Watercolour Sympathy

I've seen a few cards recently that use watercolouring and okay, it's not my strongest suit - I was that kid in school who got more paint on me and the floor than the paper (and I can attest that as of today, I still am! lol!) - but it's such a lovely effect I had to give it a go...

I went with soft blues and greens for my paint colours to give the effect of water, grass and sky (I hope!) and used a kraft card base with some thick textured paper to paint on - mostly because it was the only white paper I had to hand other than printer paper and I wasn't convinced that would hold the watercolours very well - but I think it actually added nicely too the effect.

The floral stamps are from skipping stones with a sentiment from Stampin' up, both inked in brown pigment ink from paper mania. I used some button twine from sew sweet and a button to embellish.

I'm submitting this to:
- The Crafty Pad - Twine
- The Pink Elephant #163 - Sympathy/Thinking of You
- Desert Islands Crafts Challenge #36 - Blue, Green, Something Wet (Water), No patterned paper
- LEJ Designs Challenge #18 - Anything Goes

With Love to you Both at Christmas

I used Echo Park papers from the Holly Jolly Christmas pack and two images from pollycraft on this card - Casper 'Too Cool for Christmas' and Sonny Honeycloud Mistletoe - coloured with promarkers: blush, spice, buttercup, forest green, poppy, dusky rose, china blue, cornflower, slate and black.

The sentiment is computer generated - font CamelotDeNada - and I added glued it to the font of a bauble from the holly jolly christmas pack, to give it a bauble hook.

I'm submitting this to:
- Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge #87 - For a Couple
- Mojo Monday #256 - Sketch (see below)
- Aud Sentiments Challenge #62 - Christmas is coming
- Creative Card Crew #18 - Christmas

Special Day

I printed a bunch of these chandelier silhouettes from Sherry K Designs a few months ago, but only got around to using one. Then I made This card the other day for LiM and decided I really like it and it could work wonders with the silhouettes!

I just love these chandeliers for wedding/anniversary cards - in fact the card I sent my sister for her anniversary had one of these on it! So I decided on a wedding card, then decided to go long and tall and replace the splash of lime in the original card with some dark purple, which is one of my favourite colours.

I really like the effect of the image cut into quarters and it's so simple, I can change the colour up to match someones wedding colours if I repeated the card again - and I probably will, because I love how simple and elegant those chandelier's are!

I'm going to submit this to My Mum's Craft Shop #71 - it's my second entry for their Wedding/Anniversary Challenge. And the new Challenges 4 Everybody #1 - Anything Goes

Steampunk Birthday Wishes

I used freebie papers from crafts beautiful magazine on this card. The main image is from Pollycraft the others come from the Graphics Fairy and Beyond the Fringe and were coloured with promarkers - pear green, marsh green, chestnut, henna, caramel, carary. blush, buttercup, dusky rose, cool grey 4 and a gold marker on the watch and key. The sentiment also came from crafts beautiful. And I used ribbon and pearls from my stash.

I'm submitting this for:
- Sketch Saturday #222 (w/the Craft Barn) - Sketch (See below)
- The Cheerful Stamp Pad #50 - Steampunk
- Digi Doodle Shop #122 - Use Pearls

Twas the Night Before Christmas

I used some freebie papers from Quick Cards magazine on this card, layered on green card from the paper company. The image is from pollycraft coloured with promarkers - poppy, ruby, pear green, marsh green, blush, almond, sandstone, caramel and cool grey 3 and added glitter to the trim on her dress and hat.

The sentiment is a smirk stamp and I added gems from anitas - including a small one for her necklace and the gift embellishment from my stash (although I have no idea where it came from.)

I'm submitting this for:
- Willow Sketchie Challenge - SKETCH AND/OR CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST (see below)
- Winter Wonderland - Red and green should be seen
- Challenge Up Your Life #76 - Christmas in Summer
- Cute Card Thursday #231 - Bling it Up

Congratulations

I used white card and cut diagonal strips, before embossing them with different embossing folders and layering them on top of another bit of card, along with a strip of silver ribbon and used dimension pads to place it on the base card.

The sentiment is from stampabilities and was embossed with silver embossing powder. And I added the two dove embellishments and some pearls to finish.

