Monday 31 October 2011

You're a classic

It's time for a new challenge over at Stamps R Us challenges. This time our challenge has a masculine theme, and we are sponsored by Doodle Pantry, with whom you can win a generous prize if you are our challenge winner :)

We were kindly given images to use for our cards (thank you Doodle Pantry)
I chose this vintage car and sentiment from their Vintage Auto set, and then tried to keep a vintage look to the card...


I started by colouring the car with promarkers, then very carefully cut it out.
The base card is kraft, I didn't use any patterned papers but wanted to have some sort of design so I embossed dark brown leather effect cardstock with my swiss dots folder, and another piece of kraft with my argyle folder. The latter was then punched at the corners with a circle punch, then distressed with close to cocoa SU ink, I layered this onto a medium brown cardstock, then added a brown crystal gem to each corner. I stapled the sentiment in place, then doodled faux stitching around the cards edge.

Thank you for stopping by today, please go visit my fellow SRU teamies too who have made some beautiful examples to show you.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:


Crafty Sentiments - no designer paper
Charisma Cardz - Anything goes (my 2nd entry)
Sweet Stampin - Anything goes
Stamptacular Sundays - Borders and frames
Pollycraft - Anything goes
Craft Your Passion - BINGO (distress-FREE-use a punch)
The Pink Elephant - Distressing

Saturday 29 October 2011

Cat Nap

Morning all, it's Saturday so that means another sketch challenge over at Sketch Saturday

and this week we are sponsored by our friends at


where there is a set of 6 Flexmarkers up for grabs! oh yes!
and all you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is to make a card or any other creation, using any products that you like, providing you use the sketch provided... Simples!

Here is my card...


When I design the sketches, I don't have any particular images in mind, and sometimes I go *EEK!* when I look again at a sketch and have to decide what products to use. This was one of those sketches.
So I looked through my stamps, and when I pulled out 'Cat Nap' by Artful Stamper, I knew it would suit the sketch layout.
I coloured this adorable image with promarkers, and added glitter gel pen to the bell on the end of the hat, and white flock to the 'fur' trim.
The papers are all from the same pad I used a couple of weeks ago, 'Forever Christmas Cards' by HOTP.
The sentiment is handwritten.

Please visit The Saturdays to see what they have made this week too, they have a fab mix of styles and themes to inspire you. Those girls are so talented, you'll find links to their blogs in the sidebar >>>
This week is the final week as Guest Designer for Donna, but we are delighted to say that she will be staying on with us full time as our newest Saturday Girl! Woohooo! welcome Donna, so happy that you are staying with us :)


I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp - Anything goes
The Paper Shelter - Anything goes
Charisma Cardz - Anything goes


Thanks for stopping by today, have a great weekend xx

Saturday 22 October 2011

A Mo for Bro'

My son will be 13 next month, and my daughter asked me to make her card for her brother. I knew instantly which image I wanted to use, Video Boy from


who happen to be sponsoring Sketch Saturday this week, woohooo!

If you are one of our THREE winners this week, you will each have a $5 shop credit to spend in Mo's fabulous store.


Here's my card...


I coloured this brilliant image with promarkers, then carefully cut the boy out minus the snacks that are part of the original image.
The fab blue checked paper is by My Mind's Eye (complete boy), and the kraft papers are by Basic Grey (kraft paper pack)
I stamped my Son's name in the bottom corner, and printed the other sentiments on the pc.

If you'd like to see some stunning cards for inspiration for this weeks challenge, then please go to the challenge blog and see what has been made by our GD, Donna and The Saturdays, this week we are also joined by Dorcas who is showcasing a beautiful card using another of Mo's fab images.


I'd like to enter my card into the following challenge at:
Crafty Catz -  Happy Birthday


Thank you for stopping by, have a great weekend xx

Monday 17 October 2011

Nature's Gifts

This time, the challenge over at Stamps R Us is entitled 'Nature's Gifts'.
Now that could mean almost anything couldn't it? animals, flowers and trees, fruit and veg, the weather, a beautiful scene somewhere, even a precious baby. So you are bound to have the perfect image to play along with this one, if you don't, or want to have a new image anyway (and who doesn't?) then perhaps you might like to go take a look at the selection of lovely images available from our sponsor for this challenge, Heart Song Designs.
There's a great offer available right now, for every 3 digital images purchased you will receive your choice of another one free!
and who doesn't love to get a freebie eh?

