Some challenge cards ....

... gosh, we're having some awful weather here in North Wales.  The wind is blowing so hard that the hail is coming in almost horizontally!!!  So glad I'm in the warm. 

Anyway enough of that - I've got a couple of cards to share with you today.  The first one is a birthday card for my Aunty Sue.  I've used the lovely colours from this week's Colour Q - cQc118 challenge - soft and pretty colours.  I'm also entering this card into Flutter By Wednesday - FBW184 - where they have an open challenge, but the card must have either an angel, a fairy or a butterfly.  I've not played along with this challenge for a while, so it's nice to have something to share with them.

I don't have card or ink in cool caribbean or cameo coral, so I've matched as closely as possible.  I wanted a pretty floral card for Sue and, as luck would have it, I got the perfect stamp free with one of the craft magazines.  I stamped the image several times, cutting out the base layer with my nestie.  I've used a mixture of Promarkers and aquabrush to colour the image.  I've layered the flowers and some of the leaves - to give a little dimension.   I cut the ornate square from a piece of Pear Pizzazz card (don't have the ink, yet!!), but as it was a bit small I cut into equal quarters to make fancy corners!  I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to accurately position the sentiment, which was stamped in Cherry Cobbler and added a vellum butterfly.  Finally, I added a touch of sparkle by outlining the flourishes with a Sakura clear gel pen.

Stamps:  Flowers/butterfly - set free with Cardmaking & Papercraft;  Waltzingmouse - Say It With Style
Inks:  Memento - Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Up! - Cherry Cobbler, Certainly Celery
Promarkers:  Pear Green (Pear Pizzazz), Salmon Pink (Cameo Coral), Duck Egg (Cool Caribbean), Crimson, Burgundy (Cherry Cobbler)
Spellbinders:  Standard Squares Lg (S4-126) #7, Fleur de Lis Squares (S4-318) #4
Accessories:  Stampin' Up! card - Pear Pizzazz, Card and vellum from stash; Sakura Stardust Gel Pen clear

The next card is my first Christmas card of 2012!!!!  Really, it's not to early to start on your cards.  I'm submitting this card to a new Challenge blog - 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown, set up by Mynnette and Jacqueline.  For their first challenge the theme is "Anything Goes" - which is great!  This card was quick and easy to make, largely because I'd stamped and cut out the ornaments last year.  I randomly stamped snowflakes over the card base in two shades of pink.  Then, using my stamp-a-ma-jig, I decided where to stamp the pine cones and branch.  The ornament is made up of two layers, on the top I've stamped the sentiment "Santa Claus" and moving the top ornament around reveals a picture of Santa with a snowman.

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse - Santa's Coming to Town, Sewing Box Christmas, Festive Foliage, Vintage Ornaments
Inks: Memento - Tuxedo Black, Cottage Ivy, Rich Cocoa; Distress - Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick
Spellbinders:  Plain Ovals Sm (S4-112) #3
Accessories:  DCWV - Pink Christmas papers; Stampin' Up! - filigree brad; Sakura Black Glaze gel pen; Santa image - Kanban; Card from stash

When you move the top ornament, this is what you see - I like this idea and might use it again on another card.

Well, that's all for now - I'm off to my craft room again for a while.  I've got to make a birthday card for my neice, and start to think about a card for Ben - he'll be 16 next week!!!  Did I mention the crazy weather we're having here in North Wales?  Well, now it's sunny and quite bright, but cold!!!!  See you soon.