I'm submitting this too:
- Creative Inspirations #177 - Sentimental
- My Mum's Craft Shop #71 - Weddings/Anniversaries
- Alphabet Challenge Blog - O for Only One Colour Plus White
- PaperPlay Challenges '12 - Week 34 - Sentiment as the main focus

Thanks

The collage is from Sherry K Designs, backed on black card and mounted on dimension pads. The sentiment comes from stampendous and I embellished with ribbon and gems.

The card was made for this weeks "Less is More" #82, which is a recipe challenge to use 3, 2 and 1 of something. I've used three bits of ribbon, 2 gems and a 1 word sentiment.

I'm also submitting it for The Play Date Cafe #146 - Black and White with a splash of lime.

Cuthbert Birthday

I used Cuthbert from pollycraft for this card, coloured with promarkers - amethyst, sandstone, caramel, slate, cool grey 3, cool grey 4, black, amber and canary.

The papers are from We R Memory Keepers travel light... I really like these papers and it occured to me I hadn't used them in a while, so this was a great reason to dig them out again :)

The sentiment is from Flonz and I took some buttons from my stash to embellish.

I'm submitting this card for:
- Sketch 'N Stash #94 - sketch (see below)
- I Love Promarkers Challenge #131 - Transport
- Dude Time Doodles - August Inspiration Challenge: Push My Buttons (Add Buttons)
- Craft Your Days Away - Farewell challenge: Anything Goes

Vintage Bee Hive

Vintage cards I admit, make me run in horror - I've never really succeeded with them the few times I've tried them, but, a first time for everything and I'm pretty happy with this one!

I used a freebie image from The Graphics fairy - which I left untouched - although I'm almost wishing now I'd changed it from black to brown, but never mind.

The papers are from the Botanical Collection and I got them free with simply cards and papercraft magazine this month, layered on brown card.

I used some fabric flowers from my stash, some stitching, some gems and a brad to embellish and the sentiment is from skipping stones designs, the banner cut with die-namics dies.

I also decorated the inside of the card - rare for me, since I usually leave the inside unfinished until I see who I'm sending a card too - with more papers from the same range, and a stamp from skipping stones.

I'm submitting this to:

- LEJ Designs Challenge #17 - Vintage
- Digi Haven - Days Gone By (Vintage)
- Creative Card Crew #17 - Maps/newsprint/sheet music/script ( my design papers cover newsprint and script :) )
- Crafting for All Seasons - Stitching

Seasons Greetings

I used my new die-namics dies for this and scraps of paper left from some cards last year - I believe it's milton and co. Added the greetings from two seperate stamps, the star from cards beautiful magazine and three buttons to embellish, layering the whole thing on a black piece of card and using dimension pads to place it on my base card.

I'm submitting this for:
- CAS-ual Fridays #67 - Banners and Flags
- My Time to Craft #185 - Christmas in August
- Craft You Passion #124 - Power of Three (3 buttons)

In the Garden

I used paper from the New Leaf pack for this card, layered on kraft card. The images are from Kelly Medina Studios and I coloured them with promarkers - cool grey 3, cool grey 4, sandstone, caramel, pear green, marsh green, honeycomb, and spice. I used a sentiment from Flonz and added a few gems under it to finish.

I'm submitting this for:
- Freshly Made Sketches #49 - sketch (see below)
- Fab 'n Funky Challenges #135 - Use Leaves Somewhere

Hello Sunshine

A nice simple card this afternoon for the challenge over at Fresh Brewed Blog Challenge #110 - Hot, Hot, Hot - what's hotter than the sun... (well here at the moment, almost everything, but when it does shine, it's lovely!)

I used an image and sentiment from paper smooches. I printed it twice and cut the center circle from the second image to layer over the base image - coloured with bright orange and canary yellow promarkers. Then layered on a yellow matt and finished with some gems.

As a complete aside, does anyone know where I might find a nice image of a man lifting weights - I've been hunting but I haven't found many and none I liked! (Or alternatively, a man doing some gardening?)

Black and White

I confess, I'm not loving this card... I knew how it was supposed to come out but it didn't exactly work the way I wanted. Nevertheless, I do love the adorable digi image from The Graphics Fairy and it's not *bad* just not exactly the way I envisioned it.

I cut a card base from some slightly glittery black card I've had laying around for *aaaaaaages*. Layered papers from papermania on white card and printed the image from the graphics fairy, using my spellbinders nesties for the circles and inking around the image to give it some further definition. I embellished with ribbons , pearls and some little flowers.

