Cyber Monday @ Tellen's Place

Yep - 25% off ALL images at TELLEN'S PLACE.
Including those dark images, anyone that knows me, will know I love these.
The two dark Christmas images, Chained Ghost & Grub Scrooge




and inside

Very "A Christmas Carol" don't you think?? Hence the sentiment I used.
The background on the front is a free image on the web of a victorian street. The paper on the inside with Scrooge is from Crafty Chaos' "Rich Autumn Glory set".

The image of Scrouge is coloured with promarkers, Chained Ghost (Marley) is painted with distress inks. The chain is from stash.

Please also go look at the cards made by fellow divas, Sandra over at RosePetal Designs, and Terry at Tellen's Place and Crafter's Delight. They go for the more traditional look with the "signature" images. You won't be sorry if you go look.

Get those savings and visit the shop

not a card

MMSC#81 sketch this week is the layout I used on this calender - the simple one. Another of Delicious Doodles' images, "Winter's Wonder". I saw this in their blog hop the other day and had to have it - The Snow Leopard did it for me. I coloured the image using some metallic pencils, cut it out and mounted onto a lace covered lilac card stock then framed her with some bronze glimmer misted purple. Bronze and purple dewdrops to finish. This was then all mounted onto a pearlised bronze paper which in turn was mounted onto more bronzed purple. The ribbon and lace trim and dewdrops are all from Crafty Feelings.


The corrugated card, eyelets etc all from stash.

I am entering this into the challenge over on Midnight Madness - their sketch #81
Make it Crafty have an "Anything but a Card" challenge so entering this into that as well.

A birthday card!

Yep even with Christmas looming - there are still birthday cards to make. This one is for a friend's daughter who is turning 13 in the new year. Another teenager!!
I thought she deserved a card that was a bit more grownup for this momentous occasion of entering her teens, though still girlie with lots of sparkle.
I used the gorgeous papers from Crafty Chaos' "Dancing with Fairies" range and an image from Delicious Doodles called "Free Spirit". The sketch is that from Fairymoon Crafts.
The image was coloured in using promarkers, with just a touch of purple stickles on the wings.
The dark pink backing paper was painted with a silver shimmer paint to give it that sparkle. I also added a touch to the fur of the wolf and the moon behind the fairy. The backing circle is from the citrus range of DCWV that was in my scrap box. A couple of lengths of ribbon and some gems to finish the card. I did use some border peeloffs just to finish the glitz, all on very pale cream, linen embossed card base.
I am entering this into the challenge over at Fairymoon Crafts as it is their sketch.
Also into the Delicious Doodles 2nd challenge - "Celebrations"

Tag It

How daft am I? I've had this tag sitting there for 2 whole days waiting for the light to go from dull to less dull, and I nearly forgot about the challenge over at Kenny K's. Tags is what is asked for and this image seemed to fit for one of the tags being needed in a few weeks time. The image is one of Kenny's.


The image itself is coloured with promarkers, cut out and stuck to a pale green circle on which I had masked off and painted the shimmery purple circle, dusting with a touch of glitter. A few swirls of purple stickles. This was then stuck onto a lace covered oval (that I had heat embossed with the same powder as the hearts) with some ribbons to match the outfit. Some diecut hearts, heat embossed with shimmery turquoise powder and entwined were then stuck on. More of the ribbon was used for the tie and the tassley bits at the bottom.
I am entering this into the tag challenge over at Kenny K's
Make it Crafty's - "Anything but a Card" - two entries allowed.

