Just Magnolia Challenge 4

Hi everyone, hope your week is going well. My card today is for Just Magnolia where this week the challenge is stitching and again the DT have come up with some fabulous inspiration for us all. I've used this cute Tilda from the Spring Kit and watercoloured her with distress inks, I cut her out and then added some stardust stickles. The background paper was a scrap so I don't know the company, it's very pretty icecream colours with a shimmer. Added some layers of white card with a punched edge, flowers, Elzybells sentiment, bow and faux stitching with a pink sparkle gel pen to finish. I think it looks a bit as if Tilda is running in through the lace curtains :) TFL. Chris x

Colour Create Challenge 15

Hi everyone my card today for the Colour Create Challenge where this week we have a lovely combination of Blue and Green with an option of paper piecing chosen by our lovely Heather, thanks Heather, I really enjoyed this one, favourite colours of mine and the paper piecing well, I got really carried away and pieced the whole stamp apart from the face, hair and teddy! The girls have come up with some amazing cards again this week and some wonderful tones of the colours in their papers for inspiration so I hope you can join in. We also have Juliet joining the DT from this week, I've admired her cards for a long time so a big welcome to you Juliet.

I've used a Penny Black stamp and as I said I've paper pieced just about everything with BG Lime Rickey and Sugared papers and shaded with distress inks, a bit of stickles on there too, can't seem to make a card without it! I used the same papers for the background panels as in the piecing and I distressed all the edges and sponged them too. Added some gingham ribbon which I'm not too sure about now that I've uploaded the card :( and a little button that was part of a pressie from Martine (thank you sweetie). Hoping your weekend is good and that you've had some craft time. Chris x

BasicGrey Challenge 34

Hi everyone, Saturday again already and time for the BasicGrey Challenge. This week there's a wonderful sketch to follow by our lovely Anthea which can be flipped, stretched etc., as long as the sketch is still visible and at least one BasicGrey product must be used. Fantastic inspiration on the blog, the girls have done wonders with this sketch, all so different and inspiring, we all loved it and I enjoyed making a long card for a change. Hope you can join us this week.

I finally got to use this lovely SN stamp that I've had for a while and I've coloured her with distress inks and sponged and painted the background then added some Stickles. The patterned background paper I've made by stamping BasicGrey Pom Bitsy stamps in various colours of distress inks all over the white paper and then sponging with Antique Linen over the top, unfortunately not too much of it is showing due to the humungous ribbon and bow! The other layers are BG Wisteria and some vellum. See you tomorrow with CC card and enjoy your Saturday. Chris x

Dare U 2 Digi Stamp Challenge 6 : 2 Sketches 4 You

Hi everyone and welcome to another Dare U 2 Digi Stamp Challenge where this week we have a special challenge sponsored by the fantastic Children's Charity Post Pals. Our Dare this week is

Gingham and Stitching

but also we would like you to give a sick child a smile by sending your card on to a deserving child through the Post Pals website. We really hope you can join us and help the children too. There's a fantastic prize on offer for encouragement which is sponsored half and half by Post Pals and DU2DS with a value of £20 and includes a Martha Stewart Punch, some pretty flowers and two digi stamps. We're delaying the drawing of the winner of this challenge to give everyone a chance to get their cards sent and we realise that many of our entrants are often outside the UK therefore the winner will be chosen randomly in two weeks time. As always there's some great inspiration from the delicious design team to get the mojo going and as usual your project needs to include a digital image.

I'm sending my card to Gaby, I hope she likes it although I've now read that her favourite colour is pink, the next one I send will be pink!

For my card this week I've followed the sketch on 2 Sketches for You which I thought was a gorgeous one and I've used my butterfly digi stamp soon to be available in the digi shop. I've water coloured the image with distress inks, cut out and applied stardust stickles and added some dimension by curling the wings and applying with some gel glue. The background paper is digi gingham that I printed out and I've cut and embossed a circle scalloped frame with nesties. TFL. Chris x

