Sketch Saturday

I've actually managed a card, not only that I've been so good today and almost caught up with my emails - only about 6 to go. This is for Sketch Saturday, I've flipped the sketch to accomodate the image, one of the Pixies from Charmed Cards & Crafts which I coloured with Copics. The papers are Basic Grey's Figgy Pudding and Dasher,  the corners and border are cut with EK Success punches, the sentiment is also from the Pixie set and the spacers and gems from my stash.

Publish Post

Right off now to finish catching up with my emails.  I'm hopefully moving into my flat next week and thing should calm down enough for me to get back to normal - gosh I can hardly remember what normal is any more. I just know how much I'm missing crafting and blogging and can't wait to get back on track even if it means another lot of catching up.

Basic Grey DT

We have a sketch by the talented TaraG over at Basic Grey this week. The prize is sponsored by the fabulous Heidi at Simon Says Stamp and is Wisteria themed. Quite by coincidence I used Wisteria papers this week.

Tilda is coloured once again in Copics, I couldn't make my mind up on which colour to used for the present and eventually opted out to use gold twinkling H2O's which don't really show.  I got all my papers etc. cut and ready to assemble, decided to cut Tilda out using the curved rectangle nesties then OOOOPS - partially decapitated her, poor Tilda. Had to do her again, by which time I was rapidly running out of time so fortunately there was no need for many embellishments as they can take me ages to sort out which, the colour, where  and how etc. I rather like the clean uncluttered look of this one. The sentiment is Lily of the Valley and I used an EK Success punch for the borders.

Check out the other DT's cards there are some fabulous creations.

Now my today's challenge for myself is to catch up on some emails, both writing and replying - I'm so far behind people are going to think I've fallen of the planet.

Ooops another deadline missed!!

I started this card for Friday Sketchers - LAST WEEK - a trifle late me thinks. Fortuneately I also incorporated Copic Creations challenge of 'Gold' which I might just manage in time. The image is Lily of the Valley which I picked up at the NEC. I'm not sure the trumpet looks like gold - more like brass to me. The gorgous little angel is coloured with Copics and the papers are a mixture of  Magnolia and Kars. The piece set at an agle is stamped with a Tim Holtz script stam (very cleverly colver up by Moi), there is a snowflake beneath the flower (from Papirloftet) and the leaves cut with the Sizzix branch and leaf set. I finished it with three pearls and a label that's been in my Christmas stash for years and years.

Right I'm off now to see if I can't both start and finish this week's Friday Sketchers challenge.

Truly Scrumptious DT - no Ooopsies!!

Here's my this week's effort for our challenge at Truly Scrumptious.  I used Siku & Shuya, one of Mo's fabulous images, coloured them with Copics and cut them out with the Spellbinders round nesties. The papers are Kar's X-mas Collection (the red and green spot) and the Mistletoe (which I thought was so right for the image) is by Magnolia. The band is cut with the MS lattice punch, the swirl with a Sizzix die and the sentiment is computer generated. The fabulous sketch this week is by Debbie, and the optional extra is a sparkly flourish. Rather than go for the flourish gems I thought I would sparkly up a flourish with some Jones Tones crystals, it looks quite good IRL but hasn't photographed well at all - might change this, and the snowflake which on screen looks rather pathetic.

EDITED
I've altered this card now - re-done the swirls with good old Stickles and put a different snowflake on it - much better me thinks. It has also photographed much better in daylight (the bulbs for my light tent have both gone and I'm struggling to get more).
I'm also entering this card into the Simon Says challenge which is 'Winter Love' - could you find a better example of this than Mo's adorable image.

Our sponsor this week is the lovely Wendy from  Digital Delights  Illustrations are by Wendy Hall (or Louby Loo as she has become known in the crafting world!!). Wendy is a trained graphic designer and is delighted to share her creations with you!! You can also buy her stamps in rubber form at Clear Dollar Stamps.

The winner of this challenge will receive a $10 gift certificate to spend in Wendy's store.

House Mouse DT - Double Pocket Bag

This will sadly be the lovely Janneke's last challenge at House Mouse .  Janneke has been with us from the start of this blog and has always produced stunning work for us to admire for over a year. We wish her all the best in any new ventures and current ones and hope you will visit us and play along when you get the chance xx.

This week was also Jannele's turn to host the challenge and she chose a Double Pocket Bag, the tutorial for which you will find HERE. Very simple I can assure you - I manage it without one of my usual oopsies. The only oopsies with this posting was the fact that the photographs of the bag disappeared between old computer and new!! Just had to re-photograph it, hence the lateness in publihing it.

