Are you ready for a romantic moment?!

Good morning all

I'm back today with a new inspiration card for Whimsy stamps.  This one is from the gorgeous Fairy dust images and is called Romantic Moment available here

Isn't it just a gorgeous fairy image - I just loved it the minute I saw it and was dying to colour it up. I was originally going to colour it in pale pastel colours and went looking for papers to do that but when I saw this paper i decided to go with the pale green and red colour scheme and I really like how it turned out.  I went a bit overboard with the stickles - well you can with a fairy - and although the sparkle of the glitter on the wings is reflecting the light so that you cant see the wings too well - they are coloured in a graduated blue,green,pink and lilac design.

This is what I did.....

Image - Romantic Moment from Fairy dust Images at Whimsy Stamps

Coloured with - copics and prismacolor pencils

Paper -MME - lost and found blush

Sentiment LOTV grungy everyday messages

Distress ink - Faded corduroy

Stickles - Diamond

Dies -Memory box - Debutante frame and Honeyblossom frame from Oyster stamps - I cut some extra branches to fill the bottom of the frame as well.  also ivy tendrill die - all cut with pearl card

Gems,heart and flower embellies - Gems -Kaiser craft and Meiflower flowers and heart from MCH

Ribbon - carnmeal cottage 

Charm - Inky Impressions

Challenges I'm entering with this card

A gem of  a challenge - dies and punches 

Allsorts - things with wings 

Crafty calendar - love and Marriage

Alphabet challenge - anything with wings

Dream valley challenges - ribbon and bling

Quirky crafts challenge - supernatural love story 

That craft place - valentine

Addicted to  stamps - bingo - digi/red/heart

  

How many shades of grey do you really, really need!!?

Hello there blog friends - Happy Tuesday

Today I've got with a quick tutorial  that I've done for Inky impressions about two things really 

1. You don't need a Christmas image to make a Christmas card
2. You only need one shade of grey - or one colour infact - no matter what that book says!!

I've made a quick and easy Christmas card with the Inky Impressions stamp

Hazel baking cookies

you can find her  here

I coloured her with copics - not particularly carefully (whoops!) - but that doesn't really matter when you use a prismacolour pencil to go back in to add shade and depth to the image. And to shade the whole image all you need is 

One shade of grey!!

Infact prismacolor 70% warm grey.  You could use any grey or even black (and if I want an even deeper vintage look I do use black- it does great things when used with red - but thats for another day)  but for this particular card I wanted a warm look and thats what the 70% grey gives to this image.

Here is the image coloured with copics - it looks ok - but lacks any depth and as you can see I havent done a great deal of blending with the colours and it all looks a bit too bright in places

Next I added lines of grey where I wanted to add the shade with the pencil you'll notice I have not added any to the centre of the face

I then started to blend the pencil with Sansodor solvent

You can now see that there is a lot more depth to the image also I added shade to the centre of the face just by using whatever colour I had already picked up on my blending stump and blending it into the centre of  the face.

I then cleaned off my blending stump (with an emery board) and used just Sansodor to further blend and thin out the grey in places

All of the colours are now muted - which was the effect I was looking for- and there is shade and light to the little bears fur and the clothes and bowl.

I then trimmed the card and shaded with distress ink before I mounted the image onto green card and added  papers, ribbon  and embellies  to make this cute Christmas card - and there she is

Hazel baking her Christmas Cookies

This is what I used to make this card

Image - Hazel baking cookies from Inky impressions

Coloured with copics - fur E40,41,43  ribbon and apron trim R37,35,32  apron G28,07,00  bowl E53,51,       cookie mix E11,21, eyes B93 Inside ears YR 20,21

And ....Prismacolor pencil - one shade of grey 70% warm grey

Papers - first edition - festive treats (cookies were also cut from these papers)

Distress ink - Tea dye by Tim Holtz 

Sentiment - LOTV

Shaped card - craftwork cards

Heart charm - Inky impressions

Gems and ribbon - from my stash

Challenges i'm entering with this card

Loves rubber stamps -anything goes

Now go and have a look at your stamps! There's lots of stamps you could use that aren't Christmas stamps that will make a beautiful Christmas card.  Hope I gave you some inspiration

hugs

Judith xx

Lots of Layers for Inky Impressions this week

Hello again

I do hope you are all safe and well today - the storms in America have certainly made the news here in the UK - sending big hugs to all of you out there on the other side of the pond who are affected by this - and to those waiting to see where this terrible storm hits next, I'm sure it must be a real worry for you all.

