Fri Sketcher#8: Sarah Kay

Fri Sketcher this week is a brilliant sketch from beaI had just finished colouring 1 of the new Sarah Kay stamps I got from Glitterpot (just wish I hadn't pre-ordered the bulk of them from US back in April when I didn't know when the UK would be getting any as I am having to be patient now, knowing I could have had them sooner but hindsight is a great thing!) so this card came together really quickly for me.

Materials:

• Images: 'My sweet Lilli' Sarah Kay stamp from Glitterpot 'Warm Wishes' hero arts 'happy everything greetings' set
• Colouring medium: Letraset promarkers and bit of Sakura clear stardust pen on the lace trim and edges of flourishes & flowers
• Paper:Basic grey 'Blush'
• Others: Only flourish die I have is a long quickcutz 12" border 1 which I just cut bits from and coloured with chalk inks to match papers. Flowers and brads from stash.
  

Award time!

I received this fab award last night and this morning from Carole, Sonia and Annie! What a fab way to end the weekend and to start a new week.

It's given to weblogs that catch your eye so I'm so chuffed you all thought of me, thank you! The rules are to pass it on to 7 people and then let them know, link who nominated you, etc .. (usual rules which I won't bother repeating).

It's soooo hard to choose just 7 but mine would be, in no particular order:

Marlene

Katharina

Michelle

Kathy

Claudia

Kristine

Camilla

A mixture of some 'old favourites' plus a few more recent new finds - you are all truely inspirational but bad for my bank account LOL! Sorry if you've already had this award but it's your own fault for having such fab blogs!

Edited to say: Just got this award off Elisabeth too - what an honour! For those who don't know (?!) Elisabeth is the very talented artist behind the Sweet Art Ebony range of stamps for Sugar Nellie. If you haven't been, you really should check out her blog where you can see all her amazing drawings as well as sketches for potential new stamps. Thanks Elisabeth :)

Edit 2: Ooo, just got this off Maria too! Thank you soo much!!!

Ooo, also look what landed on my door just now - the Magnolia summer club Whoooooohooo!!!!!

Just look at that string of lanterns and that cocktail glass. Off to cut them all out and introduce them to EZ and ink ;)

Ismaki, High Hopes and more colouring in.

Just can't stop colouring in with my markers at the moment, novelty hasn't worn off yet! Coloured in 2 high hopes cuties yesterday and was supposed to make 2 challenge cards with them but was too late for the 'stamp something' challenge but made them both up anyway.



This first one is for the Ismaki sketch and it's a tent fold card

then this second one started off as the sketch from last week's stamp something but then as I was too late to enter I adapted it slightly (off set the central image and added some more swirls and flowers)
Materials:

• Images: 'little missy', 'sunday best' and the gate/fence behind little missy are all High Hopes stamps (really looking forward to their new release next month)
• Colouring medium: Letraset promarkers and white gel pen for highlights. Actually didn't use any stickles, don't know what's wrong with me?!
• Papers: from PM retro floral pad
• Others: 1st card- prima flowers, brads and sentiment stamp from stash. flowers are actually attached to a bit of acetate. 2nd card- flourish quickcutz die cut on pink velvet paper. again flowers, brads from stash.
  

That's my lot now until Monday probably. Have a fab weekend.

PB: girlfriends

For a minute there thought I'd lost my internet connection (seem to have a temperamental modem) so best post this in case it goes again.



This is for the second Penny black challenge which is 'friendship' and the layout was loosely based on PTW sketch by Katharina with emphasis on the word 'loosely' as I didn't think the scallop edge suited this card, it's not a square card and the sketch was more elegant and less cute (but I just can't seem to make a card without adding a stamped image)!

I love this stamp, it's so funny, also got the one of them in a row knitting.

