#114 Poppies

Theme at I ♥ Promarkers - flower power (use a floral image)
Sponsor & prize this week - Digi Doodle Shops - $10 gift certificate

This week the DT have all used floral images from our sponsor, Digi Doodle on their cards and whilst mine is relatively CAS, still took quite a bit of construction.

Having made my own DL sized cut file (with the fancy corners just perfect for my gems to reside, LOL), I then made my own dp - a haze of poppy-field colours out of which my main image pops. The idea was (hopefully) that it looked like this poppy was being highlighted from this field - as if under a magnifying glass. So,with this in mind,  I coloured the background to the image to resemble the dp. The image itself is called 'Poppy & Bud' and like everything in it's circular mat, was coloured with Promarkers.

For the leaf & poppy embellishment I drew my own poppy in 4 layers before converting it to create another cut file for the Silhouette to cut for me.  I then gave this a liberal spraying with Crafter's Companion Spray & Shine but doesn't look particularly glossy, I have to say. I made my own poppy leaf cut files too, this time cutting 3 out in two differing shades of green. Whilst the circular mat was raised up using foam pads, I kept this card pretty flat and no 'sticky-out bits' to make it difficult to fit in an envelope & post. LOL. Well, you have to think of these things these days with the cost of postage set to rocket here in the UK.

Tine :)

Challenges I would like to enter this card for are:
Truly Madly Crafty - make your own flowers (created my own cut files for the poppy & the leaves)
Hiding In My Craft Room - April showers bring......(handmade flowers - created my own cut files for the poppy & the leaves)
Pan Pastel - add a flower
My Time to Craft - gardening gems
Craft Us Crazy - Mother's Day &/or flowers
Little Darlings - flowers
My Mum's Craft Shop - the great outdoors
MilkCoffee - bold & bright
OLLCB - bold & bright
Lexi's - punches & dies ( had checked to see if use of a digi cutter was allowed)
Passion for Promarkers - cut it out
Wags 'n' Whiskers - anything goes.

#113 Let's Go Shopping

No, I haven't lost the plot (at least probably no more this week than any other, LOL), but yes, I have used an image and yes, I have coloured it with Promarkers!

First I made the card base itself - a rectangle at the back and a slightly smaller round-cornered one at the front onto which I had welded the 'Birthday' sentiment. The space in between the letters is actually just that - empty cut out space with central black pieces cut out and stuck onto the letters themselves.  I then completed my ensemble of cut files by making a framed mirror, shoebox, hanging rail, 'floor', clothes hanger, carrier bag and last but not least, the dress.  The mirri card I used is so good you can actually see my reflection & that of my camera! LOL.

It is the dress of course, where my Promarkers got to work and the image I used was Digi Doodle Shop's 'Hydrangea' which I resized, turned and repeated to create the dress 'fabric' before colouring in a more abstract way than I would normally. I actually used the same Promarkers to colour the pink tissue paper in the carrier bag too but you know how I like coordination! The handle of the carrier is actually a warp yarn from some canvas fabric which I thought did a pretty good job of masquerading as cord.

I created yet one more cut file - the black shaped piece for the inside of the card so the cut-work of the front had a dark base behind.  The insert is the same shape as the cut out area behind so is hiding it rather.  So, not quite my usual style of card - just stretching those little grey cells.

Tine :)

Challenges:
Deep Ocean - song title (Shopping - Pet Shop Boys)
Card Makin' Mamas - make it girlie
Fashionista - anything goes for girls
MilkCoffee - bold & bright
Ooh-La-La - bold & bright
Partytime Tuesday - colour or photo insp (black & pink)
Sentimental Sundays - frame it (use of the mirror) + sentiment
Joanna Sheen - for someone special
Ladybug Crafts Ink - shapes (made all mine, LOL)
Craft Your Passion - die cuts /punches (I used the Silhouette but did check it was OK to do so, honest!)
Lexis - punches & dies (as above for use of a digi cutter)
Whimsy - punches or die cuts (used a digi cutter)
Crafty Sentiments - use a digi (Hydrangea from DigiDoodle)
Wags 'n' Whiskers - anything goes.

