Things I Love

When the challenge title for this new challenge over at Sparkle and Glitter with Rick (St Dennis) was chosen as a theme, I admit I was stumped for a short while. What, out of all the things I love, shall I depict? So many to choose from. Regular readers of my blog will have gathered by now that my crafty makes are varied. Bordering on the cute when I have to but generally on the darker side. I suppose this is one of the reasons I am on the design teams that I am on. There is one genre that I am enjoying again and again and that is Steam Punk. There are so many aspects that can be depicted. From the fantasy right through to the industrial. As it so happens, I have recently committed myself to a "circle journal" group. Yep - I had to research this as well. For this particular circle, we are 10 members. We all get to choose the theme of our own journals and start them off. They should include a bit about ourselves and a list of "rules" that other contributors to the journal must follow. ie one girl has stated "No Felt". These two pages are what I am about to share with you. The inside cover will be "About Me" and the next - the rules will be added.

About Me

What do we have here? There's the DP base from the Papermania Chronology range. The image is Punky McSteam from Rick St Dennis. It appears the image has been retired now but I love her and had to use her, coloured with promarkers with a touch here and there of perfect pearls painted on and some glossy accents in strategic places then torn out and more ink distressing.

I then sponged "vintage paper" distress ink through a couple of prima stencils. This technique was one that was highlighted in Craft Stamper in march 2013 issue. Then came the Grunge Flourish stamp from Visible Image stamped using metallic copper ink. The title stamped using a set of alphabet stamps in my stash. The brown and apricot lace flower with pearls has been handmade.

Rules page

A much simpler page and will have an insert with my "Rules" when they are finalised. Using some more of the paper stack, I attached a pocket with small eyelets to it. The pocket is made from pearlised copper card to which was added one of the chronology range's postcards after stamping some creative expressions clocks, then a Sweet Pea image Marlon Teunissen's Steam Punk Angel. Fussy cut out and attached to some pearlised brown paper from stash.

Phew, and this is just two of the pages!

Does this inspire you to join in our challenge over at Sparkle and Glitter with Rick? I hope so.

I'd like to enter these two journal pages into the challenge at
Craft My Life - Non Card Projects
Craft Us Crazy - Show Us Your Favourites
Sarah Hurley Challenges - Anything But A Card
SweetPea Stampers - Use a digi

The top journal page also into the challenge at
The Craft Stamper Magazine Blog - Faux Airbrushing Technique

Willow Designs Sketch Challenge

The link is on my side bar. What an awesome prize is up for grabs folks. Please check it out before Wednesday at Willow Designs Sketch Challenge.
My card following the sketch is destined to be a birthday card for a teamie at work.



The image is from Sweetpea Stamps. Stamped in "teddy bear" brown and coloured with promarkers. Fussy cut out and mounted, first onto cinnamon then chocolate brown c.s.





The base is a pinky-red layered under mustard hand made papers. Then comes the basic grey DP. All layers sewn together. The cranberry lace strips were also sewn on before adding some homemade lace flowers with button centres. The lace for the flowers was coloured with promarkers to get the right colour. Some cranberry gems and pearls stuck on for that bit of glitz.

A small piece of the BP was stamped with the simple sentiment and heat embossed with copper to finish it off.





The challenges I'm entering
Willow Sketchie Challenge - Their Sketch

Altered CD with SweetPea

I had another go at altering a CD as per the challenge over at Stampin' Dymonz Scrap Shack. Making the holes on this one was easier. I used my leather puncher and eyelet setter as I don't own a cropodile.

The backing is made from foil covered with gesso, kitchen towel, more gesso then painted with acrylics and rubbed over with metalic paste as illustrated by Terra over at the Smeared and Smudged forum. Edging is satin seam binding. SweetPea image, coloured with pencils, blended with mineral oil then fussy cut out. Lace stuck on to bottom (with a touch of glitter through the lace holes) and to hang it with. Holes have copper eyelets set and pearls and fibres threaded onto nylon cord with some ribbon tied on. Pearls stuck round the edge as well.



I am entering this into the challenge over at
Sweet Pea Stampers - Lace and Pearls
Crafty Purple Frog - Mono Moments (nearly all in different shades of green)
Clear It Out Tuesday - Use different colouring mediums.
Craft Your Passion - Have something hanging over the edge.
The Emerald Faerie Garden 1st challenge - Anything Goes
Polka Doodles - Anything but a card

Play time for me

It's Easter sunday and most people have had family round. Eaten too many chocs and other sweeties. It's been very quiet here, thank goodness. I have a really bad cold (almost like flu) and could not raise the energy to do much. So I coloured in a few images, when the eyes weren't too runny, or slept or just wandered round blogland.
Sweet Pea Stamps Blog have been having a little blog candy easter give away. Today the challenge is to use "candy wrappers" on a card, as well as a Sweet Pea image. Well, not too many chocs have been consumed here today. But I did treat myself to a Mars bar. So used that.