Materials:

• Images:'chicky night' PB stamp. 'girl friends' and 'hello' studio G 99p clear stamp sets. girlfriends randomly stamped with versamark then heat embossed with holographic powder.
• Coloured with: Letraset Promarkers with touch of stardust and glaze pens on the wine glasses and jewellery
• Paper: Coredination's Black Magic cardstock (black on 1 side, colour below it and on the back so great for sanding, embossing). strip on the right has been embossed with folder then sanded down to reveal the red underneath. Strip on the left has just been torn down one edge to reveal the red and have also used the red side another piece to mat the image. The brown piece was some paper I found in papermill a while ago which has this great wooden finish and feel to it - might see it better if you click on photo.
• Others: ric rac ribbon, prima flowers & pearl brads from stash. Central image is actually raised on 3d foam pads but can't tell from photo.
  

Spoonful of Sassy & checks!

As promised I'm back. The rest of my fab promarkers came yesterday (thanks Bryony!) so after doing a little colour swatch of all the colours for my own reference (I always do this with all my pens/pencils as I find the colour indicator on any pen/pencil is never as accurate), I had a little play whilst watching Wimbledon yesterday. Used my new sweet n sassy stamp and this was the result

I'm really happy with this and am loving using them at the moment so you may find me neglecting my prismas/distress inks for a little while :) Love the skin colours in the pens. I use combination of ivory, blush and dusky pink then just a hint of pastel pink for the cheek.

Anyway, back to the card. Theme on spoonful this week is checks and I had left over bits of card from my tilda card the other day so used all of those bits to come up with this:

Should be enough 'checks' as the yellow piece is check and the lilac embossed piece is 'argyle' checks (cuttlebug folder). Also used my border folder for the row of buttons (love this folder). I swiped both folders with versamark ink before embossing then dusted the embossed pieces with some PearlEx powder (Annie reminded me I had some of the stuff in my cupboards which I hardly ever use). Then just added a little sentiment, charm and flower from stash.

Have a good day, I was going to mow the lawn today but the weather's not co-operating will just have to makes some more cards instead, what a shame! Oh, in case any of you were waiting, Glitterpot have got the Sarah Kay clear stamps in stock, so hurry on over before they sell out (and don't blame me if you overspend)!

CCT16 no PP: 'many many thanks'

Theme this week on CCT is 'no patterned paper'. So time to get creative and make your own backgrounds, use embossing folder, anything as long as there's no shop bought patterned paper.

So out came my new embossing folders and bits of card. What started out in my head as a simple tent fold card with 1 image turned into a more elaborate kickstand card (with acetate) using a different image (thanks Nikki, she is a cutie :) ). Had no plan, it just kind of evolved into this once I started playing with all the layers and bits I wanted to include.

The first photo is taken flat so you can see the whole design as the bottom half is acetate.



This is taken with the card standing so you can see the which bits are inside the card and which bit is the acetate:
and this is the inside (smudged a bit of the sentiment but as the whole thing is 'distressed' and muted tones think I can get away with it or I may just stick a little flower to cover it up later):

Materials:

• Images: papilio stamp that I don't yet own! Image from swap I did with Nikki, isn't she cute?! 'many thanks sentiment' from hero arts set.
• Colouring medium: promarkers for the image. distress inks for edges and for some of the embossing folders. Silver gel pen for all the faux stitching - looks like glittery metallic thread IRL.
• Others: front of the card was done with the new embossing border strips. I used 3 of the ones in the 'just my type' set. Just swiped them with distress inks before I ran it through my cuttlebug. Really liked how the buttons turned out - will be doing that again! Inside the card are 'argyle' and 'houndstooth' folders. Again argyle was swiped with ink before embossing. The blue piece is background paper I made and had leftover from previous challenge to use alcohol inks. All edges cut with decorative scissors or distressed using my heidi swapp distresser. Ribbon,flowers, spacer and brad from stash.

Hope you'll join in this week, and there's more candy to be won, pop on over to CCT for details. I'll be back later to show you another card finished yesterday.

