All Aboard

My OH's niece is leaving work to travel the world for a year - how exciting for her. We're going to give her some money towards her journey as it is something that we would have liked to do at her age but were never brave enough. I never think if her as a girly girl so I've made her a quick card with the All Aboard papers. I've added a strip of washi tape towards the bottom and some bakers twine with a little airplane

Tilly Daydream

I bought the Tilly Daydream Ultimate pack last month and I think it s one of the best value packs. For this card I've used the layout at Friday Sketches and I may just get it posted on time

I've cut the image slightly smaller with Nesties. The semi circle on the left is cut with the X-Cut doily punch and the leaves are with 4 different X-cut botanical punches from snippets. I'm also entering this into the Docrafts Autumnal challenge and Pixie's Snippets Playground

Spots & Stripes

When I saw this sketch at Feeling Sketchy I thought it would be ideal for a new stamp I bought last week

It's Fiskars Circles of Fun which is meant to be used with their continuous Stamping system but I've used them before on an acrylic block. However, when I stamped this one the circles are more ovals. It could be that the stamping wheel it is supposed to be used with stretches the design so they would be circles but hey ho, I'm not going to buy it just to check.

Anyway, I've stamped it onto pink card with Versamark and used some turquoise embossing powder. The striped backing paper is from the Papermania pastel Capsule Collection pack so I'm entering this into the Docarfts Spots & Stripes challenge. The three buttons are from the brights Capsule Collection but they go well with the embossing powder and the backing card. These were part of a prize from a previous Docrafts challenge. The sentiment is from Stampin Up's Itty Bitty Banners set and cut with the matching die

Cosy Christmas

The challenge at Docrafts this week is Spots & Stripes. I made a bunch of very quick Christmas cards for the charity shop yesterday afternoon using the A Christmas Tale Ultimate pack from last year (or was it the year before?) Anyway, this one just happened to have spots and stripes so I thought I'd enter it into the Docrafts challenge

Clockworks

I think I'll get this just in time for the Docrafts challenge this week which is Anything Goes. For my card I've used the layout at Friday Sketch Challenge again

I've used the Papermania Urban stamp Looking Glasses which I think may have been free with a magazine. I've stamped it on cream card with Vintage Sepia ink  and clear embossed one of the clocks so it stays cream. I've then added some Tea Dye and Antique Linen distress inks and matted it onto a scrap of card. I've stamped it again and cut out the arms and binoculars, then added some colour and some clear powder to the lenses and added it with some silicone. The backing paper is from the Chronology pack and I've gone around the edges with Tea Dye ink. The panel is done on another scrap and embossed with the Cuttlebug Clockworks folder and the embossed parts are brushed with Tea Dye. Some bakers twine brushed with Tea Dye  to take the whiteness off and the card is finished

Another Faux Patina for Technique Twist

This is my second entry into the Faux Patina challenge at The Technique Twist but I'm not sure if the result is true Faux Patina but that's how it started until I played around. Instead of inking my Cuttlebug Snowflakes folder on the top side to start with, I've used Versamark on the "bottom" side so that the de-bossed snowflakes were coated and then used clear powder. This means that when I've added my layers of ink (Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, Ballet Blue and Not Quite Navy), the snowflakes have remained mostly white. I've then added some random Versamark and embossed with Stardust Embossing powder and my patina panel was created

To make the card I've used a snowflake backing paper from the new Kraft Notes Forever Friends Christmas stack on the base card. The image is a die cut by My Paper Stash. I just love that it's not the typical robin - as much as I love robin's. The strip is from the same die cut sheet and the snowflakes are from a Cuttlebug die. The layout is based on this one at Sketch N Stash but my panel is a lot bigger as I didn't want to cut into it. As I've used some Kraft Notes backing paper, I'm also entering it into the DoCrafts Christmas Card challenge

Little Red Robbin

The challenge this week at DoCrafts is to make a Christmas card. For my card I've used this layout from Freshly Made Sketches

I had promised myself I wouldn't buy any more Christmas craft stash but when I saw the Little Red Robin range by Lucy Cromwell for Papermania, I had to have some of it. The papers are so fresh yet still Christmassy and I've used two of them on this card. The topper is from the Postage Stamps set from the same range. A few gems and the card is finished. I'm sure I'm going to be using this sketch a lot

If It Could Go Wrong ...

