesties.

Check out what the other girls have made - you'll find the list on my sidebar. If you'd like to join us get in touch, it's just for fun and there's no pressure.

Challenges entered:

First Card

Cutie Pie Challenge - bears

Forever Friends - Christmas is coming

My Time to Craft - take two

Crafts and Me - simples Christmas

DYSU - splash of blue

Phindy's Place - Christmas card

Second Card

Fab n Funky - baby it's cold outside

Moving along with the Times - let it snow

Southern Girls - bingo (glitter, ribbon, embossing)

Winter Wonderland - what a cutie

Crafty Calender - winter wardrobe

Here come the Boys - red, green and white

Just us Girls - red, green and white

Third Card

Emerald Fairies - Christmas green

Fourth Card

Creatalicious Challenge - sparkly Christmas

Carol x

Silhouette 2

I bought this set of Creative Expression stamps a while ago and whilst I've used some of the set these ones were uninked. I die cut a nestie square, stamped and masked the reindeer in black versafine then over stamped with the tree in bundled sage DI. Image was then matted onto a black scalloped nestie. A green bow finishes the card.

Challenges entered:

Less is More - silhouettes

Just for Fun - favourite technique (as a mere beginner this is more a technique I've managed to execute!)

Crazy 4 Challenges - black, white plus wow

Lets ink it up - favourite technique

Lia Stampz - for men

Carol x

Silhouette

Good morning all. It's a beautiful one up here today - let's hope it lasts. I've woken with a very croaky voice this morning and my throat is killing me but hey ho the kitchen has progressed this week and we can't have everything! The decorators are here painting away, I have some worktops - the final piece didn't fit so they had to take it back and they'll refit on Monday so hopefully by this time next week my kitchen will be finito and fully functioning!!

Any way onto cards and a very simple one to start the day:

The Diva ladies are looking for silhouettes this week. I bought this Inkylicious stamp at the Secc and this is it's first airing. A very simple OLC with a sentiment.

Challenges entered:

Less is More - silhouette

Shopping our Stash - never been inked

Totally Papercrafts - black and white

Allsorts - OLC

OSAAT - black and white

Carol x

Free Template

Get a free "Santa's Magical Sleigh" card making template from Card Carousel.

Just visit www.cardcarousel.co.uk/free/sleigh.html

Carol x

Crafty Ann's #54 Sketch and/or monochrome

Another two weeks gone and time for a new challenge at Crafty Ann's and this time we have the option of a sketch and/or monochrome. Here is my card:

I've used one of Ann's pre-coloured images from the Bluebell sheet this time with two matching polished stone DP's all available from Crafty Ann's digi shop. DP's have been layered digitally then matted onto blue stardream card. Image is 3d mounted for dimension. Card is finished with tartan ribbon, a bow and some buttons.

Here is the sketch:

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see the inspiration of my team mates.

Challenges entered:

Paper Sundaes - use a digi

The Squirrel and the Fox - summer

Pretty Little Ribbons - buttons and bows

Divas by Design - monchromatic

Carol x

Angels

A big welcome and thank you to all my new followers this week, I hope you pop in often and like what you see.

 Hubby has kindly shared his cold so I woke feeling awful yesterday then Lora arrived home from school early suffering from the same thing. My brain just felt totally addled all say. The kitchen is progressing in the right direction now though and hopefully by the end of next week we'll be shipshape.

My mojo has been hiding again and I've been struggling to get ahead with my DT work but I did manage this Christmas card for the neighbours.

I won this image recently from Mami Doodles, it's coloured with promarkers and highlighted with a gold gel pen and a Sakura glaze pen. I've die cut with an oval nestie and matted onto a gold mirri scalloped oval then used scattered straw DI around the image. Background is gold mirri card edges with a Martha Stewart PATP snowflake punch matted up with white card and gold foiled vellum. Large gold snowflake is a tree ornament, gold die cut poinsettias and sentiment are from a Crafty Bitz kit I've had for years. Computer generated sentiment has been die cut with a Spellbinders ironworks shapeability. Flourishes are from Marianne Designs. Ribbons and poinsettias are from my stash. Corner snowflakes are punch waste and I've added a gold pearl to each of them.

