Papercraft Planet

I recently discovered the Papercraft Planet online community. I've barely scratched the surface of all the discussions and information on it, but I have found a group called Every Challenge You Can Think Of, which neatly lists all the current challenges and their days of the week - a great idea. Karin, the group's hostess, held a challenge last night. At lunchtime (UK time) she gave us a list of basic requirements and at 8pm we all sat down to make a card, following her directions.

It was great fun and Karen did a really good job of keeping us all together with our cardmaking. I admit that I found it difficult, I'm a real control freak and I don't like to cut into my paper without knowing what it will be on a card :).

My card has ended up very busy! It was a fun exercise and it was really interesting to see how everyone's cards were different, and yet the same. I didn't colour my image until the card was ready to assemble, which gave me a little chance to co-ordinate it with the rest of the card.

Stamp Attic papers, stamp from Shirley2Girls.

Magnolia v Stampavie Double Trouble

This week's challenge is to use at least two Tilda/Stampavie stamps. I've used three and made a bookmark for a young lady called Laura, who I think bears more than a passing resemblance to studious Tilda :). She has her dog, Tiffin, sitting beside her as she thinks about what to read next. Bookmark is from Bazzill Bling paper, overstamped with little flowers from Stamps by Judikins, with paper from the Stamp Attic behind Tilda. Tilda and images were watercoloured, her spectacles have glossy accents on them.

Debbie's Challenge :)

Debbie challenged six people to got to the 6th folder of photos, pick the 6th photo and upload. Tell us about the photo, pass the challenge on to another 6 bloggers...

Phew, that's a fairly uncontroversial photo :). Three summers ago we stayed in a cottage in the Vendee in France, very off the beaten track, gas lights, generator to run washing machine. Not another house in sight, it was down 1/2 mile of killer dirt track :). It was a lovely, peaceful place to stay. We'd sleep with the doors to outside open and wake up to look across the river to the fields the other side. Lovely! Oh, I made the dress from silk I bought when we went away for the weekend for our wedding anniversary.

Who to tag?

1. Vanja
2. Sharon
3. Cheri
4. Stepher
5. Deby and
6. Viv

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #16

http://thesecretcraftersaturdaychallenge.blogspot.com/ has a recipe challenge this week: 1 image, 2 papers and 3 embellishments. I used a Stampendous stamp, clear embossed with Adirondack olive green powder and painted with Marvy le Plume pens. The two papers were a Glimmer Misted yellow/gold that I sprayed at the weekend and an olivey paper from the Stamp Attic. The sentiment is Hero Arts, part only inked up, embossed as before. The three embellishments are all silk ribbon in the most beautiful autumn shades. There is glue behind the knots, it's so fine and slippery that it won't stay done up otherwise. Ask me how I know this!

Glimmer Mists & Buttons

I've no completed cards to upload to my blog today.

So... here are the stamps that my friend Marion brought home from the US before Christmas.

Today I had lunch with my friend Kandy, who is a quilter and textile artist. After a delicious lunch, with a pasta sauce involving vodka :), she brought out a big bag of polyester organzas and satins and her soldering iron and we made buttons. The scraps or solid pieces of fabric have a piece of template plastic placed over them, then use the soldering iron to trace round a metal template. If you look at the first heart I made I was a bit heavy-handed with the soldering iron when I made holes for my thread to go through! Fun embellishments and totally unique.

Finally, my parents bought me some Glimmer Mists which I played with yesterday. Usually I just use all the sprays I have at random, but here the only added spray was Gold to the candy apple red on one page. Some are left sprayed, some are wiped across with kitchen roll to even out the colour. One of the blues has bubble wrap applied to it and several have cling-film spread across, which is one of my favourite ways to use them. Aren't they gorgeous?

IsMaki Challenge 09/03 & SBS25 Challenge

I found a gorgeous card by Mumur using a sketch from a new-to-me blog, http://ismaki.wordpress.com/and had to make a card using it. Mine is not in the same league and also, I have missed the deadline for the Challenge! However, I made it using EIGHT embellishments (Janet challenged us to use seven!) and I have at least made the deadline for this.