The design team were given images to make their cards this week (thank you), I chose 'Flowers and Bumble Bee'...



I wanted to paper piece the flowers and leaves to match the  backing paper.
The paper is by Echo Park and is from a collection called 'Little Girl' I won this collection in a competition and loved the papers in it so much that I decided to buy the digital version of the same collection so that I could always print off the pretty designs from it. Hence why the flowers are a similar design, the only difference is that I resized the pattern smaller so that the design could be seen better on the flowers, there is a difference in colour too, but that might be the fault of my printer. Even so, I'm still happy with how this card turned out, and the flowers and cute little bee were crying out to be layered a little too...


my first time of sponging a sky background too.

You can feast your eyes on more Heart Song Designs loveliness by seeing what my fellow teamies have made for the challenge.

And I do hope that you will find time to join us too,
you may even be the challenge winner and receive a prize from our generous sponsor :)

Saturday 15 October 2011

From our home to yours

I love this image from Pollycraft 
and it's available to download now for only 49p!!!
what a bargain! a must for your christmas collection, especially if you have to post your cards.

My card uses this weeks sketch from Sketch Saturday






I have used these lovely papers from HOTP called 'Forever Christmas Cards'
the only exception is the plain dark green piece which is by SU (always artichoke) and the pale beige scrap pieces i've used for matting.
I coloured the image with my promarkers, the door is coloured with 'ruby' and shaded with 'cool grey 5', blended over top with the ruby pen again. Got it to match the spotty paper pretty good :)
I don't have a red door on my own home, but my daughters dolls house does! :)
The stripy paper has been punched on one side but has been paper pricked on the other 3 then a white gel pen was dragged through the holes to create a faux stitched look.



This week we are sponsored by Robyn's Fetish, who are awarding the winner of our challenge this week with a choice of either 5 digital stamps or 4 digital stamps and 1 paper pack :)
Actually everyone's a winner, because throughout October, they have a 35% discount offer to honour breast cancer awareness month.

Please stop by the blog to see the fabulous work by our Guest Designer for October, Donna, and of course by The Saturdays, lots of inspiration there!


I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly: Get in Shape
(square card, rectangular mats, circular gems)

Charisma Cardz - In stitches (real or faux)


Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend! xx

Flashback Friday challenge - first tag

You have until 28th october to post about and enter the challenge at Flashback Friday. This time they have asked to see our first gift tag.

taken from their blog...
♥♥Please do not link your original blog post that contains your flashback card/project... you shouldre-post your Flashback Friday card onto your blog...that's the fun of it...taking ownership of your flashback card...layout...project..in the present day...haha...that's why some people don't want to play...but it is all for fun...♥♥


I made and blogged about this tag way back in November 2009...


I used products by Stampin Up, I so loved this ski slope designer paper, I have only scrap pieces left now :(

I used this gift tag on a large gift-wrapped box that was filled with lots of smaller sized gifts, individually wrapped, that my husband and I gave to our daughter, for her first christmas after leaving home. She thought she had just one gift (said she thought we had bought her a hoover! lol) and she was gutted at the time to think that she wasn't getting the Beano Annual that we buy for her every year. It's the only present she knows that she is definately getting each year, and that year there wasn't a beano annual shaped gift! :o
The annual was inside the box, along with lots of other gifts. She was surprised and happy, and not at all upset that she didn't get a vacuum cleaner! :D
As I said, that was her first christmas away from home. There wasn't another, she moved back home a few months later, and I had to give up my craft room so that she could move all her stuff back in.
I would love to have my craft room again...
Anyone want a lodger? lol ;D

Saturday 8 October 2011

Sketch Saturday #176

Morning all :)
Time for another Sketch Saturday challenge!
and this week we are sponsored by our lovely friends at

Photobucket

where you could win a whopping $25 to spend in store if you are our lucky winner this week :)

Here's my card...

This card is part of a mahooosive order from my manager at work, in total she wants me to make 42 cards for her! Thankfully not all at once, although she needs some of them now, this is one of them.
I thought this cute little melonheadz robot would be fab for a 6yr old boy.
I have used 3 different papers, all available from different sets by Going Digi.
I added the name of the little boy with a silver marker to one of them.
The sentiment is from a SeeD's stamp set. and then all I did to finish was add a punched star, chipboard 'rivets' and the number six, which were made to look metallic using a silver marker.

Please stop by to see the cards made by our GD Donna, & The Saturdays.
and wait until you see the first DT cards made by our new girlies... Susie & Tracey!
WOW!!!