CAS

Not often I make one of these cards. Clean and simple is not really my style - but change is as good as a rest they say. I would like to broaden my "skills" and try it. Please let me know what you think. I make no apologies for seemingly copying my type of project that I produced when asked if I'd like to be a GDT member the other week. I'm trying to get a few little pressies made as well for folks. Decorating candles is easy and can make a welcome gift.
Tuesday Taggers this week have asked for the words "Peace, Joy or Love" to feature in this week's projects. I was going to go for "Love" and have a great stamp for it but in the end plumped on "Peace".
Card and matching candle

In white, silver and black. Not your run of the mill Christmas colours, but I decided it would look better. The letters are mounted on sticky dots. The edges and corners are fine peeloffs - too chunky and the clean look would go.
The candle on the other side has a stamped image of a dove
You can just see the sheen of the silver gel pen I used on this. The silver organza and black satin ribbons from stash.
Simple, but I hope effective. I do have a recipient in mind. ..... but I don't want to tell just yet.

I am also entering this into the challenge over at Crafty Cardmakers - Card and matching gift
and Artful Inkables - Sentiment and corners

Crafty Purple Frog

Marathon posting session - Managed to get some pics done in daylight - always better.
This post is the turn of the card I made using a Crafty Purple Frog download. I love the Sweet Pea stamps, and although I am getting better at my colouring in - I am still aprehensive about these. The work done and shown previously by so many artists has me in awe. These downloads have taken the hard work out of colouring - just need to cut them out if you want to layer. Does me :)

This image is called Northern most serenity. She has been cut out and layered with foam pads. I then matted her onto dark blue card stock that I had painted with a silver shimmer paint. Some stickles were added in various places and white glitter for the snow. The background layer is paler blue card onto which I had stamped and heat embossed a little holly type border stamp; matted onto some more of that painted darkblue. some border peeloffs provide the solid band. This was in turn layered onto a Crafty Chaos paper (holiday wishes set) printed onto pearlised winter white paper. (I did digitally change the colour to more blue than green). The border was yet more of that painted card, my MS goo punch, some satin/chiffon ribbon with touches of silver organza attached with brads. Down the side I added some thistles that I had threaded through some silver cups with a little feather and attaching some threaded pearl seed beads..... inspired from picture elements. A few little pearls on the edges. The sketch followed was that over at Midnight Madness.
Job done

I am entering this into the Crafty Purple Frog challenge - Flowers
Also the challenge at Midnight Madness # 80 - It is their sketch

cake with a 'tude

I get asked to make the cards for my teamies at work, now that they know I can. I don't mind - it's my contribution into the "pot". This week it's a "girly girl" card that's needed.
I chose to use this little image from Digis with Attitude. Grumpy Gretchen's made a cake here.



For help with the design of the card, I went with the sketchy over on Sketch and Stash.
Die Cut Dreams have specified using staples ... so I combined the two.

The image itself is coloured using promarkers. The panel is Papermania. I have used diecuts for the picture frame, sentiment and side tags.... all from a fab RAK. A little bit of border peel offs for the sparkle. The flowers are all from Crafty Feelings. I coloured my ordinary silver staples with alcohol ink to give them that shiny red look.. add a little bit of spotty ribbon.
All then mounted onto green cardstock base.

I am going to enter this into the challenges
Sketch and Stash #48 - It is their sketch after all
Die Cut Dreams #74 - Staples

Delicious Doodles Blog Hop and First Challenge/ HDH #65

Yep - Teri of Delicious Doodles has got her challenges underway with a blog hop this week and this week it's an "anything goes" challenge. The DT have done a marvellous job showcasing some of the fab images.
My entry into the challenges is "The Watcher"
This is the first time I have coloured this little beauty in and wanted to keep him .... so made him into a picture to hang on my crafty room wall.
I used distress inks to colour him. In real life this gives that extra bit of sparkle to the feathers but I can't get it to photograph, oh well.


The watching eye.... first layer is glossy black cardstock matted onto painted card. Onto this I added 2 more eyes - blown up from The Image and layered adding some glossy accents after inking bits on these as well.
I added my Raven to a sheet of maroon card stock on which I had stuck papers from Crafty Individuals, torn, and distressed with black and dusty concorde. This was then layered onto black onto which I had stamped a saying from Smeared Ink's Li'l Grumpies set.
The feathers down the side just to balance are from stash, threaded into beads and on a leather thong.

