Step card with a difference

Good afternoon, peeps and happy St Valentine's day! I hope you're all enjoying the start to the week. This card is the product of my weekend and I give full credit for it's construction to Jacqui of Cat's Whiskers who gives instructions for this card here so thank you very much Jacqui for sharing this with us bloggers! Jacqui's instructions are for 12" x 12" card but I just altered the dimensions slightly so that I could cut it from A4 card.

For the centre part of the card, I've used Dawny P's wonderful sketch for the Lili of the Valley Challenge this week and I shall be entering this card into the challenge so I do hope it counts with the 'extra bits' around three sides! The image is, of course from LOTV and I love all of them, especially from the latest release and I coloured her with Copics and Prismas but I'm afraid that my desk was in such chaos that I put the pens away without noting down the colours - sorry! The lovely DPs are from The Memory Box 'Gossamer' collection, the pearls are from The Hobby House and ribbon is from my stash... ...including the ribbon underneath the card that you can see in this side shot. I do this because I find that whenever you make a top fold card and the recipient stands it on a polished surface, it just falls flat so a bit of pretty ribbon attached with bows just prevents that happening. I don't know whether this is an original - probably not but I hope you like the idea! The doily lace trim was cut with an MS punch, the leaves with a McGill punch and the flowers are, of course, from Wild Orchid Crafts. Guess who's just ordered some more!! The sentiment is from Pink Petticoat. I hope you like this style of card and maybe you'll try out Jacqui's instructions as well. Thanks so much for visiting today and please leave a comment before you go then I can come and visit you too!

Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge #30 - Sweet Treats

Good morning, peeps! Here I am, back again with another challenge and this one got my little grey cells working because the team over at the Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge want us to use something edible on our project or to go with our project. Anyhoo, this is what I came up with:

Yes, it's the familiar, impossible to photograph successfully, easel card! I decided to make this one separately from the shaped box that holds the Cadbury's Mini Eggs (I love these things - wasn't I strong not to eat them?) for reasons that escape me now and I'm thinking that maybe the card should have been the top of the box. Oh well, it's made now and I can always make something similar another time and for a different occasion. Tilda is writing her diary sitting on top of a lovely heart shaped cushion, which is an image from our generous sponsor, Lauretta's Digital Stamps. This one is called 'Heart' and it's perfect for any of your sitting characters. Why not pay Lauretta a visit and see the other lovely images?

I think you can see the image better in this front view but taking photos is quite a challenge at the moment with the dull and gloomy weather - hurry up Spring! Tilda is coloured with Copics and Prismas and the heart is coloured with Copics only. The papers are from the K & Co McKenna pad, pearl brad from The Hobby House and the ribbon is from my stash. The card shape and box are cut from Nesties Labels Eight and the tag for the sentiment is also a Nestie shape. The sentiment itself is from Pink Petticoat Girly Curly Sentiment Collection and it says 'you make life sweet' - perfect for this project, don't you think? The distressing was done with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink and the flowers are, of course, from Wild Orchid Crafts. Copics used: Skin: E000, E01, E21 R11, R20 and Promarker Satin Hair: E50, E51 E53, E55, E33 Dress, socks and ribbon on the cushion: R81, R83, R85 Lace on the dress, RV000, R000 Diary cover: YG93, YG95 Diary pages: E40, E41, E42 Heart cushion: E50, E51, E53 Well, I hope you like my little sweet treat and I'll be back again soon with another project. In the meantime, do come and join with us for this challenge and make your own sweet treat. I'm teaching a class at my local craft shop tomorrow morning and the project is a Tim Holtz style tag book so my work desk is currently covered in Distress Crackle paints, Adirondack Dabbers, Distress inks, etc., etc. Projects after the style of the talented Tim used to be all I produced - how times change and now all I really want to do is colour. Anyhoo, wish me luck with the workshop, peeps!