The background is brayered and some gold foil (left over from Christmas I think) letters cut out. All stuck on red CS. Had to be red as Mars is "the Red Planet" after all.
The image was coloured with pencils.
So this is my effort for that mini challenge.

A Special Birthday

My D.I.L. to be is to be 21 in a few days time. I thought I'd better knucjkle down and make her card. Well it had to be something a bit different. It's not every day one turns 21. I went for a square card with a difference. Nothing too flouncy, she's not that kind of girl. Probably why we get on so well. We have very similar tastes.
The "square" is not immediately apparent until looked from the top (or bottom).

The little boxes will be filled with some little pressies. A pair of earrings etc. They are origami folded boxes, made from pale blue paper, stuck on some white pearlised card. The card itself is so pretty when the light catches it, I didn't want to cover it. You can see here the small pieces of velcro I used to keep it shut.






The outside is a bit more ornate. Only a bit. I basically followed the sketch for the challenge over at the Outlawz forum this week.

I chose 2 SweetPea images. Coloured them both with sakura pencils and blended most of them with M.O.
A touch here and there with glamour dust for just that bit of sparkle.













It's difficult to show all 4 sides at once
But I hope you get the idea. When closed the "Happy" sits with the "Birthday" wording.
The wording and numbers are from stash. As is the ribbon.
Five seperate lengths stuck on. There are little flower buttons and pearls as well.


The leaves are stamped images. Stamped with green ink onto the same apple green c.s. used to back the images. A touch of green stickles for a bit more sparkle.


The challenges I am entering this into are
Outlawz - Their sketch
Flutter by Wednesdays - Open
The Paper Variety - Use a Number

Purple Sweet Pea

Choose my favorite colour. Create using a Sweet Pea image. That's the challenge over at In A Sweet Pea Dream. Come back here mojo.
This card actually took less time than my previous card. I guess cute and girly is not going to be a regular thing.
An aperture card.
Purple and black are my favorite colours, so that's the colours chosen.

I followed the sketch over at Jac-Inks Papercraft
for this one.

The patterned paper is another from my charity shop find. Layered onto a plain purple paper. The hole cut out and some black organza ribbon to create 9 square panels. The aperture hole was edged with bronzed black c.s. that I had sewn some gathered lace onto.






inside, the design is mirrored, with the addition of some more black organza sewn on round the edges.
The circle behind the image is the same bronzed black as the front.
The image itself, coloured with pencils and the dress, hair and skin blended with m.o. The wings I left "feathered". A touch here and there with glossy accents to highlight. The border is promarkers in graduating shades of grey.






A couple of challenges that I am entering this into

Jak-Inks Papercraft - Their Sketch
In A Sweet Pea Dream - Their recipe - Favorite colour
Delicious Doodles - All stitched up - include some stitching
The Secret Crafter - Include some stitching
Crafty Purple Frog - Texture and ribbon
Crafts and Me - Use ribbon

Just 4 U

A tag. For a change. Using a Ching Chou Kuik Sweet Pea stamp. (Black Rose Fairy) coloured with promarkers.
Destined to go on an Easter pressie, hence the yellows.

The base tag was embossed with a flowery plate with the oval that had been ink distressed with spiced marmalade DI.
Yellow organza ribbon, some daisy flowers, glitter and pale green heart gems all on the main tag.
Some threaded homemade paper beads onto yellow embroidery silk with some sparkly filament and another little collection of beads together with more yellow organza and some sparkly gold ribbons and a 2nd little tag made from a punched flower using scraps of the paper I made for a previous card with some tiny padded flowers stuck on.

A couple of challenges that I am entering this into
Do You Stack Up - Follow the yellow brick Road - my 3rd and last entry
Allsorts Challenge Blog - Anything but square
Crafty Emma's - Monochromatic
One Stop Craft Challenge - Monochromatic

More Green

With St Patrick's day behind us now, this might well be the last green card for a while. The image is another from the pen of Ching-Chou Kuik in the form of a rubber stamp from Sweet Pea Stamps. Following the sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches.

