The Crafty Purple Frog Challenge - 6/1/11

The challenge this fortnight over at The Crafty Purple Frog is new goodies or techniques.  Last week I saw the link on my blog that Amy had made some more decoupage/pyromage sheets.  I can say I was more than delighted to see that she'd made ones for the two images I had mentioned about.  Oh they are fab and I had to have both.  I know I'm mad but I prefer the "normal decoupage" and bought it for both sheets and even had them printing out before I had saved them on the computer!!!

Papers:  Crafty Ann's Digital papers, DCWV, scrap silver card
Image - The Crafty Purple Frog decoupaged up and highlighted with Sakura Stardust clear pen
Embellishments - Gems, fibres, sentiment off the computer and what should be a wheel off the ship which I cut with my Cricut.

This card fits the following challenges:

Scrapbook Sisters - Anything goes
Moving Along with the Times - Ring in the old, ring in the new - old is the gems which I have for many years now and new is the Crafty Purple Frog sheet
Sweet Pea Stampers - Anything goes
Craft Your Days Away - Anything goes
The Crafty Pad - Happy birthday
Top Tip Tuesday - Anything goes

Help for Katie

I very often visit Jak Heath's Blog and today was no exception.  Katie Emmerson Renz has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Stomach Cancer and the crafting world has come together to donate some digital designs to help raise funds for Katie's treatment and a treat for her lovely boys to.

Here is an extract from Jak's blog:

Katie Emmerson Renz married to Kevin with 3 beautiful boys the twins Nate & Will aged 5 and Hunter aged 10 had some news just before Christmas that has rocked their world as they know it.

Katie has been diagnosed with stage 4 Stomach Cancer and is currently undergoing her only option which is Chemotherapy.

Katie is a fellow crafter and is loved within the crafting community.you can read Katie's story on her own blog here.

With a donation of £15 you will get a wonderful array of digital images and at the same time you will be helping Katie and her family.  If you want to know more please pop over to Jak Heath's Blog for more information and where to make a donation.

My thoughts are with you Katie and your family.

Commissioned Get Well Card

I was asked to make a card for my husband's workplace as a colleague there has had a stroke.  As there might be a great deal of people needing to sign it I've made an A4 star card using my stash of A3 card.  I've used an image from My Craft Studio Countryside Garden along with a patterned backing paper.  The green and yellow papers are from Crafty Ann's Polished Stone Collection.  I have decoupage the main image, added some flowers, brads, sentiment off the computer cut with my Nestabilities die, punched leaves, new card candy I got for Christmas and some ribbon that I also got for Christmas.  I have kept the pages inside plain, just inking the edges of the pages with a chalk ink pad.  I'm hoping that this card with cheer "Ken" up when he/his family are going through this difficult time.

This card fits the following challenges:

Top Tip Tuesday - Use metal - brads for me on this card
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes
Scrapbook Sisters - Anything goes
Crafty Sentiments - Anything goes
Paper Romance - You are my sunshine
Paper Cutz - Use metal - brads
Allsorts - Fancy Folds
Craft Your Days Away - Anything goes
Creative Inspirations - Use something new on card/project - ribbon and card candy
CD Sunday - New Year-New You - used new ribbon and card candy.

Sir Stampalot - January Challenge and Blog Hop

(showing the vellum)

Over at Sir Stampalot the challenge this month is a Winter's Tale and they have a blog hop.  When I made my mum's Christmas card back in December - when I made a scene using my ink dusters, inks and stamps (Artylicious and Lavinia stamps) making up a scene - I did a second image at the same time in case I made a mistake.  Thankfully both turned out OK so I have this one into a card and it will be ready for the charity stall for later in the year.  I have used card I got for Christmas, some Christmas vellum that I was given last year and hadn't used up.  The card is finished off with some brads and ribbon.

This card will also fit the following challenges:

Crafty Emma - All creatures great and small
I Did it Creations - Vellum (I've added a second picture so you can see that one of the papers used is actually vellum)
Anything Goes - Letter "C" - Christmas
Scrapbook Sisters - Anything goes
Craft Your Days Away - Anything goes.