I am entering this into The Delicious Doodles Challenge #1 - Anything Goes
and Macabre Mondays HDH#65 - Ravenous Ravens
and Digital Tuesday Challenge - Things with Wings

If you like my Quirky Christmas card.....

Last week I entered my little Christmas Li' Grumpie card into the Quirky cards challenge - now it's voting time.... There's a few there and we would appreciate it if you could go choose your fav and vote.
Many thanks

Give Thanks

Yep - Friday already!! The challenge over at Tellen's Place this week is aimed at "Giving Thanks".
Not just for the American Thanksgiving but for other 'thankyou's as well.
I had great fun and a little giggle with my DT piece for this challenge. The sequence just wouldn't leave my head so I had to go with it.
A waterfall card..... sideways........


It's the journey of that turkey to the table .......

with Gretchen doing the honours

All ready for the table :)

There are loads of tutorials over on youtube for making waterfall cards, so I won't bore you with another here. A cardmakers version of the old Flick books.

I used a pearlised brown cardstock for the base, layered with burnt orange then a yellow from the DCWV citrus range with circles on it (harvest time/circle of life). The images printed onto white and coloured with promarkers and ink distressed with pale orange.
The ribbon for the tags and brads from stash, the flower from Crafty Feelings.
SO
Get your thankful foot forward and let's see your projects.
Terry's organised a fantastic prize of a $20 gift card from Scrapbooking.com! To get you started with inspiration, there are two freebies available as well over at Tellen's Place!

I am entering this into the challenge over at The ABC Challenges - H for Holiday
Also The Papertake Weekly Challenge - Autumn Skies
The Creative Card Crew - They are having a "Give Thanks" challenge
The Crazy Challenge - Thanks or Thanksgiving
The Crafty Ho's - The challenge is using Autumn Colours
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Anything Goes

Sketch by Papertake

That same Kenny K image. My girls love it and all 3 want the same image for their OH. So one more card to make with it.
This time I used the sketch over at Papertake Weekly Challenges.


Again sparkle!! This time using some old papermania christmas papers mounted two strips onto red cardstock and then onto some bottle green that I sprayed with gold. The panel under the image is a holographic red onto that same green. The image was coloured with promarkers and glitter added to the white bits. This was cut out using Lily of the Valley templates and mounted onto some glittered up red card stock. the ribbon from stash is velvet with some glittery organza on top. The sentiment is a peeloff ( for speed). All then mounted onto red card base. Finished off with some little pale green gems.

As it's Papertake's sketch, I am entering this into it.
I am also entering this into the challenge over at Totally Gorguss for their "traditional Christmas Colours" challenge.

A Quirky Christmas

I just got my newest stamp set from Smeared Ink - the Occassions Li'l Grumpies. One of them in particular is ideal for Christmas. Using the sketch over at Quirky Sketches this week, I put this one together to add to my pile of Christmas cards.


The image was coloured with promarkers and the edged ink distressed with some shimmery ink. The little bundles down the side are some seed beads threaded to represent those tangled lights that always need to be untangled before dressing the tree (or is it just here). The patterned paper was (from a fabulous RAK, thankyou LYN) backed onto red cardstock. The lime green paper was ink distressed using the same shimmery ink I have and a few little christmas trees stamped on it then backed onto bottle green. The velvet ribbon was attached with brads (both from stash). All put together and mounted onto a white hammered cardstock base and finished with dewdrops.
I am entering this into the challenge over at Quirky Crafts as it is their sketch

Sparkle and Spots (and Stars)

I finally got round to entering one of Kenny K's challenges. I was going to last week but I forgot to post the card I'd made - doh!! Both cards are Christmas ones so they will be used.
This one is made using the sketch over on CMLI group on the craft bubble forum..... daughter in law wanted one to give to son. She chose the image .......


