Man of the match

• Hunkydory: for the gentlemen collection 'man of the match' toppers, background card and inserts (there's some left over!) 
• 2 6x6" White card blanks
• Gold mirri card
• Blue adorable scorable

For the first card, I made an easel... 

I folded the front of the card in half and covered with a matt of patterned paper. I added the topper onto the front, only positioning the glue on the lower half of the topper. I then added an insert, cut down to size to fit inside making sure the image would be visible. I trimmed the border strip from the coordinating cardstock and added this across the bottom of the inside of the card, using foam to create a stopper. 

And for the second... 

 

 

I matt and layered the cardblank with gold mirri card and blue adorable scorable. I cut the centre from the topper and glued this down flat on the front of the card. I then trimmed the remainder of the topper down, cutting from the inside of the aperture to create a frame. I glued this in position using foam to raise it up surrounding the main topper. For the inside, I trimmed down another insert to fit inside neatly. 

Mx

friendly butterfly

front





reverse

• Heart shaped MDF blank
• tim holtz tissue wrap- terminology
• Claudine hellmuth studio paints and brushes
• stampendous- jumbo butterfly trio
• dreamees sentiment stamp
• some lilac ribbon

I created this door hanger by covering the mdf shape with the tissue using ranger matt medium. I then painted a layer of cream over the tissue and sponged some lilac paint around the edges. I stamped the sentiment and images with archival ink. I then painted the butterflies in lilac. I relined all of the black lines, with black paint for a crisp bold image. The final touch was some ribbon tied in a bow on either side with a loop to act as the hanger. 

 

Mx

 

I would like to enter the following challenge:

Simon Wednesday says 'gift it'

 

baby love !!

• LOTV- 'baby with bunny' & 'rocking horse' stamps
• SU! 'simply wonderful' sentiment stamp
• mdf heart shape from the mdf man
• tim holtz tissue wrap- terminologie
• Claudine hellmuth studio paints and brushes
• docrafts artiste- flesh
• golden gel medium

to make this heart hanging decoration, i first painted it cream. I covered my mdf blank with the tissue wrap, then painted another coat of cream over the top. i used brown paint on a sponge to distress the edges. i stamped my chosen images and used the studio paints to colour them. i use a fine brush to do the black outline and details, to give a neater finish as most of the detail is lost during painting the colours. i threaded a ribbon through the hole at the top and tied a couple of bows to finish.

Mx

padded puddings!!

 

I've been hand sewing some tree decorations. these are my christmas puddings.. they are so cute and really simple to make. I took 2 felt circles (find a lid or any good size circle to draw around then cut it out). I also added a white half circle to make the icing, with the wiggly edge secured using satin stitch. I used french knots to create some texture on the main body of the pudding. the holly leaves were cut from some green felt and stitched into place at the top of the pudding with buttons for berries. I chose some gingham ribbon to be able to hang the puddings from the tree or cupboard handles. once everything was in place, I stitched the two halves together, (padded out with some wadding for nice fat puddings) using a decorative blanket stitch. 

 

I'm really pleased with how these have turned out. If you like them too, keep checking my blog as I'm busy stitching and creating more little bauble designs !!

 

Mx

simply mini ...

 

stamps: papermania nostalgia classic cars clear stamps

inks: archival (jet black) ink pad

cardstock: black and kraft cardstock, kraft 6x4" card blank

I cut a mat in kraft cardstock and layered it on to some black card. I then stamped my chosen car design (the Austin mini cooper) onto the kraft square, using black ink. I stamped the sentiment on to a piece of kraft and cut in to a banner shape (leaving space for an embellishment to be added later) , then I matted this layer on to black cardstock.  i glued all the layers together, then finished by adding a button. you can also change the stamped image for anything the man in your life may like such as football, fishing, DIY, etc.

 

'sketch Saturday #292'

 

Mx

festive tag ...

 

stamps: festive decorations, simply sophisticated,christmas icons all from lili of the valley & spring jubilee by pink paislee

ink: memento (tuxedo black) tim holtz distress ink pads ( barn door, antique linen, brushed corduroy& walnut stain), promarkers, copic spica glitter pens

cardstock: manila tag, craftwork cards digi cardstock

punches/dies: scallop edge punch from stampin up!, oval framelit & big shot from sizzix

 

I made this tag to coordinate with a striped present bag I bought. the tag was inked with distress then stamped with the cute twinkles in a darker shade of brown. I stamped part of the LOTV image, not inking the fourth bauble to make sure it would fit inside the oval die. I used promarkers to colour the baubles, then added some sparkle with the Spica pens. I cut the oval and inked the edge with red to make it stand out. I also created a border strip, following the promarker sketch, by inking and stamping card and using the punch to give it a decorative scalloped edge. once I had all the pieces, I assembled the tag and finished it off with the simple sentiment at the bottom.

 

tag with the bag, using raffia to fasten

 

 

'Ho Ho Ho Christmas challenge'

 

'anything but a card'

 

X for Out of the BoX - NO Squares allowed!

 

challenge 227- sketch

 

 Mx

a pretty pink parcel ...

stamp: moonlight wishes from LOTV

ink: promarkers, memento ink pad (tuxedo black) and claudine hellmuth studio paint (painterly pink)

cardstock: mirri card, craftwork cards digi cardstock

other: stickles (stardust), organza ribbon, martha stewart border punch (snowflakes), papier mache box from the works (also available from other stores... the range, hobby craft etc)

i decorated this cute little box as an alternative way to wrap up a christmas gift. i stamped this lovely image from LOTV, and coloured her in soft pastel tones with promarkers. i chose a few different shades of pink for her stocking to coordinate with the studio paint i used on the box (this is a good place to start as the box will take several coats to cover and need drying time too !!) i cut the image into a simple rectangle and rounded the corners for a nice shape. i matted the image onto a piece of mirri card. the ribbon was attached across the back then hidden under a further sheet of craftwork card for a neat finish. it also makes a better surface to write a message on. for the final touch i added some snowflakes, which i cut with the punch and glittered using stickles. the great thing about it is that when the ribbon is untied the tag comes off leaving a plain pink box ready for reusing ... a pretty and planet friendly way to wrap up your pressies !! 

'pink and white'

Mx

winter wishes ...

stamp: lili of the valley ice skating (ST341)
inks: memento(tuxedo black), letraset promarkers( various), tim holtz distress (brushed corduroy)
papers: first edition paper silent night 8x8 pad, craftwork cards digi cardstock, a4 sheet of 300gsm card, silver miri card, acetate
dies/punches: scallop edge border punch, labels collection framelits from stampin up!
extras: liquid pearls (bisque), stickles(diamond)

had a busy week this week, visited the great northern paper craft extravaganza (treated myself to lots of new goodies) and then started on the tim holtz creative chemistry 102 online course, giving me plenty to do. so I decided to give myself a little challenge for this post, by entering 4 competitions using one card... and here it is!!

 

 

i started by ticking 2 of the boxes by colouring this lovely christmas stamp from LOTV with my promarkers, which needed a snow fall theme. mounting them on an acetate fronted card fulfilled the transparency brief on the ABC Christmas challenge. the foiled wintery paper and miri card matt, (die cut to match the smaller stamp layer)added the shine and sparkle needed for the ribbon girl challenge. i also put some glittered accents on the girls hat and booties for extra sparkle... a Christmas must have for me as you may have guessed by now!! 

 

'anything goes'

 

'snow is falling'

 

't is for transparent'

'make is sparkly'

 

 i think this makes for a lovely grown up feeling card, perfect for sending Christmas wishes to a couple... i hope you would agree

Mx

thinking of you

inside

stamps: sincere salutations and love & sympathy from stampin up!, insert sentiment is a Martha stewart clear stamp set (don't have packaging,sorry)
inks: archival (sepia), tim holtz distress ink pad in worn lipstick, and markers in worn lipstick and shabby shutters
punches: scallop trim border from stampin up!
paper: kraft 4x6" landscape card blank, craftwork cards digi cardstock.

another sympathy card, i kept it nice and simple to keep the focus on the message. using the markers to stamp keeps the image looking soft, (this also allows for accurate multi tonal colouring within the image) and makes sure the other accents coordinate perfectly. I just added the coloured punched edges for a little bit of detail and interest. the inside was distress edged in the same colour with a nice sentiment for a not so nice time.

 

Mx

she's a peach !!

 

 

stamps: lili of the valley rosie posy,

set 24 sentiment tags

inks: letraset promarkers, memento (tuxedo black, tim holtz distress ink pad (antique linen & black soot

dies: (all sizzix framelit dies used)circles & scallop circles & set called wrapper,circle(658613) also a dot embossing folder from sizzix and the big shot

paper: my minds eye (honey cake) paper, 5x5" card blank, craftwork cards digi cardstock

extra: twine in black (I used tim holtz

idea-ology today)

 

I went a bit dotty on this one, with the backing paper and embossed panel to tie in the dotty wrapping on the girls flowers. I think the orange keeps it fresh and bright, with the black accents to make things pop !! the tags are a nice way to make a feature of the message, finished off with the knot of twine for some added texture.



 

September colour challenge "peach/orange"

 

 

week 216 theme- "embossing"

Mx

make it festive !!

stamp: Christmas robins stamp from LOTV
paint / ink: archival jet black ink pad, claudine hellmuth studio paints and matt medium (and brushes too!!)
other: cut mdf shape, rope trim, tim holtz ideaology tissue wrap (melange), scrabble letters, pinflair snow dust, stickles rock candy by tim holtz, hot glue gun.

