Busy Bees

This weeks Stampfairy challenge was circles, circles and more circles. I wanted to enter this challenge but nearly ran out of time. I have been waiting to use this new Stampfairy Lenny Bee image- isn't it just fab??? For the backing I have used a spirl Happy Birthday stamp from Elyzbells stamped with a yellow Promarker (I didn't have any other yellow ink and it worked, although perhaps not ideal for stamping with because it drys too quickly).
The 'flower' is die cut heart tags and the sentiment is from sentiments for you.
I will also enter this card into this weeks Passion for Promarkers challenge (let it shine- I have used glitter and mini gems) and CES challenge (bold and bright- I think the yellow is certainly bright!).

Dressing up

This weeks CMLI sketchie was set by GDT Debs and the theme was dressing up. I have used a pirate image from Pollycraft to make this card.

Black and blue (and white)

This weeks Pollycraft challenge is to use black and white and one other colour only. I have choosen to use blue. The image is one from Pollycraft- I have had it for a while and never used it until now. I really like the Cuthbert and Kiki range though. I will also enter the card into this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday challenge (sketch) and Pear Tree Designs (blue).

Angel Delight

A new mid week challenge on CMLI has started to help people make their Christmas cards throughout the year, rather than the madpanic in December. Every fortnight someone sets a recipe challenge. Rosie was the first to go with the recipe of angel delight- something blue, add wings, glitter and flowers. This is my card. I kept it simple and used up some paper scarps to make a patchwork background. The image is from Elyzbells. I will also enter this card into this weeks Passion for Promarkers challenge which is 'let it shine'- I have added some tiny gems and flower sequines around the edge of the image.

Animals

This weeks CMLI sketchie was set by Kathy and the theme was animals. I have used a digi stamp that I have had for ages but not used. I see it come up on DT cards from time to time on variuos blogs and so it must be a freebie that everyone downloaded and used. I was scared at first about colouring it, but it wasn't as hard as I thought. I'm really not too good with shading in general, but am trying to learn. (I know how to do the shading in the technical sense with PMs, it is just that I don't have an eye for judging which parts of an image should be shaded and which not.)I will also enter this card into this weeks Fab 'n' Funky challenge, which is also animals.

B is for 'Black and White'

This weeks ABC Christmas challenge is B is for black and white. They have an ace free digi image from Dustin Pike that you can use (or another High Hopes image). I have used the freebie on my card with Papermania black and white capsule collection papers. The sentiment is from Sentiments for U. I have followed the sketch from this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday.

Paper Piecing

This weeks Stampfairy challenge is paper piecing and so I have used one of my new Stampfairy images to make this card (image: 'Betty Perfect day 4'). I have tried to keep the card quite simple for a change and so have not used that many different backing papers.I will enter this also into this weeks I love Promarkers challenge (Keep it Sweet and Simple)(other than the dress and the bow the rest of the image is coloured with PMs- if this is not OK with the rules to use a little paper piecing on the image as well as PMs then I apologise and will remove the card from the linky).

Thinking of you

This is another get well soon card for my Aunt this time who is due to have an operation next week. I don't normally do more 'art' images (usually stick to cutsie ones) but I got this last year from Digidoodle shop and thought I would give it a go. I actually had fun colouring it- required more concerntration than normal! I use Promarkers, although I can see that it might be better with distress inks or watercolours. I have tried to keep the layout simple and clean and have used no designer papers- just a bit of embossing in the background using my Cuttlebug.I will enter this into this weeks CES challenge (no designer papers) and Digidoodle shop (anything goes).

Get well soon Shane

This is a card I made this week after finding out that my uncle had been taken ill on Friday last week and is in hospital now. I wanted to send him a card to let him know that I am thinking of him and hoping he gets better soon.I will enter the card into the following challenges:

Pear Tree Designs (free for all)

I love Promarkers (Keep it Sweet and Simple)

Digistamp Boutique monthly competition

Baby boy

I hardly ever make a birthday card, but this week the theme on Passion for Promarkers was 'baby cards'. Well, I thought I would give it a go since my cousin is due in early April and so I will need a card for then at least. I found I had this digi from Digi Doodle shop from the summer that I had never used. I have teamed it will Willow Design pastel papers. This card is in case she has a boy and I will make another card in the next few weeks, in case she has a girl- that way I am covered!I will also enter the card into this weeks Pollycraft Monday challenge (sweet pastel colours) and Pear Tree Designs challenge (free for all).

