Saturday, 29 August 2020

Snowman Family


Any regular visitor to my blog will know I LOVE snowmen. I always built them if we had snow when I was little, especially baby snowmen.  I used to love putting a row of them on the garden wall when I was a little kid in Leeds. We seemed to have more snow oop North and proper regular winters. Going back in time and before global warming seemed to be as much of a problem as it is today.

Anyhoo, I digress....... This card has been made with the most gorgeous image Snowmen Family which is from the Snowman Set from Beccy's Place. I just fell in love with how many little snowmen are in this image. It is coloured with Promarkers and I used a new set of dies Scalloped Edge Oval 2.  I got a mystery bag from Crafter's Companion for only £20 with loads of dies and stamps in. This set is on their website for £12.99 so the mystery bag is amazing value.

I used some Stickles glitter glue on the body of Daddy snowman. There is a Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen on the 2 older Grandparent snowmen but it doesn't show up very well in photos (believe me I have tried). I then used some fake snow to create a snowdrift to 'ground' the snow family. It is really fluffy and there is a little sprinkling of glitter in it. You can see this in more detail below.


Over at Jingle Bells challenge they are asking you to CASE any card on the blog that has been created by Stephanie or Lauren.

I really liked the layout of this card that Lauren did in April last year. I rotated it to suit my image.  I don't have any Christmas washi tape at all and considered making it in paper strips. 


However I had previously bookmarked another card that Lauren made in June which the background was made using ribbons. I have a reasonable amount of ribbons so this definitely appealed to me.



The base of the card is a folded A4 sheet of 300gsm white card. The blue panel is a sparkly card. I have added strips of ribbons on it in various shades of blue and white. Some are self adhesive, some have sticky tape added onto them. There are different textures and widths, some are little remnants from some grab bags at Crafty Ribbons which are excellent value. I wrapped the raw end of the ribbon under the card and taped this panel to the card blank.

The image and sentiment have been mounted with foam squares. I have used an assortment of snowflakes, some are my own dies, some have been recycled from shop bought Christmas cards. One is from a cheap Christmas decoration I got years ago from Poundland that had hundreds of thick plastic metallic & hologram snowflakes in blues and silvers. I am always on the lookout for craft supplies that are not necessarily sold for that purpose. I guess that goes back to my early days of cardmaking and seeing potential in anything I could possibly use to make a card.....

I had so much fun making this card. Thankyou to Beccy for a fab image and Jingle Bells for the inspiration on the finished card.   


Card Details -

 

Size - A5

Image - Snowmen Family from Snowman Set by Beccy's Place

Dies - Scalloped Edge Oval 2 by Crafter's Companion, Snowflake 2 Embossing Folder/Die from Sizzix, Create a Flake 3 by Spellbinders

Colouring Medium - Promarkers

Embellishments - Lots of ribbon, Stickles Glitter glue, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Overlay, fake snow, self adhesive metallic dome


I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical Order)



 

613 Avenue Create – #236 Anything Goes

All Fun Challenges - #14 Anything Goes

As You Like It – Favourite way to use ribbon (I like to add as a wrap around cardstock. Usually as a border. Never done a whole background wrapped before this though)

Aud Sentiments  – #258 Anything Goes

Beccy’s Place - Anything Goes

Christmas With The Cuties - # 41 Bring on the Bling

Colour Crazy Challenge - #33 Anything Goes

Crafting Happiness - #63 Anything Goes

Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge - #505 Anything Goes / Something beginning with S (lots of snowmen)

Crafty Sentiments Designs – Anything Goes

Createful Heart Design - #23 Anything Goes

Creative Craft Cottage - #132 Ribbon, Lace or Pearls

Crimbo Crackers - #214 Anything Christmas Goes

Digi Choosday - #34 Anything Goes

Everybody Art – #473 Anything Goes

Gem of A Challenge - #18 Anything Goes

House That Stamps Built – A2620 Anything Goes

I Love Promarkers - #417 Use a Die Cut or Punch

International Art & Soul - #90 Inspired by a Book (The Snowman)

