Perfectly Imperfect

When we go to live in the Czech Republic, my craft stash will be severely reduced so I am planning to concentrate on a couple of crafts rather than dabbling in everything. One of the things I want to try is quilling and despite giving all my quilling things away last year I have managed to add a few things to my stash. One of the ladies asked if we could do quilling in a class so that is what we did this week. This is what I made - my first go at quilling

I did think of making a card with the little butterfly for Mrs A's Butterfly Challenge as the theme is Kaleidoscope but it didn't seem colourful enough or big enough so I set about looking for patterns but couldn't find one I liked with clear enough instructions so I winged it.

I used Stampin Up's Swallowtail stamp and set about using up the snippets from the days class to make various shapes then placed them over the stamped image.

How clever of Mrs A to choose Kraft as her colour for this challenge. I had planned on using a black background but it looks so much better on Kraft card. The result is not perfect by any means and is a bit bright but it is fun and it makes me smile when I look at it. It also gave me a chance to use some more of the white peel offs I used on my previous card and the sentiment is from a JOFY set embossed with white paper.

Because it's mostly made from snippets I'm taking ot over to Pixie's Snippets Playground

too

Rosette card

We had great fun making rosette flowers at my card group last week - it was great to get away from the building works - and this week we'll be making cards with them. This is one of my samples using some papers I found during my clearout. They were part of a Papermania pad called The Big One - Clare Curd's Signature range and had 200 sheets. There must be at least half of it left and I love how there are 10 different designs in each colourway. I've used the minty green to fit in with the theme at the Butterfly Challenge which is M is for Margins/Mint. I've followed this layout from Freshly Made Sketches

I'm also entering this into the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Snippets (green and white card)

Less Is More - Polka Dots

Get Creative Challenges - Use Green

CD Sunday - F is for ...

The challenge at CD Sunday this week is "F is For". I'm having trouble with my printer at the moment and my "administrator" is away until Sunday so I've had to rely on images that I've already printed. Luckily I found this little cutie from the Morehead CD and decided that F is for Friends. The backing paper is from the First Edition Spring Drop pad and is so pretty with a lovely glittery effect so I didn't want to add too much to the card. I've matted the image onto a snippet of blue card and the sentiment is from Stampin Up's Language of Friendship set and stamped onto a snippet from my of white card and cut with a Nestie and inked to make a frame

I'm also entering this into Pixie's Snippets Playground. It's Di's 100th week and her target of 60 entries has been well and truly smashed - well done Miss. And thanks for all the time you put into the playground and in keeping us under control - never an easy job x

Golf - It Takes Balls

I love these Huge Woodware stamps - this one is huge Golf which comes with five additional sentiments. I've stamped the GOLF onto white card and cut out with a Nestie. I've then used Bundled Sage and Faded Jeans distress inks to frame it. There's a great tutorial for this on the Technique Time Tuesday blog as it's there technique of the month. The letters have been stamped and embossed with clear powder onto various snippets of card and paper and cut out and stuck onto the main card. The O is embossed with the Swiss Dots folder before sticking on. The backing papers are from a Crafts too pack which is a great pack for masculine cards although it is a little dark. The sentiment is from the same stamp set  and cut with a Nestie and again framed with the distress ink

I'm entering this into the following challenges
Technique Time Tuesday - Faux Frame Technique
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Snippets
Here Come The Boys - Sentiments Only
Cards For Men - Anything Goes

House Mouse & Friends Favourite Things

It's time for another challenge at House Mouse & Friends and this is my second project as Guest Design Team member and the challenge this week is Favourite Things.

It was a tough choice as there are lots of  cute cat images on the CDs but I've chosen to use the owl decoupage from Joanna Sheen's Best Friends set. I've made an easel card so that the foliage extends above the card base. Various dies have been used to cut the pine cones and leaves all out of snippets of green and brown card so I'll be taking this over to Pixie's Snippets Playground. The sentiment is by Stampin Upand cut out with Stampin Up punches

House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge

I was chuffed to bits to be asked to be a guest designer for the House Mouse and Friends challenge. And then I saw the first of my challenges - Anything But A Card. Now I do like altered art but it tends to be a bit too grungy for the cute little meeses. Then I remembered this box that OH keeps his seeds in and decided it needed a makeover

I printed off some papers from the House Mouse CD from the In The Garden section and covered the box. There were lots of images to choose from but thinking about the original use of the box, I thought these catnip images were just perfect

I've made 4 tabs with card from cereal boxes covered with snippets of backing paper. The tops are cut with my envelope punch board. I've not put labels on the tabs yet as I don't know what OH wants

Some garden string tied around the top of the box and on the tag on the end

OH was very pleased with it but wants another one so he can keep the flower and vegetable seeds separate. And because I used snippets of backing paper for the tabs, I'm going to take this over to Pixie's Snippets Playground