Commissioned Birthday Card

The same customer wanted a similar card for another friend so again I have used the My Craft Studio Deco Follies CD but this time I have used a no stamp required image and col loured in with Promarkers.  The backing papers are scraps.  The cards is finished off with a ticket sentiment, lace, peel-off and personalised insert.

This card fits the following challenges:

Whoopsi Daisy - Free and easy

Craft Your Passion - Anything goes

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes and option of lace

2 Sisters - Gettin' girly

Craft Your days Away - Anything goes

Paperplay - Clean and simple

Stampin' Royalty - Birthday

Sweet Stampin' - Try something different - I've tried the colour combo of white, turquoise and lemon - not sure if it's a bit too pale

I Love Promarkers - Recycle - the lace is from a small cushion I had but didn't like so off came the embellishments and the lace and they are to all to be re-cycled

Commissioned Birthday Card

I was asked to make a card for a lady's special friend who liked fashion so I thought this image from My Craft Studio Deco Follies would be ideal.  It's made into a A5 card with a personalised insert.  I printed out the main image and decoupaged it up.  The card is embellished with some ribbon. flowers, sentiment off the computer and pearls.

This card fits the following challenges:

Sparkles Forum - New things - new ribbon and new pearls as I had to get more as I use them too often!!

Pile it On - Brand spanking new

One Stitch at a Time - Surprise us

Whoopsi Daisy - Free and easy

Craft Your Passion - Anything goes

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes and option of lace

2 Sisters - Gettin' girly

Craft Your days Away - Anything goes

Creative Inspirations - Use something new on card/project - new ribbon and new pearls as I had to get more as I use them too often!!

Paperplay - Clean and simple

Happy Birthday Card

This has certainly been one challenge of a card.  I sometimes struggle with colours I don't use very often and did with this colour combination - orange and brown.  I have used various pearlescent papers from Graphicus and also one of their design sheets with a frame and a sentiment, some of which have been cut and some have been torn.  I made my flower using my Cricut and then sprayed this with Dawn Bibby's Golden Glitz Shimmer Spritz along with the doily.  I wasn't sure the doily would cope with the spritz but it did OK and now has a lovely sparkle to it.  The image is from Lili of the Valley (LOTV) and is of a gorgeous little girl trying out clothes, shoes and jewellery - isn't she sweet.  I have distressed the edges of the image with Tim Holtz's distressing tool and inked with a brown chalk ink pad.  The card is finished off with a decorative pin, sparkly ribbon slider, gems, buttons, lace, ribbon and a dangling embellishment.

I've used a number of new items on this card:  buttons, design sheet, backing papers, ribbon slider and also some lace I got for Christmas.

This card fits the following challenges:

Sparkles Forum - New things
By the Cute and Girly - Bling it on
Quirky Crafts - New beginnings
Pile it On - Brand spanking new
One Stitch at a Time - Surprise us
Whoopsi Daisy - Free and easy
Crazy Challenge - All things new
Craft Your Passion - Anything goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes and option of lace
Little Red Wagon - Use a doily
Rainbow Lady's Challenge - It's all new to me
Crafts and Me - Paper tearing
Do you Stack Up? - Cute as a button
Paper Cutz - Use metal (metal on the ribbon slider, brad, chains and decorative pin)
2 Sisters - Gettin' girly
Secret Crafter - Tons of texture
Craft Your days Away - Anything goes
Creative Inspirations - Use something new on card/project
Stamping Vacation - Embellish it - buckle or slider
Top Tip Tuesday - Use metal on card/project (metal on the ribbon slider, brad, chains and decorative pin)

Regular Charity Stall and Charity Donations Update

Well yesterday was time to set up my regular charity stall.  I'm not sure how this year will go there as 55% of all staff moved out of the complex before Christmas to a cheaper to rent place.  It's a blow for the complex, the restaurant where I have the stall and also to me with selling my cards for charity.  I shall have to see how things go but might have to source other places to sell my cards this year.  I won't be good at that as I don't have much self-confidence.  Here is what the stall looked like last night as we left it for the week:

I am using the same charity as last month, Age UK, as I'd like to send them a bigger donation than I have at the moment for them.