I chose Cosy Shoe' as my image, coloured it with Copics, cut it with the square Nesties and mounted it on the Sellbinders Fleur De Lys pendant. The borders are cut with the MS Arch lattice punch to which I added some 'hairy' thread. The flowers are made with the EK Success retro punches and stamped with the Stempelglede  flower stamp from the grunge set. I made slots in the back and front pieces and threaded them with ribbon . The tag sentiment is from Stamps Away and pearls from Basic Grey.

Side view

Top view

Ooops - I've done it again!!

How can one person have so many ooopses - and how many people end up having to make a card to fit the image - a bit the wrong way round lol.

Just Magnolia  have masking as their theme this week and I haven't used this Tilda as yet, I thought as she looks like she's ready for a party with all here filly petticoats I sit her on the wine/champagne glass from last year's winter colletction - great until I finished and realised it was far too big for the regular sized square card.

Tilda is coloured with Copics and I stamped around the edge of the image with a glue stamp pad. Magnolia's New Year Flourish and then glittered it (it hardly shows). The papers are a combination of Magnolia and Kars, the sort of snowflakes is made using the Spellbinders Fleur De Lys pendant and the flower in the center is from Papirloftet and has sadly photographed much darker than it is. The leaves are cut with the Sizzix branch and leaf set, and the sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms, I had intended to use a New Year stamp but it was hiding (probably packed ready for my move within the next ten days) but I will change is as soon as it comes out of hiding. The border is cut with the MS punch and ribbon and charmare from stash.

I'm probably the only person in blogland who's glad it's Monday, I've had a strange last week and weekend - half of it spent building furniture, the other half in bed - every square inch of me ached, going hot & cold, sneezing non-stop, banging sinuses.  I slept like a log last night (about 13 hours) and woke up this morning feeling great amd I've managed to fight off whatever germs were trying to take hold.

Colour Create DT

What a fantastic number of entries at Colour Create last week so you obviously loved Karen.s choice of colours, I'm looking forward to seeing what you all come up with this week with the colours the fabulous Mina has chosen.

Red, white and green with the extra option of 'Christmas' as a theme.

Our sponsor this week is again the fabulous Heidi at Simon Says Stamps and co-incidently my card fits the challenge at Simon Says this week so I shall enter it for that also.

I've used 'Winter Delivery' by  Mo's Digital pencil  - he really has to be my favourite and such a pleasure to colour in. I'm working on a tutorial I promised someone (colouring animals with pencils) and using this image, hopefully I should have it finished before too long. I've coloured hime this time in Copics and cut him out using the Octangonal nesties.  The papers are from Basic Grey's Eskimo kisses as are the buttons. The sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms and I used a Woodware punch for the stamens underneath the button. The ribbon and thread are both from stash.

I've finally moved over to my new computer full time - whoopee - although my new keyboard is German so I'm now having problems finding the right keys (lol) and it's taken me about an hour to write this up. Any spelling mistakes are entirely due to new keyboard - honest!!

Simon Says goes Double Dutch

I've actually managed another card, although I have a sneaky feeling I'm too late for the Simon Says challenge, still I'm in reasonable time for the sketch at  Double Dutch  - although Erica will probably shout at me again because I went missing without asking permission - lol.

Simon Say's challenge is 'Thinking of you' and I thought this was a brilliant opportunity to make a Christmas card for someone who has lost her husband during the year  - I did want to wish a Happy or Merry Christmas, Season's greetings didn't feel right - so just a Christmas card with Thinking of you felt like the perfect answer.

I used this cute image I got from Alota stamps last year and haven't used as yet, it is coloured with Copics and their wings and the ground is 'Stickled' - (is anyone else like me - I use tons of stickles around Christmas time, then none at all during the rest of the year). The papers are from Magnolias White Christmas collection and called Snow Heaven and Snowy Lace and are so beautiful, a super bluey grey. The black circle is embossed with the Spellbinders snowflakes folder on core-dinations cardstock and distressed using the Basic Grey distressing kit. The black lace, the ribbon and pearls are from stash.

Just Magnolia - Mina's Sketch

I've actually managed a card other than my DT cards - the first in almost two weeks, and this one is for Just Magnolia one of Mina's fabulous sketches, I just love Mina's sketches - they're right up my street and a real dream to use.