Mirror, mirror

This weeks sketchie for CMLI was set by Rosie and the theme was 'mirror, mirror...'. I don't have an image of someone holding a mirror or something for which I could use to make a card with a mirror image on it and so have opted for the boring get-out claise of using some silver mirrorboard.I will also enter this in to this weeks I love Promarkers challenge (punch- I used a heart border punch on the top of the silver mirrorboard) and Pollycraft Monday challenge (new things- the flowers and flourish are from a new die I got on ebay last week and the papers came free with Cardmaking and Papercraft, but this is the first time I have used them).

Blues and Browns

Blues and browns were the theme of last Sunday's themed challenge for CMLI. It took me a while to get time to make a card for this challenge, but here it is:I will also enter this card into the following challenges:

Stampfairy (buttons and layers- image is from Stampfairy)

Pear Tree Designs (circles)

Pollycraft Monday (new things- new brown backing paper, new scalloped card blanks and new star tag die)

I love Promarkers (punch- punched rounded corners)

Sweet Sketch Wednesday (sketch)

Christmas already!

Following the ABC Christmas blog encourages you to get ahead with your Christmas cards. The first challenge for 2011 is 'A is for anything Christmas'- a nice and easy one for starters. I had this image already printed off and so wanted to use it. (It is from Pollycraft.) The sketch is from this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday challenge.I have also recycled some Christmas postage stamps which came on the cards I recieved before Christmas. I try to save different stamps, but don't really do much with them and so I thought today I would make an effort to encorporate them onto a card. I hope it doesn't look too bad. I will enter the card into this weeks I love Promarkers challenge (recycle).

Sketchie #2

This is the second card I made for this weeks CMLI sketchie. The image I won from a DCD challenge ages ago and the papers are MME freebies from Cardmaking and Papercraft last year. I have used my new Sizzlet die to make heart shaped petals for the flowers.

Sketchie #1

This weeks sketchie on CMLI was set by Karen and the theme was 'pearls'. This is the first card I made for the challenge. The pearls perhaps don't go really with this card and I am a bit disappointed with it- I wanted the papers to be brighter and bolder but I didn't have any to use with me at uni. The image is a freebie from 'Some odd girl'. It is the first digi of theirs and first manga-style image which I have used.

I don't know about anyone else, but with all the Christmas cards at the end of last year I haven't made birthday cards for a while and really need some for this month!

I will also enter the card into this weeks I love Promarkers challenge (recycle- the red ribbon on the image panel is from a Christmas cracker and the yellow card used for matting was from a training course I went on where we were given traffic light coloured card to hold up in response to questions after watching a video).

Massive Thankyou

I have to say a massive thankyou to Clare for giving me some Sizzlet dies and an embossing folder, to use with my new Cuttlebug. I have put them to good use already on this card, by using the little heart die to make the flower petals (6 petals per flower, stuch on to a small piece of card, with a handcut flower from patterned paper in the centre with a brad). The papers are from the calander which came free with Cardmaking and Papercraft at the end of last year. I just love MME designs and must at some point actually buy one of their paper pads...The sketch I have used is from this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday challenge and I will also enter the card into this weeks Passion for Promarkers challenge (thankyou cards- sentiment is a stamp from Elyzbells) and I love Promarkers challenge (recylce- the image is mounted on a piece of corregated card taken from the packaging of the calander my Grandma gave me for Christmas and the brads in the centres of the flowers are from the packaging of some charms I bought from the Works a while ago). (The image is coloured with PMs.)

Renew, Restore, Recycle

This weeks CMLI themed challenge set by Lauren was 'renew, restore, recycle'. What a great challenge for the start of a new year. There have been some fab ideas, including renewing cards made in the past- which I thought was fanastic. See here for more info.My card is positively boring in comparison- just made out of scraps of paper, twine and a button off an old jumper. The image is one I have had for ages, from an image swap last year, and not used.

Colour Explosion

This weeks StampFairy challenge is the theme 'Colour Explosion' with the recipe of 2 backing papers and 3 embellishments. I have tried to add as many colours as possible to this card- yellow, orange, red, green, blue, purple, pink, brown, white and black.... I hope it doesn't look too much of a mess now!Stampfairy have a great challenge and blog hop this week if you use one of their images. The image I have used is a halloween freebie from them, but I think it could be used for a birthday too- a birthday hat rather than a witches hat.

Thankyou cards

This weeks sketchie for CMLI was set by Lauren and the theme was 'Thankyou'. I thought this was a very good theme since after Christmas we all have people we need to say thankyou to. I did make a few thankyou cards earlier in the week, but could do with one more and it doesn't hurt to have a few 'in stock' for emergencies at other times of the year too.

I will also enter these cards into this weeks Cute Card Thursday challenge, which is the theme, 'Thankyou'.