Sweet Wishes

Having a very ill hubby and kids with cabin fever does not make for much crafting time, so I'm a little behind on challenges this week.

I made this card for my PDD which was due yesterday *blush* and also for:
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Pink & Green
Just Magnolia - A wonderful sketch by Tab
PaperPlay DT - Dimension

I used a favourite Tilda for this card, from the Shabby Chic collection. I coloured her with distress inks and used stickles on her wings. Then I added some glossy accents to the dots on her bow, which of course can't be seen in the picture *insert rolling eyes*. The background is shaded with Tattered Rose.

I used 3-D foam dots to give the card dimension and and added some Prima Hydrangeas with skittles adhered in the centre. I also used glittered skittles, which are available over at Pez-A-Doodle Designs.

Ingredients: (all linked items available @ Pez-A-Doodle Designs)
Papers: MME - Tiny Dancer
Image: Magnolia Shabby Tilda
Distress inks, glittered skittles. prima blossoms, glossy accents & stickles
Sentiment: Whiff of Joy

Just Magnolia Monthly Challenge

Oh boy, what a challenge from the Just Magnolia Monthly Challenge blog!! The challenge was to alter a paperbag!! I had some lovely colour ones in my stash so I used a dusky pink, which I thought suited my papers perfectly. I used a mix of magnolia stamps, from different collections, but mostly from the new Summer Kit.

On the inside I made a little pocket with a tag. The pocket can be used to slip some coupons/vouchers into.


The light was fading fast, but the challenge ends @ 10pm tonight, so I didn't have time to be too critical of my photos. I'm just happy I made it on time to enter the challenge, lol.

Ingredients:
Papers: PM Nostalgia Warm & rose cardstock
Images & Sentiments: Magnolia
Flowers: Prima Hydrangea (strawberry)
Adhesive pearls & Ribbon from my stash

Especially for You Gorjuss

This is my entry for Sketch Saturday, using this week's sketch. I flipped the sketch around to suit my image.

It also qualifies for 2 other challenges:

Stamp Something - Winged Something
Secret Crafter Saturday challenge - 3 Buttons, 2 DP and 1 Ribbon.

I used the beautiful new Gorjuss girl with wings and coloured her with distress inks. I shaded the background using Pine Needles. I added Frosted Lace stickles to her wings and a dab of Glossy Accents to the heart in her hair. Then I added some dotted organza ribbon and some prima hydrangeas with buttons in the centre. I then added the sentiment which is from Magnolia.

Ingredients:
Papers - Cosmo Cricket, Farmers Market
Image - Gorjuss Girl
Flowers - Prima Hydrangeas (strawberry)
Sentiment - Magnolia
Ribbon - Raspberry Ribbon kit

Boy oh Boy!

This week's PaperPlay challenge is to make something for a boy/man. So I used my Pirate stamp from Stampin' Bella and some pirate themed papers given to me by Karen. I coloured the image with pencils and distressed the background with Antique Linen. Then stamped Happy Birthday underneath the image. I used a grungeboard skull and painted it with Picket Fence crackle paint. I was a little bit pushed for time so I dried off the paint real fast with my heat tool. Then I took a little piece of foam and used it to distess the skull with black soot ink. I cut out 2 coins from the dp, stuck them down and placed the skull just over them. Then I stuck down some real coins :), and gems (treasure!!!!)

I'm entering this into the Simon Says Challenge, as I used Dawny's sketch :)

I also followed the sketch in to the inside. It's quite plain, no stamping.

Ingredients: (all linked items are available on Pezadoodle Designs ) Papers: Pirate themed -gift from Karen & PM cardstock Image: Stampin' Bella Skull: Grungeboard Distress inks, crackle paint, pencils Coins from my change jar, lol.

Studio G Challenges - Warm & Cozy

The current challenge over on Paper Craft Planet's Studio G group is BUTTONS!! I love buttons so this one was right up my street. I made the teabag holder that I saw on a blog yesterday (and for the life of me I can't remember which blog :S ). The tutorial for this project can be found on Split Coast Stampers.

