Panda Hat!

Ok, I've been at the wool again... This time I made an panda hat.  It's not really the right time of year for wearing hats (although it is meant to get cold with morning frost at the end of the week and into the weekend), but I'm still taken with my animal hat book.  This one I might keep for myself to wear next winter.

 

Thanks

A thankyou card this time using a Pollycraft image.  I will enter the card into this weeks Retro Sketches (sketch) and Little Miss Muffet (anything goes) challenges.

 

Magical Christmas

This is the first time that I have used this Pollycraft image and I am quite pleased with the way it has turned out.  I will enter the card into this weeks Little Miss Muffet (anything goes) and Sketch Saturday (sketch) challenges.

 

I spy with my little eye...

... something beginning with 'E'.  Yes, Lauren and Debs got it right the other day and I had made a crocheted elephant.  The stuffing arrived this morning and so he looks a lot happier now:

Admiring the view out of my bedroom window!

 Front view

Back view (thought you might like to see his tail ;-))

The pattern is one that someone gave to me from a Womens Weekly magazine.  I used a 3mm hook and DK wool.  He turned out better than I thought.

A little birdie...

... in green! I love the idea of colouring these images in different colours (inspired by the DigiStamp Boutique DT).  I will enter this card into this weeks Mojo Monday (sketch) and Cute Card Thursday (green and blue) challenges.

 

Number One

I really like this Pollycraft image that was released last summer.  It just had to be printed and used again.  I will enter the card into this weeks I love Promarkers (hats), Little Miss Muffet (anything goes) and Passion for Promarkers (sketch) challenges.

 

Chick Wedding...

... or should it be chic wedding?  This is a card I made today for my cousin who gets married this summer.  I loved the way the DT from DigiStamp Boutique have been using this set of birdie images so much that I just had to get them.  I would have only coloured them yellow had I not had their inspiration (more cards to come!).

I will enter this card into this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday (sketch) challenge. 

Sail Away

I made most of this card on Monday but only got round to finishing it today.  It follows this weeks Mojo Monday sketch.  I decided to got for background stamping rather than backing papers for a change.

I will enter the card into this weeks I love Promarkers challenge (hats). 

A card for Dad

I think it might be a bit early for making Father's Day cards, but DigiStamp Boutique released their Father's Day images this month.  Also, with things changing in my life in the next few weeks, best to get all the essential cards done now...  Anyway, I think this image is perfect for Dad who loves his sheds.  It was a dream to colour too.  (BTW.  My PMs are starting to run out- lots of colours all at one go.  Got to make a decision I guess, on whether to replace or buy something else.  Any advice??)

I will enter the card into this weeks I love Promarkers (hats) and Retro Sketches (sketch) challenges.

A quickie

Amazingly, I was inspired to make a CAS card today using this weeks Stamplorations sketch (normally it is like pulling teeth to get myself to do CAS).  What do you think?  I just couldn't not add some colour to it.

 

I spy with my little eye...

... a project that needs toy stuffing to be completed.

The question is, what am I? to be continued (when the poor thing has some insides). 

Coffee or tea??

I'm easy- will drink either.  This is sweet image I had in my stock (on my hard drive) but not used before:

I will enter the card into this weeks Retro Sketches challenge.
Hope you are having a good Easter.  I'm busy crocheting....  to be continued (eventually!)
 

Christmas Elf

I'm still working my way through some Christmas images I bought from DigiStamp Boutique at the end of last year and didn't get to use for Christmas 2013 cards.  This is a super cute one.  Didn't realise how much I liked it until it was printed and coloured.  I will enter this card into this weeks I love Promarkers (cats and dogs) and ABC Christmas (home- houses on the backing paper) challenges.

 

Egg-stra Special Easter

A final (?) Easter card from me this year?  I can't get enough of these little chicks from DigiStamp Boutique.  This one follows this weeks Sketch Saturday layout.  I will also enter it into this weeks Di's digi (Easter) and Passion for Promarkers (all creatures great and small) challenges.

 

Home for Christmas

I wasn't in 2013.  Will I be in 2014?  I hope if I'm not, it will be because I 'have a better offer' (ie gone somewhere nice :-)).  I have no plans at the moment though (give it a few weeks and Mum will probably start asking- like my Grandad used to be it, gets earlier each year (lol)).
I made this card using a DigiStamp Boutique image and this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday sketch.  I will also enter the card into this weeks ABC Christmas challenge (home).

 

Chirp chirp...

An Easter inspired card using a DigiStamp Boutique image and this weeks Mojo Monday sketch.  I will also enter the card into this weeks Di's digi challenge (Easter) and Passion for Promarkers (all creatures great and small).

 

A commission...

... to make a gift box/voucher to invite a 90-year-old to a flower show for her birthday.  I very rarely have commissions and so loved this challenge.  Started off by stamping, distressing and colouring some white paper to make the bespoke box.

The flower pot and trowel/fork stamps are from a Messy Rabbit set I hardly ever use.  The main image is from DigiStamp Boutique.

The design on the box lid follows this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 sketch.