Here is a post I did back in December 2009 mentioning that I had made £1,000.07 for different charities in 4 years.  I've now just gone past 5 years and my total is £1,277.90, so I have made £277.83 this year for various different charities, big and small, local and national.  I am so pleased with this and I know the charities appreciate what I do for them from the letters of thanks I get from them.

I would just like to thank everyone that supports me in helping me to raise funds for charities.  That might be:

• by visiting my blog
• making comments on my blog
• for those that run challenge blogs that I can used the cards I make to enter challenges
• for those that sponsor challenges as without them I would not have received some wonderful items that I've put to good use for my cards
• for those that put up Blog Candy as I have won a couple of these in 2010
• for those people that have sent me items to use in my cardmaking.

This has helped me to achieve this amount for charity in 2010 and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Some exciting news to share!!!

I am able to share some good news with you.  I have been invited to join the Design Team for Aud Sentiments and I am delighted to accept.  Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog focuses on the sentiments that we put on our cards/scrapbook pages/other projects.  I am looking forward to working with the existing Design Team and the other newbie members of the Design Team.  You'll find a list of the Design Team members on the left hand side of my blog.  Please go and have a look at their wonderful creations.

The Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog has challenges every other Thursday.  You can enter as many times as you like and link it to as many challenges as you like.  Click here to go and have a look.

This week the challenge at Aud Sentiments is to use only TWO WORDS on your card/project so why not come and have a try.

The Stamp Man Blog Hop

The Stamp Man are having a Blog Hop and part of it is to display what you think is your best piece of work for 2010.  Mine has to be my Christmas card that I made for my mum as it involved a lot of different techniques and although it's green (I don't like green) I will have to pick it as my favourite:

If you take part in the Blog Hop and show your favourite creation of 2010 you can display this badge on your blog:

To be in with a chance of winning any of the prizes for the blog hop you must visit ALL the blogs, leave comments and then you will end up with letters that will need arranging to make some words and then they need to be sent via e-mail to:  thestampman@btconnect.com by 9.00pm on Thursday 13/1/11, putting the Stamp Man Blog Hop Answer as the e-mail title.

Click here to go to The Stamp Man Blog and start the Blog Hop.

Two Blog Awards

I have just been clearing out a sub-directory in my e-mails and I have found something I should have dealt with - a comment on my blog saying I'd got an award.

My full apologies go to Spyder for not saying thank you or even posting it on my blog.  Click here to have a look at Spyder's blog and also keep a look-out for her wonderful freebie images.  I have full admiration for people that can draw - not like me who can only do stick insect people, Donald Duck's face and a basic Snoopy!!! The award I have been given is the Magical Blog Award.  Unfortunately, on looking most people that I have contact with already have this so I am not sure how to pass this one on.  The blog award came to Spyder from Dawn so why don't you have a visit of Dawn's blog as well.

I have also today received another blog award from Claire, one of my Crafty Ann's Challenge Design Team Members:

This is so nice of you to give me this award.  I have had it already so won't do the process for getting the discount - don't want to get you chucked off their Design Team so early on!!!  CONGRATULATIONS on this by the way.  Click here to go and have a look at Claire's blog.

Thank you both so much for your kindness.

CD Sunday Challenge - 2 January 2011

Over at the CD Sunday Challenge the topic this week is "check it out".  I had planned this card but it took another direction when I saw this challenge.  It took me a while though looking through CDs, as I wanted to use a stamped image, to look for some check paper.  I eventually looked at one of my Christmas presents - The Crafter's Companion SWALK CD - and hey presto there was some check paper on there.  I couldn't resist printing off some striped paper and some of the borders - well it would have been rude not to.  When I stamped/watercoloured the Elusive Stamps image for my first card of 2011 I also stamped a second image in case I did a boo-boo as I haven't properly watercoloured for a while.  Needless to say no boo-boo so I was able to make two cards rather than one.  I have distressed the edges of the images with Tim Holtz's Faded Jeans and Broken China distress ink pad and the two pieces of card I have used have been distressed with Tim Holtz's distressing tool which I LOVE!!!.  The card is finished off with a personalised insert using the SWALK CD, some flowers, card candy, fibres and a stamped sentiment (I normally don't do straight onto the card but I did this time and it worked - normally it doesn't and that's why I normally stamp on card, cut it out and stick it on).