ATC: summer in bloom

Tilda & Friends ATC theme this week is 'Summer in bloom' so nice easy one after last week's thought provoker. I decided to include an actual magnolia person this week as I've noticed my last few have only had accessories on them. So with that in mind and the fact that I had such fun making my pop up card I've done a pop-up ATC:


Front:

Inside:
Materials:

• Stamps: All magnolia stamps except the pot of roses which is actually from a See D flower set which has been stuck in my drawer for ages but on closer inspection actual has some rather nice flower designs and bits so may get used a bit more now :D)
• Colouring medium: letraset promarkers (again limited colours, hoping to get the rest of them today - will be stalking the postie)
• Others: front is covered with dp from scrap box, flowers & gems from stash. wording printed with dymo. the sky background inside is from piece of dp, think from DCWV spring stack

Hope you'll join in the fun this week. Have a blooming nice day!

Dotty Tilda - "In my thoughts"

My new marker pens seems to have kick started my mojo as I've made 2 things today; my DT ATC (which you'll see tomorrow) and also this card for the tilda & co challenge which this week is 'going dotty'. Still not got the rest of my promarkers so still limited colour palette but think I did o.k in matching it to the DP Materials:

• Images: all magnolia stamps from the latest 'summer & sea' collection. The sentiment is from a little studio G clear set All coloured with Letraset Promarkers. stickles on wings and water plus clear glaze pen on water as well.
• Papers: from DCWV baby boy nursery stack. The scalloped spotty green frame is scrap from a previous card - glad I didn't chuck it now!
• Others: cuttlebug embossing border folder, ribbon, flowers and pearl brads from stash

Spoonful of fri sketcher & trying new markers

Hope everyone had a good weekend, I didn't make any cards at the weekend as wasn't in the mood but made this today as I was trying out some new marker pens.

This is for spoonful of sugar challenge, 'celebrations' and Friday sketchers sketch 7:-



Materials:

• Images: Hanglar image from blog buddy ;) I've been saving for months but as I will be getting this baby along with a few others in rubber form soon decided it was safe for me to use now! Coloured with letraset promarkers.** sentiment from a woodware xmas clear set 'home for christmas'.
• Paper: DCWV christmas stack 2007
• Others: EK success corner adorner punch 'bubbles' and ribbon from stash.

** I've been shopping around for my birthday present (either from hubby or from myself, haven't decided yet!). I've been wanting copics or similar alcohol based markers for a while now as I like the more intense colours you get with them plus they are quick and easier for when you don't want to blend with paper stumps or watercolour etc. After thinking long and hard decided I wouldn't go for copics but a cheaper UK alternative, the letraset promarkers as I think they are good enough for what I need them for. Plus this way, the money I save can go towards other craft goodies :)

So, anyway, before I bought all the colours I wanted from Silly Monkeys (only place I could find which had such a big choice at a good price) thought I'd best try some out first to make sure I'm happy with them, so popped to my local art store today and got a few to try and this is my first card made with them. It is also why it's a christmas card as the limited colours I had dictated the colour scheme of the card!

Still need practice using them but that's half the fun but happy enough for me to have ordered the rest I wanted. Just need to wait for them to come now, can't wait!

Need to go and do my DT cards now. Not having made anything over the weekend has really put me behind!

Pop Up Chintz!!!!!!!!

Ismaki sketch this week is to create a pop up card using this layout. Well, I received some fab stamps from Alota rubber stamps (fab service, arrived 6 days from US) and the 1 I was itching to use was this sofa/couch stamp. So set about creating scene round that.

This is the front, kept it plain so that inside is more of a surprise (recognise the bow Diane?!). Will add sentiment or words when I come to use it

and this is the inside, bit of chintz anyone?! (the sofa comes plain but in my order they gave me this free little rubber stamp of a rose and I couldn't resist stamping it all over the sofa!):
Will add sentiment where my watermark is once I know who/what I'm going to use this for (perhaps 'no place like home', 'welcome home', or 'I miss you'.)