I have made another little boy card for this weeks challenge at inky impressions  some of you are probably shouting - oh no not his again!! - but this is my absolute favourite little boy image - I think that its just a perfect image for a boy  - so here he is - mischievous Christopher

I made it for a friends little boy - somehow he just reminds me of him so much.  I had also made a gift bag of similar design a few weeks bag - so the two are going to Leo for his birthday

This is what i did.....

Image - Mishceivious Christopher from Inky Impressions
Coloured with copics and prismacolor pencils
Card - bazzill Basics
Paper - K &Co hopscotch boy
Lettering - cut with sizzix easy peasy font die
Ladybirds - from a set from Michaels
Dragonfly and circles - spellbinders
Card candy - craftwork cards
gems - from my stash

Challenges I'm entering with this card

Tammys scrappin corner - anything goes any artist

Too cute to spook - thats us girls at MAWTT!!

Good morning all

Its almost Halloween - the scariest night of the year!  But over at Moving Along With the Times challenge blog our Debs has decided that we should not be scary at all!!  So to match with all of us gorgeous MAWTT DT girlies - we are after all the cutest DT this side of Halloween!! - the theme is

Too cute to spook!!

We would love to see your cute Halloween projects - but nothing too scary

Our sponsor this week is

Dis Digi downloads

Who are offering one lucky winner 3 images from their great store

So here's my - not so scary Halloween card

And this is what I did....

Image - Nicky the sweet witch  from Inky Impressions (I just love that cat!!)

Coloured with Copics

Papers -my minds eye

Card

Bazzill basics

Dies -All spellbinders

Purple glitter glue (which is on just about everything!) - Martha Stewart

Spider - Imaginations

Pins - my crafty heart

Black pearls - Kaisercraft

Wicked die cut - Cricut expression - mini monsters cart

Challenges I'm entering with this card

Stampinroyalty - halloween

The paper shelter - halloween

Creative belliblog - hallween

Check back later for my second DT card today for Digital Delights

hugs 

Judith x

An autumn themed bag for Inky Impresssions

Hello again

I have another gift bag today that I've made for the Inky Impressions challenge toady

Which is 

Anything but a card or Pink themed

I bought a "bakers dozen" pack of these bags at Michaels - so far I've used 3

 - so I'll leave you to do the maths!!

a close up of the image

I'm enjoying making these bags - such a change from cards and you can go bigger on the embellies 

and as we all know bigger is better!

Here's what I did....

Image - Lili playing in the leaves by inky impressions

Coloured with copics and prismacolor pencils

Paper - K & Co

Card - bazzill basics

Frame and small leaves - mariannes die

Flower,large leaves and corners - spellbinders dies

Pearls - inky impressions

Ribbon - creative impressions

Lettering - cut with sizzix eazy peaesy die 

Why dont you pop over to the Inky Impressions challenge blog to see what my teamies have made - I'm sure you'll be impressed - such fabulous inspiration.

challenges I'm entering with this card

Critter sketch challenge blog - favourite part of fall ( autumn leaves)
The crazy challenge - handmade flowers

hugs 

Judith xx

Lets hear it for the boys at Inky impressions challenge blog

Hello again

Just checked and my scheduled post had gone into draft - so didn't - so to speak - doesn't blogger just drive you mad sometimes.  I've no doubt at all that it was something I did but that's not the point is it?

I've been on a real role with my inky boy cards lately - it makes a real change from all the girly girly - and the christmas card thing that I'm on at the moment.  So here's Christopher  again - Mischievous Christopher this time and not a card but a gift bag, just to ring the changes!

This is what I did....

Image - Mischievous Christopher by Inky Impressions
Coloured with - copics and prismacolour pencils
Paper and tag - hopscotch by K and Co
Paper bag -from Michaels
Red card, ribbon and gems from my stash
Card candy - Craftwork cards
Dragonfly die - spellbinders
Ladybirds- Martha Stewart (I just love these - theyre all squishy and fuzzy!!)
"Birthday boy" - cut on sizzix with easy peasy alphabet

Challenges I'm entering with this project

Crafty Sentiments - Happy birthday
Crazy amigos challenge blog - Anything but a card
Pennys papercrafting challenge - die cuts and punches

