Step out of your comfort zone!

That was the challenge last Sunday on Sentimental Sundays blog.


 Well I went off to SCS to see about techniques and card folds and ended up using both.  the technique I tried was TLC340  embossed kisses and the card fold I used was a centre step card.

Jousting Zac

Perhaps you might have guessed Zac is about to become a grown up 7.

Zac is our God-son and he and his family are not long back from Ethiopia where they have been serving with SIM.  We are catching up with them all tomorrow evening.  This card is for several challenges - SC352, TLC344 and OCC numbers challenge and uses a High Hopes image which I think is cute in a boyish way.  It is coloured with Copics and the DP is from Stampin Up.

I'm so sorry - been a very Busy Bee

I know I will need this card one day soon as like many people I always have more to do than hours in a day so will forget something important.  Yes this is another card 'with Wings' and this time I have used MFP stamps with the lovely little bee from the Blackberries, Sunflowers and Bees set.  I was originally going to use this bee on some business type cards telling people about my blog (http://jaybee-brain-waves.blogspot.com ) but that is for another day.   The sketch is SFF092311 from Sketch Frenzy Friday.

VLV Snow Drifts

The VLV Week 4 sketch which Laurie presented had plain diagonal lines but when I picked the paper I decided to use poetic licence and make mine wavy - snow drifts came to mind!  Well I am not sure snow drifts is quite how it turned out but I am OK with it never the less.  Hope your week is going well and thanks for looking.

Christmas Blessings

Why do cards sometimes have a mind of their own or at least seem as though they do?

When I saw the MMSC122 sketch I remembered the ribbon weaving technique and thought I would give it a go.  Having done the panel I then could not decide how to use it.  Well time was pressing so tonight this is what I came up with - not fancy, not complicated but I think it works with the loud ribbon panel.   I am entering this card in 2 challenges MMSC122 and SSIC108.  The sentiment stamped in Versamark and embossed in gold is from Verve.  The holly is a Penny Black stamp.

VLV Joyeux Noel

The Basic Grey paper was what dictated this card using the VLV September Week 3 sketch.  There is so little stamping on this card it is scary but it still took me ages to get it all together and complete - hope you like it.

Things with Wings

Both MFP and Stampin Sisters in Christ have challenges incorporating wings into the card.  The only MFP  stamp I have with wings is a little bee who I have plans for later.  I am posting two cards here now - one with a lovely angel and one with a little butterfly.

This card is for the Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge 107 and incorporates a lovely celebratory Bible verse.  I stamped and embossed the Bible verse, then inked the background.  When that was dry I stamped and embossed the angel, adding one or two gold coloured gems. It is mounted on a thin black mat and then a gold coloured card base.

My second wing based card uses the wonderful
"a snowflake is  winter's butterfly" sentiment.  The sentiment and snowflakes are from Hero Arts.
I need to remember this on a cold wet and miserable grey snowy day in the UK!

The background was washed with 3 shades of blue H2Os and then stamped with one H2O and various blue inks.  The sketch I have used is SC220 with some papers from my Winter Stack.  The snowflake is a spellbinders die and the punched butterfly is from a Martha Stewart punch.  This card is for Sentimental Sundays monochrome challenge

Rose Tinted Winter Wonderland

I bought this Hero Arts stamp when I last visited the Glitter Pot in Sussex.  I thought I would use it on lots of cards but so far this is the only one - mind you I have more ideas than time right now!  The card is simple and uses this week's  CTD colours.  I wouldn't normally use a pink sky for Christmas so I have deliberately gone for something different.  The image is embossed with clear embossing powder.  The sentiment is from Verve.

First Twisted Easel

Thank you Sarah K - made my first twisted easel this evening after seeing your Chelsea one.  The image and sentiment are both Penny Black.  Not sure who makes the paper as that info is now well stuck on the card!  Snowflake is die cut using a Whimsy stamps die.  Sentiment is cut with a Spellbinders die. 

Thank you for looking.
 

Singing in the rain

I have to say I wasn't singing in the rain this morning and you probably wouldn't want to hear me sing anyway. 

This card is going to someone who likes this little bear and sings beautifully. 
The stamp is from the Do Crafts Tatty Teddy range and the papers are a selection for my scraps box.  Teddy and her brolly are coloured with ProMarkers and the card is made following the Passion for ProMarkers sketch for this week.

75 - but then again maybe not!

I was asked by a work colleague to make a 75th Birthday card for her MIL who liked her garden and little dogs.  This is what I came up with at the weekend using last week's Sketch Frenzy Friday sketch and the OCC challenge.  As well as flowers on the front I added one inside with a 75 on it. 

I took it in today and checked whether she liked it (and about adding the age) and she then mentioned her hubby is unsure whether 75 is right or not - that flower has been hastily altered tonight!

