Saturday 27 July 2013

Christmas Blessings - Noon Angel



Still in 'Christmas mode' & this card uses an absolutely beautiful image by Sarah Burrier called 'Noon'. Now, anyone who knows me probably has a fair idea that I LOVE angels but this image is fabulous & I enjoyed every minute of colouring her with my Promarkers. Yes, "Noon" isn't ordinarily a Christmas image but I thought to myself, "Why not?" after all, those squirrels & chipmunks will need feeding & looking after in the winter months probably more so than at any other time of year so why not have my angel looking out for them & create a Christmas card?  I have her looking down from her celestial view-point in the winter skies above as large snowflakes tumble down the right-hand side -  though the ones opposite them are more controlled in their frame. All cut of course, using my Silhouette Cameo, in case you hadn't guessed already. LOL.  Given a good dose of Stickles to make them shine & glisten, the snowflakes also have pearly centres from my bottle of Cosmic Shimmer.

The mat with the dp from Jak Heath, as well as the embossed background, were first distressed at the edges & then given a rippled edge using white acrylic paint. The sentiment is from Mudmaven & underlined with a satin ribbon.  The mats were attached to the card using foam pads.



On the inside more snowflakes and this time the sentiment is from Lisa at Crafting Cottage.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.



Tine :)

Challenges I wish to enter my card for are:

Sentimental Sunday - Christmas in July
I ♥ Promarkers - Christmas in July
Crafting For All Seasons - Christmas in July
Stamp & Create - Christmas in July
Fariytale - Christmas in July
Crafty Catz - Christmas in July
Crafting By Designs - Christmas in July
Jellypark - Christmas in July
Totally Gorjuss - Christmas in July
Crafty Hazelnut - Christmas
Christmas Card - snowflakes
2CreativeChicks - 3-d (used foam pads & layering)
Colour Me Creative - anything goes (using markers - Promarkers)
Tip Top - spooled item  (ribbon)
Creative Inspirations Paint - ribbon & bling
Papertake - die-ing for a punch (Silhouette Cameo digital die cutter)
Creative Belli - Christmas - (+old embellies etc..... Stickles)
Cuttlebug - shaped card - snowflakes welded onto basic card shape (dotty embossing folder)
Whimsical Designs - pile it on
Penny's - bling
Artistic Inspirations - dry embossing
Milk Coffee - embossing
Creative Craft2 - blue/brown
Paper Crafting Journey - dies cuts &/or punches (digital die cutter)
My Craft Creations - use a die (digital die cutter)
Digi Sketch - layer it up &/or sketch
Crafty Ribbons - anything with a ribbon
Crimbo Crackers - anything goes
Divas By Design - anything goes
Paper Shelter - anything goes
Crafts & Me - anything goes
Word Art Wednesday - anything goes (using scripture or uplifting sentiment)


Thursday 25 July 2013

Tea Party - Teacups


I have used the sketch over at Sketch Saturday this week for my teacup themed card, made especially for my sister-in-law's birthday as she collects cups & saucers. I have used an image from Nutcrafters called 'Tea Party' which I did of course, colour with Promarkers. Did the teapot pour itself in Alice in Wonderland? Couldn't recall but thought that perhaps it had - years & years since I read it, but a conclusion I came to as I couldn't see this gal's fingers on the handle.  I decided to go with the' magical teapot pouring itself' option  - even though it looks as if she is raising her arm up to me! LOL. I chose my papers carefully to go with the inspirational image from the Ribbon Girl challenge & which was just so perfect for my chosen theme. I created the main, striped design paper myself to give myself the exact background I wanted.   I did this using the Silhouette Studio software making stripes of different widths & dashed stitch-like lines too (all added with cut-lines turned off of course) to the blue rectangle beneath.  Reminded me of ticking fabric given the colour-way. I kept the layering simple & uncomplicated to go with the less complex design sketch which I rotated & the sentiment is from Bird's Cards. Silhouette users will have probably noticed that the image was cut using my Cameo to protrude slightly from the otherwise rectangular mat.



