Friday 22 July 2011

Bugaboo week of mini challenges- Friday...

Friday's challenge at Bugaboo is a nice easy one to end the week- anything Christmas goes!
Sorry about the rubbish photo- I was rushing to get this one done in time and had to take it at night with a daylight bulb spotlight! I used the super cute freebie Deacon Candy-cane which you can get HERE until next Friday. I teamed him with vintage style papers from a blogtrain called 'Countdown to Christmas' which, I think, was from Stuff to Scrap. I toned down the white around the image with chalk to blend it better with the papers and finished off with a couple of dark red Card Candi.

Well, that's it! I have entered all 5 daily challenges and the weekly challenge. It is unheard of for me to have any Christmas cards done by now and now I have 6! I'm off to follow the Bloghop now and then I will be keeping my fingers crossed that I win something :-)

Catch the bug- weekly challenge...

Bugaboo are celebrating Christmas in July this week so here is my entry.
Sorry about the rubbish photo- I was rushing to get this one done in time and had to take it at night with a daylight bulb spotlight! At least it shows the shine on the pearlised card I used to mount! I made a border o my computer for the gorgeous robins from Bugaboo before printing and colouring with promarkers. The swirls have been die cut with a Marianne D swirl and the end of each swirl has been embellished with a little pearl. The papers are from a digiscrap blogtrain called 'Countdown to Christmas' which, I think, was from Stuff to Scrap.

Bugaboo week of mini challenges- Thursday...

Thursday's challenge at Bugaboo is to make a card with snow.
I used this beautiful snowman from Bugaboo and some papers that I bought when I first began papercrafting from the stationary shop, Partners! All the card came from my stash and I did one of my favourite things, which is to make my own embellishments with dies- so satisfying to turn scraps into embellishments! I used the Finnish Ice Star dies from Marianne D for these and a couple of crystal gems to finish off.

I would also like to enter this card in:

Good Luck...

Continuing with my mission to add to my stash, I used a couple more MelonHeadz images to make these two Good Luck cards.
The girl's one is made with freebie papers from Summer Driggs called 'Happy mother's day'. I ran the plain pink through the Daisy Pattern Cuttlebug folder.
The boy's one uses papers from the Stuff to Scrap 'French Tulips' blogtrain. I kept it really simple and bright.

I would like to enter these cards in the following challenges:

Thursday 21 July 2011

Bugaboo week of mini challenges- Wednesday...

Wednesday's challenge at Bugaboo is to make a card following the sketch given.

I thought this cute baby image from Bugaboo would make a lovely 'first Christmas' card for either a boy or girl. I created the sentiment around the image on my computer then cut it out with a Nestie, before colouring with my Promarkers. The papers are a freebie from Shabby Princess. I am rubbish at doing bows for cards but I thought I would have a go with this grosgrain ribbon as it went so well with the papers. I used a bow maker and, for once, it has come out quite well!

I would also like to enter this card in:

Bugaboo week of mini challenges- Tuesday...

Tuesday's challenge at Bugaboo is to make a card using the freebie image provided HERE.

I decided to make a center stepper card. The papers are another download from Papercraft Inspirations mag that I've had for ages. The sentiment is a freebie from Scrap-a-licious. The flower in the middle was white and I coloured it with my promarkers.

I would also like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Bugaboo week of mini challenges- Monday...

I don't normally do Christmas cards as early as this- we've only just broken up for the summer holidays!- but I couldn't resist playing along with this week of challenges at Bugaboo as they have some fab prizes and I love Jodie's stamps.
Monday's challenge is to make a Christmas card using non traditional colours. I decided to use this ornament ted image from Bugaboo but to colour him blue. I teamed him up with a paper that I downloaded from Papercraft Inspirations mag ages ago, some bright pink card from my stash and a sparkly blue ribbon. The scalloped card was cut with a Go-Kreate card cutting die. I also decided to make a matching tag using the bear tag image and my Sizzix scallop die.
I would also like to enter this card and tag in the following challenges:

Tuesday 19 July 2011

Get Well...