I used one of my new Magnolias I bought at the NEC together with Magnolia papers, the flower one is "Under the Mistletoe" Christmas Angel and the cross strip is "White Christmas" Snow Script. If you haven't tried Magnolia papers I urge you to do so - they are so beautiful and such fabulous quality. The image is Christmas eve Tilda and is coloured with Copics and I gently coloured the edges with shimmery pastel chalks. The borders are cut with the MS lattice and the sentiment is Cornish Heritage Farms. The snowflakes are a right mixture - Spellbinders build a flake mainly, using, paper, acetate (covered with Stickles), glittered vellum and the white ones in the middle are laser cuts by Rayher. I finished them with Papermania pearl brads and  added leaves cut with Leone Em ash branch punch.

Basic Grey DT - Glitz and Bling

Good morning folks - Saturday again - it doesn't seem like a week since I was at the NEC. I hope you've all had a better week than me - I've spent most of it trying to install  programmes on my new PC. It was OK until I tried to install my camera's programmes - almost two full days of  tearing my hair out. (It went on my old PC a dream - so what was that all about?)

The consequence of this is I have done virtually no crafting or blogging all week and I would like to apologise for my absence. I still have quite a bit of work to transfer but will do this little by little so hopefully I'm back with you now.

This week at Basic Grey we want to see Glitz and Bling and the prize this week is from the fabulous Simon Says. Check out the other DT's amazing creations.

I stuck with glitz as I'm not brilliant at bling and I used the new Tilda I bought at the NEC last week, (she's the  only one of my new goodies I've had time to play with so far). Just look at that hair - it is so gorgeous and I love colouring hair (I'm itching to colour her again and try a different technique on it). She's coloured with Copics and well and truly glttered (see the close up). I distressed around the edges of the image with distress inks and  used papers from the Periphery range. I used lace thinking it would replicate the lace on her petticoat but looking at it on screen I'm not sure - criticism and opinions PLEASE!! I cut the leaves with the Sizzix leaf and branch punch and used flower from stash which are both coloured and glittered and the pearls swirls are by Prima.

 

Truly Scrumptious DT - Dawn's sketch

Here is my effort for this week's Truly Scrumptious challenge which is a fab sketch by the lovely Dawn with the theme of texture.

This week we are pleased to welcome back Pink Gem Designs as our sponsor. Pink Gem Designs was launched excactly one year ago today. They design and stock some of the cutest and whimsical clear polymer stamps around. The stamps are designed by Janet and manufactured in the UK by a specialist polymer company. The winner of this challenge will receive this adorable stamp as their prize.

Remember, you need to use the sketch and include the theme to be in with a chance to win this cutie. Check out the fab creations by the other DT:'s.

I used Basic Grey's Fruitcake papers and the Santa with Tree from Sugar Nellies Home Grown collection. Santa is coloured with Copics and I've added funflock to his furry bits and liquid pearls to his beard as my texture. The bands across the card are wired leafs I've had forever and the snowflakes are punched with a Woodware punch. I stamped snowflakes (origin unkown) around the edge of the image, used a sentiment from Inkadinkado and brads from stash.

Excuse the short post - I'm desperate to get all my work onto my new computer and send this badly behaved one to that great resting place for computers in the sky. Hopefully I will be back later with some picture from the NEC - who knows.

Crafty Calendar and Roses on Paper

I found this card on my return home - I made it following the Stamp with Fun theme of creating a scene, but did a 'Bev' and missed the deadline. I've hunted round and found that it fits both  Roses on Paper  and  Crafty Calendar Challenge and thanks to Stephanne A Spoonful of Sugar - how lucky am I??

I used Magnolia's Tilda and Edwin skating from last years winter collection and the Winter House background, also Magnolia. They are coloured with a mixture of Copics and distress inks. The frame is cut with the EK Success Scalloped Scallop punch, the sentiment is Inkadinkado and stamped with a snowflake stamp of unknown origin and overlayed with a snowflake glitter acetate. The ribbon is from stash. I made a couple of alterations - I added a pin with some beads and a tree charm and a glittery snowflake cut with the Spellbinders Build a Snowflake 1 which I got with my win from Simon Says challenge.

House Mouse DT - Kit Card

I'm very late posting this week's challenge but I have only just got back home to Germany at

9 o'clock and my first priority was food.

Our challenge at House Mouse this week is set by America :~ Kit Card!

America kindly sent our DT members a kit to use to produce a card. We were only allowed to use what was in the kit aswell as our own tools. As it is impossible to send you all a kit we would like you to take a look at what America sent us and try to reproduce the kit (don't worry if it's not exactly the same or even if you only have a few items that you could use). This may seem like a tough one but it's one to really get you thinking!!

Here's what the kit contained.........

