I have fallen in love with something crafty!!!!

Yes, as my title tells you I have fallen in love with something crafty.  I recently was lucky enough to win a Pan Pastel Challenge and the prize was one of their starter kits.  I managed to get some time to play with these yesterday.  

I like to colour using watercolours or my Promarkers but don't want such a severe background and usually resort to my chalks.  I do struggle with these getting the coverage I want, whether I use cotton buds, make-up sponges folded over or the special tool with chalks.  I also struggle because of the lack of proper movement in my hands.  The kit came with a large sponge, smaller sponge and a tool with smaller attachments for more precise work.  I started off with the bright yellow with the large sponge and I have to admit trying it out on a scrap piece of card before my actual card but I need not have worried.  The coverage was brilliant, the colour was fantastic and there were no horrible patches like you get with chalks.  I then used the tool and attachment to edge the card with the red.  The pigment of both the red and yellow is outstanding.  All I would say is that I would certainly recommend these Pan Pastels and my recommendation is that I would LOVE all of the colours.  Fantastic.

Over at the Pan Pastel Challenge the topic is "anything goes" so I had to enter my first card made with my Pan Pastels.  My card is made from a piece of bunting that was on offer in Joanna Sheen's shop this week.  I thought they'd make an unusual shaped card and this it has.  I said I coloured the card with Pan Pastels and added some paper from a freebie from a magazine.  The image is a Papermania Pampered Pets which I have coloured with Promarkers.  I used my chalks to add some ground/dirt underneath the job but you can see I got a scratchy effect with the chalks.  It didn't matter on this occasion but this is where the pan pastel would have been better.  I die-cut the image and edged with the red pan pastel.  The card has been finished off with a Craftwork Cards sentiment, card candy, ribbon, flowers cut from another backing paper from the magazine and some Papermania Glitterations.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

Joanna Sheen - Flower power

Hooked on Crafts - Flowers

Crazy Boots - Yellow

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes and option of lace

Unique Crafter's Monthly - Ribbon and fibres

Pixie Dust - Flowers

Sweet Stampin' - 4 legged friends

Pan Pastel - Anything goes

Crafty Emma - Shape it up

Creative Inspirations - Animal antics