This is close up from the right so you can see the fireplace, sheepskin rug and mirror better!

and on the left we have table with tray of cookies and my 'piece de resistance', little photo portrait (this is a photo of an old card I've made which I have turned sepia and shrunk. By fluke, it fitted the smallest rectangle nestabalities die! Then just added tiny piece of pearl beading and mini brad for nail. Really pleased with this and think it's my favourite bit of the card, actually chuckled to myself as I made it!)
I had such fun making this, I'm such a big kid, LOL! Just don't know whether I want to give it away now :D

Was going to look for a more flowery 'wallpaper' but then thought that would have been chintz overkill LOL (by the way, my house does NOT look like this at all!!)

Not going to list everything (would take too long) but all stamps except the couch were Magnolia with some adaptation (eg. cookie tray from tilda with cookies, table is chair with the back cut off, rug is top bit of another seat)! Apart from that only other tools used were my nesties for the mirror and photo frame.

For those eagle eyed amongst you, after taking couple of photos decided that I wanted Tilda to be human so ended up cutting off her wings which you can see is missing in one of the shots.

Any questions, just ask! This is only my second pop up card and had such fun, will definately be doing more in future.

CCT#15 Birthdays: "Party Animal"

Another nice general theme this week on CCT which is "Birthdays".

Looking through my PBs the other day I found these guys which I haven't got round to using (purchased about year ago I think!) and thought they'd make a fun birthday card. Layout just came about from using up the scraps I had left from a previous card (Basic Grey pad I think) and it's a kickstand card as the green base card wasn't quite wide enough to make a normal DL size card.


Here it is flat so you can see the whole design better

and up close so you can see how the little piggies have been decoupaged and they are all sparkly as I used pearlescent watercolour as well as my distress inksMaterials:

• Stamp: 'party animals' Penny black. 'Happy Birthday' is studio G 99p clear set, embossed with holographic black powder.
• Papers: scraps from scrap box (Basic Grey pheobe I think?) and black glitter cardstock for the mat round the piggies.
• Others: dymo tape writer used for 'party animal'. brads & gems from stash

Thank you for all your well wishes yesterday. Am feeling better now (think it was just the old monthly hormones, in my case it wrecks havoc with my digestive system and always get unsettled tummy along with headaches and general 'blearh-ness') but the horrid weather isn't helping now - you can always tell when it's Wimbledon fortnight - bound to rain isn't it?!

Have a nice day, hope it's a good one.

Tilda & Friends ATC: midummer night's dream

This week's ATC theme over on Tilda & Friends ATC has been set by guest DT Jacqui who has chosen 'Midsummer night's dream'. It doesn't have to be about Shakespeare's play, anything to do with a midsummer night or evening will be fine.

Well, this was a tough one and the only thing that kept coming to mind for me was that it's a play and it's set in woodlands with fairies (afraid that's all I can remember from my English lit lessons all those years ago)!!!

All stamps are Magnolia accessories stamps with the latest one being the sea background from their 'summer & sea' release. The torn script page is printed off pc and inked and the little fairy is cut out from a piece of patterned paper. The leaves framing the ATC are raised onto foam pads so it looks like you're peering in through the trees. Used glaze pen on the water and lots and lots of stickles all over. See close up below


Get your thinking caps on, as there's candy draw this week for a stamp (chair). See the blog for details and more inspiring ATCs from the other DT members.

No challenges, 'just a note'

Been trying to do the 'serendipty' challenge on tilda & co but it just ain't happening and have already binned 2 attempts. Have also realised I sometimes get dictated too much by the challenges and end up not using the stamps that I want to use. That plus I don't seem to be in the mood this week (not feeling 100% but hopefully that will pass) so have just played with some of my new stash without trying to fit it into anything.

Used my new 'crowfoot Tilda' (just love her hair and her shirt), some of the new cuttlebug folders (the buttons and zigzag embossing are from the border folders called 'just my type') and those leftover papers again (still not finished them but am bored of them now so they will be going in the scrap box).

Hope you like it. I've got my DT tilda & friends ATC to show tomorrow and hopefully my mojo will return soon.

Think I need a break in front of the TV with a good DVD - off for a rummage through my chick flick stash (almost as big as my stamp collection LOL).