It's a KennyK image called "mistletoe" but they're holly leaves so the berries are red here. I coloured the image with promarkers and added glitter to all the white bits. The oval shape was glittered up using strips of double sided tape. The spotty/starry paper was printed onto pearlised paperthe ribbons are velvet, satin and lace. I have added a touch of stickles to the roses and some little clear/pearlised gems in the corners.
I don't do girly cards that often but was quite pleased with the way this one turned out.

I am entering this into the Kenny K challenge for spots and sparkle
and into the Crafty Purple Frog challenge for sparkle
Also entering into the challenge on Creative Friday - Pinups

Christmas at SIC

Another few cards I've made during the week but not had the light to photograph follows.....

Firstly, over at Stamp It Crazy, they have a sketch for us to follow....
and the recipe...Santa face, button or embellishment and using red and green
This is my take on it....


Well I don't have a just a Santa face image and I noticed that others have used a whole one - so am going to chance my luck here. The embellishment used was a home-made snowflake (seen through rose tinted specs).
The image is from Kenny K, coloured with promarkers and gel pens with glitter on the furry bits. This was ink distressed in red and matted onto bottle green cardstock. The main BP is papermania I think from a christmas collection from a couple of years ago. It was a gift so not that sure. This was matted onto more of that bottle green then onto the red card base. There are 3 ribbons layered up across. The snowflake brads were coloured with red alcohol ink. The little snowflake embellie is home-made as I said and backed on yet more of that bottle green. The sentiment is a peel off. Final touch is the dewdrops in the corner.
Stamp It Crazy sketch so I am entering this into their challenge

HDH064 Butchered blueprint

A sketch that Barb has asked us to follow. Not the normal thing over at Macabre Mondays. A change is as good as rest they say. They are being sponsored by Limited Runs this week and 3 digis go to the winner.
I've had this image of Santa from Stamp It Crazy coloured in using promarkers for a few weeks just sitting waiting patiently for me to get round to it. This seemed to be the ideal opportunity.


So we have some deep maroon card for the base, then using my MS goo punch we have a dark blue spotty, then black then a paper from Crafty Choas from the rich autumn glory set printed onto pearlised paper. The glittery ribbon has been ruffled in a kinda zig-zag way. The candy cane was drawn by me onto card, and a lot of glossy accents after colouring. The "sentiment" is computer generated.
The style of base card is a "backwards" easel and a brad at the back to secure

I am also entering this into the challenge over at My Partner in Crafting Crime for their "marker challenge"

Kenny K and music

OK I know that this is going to be a marathon blog posting. The weather here in Scotland and my lack of any decent light means taking pics is touch and go. Especially as I don't get in from work until after dark.

This little card is destined as another birthday card for another daughter. December birthdays have to be planned in advance.
This card is using 2 of Kenny K's images. 1 from a while back and this months freebie. They just seemed to fit together in this scene in my head.
Over at Aly's Sunday Challenge, Kenny K is sponsoring their "Music" challenge. So it seemed appropriate to use his images.


The song I had in mind when making it was "Lucy in the Sky with diamonds".
As well as the images coloured with promarkers there are 2 diamonds of clouds printed onto pearlised paper and backed with a cerise coloured card. Then there are the 4 holographic cerise diamonds in the corners. Some cerise ribbon in 2 corners and finished off with some gems. All this is on glossy lilac paper then onto a skyblue card base.
I am entering this into the challenge over at Aly's Sunday Challenge - ASC29
Also into the Paper Playtime challenge - You Rock

Strength in Unity

That's the message inside this card using one of the up and coming images from Tellen's Place. I am lucky to be able to get a preview on most of the new images. This is one I fell in love with. The fact it features a dragon might have something to do with it, lol.
A simple gatefold card for one of the menfolk in the family.



The purple BP was lightly distressed and mounted onto sage green card stock. There are 2 squares of handmade paper mounted onto matching card in 2 corners. The main image was coloured in using promarkers then masked and the edges were ink distressed then this layer mounted onto more of that sage green. No frills, no flounces, just 4 brads. A CAS card.