I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Bearly-Mine challenges - use 3 backing papers
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes (option of using a punch)
Happy 4th birthday PTW! xx


Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by today :)
Jo xx

Friday 7 October 2011

For a pearl anniversary

I was also commissioned to make a card for a 30th wedding anniversary, using this image...


It's called 'wine and cheese' and is by Inkadinkado.
I've coloured it with promarkers but added a bit of extra depth here and there with some pencils too.
The papers are by Stampin Up (Bella Bleu) I used another paper from the same collection to punch out the flowers using my boho blossoms punch, a nellie snellen stamen punch and a woodware leaf punch. Of course I had to add flat backed pearls to the centre of the flowers didn't I? They add a lovely shimmer too.
The sentiment and '30' were both printed off the pc, but I have gone over the text with a clear glitter gel pen to add a bit of sparkle.
The centre border strip was made using a x-cut punch.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Allsorts - 5 flowers
Polka Doodles - handmade flowers

Thanks for looking xx

bake a cake

I was asked to make a birthday card for a lady who bakes cakes.

I coloured the Hanglars with promarkers, then decided I wanted to frame the image in wood to match the cupboard, I didn't have anything suitable so I made the 'wooden' frame from kraft cardstock and promarkers.
The distressed paper is by My Mind's Eye
(Stella Rose - Hattie)
Then all I did was add a handwritten sentiment and punched flowers and leaves. Hope she likes it!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - time for cake
CES challenges - totally gorjuss/pretty girls
Prairie Fairy Fridays - sugar and spice (girly cards)

Thursday 6 October 2011

LOTV give-away

LOTV's ideas to inspire blog are running a give-away, this time they have asked us to show them our favourite cards made with LOTV products.
This is mine...



I made this card a year ago, and although I don't have it anymore, I still like to look at the photo, everything just seemed to 'work' on this card, it turned out exactly as I wanted it to in my head. Here's the link to the original post.

If you want to take part too, best be quick! the deadline is the 8th, you can enter by going to this post.

Monday 3 October 2011

an apple a day...

...keeps the doctor away (as the phrase goes)

well ok, perhaps the doctor won't be advising us to drink a bottle of cider a day lol, but I thought of the phrase while I was colouring and layering these images and decided to use it anyway, even if a little tongue in cheek :)


This is my first card as a fully-fledged DT member for Stamps R Us after my recent guest spot. woohoo!
This time our challenge has an Autumn/Fall theme, and we are sponsored by Robyn's Fetish, who not only have a generous prize package for our lucky winner, but kindly gave us images to use on our cards too.
I chose 'Apple Cider' and 'Basket of Apples'.

Once again, I coloured with my promarkers.The sentiment is handwritten onto a round tab (SU punch).
The papers are by First Edition, this collection is called 'summer breeze' yet I think these particular sheets suit autumn better than summer!


Please join me, as well as the rest of the talented Stamps R Us design team, by taking part in our challenge. You've got to be in it to win it! good luck! :)

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

One Stitch at a Time - use a digi
ABC challenges - A for Anything Goes

Saturday 1 October 2011

Think PINK

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so I was more than happy to use 'Hope', an image given to me by Tickled Pink Stamps, who are this weeks sponsor for Sketch Saturday, where it is Paula who hosts the challenge and provides us with the sketch, giving me a week off and the chance to play with a sketch other than my own :)

here's my card...


I coloured Hope with my promarkers then VERY carefully cut her out before layering. I wrote 'think PINK' onto the notice she is holding.
The ribbon image was already on the notice, so I decided to use this ribbon to make a matching background paper especially for this card to compliment the image.
The pink, distressed paper is by Fancy Pants 'wishful thinking' I didn't want a paper that was too fussy or would clash with the ribbon paper, but I didn't want the paper to be completely plain either. So this one suited perfectly.
The pretty scalloped edge was made using a xcut border punch, and the sentiment is from SU's 'best yet' stamp set.


Hope will be available to buy from 4th October for a limited time for just $1AU (throughout october )

Please stop by SS to see the beautiful cards made by The Saturdays, and our talented GD for October Donna Mosley.
You'll also find this weeks sketch so that you can join in too :)
Our winner this week will receive either 1 rubber stamp, or 2 digi stamps from the Tickled Pink store :)

Have a wonderful, sunny, weekend! xx

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

I {heart} Promarkers - distressing
Prairie Fairy Fridays - pink & distressed