This card fits the following challenges:

My Time to Craft - Brand spanking new - new CD

City Crafter - Stamp it out

Top Tip Tuesday - Get embellishing

Creative Inspirations - Something new - new CD

Crafty Emma - Anything goes

Stamp n Doodle - New - new CD

Drunken Stampers - Something new on card -  new CD

Quirky Crafts - New beginnings - new CD

Lots to do - New beginnings - new CD

Sparkles Forum - New things - new CD

Crafts and Me - Anything goes

AI Factory - Elegance
Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog - You can choose between Happy New Year or "your choice" ie you can pick the topic of a previous challenge so I have opted for Challenge 115 - Paint it

Sew Many Challenges - New things - new CD

Sweet Stampin' - Your favourite song - I do like to be beside the seaside - as I dream of living by the sea

Mark's Finest Papers - Use something new - new CD

Catch the Bug - Anything goes

Digi Doodle Shop - Anything goes

Whoopsi Daisy - Free and Easy

Craft Your Passion - Anything goes

Aud Sentiments - Anything goes

Creative Craft - Anything goes

Stamping Vacation - No punches

Stamping Vacation - Monochromatic Colour Challenge - Blues
The Crazy Challenge - All things new - new CD.

First Card Made in 2011

Well, I hope you all had a Happy New Year and I wish all my blogging friends all the very best for 2011.  I have now made by first card for 2011.

This thank you card has been made with a birthday present I got last year of a Hot off the Press book with male cards to make.  As per usual I can't stick to following instructions so I have just used the papers as backing papers for an image that I watercoloured.  I used one of my favourite stamps from Elusive Stamps of this gorgeous lighthouse scene.  I have used my Lyra Watercolours, highlighted areas with some glitter to replicate the shine on the water and then distressed the edges.  I have die-cut and stamped a Thank You sentiment, added tags from the Hot of the Press book, pricked some holes in some vellum, then used a metallic pen for faux stitching and then used some new ribbon that is blue/green that I got from Ribbon Oasis recently.  The card is finished off with an insert from Joanna Sheen's Thomas Kincade CD.

This card fits the following challenges:

Incy Wincy - Distressing
Papertake Weekly - Be thankful
My Time to Craft - Brand spanking new - new ribbon, card and vellum I got for Christmas
City Crafter - Stamp it out
Top Tip Tuesday - Get embellishing
CRAFT - Thank you
Creative Inspirations - Something new - new ribbon, card and vellum I got for Christmas
Crafty Emma - Anything goes
Stamp n Doodle - New - new ribbon, card and vellum I got for Christmas
Stamp Something - Lots of glitter - I've used glitter on the sea, boats and on both tags
Drunken Stampers - Something new on card -  new ribbon, card and vellum I got for Christmas
Allsorts - Thank you
Quirky Crafts - New beginnings - new ribbon, card and vellum I got for Christmas
Lots to do - New beginnings - new ribbon, card and vellum I got for Christmas
Our Creative Corner - Thank you and blue and cream, vellum and metal (metallic pens have been used for the faux stitching - hope that's OK)
Sparkles Forum - New things - new ribbon, card and vellum I got for Christmas
Craft Your Days Away - Punch it out

Sweet Pea Stampers Followers Candy

Over at the Sweet Pea Stampers Blog they have some FAB followers candy.  Click here and go and follow the rules to be in with a chance of winning.  The closing date is 30 January 2011.

