Molly and George on a date......

...... noooo, not that kind of date, this kind of date:

Good morning, peeps!  Did I fool you?  It's another one of those Perpetual Calendars like I showed you here except this one is larger and decorated with this cute duo.  They are of course coloured with my Copics and Prisma pencils (sorry I don't have the numbers) and everything else is from my stash.

Right, this is just a brief post because I'm off to work on some Polka Doodles samples now (and Clarity ones for December and coming workshops).  I don't think I'll ever be stuck for something to do!

Have a great weekend y'all!

Hugs

Christmas a la Tim

Good morning, peeps and a chilly one it is too!  The frost was so thick this morning it looked almost like snow!  Still, it's appropriate waether for a post about Christmas cards and I have four of them to show you this morning!

 

All of these cards are for a workshop that I'm teaching at Samuel Taylor's, Brighouse tomorrow.  The objective being not just to loosely follow the style of Tim Holtz but to make quick Christmas cards as well.  There is plenty of Distress Inking in evidence as well as embellishments made fom Grunge Paper.

The stamps featured in the above card are from Indigo Blu, Hero Arts and Viva.

This one has stamps from the same sources and I've added Distress Stickles holly berries to the Grunge Paper holly sprigs.

There's not quite so much of Tim in this one because I've used some wonderful DP from Kaisercraft.  The die cuts are Marianne Christmas Tree 1, the white one being distressed with Forest Moss DI and on the green one I tried all sorts of things to get the snowy effect.  Adirondack Dabber in Snow Cap went really cream when it dried so I went over it with a white wax crayon.  When that wasn't white enough, a white gel pen finally got the result I wanted!

All the little snow flakes were produced using a Martha Stewart edge punch - these are the bits you normally throw away when punching a snowflake border!

Finally, this is a card that has the wishes for the season from another Indigo Blu stamp, as are the trees at the bottom.  The Christmas wishes I've used for the background are from the Viva plate and are stamped in Antique Linen DI.  The ribbon is from my stash.

Well, I hope this has given you some ideas for some quick Christmas cards for your own needs.  I think everyone's beginning to think that time is getting short for making cards - including me!  Although I only send handmade cards to close family and friends who appreciate the effort that goes into them.

Keep warm!

Hugs

Featuring a sentiment

Good morning, peeps and thank Crunchie it's Friday!  You got anything special planned for the weekend? - I'm gonna take it a little bit easy and that's special!!

Well, the challenge over at Fussy and Fancy this week is to Be Thankful and Feature a Sentiment.  I must admit that I slightly misunderstood this challenge because I thought it was to be thankful Or Feature a Sentiment and this is what I did:

The sentiment I've featured is more of a blessing than a verse expressing thanks but I hope you all like it nevertheless.

The blessing comes from Claritystamp and I've centred it in a Nestie shape which I've coloured with Antique Linen Distress Ink before removing the die.  I love this effect because it looks as though the verse is double mounted, which it isn't - it's just mounted once on to the dark brown card.

The wonderful DP is from a K & Co pad I've had for ages and it has no name on it.  Add one of the large gardenias from Wild Orchid Crafts, some stamens from the same source, flourishes cut from a Magnolia Doohickey die and, finally, butterflies cut with Martha Stewart punches and you have a card!

I must thank a teamie from a former DT I was on, the uber talented Dana for this idea, which I saw on her blog some time ago.  Her work is fabulous so do pop over and pay her a visit.  She's not too well at the moment so Get Well Soon, Dana!

Do come and join in this challenge, which is sponsored by Sweet and Sassy Stamps.

Thank you for looking today, please leave me a comment to let me know I'm not talking to myself here!  Whatever you're doing this weekend, have a great one!

Hugs

Fairy Fantasy

Good morning, peeps and it's time for anew challenge over at Polka Doodles!  The title of the challenge this week is Magical and Mystical so of course it had to include a fairy for me and this little beauty has been waiting in my stash to make an appearance for 9 months - here's what happened when she finally saw ink!

She's called Garden of Wishes and she's from Lili of the Valley.  I just love the way her blue eyes are gazing at that star she's caught and the movement in her dress.  She coloured with Copics, Flexmarkers and Promarkers (of course) and Prisma pencils and I added Glamour Dust to her rainbow wings and Star Dust Stickles to the star (what else?).

The gorge papers are from the Polka Doodles Pretty Sweet CD, so delicate and girlie.  Those of my lovely followers who've been around for a while will know that I've never really been a CD crafter but I'm sold now that I've discovered Polka Doodles.  I just print the designs on Ultimate Graphic card and I have superb quality DP at a click!  No more wondering if I should use a piece of DP because it's nearly gone, stroking it and putting it back in the box.  If I like a paper I can have as much of it as I want and not worry about whether or not it's gone from the shelves - yay!!

The swirly leaves are cut from a Cheery Lynn die called 'Fanciful Flourish' and it's available from Tracy at Dies to Die For and the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.  It's been a while since it's felt right to add half a florist's shop to a card and I love it!

The scallops at the bottom of the card were produced with my EK Success Diamond Lace punch and it's available here at The Hobby House.  Ribbon and rhinestones were from the same shop.

I didn't keep a note of all the pens I used in the colouring but I can tell you that I went through a range of RV Copics to get the colour I wanted and ended up using mainly Promarker in Blossom and Rose Pink and Pale Blossom Flexmarker.  The dress colouring was all enhanced with a Raspberry Prisma Pencil.  For the rainbow wings, I used the palest Copics (0000) in the RV, YR, Y, G, B colour families and a Pale Lavender Flexmarker.  Her skin and blonde hair were my usual ones, which you'll find in previous posts.