Jingle Belles – CASE a Jingle Belle

Krafty Chicks - KCC #522 Card for any Occasions

Lemon Shortbread - #127 Anything Goes

Little Red Wagon – #564 Use a Digital Stamp

Merry Little Christmas - #25 Anything Christmas Goes

Polkadoodles - #34 Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

Stinkin’ Inkers – Monotone / Monochrome

Time Out Challenges - #169 Season (winter)

Word Art Wednesday - #454-455 Anything Goes



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Tuesday, 25 August 2020

Dusty Doe Eyes

 


It is time for another challenge for Team B at Through The Craft Room Door


The sponsor for this challenge is Oddball Art Co.
There is a prize of $10 to spend in the store for the lucky winner.


I chose to work with Dusty Doe Eyes. There are 2 different versions included, a sad face version and then this one which is a more shy version.


I have used just the image and coloured with Promarkers and Spectrum Noir pens.  I used a Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles die to cut out the image and mounted onto 3d foam squares. I used a black ink pad to distress the edges. I have added Glossy Accents to the eyes, mouth and heart.

I used a sketch from the latest Unicorn Challenge for the layout and adapted it to fit a rectangular card.



The card base is made from a sheet of black A4 card. I added a layer of pearlescent red paper. I used papers from a 6'x6' pad Festive Fun which was only £1 from Poundland. I love the colours of black and red which I thought suited the image so much. The 2 papers are covered with an offcut of glittery black card. Onto this is an iridescent snowflake trim which is slightly padded and really shimmers.

The poinsettias are die cuts from an old Craftwork Cards pad. I added some shaping to them and mounted onto 3d foam. Gems have been added and some Stickles glitter glue.

Finally the sentiment is a foiled die cut, mounted on a scrap of black card. I used a gold star shaped eyelet and a thin ribbon. I absolutely detest the ribbon hanging loops on new clothing and cut them off straight away. I find they are much better suited to being re-purposed as craft ribbons ;)

The snowflake paper I added silver glitter glue to the centre of each one so there is a lot of sparkle to it.

Our challenges at Through the Craft Room Door are always Anything Goes so easy to enter. I hope you will join us.

Card Details -

 

Size - A5

Image - Dusty Doe Eyes IMG 119B by Oddball Art Co.

Paper - Festive Fun 6'x6' from Poundland

Dies - Romantic Rectangles by Spellbinders

Colouring Medium - Promarkers & Spectrum Noir

Embellishments - Snowflake ribbon, black ribbon, gems, eyelet, Stickles Glitter Glue, Glossy Accents


I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical Order)





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Monday, 24 August 2020

Hope Butterfly for a Sad Reason

 


As some of you may have seen in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic I had made some cards to give to our friends and neighbours using the same 3 part Statement Butterfly die from Crafter's Companion and a digital sentiment from McMahon Five Designs (they are no longer in business so this is retired)

This card has been made for entirely different reason. My younger sister has had issues in the past with breast cancer and now has scans every year at the hospital so they really are keeping on top of it. She had a scan on Wednesday and she was really worked up about it. I did the big sister thing and tried to re-assure her, don't worry etc.  Well bugger me, the following day they phoned her to say they can see a mass in her breast. They will need to get her back in for a further scan and to take some cells for analysis. Of course, panic then ensues. To then balance things out the same day her eldest daughter had an ultrasound scan as she is expecting a 3rd baby. She has had twins who are 7 at the end of August and she has had some miscarriages so the scan is an important milestone for her (and us of course)

Fortunately all is well (touch wood) and baby is due early March and I will be a Great Auntie again. Just need to get my Sister sorted in the meantime.....hopefully she won't have too long to wait for her appointment.

She is quite senior in a care home and has worked all through the pandemic. She had a few weeks with a lot of deaths in quick succession so she has had a lot to deal with (fortunately not virus related thank goodness for that)

She needs a bit of cheering up so I made this card for her. This sentiment is perfect not only for spreading hope during these pandemic days but definitely for what she is going through at the moment. 