For a child challenge at inky Impressions

Good morning all

Well I'm slowly getting back into the swing again!  Its amazing how 3 weeks away from crafting can put you off your stride!  I had put everything away before I went on holiday and couldn't remember where half of my things were! Together with that its hard to actually get your mind back into crafty mode, its almost like my minds had a clearout and there's nothing there.  (My husband would probably say there never was anything anyway lol)

Anyway back to today.  I should really have been posting two DT cards today the challenge over at 

Fab'n'Funky Challenges

 has been chosen by Wendy this week and the theme is 

Things with wings

The second challenge is at 

Inky Impressions 

and the theme for this challenge is

For a child

I didn't have time to make two cards but as I had some cute new stamps from Inky Impressions this one won the toss up!

I decided to keep it simple for two reasons, firstly I thought the image should be the main image of the card anyway but also my brain could cope much better with simple!!

This is what I did...

Image - Mischeivous Christopher - from Inky Impressions

Coloured with - copics and prismacolor pencils

Paper - K & Co Hopscotch

Sentiment - K & Co Hopscotch

Card - Bazzill

Buttons and bugs - Martha Stewart punches

Ric rac and twine - From my stash

So we'd really like to see you over at Inky impressions this week with your card for a child and Over at Fab'n'Funky Challenges if you have any things with wings we'd like to see you over there too.

See you again tomorrow - hopefully ha ha.

Challenges I am entering with this card

Perfect Sentiments Challenge - masculine birthdays
by the cute and girly challenge -  boys/men
Heck of a challenge - anything goes
Ladybird crafts challenge - anything goes

Back to school at inky impressions

Hello again

I'm back with my second DT card today - this time its for the fabulous

Inky Impressions challenge blog

The challenge is 

Back to School

As well as all the gorgeous little girls and boys that Inky do in their rubber stamp range there are also some cute little animals.  This little bear is Lizzie finger painting - so cute and a bit different I think.

This is what I did....

Image - Inky impressions Lizzie finger paintind
Coloured with - copics and prismacolor pencils
Leaves - spellbinders and
Flowers - punch by EK success
Pearls - Inky Impressions 6mm flatback pearls
Fun - cut with sizzix - Tim Holtz vintage market

See you all tomorrow - I'm off to finish packing - oooo off on my jolly hollies on Friday - can't wait

Challenges I'm entering with this card

digi doodle shop - use pearls

Hugs

Judith x

Die cuts and punches challenge at Inky Impressions

Happy Wednesday

I hope the sun is still shining where you are - what a difference a week makes!  Yesterday was another fab day, when I walked the dog along the coastal path today and looked down to the beach it could have been any beach in Spain - though I suspect the sea was freezing!  - hundreds of kids, tents and sandcastles galore- oh the sunshine always makes me happy and I love to be out and about in it!

Today's card is my DT card for Inky Impressions challenge and the theme is

Die cuts and punches

I decided to go all out and die cut everything!- layers, flowers,leaves,tag and even a shaped card  but disaster of disasters my Grand Calibur  decided to fall to bits half way through! - I could have cried.  I heard something inside drop into the bottom and the handle jammed, I'm going to have to work out if I can open it up and put it back together.  Luckily I have a sizzix as well but it means messing about with shims to use the spellbinders - none-the-less - for the love of an Inky DT card I persevered and got it all done.

This is what I did.....


Image - Cowgirl Lili from Inky Impressions
Coloured with - copics and Prismacolor pencils 
Distressing  Tim Holtz tea die distress ink
Shaped Card - Craftwork Cards
Papers - Raspberry road - free with a craft magazine
all dies (except tag) - Spellbinders
Tag - sizzix die
Boot charm - Inky Impressions
Buttons and bow- from my stash

Challenges I'm entering with this card
Anything goes challenge  - lets not be square
Craft room challenge - buttons and bows
Papertake weekly challenge - make your own
Sassy Cheryls - Polka dots everywhere
Love to create challenge - spots and dots


Have a great day everyone.

Hugs

Judith x

We're all going on a summer holiday with Fab'n'Funky challenges

Good morning all

Its time for another new challenge over at Fab'n'Funky Challenges and today the theme has bee chosen by our hostess for the week 

Anne-Marie

And its

We're all going on a summer holiday

(go on sing along - you know you want to!)

I really hope none of you are going on a summer holiday in this weather - unless you're a duck, i've never seen so much rain in my life, I think this week has been the worst so far because the rain just hasn't stopped for 3 days now.  But when this challenge was set we really expected it to be summer weather so my card for this week definitely reflects this - though you might put a different slant on it!!

