Weekend Sketch Challenge #50

This is my card for Beate's WSC50. I made a couple of changes, but hopefully still enough of the sketch there to count. I didn't have much time for putting a card together today, so used an image that was already coloured in, hence the use of an oval instead of a rectangle. The image didn't look as good on the right side of the card, so switched it to the left. The colours do look better together in the flesh than in this picture. Anyway . . . enough excuses!
The image is a Penny Black - Bees and Bunny. Coloured with Twinkling H2Os and watercolour pencils. Oval cut with a Nestability Classic Oval. Hand drawn lines with the fine end of a pink watercolour marker. The daisies are a Woodware daisy punch - two layers of white petals with the tips coloured with H2Os. The centres are a 1/4" circle punch also coloured with H2Os
Pink gingham ribbon, on a strip of white card punched with a Woodware Cross Star Ribbon border punch along both edges. The two backing papers are both sides of a double sided design by Imaginisce called For Peep's Sake/Pretty New Dress. The outer blue layer has lines drawn with the same pink marker as around the oval.
I may put a greeting in the space above the ribbon strip, but am not sure if I want to cover up any more of the lovely yellow paper! Each of the little white daisies in the grid have a blue twinkly glitter centre that doesn't show in the picture. The card measures about 12cm x 16cm.

Quick Card Today

The papers and punches were still out from my Nellie card, so this one went together very quickly as I didn't have to think about co-ordination - always a time consumer for me! I made three of the same flowers, but with pink gems in the centres. Lined them up on some green twill ribbon which matches the green Bazzill really well. Cuttlebugged the Swiss Dots, and the Petite Oval for the sentiment which is a rub-on from Pebbles Inc.
I made the card for the Splitcoaststampers Limited Supply Challenge which was not to use any stamping on the card.

Nellie and her Flowers

I love this paper by Pebbles Inc called Nellie's Garden Flower. Steeled myself to cut into it today! I used green Bazzill to back it, and the same green plus a pink to make the Nestability rings for Nellie to sit in. She is coloured with watercolour pencils and an aqua brush. Treated myself to some better, new pencils with more colours, and finally have a decent flesh coloured one! Nellie and the rings are adhered with little foam pads for a bit of height.
I made the flower using two sizes of Woodware daisy punches, and a Woodware sun punch. It's made from the pink Bazzill and yellow areas of the patterned paper. Shaped with a ball tool. The greeting is a Pebbles Inc rub-on. Finished off with 'diamond' gems, and organza ribbon. I'm planning on doing a tutorial this week on the flower if anybody is interested.
This card is my entry for Cute Card Thursday's Challenge 9 - Gems and Jewels.

Frogs with Balloons

I made this card for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #47, and then realised that it fits the bill for the Stamp Something Challenge - First Somethings, so it's entered in that one too! It qualifies as the first time I have used something - my new Penny Black Toadily Yours stamp.
The patterned papers are double sided by Pebbles Inc - the spotty one is Easter Time Sprinkles/Green, and the other is Zoo Fun Animal/Wave. The orange and green card is Bazzill. Ran the green through my Cuttlebug in the Happy Birthday folder.
The Toads were stamped on plain white card in black ink, and coloured in using markers and an aqua brush. I masked off the flowers that they should be holding with tape whilst inking up, and then removed it before stamping. (Actually, I didn't remove it before stamping - said a rude word - then inked it up again and stamped a second image having remembered to remove the tape!) Lightly chalked and distressed the edge of the oval, and hand doodled a frame. I cut the slit for the tape using a small round hole punch to punch two holes and cut between them with a craft knife. I am so pleased to finally have bought myself some woven tape - even if I don't know what it's properly called! Really like it for when I don't want pretty. I made myself a little balloon template, and cut out three orange Bazzill balloons. Shaded the edges with a little chalk, and tied on three strands of embroidery cotton. Used an embossing ball tool from the back to give them a little dimension. Then I poked holes in the card on each side of the toads' hands and used a needle to thread the strands through. The threads are held in place on the back of the card with a little tape to stop them slipping out. Foam pads in the middle of the balloons to stick them to the card.

Cute Card Thursday #8 In the Garden

I first saw the Cute Card Thursday blog a couple of weeks ago, but this week is the first time I have managed to make a card for it. This card went together quite quickly for one of my cards! I took advice that I have seen recently and chose the papers etc first and then coloured the image. Good advice! I started out with a sketch I was going to follow, and then part way through, something completely different came to me and ended up doing that instead. Some cards just make themselves!
The stamp is by Penny Black - Lazy Days. Coloured with water colour pencils and aqua brush. Used my Nestabilities to cut the scalloped square and the green Bazzill behind it. The sentiment is a Papermania rub-on. I think that the flowery paper is Doodlebug. Finished off with flower brads, and two Nestability Flowers. The pearl brad in the centre of the flowers is coloured with a green permanent marker to match in with the card colours.

Fanfare Diamond Flower

I made this card for a swap on a tea bag folding group. The fold to be used for the swap was the Fanfare Diamond Fold designed by Carolyninoz. I used a diamond shaped tile design that I made in Photoshop. The green scallops behind the medallion are wedges cut from a Nestability scalloped circle. The backing card was embossed with Swiss Dots top and bottom, and I used my scoreboard to make the embossed lines in the centre. I don't know the name of the scrolled flower stamp - it was inked with Whisper markers to match the colours in the medallion, and repeated along the centre line. Faux stitching between the embossed lines. Matted onto plain blue card, and the edges of both slightly distressed with the blade of my scissors. The little hello tag was cut with oval Nestability dies, and stamped with a stamp from the Stampendous Flower Chat set. Finished with ribbon, and a brad in the centre of the tea bag medallion.

Party Animals

A first birthday card for a nephew, using a Penny Black stamp called Party Animals. Coloured in with Whisper markers. Matted onto a scrap of blue card with faux stitching, and distressed edges. The striped backing paper is by Doodlebug. The happy birthday and the 1 are computer generated using Crazy Girls Blonde font. The circles for the 1 and the white card square are cut with Nestabilities. Finished off with DMC embroidery thread and brads.

Nestability Flowers

Here's a little 'how to' on making the flowers that are on this card They are very quick to make. Takes less time to make one than to read the tutorial!

First a list of tools:

• Scalloped circle Nestability die - one of the smaller ones. Or a scalloped circle punch with an even number of scallops
• Soft, textured, handmade type paper
• Scissors
• Small ball embossing tool
• Embossing mat or back of a spongy mouse mat or similar
• Glue - my preference is white pva glue, but adhesive dots would work also
• Flat backed pearl embellishment, or gem, or brad - whatever you like
• Marker (forgot to include in the photo)

Cut out the scalloped circle and then fold in half two ways. With the most textured side of the paper uppermost make a dot with the marker in the centre where the two folds cross.






















Cut between pairs of scallops towards the dot, stopping about 1/4" away.























Turn the shape over and place on embossing mat. Using a small ball embossing tool make small circular movements whilst exerting gentle pressure next to each scallop to make little indentations as shown. If you don't have an embossing tool, then anything with a small, smooth rounded end will do.























Then emboss in a line between the little indented circles and the base of the petal.























Turn the flower over to the right side again. And with the slightly larger ball end, make circular movements with gentle pressure at the base of the petals. Finish off by pressing down right in the centre.






















Apply a very small blob of pva glue on the dot, and add the pearl. Press down firmly on the pearl whilst still on the mat to indent the pearl into the flower. This will be fine if you have not used too much glue!




















Finished Flower.