No embellishments

At Charisma Cardz challenges this week the theme is No embellishments - I didn't think it would be that hard but it really was tough staying away from the flowers, buttons, ribbons and all the other bits and pieces that usually go into the card design these days. When I started making cards - quite a few years ago now - I didn’t use much in the way of embellishments but trends have changed and these days it seems that more is well and truly more! We all have pots full of buttons, reels & reels of ribbon, boxes of brads, bunches of flowers, chipboard this and that - the list is endless really, but sometimes it's good to let the image take the spotlight and this is what I've tried to achieve today. 

I wanted a nice bright and cheerful card so chose some Basic Grey papers from the Life of the Party set, the image, which I coloured with my Promarkers, is from Can you Digi it and 10% of its sales are donated to charity and the sentiment is a freebie from Simply Homemade magazine.

 

The challenges I'm entering:
I Love Promarkers - Anything goes
Paper Shelter Challenge - Layers on layers
The Perfect Sentiment - Anything goes  
Going Grey With Scrap-Creations - Off the edge 
LEJ Designs - Anything goes 
Paper and Such Design - Wings’n’things 
365 Cards - Stripes 
Make it Monday - Always anything goes  
Whoopsi Daisy  - Two patterned papers

Something a bit different

For this week’s challenge at Squigglefly try out a new TECHNIQUE or use a favorite old one! Just make sure if you want to be in the running to win a free digi image - you will need to use a squigglefly image, and there are several freebies on the Squigglefly site to pick from!

I decided to do a bit of Art Journalling which is pretty new to me and chose to use the Squigglefly image Twin Dollies by Lulu Lancaster which I coloured with my Promarkers then cut out and stuck into the journal which I had already coloured and added texture to with acrylic paints, I stamped the flowers and then added the journalling with alphabet stamps, then finished it all off with a variety of doodling.

 

Challenges entered:
Creative Inspirations Paint - Anything but a card 
Robyn’s Fetish - Use a digi
Pattie’s Creations - Anything but a card
Stampotique Designers’ Challenge - altering
Make it Monday - Always anything goes 
The Cutie Pie Challenge - Borders and frames 
Annabelle Stamps Challenge - Colour inspiration 
Deep Ocean Challenge - Deep blue

Monochrome Madness

Good morning, it feels like ages since I've been here although it's not actually been that long but I have been so busy it seems longer! Last night my husband, Neil, and I went to see our lovely daughter Lynsey May reading a new short story as part of an evening of magic and illusion at the Edinburgh Book Festival and totally enjoyed it, I love Edinburgh during festival time - there is such a great buzz about it and hearing the fantastic reaction to Lynsey and her work made us really proud parents :o) If you would like to see more about Lynsey and her stories visit her blog.

So, onto today's new challenge at Charisma Cardz where the theme this week is Monochrome Madness for my dt card I used a stencil and distess inks to create the background along with a stamped and die cut bird from Paper Artsy which I also distressed around the edges to add a bit of dimension. The paper came via one of our design team paper swaps, the bow is from Papermania and the sentiment is also from PaperArtsy.

I'm entering the following chalenges:
Creative Belli - Wings
Inky Impressions - Pearls/bling  
Bearly Mine - Anything with wings
Cards und More - Anything goes 

Lexi's Creations - Sparkle and shine

Love to Create - Sparkle 

Make it Monday - Always anything goes 

Penny Black and More - Whiskers and/or Wings

That Craft Place - Things with Wings 

Sweet Stampin - Things with Wings

Sorry this is such a short post this morning but have left this to the last minute and I've got to post and run off to work very soon!

The theme is Black, white and grey at Squigglefly this week and I've used the fabulous Dragon Fly Garden by Diana Garrison because the image is so beautifully detailed that it doesn't need any

colour to make a stunning card, the backing paper is 100% cotton by Papermania and has a soft brushed feel to it. The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

Clearly Inspired - Things with Wings 

Pattie's Creations - Animals / Insects 

Totally Papercrafts – Monochrome

4 Crafty Chicks - Distressing

Forever Friends - Black and White

Twisted Thursday - Anything Goes with twist Things that Fly 

Scrapbook Sisters - Things with wings

Catered Crop - White (somewhere on your project) 

Great Impressions - Anything with Animals 

That Craft Place - Things with Wings  
 

Go floral

Today I'm sharing my last dt project for the Cardmadfairy's Digi Days challenge, the rest of the design team and I are taking an extended break to give us all time to try new things, catch up with old things or just relax and not do any things!! The theme of our final (for now) challenge is Go floral - use digi images of flowers to create a card, scrapbook page or any other project. Flowers can either be your focus or embellishments as long as you use digi images.