Challenges entered:

Heart Song Inspirations - gold or glitter

Incy Wincy Designs - tic tac toe (red, Chrismas sentiment, ribbon)

Stamps R Us - bling it on

Digital Tuesday - Christmas time

Truly Scrumptious - Christmas plus pearls

Bah! Humbug! - baby's first Christmas

Sew Many Cards - vellum

Craft Your Days Away - embellishment bingo (pearls, flowers, ribbon)

Bunny Zoes - Christmas with pearls

Creatalicious Challenges - sparkly Christmas

Desert Island Crafters - choose at least 3 (wings, ribbon, trees - on vellum)

Marianne Design - sparkle and shine

ABC DT - Christmas Card

Delightful Challenges - Bingo (patterned paper, punches/dies, flowers)

CCEE - use 2 die cuts or punches

C.R.A.F.T. - stars in your eyes

Shelly's Images - anything goes

Mami Doodles - Christmas

Carol x

Crafting for all Seasons #14 Thanksgiving or thanks

Time for a new challenge at CFAS and this time the theme is thanks or thanksgiving and/or a sketch. We're being sponsored by Bugaboo and The Stamping Boutique and the DT were given images to work with. I've combined Pumpkin and Pie from The Stamping Boutique with Bobblehead Thanksgiving Scarecrow from Bugaboo as I thought they worked really well together.

Base card Kraft, BP from Prima Melody Collection. Images coloured with promarkers. Card finished with a ribbon, button, baker's twine, diecut corners from Marianne Designs and pearls.

I choose not to use the sketch this time (well to tell the truth I forgot lol) but it is a fab sketch from Jani.

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see the inspiration from my team mates, you'll not be disappointed.

Challenges entered:

Stampin with the Dragon - food for thought
Our Creative Corner - pumpkins or pumpkin pie
Jens Digi Stamps - autumn/fall
Use it Tuesday - cooking
Card Makin Mamas - thanks
Crafty Catz - use a digi
Phindy's Place - thankful
Sparkles Forum - autumn
Kaboodle Doodles - thanksgiving
Ooh La La Creations - bingo (pearls, ribbon, buttons)
Simon says Stamp - thanksgiving/thanks
Celebrate the Occasion - thanksgiving
Stamp n Doodle - tic tac toe (emb. ribbon, digi)
Pixie Cottage - family thankfulness
Anything goes - a real sweetie
Dude Time Doodles - gobble til you wobble

Carol x

CDACPC6

As I've made all the Christmas cards I need for myself I thought I'd set to and make some tags. I bought these super sized tags at the SECC recently and as they're really smooth they're great for inky techniques.

Talk about cutting things fine, I'd forgotten all about this the CDACPC6 which ends in about 7 hours time! Luckily I'd inked the tag earlier today and left it to flatten so was able to put this together quite quickly! Tag is stamped and embossed with a snowflake , then inked with different shades of blue DI  and finally over stamped with a different snowflake stamp (ancient stamp from QVC)  in the darkest blue. Image is from Designed 2 Delight and has been coloured with distress inks and mounted 3d. Tag is finished with some recently acquired bakers twine and a gorgeous blue snowflake ribbon bow.

Challenges entered:

(will check this tomorrow as it's bedtime !)
Bows and Berries - tags
Craft your Passion - snow/flakes/men
Critter Sketch - monochrome
Cutie Pie Challenge - bears
Forever Friends - Christmas is coming
Karens Doodles - anything but a card
Lollipop Crafts - embossing (no DP)
ABC Christmas - W for winter sports
Pixie Cottage - blue for a boy
Crafty Ribbons - anything but a card
Crimbo Crackers - make it sparkle
Delightful Challenges - snowflakes
Simply Create - bears
Pile it on - traditional Christmas
Whoopsi Daisy - colours of winter
Ellephantastic - weather related
StampArtic - monochromatic
Stamping Boutique - winter/holiday

Carol x

Holly and candle

Hubby's got man flu so it's been a day of moans, groans and attention seeking - I've managed to ignore him thus far lol. I spent my day walking the dog and cleaning the kitchen until the sparky arrived this afternoon whence I decided to craft:

I used a Holly Motif Shapeabilities die to emboss the card and inked with bundled sage DI. The stamp was a freebie from a mag and was stamped with versamark and embossed in gold then coloured with distress inks in bundled sage and fired brick and a gold gel pen. Sentiment was stamped in fired brick.

Challenges entered:

CHNC - candles

Christmas Card Challenges - holly or wreaths

The Pink Elephant - embossing

Sweet Stamps - red, green and gold

Less is More - leaves

Carol x

Crafting When We Can #6 Female Birthday

Many thanks to all those who joined in our Haloween/Anything Goes challenge, we saw some fabulous creations. Our next challenge is female birthdays and we're being sponsored by Stretch n Bubbles, the DT were given images to work with I've used Saraphena.

Image is coloured with promarkers and highlighted with stickles, cut out with an oval nestie and mounted onto a beaded nestie mat. BP is from DCWV matted and layered onto black and blue card stock. Card is finished with black dotty ribbon and button (a prize from Pretty Little Ribbons), lace, a white dotty bow, sentiment, fancy organza flower, pearls, stickles and a flourish from Marianne Design.

