AC - Too Late to Negotiate? ...

.....  Good morning!  For some reason I haven't had chance to get into my craft room this week - I can't even blame housework!  And I'm running a bit late with this post too. 

Today's project is not cute and cuddly, in fact it's a bit creepy and possibly downright scary!  I've made a Creepmas Tag.  What's Creepmas?  Well, in recent years many retailers have put out Christmas products silly early.  I remember seeing Christmas cards on sale in the UK as early as August!!!!  Duh!  And here in the States, many stores had removed all their Halloween products by mid-October, way before Halloween and replaced them with Christmas stuff.  So as a friendly response to Christmas creeping into Halloween, various groups decided to put Halloween into Christmas - hence CREEPMAS!!!  The annual 13 Days of Creepmas starts on 1st December and allows those of us with a warped sense of fun to play!!!  I was playing yesterday and came up with this tag, it's somewhat early this year :) :)

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Early Thaw; Dylusions - Christmas Words; Winnie & Walter - Winter Wonderland
Inks: Archival - Jet Black
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Manilla Tag; Distress Stains - various; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Clear; Ribbon

Last year I went to a really fun class with Valerie Brinchick to play with Distress products - inks, stains and paints.  We tried all types of techniques on tags and as a consequence I have quite of lot of half finished tags.   I used the colours in the tag for inspiration to colour this very scary snowman.  I printed it on white card and coloured with Copic markers and carefully cut it out with a scalpel.  As the colours are similar to those on the tag, I layered the image on black card.  I stamped some fir branches and pine cones in archival ink on the tag and then adhered the snowman with dimensional gel.  I finished the front with a fun sentiment which I stamped on vellum.  I created a tag for the back - using Distress stains and more stamps.  Finally I added a black ribbon and tied on some purple sparkly thread. 

If, like me, you have a slightly twisted (but still fun) take on Christmas or you simply love Halloween and all the associated images, you'll find this snowman and many more Creepmas images at Rick's online stores - Zibbet and Esty.  Of course, if you don't like creepy and scary, Rick also has a fabulous selection of cute, fun and elegant images.

Looking out of my office window I can see blue skies and sunshine, a marked contrast to the snow - yes, I said SNOW - that we had yesterday.  It might look lovely, but it's absolutely freezing!  I was told when we moved here, that if you didn't like the weather to"wait five minutes and it'll change!".  They were right!  That's it for now.  Have a good day - see you soon.

52CCT - Theme ...

....  Good morning!  I'm running really late with this post - should have been up about 10 hours ago!  Oh well, never mind.  It's time for our new challenge at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown and Louise has picked the theme of CHRISTMAS CATS.  I don't have many cat stamps, but I knew I had a really old set somewhere - and I found it this morning! Yea me!  Here's my card:

Stamps: SeeD's - Animal Christmas; Winnie & Walter - Scenery Party Hangover; Waltzingmouse - 2011 Holiday Ornaments
Inks: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Up! - Real Red, Old Olive; Encore - Gold
Dies: Lil Inkers - Stitched Rectangles #4, Dual Stitched Rectangles #3
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - Mistletoe; Copic Markers; Stickles Clear

I had fun with this card.  I stamped the three cats on scrap card, coloured them with Copic markers and cut them out.  I die cut a piece of white card and some design paper for a mat.  I stamped the sled of presents directly on the white panel, coloured it and then used my stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp the cats on the card.  Then I adhered the cats and finished the front with a tiny sentiment (purrfect with the cats!!) and some party banners.  On the inside I cut a mat from more design paper and on the white panel added another cat and a simple sentiment.

Do pop over to the 52CCT blog and check out the inspiration cards from the rest of the team - they're fabulous. 

Now that I've got this card done, I'm off to spend the day with Kathryn for some girly pampering!  See you soon.

USC - Things with Wings ....

.... Good morning!  It's time for our new challenge at Uniko Studio and for the next couple of weeks we'd like to see your project with our theme of:

THINGS WITH WINGS

Beverley has some wonderful stamp sets featuring things with wings and I've gone for a light, bright butterfly card:

Stamps: Uniko Studio - Bright Butterflies, English Country Garden Butterflies; Background Builders Round in Circles
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Bermuda Bay; Versafine - Onyx Black; Memento - Grey Flannel
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU DP - Bermuda Bay; Vellum; Clear Embossing Powder; Copic Markers; Staedtler Ergo Soft Pencils; Wink of Stella - Clear

I used a couple of challenges in the making of this card.  I CASEd Michele's beautiful card at MUSE - MUSE#113 and I used the colours from this week's Colour Q - cQc#287 - my pop of colour teal.  I was going to make this a one-layer card with the butterfly stamped directly on the card, but decided that it would be much better to have a dimensional butterfly.  I stamped the image in Versafine on vellum and heat embossed with clear powder.  I coloured the reverse of the image with Copic markers and pencils.  Once cut out, I added lots of sparkle to the top of the image - in real-life this really shimmers when the sun shines on it.  I used a selection of stamps from the Round in Circles to create the background and added a simple sentiment at the top. 