It was coloured entirely with pencils, blended. This was then framed with an offcut from a previously used diecut oval. I inked with bundled sage DI and spritzed with copper glimmer mist.

The backing card is pearlised green that was embossed with butterflies and the corners trimmed with a MS punch. Layered onto light green CS after attaching 4 different ribbons in shades of green. Some tiny flower buttons were added as they mirror those on the image and some green stickles added to match further. I made a butterfly using glitter cordage.
This has been entered into the challenges at
The Outlawz - POM challenge
Tuesday Morning Sketches - Their Sketch
AiFactory Challenge - Things with Wings
Crafty Purple Frog - Green
The Rubber Cafe Design Team - Monochrome
Creative Craft Crew - Show some Green

fairy in green and orange

More birthday cards to make for the girls. This one is using a stamp I recieved as part of a blog candy win. The stamp itself is part of the SweetPea range. I had not got round to inking this one up until this week. The challenge over at Pile It On challenges was for green and orange. This colour combo can look so fresh and spring like and dark and mysterious depending on the tones used. I went with the spring look. The weather here is so dreary, I needed something to lighten my mood and the intended recipient prefers the lighter side as well anyway. Anyway....
A fancy fold card using spring green CS as a base

The side portion has been diamond folded to add that bit more of an interest. The spine decorated with Irish green CS and orange dotty ribbon.



The image was coloured using promarkers with some stickles and glossy accents in a few places to highlight. The edges lightly treated to some rusty hinge DI. Backed with some orange textured CS that was donated by a friend last year when I started making cards. A little bow using the same ribbon as on the spine and one of three punched butterflies. All three were from pale orange CS and lightly ink distressed with rusty hinge DI before a body of green stickles added.
The main section is made up of some Irish green CS covered with orange paper that was spritzed with copper mica spray and scrunched up then flattened again. A MS border punched piece of CS with orange/green/gold striped ribbon added to the side. The flower was made from 3 prima type flowers with an old brad to secure and the remaining butterflies.
Sentiment from LOTV added to more of the textured orange CS and stuck on in the corner.

The sketch that was loosley followed here is from Sketch N Stash challenges. The old stash being brad and orange CS. New being the image. I am entering this into their challenge this week.
I don't know how other people keep track of challenges they enter.
I tend to just do a few per card - easier on the DT visiting as well.

Other challenges entered are
Delightful Challenges - Butterflies
CropStop Challenge #10 - Spring is in the Air
Simon Says Stamp - Anything goes
Alphabet Challenge Blog - Stripes. The ribbon and the stripey "spine"
Pile It On - #11 Orange and Green
Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenges - Make your own BP - The orange
Papertake Weekly - Triple tastic - three of something - 3 butterflies, 3 seperate flowers make one, 3 lengths of ribbon

Bugs Alive

I make no real excuses about using this image twice in one week. It was the ideal choice when the girls over at CMLI on the craft Bubble forum laid down the sketch with a bugs twist.

The image is from the Sweet Pea range. Coloured with promarkers with touches of glossy accents and stickles. The leaves were added to by layering the image onto an extra set stamped.
The background was created using my new tool - a brayer with some foliage stamping on. The scalloped edging is an edge punch "bent round" because I don't own any "nestie" type cutters with an added pearl detail.
The BP was in a RAK and I don't know the origin. This was layered onto a wavy cut plain paper before attaching to the card base.
The lace at the top was an old length in stash that I coloured dark green with alcohol ink. The added pink being the offcuts from punching the image's backing. Again adding some pearl detail. The bugs at the bottom are die cuts from holographic card and those at the top are brads.

Challenges that I am entering this into are
In A SweetPea Dream - Pink
SweetPea Stampers - Scallops
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Pearls
Totally Gorguss - Lace and pearls

Flying into Spring

This week has been a bit frantic. Lots of things going on here at home. My crafty room did not even see me for a few days and I had no PC. I did get this little SweetPea image coloured though and made into a card. Too late for a couple of the challenges I had in mind - but that's the way life goes sometimes.
The card itself is a twisted easel card. I did loosely follow the sketchy over on Friday Sketchers

The BP is from DCWV citrus range. Mounted onto gold mirri. There are 2 panels. One a square of pale green core-dinations and the other a circle that I ink distressed with rusty hinge and barn door DIs. Both embossed with butterflies and then the raised bits rubbed over with gold metallic paste. The LOTV sentiment stamped onto punched card.
The SweetPea image was coloured using promarkers with added stickles and glossy accents. This was mounted onto panels punched with MS PRTP.