The inside of my card is just a little more complex. Still in keeping with my chosen teacup theme, the Mad Hatter's pile of cups in the image is echoed in the cut-file pop-up design (from the Silhouette Store). More matching paper following the Wedgwood china colour scheme, this time actually printed onto the reverse of my card base itself. This then peeks through the cut-work design to give my 'China cups' some colour. Below this I created a layered pocket (reminded me of stacked crockery in itself as I had used pure white card on the inside, but that is probably my own mad imagination coming to the fore, LOL), again using a sentiment  from Bird's Cards.  These mats were then attached at the requisite 3 edges using thin foam. I needed this bit of dimension so I could easily slot in my 'tea-bag' message tags.

The layered 'teabag' tags.
The 'tea' "letting the flavour flood out", LOL, comprises of little cut-outs from my tea-bag shape with a layer of card underneath coloured brown using a Promarker. This was sandwiched between the blue outer tea-bag & the front. Another tea-bag shape including a sentiment from Scrapalicious (print & cut) was then attached to the reverse before my baker's twine was knotted onto the top. I then made a second tea-bag tag this time incorporating my SIL's name on the front & chose a font to do this which 'sort of' matched the fonts used on the sentiments.



Thanks for visiting my blog & thank you in advance for your comments too.

Tine :)

Challenges I wish to enter this card for are:
Sketch Saturday - design sketch
Ribbon Girl - photo inspiration (spooled item - baker's twine)
One Stop Craft - make your own background (main striped background)
Silhouette Blog - interactive element
Silhouette Challenges - faux stitching using Silhouette (dashed lines on the design paper I created)
Digi Sketch - layer it up &/or sketch
Creative Card - blue/pink or/& baby
My Craft Creations - use a die (digital die cutter)
Deep Ocean - blue
Ribbon Girls
Inky Impressions - birthday
Craft Your Passion - happy birthday
Little Red Wagon - tags
Scrapper's Delights - inspired by a song (Tea for Two - Doris Day)
Creative Craft2 - blue & brown
Paper Shelter - anything goes
Crafts & Me - anything goes
Colour Me Creative - use markers (Promarkers ) - anything goes
Divas By Design - anything goes.




Friday 19 July 2013

Snowy Hugs


Another card-shape I have several versions of! LOL. Created with my Cameo of course, this one uses snowflakes welded into the frame for an interlocking arched card & when opened, reveals my image of Tilda, (Snowy Hug), coloured with Promarkers & given the Titian haired requirements of the Totally Tilda challenge. I love making Christmas cards - I actually like to give my images snow-laden skies & decorate with snowflakes - but I am also prone to making more work for myself! LOL. Yes, the image isn't even in a perfect arch as the broom's bristles protrude slightly.  To add to the icy-feel, I also used some Stickles to give my 'ice' that extra sparkle on the image itself but I also used some Cosmic Shimmer to give my snowflakes pearly centres.

You can see how it interlocks together from the closed front view.

The verse on the back of the card.
Stickles were also added to all those layers of snowflakes scattered here & there on top of some of the welded ones which my Tilda & her wintery-friend peek through. Yes, I know, my photography skills are 'rubbish' & you can't see any real sparkle at all on any of the photos- but I did try, honestly!  When you open it up, you can see the circular sentiment (from Cuddly Buddly) on the interlocking feature but I also added a sentiment to an arched shape (print & cut) for the very back of the card with enough space beneath for me to add a few written words later too. This verse I typed up myself on the PC using two different fonts which were similar(-ish) ones to the one on the front of the card for uniformity & I hope this sentiment, (the words of which I find particularly meaningful), will also be appreciated by the recipient.



Thanks for visiting by blog!

Tine :)

Challenges I would like to enter this card for are:
Totally Tilda - Titian Tilda (red hair)
Cuttin' & Stamping - Christmas in July
Stamp & Create - Christmas in July
My Craft Spot - Christmas in July
Fairytale - Christmas in July
Cut It Up  (+die-cuts) - Christmas in July (everything cut using my Cameo!)
Creative Belli - Christmas (not used in ages item - image)
Crafty Hazelnut - Christmas
Christmas at Sweet Stamping - snowmen/snow-women
Dream Valley - fancy folds
Tilda's Town - fussy & fancy or elegant & understated
Christmas Card - embossing (+Christmas theme) - Die'sire folder
Marvelous Magnolia - embossing +sentiment
Milk Coffee - embossing
Kaboodle Doodles - embossing
CardMania - pearls &/or gems
Stamping For The Weekend - sparkle & bling
2Sisters - make it sparkle (3 different bottles of Stickles)
Creative Corner - let it sparkle
CCEE Stampers - sing, sing a song (Frosty the Snowman - Ronettes)
Whoopsidaisy - use markers (Promarkers)
I ♥ Promarkers - anything goes (+use markers by Letraset)
Word Art Wednesday - anything goes (using scripture or uplifting sentiment)
Sister Act Card - always anything goes
Brown Sugar - anything goes.