I have been trying to make a few cards for my stash lately and decided to use these cute girl and boy images from MelonHeadz to make a couple of get well cards.
The girl's card is made with freebie papers from Summer Driggs called 'A little spring in your step'. I made the little corner using two Sizzlet dies. I love using dies to make my own embellishments but it does encourage me to keep ever more minute pieces of card!
The boy's card is made with digi-scrap papers by Christy at Stuff to Scrap called 'Play Ball'. I ran the plain paper through the Christmas Stars Cuttlebug folder, but otherwise kept the design quite simple.

I would like to enter these cards in the following challenges:

Monday 18 July 2011

Cards for Men challenge 15 and a freebie sentiment...

Welcome to our new challenge at Cards for Men. This time we would like you to 'Use a key' on your men's or boy's card. This challenge opens up all sorts of possibilities- new home, first car/test passed, 18th/21st birthday, Valentines or, like me, anniversary.
I've had this Prairy Fairy image called 'With all my heart' for ages and thought he would be perfect for my card. He has been coloured with Promarkers and the heart and his nose have been glazed with Glossy Accents.
The papers are a digiscrap set called 'Heart Attack' by The Latest Scoop, Too. I loved the fresh, slightly retro colours. I only posess 3 border punches- because I usually mat on card which they often won't go through- but I used printed red paper from the kit for this so I used my Fiskars heart punch to add a decorative border.
It's typical isn't it? When I don't need one I'm sure I saw key charms on the racks of £1 craft packs but when I want one- they don't! However after much searching and visiting 3 shops I found these little toppers and pulled off the tiny, metal key and padlock to make my own sentiment.
This is another of my own sentiments- I know it isn't perfect but I was experimenting with adding borders. If you would like to snag it as a freebie please do.


We are sponsored by Prairie Fairy for this challenge and if you haven't already come across their designs you are in for a treat. Pop over to the store to take a look. Please pop over to the Cards for Men site for details of the prize.
The rest of the wonderful Cards for Men DT have also used Prairie Fairy designs for their cards so do take a look at all the inspiration there. You have until 31st July to take part.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Sunday 17 July 2011

Teacher thanks...

School finishes on Tuesday so I have been busy with sorting out thank you cards for Matthew to give his teachers. He wanted 4:- one for his class teacher and one for the class support assistant, one for the PPA teacher who teaches him French and one for Mademoiselle Rollet who is a teacher from France who has been working with some of the schools in our area this school year and is now returning to France.
I used this cute little mouse with a pencil from Meljens for all the cards and made the personal sentiments on my computer.
Matthew chose the papers and he wanted blue, white and red to give a French look- these papers were a freebie from Shabby Princess called 'Celebrating'.
He chose 'Festival', also by Shabby Princess, for his teacher.
Finally he chose 'Happy Mother's Day' by Summer Driggs for the classroom support.
I would like to enter these cards in the following challenges:

Friday 15 July 2011

At last! You're going to need your sunglasses for this one...

I started working on bits of this card last Sunday but have only just been able to finish it! The layout is taken from the great sketch at Sketch Saturday but I have moved the panel to the bottom. Both One Stop Craft and Totally Gorjuss have 'summertime' as their theme and I just loved this image of the children playing in the sprinkler by MelonHeadz. The sentiment was a freebie from TLC and the bright papers come from the digiscrap kit that Rainamoon Scraps added to the Stuff to Scrap 'Bouncing Beachballs' bloghop.
The colours fitted perfectly with the picture at Cupcake Inspirations this week.
Finally I would like to make this my last entry in Allsorts free and easy challenge.

Thursday 14 July 2011

'Hippy' Birthday...

I love Cherry Kisses by Pollycraft and when I saw that the rainbow on her top matched so perfectly with the gorgeous rainbow paper from the 'A little spring in your step' set which is a freebie from Summer Driggs I had to have her! The flowers are die cut with a Joy Craft die and the centers are Card Candi.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Monday 11 July 2011

Footballer...

I made this for Matthew to give to his friend who plays for Metham Athletic FC and coloured my v.old favourite Jolly Nation football stamp in the team colours with my Promarkers. The papers are from a freebie set by Summer Driggs called 'Fangs for the memories' which is really for Halloween but is so useful for other things too. Card Candi and a computer generated sentiment to finish off.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Saturday 9 July 2011

Thank you cards...