And for the voucher...  I was thinking of something which could be kept- maybe used as a decorative door hanging?  Again I used similar/the same stamps so that it all tied together as a project:

And what else but a little card to top things off?

This follows the current Stamplorations sketch.  I was thinking that perhaps some of the details of the gift could be written in the card as the space on the tag is perhaps a little small.  Not sure how good the recipient's eye sight is.  I always get told off for writing too small...
I will also enter this into this weeks Passion for Promarkers (all creatures great and small) and Little Miss Muffet (distressing) challenges.

Easter Rooster

I was (dangerously) browsing Ravelry the other day and came across some free Easter patterns.  Wanted to have a go at this one:

He is really small (you wouldn't fit a cream egg inside/underneath). I used a 2.5mm hook for the first time (normally use larger).  It was good to do something a bit intricate after the Siamese cat which was on the other end of the scale (*large*).
Just in case he has a 'good' and 'bad' side, here's the other:

 

Siamese Cat

When I first saw this crochet pattern for a cat I thought it looked quite like a Siamese cat.  Since I added the facial details without referring back to the original pattern, perhaps my version isn't quite so oriental...

Anyway, I started making this one ages and ages ago.  It was a project to 'use up' some wool I had from Aldi (there is still some left over) and the rest of my toy stuffing.  Having come to the end of the stuffing I realise I am in a bit of 'wool' phase and want to make more toys.  Trying to sit on my hands and not buy another 1kg of stuffing from eBay (a *lot* of stuffing); not sure how much longer I can resist though... ;-)

This one is a bit 'unique'.  I stuffed only his paws, body and head.  The rest of the limbs and tail are unstuffed.  I also added some marrowfat peas to his bum (Mum for some reason finds this hilarious!) to add weight and to make him sit upright (he is big and would flop otherwise).

Two little bunnies

My friend is mad about rabbits and has two- Millie and Max.  It is her birthday coming up (I really hope she doesn't read my blog!) and so I thought I would make her two little crocheted bunnies!  Ok, I am a little crazy, but who wouldn't want these two for their birthday?

I made one blue (for boys) and one pink (for girls)- slightly happier with the girl one (in terms of the crochet- not sure anyone else would notice what I notice). She was the first one to be made too.

Mr bunny rabbit is cute too though.

The pattern is a freebie I found on Ravelry.  Must try and finish that cat that I started ages and ages ago...

Frame picture

Inspired again by a project that Clare made recently (here), I made a little frame picture.  It is actually the lid off a box from Decoupatch.  The little flowerpot and bird I had in my stash, leftover from last summers 'little things' challenge; the sparkly flower is another resin project I made in hospital (in a craft group) a while ago- this time using a mould to hold the resin, rather than a used bottle top. 

The inside of the 'box' was painted with a tester pot of emulsion (duck egg blue, Crown, I think), while the outside was coated in Eggshell paint and then stamped on in acrylics (a purchase from Lidl yesterday, along with the groceries...!)

Not perfect, but I am on a 'learning curve' still with altered art and more 'arty' type projects. Wayyyy outside my comfort zone, although yesterday I had great fun getting paint everywhere :-)

Junk 'journal'

Or maybe, more accurately, a 'junk canvas'.  Clare has been running junk journaling since the beginning of the year and this is the first time I have got round to joining in- very bad since it is April already...
Anyway, I wanted something colourful and so used the resin bottle top I made in hospital (in a craft group) as inspiration (an old beer bottle top decorated with a button, paper and beads, coated with ice resin).  The little mirror is mounted on a piece of leather (junk off some trainers I bought ages ago) and I used some 'junk' Eggshell paint (leftover (or perhaps not so leftover)) from Mum painting the skirting boards in the hall downstairs (she doesn't know I pinched the paint pot yesterday for a while ;-)).

 

Dog's Party

This is a quick card I made this morning using this weeks Retro Sketches layout:

 

Easter eggs

Thought I'd best make another Easter card or two before the day...  This one uses a DigiStamp Boutique image and this weeks Sketch Saturday sketch.  Will see if I make another couple in the next week or not...

 

Another Wedding card

Remember I made a card (very belated) for a family friend who got married in November?  And then I made another for her brother (who gets married in May)?  Well, Mum wanted a card to give her brother too and so got making a third wedding card in a few weeks!  (Will be making more soon too as my cousin gets married this year.)
The card uses this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 sketch.

 

A birthday card for my brother...

I love this Winston the owl image from DigiStamp Boutique.  He looks so knowing and wise (but in a kind of cheeky way).  Perfect for Chris.  I will enter this card into this months Stamplorations challenge (favourite image and technique- digistamping and colouring with PMs).

 

Some CAS cards???

Another attempt at CAS (clean and simple) cards:

Have I succeeded?  I will enter these into this weeks I Love Promarkers (CAS) challenge.

Glitter

This weeks ABC Christmas challenge is 'g is for glitter'.  I may have gone a little over the top with the glitter on this project... ;-)  The card was made using this weeks Mojo Monday sketch.  I will also enter it into this weeks Passion for Promarkers (laugh) challenge.