Betwinchies and Twinchie

The final lot of swap items I made for the Christmas CMLI swap.  This time 4 betwinchies and one twinchie.  I stamped onto shrink plastic, coloured with Promarkers and then shrunk down to size and mounted onto kraft card stock which I had stamped with a a snowflake in silver:

Stamp Inchies

Some more inchies!!  These I made by collaging together old Christmas postage stamps, then stamping and heat embossing a snowflake on top in gold:

Christmas Thankyou

A couple of weeks ago I made lots of inchies, betwinchies and one twinchie for the November/December swap on CMLI.  For one batch I had two inchies left over and so I decided to make some cards with them:

These are the inichies themselves:

Pumpkins!

I have seen LOADs of pumpkins for sale in Italy- not the normal ornage type that you get here just for carving but all sorts of shapes and sizes for eating.  Pumpkin tortellini is a regional spatiality in Modena.  I wish I could have brought a pumpkin home with me to eat but they are huge and it REALLY would not have fitted in my case.

In Lieu of the real thing here is a card:

I will enter this into this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday challenge (sketch), I love Promarkers (halloween), Di's digi downloads (too cute to spook) and Willow Sketchie (theme- buttons) challenges and this months CMLI challenge, set by Nicola, of 'the seasons'.

Getting ready for London 2012!

It's my month to be GDT for the CMLI challenge and I think I might have got a bit carried away with making sample cards...  oh dear.  I guess that just means that you are in for a lengthy post- lol!
Anyway, I'm rather taken with the fact that the Olympics will be held in the Uk this time since I think it is probably a once in my lifetime event.  I was extremely lucky to get tickets to the swimming heats in the first round of ticket allocations this time last year.  They are actually a 30th birthday present to my friend and so we are going together on 31st July.  I will skive the end of my molecular simulation(!) summer school and she  is scribing hard in the office to all hours to be able to submit her PhD thesis by the opening ceremony!
So, the theme for this months CMLI challenge (which will open 30th June and close 21st July before my summer school) is 'be inspired by London 2012'.  And if you want any ideas, here are my collection of cards so far:

The background text paper is one I made.  Help yourself if you want:

Swimming, using a DigiStamp Boutique image:

Celebrating/Patriotic using a DigiStamp Boutique image:

Cycling using a Pollycraft image:

Sailing using a Pollycraft image:

And finally patriotic with London Lofty:

Two other cards which I posted recently (one a Patriotic and the other a football card) were ones I also made with this challenge in mind.

I will enter these cards into this weeks I love Promarkers (anything goes) and Cute Card Thursday (patriotic) challenges and this months DigiStamp Boutique competition.

And in case you need any more inspiration, then if you are a member of CMLI on Craftbubble and enter the challenge then you are in with a chance of winning a little prize.

June CMLI challenge

The new monthly challenge have started on CMLI and it is Clare's turn to be DT first.  This months theme is 'celebrate a new beginning and break open a bottle'.  I have used my super new LOTV stamp from Lauren which I got for my birthday to make this card (thanks sooo much Lauren).  So I guess that the 'new beginning' is the new stamp and the bottle/bubbly wine is in the image.  I have a couple of other thoughts on this challenge and so no doubt I will make another card in the next few weeks!

CAS kitten

Another 'domestic animal CAS' card for this weeks CMLI challenge.

Last weekly challenge for CMLI

Sadly after this week the DT are all standing down on CMLI and we are going for monthly rather than weekly challenges.  CMLI (and in it's previous disguise as Lets get stamping on Craft bubble- same people, different group) was what really introduced me to the online craft community.  Since then my card making has been transformed for the better and I have met lots of new friends.  Of course we all move on in life though- me to university and so I can't join in each and every week, although I try my best to make one card for the challenge- and the DT who have been in place for 2 years now without a break (a super human task in my view).  I wish them all the best and have to say a huge thanks.  I hope in the coming months their creative juices start to flow and that they can enjoy joining in the new style of monthly challenges set by the rest of us who have had a back seat role in the past (my turn in July, so watch this space!).

Anyway, as the final challenge, Kathy set the theme of domestic animals and CAS- she wanted LOTS of white space.  I don't really do CAS and found this hard, but here is my card.

Let it Snow

This weeks CMLI challenge was set by Karen and the theme was 'let it snow'.  Well it hasn't snowed this weekend but it sure feels like winter- sooo much rain and wind here and cold with it.  When is summer, or spring to think of it, going to come??? I hope it improves as we enter May next week.

I will enter this card into this weeks Pollycraft (sketch), ABC Christmas (H is for hardware- metal label holder round the sentiment), Di's digidownloads (animals), Cute Card Thursday (animals) and Passion for Promarkers (die cuts- snowflakes and the shape behind the image) challenges.

Marley and flower

Yesterday, Lauren set the CMLI sketchie and the theme was 'just because'.  Paula from Pollycraft also released 12 new digis yesterday and there is currently a special offer on all Pollycraft images on.  I made good use of the special offer and went and got this super image.

I will enter the card into this weeks Pollycraft (cute critters), Di's digidownloads (animals) and CES (button it) challenges.

A third wedding card!

Not sure why, but I have made a third wedding card in 2 weeks today.  I only needed one card for Mum and Dad to send to their French neighbours, but I seem to be in the mood for wedding cards.  I also had never used this Chester image before and wanted to give it an outing...