Christening Boxes

Do you remember my last post - the white on white?   Well, I just had to make some boxes for my Christening cards for the twins, didn't I, so here they are -  and they fit in very nicely with the theme at Mo's this week of  'I see spots'.

I made them from my favourite cardstock with a pearlescent sheen which of course, bounces the light off the embossed dots (made with an embossing folder), on my central panel beautifully.  The image I used for the circular tags is exactly the same as on the Christening cards themselves, (that of 'Babygirl S by Mo Manning) and I also made one a reflected image of the other as I did before so they match the cards. I am sure I don't need to tell anyone that I coloured them with Promarkers, LOL.

I also created & cut out the recipients names myself, setting them in a similar fashion into the layered banner (from Bird's Cards) - hinting at the card hidden away inside.  The flower embellishing each one echoes the names of the babies.  Having cut & rolled up the rose I dotted the centre with Liquid Pearls and hand embossed Poppy's flower for a bit of interest & dimension before adding a few Liquid Pearls dots to the centre of this too, & which hopefully make it more poppy-like.  I also hand embossed the leaves from Penny Duncan.

A card in it's own box.

Need more spots 'n' dots? LOL.  Well, I gave the top edges of the box added interest with a minuscule scalloping into which I added a tiny cut out circle every so often and not one to like waste, I used an off-cut remnant of the scalloped edge to decorate the central panel too. Far too pretty to consign to the bin!

I'll just show you one of the insides of the boxes, the other just has a different name and with the flowers on the other  side.

As I usually do, I gave the boxes an insert - this time with a scalloped edge & also with a sentiment in a similar font to the one I used to cut the name tags. If you look carefully, you will see that this is printed on top of a faded out version of the main image. Again, keeping each variation of the image for each girl. I kept the embellishment of the insides necessarily flat of course, but used the same flowers as I had cut for the cards. Total co ordination!

Hope you like them.

Tine :)

P.S - if you would like to see details of the cards themselves the link is here.

Challenges I would like to enter my boxes for are:
Mo's - I see spots
Stamping Sisters in Christ - a joyful, celebratory occasion
Passion for Promarkers - white on white
Sunday's With Crissy - favourite colour combo (WoW - hard to beat I reckon)
Emerald Faeries - use a banner
Frosted Designs - banners
Pink Elephant - flowers
Great Impressions - flowers
Wags 'n' Whiskers - say it with flowers
Truly Madly Crafty - handmade flowers
Crafty Creations - flower power
Tip Top - spotty dotty
I Brake For - anything but a card (boxes albeit for cards, LOL)
Tammy's Scapin' Corner - anything goes (with embossing).

#112 Twin Christening Cards

Theme at I ♥ Promarkers - white on white
Sponsor & prize this week - Di's Digis

Do any of you remember my card for when the twins were born?  Well, as you can see from the photos of the cards I am posting today, they were both girls - identical ones too and these are the cards I have made for their Christening. The cards are the same, but different. Not quite reflections of one another - just to stamp a bit of individuality onto each.

The image on the front is of course, one from the pen of the talented Mo Manning (Babygirl S) and I coloured my babies using Promarkers. Don't you just love their wispy hair? LOL. I printed one 'as is' but flipped the second image for the next card.  Virtually everything was cut from my bright white shimmering cardstock which I love so much and which just has to be perfect for Christening cards.  I made & cut the geometric circle background (which I think looks like an intricate baby blanket & the circles represent the circle of life - I am  Godmother to the babies' mother - well, you know how I over think things and if nothing else, it makes sense to me! LOL).

The embellishments just had to be floral, given the names of the children and hopefully echo the names they have been given. The pennants into which I cut the girls' names are from Bird's Cards and the rose leaves that I hand embossed to give them a ridge down the centre were from Penny Duncan. I also made the flowers too, layering some of the smaller ones up so it would add to the dimension and I then dotted the centre of each with Liquid Pearls.

For the second insert the image is facing the other way, as on the front.