I needed a couple of thank you cards for my stash so I printed out a couple of these gorgeous bears from Meljens and decided to use the same layout with different papers. Both the papers are freebies from Shabby Princess...
...this one is called 'Sweet Sprinkles'...
...and this one is called 'Festival'.

The flowers have been cut with Joy Craft dies and the leaves are Crealies dies.

I would like to enter these cards in the following challenges:

Thursday 7 July 2011

Made by Matthew age 9 (again!) plus a freebie sentiment...

This is the card Matthew made for his Dad's birthday. When I asked him what image he would like he asked what fishing ones I had and immediately chose this dad and son fishing one from MelonHeadz. Matthew coloured the image with my Promarkers. He wanted to make an easel card and I suggested he could do an easel topper using my new Spellbinder die which he liked the idea of. He chose the fishy DP from the 'fishers of men' blogtrain and we picked some other papers to go with it. The lovely blue card used for the mats is from my stash. This is what the front looks like when it is closed-
I created the sentiment on the computer for him and if you would like to have it, please help yourself by clicking on it to open it at full size then right clicking and saving it to your computer.


He would like to enter his card in the following challenges:

A birthday card for my husband...

Yes, more of the scrummy papers from the LDS blogtrain 'Fishers of men'! Also another Pollycraft image- this time I have used 'Relaxing Ronnie' which is perfect for my other half! Remote in hand, cup of tea and biscuits within reach! Finally, I have used some of the bakers twine that I bought weeks ago.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Wednesday 6 July 2011

Feel better soon (freebie sentiment)...

 I made this to send to my Godfather who is in hospital following a heart attack. The cute little Chester the monkey is from Pollycraft and coloured with my Promarkers. The papers are from the latest LDS Blogtrain called 'Fishers of men'. (If you're quick you should still be able to get them.) They are such a beautiful colour pallet that I have planned a few cards with them- so you will be seeing more of them soon! I embossed a Cuttlebug button border on the plain blue as it reminded me of pyjamas- lol.
The sentiment is another of my own ones as I wanted 'feel better' rather than 'get well'. I have been picking my husband's brain and experimenting more so I think I'm figuring out how to do what I want now. I'm offering this as a freebie- so if you can use it, please help yourself!


I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Monday 4 July 2011

Cards for Men challenge 14 and a FREEBIE sentiment...

This time at Cards for Men we have a theme for you- 'Wild West'. So dig out your cowboy inspired images, make a card for a guy and join in!
Melissa at Meljen's Designs has some beautiful wild west images and the DT were lucky enough to be given some to make their cards with. I totally fell in love with the 'Get along little doggie' image and just had to use him for my card. I used digiscrap papers by Rainamoon Scraps called 'Stampedin'' from Stuff to Scrap. As well as using them for my DP, I paper pieced his little necker and cowboy hat using papers from the kit and printed my sentiment onto some more of the paper.

Lately I have been experimenting with making my own sentiments. They are still quite basic and I know there are far more impressive ones out there but I thought I would share the one I made for this card with you if you would like it. I thought the font looked sort of wild west- like a 'Wanted- dead or alive' sign!
Just click on the image below to enlarge it then right click and save it to your computer. Hope you can use it- I'd love to see some cards in the challenge with it!


I finished my sentiment off by matting it onto a nestie shape and adding a gold star that I thought looked rather like a sheriff's badge. I added a die cut fancy corner and some jute twine from Wilkinsons that I usually use for stringing up my peas in the garden! I learned how to do the 'looped figure of eight knot' by borrowing my son's Scouting Handbook- it gives a nice chunky but flat knot that would look even better on a smoother string.


Our sponsor, Meljen's Designs, is offering 4 digis for our lucky winner. Do visit her store and have a look at her beautiful digis- and don't blame me if you 'have to' have some! The DT have made some fantastic cards for inspiration, so make sure you pop over to Cards for Men to take a look at their work. You have until 17th July to join in with the challenge so why not give it a go?

I would also like to enter this card in the following challenges: