#50 Lavender & Lace

I ♥ Promarker Sponsor this week – Digi Doodle Shops images

Hi all, and I hope that just a glance at my DT card for I ♥ Promarkers this week is quite explanatory. Yep folks, this week is the classic combination of lavender & lace (as well as the obligatory use of Promarkers of course!) & the DT are all using images from Digi Doodle Shops. I am sure all of us on the DT would love you to pass by & ‘leave a little love’ in the comment box if you have time.

I chose to use this gorgeous little ‘Angel 4’ with a vellum halo made from a Joanna Sheen Victorian Doiley Stamp (from the Beautiful Circle set if you are interested). To emphasise the pattern on the doiley more I also embossed from the reverse side as well as highlighting with a gel pen on the front.  As she seems to be rather contemplative to me, in the background she looks to a stained glass window image from supercoloring.com (freebie, probably meant for kids to colour, but why not us eh? LOL).

The background paper is another creation from Jak Heath which just seemed perfect for my card  - not only was it the right colour but the falling leaf image seemed rather feather-like to me…well, maybe that last bit is just my personal quirk of imagination! LOL. The lace is just some from my stash.  Hope you all like it!

Challenges I would like to enter this card for:
Your Next Stamp - create a scene
Little Red Wagon - lace
Paper Pretties - sewing
Karber Monthly - movie (Angel in the Family)
Stamp 'n' Doodle - use a dress
Sassy Studio - cool colours
Tip Top - flowers (not sure this card counts or not - there are lots of flower images on it though, so they are coloured rather than stuck on........)
Fairytale - flowers (as above...I am sure someone will let me know if pictures count or not)
Creative Inspirations - celebrate (I think this card is suitable for a Holy Communion or Confirmation card)
Crafty Pad - girly
Digi Doodle - anything goes
One Stitch At A Time - as you like it.

Wild Pixie

Hi again, and as you can perhaps see, I have made a different kind of card today – well, it is for different for me.  LOL.  I have used a digi from A Day for Daisies called Wild Pixie and she is such a delicate image. I used my Promarkers of course to colour her in.

The DP which I felt had just the same ethereal quality about it to go perfectly with this little pixie is from Cen’s Loft, its tendrils wafting about like this diminutive fairy in the light breeze.   For the cork-screwing stems I have used as embellishment I actually used some wood shavings!  Yes, that is precisely what they are - from a cheese-basket Christmas present, used to hold the said cheese in place!!  Fab though they were in their natural state, to fit in with the colour scheme of the card I had to darken them, using my black Promarker to do this before dotting them, and the DP with gems of two shades of pink.  The sentiment is from Raindrop Echo Designs.

Challenges I am entering this card into:

CDAC – ADFD Monthly Challenge

A Day for Daisies – organic (wood shavings)

Wags ‘n’ Whiskers - fairies

Crafty Emma – angels or fairies

Gingerloft – things that fly

Stamping Royalty – anything with wings

Kaboodle Doodles – bling it up

Corrosive – recycle (wood shavings)

Paperplay - back to black 

Penny's - anything goes

One Stitch at a Time – as you like it.

The One That Got Away

Hi again everyone and today’s card uses a beautiful vintage image from Digital Two for Tuesday.  It was another of those cards where I could just see in my mind’s eye what I wanted to do with it – but I am sure I over-complicate things!  LOL.  Why can’t I see ‘less involved cards’ in my head!!!  LOL.

Having coloured the little guy with my beloved Promarkers, I also printed myself 3 other little fish so that I could decoupage ‘the one that was getting away’ on the main image and also add two more ‘escapees’ for my border. These were similarly coloured with Promarkers but were also given a good dose of sparkle with gel pen for the sunlight catching their scales. They were then rounded out a little over the edge of my scissors for a bit more dimension.