The image is stamped using an image from an Inkadinakao set that Marion brought home from the US for me, using Sepia ink and watercolored. The gold embossed sentiment is from Elusive Images (who are having a BRILLIANT sale at present, take a look at the Graphicus site http://www.graphicus.co.uk/brokerage.asp?SubCatID=103 ). The gorgeous papers are from Stamp Attic, as are the flowers. The gems from Auscraft make up the rest of the embellishments.

Whiff of Joy Challenge 13

Challenge 13 is a nice sketch from Katherina. I used some co-ordinating 6x6" papers that I bought when I first started making cards. Willow with hot chocolate is leaning against the main circle and I have used blue tape and blue ric-rac on the card. The "Hold Fast to your Dreams" sentiment comes from Lisa's Altered Art Images.

Birthday Cards & ATCs

I had some gorgeous handmade cards for my birthday: Tilda is from Emily at UKATC group and Especially For You is from Sara L, another UKATCer. The Martini Bella is from my stamping "sister" Janet.

I also got a bunch of ATCs from the UKATC group: thank you Chris L, Helen, Sandra, Roz, Gerry, Hope and Sara J.

Still haven't got over this chest infection, the cards were a lovely lift, thanks everyone :)

Sketch & Stash Challenge 2

Today is my birthday, I had the day off work and travelled across to Stamp Addicts near Bedford, with DH driving and handing across the credit card when I brought my goodies to the counter:). I've an absolute LOAD of new craft stash which I'll post on here when I've better light to photograph it by.

But also I met my friend Marion at the weekend, who had brought some stash back from Virginia with her before Christmas - more stamps!

One of them was from a company called Shirley's2Girls which I just had to use straight away :). I've used it for the Sketch & Stash Challenge, but as you can see the sentiment is under the image on the stamp, so that is a slight variation. Purple embossed, coloured with my Copics. Trimmed with a postage stamp trimmer that I've not used before, lace behind the image. Isn't the stamp brilliant?

Whiff of Joy Challenge 14 - Green & Purple

This week's Whiff of Joy Challenge is to use green and purple. I was lucky enough to be sent some WoJ images by my blogging "sister" Vanja, which included Melinda blowing kisses. I painted her with watercolours and added a sentiment by Elusive Images. It's not easy to read in the photo, it says "Joy is not in things, it is in us". Papers are from the Stamp Attic and the base card is a deep purple colour. This wouldn't be my choice of colours but it's worked surprisingly well, I think.

ATC Time

The theme swap for UKATC this month is Ladies. I used a clear stamp set called Unruly Girls Club by Stampington. They are coloured with chalks, masked and the background stamped with a background stamp of handbags from Hero Arts, using Versamark, then chalks rubbed over the ink. Chalks are set with cheap hairspray then some peel-offs, flowers and a sentiment added.

Sketch Saturday - Sketch 34 - Bathing Bella

This week's Sketch Saturday uses a large circular image. I've got some Bella images and decided that the bubble bath one would be great to use for this, with circular bubbles and some pearls that would again look like soap suds. I watercoloured the image and used my Nestabilities to cut it out and add a scalloped border to it.

I don't have a scallop punch so I used lace for the lower border. The sentiment is from a very useful Hero Arts clear stamp set. As it's clear I was able to shape it round the circle. There is space at top right on the card to add another sentiment if I need one when the card is used.

Friday Sketchers - Sketch 35

Murielle of France has a pretty sketch to work with this week on http://fridaysketchersblog.blogspot.com/ . I've used Willow from Whiff of Joy, added to a Glimmer Misted background. The scrolls are Elusive Images from the Ruby Tuesday set and the Be Happy is also Elusive Images. The smaller flowers, I think, were a freebie with a magazine and the larger, blue flower came from Auscraft when it closed. Background paper is a Grpahicus Guild paper.

Friday Sketchers 34 - Sparkle

This card is made to show off the gorgeous Prima flowers that I bought a while back in the Stamp Attic. I got them home and realised that I couldn't find anything in the bright, clear acid colours to use them with. Having seen that Friday Sketchers used a 3-flower sketch this week I was determined to use them. http://fridaysketchersblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/friday-sketchers-34-sponsored-by-scrapp.html

I eventually found the two-sided paper in my stash, which came from Auscraft when it went out of business last year, in colours that I thought worked ok with the flowers.

I decided to use a Rubber Romance stamp and had a try at colouring her with my new Copic pens that I won on the Magnolia/Stampavie Challenge. As you can see I need to work on my blending! She's also rather more tanned than I intended... :) Cotton ties are hand-dyed German thread that I bought years ago to braid with.

Spoonful of Sugar Challenge 34 - Paper Piecing

http://aspoonfullofsugarchallenge.blogspot.com/ has paper piecing as its challenge this week. I used my new Elzybell dog stamp again, cutting him from a distressed paint background, which is a 2 sided paper by 29th Street Market, called Spirit Bright. I love the words :). The rest of the papers used come from the same set, I bought 3 sheets of it at the Stamp Attic a couple of weeks back, it has a lovely warm, golden tone to it, lovely in the dead of winter. Collar coloured with Copic pens.

Angel ATCs

Collage angels for a swap at ATCsforall.com. The images are mostly from a set by Crafty Individuals. Backgrounds are Glimmer Misted then overstamped with text in copper and clear embossed.

Blog Awards

Thanks so much to Steph and to Vanja who have both kindly passed on this award; I have to pass it on.  I hope you'll forgive me not doing so yet, I'm still not feeling too good :(  

Take a look at their sites, there's some great work to inspire you there:   http://stippleshapes.blogspot.com/  is Stepher's site and here is Vanja: http://justheather-valems.blogspot.com

And thank you to Janet for her Blog award too, check out Janet's site and beware the loud music :0)  http://corrosivecreationsbyjanet.blogspot.com/

Sketch & Stash Challenge #1 - buzzin by to say hi

http://sketchandstashchallenge.blogspot.com/  is a brand new challenge blog, there is a sketch to follow and you use your new/unused stash to create with.  This card was nearly finished before I went down with the lurgy and I wanted to add it so as not to miss out on week one.  Now I've checked the site it is a fortnightly challenge!

Stamps are all Elzybells; I had to order some for Janet, my SBS25 "sister" as she had kindly bought some stamps for me that I couldn't get in the UK.  Of course, I added a couple in for myself ;).

The Nestabilities dies are also new, a kind Christmas present from my FIL (with thanks to my DH who knows what to buy me!).

More about card method etc. later.  

Ill, no crafting going on :(

I have a chest infection, stuck at home feeling sorry for myself.  

Back soon, I know I need to get back to my SBS "sisters"!

Sukkersott Sketch #6, Penny Black Week 30 - Embossing

Sukkersott has a very pretty sketch this week which I used to make this very mauve card :).  I also dry embossed it, making it also eligible for Penny's Black's embossing challenge.

The Penny Black stamp used is called Rainbow Flower, it was a Christmas present from my older son (Ithink they were both force marched to the craft shop by my DH :)).  It's coloured with Marvy le Plume markers and some Stickles added at the centre of the flowers.  

It's mounted on a piece of pearlescent purple card that has Swiss dots embossed on it, using my friend Janet's Cuttlebug folder - let me know when you want it back Janet! - the card has torn edges inked with Tim Holtz tea-dyed ink and then pink chalk ink. 

All the papers are from Graphicus Guild.  The butterfly crystal was given to me over a year ago after a card swap.  His trail is marked with a Pigma pen and holes put through the paper with my prongy tool to make faux stitching.  The other crystals came from my DH.

I've Won A Challenge!

My blogging "sister" Vanja left me a comment:  did I realise I'd won magnoliavsstampavie's challenge?  No I didn't realise and how exciting - I've won a pack of Copic pens :).  The card is a little further down this blog page, with the three Tilda images.  

I should point out it's a random winner challenge, so there are many more beautiful cards in the entries - but I'm still delighted that I've won!

ATCs - something from nothing

On Friday, I finally changed over from my old, slow computer to a shiny new one.  At least, my younger son, who was IT consultant for the day, did the changing over.

As I needed to stay out of his way, I made some ATCs from the ice cream tub that has bits and pieces in it that didn't quite work for another project or weren't quite right.  Also, I have bought images from http://www.lisasalteredart.com/ and will sit and cut them out when I'm watching TV and add them to the tub.