Do pop over to the challenge blog to see the creations of my team mates.

Challenges entered:

Paper Pretties - buttons

Crafts and Me - birthdays

Art Impressions Stamps - 2 or more ribbons

My Partner in Crafting Crime - use a freebie (polka dot ribbon and button)

CCEE - 3 shapes (square, oval, rectangle)

Party Time Tuesday - bling it on

Inky Impressions - glitter

Moving along with the times - fairytale (Peter Pan)

Cardmad Fairy - texture

Our Craft Lounge - fairy tale (Peter Pan)

Polka Doodle - swirls and pearls

Allsorts - Black and white + one

One Stop Craft - ribbons and lace

Karen's Doodles - black and white + one

Carol x

A Happy Accident

or not! Not sure what to make of this card. I stamped this gorgeous Joanna Sheen poinsettia with versamark for the first time then realised all my coloured EP's were still in the dresser in my craft room and it's like an army assault course between here and there - no  way was I going to make it there and back before the ink got too dry so picked up the detail white still lying from earlier and used that. I left the card under a weight to flatten then painted it with DI in bundled sage,  shabby shutters, fired brick and scattered straw. Sentiment (from same stamp set) stamped in fired brick and I embossed the opposite corner to balance it (probably needed a smaller sentiment stamp!). It's the first time I've coloured with DI and I was quite surprised how well it worked.

I now have a lovely new floor in the new kitchen/dining room - it's starting to look like home again instead of a building site!

Challenges entered:

Less is More - leaves (hope there are enough leaves!)

Wags n Whiskers - Christmas

Totally Gorjuss - Christmas traditions (always have a poinsettia)

Emerald Fairies - Christmas red

Christmas Stampin all Year - never seen ink

Carol x

Leaves

Up with the larks this morning as hubby had to nip up to Edinburgh to pick up the kitchen flooring and I had to let the joiners in. It's a gorgeous day in my part of the world :) We've finally made some progress on the kitchen front - I got hold of the Regional Director of the company on Tuesday and by Wednesday it was all systems go! Just as well as the guy went on holiday on Thursday and I think he would have left us high and dry if left to his own devices! So kitchen is now fitted bar a few outstanding parts, flooring is being laid as we speak, 2nd fix plumbing and electrics next week and granite worktop the week after. So it's a big sigh of relief here now the lights been switched on at the end of the tunnel!

After taking the dog a walk I set to on this weeks LIM challenge - the Diva ladies would like to see a OLC with leaves this week. After a bit of head scratching I found this stamp and tried my hand at some resist embossing for the first time.

Photo redone after dark! After embossing two lines on the card I stamped and heat embossed three leaves with white detail EP. After masking off the area I then used bundled sage and  shabby shutters DI to ink the background. The card was then weighted down to flatten it again and then the panel was over stamped with the same stamp using the bundled sage DI. Card is finished with a (slightly smudged) sentiment and some pearls.

Challenges entered:

Less is More - OLC leaves

Heart Song Inspirations - anything goes

House of Gilli - monochrome

Creative Craft Challenges - minimalistic

Just for Fun - favourite colour (green)

Carol x

Aud Sentiments #41 Thanksgiving or Thank you

It's time for a new challenge at Aud Sentiments and this time the theme is Thanksgiving or Thanks. We are being sponsored by Wee Stamps and the Design Team were given images to use, I've used Spring Bringer.

Image is coloured with promarkers with added gold stickles and wild honey DI, cut with an oval nestie and layered onto a scalloped oval nestie. BP is from Milton & Co, flourishes are Marianne Design dies. Finished with ribbon, lace, flower and sentiment from  my stash.
Do visit the challenge blog to see the inspiration of my team mates.

Challenges entered:

Creative Stamp Friends - orange and brown

Digistamps for Joy - with gratitude

Fussy and Fancy - be thankful (with sentiment)

Di's Digi Designs - ribbon & bow

Secret Crafter - flowers, ribbon and lace

Card Cupids - with bling

Corrosive Challenges - with a flourish

OSAAT - use a digi

Pile it On - thanks or thanksgiving

Marianne Design - dying to die cut
Craft your Passion - anything goes + brown
Daisy Doodles - anything goes + digi
The Crazy Challenge - something with wings
Crazy Amigo - swirls
Digital Tuesday - anything goes
Creative Card Crew - thankful
Penny's Paper Crafty - give thanks
My Mum's Craft Shop - sugar and spice
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - cute
Crafty Purple Frog - use orange
Meljens - orange and or brown

Carol x