Colour theme - Brown and Cream

1 x spotty/patterned paper

Brown Ribbon

Silver thread

Charm

Stamped image

Sentiment

Swirl die-cut (or something similar)

embossed card (brown or cream or both)

Pearls (or diamontes)

Well I can truly say I went into panic mode when my kit hadn't arrived due to postal strikes here in Germany.  I was due to leave for the UK on Wednesday and by Monday I thought I'll just have to put together whatever I can.  I spent more time searching my stash than I did making the card.  I'd no brown spotty paper, didn't the same image, no holey paper, no mouse charm  (I did have a cat - so I thought 'cat & mouse' - that will have to do} I hadn't even got any brown ribbon (on my list to buy in the UK). I did find some brown/cream flower paper and I cut the holes in the cream card using the two smallest round nesties  (I snapped the C plate on my cuttlebug in the process) and also used both sizes of the cropodile punch for the smaller holes.  I did have a sizzix swirl die which I used to cut out the cream and brown swirls. I used the image 'A carrot between friends' and coloured it with Copics, cut it out with the curved rectangle nesties. I substituted brown lace for the ribbon, fastened it with a large brown brad and added the cat charm. Phew - hope I don't have to do that again in a while.

When I got home the parcel from America had arrived the morning I left - typical!!

I managed to get to the NEC whilst I was in England and what a fabulous day that was and so brilliant meeting up with everyone - I will post some photographs tomorrow.

Colour Create DT and another oooops!!

So many of you seemed to like my choice of all white last week, so thank you all for the fabulous cards you entered. I couldn't possible comment on all - far too many (especially with a computer that's misbehaving and Mr Blogger playing silly games at the weekend) - but I popped in and looked at them all and was amazed and inspired by the wonderful creations you came up with.

The lovely Karen's choice this week at Colour Create and she chose blue, white and silver with the optional extra of glitter and winter.

I really enjoyed this one inspite of my oooops's - more than one I might add. I thought I would do a half-acetate card - this together with the silver made it so difficult to photograph. I stamped the sentiment/greeting on the inside, forgetting that it would show through th acetate and had to shuffle the ribbon and bow across and tweak it so the it wouldn't show. I coloured the parcels with a silver glaze that doesn't show, although you might just discern it in the close up.

The next oops hasn't happened yet - I'm flying back to England on Wednesday to sort out my car and arrange to have it transported over here to Germany  (cheaper would you believe than using the ferry and driving). This means I will have schedule this card - oh dear - this has gone wrong when I've tried it in the past but who knows I have to get it right sometime - lol.

I coloured the Sugar Nellie image 'Santa's little Helper' with copics, cut her out with the Spellbinders Labels 4 die. The snowflakes are cut with the EK Succes snowflake punch and the Provocraft snowflakes 2 die. The border is cut with the Carla Craft Macaron punch as are the corners.

I had intented to put the image on the outside of the acetate, but after playing around decided it looked better on the inside with the snowflaked acetate sitting over the image. The sentiment is from Lakeland Plastics and the ribbon and pearls from stash.

I've noticed that Copic Creations have red hair as their current challenge so I will enter this card as I coincidently gave my little lady red hair.

How Bizarre is this?

How bizarre is this, a few week's ago for Just Magnolia I use pink and grey - the following week the theme was 'pink and grey', last week I used monochrome - what is the theme this week - 'monochrome'. Is someone reading my mind or am I reading someone's mind??

Fortunately I love monochrome last weeks was black/grey so this week I used my favourite colour - brown and follwed the fabulous sketch over at  Create 4 fun. Tilda with lolly is coloured with Copics and cut out using round nesties and the 'out the box' technique - not the easiest of images to use for this but I rarely do anything the easy way!! The papers are some ancient ones - freebies from a magazine and I've used the Basic Grey corner flourish stamp for the edges of the square. I made the flower using the Woodware cherry blossom punch, the EK Success small retro flower punch and Stempelglede flower stamp in the middle.

The leaves are cut with the Leone Em branch punch, the sentiment is Whiff of Joy and cut with a Spellbinders ribbon tag. The rest is from stash.

Image  -  Magnolia Tilda with Lolly

Medium  -  Copic markers

Papers   - freebie with magazine

Tools  -  Punches - EKSuccess retro flower, Woodware Cherry blossom & Leone Em leaf branch  :  Spellbinders Tag die  & round nestabilities

Embellishments  -  WOJ sentiment  :  Basic Grey flourish edges stamp  :  Stempelglede fower stamp  :  Basic Grey pearls  :  rest from stash