Having popped on the checked paper of the background, I did a running stitch on the sewing machine for a fishing line around 3 sides of the card, going back to sew a couple of simplistic fish.  The fishing hooks were made from 15 amp fuse wire and each had their own feather attached using sewing thread which was wrapped around the hook & feather to secure the ‘fly’ into place. The feathers were also coloured with Promarkers to fit in with my colour-scheme. (One feather was found in my garden whilst the other 2 were escaping from one of my padded jackets! LOL.)  Each fishing fly was then sewn by hand onto the card.  Where I had sewn the fish to the circumference I then added one of the fish with silicone glue (the idea was a bit of movement really) & I then popped on a few pale blue pearl flat-backs for bubbles. The image's mat was mounted onto the main card using foam pads & the sentiment is another from Sentiments4You.

That’s it for today then.  Hope you all like it!

Tine :)

Challenges I am entering this card into:

CRAFT – martial arts or sport

Allsorts – male/boy
Alys - for the guys

Our Creative Corner – analogous colours (mine are blues/greens/yellows - discounting skin-colour)

Stamp Challenges – cute (well, I reckon he is...LOL...so I hope you do…LOL)

A Spoonful of Sugar – blue & green

Creative Belli – embellishments beginning with ‘P’ (pearls – don’t reckon they are pike or piranhas  LOL)
Corrosive - recycle (the feathers)
One Stitch at a Time - 'as you like it'

Penny’s – anything goes

Digi Doodle –anything goes.

#49 Keepin’ it Simple at Playtime!

I ♥Promarkers theme – Keep it Sweet and Simple (…& use your Promarkers, don’t forget!!!)

Sponsor of our prize this week – Sentiments4You

Reckon this is a pretty simple card, don’t you? LOL.  Well, on the face of it, it is only a couple of matted up rectangles with a sentiment popped on the top - it is just that there is a slot on the mat and the image rotates! LOL. 

I coloured this fabulous Mo Manning image of ‘Georgie’ with my Promarkers and as you can see, cut him out so he could do his acrobatics more easily.  Using a sheet of A4 card folded lengthwise so he had a long way to roll, I then cut a couple of mats with a corresponding slot in each 4mm wide and just shy of 23cm long, (I like to be precise, LOL).  This was not centralised along the length of the card but placed more towards one side of the card than the other as I wanted to attach the sentiment at one end & I needed to ensure that the mechanism wasn’t impeded.  I also made sure the card I was using was sturdy enough to take a bit of rough & tumble. I used the sewing machine to do a running stitch around the printed card front & then stuck the 2 mats together with double sided tape, again for strength.

I then put stuck the 2 pennies together using a foam tab cut into a circle so it would roll easily, touching the edges with a bit of talc on a cotton bud so that the circumference would lose its stickiness. Little Georgie was then stuck onto the front penny using strong tape. After all, this card is going to get messed played with!  Once Georgie was in position, I then popped his slotted mat onto the card base and checked he was still moving. You might have to use a double layer of foam tape rather than just a single foam layer to attach the mat to the main body of the card so the pennies turn easily.  I could then finish off my card with this great sentiment available from Sentiments4You to which I had added a tiny little Georgie (also coloured with Promarkers of course), in the centre.  Et Voila!

Other Challenges I am entering this card into:

Mo’s Digital – playtime

CRAFT – moving components
A Spoonful of Sugar - blue & green

Paperplay – cutie patootie
Paper Sundaes - use your favourite Sundae/s from last year (+blog hop) - mine here are #29 stitching & #49 cut it out)
Dutch Dare – stitching

Stamp Challenges – stamp something (stamp & ink or digi & printer)
Tip Top - all sentimental (use a sentiment &/or tip - hopefully I've done both here!)
My Time to Craft - spots and dots
Stamptacular Sunday - anything but a square
Ladybug Crafts Ink - anything but a square
One Stop Craft - card for a male
Gingerloft - celebrations (all the recipients of my cards are celebrating something! LOL Party on!)
Penny's - anything goes .

#48 First Birthday Giraffe

 I ♥ Promarker theme - Use Punches

Hi again everyone.  At I ♥ Promarkers this week we are asking you to use punches on your projects.  The prize this week is totally fab from Crafty Individuals - background papers & stamps, all with a seashell, summery feel.  Special or what!  Certainly worth joining in  I reckon - & I am sure it goes without saying now - don't forget to use your Promarkers, (and punches ) in your rush to enter a card.  LOL.

