Candy corn colour catastrophe

Below you will see my second card for the Unity be inspired challenge.  Again I have used the colour palette. This card started out brilliantly. I stamped the Big Summertime Bouquet itty bitty by Unity Stamp Company twice, one using the mirror image technique by stamping onto the back of a larger acrylic stamp and using that to stamp. It came out perfectly - Score!!  Then I coloured the flowers with copics in the RV and YR range and the leaves with the cool greys. I wasn't overjoyed with the results as I don't have copics close together in these colours to get a good blend, but I was happy enough.  Next I thought I do some ink smooching with distress ink.  Bad move you certainly don't get good results on the xpress-it blending card like on watercolour card.  It ended up looking like someone threw up candy corn all over the card.  I tried to blend it with a bit more distress ink but the flowers then almost disappeared. So next I got out the white gel pen and did some highlighting, which brought out the image a bit.  Then I shaded around the image a little with one of the cool grey copic which popped it a little more.  The original sentiment in this Unity set would have just disappeared on the candy corn vomit so I cut out the MFT happy birthday out of black fun foam.  I was going to directly mount the card panel on the black card but thought it needed a bit more pink so put it on some pink card with a thin border and called this card finished. It wasn't till after I took the photo I noticed that I had lost the dot on the birthday I. I think a dot of enamel accents will have to do, the foam has been put away and it is late at night here.  Time for beddy bis now.  See ya, cheers Linda

Inspired to be inspired

Today I have made a card for the unity be inspired challenge.  I have followed the colour inspiration photo for my card. To create my card I masked off an area with tape and colour with the rectangle with picked raspberry, spiced marmalade and abandoned coral using the mini distress applicator. I then flicked the panel with water and removed a bit of the colour is some splotches. I then stamped the flowers from the Unity itty bitty Wishing you Joy stamp set. I extended the stems of the flowers to the boundary of the colour panel with a black sharpie. I then got a waterbrush and coloured the flowers with more of the picked raspberry distress ink to deepen the colour. I then went over the flower with the Wink of Stella glitter brush - not that you can see it in the picture. I stamped and embossed the sentiment from the dragon fly of beauty Unity itty bitty set in ranger weathered white embossing powder on vellum. The vellum sentiment was folded over and attached to the card panel on the back and the whole panel was mounted on black card. I then attached some white iridescent sequins to complete the card. Thank you for checking out my card. Cheers Linda

Red, white, blue and little bits of ribbon

I made top 3 at Really Reasonable Ribbon for my father's day card and was a Poodle pick at the Poodles Parlour for the more masculinity card.  While neither were a top prize this didn't stop me from being so excited I nearly wet myself.  As I've only recently started to enter challenges it was a total thrill just to be recognised.

While checking out all the wonderful winners at both Really Reasonable Ribbon and The Poodles Parlour I spyed that they are both running red, white and blue challenges.  I thought that a new stamp I purchased at the Scrapbook and Papercraft Expo last weekend would be perfect for that colour scheme.  The cute beach huts is a Michael Powell design made by Urban Stamps.  I coloured it with copics, however, I think next time I might try watercolour pencils or crayons as the detail makes is hard to keep the copics in the lines and blend (well it is for me anyway, lol).  The die just peeking out behind the huts and the seagulls in the corner are also new purchases  - the brand is Mpress. The little 'hey you' sentiment is hero arts I think!!  The bunting at the top was cut from little bits of ribbon and stuck over some twine - definitely fiddley. Sorry but I have absolutely no idea what the papers are behind - they came out of my scrap drawers.

I would like enter this card in the following challenges

Really Reasonable Ribbon's  - Red, white and blue with Ribbon

The Poodles Parlour - Red White Blue

Cupcake Craft Challenges - Red, White and Blue

Sarah Hurley Challenge Blog - Red, White and Blue

Creative Inspirations - Trooping the Colour

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Red, White and Blue

Mishelflo's Monthly Challenge - Red, White and Blue

The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog - Red, White and Blue

Thankyou for looking, cheers Linda

I wish it were Summer!

There appears to be quite a few challenges out in blogland with a summery theme.  It's a bit depressing as we have started to get out first real wintery days here.  Not that it gets really cold here, but I'm a sook and don't want to get out of bed if the temperature falls below double figures.  In degrees celcius that is, if it was below 10 fahrenheit I'd be a solid block of ice. So to warm up I dreamed of summer and created this card.