Seeing as a lot of people I know are suffering from cold and flu I decided to add Lemsips instead of teabags and thought the sentiment on the front was perfect with them :)


Ingredients:
Tutorial: Split Coast Stampers
Papers: K & Company Que Sera Sera & pink Bazzil
Sentiment : Studio G
Buttons & ribbon from my stash

Gorjuss Princess and an award

This card is a combination of 3 challenges:

1. A Spoon Full of Sugar - Swirls
2. Papertake Weekly - Pick a colour combo from any of these: pink, black, white, yellow, green, grey and lilac
3. Sketch and Stash - who have 2 parts, the first is this sketch and the the second part of the challenge is to use your newest stash on your card. (my Gorjuss girl & the heart charm). I flipped the sketch 90degrees.
   

Ingredients: Paper: Teresa Collins
Image: Gorjuss Girl from Funky Kits
Gem Swirl: Prima Marketing
Heart Charm: The Hobby House
Button, floss, ribbons from my stash

This is an award given to me by the uber talented Heather. She makes the most wonderful creations so make sure to go check out her blog :)

Sunday Challenge Marathon ;)

STAMPIN' FOR THE WEEKEND

It was a really horrible day out today so I decided to catch up on some challenges. I went for a big project that I'd be meaning to get around to. The instructions for this set (and there is more to it!!) can be purchased HERE.

So, it's 4 items and 4 challenges :)

1. Stamping for the weekend - Rock n' Roll 70's
2. Friday Sketchers - Sketch
3. Sketch Saturday - Sketch
4. Stamp Something - Sketch Something Challenge
   

I am entering the whole set into SFTW and I went for "Tangled up in Blue" but it could take in all 3 song titles, lol.

Tangled up in Blue – Bob Dylan (set is blue)

Three Times a Lady – The Commodores (my 3 Tildas)

Seasons in the Sun – Terry Jacks (Summer Tilda card)

FRIDAY SKETCHERS

the inside:

and this is their sketch:

STAMP SOMETHING - Sketch Something


and the sketch:


SKETCH SATURDAY

the inside:

and their sketch:


This was really a fantastic project and I'll definitely be going back to Inking Idaho to get some more.
The tote bag has 3 pockets on the front and one large pocket on the back. In each of the front pockets there is a little tag/bookmark, for which I used co-ordinating papers to decorate & added a little button the top of each one.

I also added some bling on the back pocket!!!

The cards in the tote:

Ingredients:
Papers: K & Company - Blue Awning
Images: Magnolias - Lazy Days of Summer kit and Shabby Chic Summer 2008
Ribbon: American Crafts
Pewter Pearls - PM
Sentiments - Studio G, SeeD's & Magnolia
Distress inks

Whiff of Joy Fall Kit News

Pre orders started today -Friday, July 17th and will end on August 7th. Don't miss out!!

here is a little sneak peak Katharina is giving.. isn't she beautiful!!

Just Magnolia / PaperPlay Challenges

This card covers 3 challenges.

1. Just Magnolia, which calls for Buttons
2. PaperPlay Challenges - Favourite Chocolate/Candy
3. Magnolia-licious - who are having an Edwin themed blog hop
   

This is my favourite chocolate :)

I used the Edwin with Surf board image, from the Magnolia Summer kit. I coloured him with both pencils and distress inks. I shaded the background using Broken China. For the 'sand' I used Distress Stickles in Antique Linen.

Feels like sand too!!

I added loads of buttons to the outside and finished the card off with a sentiment from Studio G. I also matched the papers on the inside and added a journalling spot.


This is what happened the chocolate approx 10 seconds after I'd taken the picture of it....

She'd had her face painted for last day of summer camp, lol.

Ingredients: (all linked items available on Pez-A-Doodle)
Papers: BG Archaic
Image: Edwin - Magnolia Summer Kit
Distress inks, distress stickles
Sentiment: Studio G

Thinking of You

Today I'd like to share with you the card I made using Split Coast Stampers Sketch 237. I am also entering it f0r the Whiff of Joy Challenge #39, which was Paper PIERCING.

I used Bo Bunny Alissa So Cute papers and the Melinda with Hot Chocolate stamp from Whiff of Joy. I coloured my image using pencils and distressed the background with Tea Dye, then pierced all around the edges. I added some prima flowers and stuck skittles in the centres. The sentiment is from my Studio G collection.

inside the card:

Recipe:
Papers: Bo Bunny - Alissa So Cute
Image: Whiff of Joy - Melinda
Flowers: Primas with Skittles
Ribbon: East of India
TH Distress Inks
Studio G Sentiment and hearts

For a Princess

I'm skating in on the last day of this week's Whiff of Joy challenge who had a great sketch by Katharina.