For my card I have chosen an image from Little Musings called 'Fifi' which I thought would be perfect for a first birthday card. I coloured it with Promarkers of course, adding a faux blanket stitch around the 'with love' label with a green fineliner.  The outer circle was also coloured with Promarkers to fully coordinate with the image. The card just had to be light blue really - or should I say as near as sky blue as possible (for a 1 year old Man. City supporter!) whilst still keeping it decidedly baby-like. I chose my papers accordingly, teaming the light blue with pale green (the grass?!?), and created my circular sentiment on the PC to match.  I used a Martha Stewart punch (Doily Lace), to create a decorative strip and then cut into the design nearly up to the top. This was so that I could manipulate it around my circular mat. The papers were then sewn down around the edge of the card using black thread.  The 'buttons' are made from card and whilst I did consider using a Crop-a-Dile punch to make the holes in them, I found the resulting holes too large so ended up using a piercing tool instead.

Well, the theme is punches so I punched a bit more! LOL. This time on the inside of the card using the same MS punch. Having done the top and bottom edges I then did an extra strip to go at the bottom, staggering it against the first and securing at the back. I then made a row of holes with a piercing tool and created a faux stitching row complete with bow on the opposite side to the text. Definitely baby-like to me.

Hope you like my card!

Tine :)

Challenges I would like to enter this card for:
Stamping for the Weekend - new and blue (using image for the first time)
Stamp Challenges - use a digi
Charisma - birthday
Moving along with the times - old and new stash (old papers/new image)
Incy Wincy - go dotty
Paper Sundaes - circles
Kaboodle Doodles - use a digi
Cupcake - something new (digi image)
Ladybug Crafts Ink - baby
Tip Top Tuesday - anything goes.

Going Retro

Deciding to run with the theme at Mo’s Digital this week of ‘Retro’, I hunted through my digis and came up with this one which just seemed perfect for a retrospective look at life in the ‘70s - through rose-tinted glasses of course.  Look at the width of those trouser hems! Isn’t she just right for it?  I hadn’t actually used this image before oddly enough – but there is a first time for everything and for the girl in the window seat, today was her day. LOL.  I think she reminds me of ‘me’, way back when. LOL.

Image chosen, I then had to think of a layout and I picked out the one from CRAFT which seemed to tick all the right boxes for me.  As for the papers, I was originally aiming for the more typical geometrics but changed my mind for a more softer effect.  I had had these a while but when I came across the one with the soft paisley pattern whilst rummaging, I just knew I had to use it as it reminded me of a dress I used to have way back when, all flouncy and typically 70s.  All the papers are from Crate Paper & I paper-pieced the curtains, wallpaper and main cushions of her window seat, adding shading with my Promarkers, the same medium that I coloured the rest of the image in with.  Note too, that I gave those fab and flaring trousers a split knee – yes, all of you old enough to remember the 70s will remember those split knees of different colours to the rest of your trousers. Hers I have given blue spots. I drew extra lines on her jumper before adding my shading as everyone had skinny rib jumpers then. LOL.  As I am now in great danger of reminiscing about 70s fashions, I shall force myself back to my card!

The sentiment is from TLC Creations and I chose this one as it seemed to work on several different levels. ‘Enjoy the journey’, is she going somewhere or does this mean the journey into the land of make-believe, into the novel she is reading, or does it mean the journey through life, given that it is retrospective?  Take your pick.  I adorned the layered sentiment with a big 70’s type button for good measure, yeah, OK, I made myself a button from card rather than sticking ‘real’ one on, but this way I find the right size and the right colour - and it lies flat for posting! Win, win in my book! LOL.  