Just Magnolia Challenge 3

Hi everyone, hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. A card today for Just Magnolia Challenge 3 where this week there's a lovely sketch to follow and some fantastic inspiration from the design team girls. I've used the sunflower Tilda which I've water coloured with distress inks, cut out and mounted over the nestie cut ovals. Background card is Bazzil Bling and Canson Kraft card and I've used some white raffia ribbon for the centre panel element tied with thin brown ribbon.  I added a flowery swirl stamp by Personal Impressions and a Woodware sentiment then finished off with some Stickles and tiny half pearls. TFL. Chris x

BasicGrey Challenge 33

For this weeks challenge we would like you to use this colour combo :)

Black + Grey + 1

Now you may be asking what does the +1 mean, well this means that you can choose the third colour for your creation :), sounds like fun doesn't it :), now don't forget that you must also use at least 1 item from basicgrey somewhere on your creation, so have fun and we can wait to see your wonderful creations and what third colour you have chosen :) Now to make this challenge that much sweeter, we have a fabulous prize to give away to one lucky winner. I just wanted to share this wonderful news with you all, for the entire month of May we have a new fabulous and extremely talented Guest Designer joining us, Her name is June Houck and i am sure you will all make her feel right at home, be sure to stop by June's blog and say hello , and while you are there you will see for yourself just how talented she really is :)"

I hope you can join us this week at BasicGrey Challenges and that you'll pop over to the blog to see all the wonderful inspiration from my DT friends. Those girls are so good and I love their choices of  the third colour!  I've gone for cream for my card. A huge welcome to our guest designer for May, June is a lovely lady who I've met by being on the BasicGrey DT, she's a very sweet person and makes beautiful cards, I'm so pleased that she's agreed to join us this month. 

I've used my 'sleeping dog' digi stamp for this card, I seem to be on a male card theme this week as I need  men's cards for family birthdays this month! There's a minimal amount of water colouring again as the shading is mostly in the sketch style image. Used my lovely new nestabilities dies to cut out the image and the grey mat that I received in my gorgeous blog candy parcel this week from Bev (thank you Bev for all the gorgeous goodies ;) . The papers are BasicGrey Granola which I love to use for men's cards and I've layered them up with grey bazzil card and a black papermania card blank. I added some doodling and piercing, some distressing on the paper edges and black gems, the sentiment is from a Woodware set.

Hope you have a great bank holiday weekend and hopefully some nice weather where you are. See you tomorrow with my Colour Create card. TFL. Chris x

Colour Create Challenge 13

Hi everyone and today it's Colour Create Challenge 13 and a lovely colour choice by my lovely DT friend Jo of Green, Orange and Brown with an option of a male card. I hope you can join us again this week and when you pop over to the blog you'll find some brilliant inspiration from my lovely DT friends to get you going.

For the second week running I had a disaster with my CC card, last week I spilled coffee over it and had to remake and this week I forgot about the option and had a girl character!!! Hopefully next week will be better. I've used a little Hanglar boy and he's watercoloured and cut out. The card blank layers and the trees are all cut on the Cricut and then embossed with various CB embossing folders. I've also done some sponging over the embossing in places and over the trees for shading. The paper roses were part of a pressie from my lovely BG buddy Tara, I've seen them around in blogland but these are the first I've had, might have to get some more ;D they're so pretty, thanks T x. 

Haven't seen the baby robin today but the parents are still in and out of the shrubs where it was last seen, hope it's ok. I got told off by both parents today for going up the garden, who's garden is this?!!! The most difficult thing is keeping the dog away, he's so nosey and remembers that he last saw the cat near the nest and wants to investigate! Well have a lovely Sunday. TFL. Chris x
 

Hanglar Girl - SCSC

Hi everyone, I hope you're having a great Bank Holiday and soaking up the lovely weather. My card today is for SCSC where there's a great sketch to follow this week by my lovely friend Donna, thanks Donna, I loved the sketch but I totally missed that there's also a colour combination to follow of chocolate orange!!! Luckily I have used a bit of orange and there's some brown colours in the image, so I hope it counts? I've used a cute Hanglar girl which is watercoloured with Distress inks and mounted on orange bazzil card and matted on MME Bloom and grow paper. Edges of the papers are distressed and I've punched one edge with an MS arch punch. Added ribbon, sentiment, button and more ribbon in line with the sketch and stardust stickles. TFL. Chris x