... it did. Everything about this card went wrong. I found the Hot Diggity Dog topper in a box of bits that I'm trying to use up as it's all really old stuff. I got the matching paper pad out and chose papers with the same pattern in green and pink and decided to follow this layout at Tuesday Morning Sketches

Well, I cut the green paper too small for the background so had to use it for the panels but then cut the pink one too big but I didn't realise until I had glued it and suck down three sides and then tore it as I pulled it off. Luckily there was another sheet of this one left in the pad. I stuck down the strip of pink card and went to put the topper on and realised that I'd already put it on green card cut with a scalloped Nestie when pink would have showed up more but hey, I've kept this topper for a couple of years so didn't want to just dump it. Then, the green foliage that I had already cut was lost so I cut it again in pink - really? Pink foliage! Now the greeting That's from an old Stampin Up set called Circle Of Friendship which I stamped in green in and punched out and layered it on a scalloped punched piece of card but it didn't look right at the bottom left of the image so I had to put it at the top. Card finished, I picked it up to photograph it and the green ribbon was in my lap - I had forgotten to add it. I managed to tuck it under the image but it's had to go around the whole card. And of course I can now see that the left panel is too low!

Now when you look at it, think green where you see pink and pink when you see green and you'll see how it was meant to be. And remember - a blind man would be pleased to see it

And this is what's on the back - an old stamp by JudiKins that I'd totally forgotten about but is just perfect for this card

I'm also entering this into the following challenges

DoCrafts - Birthday

Oldie But A Goodie - Dies & Punches

New Baby

This weeks challenge at Docrafts is Congratulations so I've made a new baby card. I've used the Forever Friends New Baby Ultimate kit so the backing paper, image and sentiment all came from that. I've matted the image onto a doily and added some ribbon. I'm also entering this into the Cutie Pie Anything Goes challenge as I think these Forever Friends bears are so cute

I've just noticed the bow looks a little wonky so I'll try and get a better picture tomorrow

Capsule Collection Dragonfly

The challenge at Docrafts this week is to use their Capsule Collection to make a card. I was lucky enough to win some lovely Capsule Buttons in last weeks challenge but I've gone for a softer effect for this card so I'll use them another day. For this card I've used some backing paper from the Jesse Edwards Parkstone Pink collection and the Big Bloomers flower is from the same collection. The large brad in the centre of the flower is from an older Capsule Collection The image is a dragonfly from the Urban stamps collection. I've masked the smaller two dragonflies off so it would fit into the oval and embossed it with pink crystal powder. The sentiment is from a Woodware set cut with a Stampin Up punch and added a couple of gems

I'm also entering this into the C.R.A.F.T. challenge which is Monochromatic and the challenge at That Craft Place which is also Monochrome

Prague Montage

This is my Birthday card for OH and as it is to go with his Prague Clock, I had to use my Darkroom Door Prague Volume 1 stamp set. I wanted to add some of the Prague Montage pictures to make it a lottle different to the other cards I've made him using this set but spent most of the morning playing and not getting very far. Then I remembered this weeks sketch at Friday Sketches and decided to have another go. This is the sketch

I've turned it round so the small elements are on the bottom. The main image is stamped with Versafine and embossed with clear powder and matted onto a snippet of black card. I've used some of the other stamps from the set to make the background and layered that on black snippets. The three montage images are also layered on black and like the main image raised with foam pads. Lots of black snippets so another card for Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground

And because it's a photo stamp, I'm entering it into the Docrafts challenge this week which is to have the image as the main part of the card

On Your Wedding Day

It's new sketch time at Saturday Sketch and as it's Jen's Birthday this week we can choose any of her previous sketches. I've gone for this one