Her living room is teal and I wanted to make the card to match that so she can possibly frame it too. The card is 8" square and has been covered with some flower paper that was a magazine freebie a long time ago. The frame around it has been adapted from a shadow box frame kit from Crafter's Companion. It came in a mystery bag and has decorative panels that you overlay on a plain background. I have a Big Shot die cutter and tried to use a combination of plates I had but as this die is longer I just couldn't get the intricate dies to cut. It is my birthday next month and I have asked for the large Gemini die cutting machine so that should resolve that problem.... :)

So plan B was to use the black panels I had already cut, trim them shorter to suit the card size and add some narrower ones in a teal core'dinations card which has a lovely sheen to it.

The butterfly is cut from black card, some teal glittery card which was in my scraps and some iridescent vellum. The body has black self adhesive gems on it. I stick the bottom layer down and leave the top 2 loose so the butterfly is flying. You can see the detail in the side photo below.


The sentiment has little hearts that have been coloured with a Promarker. It is framed in the Lyon cut and emboss frame from Crafter's Companion. I used the same Core'dinations card and sanded back the embossing. I then used a slightly darker teal rub on wax to highlight it. I added a silver mat around it and fussy cut. This is raised up on 3d foam squares.

For a final touch I added lots of small gems onto the big flowers in the background. 

I am hoping that this is all going to be worrying about nothing and that is isn't the big C. The waiting both for the appointment and the the results is going to be horrid. I am just grateful that the annual monitoring of her will hopefully mean they will be able to nip it in the bud. I am also very grateful that I was included in the pre-50's trial in our area last year and had a clear scan.

Edited 29/08 - Her appointment has come through for 4th September. From what she has been told the mass is 2.5cm and is in her right breast. All previous masses have been in her left one so she is definitely worried now. Thank you to everyone for your good wishes for her, that really is lovely of you

Card Details -

 

Size - 8" Square

Digital Sentiment - McMahon Five Design (retired)

Dies - Shadow Box Frame & Statement Butterfly by Crafter's Companion

Embossing Folder - Lyon Cut & Emboss Frame by Crafter's Companion

Colouring Medium - Promarker

Embellishments - self adhesive gems



I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical Order)



 

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Saturday, 22 August 2020

It's Tea Time

 

Over at The Outlawz there is a Progressive Freebie challenge where if you use the previous month's image you get the next months to play with. This time we got an amazing full kit from The Paper Shelter called It's Tea Time!  It comes with the uncoloured image, the coloured one, a background paper and a complete digital card.

I have to be honest when I saw it I was a bit stumped as I don't really do Steampunk so wasn't entirely sure what to do with it. I did however know that I wanted to use the sentiment that I have which was a freebie from Tlc Creations.

There are challenges for every day of the week at The Outlawz and this card actually almost made itself from those. The Colour challenge is to use Kraft plus 2 colours and make up your own twist. I love using blue and brown as a colour scheme and my twist was to use a previously un-inked rubber stamp.

The image was coloured with Promarkers in different shades of blue & brown only adding a fleshtone as an extra colour. I distressed the edges with a inkpad, added a few gems and a heart gem 'tattoo' on her shoulder.

I used the Wednesday sketch for the layout. The base of the card is a sheet of A4 brown card. I then added a layer of plain blue. 


The next layer is Kraft card and on this I have used a rubber stamp I have had for at least 8 years and never used. It came in a craft back from Papermania and is about 4" square. I have never been all that great at stamping but I invested in a Tim Holtz stamping platform and by golly that is a game changer. I can get really good results now. Some of the best money I have spent on crafty stuff. I used the Tea Dye Distress Ink to stamp the image and then used Walnut Stain to darken the edges and grunge it up a bit. I used a messy mat for this that came with some red sticky tape I bought a while ago. I have never used it before and have to say it made it so easy to do the blending as I could put the colour on the mat and use a lighter touch with the blending brush. 