The image you see above is slightly different to the one on Uniko Studio's blog (see left).  After I loaded my image to Uniko Studio, I thought it wasn't quite finished.  I added a line of linked circles stamped in black, it seemed to balance the card better.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of design paper and stamped some decoration on the white panel, but left space for my message.

Looking at my photos - this card appears to be slightly wonky - it's actually straight!!  Must check out my photography skills :)

You can't see the sparkle on the butterfly's wings, so I've taken an out-of-focus photo as this seems to show the shimmer:

Do drop by the blog and check out the inspiration cards from the rest of the team and also from our Guest Designers - Michelle and Elaine.  You've got plenty of time to play along - deadline for submission is Friday 1st May, 8.00am BST (3.00am EDT).  Have fun!!!

SNG - Billie Hat Lady ....

... Good morning!  It's my turn to post a project on Sparkle and Glitter where Rick St Dennis's EDT share work using Rick's wonderful images.  I'm also Guest Designer at Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenges where Rick is sponsoring this week's challenge - there's a theme too - to use Die Cuts.  Here's my card:

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Billie Hat Lady; Penny Black - Sprinkles and Smiles; Winnie & Walter - Scenery Party Hangover
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Bermuda Bay, Wild Wasabi, Crumb Cake
Dies: Spellbinders - A2 Locking Loops (S5-175) #1
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - All that Glitters; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Clear; Gem

I used the colours from this week's Colour Throwdown - CTD#338.  I covered the card with design paper.  I printed the image onto white card, coloured with Copic markers and carefully cut it out a scalpel (easier to get in the small gaps).  I added sparkle to her furs, the feathers and her earring.  I die cut a pretty panel in white, adhered it to the card and then attached Billie.  I finished the front with a little flower that I made by die cutting two pieces in blue and green, gluing them together and adding a gem.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of design paper and added a sentiment and some decoration on the white panel.

Do check out the challenge at Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenge (love that name - all my favourite things in one place!) and have fun.  If you like Billie Hat Lady you can find her and lots more Hat Ladies at Rick's Zibbet and Esty shops.  That's all for now!

RSD - Progressive Challenge Team B ...

.....  Good afternoon.  I'm very late with this post for the Rick St Dennis Progressive Challenge (I should have had this card up early this morning).  This month you must use the gorgeous Aloha Nui image (which you will have received if you played along with the first part of the challenge).  However, if you missed that you can buy the image at Rick's Zibbet shop.  Here's my card:

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Aloha Nui; Waltzingmouse - My Island
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Crumb Cake, Strawberry Slush
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Fancy Pants DP - Beach Babe; SU Card - Pistachio Pudding; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Clear

I used a couple of challenges in the making of this card.  I used the colours from The Paper Players - PP#240 and the layout is based on the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches - FMS#182.  I printed this sweet lady on white card, coloured her with Copic markers, cut her out and added some sparkle to her flowers and hair with a clear Wink of Stella brush.  I found this fab piece of design paper in my stash - it wasn't quite the right colour, so I went over it with Copic markers and layered it on some pale green card.  I adhered the image with dimensional gel.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of green card and on the white panel added a little island and a sentiment.

The rest of Team B have made some fabulous projects with Aloha Nui - do drop by and leave a comment or two.  That's all for now.  See you soon.

TMR - Theme: Letters and/or Numbers ...

....  Hello and Good Morning!  It's time for our new challenge at The Male Room, but, before we get to that, we are welcoming two new members to our Design Team - Jane and Sue T - please do drop by and say Hi to them.  You might also notice a few changes to the blog too - our new design created by the very talented Kylie Purtell.  Now, moving on to our challenge, for the next couple of weeks we'd like you to create a masculine style project with the theme of numbers and letters.  Here's my take:

 
Stamps: Uniko Studio - Background Builders - Round in Circles
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Cajun Craze
Dies: Lil Inkers - Double Stitched Rectangles #2 and #4; Die-namics - Happy Hellos
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - Attitude

This card was really quick and easy to make as most of the work was done by the design paper.  I found this wonderful sheet of numbered paper in one of my many packs of Kaisercraft papers.  I cut the background layer using the large of the new double stitched rectangle dies from Lil Inkers and adhered it to the card.  I cut a smaller rectangle in white on to which I adhered a die cut sentiment - clean, crisp and bold.  If you look closely at the letters you can see there are little dots on it.  On the inside I used the rest of the dotty paper to make a mat layer and on the white panel I stamped a few grungy circles.  I left a space for my message.

