Blue Tilda

This weeks challenge on DCD is 'Tilda in blue'. I have made this card with a Tilda image I was sent for my birthday (thanks Rosie). Isn't it cute? I can't make up my mind if it is meant to be a huge spoon she is carrying (to make a cake with) or a tennis racket. Anyway, I have gone with the spoon idea here.

I have cut a window apeture by hand and added some lace on the back to look like curtains, and then a piece of blue card covered in glitter glue behind for a contrast.

I will also enter the card into this weeks Pear Tree Designs challenge, which is birthdays.

P is for Presents

This weeks challenge on the ABC Christmas blog is 'P is for Presents' with the optional extra of lace. I have used another of the images I got from Helen in the 'half-way there' blog hop candy to make this card. I'm not sure if the cream ribbon is really lace or not. It does have holes in it. Anyway, I like it and it is a bit lush.I will also enter the card into this weeks I love Promarkers challenge, which is to make a Christmas project. I have coloured the image with PMs, as usual.

Paper Roses Tutorial

This is a tutorial for Craft Mad and Loving It blog on how to make paper roses. There are several different tutorials around on how to make roses, but I haven’t seen anyone else give one on how to make them this way. (It’s not my original idea though- I saw the technique at a demo in a local craft shop this time last year.) The method is very similar to Karen’s rolled flowers but with an extra step.
Equipment:

scissors

pencil

paper- patterned, plain, coloured, white, mulberry... anything really which isn’t too thick.

ink pad in a colour which will complement your paper
gem(s) (one per flower)

some strong glue (UHU or equivalent is good)
a quilling tool (optional, but advised for beginners) 1) Draw a circle on the back of a piece of patterned paper and then a spiral inside the circle. Cut out.

2) Turn paper over to the ‘right’ side. Roughly go around the spiral crimping over the outer edge as shown: 3) Add ink with an ink pad around the edge which you are crimpled to add definition to the folds. 4a) Use a quilling tool (or roll between your fingers) to coil up the spiral starting from the outside. If using patterned paper you want the patterned side to be in the middle of the coil.
4b) As the coil gets bigger, remove from the quilling tool and continue between your fingers. At this point it is better if the turns are not as tight. 5) Add a blob of strong glue to the centre of the spiral and stick the coil to it. Then you have a finished rose! I have added extra definition with a Promarker and then some glitter and finally a gem in the centre.Stick to your card or project and add some foliage.

This is the card I have made. It uses the Cuthbert and Kiki freebie from Pollycraft. I will enter it into this weeks Pollycraft Monday challenge, which is the theme ‘Love and Marriage’. For other examples of the roses, I have made them with mulberry paper here for a delicate effect and patterned paper here. Experiment with different sized spirals to get the required ‘3D-ness’ which you want. Have fun!

Tortoise Hugs

I got this FAB freebie when I enetered Part 1 of 'Flash your Freebies' Pollycraft challenge. Thankyou Paula for being so kind as to offer freebies- they are very much appreciated and your images are great to work with. For Part 2, the challenge is to use your freebie and the theme 'green'. I have created this card.I will also enter it into this weeks Passion for Promarkers challenge, which is to use the colour green. (I have coloured the image with PMs, of course!)

Lace and Pearls

This weeks sketchie for CMLI (CB) was set by Karen and the theme was 'lace and pearls'. At first I thought- oh no not lace again. (I thought I didn't have any, having used up some scraps on another challenge with lace a while ago. However I found some at the bottom of a box- I think it is actually a cut up old lace dollie that I pinched from Mum ages ago.I will also enter this card into this weeks Passion for Promarkers challenge, which was distressing. I used Lauren's tutorial on CMLI for ink distressing. It worked quite well, but perhaps isn't strong enough to show up in the photo.

Distressed Burt with buttons

It has taken me ages to make this card. Not because it is particularly good, but because I have had loads of other things to do and so have been a bit start-stop with the crafting. I have used the fab 'Bert the Owl' from Pollycraft (a freebie a few months ago), coloured with PMs, and some We are Memory Keepers papers which I like. I am not so sure I am happy with the finished product- the ink distressing didn't go as I had planned. I really must get a glass mat and some proper distress inks instead of trying to improvise. I will enter the card into this weeks Passion for Promarkers challenge (distressing) and I love Promarkers challenge (buttons- and yes I have been extravagant and used 5).

Good Luck Elaine

My friend Elaine has a big day coming up and so I have made her a good luck card (I hope she doesn't check my blog!). I have used a Willow Design digi image and the free papers from this months copy of Cardmaking and Papercraft. The image and some of the flowers are mounted on an acetate cover to give a dimensional effect.

I will enter the card into this weeks Pear Tree Design (sketch with the twist of ribbon) and DCD (acetate) challenges.

Happy Birthday Mum!

This is the birthday card I gave Mum (her birthday was a few days ago). She is mad about chickens and so I found her a chicken digi image.I will enter this card into this weeks Pollycraft challenge which is 'happy birthday'. It was Paula's birthday yesterday too, so happy birthday from me.

A Monster Big Thankyou

I wanted to make a special thankyou card for some people I know. I have made the card for the first ever Craft Mad and Loving It challenge (new group on CB). The challenge is a sketch set by Rosie with the twist of 'Ink and Emboss my friend'. I have to admit that I am not too keen on embossing, but I have used some embossed cardstock as one of the layers and have distress inked it and inked around the edges of the other layers. The two big buttons are ones from an old jumper.I will also enter this card into the 'Flash your Freebies' challenge on Tales of Pollycraft since the image is a Pollycraft freebie which was released for Father's Day (I have cut out the jumper and replaced it with patterned paper since I didn't want the sentiment on this card).

