HOLLA OUT!

I've had so much going on lately, I missed a couple of blog posts but hopefully, I'm back now. This week, challenge #61 over at I ♥ PROMARKERS is a sketch. I can't remember the last time I followed a sketch and I'd forgotten how easy it makes things for you. Our sponsor this week is the fantastic KENNY K and all the design team used his images. I chose to use HollaBackGirl.



My papers are My Minds Eye 'Mabel' with matching Bazzill cardstock. Flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts. The image was cut out and mounted on 3D foam pads, and the sentiment (also on 3D foam pads) is one of my own available HERE.

Entering into:
DIGITAL TUESDAY - Little women.
KARENS DOODLES NETHERLANDS - Anything goes.
PAPERTAKE WEEKLY - Dimension.
SWEET STAMPS - For the ladies.
MAKE IT MONDAY - Whatever...
WOODWARE USA - Anything goes.
DIGI DOODLE SHOPS BEST - Stripes.

YOU GOTTA LOVE FLOWERS..

This is a super time of year when all the flowers start to show their pretty heads and this weeks challenge #115 over at THE CRAFTY PAD is just that - FLOWERS. We want to see lots of lovely blossoms and blooms on your projects.
We are sponsored this week by CRAFTY EMMA'S STORE and the prize for the winner is a £10 gift voucher to spend in her store (excluding p&p).

The design team all used an Animal in Window image available from THE CRAFTY PAD DESIGNS.

I decided to make an over the edge easel card for my project this week. I don't make many of these, so it made a nice change and I'm going to give it to my mum (who is in hospital), for mothers day with a big bunch of flowers and a gorgeous pink manicure set.





My image was coloured with Promarkers and my papers are from the My Minds Eye - Stella & Rose 'Mabel' pad with matching Bazzil cardstock. The flowers were cut with a Marianne Designs die with the little centre roses from Wild Orchid Crafts. I don't like gems personally, but mum does so I added some square ones from Papermania and the lace is from my stash. The sentiment is also from The Crafty Pad Designs.

Entering into:
I'll let you know later when I get back from Sherwood Forest.....back now, had a lovely day.
TUESDAY THROWDOWN - Florals
ALLSORTS - Bloomin' Blossoms.
CREATIVE INSPIRATIONS - Mum or Mothers Day.
I DID IT CREATIONS - Anything goes.
PAPER SUNDAES - Spring Blossoms.
SCRAPPY FROGS - Flowers and lace.
CATCH THE BUG - Anything goes.
MARK'S FINEST PAPERS - An animal.

ONE FOR THE BOYS.

It's time for challenge #106 over at THE CRAFTY PAD and this weeks theme is 'Something for the Boys'. I find most crafters seem to have trouble with men/boy cards, including me lol, but I'm sure you'll all come up with some great designs.
Our sponsor this week is CRAFTY SENTIMENTS and she is offering this lovely uncoloured image as a prize.


Before I show you my card, I've just a bit of news to share. We'd like to welcome ALI and LEESA to our design team. We're really looking forward to working with them, so why not go visit their blogs and see what fabulous inspiration they can offer you. They will be making their first cards for us next week. Also, as of next week, I will be taking over the running of The Crafty Pad challenge blog. Debbie will still be sending out your prizes and Maxine will be setting the challenges, but I'll be doing the posts and announcing the winners etc, so I hope to still see you all there (and so does Debbie, or she'll sack me, lol).

So, here's my card for this week. The image is 'Birthday Meeces' available HERE at The Crafty Pad Stamp Designs and my paper is Basic Grey 'Oliver' and that's pretty much it, lol.



Also entering into:
ALPHABET CHALLENGE - M is for Men.
DELICIOUS DOODLES - Spots or stripes.
FUZZY WUZZY - Anything goes (with animal).
POLKA DOODLES - Party Time.
AI FACTORY - For the boys.
DO YOU STACK UP #4 - Patterned paper.