I have gone for a traditional paper insert for the insides of the cards, using the same image as the front on the opposite side of the verse - and as I had done for the fronts, flipped it for the second card. I then cut a scalloped edge around the insert to echo the designs on the front.

Tine :)

Challenges I would like to enter my cards for are:
Mo's - anything goes with a Mo image of course (optional sketch too)
Passion for Promarkers - white on white
Emerald Faeries - use a banner
Frosted Designs - banners
Sunday's With Crissy - favourite colour combo (white on white can be hard to beat!)
Wags 'n' Whiskers - say it with flowers
Pink Elephant - flowers
Great Impressions - flowers
Crafty Creations - flower power
Truly Madly Crafty - handmade flowers
Stamping Sisters in Christ - a joyful, celebratory card
Kaboodle Doodles - new life
OSAAT - use a digi.

#111 Through The Garden Fence

Theme at I ♥ Promarkers - Springtime
Sponsor & prize this week - Joanna Sheen

Well, I hope Spring has well & truly sprung wherever you are in the world and that the sun is shining - or at least trying!  Don't you just love the fresh greens & pin-pricks of flowers dotted about of this time of year?  Well, when I made this the weather was 'hopeful' & decidedly Spring-like, then of course we had the blazing sun of last week - & now I think I should have supplied this young girl with a snow-shovel!

Whatever weather you may be enjoying/enduring (please delete as appropriate! LOL), I hope too that you get the idea of Spring from my card today, using of course this fabby image from Mo Manning called 'Nelly'.  Of course, the trouble with making cards that are not square is that they never show up nicely on Blogger - even when made 'large' I find that I can't really see them properly so you might, like me, have to click on the image to see it better.

I had the idea of a kind of secret garden, peeking through a white-washed fence so first of all cut myself my card shape, (having created a wood grain print for my cardstock), layering a few of the timbers & added a gate latch.  Onto the front I then dotted a couple of my flowers, those escaping from one side of the fence to the other as they tend to do.

Half open gate.... or is it half shut? Anyway she is peeking through..... 

Once the gate is fully opened (as in the very first photo), you can see the image properly and as I always do, I coloured Nelly with Promarkers before layering her up.  Remembering that I would have to keep the inside pretty flat or the gate wouldn't close, I chose my flowers carefully.  At her feet lie a pastel yellow floral border and a spiky grass border cut from textured card, both from Bird's Cards.  As too were the tall climbing ivy (around the image) and the leaves which were also cut from green card.  However, I then coloured the ivy & the leaves to add a bit of depth & variation of colour.  For the ivy on the opening fence panels I created my own variations making one into an 'L' shape and a double ended design on the other.  The scattered flowers were all cut using two Woodware punches, again colouring with Promarkers to suit the kind of flowers I was after - daffodils & primroses.  The 2 purple crocus (or crocuses or croci - I am not going to argue whichever it is as when I went to check, even some dictionaries couldn't agree! LOL), were made by cutting into a petal from the same punched design as the other flowers & I coloured them too with Promarkers.  I was very good and managed to resist turning this from a Spring card to a very flower-abundant Summer card - but it was so tempting to add more & more flowers!

Tine :)

Challenges:

Mo's - photo inspiration
Crafty Catz - use a digi image
Fussy 'n' Fancy - anything but square/rectangle
Outlawz (Paper A La Mode) - shaped card
Stamping with the Dragon - Spring is here (yeah, right!)
Sweet Stampin' - Spring or Easter or sketch
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle - Spring
Come & Get It -  Spring
Creative Card - Spring
Catch the Bug - Easter/Spring
That Craft Place - it's all about Spring
Sparkles - Mother's Day or Spring
Jellypark - what's the weather - (sunny & Spring-like)
Passion for Promarkers - whatever the weather (warm & sunny - don't you just like optimism, LOL)
Wags 'n' Whiskers - say it with flowers
Partytime Tuesdays - flowers
Great Impressions - flowers
Pile It On - create a scene
Stamping for the Weekend - anything goes.