The frame for the fairy portrait is a Spellbinders Nestie Fleur de Lis die.

Do come and join us for this challenge - you have until next Thursday to join in and thank you for looking today.  Have a great weekend!

Hugs

Christmas Place Setting

Good morning, peeps and a wonderful sunny one it is too!  Don't you just love these sunny Autumn days full of glorious colour?

Guess what I was doing yesterday - teaching a small group of ladies to make these items for glamming up their Christmas tables.

I just love Molly Blooms stamps and this image of Rudolph is so cute and I thought he was perfect for the job not looking either too feminine or too masculine.

This is a really simple set to make, it just requires some concentration to measure and cut the shape for the cracker shaped box from 12" x 12" cardstock.

If you're around Brighouse on Saturday morning, I shall be teaching the same class again at Samuel Taylors and there are still places left.

Well, it looks as though my place at the table for Christmas lunch is secured!  Better get on with some more.

I'm sorry I didn't keep a note of the Copics I used but the pine branch is a Marianne die and the DP is a gorge one from Kaisercraft.

Thanks for looking today and I'll see you again soon.

Hugs

Starlight Tilda

Good morning, peeps!

Well, I'm finally back with a new challenge for Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge and the challenge this week is three Bs - Black, Border punch and Bling!  As you can see, my card has all three:

The colours don't seem to have shown up particularly well in this photograph but you can at least clearly see the bling - plenty of that on view!

As well as being my challenge card, this is one of the card designs I'm teaching at a workshop at Samuel Taylor's in Roseville Street, Leeds tomorrow and I'll show you the other one another time.

I realised as I put the card together that the colours are quite halloween-y, which was quite unintentional since I don't 'do' halloween.  They were inspired by the gorge papers from Bo Bunny.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Magnolia
Snowflakes & lace:  Martha Stewart punches
DPs:  Bo Bunny (one of last year's Christmas designs)
Ribbon & diamante: from my stash
Copics:

Skin:  E000, E00, E21, E01, R20, R11, R30
Hair:  Just about all the cool greys!
Dress:  V12, V15, V17 + black Prisma Pencil
Wings and star:  BG70, BG72 + Muted Turquoise Prisma Pencil
Wand stick:  E71, E74, E77

I do hope you'll joi n in with this challenge, it's a reallt easy one!

Thanks for looking today and I hope to have something else for you to see soon.

Hugs

Handmade flower challenge

Good morning, peeps and it's Polka Doodles Challenge day today!

The challenge this week is 'Handmade flowers'- well that sent me into a bit of a panic I can tell you because I usually rely on Wild Orchid Crafts for flowers but I resorted to my tried and tested ones and you can see them here on my card:

I decided to place these two gorgeous friends from the Pretty Sweet CD in a lovely summery scene with the flowery fence from the Summer section of the Sundae of Seasons CD.  The girlies are coloured with my Copics but the flowery fence came ready coloured.  I have kept a note of the Copic colours and I'll be back later to edit this post and give you the colours but I have a hair appointment this morning - got to look glam for the big demo day tomorrow at Samuel Taylors, Roseville Street, Leeds!  Actually, I had the appointment anyway and the dates just coincide but it sounds good.

Can you believe that amidst distractions and interruptions (some people would call it work) it finally took me two and a half days to make this card - unbelievable!  The lovely DPs came from the Pretty Sweet CD as well.  I'm absolutely in love with them and there's something for everything when you're making unashamedly girle cards like this one.

I've got some photos to show you how to make the fowers as well so, see ya later!  In the meantime, do get making some lovely flowers and join us for the challenge.

Edit

Right, I finally have chance to tell you about how I made the flowers for this card.

First, you punch out the basic flowers from a small Retro Flower punch.  Then you take some scalloped edge scissors and cut a notch out of the end of each petal.

Then you take a cotton bud and add Distress Ink in whatever colour you need to the centre area of the flower and fade it out up into the petals.  Now add tiny dots to the petals nearest the centre of the flower- I used a Marvy Le Plume pen for this.

Finally, use a ball tool to shape the flowers - turn them over so that the coloured side is facing a foam mat and, using a circular motion, rotate the ball tool out from the cente so that the flowers become cup shaped, then do the same with each individual petal.

Finally, flip the flower over again so the coloured side is facing up and press down in the centre and, presto!! you have quite a realistic looking little primrose-like flower!

I used a Viva Pearl Pen to create the centres once I'd glued the flowers in place but you could use anything you choose.

OK, now for the Copics and Prisma pencils I used - loads here, I'm afraid!

Skin:  E000, E00, E01, E21, R20, R11, R30
Blonde hair:  E50, E51, E53, E55
Auburn hair:  E31, E33, E35, E37, E39 + Dark Brown Prisma pencil
Pink clothing:  RV00, RV10,  Promarker, Pink Carnation, RV34 + Raspberry Prisma pencil
Green stripes:  G12, G20, G24, G82 , G94
Blue trousers:  B000, B00, B02 + Muted Turqoise Prisma pencil
Khaki trousers:   BG93, BG96, BG99
Roses:  Promarker Antique Pink, R46, R59 + Tuscan Red Prisma pencil

Phew!  That was a marathon edit - I hope you managed to stay with me!

Hugs