The background is Tim Holtz distress inks sponged directly onto the card background.  The stamps are all from a Papermania acrylic set called Summerbloom.  The hammock was coloured by using my Marvy Markers directly on the stamp (very fiddely), then I gave it a very light spritz and stamped, with mixed success. I did try a little tidy up with a washbrush. Might just try the Tim Holtz "Huff on it" next time. Rubber might have worked better with this technique too.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp and Show  Summer Holiday.  (Wish I was lazing is a hammock in the sun not coughing and hugging the fire.)

Wags n Whiskers Rubber Stamps Summer Fun. (Summer is definitely more fun than winter.)

Crafter's Companion Monthly Challenge Here Comes Summer. (Not for a while for me though boohoo)

Paper Play Challenges Summer Lovin. (Not a lot of lovin' goin' on around here in the contagion castle were both down with the flu)

Through the Craftroom Door  Photo Inspiration. (The photo with the cushions on the window seat actually made me think of this stamp, with all the cushions on the hammock)

For Your Inspiration Photo Inspiration. (I tried to replicate a beautiful sunset in the background behind the hammock stamp.  I did say tried!)

Cupcake Craftroom Photo Inspiration. (The fruit, especially the watermelon made me think of summer, and I tried to replicate the colours in the card).

I think it is beddy-byes for me.  Hopefully I'll wake up tomorrow without a head full of snot. Cheers for now, Linda

Die(cutt)ing

It's been a week today since this virus started and I'm still feeling like death warmed up!  Now the other half has got it and boy is he cranky!  So I thought while I'm on one of the Codral highs that I would slip into the craft room, away from his accusing eyes and get creative.  On the Southern Girls Challenge Blog they have a diecut challenge. So I thought I would give it a go.  Phew!! I didn't realise how much energy it took to run a few dies through the cuttlebug.  I'm exhausted now. Below is my entry into their challenge.  The border around the edge is the Spellbinders Elegant Posts trimmed to make the frame.  The other dies are all Nellie's Mulitframe dies.  The little birdy image on the inchie is a Dover image I fussy cut. All the inking is Tim Holtz distressing with a bit of glimmermist on the border.

I'd also like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Hotshot Craft Blog  Diecut Challenge

I think it might be time for a nap or maybe some therapeutic colouring of a nice stamp image, cheers for now, Linda.

Pretty Shabby

I've been feeling pretty shabby over the last week. The flu has kept me confined pretty much to bed, so what else was I going to do but surf around the net looking at inspirational blogs.  I found this fantastic site The Shabby Tea Room full of absolute creative beauty. As my symptoms have slowly begun to subside and I'm able to actually sit up at my desk I thought I might take all that inspiration and see if I could meet some challenges from blog land. The following card I produced for The Shabby Tea Room "garden party" challenge.  My first ever entry into the Tea Rooms challenges and also my first outside of a forum or ning. I had no idea there were so many inspirational challenge blogs out there.

The inspiration for the challenge was the following photo and it also required a dimensional flower or flowers.

I would also like to enter my card  in the following challenges

The Ribbon Reel challenge Spring colours Challenge
oozak Spring colours Challenge
Cute Card Thursday Pink and Green Challenge
City Crafter  A Rose is a Rose Challenge
Party Time Tuesdays Vintage or Shabby Chic
Whimsy Stamps Challenge Blog Vintage/Shabby Chic

The following card is my entry for the A2Z Scraplets Colour Challenge. I embosed the Scraplets chippie by running it through the Cuttlebug with the script folder beofore inking and spraying with glimmermist. The majority of the background papers are Kaisercraft.

The pretty colour palette for this challenge is below.

Weekly 3 - ATC Diary and some lovely creations from the Allcraftz girls

The following is the ATC for the week 3 of the ATCs4U weekly diary challenge. The theme was birthday as it is both Liz's and De's Birthdays in January. It was fitting as it is Mark's as well this month. Though the card itself was a bit of a cheat as I just rehashed an old design from a previous swap, but I did testosterone it up a bit as the originals were very pink.

I also got some fantastic atcs from a couple of themed ATC swaps. The theme for the group below was metal. Thankyou to the fantastic artists - Leesa, Sharon, Nic and Robyn.

The next theme was trees. I think that this could be about my favourite theme for ATCs as it's impossible not to make something gorgeous with a tree - don't you agree. Thankyou Marnie, Joy, Nic and Marcy for your lovely creations.

Here are some more ATCs that I have made this year for challenges and swaps at Allcraftz

These ATCs were done for a spring cybercrop at Allcraftz

These were another challenge at Allcraftz for Word Card Making Day

This was for the Allcraftz Rainbow and flowers swap

These were for the Allcraftz christmas swap