The flowers are a digital image from Whimsy Stamps, the little dogs are from MFT and the Happy Birthday is from Papertrey Ink.  The flowers are coloured with Spectrum Noir and Copic markers with a touch of glimmer from H20s and the stamping is done with Memento ink.  The background papers are Latte from Garter Studios and the ribbon is Anita's. Brads and Stickles have been added too. 

Hope you have a good week. 

High Hopes New Release and Blog Hop

In case you missed it High Hopes are having a new release and blog hop this week.

The sneak peeks with full design projects will begin tomorrow (Tuesday September 20th) with the next challenge.  There will be more peeks on Wednesday, Sept 21st and then a Blog Hop and release on Thursday, Sept 22nd.

Happy 21st Samuel

Boy don't you start to feel old when friends children reach 21 - two this month!  Samuel is at Uni in Bath and celebrates his 21st this week.  Not sure whether he will be celebrating locally or down there but I  hope he has a great time.  He is very good at Cricket so my search today was a long one for something suitable for his card.  The image is from The Print Shop and the sentiments are from Verve.

The card is for 2 challenges
Color Throwdown 159
Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge 121

Thank you for looking and commenting.

Autumn Harmony

I love autumn (and spring) but I am saddened this year by the state of the horse chestnut trees here in the south of England.  I hope they recover because despite the mess from the falling conkers, encouraged by the local school children, they are normally a wonderful sight around now. 

The sentiment panel is from Raindrop Echo Designs - Autumn Abundance and is this week's freebie on the Sentimental Sundays site.  The background was stamped with the free stamp from Craft Stamper (September edition) in distress inks on watercolour paper.  What with free stamps and free sentiments I sound like a right cheap skate!
My card is for this week's Sentimental Sundays challenge and also for Jugs102.

Thank you for looking and for your comments.

Scary Single Layer

This is a simple single layer card because I did not want to mess it up! I am sure the experts out there don't have that panic but us mere mortals do!

It is a MFP image from the Greet The Day with Gerber set coloured with Koh-i-Noor pencils and Zest pencil blend.  I used an EK success punch along the edge and ran a memento Rosebud ink pad along it.  I am entering it in the Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge #73

More Doors

Two more cards with the theme of doors.  The technique of using glitter all over the image reminds me very much of the Christmas cards we used to get when I was little.  The stamp is another Serendipity one and the paper on both is from an old pack called Winter stack but I cannot remember whose make it was.

I hope you all have a restful and enjoyable weekend.

Janine

Where has the week gone?

I know it is Friday because I am half asleep now but I can't believe another week has flown by.  Crafting this week has been in fits and starts and I have several unfinished pieces surrounding me.  I did finish these two cards tonight on the theme of doors and I have two more to come.  These both use a Crafty Individuals stamp and some Papermania and Craft Creations paper (the yellow gingham which I also used on Easter cards!).  The sketch is SC350 and the door them is from Stampin Sisters in Christ 106 Challenge.

Sketch SC350

From the woman who doesn't get on with skewed panels!

Text Me

The Jugs challenge this week is is to get out a variety of text stamps and make a collaged text only background or focal point for your project.  Now I did this but I also did a cheat and used the lovely new Woodware stamp and some Cranberry and Gold embossing powders on the other card.

The challenge card on the right uses stamps from Woodware, Verve, Penny Black, Gina K, Inkadinkado and Waltzingmouse with a selection of Memento inks plus antique linen Distress ink.  I did add the cross to my background so Christ is at the heart of Christmas.

Young Woman

A friend from my college days youngest daughter is just about to turn 21.  I haven't seen her for many years and it seems amazing that she is really now a young woman - also makes me feel old!

 
I used the VLV September Week 2 sketch and stamps from Stampin Up and Verve.  The papers are from Kate Knight and Kanban.  I used Versamark to stamp the oriental lady and then applied Zing Pewter embossing powder.  The Verve flowers are stamped with a Nick Bantock ink called Damson Plum - the only colour I had that was a close match to the paper.  I replaced the two little tags with the ribbon bow tails. 

I hope she has a wonderful birthday.

Howdy Nephew

I have 3 nephews all in their teens and they all have Birthdays at this time of year.  This card is for my Nephew in North Wales - yes I know it is a long way from Texas cowboys but they do have horses. For the last 4 weeks I have saved the Waltzingmouse sketch and for the last 3 I never made the card so this week I have put things straight and this card is for WMSC64.  

I used several colours of distress ink - Scattered Straw, Antique Linen, Rusty Hinge, Barn Door and Walnut Stain,along with some Memento Rich Cocoa.  The stamps are from Waltzingmouse sets Way out West and Back in the Saddle.

Hello Sunshine

Every now and then I have to do something unconventional. 

A friend of Mum's celebrates her Birthday this week and I believe she is 92.  She lives in Cornwall in a very nice residential home and is quite a character, or certainly was when I last saw her. 
I am sure she will get lots of Birthday cards with flowers so I decided she had to have something different.  The OCC challenge is for a Window, the Speedy the cat challenge is to use a punch and the Woodware challenge is a sketch.  Having recently visited Marwell Zoo the giraffe stamp was the one that shone out.  As you can see from the photo above, that Dave took,, their heads were the bit on display and there was a lot of tongue poking out going on!