Challenges for my card today:

CRAFT – sketch layout

Mo’s Digital – going retro

Stamp Challenges – use a digi

Cute Card Thursday – old stash (the papers)

Creative Cottage – something new (using this image for the first time)
Digi Doodle - buttons
Creative Craft - new year's resolutions (personally I need to catch up on my reading - I even have months of magazines to read, let alone a novel....just too busy crafting instead I reckon! LOL)

Polka Doodles – a wish for New Year (the girl in the image might remind me of myself but it could also be that of my daughter, swotting hard for her qualifications. My wish is for her success this year and that she manages to get a good job at the end of it, in these uncertain times)
Alphabet - journey
Kaboodle Doodles - anything goes.

Nicecrane - girls with goose

Hi again everyone. I have used an image from Nicecrane Designs for today's card. From his 'Adorable Childrens' range of digital stamps (it is number DS#4 if you are interested, and is available here). The two girls deep in conversation with a goose are an illustration to a children's story but I have also given it a different slant by adding my own sentiment. This sentiment I simply created on the PC and matted a few corresponding layers to match those on the image.

I  layered my chosen DPs to follow the design sketch over at CLP and used a few different stitches on the sewing machine to secure the different papers. I even did a running stitch along the Martha Stewart border punched lace as well as giving it a fancy cut top. I also cut a fancy edge along the very bottom of the card base to echo the lacy effect.

That's all for today then.

Tine :)






Challenges I would like to enter this card into:

CLP - design sketch
Sentimental Sunday - friendship
Pixie Cottage - sketch and/ or use a punch
Paper Sundaes - something new (image)
Creative Inspirations - something new (image)
Charisma - birthdays (for a friend)
Papertake - anything goes (+optional lace)
Kaboodle Doodles - anything goes.

#47 A Smile and a Hug

 I ♥ Promarkers theme - recycle

I am being a bit thrifty this week and doing my bit to ‘save the planet’ with a bit of recycling and that is what our theme is this week at I ♥ Promarkers. ‘Recycle’. You are probably doing it already – saving some of the packaging or shiney bits attached to your Christmas presents, just knowing that it will come in handy for something one day. Today is that day. Put it onto your card for our challenge this week!

Now you might well recognise this adorable image by Mo Manning called ‘Tolerance’, however this one is a bit different. It’s in rubber. Why use this image?  Well this cute little chappie and his feline friend are perfect for Mo’s Digital Challenge this week too where the criteria is to feature children and animals.  I used a Memento inkpad for the stamped image and colouring it in with my Promarkers, paper-piecing his little jumper and star-shaped knee patch. The discarded bottle has been given a bit of dimension and shine with Glossy Accents, not that it is really showing up on the photo, unfortunately. OOOO......They are soooo cute!!!! Couldn’t you just give them both that big hug? LOL.  I then used a nestie to cut the image out and created various mats & layers following the sketch at Polka Doodles and the following the colour guidelines at Colour Create this week of red, pink and white. I did rotate the sketch mind you, and extended or shrunk the layers to fit in with the image more, so I hope that is OK with you ladies on the Polka Doodles DT. The ‘punctuation brackets’ shaped die is from Sizzix and the sentiment I created myself on the PC.

Isn't he just too cute!

Now, just so you know which bits are the recycled elements they are the ribbon (around a scarf/gloves set I received for Christmas would you believe? – thank you for your lovely present, Sharon); the red shiney paper mat was part of some packaging and the red and white stars were punched out of a received Christmas card. OK, so not quite saving the planet but definitely being thrifty and magpie-like. LOL. I have collected more but they are just not the right colours etc. for inclusion on this particular card. LOL. They will no doubt appear on a card at a later date!

Do join in with our challenge this week as I look forward to seeing your cards or other creations. Just remember to use Promarkers and don’t forget to mention what parts of your card or project are ‘recycled’ coz we will kinda need to know that bit too for your entry to count.

Tine :)

Challenges for this card:

Polka Doodles – design sketch (turned on side)

Mo’s Digital - "Bless the Beast and the Children" (ie. animals & kids)

Colour Create – pink, red & white

Paper Sundaes – something new (new stamp)

Sweet Stamping – ‘ (I wish I knew how it would feel to be) Free’ – Lighthouse Family (well, a cat deserves a break too… LOL)

Alphabet - infants

Kaboodle Doodles – anything goes
Papertake - anything goes (+optional lace).