Fox & Friends Take 2

When I did my card for the CD Sunday Fox & Friends I printed off two images from the Giordano's Christmas Creations CD so this little chap has been sat on my desk all week gradually getting buried by other things. He came to light this morning while I was clearing my desk so I decided to do a quick card with him following this layout at Seems A Little Sketchy

The backing paper is from the same set and I love the mix of soft blue and peachy brown on the design. It looks like a cold and frosty morning. The blue panel is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder from the Give A Hoot set and the peach one is embossed with Couture Creations Bon Jour folder. The three leaves are punched from snippets of card with n X-Cut punch which also embosses. The little acorn is from the Tim Holtz Autumn Gatherings decorative strip and I thought it made a good centrepiece for the leaves. A few gems to finish. I'm also going to put this over to the Snippets Playground as the gates are still open this week and entering it into The Male Room challenge which is Nature

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

Joanna Sheen Buttons

It's been a really wet day here in Sopley so I've spent the day in my craft room. The intention was to do inserts and bag up the box of cards sitting on the side so that they are ready for the charity shop but that's boring and it's so much more fun playing

This card is for my Aunt who has had a few health issues recently but she has just knitted me a couple of owl cushions so this is to say thank you. I've printed out some House Mouse images from the triple CD pack so I decided to have a play with these. This one is so cute but then aren't they all! The backing paper was from the CD too and the wool and needles are cut from snippets with a Marianne die. The buttons are from my newly sorted button stash and the wool was in a box from when I tried to teach myself to crochet - it didn't work but I may have another go when OH is away next week. The sentiment is by Craftwork Cards and matted onto a Nestie die-cut

I'm entering this into the following challenges

Joanna Sheen - Buttons
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Snippets

House Mouse Snowman

I've been having problems with Blogger as I wanted to change my email address and all I managed to do was create a new account and delete my old one - eek! Somehow I managed to get it back but I also lost my list of blogs on Bloglovin so I've not been visiting anyone but fingers crossed it's all sorted now.

I was looking through my House Mouse CD and came across this little snow mouse and thought he'd be perfect for the CD Sunday challenge which although it is Snow People I'm sure they'd allow a cute little mouse in. I've followed this sketch from Friday Sketches

The backing paper is another from the Kraft Notes Forever Friends Christmas stack matted onto red  card. The green strip from my snippets file is embossed with the Cuttlebug Holly & Berries folder and I've added some Xmas Red Stickles to the berries. The greenery is cut from snippets with a Marianne die and the little berry things are from a pack of Beaded Buds by Lakeland that I found while sorting things out in my craft room. Some ribbon scraps and it's all finished and I think I'm going to be able to sneak into Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground with this one which I pleased about as I didn't get to play along last week and I've been missing all the fun

You Paint My Heart Happy

The challenge this week at Colours & Sketches is to use Rainbow Colours. I started my card with the sentiment which is from the My Favourite Things set called Clearly Sentimental About Art. I just love this set and I think you'll be seeing a lot more of it here for quite a while. The base card has a couple of embossed lines across it and I've punched various hearts from scraps of textured card and stuck on with foam pads (I did vary the height but they didn't look right so I've taken them off and made them all the same). The sentiment is then inked with Stampin Up markers to match the colours of the hearts. A quick and simple card once I'd decided what to do. I'm also entering this into Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground

Technique Time Tuesday

The August challenge at Technique Time Tuesday is to use the Faux Silk technique. As usual, Mynnette has made a great video of the technique if like me you have never tried it so pop over and have a look.

When I saw this effect, I thought of the sea so for my card I've used some light blue tissue paper. I bought a pack of 20 different colours last year for £1.20 and I was so pleased when I found it almost straight away. I've stamped the Sail Away ship by Stampin Up with Ultramarine Stazon before screwing up the tissue paper and sticking it onto a piece of scrap card. an then matted it onto another piece of white scrap. I didn't want the background to be too busy so I've used Stampin Up's The Open Sea set and Versamark to decorate the Brilliant Blue card. The off cut of this is matted onto some white card and I've added a button with some Papermania bakers twine. The sentiment is from another Stampin Up set called Itty Bitty Banners and is stamped on another snippet so I'll be hopping over to add this to the Playground too

Second Try at Emerging Colour Challenge

Or maybe it should be first as this is the first piece that I made for the challenge at The Technique Twist. I didn't like it because the original piece was the size of the main card. I decided to cut it down and it looks much better as a topper. I've followed this layout from Tuesday Morning Sketches