Anyway, this card was really inspired by Cherry's sketchie challenge on CMLI today.  It was a good one- a sketch and some pictures on story cubes from which to take inspiration.  One of the story cubes seemed to be a wine glass and so that is the most direct link to my card.  There was also a Fairy Tale Castle, which made me think of Princesses and to my mind everyone looks like a Princess on their wedding day (or at least females do and men look like Princes).  (Plus, don't most Fairy Tales end with a wedding and a happily ever after??)

I will also enter this card into this weeks I love Promarkers and Passion for Promarkers challenges (both white on white).

Sunshine Moments

Yesterday on CMLI Rosie set the weekly themed challenge of 'sun shine' moments.  We certainly needed to be reminded this weekend of what the sun looks like since it has rained pretty much constantly here (today at least)!  We NEED the rain though and so I'm not complaining.  I made this card for the challenge using the sketch from this weeks Sweet Sketch Wednesday challenge.  I'm not sure the photo quite does the card justice as some of the papers are glittered and I have made the middle section into a window for Tilda to sit on.  I will also enter the card into this weeks CES challenge (pearls and swirls).

Yummy Easter

This weeks CMLI challenge was set by Rosie and it was to take inspiration from a photo of mini eggs.  I decided to make this last minute Easter card with Fluffy the 'wabbit' from the Cogs and Critters Pollycraft collection.  I have tried to use 'mini' egg' colours too.

I will enter this card into this weeks I love Promarkers (spring), Di's Digi Downloads (Easter) and Cute Card Thursday (candy) challenges.

Calling to say thanks

This weeks CMLI sketchie was set by Kathy and the theme was to make a masculine card.  I had this Pollycraft Chester image in my pile waiting to be coloured in and used- I do have a big soft spot for Chester!  I will also enter the card into this weeks Pollycraft Monday (chocolate), CES (no girls), Willow Sketchie (emboss) and Di's Digi Download (emboss) challenges.

F is for Furry Christmas

Sorry not much crafting to show you this week.  I went to the craft fair at the NEC yesterday and met up with another crafter for the first time.  I had a really, really great day- I hope Lauren did too!  We shopped 'til we 'dropped' and got to do three workshops while we were there.  I'd recommend getting to the NEC early and booking up to do a few workshops if you get the chance to go one year as it is good to have a sit down and great to play with the products before buying.

Anyway, today, inbetween potting up my seeds and enjoying the sunshine in the garden, I made this card.  I will enter the card into this weeks ABC Christmas (f is for furry or feathered), Passion for Promarkers (animals), I love Promarkers (3 different backing papers), Cute card Thursday (anything goes), Digistamp Boutique, Sweet Sketch Wednesday (sketch) and CMLI (Christmas song/carol- 'I'll be home for Christmas' (to me it looks like the little dog is looking out the window for its owner to come home)).

 

No backing papers

This weeks CMLI sketchie was set by GDT Nicola and the theme was no backing papers.  I decided to make my own backing for a change by stamping this checked pattern in orange and then ditressing round the edge of the card in yellow.  I don't have distress inks and so I had to get creative and used water colour paints!  While I had them out I decided to colour the image in water colours for a change too.  It is not the best card I have ever made, but I had fun doing it and it is a little bit different to my norm.  

 

Fly away

This weeks CMLI sketchie was set by Lauren and the theme was 'sail away'.  I made a nautical card last week and had this airoplane stamp in my stash that I won on a challenge blog a very long time ago and thought I would twist the theme a little to 'fly away'.  (A bit naughty, but I hope Lauren doesn't mind too much.  I did follow the sketch and it is a good one to use.)  The papers are pink petticoat ones I got the other week.  I have kept the card fairly minimal so it is more masculine.  I think I might give it to a work colleague before he leaves in July to go to Australia for 6 months (that is if I remember in July that I made the card!).

 

Nautical Spots

This weeks CMLI challenge was set by Rosie and the theme was tags on cards.  I made this card for my friend's birthday which is coming up (hoping she is not checking my blog regularly at the moment!).  The embossing board I bought specially last year for making nautical cards for her, but this is the first time I have used it.

I will enter the card into this weeks Willow Sketchie challenge (sketch and recipe of 2 designer papers- mine are from Pink Petticoat).

Monochrome snowman

This weeks CMLI challenge was set by Kathy- it was a sketch with the theme of monochrome.  I decided that I didn't want to make a black and white card (I don like making black and white cards but the sun was shining and I wanted to make something more colourful).  In the end I had a lot of fun with this card as I coloured the image with water colours for a change and then added lots of distressing.  I only have one distress ink pad though and it is pink and so here I have used blue water colour paint to distress with, as well as blue cosmic shimmer glitter paint and some faux stitching.  I am quite pleased with the result.

I will enter the card into this weeks ABC Christmas challenge (distressing), Willow Sketchie challenge (anything goes) and Pollycraft Monday challenge (ribbon and buttons).

C is for Charming

This fortnights ABC Christmas challenge is 'C is for Charming'.  I nearly missed the challenge, being away, but have had some crafty time today and made this card.  I used some new papers I bought from Hobbycraft after Christmas in the sale and am quite pleased with them.  The image is one I received ages ago but not yet used and I have coloured it with water colours and cosmic shimmer paints for a change.  The card follows this weeks CMLI sketchie challenge set by GDT Debs with the theme of movies ('The Snowman'!).  I will also enter the card into this weeks Digi Doodle Shops Best challenge (anything goes).