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Jules



Isn't the colour palette gorgeous? This combination of 'sand & sea' tones has been the challenge at the Crafty Calendar challenge this month & I teamed this with the gorgeous sketch from SSW this week for my cutie from Saturated Canary called, "Jules". Don't you think she makes a great Prom Queen too? Stood there in her 'posh frock' definitely with 'somewhere to go'...but still needing her soft toy for comfort or security.

The image was coloured with Promarkers & layered up following the design sketch with layers created using my Silhouette Cameo. The fancy oval frame immediately behind my image isn't one of my own this time but one  from Krewella Kreations but I thought it just perfect for what I wanted. I gave my card base a fancy shaped outline, then having distressed the edges, went all the way around with a couple of Tim Holtz' Distress Inks. Of the smaller 'off-set' layers one was embossed with a Die-sire embossing folder full of spots to coordinate with Jules' fabby dress. This was then also distressed & inked to bring out the texture. The 'For You' sentiment, again created using my Cameo, has a layer beneath which has also been swirled with matching Distress Ink for total coordination.

No wordy sentiment on this one but space for me to write a personal message later.

I created yet another cut-file for the back, similar but not the same as the front, to create a fancy tent fold.card. This too has all been inked & the panel for the sentiment (to be hand-written later) still follows the basic design on the front - but a paired-down version. I bet you can all guess the colour of my hands when I had finished!!!! LOL.



Thanks for visiting!

Tine :)

Challenges I wish to enter this card for are:

Sweet Sketch Wednesday - design sketch
Crafty Calendar - colour palette
Saturated Canary - anything goes with a celebration theme
Annabelle Stamps - polka dots
Pink Gem - spots/stripes or both
Happy Campers - bling
Card Mania - pearls &/or gems
Addicted to Stamps - lots of layers
Corrosive - shaped card
Sweet Stamping - shabby chic
Paper Shelter - swirly girly (swirly frame & girly image)
Melonheadz Friends- embossing
Kaboodle Doodles - embossing
Cutie Pie - cute & cuddly (I think she is adorable & her 'cat' in need of a cuddle)
Southern Girls - no spooled items (ribbon, lace etc)
Crafty Calendar palette
Whoopsi Daisy - use  markers (Promarkers)
Twisted Tuesday - something beginning with 'i' (ink) & embossing folder
Crafty Sentiments - female birthday
613 Avenue - anything goes (optional 'birthday')
Crafts & Me - anything goes
Sister Act - anything goes
Anything Goes - anything goes.


Sunday 14 July 2013

Retirement Card

Another of my marathon creations to share with you today & there is just as much happening on the inside of the card as there is on the outside (mind you, that isn't exactly new in my cards is it! LOL).

The front is a combination of my own cut-files & a couple from Bird's Card - bet you can guess the sentiment card frame is one of mine though. LOL. Where would I be without my Cameo???


Did I say,  "...as much happening on the inside?"  .....Well, I suppose you could say that it even more complex on the inside & of course a compendium of cut-files here too - but this time all my own. I wanted to convey that the journey into retirement was one that was being taken together & that the future, with more time together, could strengthen the bond the couple already share. The main image is probably recognisably one from Mo Manning & I coloured the couple gazing into the distance using Promarkers. There is a second image as you will have noticed, this time on the tag tucked away in the pocket. Coloured to co-ordinate with the Mo Manning image, this echo of the floral bouquet is from A&T Digital. The sentiment, like the one on the front, I created on the PC along with one on the reverse of the tag (not shown).


Being such a momentous occasion in someone's life I created a box to pop the card in & I managed to keep this uncomplicated & devoid of too much 'clutter' which would just run the risk of being knocked off or damaged in the post.

Relatively simple top to the box though there are a number of layers!