THE HOBO'S PRAYER

So, we've come to the last challenge of the year over at I ♥ PROMARKERS and we are going to leave you with a theme of ANYTHING GOES. This challenge will run until the evening of 4th January and we'll be back with a new challenge on Wednesday 5th. Our sponsor this week again, is the lovely DIGI DOODLE SHOP. There's a 50% off everything sale on over there too, so why not go take a look.

Now, to be quite honest with you, I don't care if I never see another Christmas card as long as I live, lol so as our theme is Anything Goes, I obviously chose not to make a Christmas card. :o) All the design team used a Digi Doodle Shop image and I chose to use another hobo image. This is not an image that would immediately jump out at most people to use, but I think it's fabulous and if I say it myself, I think this is one of my most favourite cards of the year. I am so pleased with how this turned out. Coloured of course, with my Promarkers.

I'm not sure whether he is praying for more or saying thank you for what he has, but I prefer to think it's the latter. I think we should all be grateful for what we have and think of those that have very little or nothing at all, especially at this time of year.

My papers are Basic Grey 'Capella' with a little strip of a Papermania 'Hamstead'. I distressed all the edges and inked them with a Walnut Stain distress ink pad. The stitching is a rub-on. The tree was embossed with a Crafts Too folder and lightly inked. A Tim Holtz on the edge die cut the right hand side. The hobo was cut out and mounted on foam pads and the greeting is a Personal Impressions clear stamp.


Also entering it into the following challenges:
PASSION FOR PROMARKERS - Anything goes.
CRAFTY SENTIMENTS - Anything goes.
CREATIVE CARD CREW - Birthday.
AI FACTORY - Anything goes.
CRAFTY EMMA'S - Anything goes.
ONE STITCH AT A TIME - Anything goes (surprise us).
DIGI DOODLE SHOP - New Beginnings. (You never know, his prayers may be answered). Won.
GINGERLOFT - Distressing.
PAPER SUNDAES - Cut it out.
I DID IT CREATIONS - Anything goes.
SUNDAY SKETCH - Anything goes.
STAMPTACULAR SUNDAY - TREEmendous.
ALLSORTS - Free and easy.
OPUS GLUEI - Anything.
CRAFTY CATZ - Your choice.
SUGAR SWEET PAPER TREATS - Anything goes.

CRAFTY PAD #98

Roast dinner day's here again, but that doesn't stop the challenges. Over at THE CRAFTY PAD the challenge this week is to use the colours Red and Green. It doesn't have to be a Christmas card, but of course, we expect to see lots of them.

Our lovely sponsor this week is JOANNA SHEEN and the prize is a £10 voucher to spend in her store.

The design team all used the image Rodney and Robin and it's available to buy at the CRAFTY PAD SHOP.

The first thing I did when making my card was to change the colour of 'Merry Christmas' to green in Photoshop and then printed it out and coloured it in with my Promarkers. I cut a strip of red card and put it through my bug to layer over the background paper. The holly panel was stamped with a little clear stamp that came with a magazine recently and I dotted the berries red. The ink was from a large Fiskars dye ink pad in Hunter Green and I inked the edge of Rodney and Robin using the same. A little glitter was added to the berries and to Robin's hat.

Finally, I added a strip of red ribbon with canes on, 3 metallic nail heads and the gorgeous Poinsettia which is from Prima Marketing.

CUPCAKES

A bit of a yummy theme for challenge #36 at I ♥ Promarkers this week. We want to see your cupcakes or anything related to cupcakes. Our sponsor this week is DIE CUT DREAMS and Susie is offering some gorgeous plate and book card cuts. Pop over to the Promarker challenge blog to see examples of Susie's work and get a better look at the prize. They are gorgeous.

I won the challenge at Other Lovelies a couple of weeks ago and one of the images I chose from the sponsor LIMITED RUNS, was a Cupcake as I didn't have one.

My paper is K & Co 'Sickly Sweet'...oops! sorry. That should be 'Sparkly Sweet'

I wanted some cream on my cake and I remembered that somewhere in the deep dark recesses of my craft room I had some Anita's white 3D paint. It's been there for years, lol but I dug it out and used it and then sprinkled it with clear hole-less beads.

I didn't want to use my beaded nestie for this so I used the scalloped one with the holes. I cut the white, but then put some lilac pearlescent card through my bug with the die and just the embossing mat. I cut it out by hand and placed the bumps under the holes on the white one. I embossed more lilac card and then added some flowers and lace. Job done.



I'm entering it at:
CRAZY 4 CHALLENGES - Birthday
CRAFTALICIOUS - Anything Goes
FAB N FUNKY - Yummy, Yummy, Yummy
LITTLE RED WAGON Something old, Something new..new image and very old 3D paint.

WEDNESDAY AGAIN...

..and this weeks Challenge #31 over at I ♥ PROMARKERS has the theme of transport. Lots of interpretations possible for this one, so let's see how you all get around, lol. We are sponsored this week by LETRASET and the winner will receive a pack of 5 Promarkers.

I wanted to do something with a vintage type look to it so I chose my paper (just the one) from the V & A collection. My image is 'Tricycle Trip' from CHARMED CARDS & CRAFTS. It was coloured with Promarkers, of course, and I also put a layer of Glossy Accents over the red bike frame.



I'm entering it into the following challenges too:
CHARISMA CARDZ - Inspired by a song. My song is Main Road (lots of lines about a lucky little girl on a little red bike).
BEE CRAFTY - Anything goes.
COWGIRLS SUNDAY - Anything goes.
CRAFTY CREATIONS - Transportation.
BUNNY ZOE'S CRAFTS - Vintage.
PENNY'S CHALLENGE - Happy Birthday.

The lovely lyrics of MAIN ROAD BY LUCINDA WILLIAMS (and others).

On The Red River, on Bayou Pierre
Rosalee worked in White's Grocery
I'd get in trouble for goin' down there
She'd give me corn pops for free

Little red bike out on the main road
Lucky little girl
Little red bike out on the main road
Lucky little girl

Early in the mornin' brother and sister off at school
Mama sent me for wild flowers
Buttercups in the mornin' dew
A little red bike out on the main road too

Ghost tracks, water towers, picnics in a haunted roost
Horses waiting to be groomed need a little sugar too
Train game, moss monster, playin' down in the woods of bamboo
Mr. Black Snake ate all the bad snakes, Mr. Black Snake'll eat you too

Games turn into life
Once a tomboy now a tomwife

Little red bike out on the main road
Lucky little girl
Little red bike out on the main road
Lucky little girl
Lucky little girl

ONLY 3 COLOURS.

Another day, another dollar or should I say another week, another challenge. Boy! where does time go, eh?
Anyway, this week over at I ♥ PROMARKERS we had to follow a sketch by our very own Wynneth, and use no more than 3 colours (excluding flesh tones). We are sponsored this week by the gorgeous JOANNA SHEEN who is giving the winner £10 to spend in her online store.


For my card, I decided to use blue and brown with a bit of green on the flower stems. I used the digi stamp 'Flower Girl' from KAREN'S DOODLES which, obviously, was coloured with Promarkers. My background paper is Basic Grey 'Capella' and the blue are some scraps of Rusty Pickle 'Chocolate Bunnies' I had left over from the pocket book I made. I punched down each side of the strip for the centre and then cut the squares from another punched edge to make the corners (I added 4 instead of just 2). All edges were inked with walnut stain distress ink. Little pearls and the bow were added to finish it off.



I'm also going to enter this in the following challenges:
KAREN'S DOODLES CHALLENGE - Anything goes.
MAMI DOODLES - Anything goes.
O.W.H. - Patterned Paper.
2 SISTERS - Punches.
WHOOPSIE DAISY - Blue and Green. (OK, not a lot of green in mine, but it is there, lol).
DUTCH DARE - Anything Goes.
TELLENS PLACE - A candy link rather than a card challenge.
ONE STOP CRAFT CHALLENGE - Patterns.