Alota Bug Egg - Stamp with fun challenge

Hi everyone, a card today for Stamp with fun where this week there's a sketch to follow. My image is by Alota Rubber Stamps and is watercoloured with distress inks and cut out. I also stamped the little bug head as two images are required for the sketch. I've added nestie cut scalloped ovals behind the images cut from turquoise card and used the same to mat the WRMK Nonense paper and Woodware sentiment. Everything is layered with glue gel onto the white scalloped card blank which is sponged with distress ink. TFL. Chris x

Alota Bug - Friday Sketchers

Hi everyone, a card today for Friday Sketchers and a lovely sketch to follow by Emily. I've used my cute Alota Rubber Stamps bug in present which is watercoloured with Distress Inks and then cut out. The papers are from the WRMK Nonense pad and are glittered, beautifully sparkly and such rich colours and bold patterns, so this is probably the busiest looking card I've ever made, not too sure about it on the whole! All the paper edges have been distressed and I've added lots of buttons over the ribbon, a little cut out frame which came with the paper pack as the tag element of the sketch and a sentiment by Woodware. TFL, Chris x

Pink Gem 'Mimi and pig' - Stamp Something Challenge

Hi everyone, hope you've had a good weekend. A card today for Stamp Something challenge and it's sketch something this week with a lovely sketch by Emily which I've flipped. I've used my gorgeous 'Mimi' and pig' stamp by Pink Gem Designs, she's so cute and lovely to colour too, I've watercoloured the image with distress inks and sponged all round the edges of the panel with black distress ink. Papers for the various panels of the sketch are BasicGrey cupcake and blue bazzil for matting and also for the bottom strip which is scored and wrapped with raffia. Everything is mounted on a white scalloped card blank sponged with black. Added a woodware sentiment, stickles and a basicgrey button to finish. TFL. Chris x

Colour Create - Challenge One

Hi everyone, my card for Colour Create where the first challenge is pink, green and brown with an option of butterflies. I hope you can join in and it's great that this challenge can be combined with any other challenges you want to enter. There's some fantastic inspiration from the talented DT and a lovely prize too.

I'm also entering my card for the Cuttlebug Challenge and a theme of distressing. For my image I've used a gorgeous Elzybells bear which I've coloured with distress inks and cut out with a nestabilities oval. The card layers are all Coredinations and also cut out with nestabilities, embossed with a flowers cuttlebug folder and sanded. The Elzybells bear and sentiment are stamped in Versafine Timber Brown and mounted over the brown card on dimension tape. To decorate I added the green ginham ribbon, Prima flowers with Doodlebug candy dot centres, some punched leaves and butterflies with a bit of stickles for sparkle. TFL.

Materials:
Image and Sentiment: Elzybells
Colouring and Stamping: Versafine Timber Brown, Ranger Distress Inks in scattered straw, tea dye, walnut stain, shabby shutters, black, worn lipstick, fired brick.
Card: Coredinations card in chocolate, lime and bright pink
Embellishment: Green ginham ribbon, Prima flowers, Doodlebug Candydots, Nestabilities scalloped and plain ovals and Labels one, Cuttlebug flowers embossing folder, Woodware leaf and butterfly punches, sandpaper, Stardust stickles, edge distresser, dimension tape

Chris x

OCC Clear Thinking

Hi everyone, I hope you've had a great Christmas, lots of lovely presents and fun. My card today is for Our Creative Corner where the challenge this week is to add something clear to your project. My clear elements are clear gems and clear glossy accents all over the window in the image panel and on the butterfly which doesn't show up at all in the photograph! The digital images are printed out, allowed to dry for a good while, water coloured with distress inks and the girl on the seat is cut out and attached over the background image. There's lots of stickles dotted around and on the flowers in the paper at the top of the card.

Materials
Image: Girls about town digital download by Louise Brigden from Charmed Cards and Crafts
Colouring: Watercoloured with Distress Inks in black soot, peeled paint, shabby shutters, broken china, scattered straw, frayed burlap, vintage photo, fired brick, dried marigold, spiced marmalade, yellow. Edges and sentiment sponged with black soot and scattered straw.
Paper: K&Co Hydranga pad, white card for base
Embellishments: clear crystal gems, green organza ribbon, glossy accents, stickles

TFL. Back soon,
Chris

BasicGrey Challenge 15 'Going Green'

Hi everyone, here's my DT card for the BasicGrey Challenge this week.