I added my usual box liner full of hopefully meaningful sentiments with a paler version of the image of the couple.


Thank you for taking the time & visit my blog - & I hope you like my projects.

Tine :)

Challenges I would like to enter this time are:

Mo's Digital (Bella & Bronte's) - celebrate love
Craft-DeeBowZ - anything goes with a handmade bow
Scrap-Creations - ribbons & bows
Artistic Inspirations - bling (pearls)
Love to Create - ribbon & bling
Songbird - ribbon
Picture & Scrap - lace or ribbon
My Craft Spot - wrap it up (box for card)
2CreativeChicks - 3D
Our Daily Bread - love, wedding or anniversary (I hope I am conveying their journey together in the years ahead)
Crafting For All Seasons - bingo (flowers, digi image, pearls)
Fairytale - favourite colours (white on white)
Digitally Sweet - use some bright colours (+digital = image &cutter)
Die Cuttin' Divas - use some Ruby Red (Promarker)
Addicted to Stamps - lots of layers
Word Art Wednesday - anything goes (with scripture or uplifting sentiment)
Crafty Ribbons - anything goes (with ribbon)
Color Me Creative (must colour) - anything goes
Through The Craftroom Door - anything goes
Sister Act - anything goes
613 Avenue - anything goes (optional 'birthday')
Creative Corner - anything goes.

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Shadow Box - With Love



Gone all 3-D with my card today. I am actually using a cut-file from the Silhouette Studio Store (Design ID #26667) to give me the basis for all my dimension. Accordion folds at the edges to both front & back pieces create a kind of box which is stable enough to stand up on its own but can still squash nice & flat into an envelope for posting. The design already has the 'cut out slot design' at each end but as these line up perfectly on both front & back pieces, in order for me to get the alternate colour to peek through, I added cut strips of card to each end immediately behind the each of the slots. I could have got the effect I wanted a couple of different ways, either by realigning the slots on one piece so that each would automatically show through to the other side without the need for cutting strips or even removing the slots entirely from either the front or back - but then whilst one side would show through the other wouldn't have any at all which I thought would be a shame as I like the effect.

View from the top looking into the card - 3-D & how the folds work.

I chose to add an image to the centre front circle - a cute little mouse from Di's Digis which I am sure you could have guessed if you have visited my blog before, I coloured with Promarkers - but I also gave him a summery t-shirt by paper-piecing it with a paper by Gennifer Bursett. Having used blue card as the background so I had a gorgeous 'blue sky', I added clouds I created using a series of circles & ovals & welding together on my Cameo to give my mouse an uncomplicated summery scene given that it was to be locked away on the inside. The blue card has a woven design on the face for a great bit of added texture for the back but is still flat on the reverse making it ideal for the inside too.

The back -with space to write too.

I continued the circle-theme from the front cut-outs onto the back too. This time I got my Cameo to create a series of circles for my mats based on the size of the one on the front but on the inner-most one (kept white so I can write the 'from' later of course), I used one of my butterfly files (yes, a different one from my Butterfly Birthday card the other week - but I have a few!!!!).  This was welded onto & then 'punched out' from, the mat.  I then popped on a flower design to the opposite side which was actually one of the original 50 free ones which came with the Silhouette cutter - with the small centre circle removed. Layering up this now 'punched out' mat with coloured layers beneath, allows my chosen summery colours to peek through. Both the orange & yellow mats are print & cuts using portions of a circle & hopefully this element gives a kind of dimension too - just flatter.  I then added a bit more dimension again by adding the circular centre of my flower using glue gel & a further circular matted sentiment (from ArtisticWhispers) again added using glue gel for that dimensional effect.

3-D butterfly futtering by.
For the finishing touches, the embellishments were created using the same butterfly design & I layered a couple of versions of it to make it look like it was 'fluttering'.  The top layer is a fully cut design from grey/black stiff-ish  paper with a faint design on it but beneath this is just the outline of the butterfly - coloured with Promarkers from my regular cardstock to peek through the 'holes' of the design on top.  Having glued one on top of the other at the bodies, I then folded up the layers of wings so it was 'fluttering'. So more 3-D which will go flat into that all important envelope if necessary.

Thanks for coming by my blog today & I thank you too for all your comments.