PB Sat #1: sending a little hog or 2

There's a fab new challenge blog especially for Penny Black stamps which just started Sat which is brilliant as I do love my PB's - they are my first love and were the only 'cute' stamps I had before I discovered Magnolias, High Hopes et al. Penny Black Saturday's first challenge is to use the very first PB you bought.


Well, I had to have a good think about that as it was a while ago! Finally remembered it was this one. Well, actually got more than 1 at the time (as if I'd ever just get the 1 stamp!) but I thought this one worked best with the papers I wanted to use up.

Materials:

• Images: 'Pinky & Porky' & 'sending you a little hog' PB stamps. coloured with distress inks and stickles.
• Paper: DCWV Baby girl Nursery stack - are you sick of it yet?!! It's just that if I don't use up the bits now they will just end up in my scrap box & I'll forget about them! Think you'll have to put up with it for 1 more card!
• Others: Circles nestabilites die used. the 'or 2' is stamped out using a very old hero arts alpha set and then punched out with my SU word window punch. flower Brad and gems from stash.

Had great fun with this, can't wait for the next one! Think my PBs will get a better share of my attention now!

Spoonful Sugar: 3-2-1 fun!

One more card to show today then I'm off to work and probably won't have another card to show until Sun/Mon.


This one is for Spoonful of sugar challenge which this week was to follow a recipe of 3 brads/buttons, 2 PP & 1 flower. So I just used bits of PP left over from an earlier card and as the colours reminded me of ice cream I had to use my 'summer ice cream' stamp! (Not a very good photo but it'll have to do)

Materials:

• Images: 'summer ice cream' Sweet Art Ebony stamp coloured with prismas/sansodor and lots of stickles on the flowers. tickets are a mini clear stamp set by hero arts (have been loving the ticket stamp set by autumn leaves but thought this was a cute/cheaper alternative. you get 3 stamps and some mini gems in the pack. 3rd ticket says 'good for a hug anytime')
• Papers: DCWV baby girl nursery stack
• Others: flowers, flower & heart brads from stash. the corner scroll is a cuttlebug die

Also some of the new Magnolia stamps landed on my door today so am a happy bunny - only took 6 days to get here from ordering. Just need to wrestle with the EZ later!

Have a good weekend if I don't catch you before then!

PTW Katharina sketch #4: cupcake b'day

Another fab sketch from Katharina this week on PTW and the optional extra of using chipboard.

So I thought I'd use another piece of the paper I made for the sat workout challenge (see post below this) for the background and made a simple card using a chipboard embellishment I've had for ages but never seem to use:
The cupcakes and sentiments are a Stampendous Perfectly clear set 'hey there cupcake'. Just stamped and cut out and added lots of stickles and stuck on with 3d foam. circle 'happy birthday' chipboard embelli and everything else from stash.

Ismaki #23 / Stamp Something/Sat workout : 'it's a jungle out there'

I've combined:

• Ismaki sketch this week (optional extra only 2-3 colours which I've nearly fulfilled may have gone over by 1!)


• with the 'saturday workout' which was 'crumple it' technique (lots of messy fun with inks/water/paper and crumpled up cling film!) Here are my finished bits of paper, I used small patch of the lighter piece for this card , will save the rest for other cards. I've had these Marvy metallic markers for sooo many years and they haven't dried out! gives a really lovely metallic lustre IRL


• AND also 'Stamp something' this week is 'in the wild'.

This is the end result:

Materials:

• Images: 'Camilla the gorilla' (thanks Jo!), palm tree, banana tree - all High hopes stamps coloured with prismas/sansodor. The circular backgound is from my made bit of paper. Chose this particular bit as I thought it looked like a mountain/river scene - what do you think? added stickles to the 'river' bit
• Paper/card: patterned paper from my scrap box, orange strip embossed with cuttlebug folder to give wooden texture/feel to it.
• Others: circle nestabilites used. gems, brads and garden twine from stash. Sentiment printed off pc and cut out using SU word window punch.