I'm also entering this card into Stampin' for the Weekend's challenge and the theme this week is "Strawberries dipped in Chocolate".

I used the beautiful Princess Charlotte image and coloured her with pencils. I added gold stickles to the 'buttons' on her gown and in the centre of the crown. I distressed the background with Tea Dye. I also distressed the scalloped edge (which I made with a corner punch) on the red/white paper to make it stand out more against the brown cardstock. I had put the brown card through the cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots folder to give it more texture. To finish off the card I added some white/brown/red primas, a gold charm, lace and gem brads. Then I made the word "Princess" on my label maker!

I just love this colour combo and will definitely be using it again :)

Ingredients:
Papers: Jenni Bowlin, Prima Marketing, Bazzil & Papermania
Image: Whiff of Joy - Princess Charlotte
Flowers : Prima
Brads: Papermania
Sentiment : label maker
Charm & lace from my stash.

You are my sunshine :)

This is my entry for Friday Sketchers this week. I used my Magnolia summer kit again :D . I masked Tilda onto the water ring and coloured them using watercolour pencils. Then I shaded the background with Broken China distress ink. I added stickles to the embossing on the primas and used self adhesive pearls for the centres. The sentiment is a Studio G.

Ingredients:
Images: Magnolia Summer Kit
Papers: Papermania Blueberry Hill
Sentiment: Studio G
Self adhesive pearls in blue and pink, primas & stickles.

Loves me... loves me not..

This is my entry for the Just Magnolia Challenge this week, which was a sketch by Mina:

I used another Tilda from the gorgeous new Lazy Days of Summer kit. The sentiment is also part of the kit. I coloured the image with watercolour pencils and cut her out, then I stamped the fence on the background oval and distressed the background with Tattered Rose. Then I adhered Tilda onto the fence. (I already had the image coloured and cut out when I decided on using the fence, or I would have masked her onto it instead). The flowers are a mix from my own stash, the ribbon from Raspberry Ribbons and the brads are Papermania. The papers are BG Lemonade, I really love these papers!!

The light here today is truly awful and no matter how many different places I've taken a photo of this card in I just can't capture the true colours of either the papers or my image. Don't ya just hate that!!?? lol.

Win $1,000 at TheCuttlebugSpot.com!

The Cuttlebug Spot is having a contest !!

They are trying to reach 1,000 followers by the end of July and need your help.

To enter all you have to do is go to their site, sign up as follower, post about the contest on your blog & then link back to your blog and you could win a $1,000 gift certificate to Custom Crops. And if that's not enough.... they giving away a $50 Custom Crops gift certificate each Friday until they reach their goal!!! Check it out HERE

ICSketches and an Altered Tin

This is the card I made for the Inspirational Card Sketches Challenge this week using this sketch by Dawn B:

I used the oh so sweet BG Lemonade papers and a sweet Sarah Kay image. I coloured the image with watercolour pencils and distressed the background with Tattered Rose distress ink. The sentiment is from the new Magnolia Summer Kit and the the butterfly is a Studio G stamp (loooove my Studio G's!!).

I also altered a tin to go with this card:


Again, the sentiment and butterlflies are Studio G and I distressed the little tags with Tattered Rose distress ink. The blossoms are my favourite Prima's - Strawberry Hydrangea and the pearls are an ebay purchase.

And now that I've finally realised that today is Friday, and not Saturday as I thought.. I get an extra day this weekend!! lol.

You're so Sweet

My Magnolia summer kit arrived yesterday!! :) They are all so fantastic that I got it hard to pick one to use for this card. I really love the whole kit and will definitely pre-order the Fall kit too.

I am combining 3 challenges on this card:

1. Just Magnolia - So Charming (dragonfly charm)
   
2. Papertake Weekly - Favourite Things (MME papers - one of my favourite paper brands!!!)
   
3. Fridays Sketchers - another brilliant sketch to follow:

I used pencils to colour my Tilda image and distress inks to shade the background. I used Fruit Punch Stickles on the top of Tilda's ice-cream :) The papers are MME Penny Lane, the ribbon and brads are from my stash.