I have used the Lily image and printed it directly onto the white card then printed it again on two different patterned papers and used them to paper piece, only adding glue in the centre to give the flower some dimension. I added a metal flower with a brad through the centre and some flatbacked pearls to finish it off. The sentiment is by Heidi Swapp and the papers came with a recent copy of Craftseller magazine.

I'm entering the following:
Divas by Design - Flowers
Paper Pretties - Thank you cards
Tuesday Throwdown - Doodling
Make it Monday - Always anything goes
Crafty Ribbons - Spots & dots
Do You Stack Up? - Polka dots
One Stitch At A Time - Use a digi

Pink and one other

This week at Charisma Cardz the challenge is to use only the colour pink and one other. In my case I chose brown and for a change decided not to use a stamped or a digi image and instead just used die cuts to create my card, stamping only the sentiment which is from Stampin Up. I like the simplicity of the design and using only the two strong colours has made what I hope is quite a striking card!

Our sponsors for this challenge are Simon Says Stamp who are offering one lucky winner a $20 voucher for their store,  Pink Cat Studio who will supply another winner with 5 digis of their choice and finally we also have a prize from the fab Crafty Ribbons store - 3 great reasons for joining in this week!
 

I am entering my card for these challenges:

A & T Emerald Faeries Challenge - Flourishes & swirls

Crazy Amigo Challenge - Dies & punches

Creative Craft Challenges - Summertime  

Kaboodle Doodles - Birthday or any special day  

Make it Monday - Always anything goes 

Victorine Originals - Summertime 

Dream Valley Challenges - Summer  

The Crafty Pad - Things with wings

Divas by Design - Flowers 

Scrapbook Sisters - Things with wings 

Paper piercing

I'm enjoying a week away on holiday this week but just wanted to share my Squigglefly dt card with you all today, the theme this week is Paper Piercing - unlike paper piecing this is way out of my comfort zone but then that's what a challenge is all about really! 

This image by Cheryl Algar is one of several new images released July 21st, also Squigglefly are welcoming a new artist this week - Christine Grove! I used die cuts for the hearts border and the flowers and coloured the image with Promarkers.

Sassy & Bella Get Clean - artist Cheryl Alger

Challenges entered:

My Mum's Craft shop - Cats and dogs

Everybody-Art-Challenge - Summer 

Sassy Cheryl's - Let's See Those Fancy Borders

Always Something Creative - Butterflies

Dream Valley Challenges - Summer

Freshly Brewed Monthly Challenge - Summertime

Our Craft Lounge - Sunny Days
Pattie's Creations - Summertime

Thinking ahead to winter

Strange as it sometimes seems, this is the time of year when we crafters have to start thinking of winter and all that comes with it - Christmas cards, craft fairs, teacher gifts etc, etc. Personaly I always plan to be making Christmas cards throughout the year but inevitably it gets to halfway through the summer and I realise that I've done nothing and I wish that I'd had a little more disipline back in January, February, March etc!! This year is no different and because I've been concentrating so much on making my sock monkeys this card is the first Christmas related thing I've produced - and yes I know it's only July but this is where it all starts - in fact as soon as school goes back in the middle of August (at least in Scotland) that's when I have to go into full-time Christmads mode :o)

Today's card is for the new Cardmadfairy's Digi Days challenge which, of course, is themed Christmas in July. I have used my digi Imogen in the wings which can be found over here, The image was coloured with Promarkers, papers, Robin & tag are from My Mind's Eye and die cuts are Memory Box

Entering the following:
I Love Promarkers - Sparkle
Stampavie and More - Christmas In Summer
Die Cuttin' Divas - Christmas In July
Card and Scrap - Wings
Card Cupids - Wings 
Crafters Companion - Ho ho ho Christmas
Creatalicious Challenges - Christmas in July
Get Hippity with Ippity - Christmas in July

Hooked on Crafts - Christmas in July

Lollipop Crafts - Christmas in July

The Crazy Challenge - Christmas in July

There She Goes - Christmas in July

Favourite Animal

I heard this fact the other day: there were only 1.6 hours of sunshine in the Edinburgh area during the first 10 days of July, incredible! We joke about the Scottish weather but I, who has lived here for most of my life, find it almost unbelievable that the sun has been neglecting us so much recently - however it's here today and the sky is blue - reason to celebrate I think!