Tine :)

Crafty Friends
Challenges I wish to enter are:
Di's Digis - paper-piecing
Crafty Friends - inspirational picture (colours & clouds)
Silhouette Shape Challenge - 3-D
2CreativeChicks - 3-D
Ink On My Fingers - show some depth
Joanny Sheen - don't be square
Totally Gorjuss - anything goes with circles
ALBC - die-ing for it (Silhouette Cameo cutter)
Cupcake - anything but square
Emerald Faerie - happy birthday
Lia Stampz - birthday
Creative Cutting (NL) - festive event (birthday)
Cutie Pie - cute & cuddly
Tammy's Scrapin' Corner - animals
Country View Crafts Challenges - summer sizzler (sadly as we haven't actually been on holiday for years this is how I intend to spend a couple of hours in the garden whilst the sun is still shining - when I can tear myself away from my crafting that is, LOL)
Digi Sketch - sketch &/or theme of summertime
Oldie But A Goodie - in the garden (+stash item older than 6 months - image & file)
Creative Card Crew - the great outdoors
Dream Valley - make your own embellishment (butterflies)
Paper Makeup - anything goes with a digi (image & cutter).

Saturday 6 July 2013

Rita 70


I have made this card & matching box for a friend. I went for a rather feminine-feel with subtle pinks & greens and you can surely not go too far wrong with a big bouquet of flowers on a birthday & this is exactly what this gorgeous Mo Manning image is bringing.  Coloured with Promarkers, I popped a scalloped-edged mat behind the image layering it all up with coordinating papers to which I have distressed the edges to give me tiny ruffles along with some paper-piercing & hand-drawn stitch-lines.

Other than the scalloped mat, you will spot more evidence that my Cameo has been in action again with the named tag, set of 3 different flowers & leaves and the wide lace-look border I had created myself. There is also a fairly subtle reminder as to her age to the edge of one of the mats - though I know she doesn't need reminding or would necessarily thank me for it! LOL.  I can't remember where the ribbon was from but it tones in nicely & has a great sparkle to it which I think is echoed with the additional gems.



On the inside I used two more of my borders along with matching paper/card but kept it all relatively simple to keep it nice & flat. The central circular sentiment was from.Sentiments4You.

Box with insert

Card safe & sound in it's matching box.

As this is a special (...& let me whisper it...."big"...) birthday, I just had to make a box to go with it. Again, a simpler design for the top, though with enough dimension courtesy of the few layers of card to require some foam pad support along the horizontal mat's ends.  I added her name to the front in a welded rectangle rather than the individual cut letters as on the tag.  I then decorated the box liner with additional verses & a birthday cake image (with loads & loads of candles.....LOL), to finish it off.



Tine :)

Challenges:

Mo's Digital (Bella & Bronte's) - 'F' is for ....friend & flowers
Dream Valley - make your own flowers or embellishments
That Craft Place - flowers
Crafting For All Seasons - make it girly
Scrappers Delight - die-cuts/punches (digi cutter)
Sentimental Sunday - all things digital (paper, image & cutter)
ABC - Q is for quite a few (layers)
Gem of a Challenge - lots of layers
360 Cards #185 - overlapping elements
Red Carpet - 3-d
Stamping for the Weekend - photo insp. pink & green
Creative Craft - stitching, real or faux
Clear It Out - make someone's day plus something sparkly from stash (sparkly ribbon & gems)
Ladybug Crafts Ink - birthday
Emerald Faeries - birthday
Incy Wincy - summer lovin'
Melonheadz - summer
Jellypark - celebrate summer
Corrosive - summertime
Crafty Catz - child's play (either featuring a child or for a child)
Allsorts - favourite thing (silhouette cameo, promarkers, layering)
Colour Me Creative (must colour)- anything goes (optional twist - animals)
Word Art Wednesdays - anything goes (using scripture or word art)
Inky Chicks - anything goes
Sister Act - anything goes.

MOJO 300 - Anniversary Card



300 Challenges is certainly something to celebrate so I wanted to add my good wishes & join them on this celebratory challenge by using the sketch they have especially created. I have found some lovely summer floral papers & just in case you think my Cameo was having a rest for this card, you would be wrong as the papers & sentiment were printed as print & cuts having added a couple of 'stitched' lines to a couple of the layers which happens to also be a requirement over at Silhouette Challenges & Crafts4Eternity at the moment. To keep to the 'stitchy'-theme I then paper-pierced the sentiments backing card having distressed the edges & this mat was added to the card with foam pads. Yet more texture was added using a Sizzix embossing folder on the card layer at the back.