Doggy Christmas card

I made this Christmas card last night for a number of challenges this week:

I love Promarkers- sketch and dog theme. (For one of the layers, I have cut an apeture instead, for a change.)

ABC Christmas- 'O is for ornaments' with optional extra of gloss (I have added glossy accents to the eyes, nose and skates in the image)

Passion for Promarkers- animalsThe image and papers I won in Helen's ABC Christmas half-way there blog hop candy. I love both! The ornaments are Anita's dimensions stickers backed with backing papers, cut out and attached to wire with beads. The papers and image are edged with chalk inks.

Bold and Bright!!!

This weeks Pollycraft Challenge is to make a 'Bold and Bright' card. I think my card is definitely bright! I have used a Pollycraft Freebie image (Cuthbert with balloons- one of my favourite images) and so will enter the card also into the Tales of Pollycraft 'Flash your Freebies' challenge.

Crafty Emma's new Shop and Candy!

Crafty Emma has opened a on-line craft shop and has a £10 voucher as candy. Her cards are fanatastic and I won a prize from her from the Passion for Promarkers blog a few weeks ago which was brill, so I can only think that the things she sells are top class! Post news of her blog candy and new shop on your blog to be in with a chance of getting the £10 voucher (opened until 17th July).

Baby elephant

After doing the DCD blog hop I looked up the blog from which Karen had got her image and found a treasure trove of free images there. I have used this cute baby elephant one here to make another first birthday card for the DCD challenge. I will also enter the card into this weeks Pear Tree Designs challenge (glitter and sparkles- I think I may have over-done the glitter!) and Passsion for Promarkers challenge (animals).

LGS challenge 10th July

This weeks sketchie on the LGS group (CB) was set by GDT Kathy and the twist was that it had to be a Christmas card and include thread somewhere. There are some fabulous creations already for this challenge and they include different ways of using thread on a card, which has given me ideas for the future.I will enter this card into this weeks I love Promarkers challenge, which is distressing. I have torn the papers and matting layers round the image, inked the edges and background of the image, and inked and glittered the edges of the side panel. The snowflakes were die cuts I had bought which I decorated with white and then silver ink and finally glitter. The thread is left over cross stitch white thread which I have tried to colour silver with ink.

I will also enter this card into the ABC Christmas challenge 'N is for Noel' (sorry I have not managed the optional extra of embossing on this card). The image and backing paper is from the candy which I won from Helen's blog from the half way there blog hop- thankyou!

I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you!

This weeks challenge for Passion for Promarkers is 'give us a laugh'. I have made this card using a comic chicken image with the slogan 'I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you!'. The image is coloured with PMs. I will also enter this card into this weeks Pear Tree Designs challenge, which is the theme animals.

Happy Retirement Mum

Mum retired today!!! I made her this card a few weeks ago for a challenge on LGS (CB) but couldn't post it here until now, in case she saw it. I have used a really cute LOTV image sent ot me by Lauren (thankyou so much). I will enter this card into this weeks I love Promarkers challenge, which is distressing. I have distressed the edges of all the paper layers by adding glitter glue and sanded the edges of the purple mat layer around the image (Co'ordinations card), although this doesn't show up well on the photo.

I will also enter it into this weeks Pear Tree Designs challenge, which is animals (the bear and bird on the image and the wire butterfly).

Pollycraft #51

This weeks Pollycraft challenge is a sketch. I have made this card using Cuthbert coloured with PMs. The backing papers are ones which came free with this months issue of Cardmaking and Papercraft.

N is for Noel

Yippeee!! I won the half-way there blog candy from Helen's blog off the ABC Christmas challenge. Thankyou so much for the images and paper I recieved.

The challenge at the moment on ABC Christmas is 'N is for Noel' with the optional extra of embossing. I have used one of the fab images I got as a prize and have made this easel card. Two snowflakes have been covered in embossing powder and embossed to make them shiny.

DCD's 1st Birthday!!!

It's DCD blog's first year birthday and the challenge is to make a 1st year birthday card. The challenge runs for 2 weeks this time and there is a blog hop too!

This is my card, for an ambitious little boy or girl- I don't see why girls can't be astronauts too!

Happy Birthday to the DCD team!

Pollycraft candy

Massive Pollycraft Candy (Cuthbert and Kiki images) on 'Me Myself and Scrapbooking' blog!!! I just love those images- they are so cute.

Stripes

This weeks challenge on I love Promarkers is the theme 'stripes'. I have used my english Lofty stamp for the first time to make this card. The red and white striped backing card was a bit bright and so I have distressed it with copper ink to make it more subtle. The image is coloured with PMs, of course!

Special Thankyou card

I made this card today for someone I want to say a special thankyou to in the next few months. I made the roses using the guide on Karen's blog (version 1) and as always I am pleased with the results, but they took me hours to do! I have also experiamented with a step card for the first time, since they seem to be in fashion at the moment (I keep seeing them being used for DT cards). The image is 'Flo' from Pollycraft and isn't she cute? I will enter this card into this weeks Pollycraft challenge (pinkalicious- I have used all pink bps and coloured the image in pink) and Passion for Promarkers challenge (think of a number- a million!. The image is of course coloured with PMs).