I'm submitting this for:
- Cupcake Craft Challenge #206 - Black and White
- Skipping Stones Designs #142 - Sketch (See below)
- The Crafty Pad #184 - To Die For

CAS-ology #7

A while ago I made this card for a "Less is More" challenge - and I decided I liked it so much I'd do something similar for a new challenge I discovered CASology who's challenge this week is 'green'.

I used two shades of green papermania ink. Masked of a square in the middle of a 5x5 card and sponged it in green and then used a darker green to stamp the shamrock from Vap Scrap and the sentiment from stampin' up - adding a pearl to the center to finish. I'm not sure it works exactly a well with the shamrock as it did with the original flower image, but I don't hate it - and I do love the simplicity of the sponged backgrounds with a darker inked image stamped on top - I may make a whole set at some point *g*

Baking Cupcakes

For this card I used papers from cardmaking and papercraft magazine.

The main image from Pollycraft and the cupcake is from Beccy's Place, coloured with promarkers: ruby, cornflower, china blue,marine, buttercup, mustard, blush, henna, marron, pear green, marsh green and caramel.
br> I added the stampin' up sentiment and finished with some gems and glitter.

I am submitting this card for:
- Card Positioning System #279 - Sketch (See Below)
- Stamptacular Sunday #176 - Lets Hear if for the GIRLS!
- Stamp With Fun #175 - Bling

CAS-ual Fridays/Less Is More

For this card, I used some torn and layered scraps of card to give the effect of waves. Sponged the sun onto the base card and stuck on the 'ocean' and dolphin (from Tiffany Doodles, coloured with promarkers: cool grey 3 and cool grey 4) with dimension pads. I added the sentiment from Stampin' Up - my little fishtail cut with my new dienamics dies that just arrived today in the post and finished with some gems :)

I'm submitting this for:
- CAS-ual Fridays #66 - Splish Splash (Create a project featuring something you might see in or at the ocean)
- "Less Is More" #81 - Theme: Tearing

Mermaid

I used K&Company papers layered on yellow and a digi from pollycraft coloured with promarkers - lime green, bright orqange, canary, sky blue, vanilla, amber, and pear green, on this card

I cut the flourishes with sizzix dies, used a martha stewart boarder punch on the edges and used a sentiment from Flonz. Then embellished with flowers and gems.

I'm not totally happy with it, as it stands, I was hoping to use fabric flowers, but I didn't have enough in the right colours. oops! Still, it doesn't look terrible with the metal flowers, I think...

I'm submitting this for:
- Digital Tuesday Challenge #172 - Recipe: 1 image, 2 papers, 3 flowers and 4 gems
- My Time to Craft #184 - Fantasy
- Creative Card Crew #16 - On the Beach/Under the Sea
- Crafty Catz weekly Challenge #145 - Anything Goes
- Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge #69 - Orange, Lime & Citrus

Thank You So Much!

For this card I used some old papers from Papermania's Hampstead collection that were left over from previous projects. I layered it on black card and used a sentiment that came from crafts beautiful magazine this month in red ink and finished with a few black gems.

I'm submitting this for:
- Freshly Made Sketches #47 - Sketch by Jennifer T. (see below)
- Creative Craft Challenges - Just a Sentiment
- Creative Inspirations #175 - Anything Goes

May All Your Wishes Come True

A card for both "Less is More" #80 - One Layer Fur or Feathers and CAS-ual Fridays #65 'Square Cards' Challenge today

I used Colour Box Blue Iris to ink the masked of square and then stamped the birds from Skipping Stones Design's Dandelion Dreams set and embossed them with gold embossing powerder. Stamped and embossed the sentiment from the same set and added a few gems to finish.

I think this could be used for a few different occasions... birthdays is an obvious one, but the sentiment I think would work for something like a wedding/engagement card, or as a good luck to someone moving away, or starting a new venture :)

Birthday Girl

I used a pollycraft image on this card, coloured with my promarkers - poppy, pear green, mustard, caramel, chestnut, dusky rose and blush. The papers are from raspberry road and the card from the paper company. The butterfly stamps are from skipping stone designs, the sentiment a freebie from crafts beautiful magazine and I finished with yellow and red gems from my stash.

I'm submitting this too:
- Sketch 'n Stash #93 - Sketch (see below)
- Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Books & Text
- Milk Coffefe Challenge - Tic, tac, toe (diagonal: 2 or more design papers, digi, bling)
- Fab 'n' Funky #133 - Use pearls of rhinestones
- Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes