Tortoise blues

I went to town on this card a bit with the embellies- all hand made mind and so they didn't cost (apart from the dies, papers, ....  who am I kidding when I say it didn't cost??). I will enter the card into this weeks Sketchy (sketch) and Passion for Promarkers (blue plus one other colour- pink).

Monster Birthday

Needing to distract myself today and so have done a bit of crafting.  I also wanted to cheer myself up and so made this card with lots of bright colours- just what you need when it is raining all day and a bit dark out.  We do need the rain though, so I'm not moaning about it.
I will enter the card into this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday (sketch) and Passion for Promarkers (blue plus green) challenge.

Simple baby girl

I thought I would have another go at the Retro Sketch for this week.  This time I have made a baby girl card with a DigiStamp Boutique image- 'bathtime bobbi'.

Third time lucky

This is the third time that I have tried to enter the 'Retro Sketches' blog challenge- the first time that I have done so before the closing date!
I'm enjoying challenging myself to make a card out of my normal comfort zone.  This time I have used a Pollycraft image.

What's green a spotty?

Birthday Bobbi, or at least on this card he is!  I have fallen in love with the DigiStamp Boutique character 'Bobbi'.  He is a cutie isn't he?
Having a chill out this afternoon I went to town a bit on this card- distressing the papers and making an easel card for a change.  I will enter the card into this weeks Passion for Promarkers (easel card) and Sweet Sketch Wednesday (sketch) challenges.

Little Bobin

Week two of the little things quest on CMLI and it is the only crafting I have managed to do this weekend :-(.  Perhaps tomorrow I will get an hour or so...
This week we had to decorate the largest of the cotton reels Clare sent us.  I hadn't yet added my quote to the paper strip when I took the photo, but I have done so now. Not having all the paints, inks and stamps of the more seasoned members of the group I have 'made do'.  Not entirely happy with the result, but I am still learning with these things.  It was my first expedition into the realm of gesso- I gesso-ed the paper strip after splattering with water colours and I gesso-ed the cotton reel.  The flowers were die-cut from fabric, gesso-ed and then stitched together.  I added a few 'leaves' of friendly plastic which I have had for *years*.  Also decided to use an umbrella charm I had rather than the heart one in the pack.  It looks a bit odd in the photo, but I like it.

Red Christmas

Again this is a card I started making ages ago, originally for another challenge, and missed the deadline.  Been a bit under the weather in more ways than one recently and so only now posting it.  I will enter the card into this weeks Pollycraft (red) and I love Promarkers (Christmas in July) challenges.

Little Things...

Clare has started a summer project which a number of us on CMLI are joining in with.  We each have a pack of goodies and are going to make something every week to put in a little box and exchange with a partner at the end of the summer holidays (I think).  The first project Clare came up with was a mini book made with two Tim Holtz Alpha cards.  This was WAY out of what I normally do, but was up for the challenge and REALLY enjoyed it.
I didn't have any alcohol inks and so used PMs to to the first stage of the background.  Went with a slightly different colour scheme to Clare and embossed in silver not white.

Star Thankyou

Thought I'd best start adding to my 'thankyou card' stock pile after it was diminished the other day.  Used a Pollycraft image that I brought a while ago on this card.  Can't remember if I have used it before or not- no time like the present anyway.
I will enter this into this weeks I love Promarkers (anything goes) and Digi Sketch (sketch) challenges).

Snow in this heat?

Yes it is quite a challenge to make a snowy Christmas card in this heat, but then again it is refreshing to think of the snow when it has been so hot.  The last two days in Birmingham have been a LOT cooler though.  I wonder what this week will bring....  I'm not sure that the weather forecasters know yet- they keep changing their minds, don't they?
Anyway, I made this card today with the following challenges in mind- Ready Teddy Go (photo inspiration), Sweet Sketch Wednesday (sketch), I love Promarkers (anything goes), Passion for Promarkers (make a scene round the image) and Digi Sketch Challenge (theme- layers).

Wedding Anniversary

Mum and Dad are going to an anniversary party when they get back from France in August and I thought I would make them a card to take.  Not sure that this one will necessarily be appropriate ;-) but I enjoyed making it.
I will enter this in to this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday challenge.

A second wedding card

It's always the same.  When I make a wedding card, I end up making two.  Some how I get in the 'zone' and end up with two cards.  This time I had some left over flowers (but then I had to make more for there to be enough for the second card).  Strangely I have not gone for white on white, which is my wedding 'norm'.  Which card do you prefer?  This one or the first?  I might send this to Beth too- via Mum and Dad (they are also going to the wedding)- or it might go to a family friend who is getting married in November...
I will also enter this card into this weeks I love Promarkers (sketch) challenge.

A special wedding

One of my friends gets married in a few weeks time (it is her hen party next Saturday) and so I really had to knuckle down this weekend and make her a wedding card- funny isn't it?  When you have an important card like that, you always end up putting it off (or at least I do).  Thanks so much Lauren for sending me the image to use.
I don't know for sure (and haven't seen it) but have heard 'green' mentioned a lot in the wedding prep. and so that is why the card has a white on white with green feel to it.  The flowers took me hours to make, but I hope they were worth it??
I will enter this card into this weeks I love Promarkers (sketch) challenge.

A bit late- ooppps

I was looking round last week for some new challenges to try and found this interesting Sketch challenge.  It's not my normal type of thing but I thought I would push myself out of my comfort zone a little.  Anyway, I made the card for last week's challenge and then didn't post it- I thought it was a biweekly challenge and that I had plenty of time.... this was until Saturday morning when I saw that a new challenge had been set- ooops.  I doubt I will get time to enter this week, but I intend to try again in the future.  I liked using the sketch- made me think a little differently about how to tackle the card.

Baby

My friend is pregnant and due in August.  I was looking through my card stash and I have a few baby boy cards already made but no baby girl ones.  I think this card ended up being more neutral than girly, what do you think?
I used one of the new Bobbi images from DigiStamp Boutique.  I will enter the Sketchy challenges blog for the first time.  I think that I have included everything on the sketch in some way- maybe not exactly as it was laid out though.  If this is not appropriate, then please let me know.  I would like to take part in future weeks too.

Anniversary

Ok.  I am still playing catch up- who am I kidding??  It's Mum and Dad's anniversary in a few weeks and so I needed to make a card (it needs to be sent to France). Another DigiStamp Boutique image.  I will enter this into this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday challenge.

Book worm

My Mum is certainly a book worm when she isn't busy with other stuff- in the last few months I think she has been doing too much DIY and gardening etc (I think both my parents need to give it a rest for a while, but then they don't listen to me as much as I don't listen to them- lol!).  Anyway, it is Mum's birthday soon and so I thought I would give her an Amazon voucher to buy books for her Kindle.  This image I got from DigiStamp Boutique a while ago (first time I have used it) seems very apt.
I will enter this card into this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday (sketch) challenge.

Birthdays...

seem to be coming thick and fast.  I made this little card for one of the people I worked with in Australia.  I will send a batch of cards over to them next weekend for all the birthdays in August (4).  I was planning on making 4 new cards but ran out of time and so will raid my card stash for the other three.
I will enter this into this weeks Pollycraft and Cute Card Thursday (stars and stripes) challenges.

A batch in 'black'??

I am trying to get back in the 'fold' with my crafting and enter the challenges on my favourite forum- CMLI.  This year they have been having Rudolf Day challenges set on the 25th of each month.  This is the first month that I have had the chance to enter.  The challenge set by Clare was a batch of black.  It did start off that way, but somewhere along the line a few other colours popped in (only on the image though). It is a 'batch' though...
I will enter these into this weeks ABC Christmas (mice/men- I will have to catch up with letters A-L!), Pollycraft (stars and stripes), Cute Card Thursday (stars and stripes) and Digi Sketch challenge (sketch).

Sunshine

I'm very much hoping that the sunny weekend which is forecast materialises...  I know it was warm most places last Sunday but for some reason it didn't really reach Birmingham.  There was a distinct chill in the breeze.  Not too bad though, all things considered.  Still, I'm hoping to be able to sit outside and take in the days this Sunday :-)
I started to make this card on Sunday, in lieu of the sun.  I will enter it into this weeks I love Promarkers (photo- lots of yellow taken from the photo), Digi Sketch (theme- summer) and Di's digi (summer) challenges. The image is another DigiStamp Boutique one :-)