Rain, rain, go away....

A card or two to show you today. Both made with a Stamping Bella image.

Coloured with Promarkers, and lots of added sparkle :)

Love the little snail. I'm entering this card into the Papertake weekly challenge- Spots and Dots and the That's Crafty Stamping ground challenge

I'm entering this second version into the I love Promarkers challenge- Anything goes and the Simon Says Wednesday challenge which is Summer- and what says a British summer better than flowers and wellies?

Glorious

I love a bargain, and this stamp was one of my bestest-est ever. We were on holiday and visiting Whitby, and I came across a little craft shop selling all of their wooden stamps off for a 1/3 of the price. I spent a couple of hours going through them all and came out with a very heavy bag full, and this was one of my finds.

Instead of colouring the dress I went for Promarkering the background to give it some relief.

This is my entry into the Passion for Promarkers blog challenge- Ribbon, lace or twine

Pretty fairy frog

I've been making cards. Lots of cards. 

I'd got a box of coloured in images- loads of them, so I spent the bank holiday weekend matching papers and cards, adding ribbon and bling and making up cards.

This one is a Sweet Pea stamp- love the odd eyes on the frog.....

The sentiment is Lili of the Valley, and kinda fits well. It's all stamped in brown for a softer edge, and coloured in Promarkers.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Try it on Tuesday- Feminine and fancy

Papertake- Anything goes (optional extra to use 2 stamps)

Cupcake inspirations challenge- fairies

Passion for Promarkers- Birthdays

Seeing spots

I've been working on this card for about a fortnight, ever since I stamped the image at a crafty evening with some crafty friends. Time just gets away from me sometimes. To be fair, I have had a major piece of storage put up, and have done some serious craft stash sorting in between times!

The image is Stamping Bella. Ooh you can see my new spotty tablecloth- d'ya like it?

I may have gone a little bit bling-tastic, but this one is for a very special someone, and besides, it looks pretty :)

So, whilst I was there, I made another one...... I find once I've worked out the layout and placings it's quite quick to whip up another the same for my card stock box.

The dresses are paper pieced, and the faces and hair are promarkered.

The swirls round the flowers are from a favourite EK Success punch.

I'm entering the following challenges:

 Passion for Promarkers Bingo challenge- in the end I could have chosen most of the bingo lines, but I went for ribbon, gems and punches! 

Pretty little ribbon shop- Happy birthday

Party time Tuesdays- Anything goes

A butterfly bookmark

A quick little visit today to show you another bookmark for a swap I'm taking part in. This is made from a little butterfly panel I've had hanging around for aaaaaagggges. Seriously probably about 18 months...... ah well, I'm using these little bits up now, aren't I good?

Actually, I don't know why I didn't think of this before, it looks really pretty mounted up. The background is sprayed with cosmic shimmer mists, and the image itself is promarkered.

Thanks for looking!

Using up the oddments

I've been trying to finish off some of the half made cards and ATCs that have been lying about on my desk for forever...... no idea why this pretty little image languished in my oddments box for so long, but it's scrubbed up beautifully.....

The fairy is a Lili of the Valley image, coloured with Promarkers. The flowers are stamped directly onto the card, from a Stampin' Up set called Petal Pizazz. the yellow dots are a raised glaze pen.

Flowers and a toadstool

This card has been in my head for months and months. Just buzzing around, waiting to be made.....

The little toadstool and mouse is a Tatty Button image, promarkered as usual, with added sparkle on the  dots.

I think easel cards make things a bit more special, makes a bit more of a splash! The flowers are all punched from scrap bits of paper.

The hearts are a Stampotique stamp I'm using quite a lot at the moment, with the odd accented heart.

I'm not sure if it comes out on the screen, but there's a layer of cobweb mesh behind the toadstool and flowers, for a spot of extra texture. This is a new acquisition, courtesy of my lovely Mom, and I need to work out how best to use it I think!

I'm entering this into the Fussy and Fancy Friday challenge- furry friends

and into the Papertake weekly challenge- anything goes

Orange birthdays

I've had a bit of a finish off session......whilst I was tidying my desk (no fainting now), I found a whole pile of half finished things- coloured images, backgrounds, all sorts! So, I chose a colour scheme and made a couple of cards!

This is such a cute little image from Lili of the Valley, and it really lends itself to sepia and orange tones, Promarkers of course.....

The idea is that this coming year I get ahead of the game and get the cards I need to send make in advance, rather than doing the night before panic. Watch this space, I reckon in about 3 weeks I'll be admitting defeat......;)

I'm entering this into the I love Promarkers challenge- monochrome.....couldn't get much more orange, right?

LIghthouse for Dad

Yeah I have no idea why a lighthouse for Dad, but there you have it. Here's this year's Father's Day card for my lovely Dad. Made early, written and awaiting delivery on the day. Organised or what???!!

The Michael Powell image is promarkered in a really limited colour palette, then decoupaged up a little bit- the coloured houses and lighthouse are up a level, then the house at the very front is up another level.

I'm going to enter this into the following challenges:

 Try it on Tuesday- Anything goes 

Allsorts- Beside the seaside

Secret crafter Saturday challenge- Anything goes

You'd think I'd have had enough by now, but....no......

.......I'm still inking up those monsters.......

Backgrounds are splodges of the new seasonal Distress Inks- squeezed lemonade is my new all time favourite colour......

The monsters are pro and flexmarkered. 

I needed some more music themed ATCs for a swap, and I know he's not really music related, but to be completely and totally honest, I don't care!

Wedding card....warning it's cute.....

Told ya. Made for a commission- the bridesmaids are in red, hence the colour scheme. I wasn't feeling this one at all until I looked at the finished article the next morning, and I'm coming round to it now!

The main image is Lili of the valley, coloured with promarkers. The swirl diecut is Tim Holtz, the saying and the stamped swirl are Stampin' Up.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Totally Gorjuss- swirly whirly

Lili's little fairies- Anything goes

Snowy Sunday = lotsa crafting for me :)

OOh I've had a lovely day, all inky and stampy. Just my sort of Sunday afternoon, all cosy and creative. I've made a couple of commissioned cards- the brief for this one was pink and fluffy and ballet......

Hoping I managed it without it being too saccharine. The colours are a bit weird on this photo, the yellowy green is a bit more subtle in real life. Ah well.....

I'm entering this into the following challenges-

Allsorts- Free and easy Friday

Lili's Little Fairies- Spring colours

Happy new year and some cards

So, how's 2012 treatin' ya so far? It's been a bit cold and, well, January-like round here to be honest... odd that, eh?

Just a few cards to show you today, I've been making a few for sock and to try to steal a march on my birthday list!

Here's my lovely friend Michelle's birthday card....

I love using this technique- colouring with watercolour sticks direct to the stamp and then spritzing with water.

One of my favourite dress stamps in two different colour ways, both paper pieced. I'm entering the pink one into the Allsorts paper piecing challenge.

The swirl round the edge of one and in the background of the other is a fab Stampin' up one, the little flower is from the same set.

This is for a lovely friend over on the Docrafts forum, cute but still suitable for a man I thought. I am particularly fond of those little mice :)

This next one is from a game of Chinese whispers from a group over on Facebook- one person starts the whisper by making a card, a photo of which is sent to the next person in the list, who makes a card inspired by it and sends a photo of their card to the next person.....and so on. So each person only sees the card immediately before their's. It was really interesting to see which themes, layouts, colours, shapes made it through from start to finish! I'm entering it into the Crafts and Me Anything goes mega challenge.

And finally.....  a belated Christmas card image I only came across this morning. I made several of these for the children to give to their fellow Tae Kwon Do club members.

Cute isn't he? They were simple to do and easy to personalise with the right colour hair/ belt of each child.

Christmas cards!

Not many words in this post, just a few of the Christmas cards I've made and sent. I quite enjoyed making them this year!

For my gorgeous nephew Jack, who is car mad, so I'm entering this into the Totally Gorjuss challenge- for someone special.

Promarkered fairy! I'm entering this into the By the Cute and Girly December challenge of Let it snow and the Passion for Promarkers Celebrations challenge.

I'm entering this penguin into the Fussy & Fancy Friday challenge- Monochrome and sparkle (there's lots of blingy gems on there).

I'm entering this one into the Papertake weekly challenge- Last Christmas card of the year.

Hello sugar!

More cutie cards to show you, so look away now if too much sugar makes you queasy!!!!

I love the background paper on this one, it's gorgeous, it reminds me of pretty summer dresses when I was little, and pretty dresses on my little girl. I've put a few gems on the odd flower to highlight it. This is a cute image, so sweet I used a big snap I've been saving for ages, you know how you do- something takes your eye, so you buy it and then can't bear to use it!

I'm entering this into the Totally Gorjuss challenge- I remember.

Another image I've had coloured for ages and hanging around, so whilst I'd got the lovely paper out I made this one too. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the lacy bottom edges. 

I'm entering this one into the Papertake challenge which is a sketch.

In a card making frenzy......

.....well as frenzied as I get lately! 3.30 I was up this morning! For no good reason!!!

Well, at least I have some cute cards to show you. I've been trying to use up the images I've already coloured to make some stock to sell. This one is a Gorjuss girl painted with twinkling H20s. 

Oops, sideways photo, sorry! The tag was intended for on the card, but it looked a bit weird, so..... now it's a tag to go with the card. Plus as a bonus, it fits with the I Love Promarkers challenge, which is tags! I'm also entering it into the Crafty Ribbons Bingo challenge (I used Die/Flowers/Ribbon).

This is a promarkered Lili of the Valley image, with the sunflower decoupaged up for added oomph. The swirls are coloured metal and have languished in a box, unloved and forgotten until I found them whilst looking for something else- always the way, eh?

Cloooooooooseeee uppppppppp!

I'm entering this into the Passion for Promarkers challenge, which is for a child and into Charisma Cardz challenge which is anything goes.

Pumpkin heads for the ATC Challenge blog

Made this yesterday and the more I look at it, the more I like it.

The Stampotique pumpkins are coloured with Promarkers, background is an offcut from my Fat Page (see previous post). He he he, they make me laugh.

This is my DT ATC for the ATC challenge blog. The challenge at the moment is Anything Goes, so nothing to lose, just have a go!

Lili of the Valley for boys!

I've made a couple of fab Lili of the Valley cards recently for boys instead of sticking to the usual cutie girl cards.

I used some old oriental paper I've had hanging around for forever. It feels like handmade paper, and was really awkward to work with. Looks nice though, huh?

The images are coloured with promarkers- a really easy colour, cos it's mainly white, lol!!!

 I'm entering this card into the Lili of the Valley World Cardmaking Day competition.