AUBERY BUMBLETHORPE

Meet Aubery. Isn't he just fabulous? When I saw him over at Just Inklined, I had to have him. Rock On!!!! lol.

He is coloured with Promarkers. Papers and brad are Papermania 'Hampstead' and a bit of Basic Grey too. The lattice is done with the Martha Stewart punch and I used a label nestie for the greeting.


I'm entering this card into the following challenges:
ALPHABET CHALLENGE - M for Men
PASSION FOR PROMARKERS - The colour Green.
PEAR TREE DESIGNS - Birthday.
ANYTHING GOES - Punches.
GINGERSNAP CREATIONS - GC62 Markers
CREATIVE INSPIRATIONS - Anything goes.
MAMI DOODLES - Anything goes.
COWGIRL UP - Anything goes.

I ♥ PROMARKERS # 24

Buttons, buttons and more buttons. This week over at I ♥ PROMARKERS the challenge is to use buttons on your card. Our sponsor this week is SIMON SAYS STAMP and he is offering a $15 spend in the online store and he'll even pay your postage for you.

For my card, I used an image by BECCY MUIR. I fell in love with this fella when I saw him, lol. My papers are from my favourite pad of the moment - FancyPants' 'All Fall' - they're yummy. The sentiment is a Rivercity Rubberworks stamp and the buttons are from a set of stamps by Hero Arts.



I'm also going to enter this card into the following challenges:

MY TIME TO CRAFT who want 'checks'. I hope my pattern qualifies for this.
PAPERTAKE WEEKLY who want cute and I reckon this fella is as cute as a button (no pun intended, lol).
DIGITAL TUESDAY who want'Happy Birthday'.
CRAFTALICIOUS who also want 'birthday'.

WATCH YOUR NOSE.....

Challenge #21 over at I ♥ PROMARKERS this week is to use stripes on your project. Our sponsor this week is the fabulous LETRASET and the prize is a pack of 5 Promarkers.

I looked through all my striped paper and then decided to make my own. Using my metal edged ruler and both ends of my PM's I just drew random stripes in the colours I'd used for my image and then ran that bit through the Cuttlebug. The red block is 'self striped' just using the same colour pen. The terrific Pinocchio is from Mo at DIGITAL PENCIL TOO.

Ooooh, a little update....there will be a surprise prize, courtesy of Karen (our esteemed leader) added to the set of Promarkers.

I ♥ PROMARKERS # 19

This weeks challenge over at I ♥ PROMARKERS is to use bears on your project. Our fabulous sponsor this week is SIMON SAYS STAMP and he is offering a $15 spend and will even pay your postage for you. So what are you waiting for? Get out your bears and start colouring. :o)
My papers are from Dovecraft Funky Vintage.
Sentiment from Pollycrafts.
Bear from Firecracker Designs and
the ribbon from my stash.



I'm also going to enter this into another challenge this week.
JUST CUTE BEARS have a theme of summer, and my colours, I think, are really bright and summery.

IS IT A PLATE....?

Editing: It's 11th May 2011 today but I'm linking this post to MAKE IT MONDAY. I really like this card so am showing it again.

I had a go at something a little different this afternoon and made a plate card. I think I'll be making more of these as I love the way it sits on its stand and you can pop your written greeting on the back. I raided my scrap box for my papers again as there is so much in there. The pink paper is Basic Grey but where the brown came from is anybody's guess, lol. I wanted it to look a bit distressed so the BG paper was perfect and I inked all the edges with Black Soot distress ink. The image is by Elizabeth Dulemba who is a children's book author and illustrator and the flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts.

I'm entering this card for 4 challenges this week.

PASSION FOR PROMARKERS whose theme is books.
MY TIME TO CRAFT are asking for Wild Things - something that lives in the wild and I figure an Owl fits the bill.
PEAR TREE DESIGNS who want flowers on your card/project.
CRAFTS AND ME who want distressing.

