Creative Inspirations challenge 10

This fortnight's challenge on Creative Inspirations Challenge Blog set by Tracy is Blue and Brown. This is my Design Team entry, the image is Miss Anya 'Rain' which was very kindly given to me by one of Southfield's lovely customers - she lent her brand new stamps and let me make some images, thankyou so much Lorna - I love them!



I used background papers from Papermania, Basic Grey and Southfield, my new Martha Stewart border punch, Anita's ribbon and the sentiment is also by Papermania (from one of their new little £1.99 sets). Looking forward to seeing all your entries to this challenge.

Absolutely Fabulous weather

We don't often get weather like this here in this part of Scotland - when the rest of the country South of the Border swelters in the sun we usually have either mist or cold wind from the North Sea but this weekend it is just glorious and worth a mention!

Today is my only day off this week and I've been trying to make the most of it, which unfortunately means catching up with the washing, the shopping and attempting to put the house into some semblance of order!

On the plus side I managed to fit in a quick visit to see my ex-colleagues at the library and pick up a few new books and I also squeezed in a hasty card for the Charisma Cardz challenge which , this week, is Going Dotty. I coloured the Leanne Ellis image with my Prismacolour pencils for a change and used a freebie paper (the dotty one) and Blonde Moments paper (the orange one) in the background. The borders are cut with a 13" Sizzlits die and the stamped greeting was a giveaway on the last Creativity magazine.



Off now to sit in the sun with one of my library books and a cold glass of white wine - cheers everybody!

Flying out the door

Just have time to post my card for the Stamp Something challenge for this week, I liked the sketch for this one so managed to fit in a quick card - no time to give any details just now as I am literally flying out the door!





Hope you like it!

One for the boys - DU2D

I was very excited to have won the Post Pals (see earlier post) challenge at Dare U 2 Digi Stamp from 2 weeks ago and I'm dying to get my hands on the Martha Stewart border punch prize which also includes a couple of digi downloads - always looking for new images to work with!

This week's challenge is One for the Boys, a theme I always find difficult! I don't mind little boys's cards but struggle with cards for men, however I had the image of George fishing (from Charmed Cards & Crafts) on my desk waiting to be coloured up so I thought I'd give it a go since I can always do with topping up my supply of male cards. I used Promarkers to colour the image and added glossy accents to look like water droplets on the waders and the fish.

Sketch Saturday 26th May

It's been such a hectic week at work - I've spent loads of the company's money on new craft stock for the shop - such fun spending somebody else's money!! We're having a special event next week which I've been organising for the past 2 weeks since I started at Southfield - there will be demonstrations and Make & Takes going on over the 2 days, raffles, tombolas and lots of special offers and discounts, my head is spinning!

Anyway when I get home I need to go and spend a little while at my desk doing a bit of crafting to try to calm myself down a bit, so I've made a card this week for the Sketch Saturday challenge just because I liked this sketch so much,



this is the card -



The stamps are part of Clare Curd's Signature collection Doodle set from Papermania, the papers are also by Papermania.

A brand new challenge

A new challenge blog has just launched, The Next Level is the brainchild of Dawn and Ann and has been designed to be a fun and informative place to hang out - packed with new ideas and creative challenges. Click on the link below to read about what’s coming, how you can become involved, and the fantastic blog candy on offer.

THE NEXT LEVEL

Creative Inspirations challenge

I am excited to have been chosen as a permanent Design Team member for Creative Inspirations Challenge Blog and am looking forward to taking part in all the challenges and to visiting everyone's blogs to see their lovely creations.