Digi Doodle Shop Challeng #46 - A Nature Themed card

Good afternoon peeps! I hope all is well with you - at least there's a little bit of weak sunshine here today and it does make our thoughts turn towards Spring.
I've tried to convey that thought of Spring in my challenge project this week and the title of the image is 'Springtime Bunnies' and you can buy it here in the store. You'll also receive 25% off the price on all your purchases during February - a real bargain!
This cute image was coloured only with Copics (the Prismas didn't get in on the act this time!) and I mounted it on the lacey square cut with a Nestie. The DPs are both from Magnolia and making a Spring-like card gave me the opportunity to use the lovely daffodils from Wild Orchid Crafts - Yay! I've been saving them since last year waiting for such an opportunity! Obviously all the flowers are from the same source. The ribbon is from my stash and the sentiment is a digital one from Whimsy Stamps and you can find it here. I thought it was perfect both for this card and for the time of year!
Copics used:
Sky: B000
Fence: E55, E57, E59
Rabbits: E40, E41, E42, E43, E44
Grass/leaves: G20, G21, G40, G82, YG67
Daffodils: Y00, Y11, Y13, Y15
I hope you'll join in with the challenge for a Nature Themed Project and I hope the sun is shining where you are, even if it's putting in a weak effort!
Have a great day and I'll see you again soon!

A young man's birthday card

Good morning, peeps! Well, number 2 grandson was 15 last week and this is the birthday card I made for him. It's a digi image that's part of the Mikey Collection from Charmed Cards and Crafts. This collection gives you a whole load of images that are great for teenagers. Mind you, as I was assembling the card, it occurred to me that young people don't really play CDs anymore but then I haven't really caught up with iPods! It just keeps me firmly in the granny category in my grandson's mind I'm sure! Anyhoo, back to the topic in hand - the image was cut out with Nesties and I drew around the outside of the die to create the red mount. The DPs are an assortment from my stash, as were the buttons and the ribbons, and the stars were created from the Sizzix Primitive Stars die and distressed with Pumice Stone DI. The sentiment is from Lili of the Valley and it's been punched out with the now retired Stampin' Up Word Window punch. I must say, it beats me why any company would retire such a fundamentally useful punch, I really don't understand their reasoning! Here are the Copics I used: Skin: E000, E00, E01, E21, R11, R20 Hair: E50, E51, E53, E55, E33 Shirt & shoe: R22, R24, R27, R29, E19 Jeans: W1, W2, W3, W5, W7 Earphones: C1, C3,C5 CDs: B23, B24, B26, BG11, BG13, BG16, Y21, Y23, Y26 The inside of the card had matching papers and a pocket for a voucher 'cos, what can you buy for a 15 year old? Thank you for looking today and lease leave me a comment so that I can come and visit you too.

Valentines without red or pink

Good morning, peeps! Well, that's the title of the challenge over at Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge and, because I blooped with my first card and used the forbidden colours, here is my second attempt! Our wonderful sponsor for this challenge is Di's Digi Downloads and the image I've used is called 'Together Forever' and you'll find it on this page here. I thought it had so many possibilities, not just for Valentine's Day but for weddings, engagements or just for a general card. I coloured the image with Copics (no surprise there then!) and enhanced the shading with Prismas. The main DP is from a maker unknown and was given to me by my good friend, Alison so thanks for that, hun! It provided the colour scheme for the card. The central panel, that you can hardly see is a paper from Nitwits and the ribbon is from my stash. The flowers are, of course, from Wild Orchid Crafts. I do hope you'll join us at Fussy and Fancy for this challenge. If you're anything like me, you'll find it pretty challenging - I didn't realise how many of my DPs have red or pink in them! (Sounds like a good reason to shop to me!!) I'll show you the other card I made with this image another time since I don't want to confuse anyone with their challenge entry. I'm entering this card also into the Bunny Zoe's Challenge, 'Love is in the Air'. I'll be back again soon because we're well into the birthday season in this family. Take care and stay dry - it's raining cats and dogs here in Yorkshire! Copics used: Girl's skirt, hat & roses: Y00, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y17 Girl's blouse: YR12, YR15, YR18, E19 Boy's shirt: YG01, YG03, YG13, YG25, YG17 Boy's trousers and hat: B21, B23, B24, B26 Boy's hair: E50,E51, E53, E55, E33 Bench and girl's hair: E33, E35, E21, E25, E27, E29 Basket & tops of girl's shoes: E40, E42, E43, E44 Bottoms of girl's shoes: W1, W2, W3, W5

A frog he would a-wooing go....