So, in no particular order, we have:

 It Was Her Destiny - leftover piece of Glimmer Misted paper that I decided to  emboss with a Cuttlebug paisley folder.  I added a painted Bella image that I bought in a batch of images from Ebay, mounted it on a scrap of cardstock and added left-over flowers punched from scraps.  Message was from a page of one-liners from Lisa's Altered Art.

Hoot - background was a reject experiment:  Glimmer Misted background with a Clarity Stamp from stamp of the month stamped on it, repeatedly clear embossed to make a thick, cracked glaze.  Owl was clear embossed using assorted pigment inks to give him shading, he was a try-out for Mum's birthday card.  Leftover Hallowe'en ribbon and some brads finished this off.

Autumn - a spare Willow with hot chocolate (Whiff of Joy) painted image was mounted in front of an oval I cut from a Glimmer Misted tree scene that didn't quite work (Elusive Images stamp).  Buttons were bought nearly a year ago, ribbon from my stamping "sister" Janet.

Odd Man Out - experimenting with the Paper Artsy stamps I got for renewing my Craft Stamper subscription.  French script gold-embossed on bronze paper, image of man and pen decoupaged on beige cardstock, torn around the edges.  The ribbon that doesn't show up well is Laura Ashley, the other is from Janet again.  Sentiment from Lisa, as before.

Chocolat - same background as Destiny.  The oval image is from an Obsession Impression stamp set, I spent ages colouring and glittering it to decided I didn't like the colours I used!  The Hotel Chocolat ribbon is from Christmas chocolates, the flower ribbon behind I bought on sale in the US last summer and the little flowers came from my DH for Christmas.

In the bag - I spent ages last year masking off a white margin and brayering over Versamarked handbags (Hero Arts stamp) only to reject it for whatever project I had in mind.  I think the Clarity stamp handbag was from the same project.  I combined them with the image and message from Lisa and at last they worked!  Used Stickles around the margin.

Lesson learned:  sometimes a part-made, reject project needs to mature.  When in doubt, put it away for another day :).  Until of course you are disappearing under a landslide of paper!

Sketch Saturday - Sketch 32

http://sketchsaturday.blogspot.com/ has a really sweet sketch this week by Emma (Happy Birthday for this month Emma!).  I cut the circles with Nestabilities and found that my central square had to be quite small due to the size of card I was using.  So I decided to use my Willow with hot chocolate stamp from WoJ and have her sitting against the square.  I bought the fabulous flowers just before Christmas from a shop I've not visited before, called Once Upon A Time, on Cricklade.  They are by Hero Arts and they just shouted out to come home with me :).  Papers are from the Stamp Attic.

Sketch Saturday Challenge - Your Choice

Sketch Saturday http://sketchsaturday.blogspot.com/ gave everyone the chance to choose a sketch from the last 30 weeks of sketches.  I picked Sketch 28, I like ovals, I think they look elegant, which I wanted for this card :).

Both the image and the sentiment are Rubber Romance stamps.  The girl with diamonds is stamped in smoke grey Versafine and coloured with chalks.  The sentiment is silver tinsel embossed.  Lower paper is Glimmer Misted, upper paper is from a Graphicus Guild paperpack.  The embellishments came from Hobbycraft, not somewhere I usually shop at.  I had to buy some DS tape as my local shop has been closed for over a week, and I found these pretty gems in their sale.

Magnoliameetsstampavie challenge week 7

http://magnoliameetsstampavie.blogspot.com/2008/12/week-7-goodbye-2008-sketch.html The Magnolia/Stampavie challenge for week 7, Goodbye 2008, is a sketch. I chose to set my squares on point as that way I could get Tilda's face in better.

The backing paper is a contemporary Christmas one that I bought and didn't get round to using! It's double sided and I've reversed half the paper. The ribbon that looks like it was made to match the paper came from my blogging "sister" Janet, who sent it with my goodies when I won an SBS Challenge.

The flowers were punched from the decorative paper, including the bronze that I used to mat the Tildas. The Happy Birthday is this month's Graphicus Guild stamp and the Tildas are watercoloured.