I saw this cute little girl waiting to go on her summer holidays over at Di's digi downloads (I've got a bit of a love affair going on with these digis at the moment) and here she is....

She's got a bit of a happy look going on there so I think the sun's shining where she is anyway, just sitting on her suitcase waiting to go - camera at the ready - oooh I want to go!!!

Our sponsor for this weeks challenge is the fantastic Digi Doodle Shop

Who are offering a fab prize of $10 to spend in their store

So come on what have you got to loose - you need to get going on a sumer holiday 

- its far far better than staying here!!

This is what I did....

Image - Dis digi downloads

Coloured with - Copics and Prismacolor pencils

Papers - K & Co hopscotch

Diecuts - cut on cricut expression, spellbinders circle dies and sizzix label
Key Charm on case - Inky Impressions

Stickers (on case) - K & Co

Sentiment - Lili of the Valley

Gems from my stash

We'd love to see you over at the sunny land of Fab'n'Funky this week for your summer holiday - its got to be better than staying at home in the rain!

Have a great day - but don't forget your wellies

Challenges I'm entering with this card

Sassy studios designs - use something metal (key charm )
Card Crafters Circle - Summer holiday
Crafty catz weekly - spots
Fun with shapes and more - Summer birthday
Simply create too - Summer vacation
Sentimental Sundays - bingo (twine charm die cut)

Hugs 

Judith x

MAWTT challenge day - anything but a card

Good Morning all

Hope you're all well this fine morning.

I'm still away on holiday but the end is nigh!!  To all of you suffering with the effects of the wonderful British weather (most people from what I can gather) it might make you feel better that it hasn't been so good here in Florida either.  We've been coming to Florida for 17 years now and this is definately the worst weather we've ever had.  Don't get me wrong we've had some gorgeous weather while we've been here and in Florida its normal to get rain almost every day - but its usually a huge downpour all over in half an hour and dry again in 10 minutes.  These last few days its been mostly  grey and miserable with lots of rain - still hot but wet at the same time!

Its also a bit like a hospital here in our house, my hubby Dean's got this cold and cough that he can't get rid of - in fact it's getting worse (to be honest I 'm sick of hearing him cough) and I had to go to the walk in medical centre yesterday becaused I've got an ear infection (they're calling it swimmers ear!).  No good old national health here it cost about £70 for the consultation and another £80 for antibiotic ear drops, on the bright side the by mouth antibiotics I got were free.  But my insurance excess is £150 so thats that!

I think I caught it in time - my ear's more sore and uncomfortable than painful but no swimming or washing of hair for me, oh well worse things have happened.

I managed to get this tag/giftcard holder made for this weeks MAWTT challenge before I left
The challenge is hosted by our talented Lisa Jane who has chosen the theme

Anything but a card

I have to admit the photograph's not the best - it has a little loop on the top so you could hang it up and for some reason I didn't photograph the back of the tag either!  There's a little pocket in the back to put a gift card - hey-ho! thats what happens when you rush to get something done -sorry.

This weeks challenge is being sponsored by

Stitchy Bear digital stamps

 
 who are offering a fab prize of $10 to spend in store for this weeks challenge winner

This is what I did...

Tag cut from lemon and layered with pink card

Image - inky impressions roller skating Lili

Coloured with - Promarkers and prismacolor pencils

Fun Stickers and rub ons - K and Co

Ribbon - Carnmeal Cottage

Hope you'll all join us over at MAWTT this week - look forward to seeing anything but a card!

Challenges I'm entering with this card

Delightful challenges - summer fun
I love promarkers - for a little girl
Rubys Rainbow - tags
Cupcake craft - tag you're it
ooh la la creations - make it girly
Tammys scrappin corner - for the girls

hugs

Judith x

Summer fun at Inky Impressions

Hello from sunny Florida!

Oh its such a lazy life and I'm lovin it! 

Was really busy before I came away and got as many DT cards done as I could and just uploaded them to a post name - trouble is I don't know what I did for half of them!!  This one I know is one of the fab new Inky Impressions stamps called Christopher mowing - he's so cute and I loved making this card.  These papers are so perfect for a garden card  like this one- I won them from my MAWTT DT buddy Lisa in her bog candy draw a while back  - thank you Lisa xx.  I knew they would be perfect for this card, I can see them in my mind as I'm sitting here in 92 degrees by the pool!!! but can't for the life of me think what they're called!!