...leastways, that's how it looks to me!


Good afternoon peeps! and how is your Thursday going? I hope it's a good one for all of you!
This card is for the new challenge over at Digi Doodle Shop's Best this week, which is to make a project suitabe for Valentine's Day and I do hope you'll come and join us - there's a wonderful $10 gift certificate up for grabs that you can spend in the shop here, where you will also find the image I've used on my card - it's called 'Love Frogs' and it was quite a popular choice with the DT, as you'll see from the Challenge Blog and who can blame them? What a fun image it is and really easy to colour!
After I'd finished the colouring (Copic colours below) and drawn in the pond and the reeds behind, I realised that I'd basically created a red and green colour scheme. (My work doesn't often have a careful plan like some of you talented peeps out there - it just 'develops'!) So, the obvioous place to go looking for DP's was my Christmas box and this is just a random selection taken from my stash there, likewise the ribbon. The lace was cut with my Magnolia Doo Hickey Die and the heart shape was cut with a Sizzix Original die. The sentiment is computer generated and then cut out using the Sizzix shape as a template. The distressing on the heart is Barn Door Distress Ink. The leaves are cut with a McGill punch and the flowers are all from Wild Orchid Crafts.
Copics used:
Frogs: YG01, YG03, YG25, YG17
Lily pads & reeds: YG91, YG93, YG95, YG97
Pond: BG10, BG72, BG75, BG78
Sky: B000
Frog's lips and bow: R20, R22
Hearts: R29
Well, that's all from me today. I'll be back tomorrow with another challenge but, in the meantime, I'm also entering this in the Simon Says Stamp Challenge which is 'Love is in the Air' and the Papertake Weekly Challenge, which is 'Anything Goes' with an optional extra of flowers. Also, Cute Card Thursday Challenge 150, which is to 'Banish the Blues' - they're looking for humour and Bunny Zoe's Challenge, which is also 'Love is in the Air'.

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Good afternoon, peeps!
That's what happened yesterday at my son's house - the tea party, I mean! Number two granddaughter is 11 years old tomorrow and yesterday she had a few friends home for an Alice in Wonderland themed party - hence the reason I chose this fantastic Mo Manning image for her card. The image is called 'Hatter' and you can buy him here. There are other Alice in Wonderlad character images as well, all with Mo's unique touch!



Isn't he a picture of sartorial elegance in his multi-coloured outfit? I'm sorry I don't have the Copic colours for you because this is another image that I coloured whilst on hols recently. The DP is Basic Grey Kioshi, the pearls are from The Hobby House and the sentiment is another from Pink Petticoat Girly Curly Sentiments Collection, which was one of my better investments, I feel. The flowers are, of course, from Wild Orchid Crafts and the leaves were punched with a McGill punch. The ribbon is from my stash and here is the inside of the card:


The tags were punched with a Sizzix punch, edged with Adirondack Dabbers in Cool Peri and Purple Twilight and I think you can see that the one on the left is just for the greeting (a Clarity Stamp) but the one on the right is my homemade attempt at a voucher providing funds for the birthday girl to spend at the craft show at Harrogate in March. She's following Granny and Mummy and becoming a crafter - way to go, Lucy!
Well I'm just about to follow the Mad Hatter and have a cup of tea that my darling hubby is presntly making for me.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you again soon!
Thank you for looking at my blog today and I hope you enjoy what you see!