I am entering this into the challenge over at the Critter Sketch challenge blog where they are asking for us to show us our dragons
I am also entering this into the challenge over at the Dutch Dare blog for Clean and Simple
I am also entering this into the challenge over at Cards For Men where animals is the subject.

Black Background

Yes, that's all that Tellen's Place Challenges want to see this week. Anything dark and creepy, or if you're still in Halloween mode, a new creation as long as it's a black background. The divas have done a grand job with giving everyone some inspirational pieces. Please go look at them all and leave some love.
For my part, this is what I have made......


A simple card. I started off by painted black cardstock with acrylic paint, blending the "sandy beach" into the cave...... the lair of Clawdeethor, who now has lunch all lined up. To the blackpaint while drying I added some fibres for lichen. This was then backed onto some black ink distressed yellow paper, the remnants of past meals adorn the side. This was then all mounted on more black cardstock. The Clawdeethor image was coloured using a mixture of watercolours and promarkers.
The prize will be 3 FREE TPD images from the Etsy store and the holiday images up and ready for grabs.

I am entering this into the Corrosive Challenge for Black and Blue this week.

GDT spot at Tuesday Taggers

Wooohoooo Following the entering in of my "Nursery Rhyme" little book into Tuesday Taggers a couple of weeks ago and being chosen as the lucky recipient of those fabulous ribbons from Ribbon Oasis, I was asked if I wanted to do a little project as guest DT. What an honour.
Ildiko is the one who chose this weeks challenge. I must admit - it took me a couple of days to get my head round the colour combo she chose of 'Silver, Gold and Purple with some sort of stamping'. Silver and gold are not a combination I would normally put together on the same project, but I don't think it turned out too bad in the end.


I used a digi from Delicious Doodles, changing the colour to purple using my graphics program. I actually cut out all the white bits except a small sliver round the outside of the image and mounted it on the textured gold card adding a tiny gem where the earring would be. The purple background was stamped and embossed in silver (the rubber stamp was a freebie from when I first started collecting stamps and has no name on it). This in turn was mounted onto silver and then gold miri adding ribbon at each layer before a final back of more purple to which was attached a little box for the candle.

The candle ......

Using the same stamp and gold pigment ink stamped onto white tissue paper. The image was the right size for 3 hearts round the candle. I went over the outline with gold gel pen to make sure the image wouldn't get lost against the candle and then cut out close to the outline. With a touch of stick glue to the back of the hearts to secure and some greaseproof paper to protect, the heat gun was gently played over the area to melt the wax enough to draw the image in but not so the whiteish core of the candle is exposed.
The box has a top and bottom to keep the candle secure and a final piece of ribbon round it.

I thought this would make a nice small gift to a couple celebrating their love, anniversary or engagement maybe?

Going Oriental

A break from those Christmas cards.... we all need it don't we. So with Tuesday Taggers setting the challenge .... that's what I did.
A card with an added "little something" for the bookworm - a book mark.
I don't have much in the way of oriental figures but I do have dragons :)

The dragons on both are from Tanda stamps fantasy range. Both stamped in black and heat embossed with a red sparkle embossing powder. The BP was a digi freebie from ummmm - one of those mags that comeout, I'm sorry I can't remember at the moment.
The little dangly bits have butterflies stamped onto shrink plastic and threaded onto the same thin red ribbon that is down the side.








On the bookmark the tassle was home made using embroidery silk.





All other bits from stash.

I am entering this into the Tuesday Taggers challenge this week for a "Taste of the Orient"
As this also has a book mark as part of the package - I am entering this into the challenge over at Your Next Stamp Challenge for their make a book mark

A White Christmas

Well I did warn you I am in Christmas card mode before..... This time using the sketch over at Midnight Madness. Before any one asks ..... This is for an elderly relative and my usual style would not be "understood". Lol.
These cute little robins are from Just Ink Lined. Coloured with promarkers, with just a touch of white glittery snow on the branch. This was framed with a touch of white stickles added to the scallops.