I know, shock horror, I haven't coloured any image - but my Promarkers did come out to colour the centre of my daisy petals which needless to say, is a flower cut using my beloved cutter. To hopefully add a bit more realism I added a Flower Soft centre to this floral embellishment, but as I didn't have yellow in my collection to use the Promarkers were out again to colour in my Flower Soft! Seems to have worked all right too! LOL. My daisy was then added using glue gel.

Thanks for visiting.

Tine :)

Challenges I wish to enter this card for are:

Mojo Monday - design sketch
Silhouette Challenges - faux stitching using your Cameo
Crafts for Eternity - sewing - real or faux
Creative Craft - stitching - real or faux
4CraftyChicks - dry embossing
Quick Quotes - dimension (embossing, distressing, layering, foam pads, glue gel)
CRAFT - bride, wedding or anniversary
Southern Girls - leaves (well, only 2...but I made them myself & embossed them, so I hope they count)
Creative Moments - flowers (daisy +those on dps)
That Craft Place - flowers
Dream Valley - make your own flowers or embellishments
Cuttlebug Mania - use your initial (C is for 'common daisy' which sometimes makes an appearance on my lawn, LOL,  rather than one of the fancy varieties) + any make of manual embossing machine/die-cutter
Sentimental Sunday - all things digital (dps, sentiment & cutter)
Red Carpet - 3-d
One Stop Crafts - anything goes
Inky Chicks - anything goes
Sister Act - anything goes.

Monday 1 July 2013

Butterfly Birthday




Isn't this image fabulous?  She is called 'Aliah' by Hannah Lynn  & I just l-o-v-e-d colouring this one in with my Promarkers! I created myself a mask for the image too so that I could colour the sky without encroaching onto any of her rippling locks.

All the dimensional butterflies

She is set on a couple of mats including one using a butterfly border to match the larger one which is towards the top of the card. I then made myself individual butterflies to go onto each one on the mats offsetting each one at an angle to hopefully give the impression that the kaleidoscope of butterflies were hurriedly taking flight having just been disturbed. (I know, I have a vivid imagination....LOL). This mat was then mounted onto the card using foam pads. For the other mats on the front of the card, one was distressed & one was torn, embossed with an Embossalicious Lattice folder & then paper-pierced. What I thought to be the perfect sentiment to go with all my cut butterflies was one created by Paulette at TLC so I popped this onto the front too.

Still more butterflies on the inside - but all a lot flatter.

Yet more cut-files on the inside of the card - but this time a different row of butterflies placed at the top & bottom of the card.  I used a couple of the 'spare butterflies' left over from the cut-out border to dot about & to decorate the sentiment I had created myself on the PC replicating, as near as I could, the fonts that Paulette & used on the front sentiment. Close-ish but you probably wouldn't have even thought about it had I not mentioned it would you, LOL.

Thanks for visiting my blog & I hope you like the card.



Tine :)

Challenges I wish to enter are:
Bunny Zoe - wings
Totally Gorjuss - wings
In The Pink - pink with wings
Passion For Promarkers - song title (Butterfly - Mariah Carey)
My Time to Craft - masking
My Sheri Crafts - birthday
Crafting For All Seasons - girly
Whoopsi Daisy - let's get girly
Crafty Sentiments - girl power
Tammy's Scrapin' Corner - summer fun (..ooo to laze away hours in a tropical paradise.....)
Incy Wincy - summer lovin'
Colour Me Creative - colours of summer
Corrosive - summertime
MilkCoffee - summer fun
Sentimental Sundays - all things digital (cutter, image, papers & sentiment)
Red Carpet - 3-d
Scrappers Delights - either die-cuts/punches/cut-files
Dream Valley - make your own flowers or other embellishments (not flowers this time but butterflies)
I ♥ Promarkers - pink & blue (& use Promarkers of course)
Crafty Ribbons - anything goes with ribbon (lovely sparkly pink one)
Challenges4Everybody - anything goes
Sister Act - anything goes
Crafts & Me - anything goes.