This week the challenge is Favourites and I have chosen my favourite Leanne Ellis image to make this card. My husband reminded me on Friday that Tuesday is our wedding anniversary - I can't believe I forgot! We've been married for nineteen years and this is the first time I've forgotten. I used my new job as an excuse for forgetting and quickly rushed off upstairs to make a card, in fact I made 2 anniversary cards in case he clocks this one and I also made him a birthday card as today is his birthday (I hadn't forgotten that though lol)

Anyway enough of the waffling and on to the card -



I coloured the image with my Promarkers and used backing paper from Basic Grey as the base for the card, I mounted the image on some free paper from Scrapbooking Magazine which I stamped with a flourish. I then mounted it on Black Magic Core'dinations which I'd embossed with a Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder and distressed to show the core colour and finished off with a piece of ribbon from my stash and a sentiment from a Woodware set of stamps. I also cut a heart from a second stamped image and doodled the string to hang it from. Hope you all like it!

Sketch Saturday Challenge - only just!

Just made it in time! - actually finished the card yesterday but been so busy this is the first chance I've had to upload it. The sketch is this



and my card is this



The papers are K&Co, the flowers are Prima, the image is Pen Pal from Sugar Nellie. Hope you like it!

The week has flown by, if anything even faster than last week and although I've managed to get two or three cards done, I didn't have time to get them photographed till tonight. Work has been fun so far and tomorrow should be a good day - we're holding a card making competition in the shop with a Big Shot as the first prize, (pity I can't enter, I wouldn't mind a Big Shot!) We also have Heritage Stamps coming in to demo some of their new range and our own regular demos going on. So though I don't actually have to work, I'm going along just to join in the fun.

Dare U 2 Digi Stamp challenge 6

This week's challenge at DU2D challenge is a bit unusual, as well as using gingham and stitching in the design you have to send your card to a special child chosen by you from Post Pals, this is a lovely site where there are lots of kids with varying ilnesses or conditions who have to spend a lot of time in hospital. Definitely a worthwhile cause and I'm very happy to send my card to Luke H and I really hope it makes him smile!



The image I have used is a free download form Dustin Pike which I have coloured with my Promarkers, the backing papers and ribbon are from Southfield Stationers, the buttons from my stash and the sentiment was part of a free set of stamps with the current edition of Docrafts Creativity magazine.

Different styles

Almost at the end of my first week already - can hardly believe how quickly it's passed!
Unfortunately crafting time has been curtailed a wee bit but I did have the opportunity to play with some fab new Sizzix dies and made a few samples for the shop today.

Anyway what I wanted to show you are two cards I was asked for this week, coincidentally both were for 80th birthdays but the two recipients were very unalike so the cards are completely different styles - which one do you prefer?





The first one uses papers from Papermania and Southfield Stationers, the image is from Pink Petticoat. The backing paper on the second is K&co and the image is a digital download from Sketching Stamper which was coloured with Tim Holtz Distress inks and Promarkers.

Very quick post

This has to be really quick as I'm off to start my new job this morning - been looking forward to it and now it's here!
So I only have time to post my Guest Designer entry for Creative Inspirations Challenge before I grab a mouthful of brekkie and dash off.

This weeks challenge is a sketch, see below -



and this is my design -



Hope you like it, will be back tonight to let you know how my first day went!

Dare U 2 Digi Stamp challenge 5

Managed to fit this challenge card in as well this week. It was another sketch challenge - they do make things easier especially if you're a little lacking in inspiration! The sketch at Dare U 2 Digi Stamp challenge was this one -



and I'd already decided I wanted to do a man's card for a change so I found this digi stamp on the brand new DigiStamp Boutique and here is the card I made with it -

Hectic week

Have had a bit of a busy week, my last week at the library, my Mum's birthday, hair appointment, a sick son, a craft fair to prepare for... yada, yada, yada!
But somehow managed to fit in a couple of challenge cards. 1 was a Guest Design card for Creative Inspirations which I can't post yet and the other is this one for Just Magnolia challenge no 3. This week it's a sketch challenge -



and here is my take on the sketch -



I have to say that I feel it looks a little plain, I couldn't find a patterned paper that I felt toned in well with the Laura Ashley one I used along the middle but overall I'm reasonably pleased with the result.