The main card was finished with a few added butterflies that were also ink distressed with the same DIs and a few flowers and ribbons.

The base was another MS border punch and some more of the same ribbon to neaten.
Buttons and gems were used as the "stopper" and a couple more butterflies to finish off.


I am entering this into the challenges over at
Friday Sketchers as it was inspired by the current sketch
The image is one of my favs from SweetPea stamps so I am entering it into the challenge over at Sweet Pea Stampers - Favourite Stamp
The challenge over at Crafty Purple Frog calls for "Things with Wings" and this has a few.
Flutterby Wednesdays - their inspirational pic is of daisies - well there's loads of flowers on here. I hope that counts
Craft your Passion have an "Anything Goes" challenge so am entering this into that as well.
Paper Crafting Journey have a "with wings" challenge also.

Lots of Love

Another card for my little stockpile of emergency birthday cards. This time, following the sketch over at Sweet Pea Stampers with, of course, a SweetPea image from Ching-Chou Kuik
In shades of blue and purple with silver accents.

The image was coloured using promarkers with a touch of metalic paint here and there to highlight. cut out and mounted onto navy blue CS that I had stamped with the same image and heat embossed so that the swirly bits were that bit different. This in turn mounted onto silver to which I added the blue and silver handmade flower and some lilac dewdrops. a very light dusting of gold glitter dust to tie in with the hair.
The BP is homemade "sculpture paper" as shown to us over on the Smeared and Smudged forum by Terra. Backed onto the same silver and navy CS as the image. The sentiment was double heat embossed for depth and definition and the navy CS rubbed over lightly with a lilac pigment ink. All the panels were mounted onto silver then onto navy CS base. Silver fineline peel offs were used to give the impression of yet more layers. Then yet more dewdrops in lilac to finish.

Sweet Pea Stampers are having a DT call and this card has been entered into that as well. Anyone that wishes to try out - hurry on over - you've got until end of feb to enter.

Challenges that I am entering this into are
Sweet Pea Stampers - Their Sketch
In a Sweet Pea Dream - Anything Goes
Stamping Royalty - Mark It Up
Fab 'n' Funky - Make your own embellishment - the flower and the paper are home made

Shades of Copper

A glittery, glitzy card. For me that is. I'm still practising this girly side of card making. This time my attempt is in lots of shades of copper. From the copper gel pen on the image through the copper cosmic shimmer on the dark amber card and pearlised copper to the ribbons.

The SweetPea image itself is coloured using promarkers for the main part with just some hints picked up in the copper gel pens. The body seems not to be coloured but it is. I'm blaming it on the light at the moment.
This is layered onto pearlised copper with a piece of the glimmer misted card. The hand made paper beads have been painted with a shimmer as well.
Copper/bronze metal ribbon and copper organza added.
Some coppery brads in the corner
The sentiment reads "follow your dreams" was stamped onto a scrap and has some little gems in the corners.


I took a pic from a different angle to give an idea on the glitz on here.

I am entering this into the challenge over at Sweet Pea Stampers - Glamour and Glitz
In A Sweet Pea Dream - Talk To Me

Another SweetPea

Nearly all WHITE. A tall order for images that are normally so colourful. That's the challenge over at Sweet Pea Stampers Blog.
I'm still trying to stockpile a few birthday cards for those "In a hurry" days. This challenge appealed to my "let's try this" side.

I don't have much in the way of white embellishments so was raking round in my stash for a while trying to think what to use.

The card itself is a stepper card with the centre panel cut to form a hexagon just to give it that bit more interest. The main image was coloured with pearlised watercolours, well watered down. This was stuck on some butterfly embossed pearlised CS that I had attached some lace to. The little gems are stuck on the little dots on the pattern. Some more of that embossed CS was used on the sides and bottom matted with some lightly glittered paper. The bottom panel has some gathered organza ribbon sewn to it. The butterflies are die cuts with a touch of crystal stickles glued to the flowers held on with white brads.


I am entering this into the challenge over at Sweet Pea Stampers - All White except the image
One Stitch At A Time - Anything Goes
Let's Ink It Up - Anything Goes
Flutter By Wednesday's - White on White
Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Butterflies
The Creative Cottage - Shaped Cards
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Anything goes (GDT)

SweetPea

I was so lucky to be one of the winners in the "In A Sweet Pea Dream" blog win. One of the items in there was this gorgeous stamp. Now I had to ink it up, didn't I?
The challenge for "Under the Sea" is still going on and they don't mind more than one entry. This seemed the ideal challenge to enter it.
The ribbon flower is inspired by Ira Huberts. She makes the most amazing creations of all sorts.