I am here to share my dt card for the Charisma Cardz challenge today where the new theme is Your Favourite Animal, well my favourite is cats and this is my favourite cat digi from the awsome Mo Manning. The sentiment and the striped backing paper are from Stampin Up, the flowers are from Wild Orchid, the doily die cut is a Tim Holtz - On the Edge die - all the details I can remember without waking up Evan, who's room is where I do my cardmaking, and he's sleeping late as any self respecting teenager does during the summer holidays lol

 

Entering these challenges:

Great Impressions - Show us your best stay in the lines coloring

Joanna Sheen Challenge - Going round in circles

One Stitch At A Time - Anything goes  

Poodles Parlour - Use a digi stamp 
Crazy Amigo Challenge - Free theme
Make it Monday - Always anything goes  
Ooh La La Creations - Whiskers
My Mum's Craft shop - Cats and dogs 
Ruby's Rainbow - Cute Animals 

You brighten my day!

For the first time in a while I sat down at my desk yesterday to make a card just because I felt like it - taking a short break from making monkeys I just fancied doing a bit of colouring with my Promarkers so I printed out this digi from Saturated Canary for the first time and coloured her up to work alongside the lovely Crate Papers. I really enjoyed myself for the couple of hours it took - must do it more often!

Entering these challenges:

Bearly Mine - Pearls & Lace

Creative Card Crew - Swirls & Pearls

Tuesday Throwdown - Hot Colours

Bunny Zoe's Crafts -  Swirls and Lace

Lexi's Creations - For a Friend 

Make it Monday - always Anything Goes 

The Ribbon Girls - Girlie Card

Craftymess Challenge - Ribbons and Lace

Clearly Inspired - Some Like It Hot

Paper piecing for Squigglefly

I hope you all have had a great weekend despite the extreme weather which seems to be happening in many different parts of the world at the moment, here in the UK we have been deluged with rain for what seems like weeks now but I didn't let the wet weather stop me enjoying this weekend. We celebrated our daughter's birthday at a Mexican restuarant on Friday night and I spent yesterday at a craft fair where several of my monkeys went to new homes and I met some lovely stallholders & crafters - great fun!

I was delighted recently to have been invited to join the design team at Squigglefly and today I have my first dt project to share! The challenge this week is paper piecing and I was given this fabulous image Pretty Bird to work with, it it part of Saturday's new release and is by Diana Garrison. 

I have used backing papers by K&Co and I coloured the rest of the image with Promarkers, added a little lace and a sentiment which was die cut with a label die from Whimsy Stamps.

I'm entering this for the following challenges:
Sweet Stampin - Paper piecing
Crafty Ann's - Paper piecing
Inspire Me Fridays - Always anything goes
Our Craft Lounge - Die cuts
Card and Scrap - Wings
Creative Stamp Friends - Paper piecing or colouring with paper
Fashionista Challenge  - Winged things
Make it Monday - Always anything goes

Summertime

So glad it's Friday, I need to get out of the library and get ready for Sunday's Me to You Market at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange - if you're in the area pop along and meet me and the monkeys :o)

It couldn't be much less like summertime here at the moment but our theme at Cardmadfairy's Digi Days should at least brighten the day a little! I used my digi stamp Debbie - find her here and coloured her to match the lovely bright Basic Grey backing paper, the flower was a die cut - Frangipani from Dies to Die for and the ribbon was the last of a length I've had for ages.

Challenges I'm entering:
Freshly Brewed - summertime
Oozak - Bright colours
Sparkles Forum Challenges - Summer fun
Crafty Sentiments - Summertime
Flourishes - Summer
Tuesday Throwdown - Summertime 

Paper Pretties - Summer Fun 

Corrosive Challenges - Summertime Girls