My Favourite Five From 2010

Yikes, Debby over at the a Scrapjourney, has asked us to show her our top five cards for 2010.  Picking some just for Christmas was hard enough but here goes for my top five:

I wish all my fellow bloggers a Happy New Year and all the very best for 2011.

Crafty Ann's Challenge No 31

Well I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and got to spend time with your loved ones and friends.

Another fortnight has come around and it's time for another challenge over at Crafty Ann's.  The challenge this fortnight is a little different.  Ann is giving away a free image which must be used in your card.  Click here to go and have a look.

As soon as I saw the image an idea sprung to mind so I had to have a play.  I have done the spotlighting of an image with a stamp and wasn't sure I could do it with the two digital images but after a lot of to'ing and fro'ing I got there in the end by using My Craft Studio.  The main image I have simply dusted with my ink dusters and Tim Holtz's Faded Jeans, Tumbling Glass, Antique Linen and Mustard Seed distress ink pads.  The Faberge style egg image has been coloured with Promarkers and edged with a Pen-touch gold pen.  I've used four different polished stone papers and the top one I used was the lemon so that I could continue the image across onto the backing - I know what I mean but I might not be explaining very well.  I've again used the ink dusters to add just a little colour.  The frame I have cut out with my Cricut and edged again with the Pen-touch pen.  The card is then finished off  with a Crafty Ann's ticket sentiment and a triple bow.

Well, this is certainly a different challenge to end 2010/start 2011 with.  The Design Team will look forward to seeing your creations and thank you for your continued support of Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog.  Here's wishing everyone a Happy New Year and all the very best for 2011.

This card fits the following challenges:

Mark's Finest Papers - Mustard, blue and green
One Stitch at a Time - Surprise us
Incy Wincy - Distressing
I Love Promarkers - Anything goes

Digi Doodle - Anything goes

Digital Tuesday - Anything goes

Top Tip Tuesday - Get embellishing

Passion for Promarkers - Anything goes

Party Time Tuesday - Anything goes birthday.

A New Year Card that gave me some grey hairs for Karen's Doodles Challenge!!!!

Well, I saw the topic on Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog this week of celebration and thought it would give me chance to get one of my favourite images of Bigsby out to colour in/have a play with.  I duly coloured the image in with Promarkers and decided to do a pyromage of the image so stuck my masking tape to my clothes and then put on the front of the image as I needed to hold my Nesties in the right place.  When cut I went to remove the masking tape and it pulled my image to pieces so I wasn't a happy bunny.  Thankfully with digital images you just go and print another one off but this time I cut before colouring, then placed some masking tape on the back to keep in place when colouring and hey presto it worked.  I thought it hadn't when I came to make it into a card as I couldn't see why the pieces wouldn't come apart as I'd removed the masking tape - the problem was I'd used glossy accents to make the balloons stand out more so I had to prize the pieces apart carefully as I wasn't going to lose the.  I have used a scalloped circle with a circular mat that is from Susie Sugar's shop which I won in a challenge recently.  They are such fab quality.  I have cut a circle with my Cricut as another mat and then cut some smaller ones which I cut in half to adorn the matting.  The card is finished off with some brads, dotty ribbon, flower and a Crafty Ann's ticket sentiment.

This card also fits the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments - Anything goes

Digi Doodle - Anything goes

Sew Many Cards - Anything goes

Craft Your Days Away - Punch it out

One Stitch at a Time - Surprise us

Digital Tuesday - Anything goes

Top Tip Tuesday - Get embellishing

Passion for Promarkers - Anything goes

Anything Goes - The Letter C - circles and celebration of the New Year for me

Fun With Shapes and More - New Year

Paper Playtime - New Year

For Fun - New Year

Paper Pretties - Ring in the New Year - Lots of cirlcles on this card ie matting/layering, circle brads and circles on the ribbon

4 Crafty Chicks - A New Year

Pixie Dust - Happy New Year

Stamp-n-Doodle - New

Rainbow Lady's - Happy New Year

Dutch Dare - New beginnings
I Love Promarkers - Anything goes.