For more inspiration using letters and/or numbers on your masculine projects, do check out the blog to see what the rest of the team have made to share with you.  Have fun.  See you soon.

ASM - Photo ....

Hello and good evening.  It's time for our new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!  This week it's our Photo Inspiration challenge.  Your project must take inspiration from the photo - just tell us what inspired you.  We have two sponsors this week - Bugaboo Stamps and they have a prize of 7 digi stamps and Rosey Hearts who have a prize of 5 digi stamps.  Here are my cards:

Stamps: Bugaboo Digi - JJ Tequila and Shoes ;  Uniko Studio - Time, Extra Time; Penny Black - Sprinkles and Smiles
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Sahara Sand, Melon Mambo; Memento - London Fog
Dies: Spellbinders - Mega Rectangles Sm (S4-144) #4, Deckled Mega Rectangles Lg (S5-015) #4
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Melon Mambo; US DP - Time & Extra Time; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella; SU Punch - Decorative Label; Glossy Accents

My inspiration from the photo is the soft neutral colours with the pop of pink, along with the clocks.  I printed JJ on white card, cut her out with a long rectangle, coloured with Copic markers, added some sparkle and a touch of glossy accents to her specs and martini glass.  I layered the finished image on pink card.  I punched out the sentiment and layerd it on pink card.  I covered the card with Uniko Studio design paper which is perfect for this challenge as it has clocks on it.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of pink card and stamped more clocks and cogs and a sentiment on the white panel.

My second card is a little more risque, but so much fun!  When I saw the image I knew I would have to colour her.  My husband loves cherries :) :)

Stamps: Rosey Heart Digi - Girl Cherry Pop;  Uniko Studio - Time, Extra Time; Penny Black - Sprinkles and Smiles
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Sahara Sand, Melon Mambo; Memento - London Fog
Dies: Spellbinders - Rectangles Lg (S4-132) #5, Scalloped Rectangles Lg (S4-133) #5
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Melon Mambo; US DP - Time & Extra Time; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella

I printed her on white card, coloured with Copics and added lots of sparkle with my clear Wink of Stella Brush.  I layered the image on pink card and attached it to the front of the card.  I found this sentiment and thought it was perfect to go with the image.  The inside has a mat layer of pink and some decoration on the white panel.

For more projects using our Inspiration Photo - check out the blog to see what the rest of the team have made.  Have fun!

Uniko Studio - Revisit ...

... Hello again!  Today the Uniko Studio Design Team are revisiting a number of Beverley's super stamp sets:

• Paradise - Hummingbird
• English Country Garden - Butterflies
• Bright Butterflies

 Now, I don't have the hummingbird set (yet), so my card features only butterflies:

Stamps: Uniko Studio - Bright Butterflies, English Country Garden Butterflies
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Garden Green, Gumball Green, Wild Wasabi, Pistachio Pudding, Green Galore, Old Olive; Kaleidacolor - Fresh Greens
Dies: Memeory Box - Cross Stitched Frames #3
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Lucky Limeade; SU Marker - Basic Black

This card came about because I saw the sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch - CTS#117 and the monochromatic colour scheme at CAS Colours & Sketches - CASC&S#118 - that butterfly graphic is so pretty.  This post is going live too late to play along with either challenge, but as they had such an influence on the design, must give them all the credit.  I'm also playing along with House of Cards - HOCApr, where the challenge is to add a butterfly and/or use their colours, obviously I've added butterflies!!

I die cut the green frame and adhered it directly to the card.  I stamped lots of the outline butterfly in black and added colour by over stamping with the solid butterfly - they are really easy to line up.  I spent a while cutting them all out and edged each one with a black marker.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre of the card and adhered the butterflies all around it.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of green card and added more butterflies and a sentiment to the white panel.

Now, why don't you hop along and visit the rest of the team to see what they have made for you.  Here's the order of the hop:

Bev/Uniko Studio

Amber

Deborah - that's me!!

Gillian

Nicki

Sandie

Sarah

Sarah G

That's all for now - thanks so much for stopping by, I really do appreciate it.  Have a great day.