The paper is from K&Company, the punches used are Martha Stewart and Woodware and the image is from MFP.  The sentiment inside says Hello Sunshine, Happy Birthday.

Patchwork Snowman

I love this cute snowman from Serendipity stamps so I pulled him out to use on this card which I am entering in 3 challenges.  The colours are for this weeks Color Throwdown (or as close as I could manage), the sketch is MMSC120 and it is also for the ProMarkers patchwork challenge. 

Penny Black Scene

Challenging times trying to tun my PB image into a scene for the challenge this week.  I loved the scenic Stamping class at MCC with Sandy Hulsart but I am not sure my little chap looks quite right on a serious background!  I think maybe some paper-pieced hills behind him and some ice using glitter might have been better but I think it is OK.

Simple Stencilling

Woodware blog had a blog hop last week with Dreamweaver Stencils and this inspired me to take out some stencils packed up on a shelf in a box to make some cards.  I don't find it anywhere near as easy as using stamps but we do need to challenge ourselves to keep creating interesting.  Commenting on the blogs gave a chance to win more stencils and I was lucky and will have new ones to practice with soon!

Simple Stamping

I have a few posts this evening so I will keep then short and sweet.  The Penny black challenge of this week is to make a card using simple stamping so I advanced my Christmas cards by making 9 (not all shown).  The background uses all manner of snowflake stamps I own but the main image is from Penny Black Winter Wonders.

Gatefold Poppies

I love this poppy image from MFP and I wanted to use it for the Jugs100 sketch.  I will also enter it for the Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge #71 as I have added Zva adhesive crystals which counts as bling in my book!  The image is stamped with Memento black ink then coloured with Copics and the background to it is sponged with distress ink.  The pale green paper is from Papermania,  the red piece from Sandylion and I cannot remember where I bought the beautiful black piece

It looks as though we are in for some wet days - mind you when you are busy at work you don't notice what is going on outside.  Spare time on wet evenings is a good time to craft - don't you think?

Soft Thoughts

Tonight I began to realise again why they are called challenges - as a lover of colour and contrasts making a card with pale or muted shades was tricky especially given the paper selections that surround me!  Used the sketch and some paper from Stampin Up, plus watercolour paper, kraft coloured card and a pale golden card base.  The image is from Marks Finest Papers and the sentiment is from Verve.  It was stamped with Frayed Burlap distress ink and painted with a wet brush.
The card is for 3 challenges
Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge 105
Sentimental Sundays Challenge 71
Splitcoast Sketch Challenge 348

Thank you so much for looking and commenting.

Peaceful Wishes

It is really late so this a quick post.  This card is made using the first weeks sketch from VLV and the Color Throwdown colours.  The snowflake from Verve is embossed with 3 different embossing powders and the background paper is from SEI.  Off to bed now - sleep well everyone.

African Sundown

As per the Our Creative Corner challenge I stamped on some background paper - some very simple paper from Basic Grey but it gave the African feel I was after.  The stamps are from Marks Finest Papers and the sketch is Sketch Challenge 330 (SC330).  Fortunately I had these seeds from when I did my South Africa holiday scrapbook.

Excited Me

Maybe you think I am mad but this is my first time in a magazine so had to share.  Bought Craft Stamper today while at the Glitter Pot (some great demos  there!) and when I opened it found a picture of a card I mailed in - has quite made my day!

Chocolatier

I sampled some nice French chocolate earlier in the week as someone in the office treated us all when they returned from holiday.

Our niece loves Paris (so do I) so this card is for her Birthday.  The image raised up on the tag is from Darkroom Door and the images stamped on the background paper are from Katzelkraft but available in the UK from The Craft Barn.  The background paper is from Bo Bunny and is a sheet from the 6" x 6" pad.  I am entering this card in  last Sunday's Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge.  I coloured the pin head with ProMarkers to make it tone with the ink and flowers.  I add the Eiffel tower to the flowers.  I bought the ribbon on line but I can't remember the details.  Thanks for looking.

Hot Stuff - well maybe just a little scorched!

Hi everyone - hope you are having a good weekend.  I made this card for a friend in the USA whose Birthday is imminent.   I hope it gets to him in time.  He is a good friend so I know he and his wife will take this in the spirit it is sent.  He loves using the BBQ and loves food generally but has been known to set a few things alight in his time!  The stamp is from High hopes, the sentiment is from a digital stamp (Meljen's Design) and it is coloured with ProMarkers. The scorched area is done using lemon juice heated with the heat tool and then a little black soot distress ink added.  I can't remember where the papers are from - sorry!  The sketch is MMSC119 from Priscilla Styles and also uses some of the High Hopes autumn challenge colours.