I've used a Forever Friends decoupaged topper and some Forever Friends backing papers. I've used hearts instead of the stars on the sketch. The large hearts are made of felt and held together with ribbon. They are from the Docrafts Forever Friends Kraft selection and there are five sets on the strip of ribbon. I've added some other punched hearts and some Stickles and a little heart charm to finish. I'm also entering this into the Crafty Friends challenge which is to add a charm and the Docrafts challenge which is to use a soft embellishment

Spots & Stripes

That's the challenge at Docrafts this week. For my card, I've used this layout at Sketch N Stash

I'm also entering this card into the Forever Friends Fortnigtly challenge which is Pastel Colours so I've used some papers from the 6x6 Forever Friends pads that I've had for years - they're from two different packs. The topper is a relatively new purchase from the Forever Friends Kraft ultimate kit. The butterflies are a Sizzix Embosslit die and the flower is from a Papermania pack. The sentiment is by Craftwork Cards

Black & White

The Docrafts challenge this week is to make a black & white card. I've followed this sketch at Sketch N Stash

For my card I've used papers from the black & white Creative Tones pack. I bought these years ago in all the colourways and they've lasted so well. The stamp is my new Papermania Urban Dragonflies stamp which I won in a previous Docrafts challenge. I've stamped it in Versafine Onyx black and embossed with clear powder. The side panel is embossed with a Crafts Concepts folder on black Core-dinations. I've gone over it with a sanding block and distressed the edges. A few black gems in the top corner to finish

Aperture Card For Docrafts

The challenge at Docrafts this week is to create a card with an aperture. For my card I've used Lucy Crowell items. The sentiment is from the Ultimate Die Cut pack and the glittered paper is from the 6x6 paper pad. I've cut the aperture in pink card with an Xcut postage stamp die in the middle of the pink card and a plain square die for the patterned paper. A simple bow in the corner to finish

Forever Friends Wedding

This is a cute Forever Friends wedding decoupage although I haven't used all the layers. I've put it onto card cut with dies from a Marianne set and added some bling for a quick card.

I'm entering my card into the following challenges:

Docrafts - Decoupage
Forever Friends - Die Cuts/Punches

Spring

I think there may be a little too much yellow on this but it's too late to change it and hey, it's supposed to be spring no matter what the weather is telling us. I've used a Me To You backing paper and yellow card embossed with a butterfly folder which was free with a magazine. the image is a Forever Friends sticker from the new Kraft Notes range. Three fabric flowers and a sparkly brad to finish.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Feeling Sketchy - Sketch (see below)
Docrafts - Spring
Forever Friends - Girls
My Mums Craft Shop - Easter Colours

Free Papers

There are a couple of free papers to download on the Docrafts blog to use in their challenge. I've imported them into Craft Artist to layer them and add a shaped border and ribbon. I made the greeting in CA too. For the bird I've used the X Cut Paisly dies, a flower punch and a googly eye. The blues of the bird and ribbon don't look as well matched in the photo than they do in real life but its another card for the charity box

Shaped Card

The Docrafts challenge this week is to make a shaped card. I've used a card blank and added another Docrafts Forever Friends Easter image. The backing paper at the bottom is from the Docrafts Spring Time paper pack and is an offcut from this card I made earlier in the week. I've finished it off with some gems and a couple of daffodil flowers. As I've used the offcut of backing paper, I'm also entering this into Pixie's Crafty Workshop Snippets challenge

Happiness

This weeks challenge at Docrafts is to Photo Fun - you have to use a 6"x4" photograph on you card. Well that rules out my normal 5x5 card then. I spent quite a while looking through my photographs and came across this one. He's not my cat but is pictured on the roof of our shed at Southampton enjoying the sunshine. It's an A5 card so once the photo was matted onto chocolate brown card, there wasn't much room for anything else so I decided to add some corners. These are made with the new doily die and stamp and I really love how these work together. I can see I'll get a lot of use out of them. The sentiment is from a Stampin Up set called Loving Thoughts and is punched with the label punch. I've added some buttons to the corner to finish