I wanted to do something a little different for Christmas so I decided on a hanging plaque. MDF shapes are available, but if you have a handy neighbour like mine, there's no need to buy one.. just put your order in !! fix the rope trim to the wood (staples work well) and you have an instant base to work on.

I covered this one in the tissue wrap and painted over the top for a vintage feel. the stamped image compliments the theme well and the scrabble letter message gives it that quirky edge. of course glitter is needed for that finishing festive touch.

 

i'd like to enter it into the 'make it festive' monthly challenge ... I hope it fits the brief !!

 

Mx

a seasonal star !!

 

stamps: Christmas icons and sentiment from set 10, a5 by LOTV

inks: tim holtz distress inks, sepia archival ink pad, claudine hellmuth studio paints (and brushes)

other: craft card blank, organza ribbon, bakers twine, brad,mdf blank star, claudine hellmuth studio matt medium and tim holtz idea-ology terminology tissue wrap.



I made this card to incorporate the gift, with the removable Christmas ornament (perfect for the tree!!). I added a brad to the card, before sticking the topper down, to hold the ornament in place. I created the aged effect on the card and star using distress ink and sponged paint. i think the overall feel is a vintage, handmade take on Christmas.

 

 

inside

 

Mx

christmassy challenge

I have been looking online at some great blogs today, i found some challenges to have some fun doing and get a couple more Christmas cards done as a bonus!!

 

so here is my entry for the abc Christmas... the challenge is P so p for puppy, present, (does promarker count)  and second card is penguins

 

the second challenge is "clean & simple" (using promarkers) which I tried to do with both cards. I added a decorative egde to provide a touch of detail but no embellishments were used otherwise.

 



stamps: lili of the valley pup with stocking, stamping up! more merry messages
inks: letraset promarkers (various colours), memento (tuxedo black)
cardstock: kraft landscape 6x4 card blank, red card, craftwork cards digi cardstock
dies: finishing touches edgelits from stampin up! ( & sizzix big shot)

 

stamp: lili of the valley merry Christmas penguins & Christmas icons stamps set 36

inks: letraset promarkers (various colours), tim holtz distress ink pads (blue tones), memento (tuxedo black)

cardstock: white landscape 6x4 card blank, craftwork cards digi cardstock

dies: finishing touches edgelits from stampin up! ( & sizzix big shot)

 

 

 

 

 

hope you like the card ideas and you can follow the links above (please let me know if there's any problems)

Mx

skip to it !!

 

stamps: papermania mix 'n' match borders, petite pairs by stampin up! and skipping from LOTV

inks: tuxedo black memento ink pad, sekura glitter pen and promarker pens 

punches: large oval, scallop oval and scallop trim border from stampin up!

 



I kept this one simple, with the cute LOTV image as a focal point. the embellishments are kept to a minimum, with the accent of pink on the side trim and message, then using the stitching to define the edges of the central panel. overall I think this makes for a more grown up feel

 



'pretty in pink'

 

Mx

Christmas in july !!

 

 for those of you who like to be prepared.. here's an idea that gives you 5 months to get making !!

 

 

stamps: polar party from stampin up!

inks: memento(tuxedo black), archival ink(jet black), distress ink pads from tim holtz (festive berries & crushed olive), promarkers and copic spica glitter pens (http://theglitterpot.co.uk/products/Copic_Spica_Glitter_12_Pen_Set_B/21255/1040). 

card: digi cardstock from craftwork cards, 4 x 4" card blanks from craft uk limited

other: scallop circle and circle dies from sizzix and the big shot machine. 

 



 

start by making the toppers, I did this in stages to make multiple cards. stamp the trees with memento then die cut using the appropriate size circle. find a scalloped circle to layer under and cut as needed. I coloured mine with the promarkers to match the image, but you could obviously use coloured card instead. colour the images next, if you are making several card use the same colour on each image before moving on the next one ( do every bauble, then every trunk, every star etc) . accent  the tree decorations and snow using the glitter pens for that special festive sparkle. glue the layers of the topper together with

double sided tape.

 stamp a background onto your card blank in archival ink to decorate. I picked the little stocking from this set, and coloured them in a variety of ways to coordinate. I chose to watercolour, by picking up the pigment from the distress ink pads (don't do this directly, instead you need to squish some of the colour onto a brown craft matt, acetate or clear stamping block) using a wet brush, for a softer look. if you don't fancy doing this, you would need to stamp onto cardstock and colour with promarkers, then layer the piece onto the card blank. as you can see I have left the centre blank (nobody can see the bit under your topper, so you might as well save time and resources!!) all that's left to do then is stick down your topper and add a sentiment inside if you like

 

if I haven't explained anything well enough, feel free to ask ... there's plenty of time before Christmas !!

Mx