NOTHING TO CROW ABOUT...

....because this is a screw up, lol. Not the actual card, but the reason I made it. I was trying to get ahead with some DT challenge cards but I didn't check the rules properly and should have used a sketch - which of course, I didn't. Grrrrrr!!!! Still, I thought I'd show you anyway. The Rooster, from DIGI DOODLE SHOP was coloured twice and cut out, stuck back to back and is hanging in the aperture. I used Promarkers to colour him and the papers are some old Daisy D's I had in my scrap box.
The little chuck in the corner is one of those lazer cut things I found in the bottom of my drawer and I thought it was a good chance to use one.





You'll be seeing Rooster again soon. :o)

FAIRY FIRST

So, here's the cards I've been making. I have never used a fairy image as I'm just not that into them and I absolutely loathe glitter and glitter glue (ooops! sorry - posh name of Stickles now isn't it, lol) but.........when I saw these images over at COWGIRL-UP RANCH I just couldn't resist them. She has some beauties. I also got another fairy, Jessica but I screwed it up so you can't see it, lol. All 3 of these images are from there. You really should pay her a visit. :o)

This one is Check Faery. I coloured her with Promarkers and then used Marianne Designs border and flower dies. Rock Candy clear stickles was used on her wings. I actually combined Fairy with a freebie foliage image from Dewdropcraftz (after asking permission from CJ at Cowgirl-up). The foliage was a jpeg and I overlayed Check Fairy as a .png so that the wings would be transparent and show the foliage behind them. The stickles actually enhanced this effect. Papers are goodness knows what. I think they were a magazine freebie ages ago.


This one shows the stickles on the wings.


This adorable little fella is Casey. Isn't he just so cute? Again coloured with Promarkers and the papers are Basic Grey 'Recess'. I also used Sizzix and Nestie dies. The tree trunk that Casey is leaning against was from In Style Stamps. If you go look for Casey, you'll find Jack and Jill. Jack looks like Casey but they are such a sweet couple and I can't wait to do a card with them on.


Finally, this is Christy. Cowgirl-Up has loads of stamps like this. I think they're fabulous. The papers are Basic Grey 'Koishi' - yummiest papers I've seen for ages.



I shall definitely be getting more images from Cowgirl and I will also try again with the fairy I messed up, and ones I haven't coloured yet, and I will soon be showing you weird elf type lady 'Jadyn', unless of course you've been to see her and bought her yourself.

I ♥ PROMARKERS # 10

This weeks challenge at I ♥ PROMARKERS is a fabulous sketch, I think it works so well. Our sponsor this week is WHIMSY STAMPS and the prize is a $15 voucher to spend in store. She has some gorgeous images and some digi images too. I used a rubber stamp for my card as I just loved this duck. Take a look at the rest of the DT's cards to see some of the newest digi images.


Nearly everything on this was coloured with my Promarkers. The scalloped mat, the quack 'ribbon' card, the sentiment backing and the 'eyelets' which in fact, aren't eyelets. They're coloured circles of card with a black gem in the middle.

A CARD FOR MUM

I rarely make Mothers Day cards, but I LOVE DIGI challenge blog this fortnight was a sketch to follow, but it had to have something to do with Mum. So this is my entry. The image is 'End of Summer' from Mo at DIGITAL PENCIL TOO. The papers are HOTP and I stamped the greeting using my Justrite stamper and alphabets. When I thought I'd finished, it still didn't look right, so I added the frame, but I'm still not sure it's right. Oh well, can't get it right all the time, eh?


While I was at it, I decided to make one for my daughter too. She has a two year old and a new baby so I wanted to thank her for giving me two beautiful grandchildren. I don't think Mothers day cards should go exclusively to your own mother. Why not send one to your daughter, or your friend if you want to. :o) The image is 'Sorry Shanna' by Mo again. I chose this image particularly because my two year old granddaughter loves her wellies, lol. On this one though, I cut out the image and mounted her on foam pads.