I stamped the background stamp (Friendly by Stampin Up) with Seedless Preserves Distress Ink and then stamped the butterfly with Versamark and embossed it with clear powder. The stamp is from the Chocolate Baroque Tangles Garden set and is the smallest of the three butterflies in the set. I've then gone over it with Dusty Concord and Victorian Velvet Distress inks and added some ,ore Seedless Preserves around the edges. I wanted something lighter for the background and found this piece but I'm not sure what make it is. I didn't want to add another layer of card so I've used the DI around the edges to frame it. I've used a piece of dusky pink card from my scraps folder and cut it into the flag shape and embossed it with a butterfly embossing folder (not sure of the make as it was a freebie with a magazine). I've gone around the edges and over the embossing with Seedless Preserves. The sentiment is by Lily of The Valley, stamped onto scrap card, cut out with a Marianne tag die and coloured with DI. Some ribbon (from a jumper) and Card Candi to finish. I also popping this over to Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground - why not pop over and see what the other inmates playmates are up to

CD Sunday - Add A Number

The challenge this week at CD Sunday is to add a number to your card. I was looking at my House Mouse CDs and came across this cute image of the little micies playing with a jigsaw and as the box had 100 on it, I thought it would be perfect.

I wanted a backing paper with jigsaws on but couldn't find one so I've made and embossing "folder" using a little Woodware punch. It was a lot easier than the paw print folder I made previously.

This is the" folder"

And this is the embossed and de-bossed effect

 

I've recently cut down some A4 card sheets to make square card blanks so I've lots of white snippets to use up and this is perfect for that.

I've embossed some Coredinations and sanded it down a little to show the design better. The sentiment from Stampin Up's Petite Pairs set and is stamped on an Ellison Thick cuts puzzle die cut from another snippet so I'm popping this over to Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground 

I was sure I had entered this at CD Sunday but when I went to look it wasn't there even though I had refreshed the page so I can only assume I've entered it somewhere totally inappropriate!

Round & Round

There's a new challenge at Less Is More this week called Round and Round. For my card I've used a computer generated text and a record stamp from the Darkroom Door Music set. I did stamp the record straight onto the card with Versafine but felt it needed a little lift so I've stamped it again on a piece of scrap card and stuck it on with silicone. I've layered it onto a square of black card then onto the card base so a very quick and easy card.

I'm also entering this into Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground where Miss was given a lovely present last week of a candle jar lid to stand her card on. I too have been looking for one since I saw the very talented Bev Rochester use one to show her cards on her blog but I've never been lucky enough to find one. However, while in Pounland on Friday I got this little set of two Lily Lights which just about work.

Although nowhere near as pretty, they do light up and change through a range of colours. I'm going to have a play and try some alcohol inks on one of them

Technique Time Tuesday Take Two

This is my second entry into the Technique Time Tuesday challenge this month and the technique is Smackin Acetate. For this card I've used Perfect Plum,Regal Rose and Pretty In Pink Stampin Up markers. I used cheap photo paper from Poundland and let it dry completely before cutting into panels and stamping the Pocket Silhouette stamps with Stazon. I've matted them onto scraps of black card and used a black card base with some patterned paper behind. I've added a black border cut with a Dienamics die. The sentiment is by Stampin Up, stamped onto a scrap of the ink coloured card and cut with punches. I'm also entering this into Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground (sorry I'm late Miss)

Technique Time Tuesday Meets Less Is More

There's a great new technique at Technique Time Tuesday called Smackin' Acetate. I wanted to do something other than flowers so I've combined it with this weeks challenge at Less Is More which is to use this picture for inspiration

For my card I've followed the video tutorial at TTT and used some Stampin Up markers (So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake & Soft Suede) on acetate, spritzed it with water and laid onto my card. I've then stamped the trees from Lovely As A Tree by Stampin Up with Timber Brown Stazon and matted it onto a scrap of brown card. The sentiment is by Personal Impressions stamped in Vintage Sepia Versafine.
I'm also entering this into Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground

A very simple card and I know I'll be using this technique a lot.

Colours And Sketches

I came across a new (to me) challenge site called Colours And Sketches where the challenge alternates weekly between, well colours and sketches. This is their sketch this week

And I've combined it with the Less Is More challenge which is based on this picture

For my card I've used the shoe from Stampin' Up's Fabulous You set. I've stamped it with Versamark and embossed with black embossing powder onto cream card. I've coloured it with a gold Sakura Stardust pen which gives a lovely sheen and mounted it onto a scrap of black card. The strips of gold  stripy pearlescent paper are from my snippets folder and the greeting is from Stampin' Up's Itty Bitty Banners and embossed with the gold powder. I'm also entering this into Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground

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

Sorry You're Leaving

It's always sad when you have to say goodbye to someone but a little card can ease the pain. This cute digi is a freebie from Doodle Pantry and I spotted him when I was buying another set. I suppose he could be saying hi but he looks to me like he's waving goodbye. I've cut him out with Nesties and coloured with Promarkers. The grass strips are cut from some snippets with a Martha Stewart punch and the sentiment is computer generated. Some green gems to finish

Because of the snippets I'm entering this into Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground (I personally think it was very cruel of Miss to fill in the duckpond so that our little friend had to leave!)