What I did...

Image - Christopher mowing - Inky Impressions new summer stamps
Papers - from Lisa can't remember what they're called!
Die cuts - spellbinders
Ribbon - carnmeal cottage
Watering can embellie and sentiment sticker - K & Co
Card - Bazzill basics
Gems from my stash

Thats it from me for today - got some lazing in the sun to do!!

Challenges I'm entering with this card

That craft place - trees and nature
Here comes the boys - anything goes
One stop craft - for the boys
Lexis creations - for the man/boy in our life
Crafty sentiments - anything goes
Simon says - anything goes

hugs

Judith x

Its Cow Girl Lili for Inky impressions challenge day

Hello again

I'm back with my second post of the day with my Cow Girl Lili DT card 

for the challenge over at the Inky Impressions Challenge Blog 

and todays challenge is

Use Lace or trim

This weeks  challenge is being sponsored by 3 Bugs in a Rug!

Here is a bit about their fabulous company:

Kristine and Rick Turner founded Three Bugs in a Rug 5 years ago. After starting an online scrapbook store, Kristine decided to create her own designs. After the overwhelming response to her designs, we closed the online store to concentrate on creating fun pattern paper and coordinating embellishments. We hope you enjoy working with her designs as much as she enjoys creating them.

They are giving a great prize this week

 - so why don't you play along - it could be you!!

This little girl is one of my favourites from Inky Impressions I just love her little cowhide skirt, her knock knees and her boots!  I'm not having a very good week when it comes to liking cards this week - I think we all have these weeks when we just can't please ourselves!  I had an idea in my head when I started this but the card doesn't match it- i don't not like it its just it doesn't look like I had in mind....!

This is what I did....

Image - Inky Impresions - Cowgirl Lili
Coloured with - Copics and Prismacolor pencils
Papers and Cowgirl sentiment - Raspberry Road - cowgirl (something!) collection
Lace and card from my Stash
Ticket - Tim Holtz
Die cut borders -Memory box jasmine frame (cut in half)
Brown pearls - Kaiser craft
Circles cut with spellbinders
heart stamp on background - Dawn Bibby

Challenges I am entering with this tag

Sarah Hurley Challenge - Tags or tickets
Truly scrumptious - Anything goes
Whimsy Stamps -anything goes
Thats all from me today

see you tomorrow with my MAWTT DT card - its my week to host the challenge!

Hugs Judith xx

Simple layered flowers and that inky fairy again!

Hi there

I have another card today with that gorgeous fairy on a clothes pin image from Inky impressions.  I've also posted this on the Inky Impressions inspirations blog with my tutorial for making these easy peasy flowers.

I love mulberry paper flowers on cards but I always think making your own flowers is that little bit more special and gives a totally coordinated look and there are so many ways you can do it.  You don't even need a die cutting machine, all you need is one flower punch and you can make a variety of flowers.

For these flowers I've used the medium retro flower punch from EK success but you can use the same technique for any punch.  I've also used card for my flowers but you can do the same with papers of different weights and you'll get different looks - just experiment its fun!

Anyway this is what I did

Here's a selection of punches adhesives and embellies that you could use to make flowers with punches

I punched three flowers with the punch and curled them slightly with the blade of some scissors

then stuck them together with wet glue, layering each one between the petals of the one below -I use collall all purpose but any good strong glue will do.  I used three layers 

The centres of the flowers on the card I made are card candy from craftwork cards that I stuck on with foam pads, but you can get different looks just by changing the centre as you can see here. I used a small papermania punch to make a paper centre and have used gems and flatback pearls - these are from inky impressions and available at the Inky Impressions Store here.

To embellish your card you can simply group the flowers together on your card or just use one as a focal point.  Or use them as I have done by using a die cut or punched swirl underneath, this one is elegant scroll work from memory box.  Punched or die cut leaves are also great.

the inside

Hope you like my card and enjoyed my take on making simple flowers

I'm entering this card in the following challenges

Crafty Ribbons - flowers
Little Miss Muffet challenge - Flowers
Shellys images- Use something that makes you happy - making flowers makes me happy!
Bearly Mine challenges- Fairies
LEJ designs challenge blog - things with wings
Sundays with Crissy - Things with wings
Card makin Mammas - flowers
hugs

Judith xx