"For this weeks challenge we would like to see you use some recycling on your creations, eg, cardboard, parts cut from another card, material from old clothes, postage stamps, it can be anything you like, the list is endless, also its not essential that the recycled item has to be old and used, you could simply use the inside of a business envelope for example as i know they can have some lovely patterns that can be used as backing papers etc, so have fun and of course not forgetting to use at least one item from basicgrey somewhere on your creation

This week will be the last challenge until the new year, so it gives you that little bit of extra time to get your creations done, so be sure to join us again on the 3rd of January when we will be setting the first challenge for 2009"

My recycled item is the gold bell and ribbon which I saved from a Lindt chocolate Santa. With a bit of luck Santa will bring me another one this year, the chocolate is yummy!

I hope you can join in this week, the creations from the other DT members are absolutely wonderful and another reason to take a look.

Materials:
Paper BasicGrey Figgy Pudding, black and red card
Image Magnolia Skaters
Colouring Two Aqua brushes (but with no water in the reservoir) fine and medium.
Ranger Distress Inks, Fired Brick, Faded Jeans, Tea Dye, Scattered Straw, Black Soot, Weathered Wood, Peeled Paint, Broken China. Promarkers for skin, blush and pastel pink.
Embellishments Scissors for distressed edges, Diamond Stickles, Gold Liquid Pearls, recycled gold bell and ribbon.

Hope you have a great weekend. TFL.

Back soon,
Chris

The Snowman

A card for an SCS challenge to make a card featuring a Snowman. I used my Stamps Happen 'Snowman and Friends' stamp bought just before Christmas last year and which I didn't really get the chance to use in time. It's a huge stamp but works really well with Versafine ink. I've water coloured with Ranger distress inks and highlighted the snowflakes with a white gel pen. The image is loaded with stickles in various colours but unfortunately it doesn't show up much in the picture. I matted the image on white and stuck to a black card which I'd embossed in a diagonal criss cross pattern on my scoreboard. The sentiment is matted on the black card and mounted on dimension tape.
I dotted different coloured gems in the centre of the whole diamond shapes that showed outside the image and sentiment. TFL.

Back soon,
Chris

Little Hangler Girl

I received a lovely present from my friend Sandra this week of some gorgeous Hanglar stamped images. Thank you Sandra, it's very much appreciated. This card is for Papertake Weekly where the challenge is to use a button or buttons. This sweet little girl is coloured with distress inks and cut out with a circle nestability. I matted on a scalloped circle of lilac Bazzil Bling which has a lovely shimmer. There's stickles dotted about which doesn't show up very well in the picture. The image panel is 3d over the Pink Petticoat background paper and lilac ribbon. I stamped the sentiment in distress ink to finish. TFL.

Back soon,

Chris

Hawaiin Tilda

A card for Friday Sketchers challenge using these lovely Magnolia images that my friend Tania stamped for me, aren't they cute? I think the Magnolia's just get better and better. All the images are water coloured with Ranger distress inks and I've arranged a little scene with sponging and wavy cut bazzil card in line with the sketch. The card blank was embossed with a CB bubbles folder before adding the other elements. I doodled waves with a white pen and continued the sand line with a black sharpie over the rest of the card, stickles were added to Tilda's flower garland and the waves for sparkle. I added a prima flower with a gem centre under the stamped Magnolia flower as I lost the smaller flower that I'd coloured and cut out! I'm not that happy with how this card turned out, I should have cut out the palm tree to make the border work better but I wanted to use the island as the panel for the sketch and I made it for the challenge so I'm uploading it and I wanted to show off the absolutely gorgeous Tilda! TFL.

Back soon,
Chris

Gift Bear

A card for the Cute Card Thursday Challenge and an SCS challenge today. The CCT challenge is 'things that grow' so I've used this lovely Penny Black Gift Bear image that my friend Clair stamped for me and I water coloured it with Ranger distress inks. The matting layers and spotted background paper are a digital download from Pink Petticoat. I love those spots! The sentiment is by SU and stamped with Ranger Aged Mahogany ink. TFL.

Back soon,
Chris