Linked items above are available on Pez-A-Doodle Designs at terrific price... and Marti has just added Flowersoft Polar White for pre-order!!! Finally Flowersoft is available in WHITE!! So not only can you use it for your flowers but also for SNOW (think Christmas cards!!) & BUBBLE BATHS too.

Stampin' for the Weekend - Double or Nothing

This week there is a choice of 2 sketches to choose from, one by Donna & one by Kimmi. I picked Donna's sketch for my entry;

I used Prima papers and a sweet Grojuss girl to make my card. I coloured the image and shaded the background using distress inks. I made my scalloped circle using a circle cutter, and a corner punch to do the scallop - I used the crop-a-dile to make the holes, then distressed the edges to make it stand out against the background paper. The flowers are also from Prima and the sentiment is a Studio G. I finished it off using 2 white buttons threaded with floss.

Here's an interesting fact a friend has just shared with me:
At five minutes and six seconds after 4 am on the 8th of July this year, the time and date will be 04:05:06 07/08/09.

Studio G / Whiff of Joy / Simon Says

I made this card for 3 challenges, which is a first for me :) I normally get all confused and forget what I'm supposed to be doing, lol.

Studio G - Sketch by Marti
Whiff of Joy #37 - 3 patterned papers, 3 flowers and 1 ribbon.
Simon Says - Colour combo! (Lemon, orange, apple green and pink - lovely Summery colours)

I used the beautiful Musing Melinda image and coloured her with distress inks. Then I used my Studio G's to add the sentiment & some scenery, in the form of flowers & a little butterfly. I also used distress inks to colour the background on the image and finished it off by adding some stickles to Melinda's wings.

PaperPlay Challenges

"The challenge this week on PaperPlay is to use flowers on your creation... but the flowers must be handmade not bought.

The prize this week is kindly provided by Kerry from An Siopa Bui:

"A Vintage and Pearl Embellishment bag - 10 Metres of gorgeous lace & ribbon, stick-on pearls and other lovely vintage style embellishments."

Card Ingredients:
Papers: We R Memory Keepers MVP
Image: Pink Gem
Sentiment : Studio G
TH Distress inks for colouring image and distressing papers.

All the Studio G sets for the rest of the year are now on Marti's blog with pre-ordering available. Check them out HERE and HERE.

2 cards and an altered box...

Today's post is rather long, I hope you don't get bored before getting to the end. LOL.. I used the same papers on all 3 projects as they are a gift set.

I made this card for Papertake Weekly, who have a wonderful sketch this week. I also made it for the new Just Magnolia Tutorial Challenges, which was based on Kim's tutorial for distressing.


This second card I made using a sketch by Katharina, owner of Whiff of Joy Stamps. She is currently holding a GDT call for a special 1yr Anniversary celebration blog hop. If you would like to be in with a chance of participating in the blog hop then check out her blog for details.

I distressed the edges of the papers with Heidi Swapp edger and then inked them with Tattered Rose. The setiment is on a chipboard tag that I painted with Tattered Rose crackle paint. The 'For you' is a Studio G stamp.

Finally, this is an altered box that I promised a friend I would make for her (whenever i came across a suitable box) Well she had her 2nd baby on Monday, an adorable little boy, so I figured now was the perfect time to get it done.


Here is how I made it:
Supplies: MME Bella Bella papers, TH Distress Inks, Ranger Crackle Paint, Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber in Hazlenut, box , ribbon & embellishments.

so out came the old cutting mat for the messy projects....

This is the box as it looked before I altered it

I used the acrylic paint dabber (hazlenut) and painted all the edges

Then I measured the inside and cut my papers to the right sizes. I used Tea Dye to distress the edges and glued them all in place using tacky glue.

This is the inside of the top when it was finished.


I did the outside the same way and then added some ribbon, a metal heart and prima blossoms. the heart is attached to the ribbon using a TH Jump Ring. I used Star Dust stickles on the embossed circles of the prima to make them pop. I threaded a button with scrappers floss and glued that to the centre.

All linked supplies above are available on Pez-A-Doodle Designs. Right now Marti is offering between 15% and 25% off a range of Tim Holtz and 15% off of Adirondack paint dabbers so is this the right time to stock up on those supplies!!

Well if you got down this far, thank you for looking!! :)