The sentiment has been distressed with the Tea Dye inkpad and matted onto blue card. I added a pre-printed die cut pocket watch from my stash and a rub-on which was added onto brown card and then fussy cut. These are both mounted onto thin 3d foam pads.

As I said it is very different from my usual style of card but that is the great beauty of progressive freebie challenges. You use the image you are given and often it pulls you out of your comfort zone and encourages you to be more creative.

Card Details -

 

Size - A5

Image - It's Tea Time! by The Paper Shelter

Sentiment - Previous freebie from Tlc Creations

Rubber Stamp - Beautiful Time Pieces by Papermania

Colouring Medium - Promarkers, Distress Ink Pads

Embellishments - Self Adhesive gems, Rub-on from Royal Langnickel

 

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical Order)

 

 





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Friday, 21 August 2020

Jasmine Winged Unicorn

 


I have 2 twin great nieces who have their 7th birthdays on the 29th. Liara is the slightly older of the 2, very definitely more of a tomboy and protects her sister Belle.

This is the birthday card I have made for her. It suits her as she is definitely unique like a unicorn.

The image is from Scrapper's Delights. I used to be part of the DT for One Stitch At a Time and Stamper's Delights was part of the Stitchy Bear store so I have a load of the old images. This one was Jasmine and was part of a set of images where you got the pony, unicorn and winged unicorn for each distinctly different character. You can buy this image as part of the Unicorn Pony Bundle 1 from Stamper's Delights store.

I have coloured the image with Promarkers. I chose to colour the mane and tail in a rainbow of colours. I fussy cut, mounted onto 3d foam and added some Stickles glitter glue to the wings and horn.


I used the latest Stella Says Sketch 813 from the Catch the Bug challenge. The card base is a sheet of Lidl card cut to A4 and I added some multicolour spotty paper to it.

The rainbow paper has been in my stash forever and never been used. I thought it was perfect for this image and added some faux stitching around the outside using an Ultrafine Sharpie pen. I added some Christmas Unicorn Ribbon from Crafty Ribbons that came in a bag of Christmas offcuts. It was the perfect size for this card. The strip of card trimmed from the main sheet was punched with my every trusty Treading Water punch from Fiskars. This is 270gsm card and this punch handles it with ease.

The rainbow I cannot tell you how pleased I am with it. I saw some unbranded circle dies on Ebay for about £2 and thought they could be used to make a rainbow. With the whole NHS thing making them uber now popular rainbow dies are more readily available now but essentially they are just circles so I was sure I could make it myself. I cut the 7 out but it made it a bit large for my card so I settled with 6. I used white card and coloured each ring with Promarkers. I stuck these onto a circle of white card and then cut the circle in half to make 2 rainbows.

The clouds are from the Rainy Days & Sunshine 2 dies from Sizzix. I die cut the 3, left one large and then cut the outside off for the small ones. I wasn't sure how to finish them but inspired by the Crash Your Stash challenge at Outlawz I cracked open my long forgotten chalks and used shades of grey and pale blue.

The unicorn sentiment is from the Be A Fluffy Unicorn digital stamp set by Polkadoodles which I trimmed into a banner and added onto more of the lilac cardstock. Finally I added a foiled birthday sentiment from Craftwork Cards.

Now I have to be honest and say I have never really understood the fascination with unicorns but I am so very pleased with this card. It is so colourful and fun and of course I love my little rainbow. I think this will be the perfect card for a 7 year old little girl.

Card Details -

 

Size – A5

Image – Jasmine Winged Unicorn – Stampers Delights (Part of Unicorn Pony Bundle 1)

Sentiment – From Be A Fluffy Unicorn set by Polkadoodles

Dies – Cloud from Rainy Days & Sunshine 2 by Sizzix, Unbranded Stitch circle dies from Ebay

Punch – Treading Water by Fiskars

Colouring Medium – Promarkers, Ultrafine Sharpie

Embellishments – Stickles Glitter glue, Christmas Unicorn Ribbon from Crafty Ribbons


I would like to enter this card into the following challenges (in Alphabetical Order)






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