The diagonal panel is dotty embossed white to which I added a couple of lengths of white organza ribbon. The swirls are white, heat embossed and stuck to the white pearlised BP (scallop cut). The robins added next after a touch of white fibres wound round. A white flower and white snowflake added. Some little white pearls to balance the corners and all stuck to a white card stock base. There we have it...... just right for great auntie Rose :)

There are a few challenges which I will enter this into in the meantime.....
Midnight Madness sketch #78 - sketch
Critter sketch challenge blog - no sketch this week - just anything Christmas.
Simon Says Challenge - All White except for image
Alphabet Challenge - B for Birds
Craft Your Days Away - All White except the image

Another Delicious Christmas

I'm in Christmas card mode. It's getting to that time of year when I really need to make a few more.
I love this Poinsetta Fairy of Teri's Delicious Doodles. A simple card again. I don't do fru-fru easily at all and this image really doesn't require it. So following the sketch over at Sketchy Colours, I put this together...

The image is coloured in promarkers with gold sparkly gel-pen on the little fairy's wings and the bodice of the poinsetta fairy. Her wings were painted with gold paint as was the frame. The base dark green card stock was sprayed with a light dusting of gold shimmer and mounted onto gold miri. Little gems adorn the corners and the sides. The lace and velvet ribbon are from stash. The scallopped bits top and bottom are the same green card without the gold spray to which I added just a dot of stickles. This was then all mounted onto a pale green card base.
Simple, but I hope stricking.
I am entering this into the challenge over at Sketchy Colours as it is their sketch I followed. Also at Digital Tuesday for their "Framed" challenge. The City Crafter Challenge is tasking us to use a digi image - so I am entering this over there as well

Nevermore

My latest inky fingers are as a result of this.........
It started out trying a technique that my friend Kathy K over on Craft Mad and Loving it highlighted. She calls it a "post-it-note tutorial". Well after just the one inking after masking on white set me to thinking..... I wonder...... So began a marathon session of masking and inking.
I wanted to depict the broken man of the poem "The Raven".
I only used two colour distress inks for the middle green section.... Antique Linen and Forest Moss. The last few verses of the poem "The Raven" were printed in tiny font. The card was then trimmed to a shape similar to the inked sections and stuck onto some dark cream card that I had already used the antique linen ink on. I felt it needed more. So using black instead of green started masking and inking again. Now that looked better!!!
Now to use my stamps that were sitting waiting patiently for me. The "Poe", "Nevermore" and "leave my loneliness unbroken" stamps are from CherryPie. The grave stone and the other raven images are from SmearedInk "Holy City" range. Final touch were a few feathers stuck into a couple of black beads and a broken heart that I drew onto shrink plastic and attached.
This was all then attached to some deep red and then black cardstock.
It is destined as a picture but the frame I had in mind has been broken beyond repair. Need to go looking for stuff to make another.
Hope you like looking as much as I enjoyed making.

I am entering this into the Haunted Design House challenge this week for their "Freakers-Free-For All". Also into the 2Sisters Challenge for No Designer Paper and I Did It Creations Challenge for make your own charm .... the broken heart. Lexi's Creations are having an "Anything Goes" challenge this week so am also entering this little piece in there as well.

Joy

This card is destined as a thankyou card for someone. Had to be something they wouldn't shudder at hehehe. So while in my "lighter phase" of cards, this one was born. I used the freebie from Digistamps4joy, coloured with promarkers with a touch of gold gel pen. The paper is from the citrus range of DCWV and some scraps from my bit box. The ribbon is a bronze colour with a bronze metallic thread running through it which was "triple bowed". The flowers and buttons all from Crafty Feelings.

As this also fits into the challenge of at digistamps4joy of incorporating circles, I am entering it into their challenge. (Buttons and there are circles in the image's hair)
The girls over at City Crafter are challenging us to use a digi so I am entering this over there as well.