The sketch followed was that of Card Patterns #99.
The image is coloured using promakers
I used papers from Crafty Chaos, and some hand made paper behind the mermaid and for the stamped sentiment plus other bits in stash.






The ribbon was gathered up on thread before sticking down.

All mounted onto a white card base.





I am entering this into the challenge over at In A Sweet Pea Dream - Under The Sea
Card Patterns - Their sketch #99
Crafty Cardmakers - Flowers. Not only have the image and papers got flowers - there's 1 big one as well
Magical Monday Challenges - Flowers plus fantasy image
CraftYourPassion - two patterned papers.
Papertake Weekly Challenges - Ribbons and Pearls
The CityCrafter Blog - Stitching. The ribbon flower was all stitched together and the ruched ribbon was gathered on thread.
The Crafty Pad - Girly Theme - Can't think of anything more girly than pink

Under the Sea

In A Sweet Pea Dream challenges set the challenge of "Under The Sea". I am trying to stock pile a few birthday cards for those "in a hurry" times. The stamp is the only mermaid one I have from SweetPea and although I used it a few weeks ago, I have changed both the colour scheme and layout.

To emphasise the "Under the Sea" of the challenge, I have used a recessed window in which to site the main image.
She is coloured primarily with promarkers with just a hint of pearlised paints to highlight.








The main BP is from the Mint Choc Chip Muddle set of Crafty Chaos' delicious papers. (Slightly digitally changed to get a colour I wanted better). The lines are so similar to the tail of our mermaid, it screamed "Use Me".
The two octogons were cut from half a sheet of a DP recieved in a RAK so do not know the origin - sorry. These were backed with some holographic miri as was the sentiment. That was stamped in green stazon on a scrap left over of the main BP.

The recipe I followed was that over on Sparkles Forum Challenges. 5 Gems, 4 Brads, 3 Flowers, 2 Buttons, 1 Ribbon/bow. The buttons are used in the middle of two of the flowers (all home made)

The whole thing was then finished off with some wavy line peeloffs.

The challenges I am entering this into are on
In A SweetPea Dream - the theme "Under Water"
Sparkles Forum - The recipe
The City Crafter are wanting to see our hand made flowers - well there's 2 different sorts on here so I' entering that challenge as well.
Pixie Dust Studio are also wanting a button or few for their challenge this week. My buttons are on my flowers.
2 Sisters Challenges are having a flower request so am entering this into that challenge

First and Last or Greatest

This is a trip down memory lane encouraged by Crafty Cardmakers.
Well most of you know I haven't been crafting long. In fact tomorrow marks the 1st anniversary of when I ordered my first kit. Yes, I started with "Create and Craft" on the TV here in Britain. I watched them all before even getting my first bit of double sided tape. I only ever made 2 cards up out of that kit and didn't think to photograph before giving them away. This is the first card I made "all by myself" and is the first blog post back in March of this year.


Black/gold cardstock, an image lifted from google which I coloured in using ordinary felt tips then decoupaged and surrounded by border punched paper and some corner peeloffs all on black CS.

I didn't own a single stamp digi or rubber. Then.

Now my latest, though maybe not my "greatest". One I finished only this morning for my daughter's birthday today.

I have learnt how to colour better. Helps having something like promarkers instead of kids felt tips.

Crafty Cardmakers challenge #36 are allowing 3 entries per person first/last cards, tags etc. different posts and be of different types of project.

Winter birthdays

Now the Christmas rush is over I have been able to concentrate on a few birthday cards that are needed in the next few days. This first one is for one of my daughters. I only just managed to get a couple of pics before it went out the door.
I used one of the stamps that was in a fantastic gift from a very dear friend, I know it's a sweet pea stamp but haven't yet looked up the name. An Easel card.


After colouring in the image in promarkers, I fussy cut it out and stuck to the image I had already stamped onto the Crafty Companions BP. The frame stuck onto that made from irridesant pink and pearlised gold CS. Some dots of stickles to complete.
The swirls are made from diecut heart shapes, cut and twisted after painting with pearlised paints and secured with brads. The ribbons are from Crafty Feelings. The sentiment came as part of a freebie set of diecuts in a mag. The little pearls from stash.
All mounted on lime green CS.
Now that I have a couple of SweetPea stamps, I can enter their challenges. This card is being entered into the current challenge over at In A SweetPea Dream of "ribbons and bows".