Dream Valley 42 Go Pink

At Dream Valley we also have a pink themed challenge for you this time, again inspired by Breast Cancer Awareness month. I suspect there will be lots of these challenges about over the next few weeks!

We are sponsored by Di’s Digi Downloads with a $10 gift certificate for their store.

I wanted to create for the challenge but also make something that could be used for a birthday card later. There are only so many people you can give a card to with an actual breast cancer themed image on! So to that end I chose the lovely Penny Black stamp of the kitten in the bra on the washing line. Obviously coloured in pink, with my copics. I again edged the spellbinder due cut edge with Picked Raspberry. The papers on the next two layers are from the Annabelle paper pack from Wild Rose Studio, and the paper in the background is from WRMK’s Tiffany pad.

          

I die cut three Cherry Lynn Victorian Romance die from the same paper as the background, and also from pale pink glitter card. The two plain ones I dusted over lightly with the Picked Raspberry pad to make them pop off the card a bit better as they did tend to just blend right in.

The flowers are mainly from Wild Orchid Crafts, the pins from my stash, and the lovely butterfly was the ornate end of a hair stick pin!

I am entering this into the following challenges:-

A Gem of a Challenge – #56 For The Girls

Crafting For All Seasons – #36 Things With Wings

OSAAT – #133 Butterflies or Buttons

Flutterby Wednesday – #207 Open

Simply Create – Linky Party #4

Sweet N Sassy – SNSDC73 Hip To Be Square

The Paper Shelter – #83 Anything Goes

The Outlawz Copic/Promarker Challenge – Anything Goes

Totally Gorjuss – #151 Punch and Die

Totally Papercrafts – #136 Pretty Pastels

Crafty Cardmakers 75 – Stitching and Lace

It seems ages since I created anything for my own team, but as I am hosting this time around I had to pull my finger out and get creating.

Our Challenge this fortnight, hosted by me, is Stitching and Lace.
I would like to see some stitching, either hand, machine or faux on your project as WELL as some lace, real not faux.  

We are sponsored by with these two incredibly gorgeous stamp sheets

 

I had five attempts at this before I had a successful one. Three times I pricked a different paper based pattern but ruined it when I die cut it away from the background! The next one I made a mistake with the stamping and so I gave in and in the end pricked using an Ornare template. By the time I finished I must have pricked close to 2,000 holes and my hand was aching! This final pattern also had lots of dry embossing on it too.

After I stamped Daisy into the centre of the pricking pattern and before I stitched it, I coloured her skin as I had visions of stitching it and then ruining it when I came to do her skin! I just adore Daisy, there is something so timeless about her.

I deliberately left colouring the rest of her until I had stitched as it’s much easier to colour match to the thread after you have stitched, particularly with a variegated thread like the one I used.

I sat and caught up with FOUR episodes of Who Do You Think You Are, whilst I was stitching. No wonder I don’t make these like I used to. I used to always stitch on my cards, but it is very time consuming and you do end up with achey fingers, or at least I do.

Having stitched it I coloured Daisy with my copics. The lace ribbon is from my stash, and the pattern paper is from the Prima Fairy Flora pad. I backed it onto some lush turquoise glitter card and also trimmed out four corners from the same card which I used to make a sort of glittery frame. When I came to embellish it, nothing looked right, too busy, so I left it with just three small gems in two opposite corners.

As you can see I forgot to close the holes on the back of the work before sticking it down, but as the naked eye doesn’t catch the detail as well as a camera does, hopefully the recipient won’t notice too much!

I am entering this into the following challenges:-

Avadares Challenge – #3 Make It Sparkle

Dutch Dare – #182 Sugar & Spice

Forever Friends Challenge (Monthly) – September Monthly Challenge – Ribbon

Joanna Sheen – So Sweet (My sweet image)

Pile It On – #38 It’s a Stitch Up

The Poodles Parlour – Here Come The Girls

Simply Create – Linky Party #2

Speedy The Fox Challenge – #125 Your Favourite Technique (hand stitching)

Stamp n Doodle – Stitching

Totally Papercrafts – #134 Use Your Favourite Stamp

 

 

PS Don’t forget to check out my new team, announced here.

Dream Valley – 41 Celebration

Over at Dream Valley this time we would like to see your creation along the ‘celebration’ theme. This is a wide scope and covers everything from birth, christening, wedding, birthday, etc.

We are sponsored by

I have used a Teddy Bo image which I thought was kinda cute, and coloured it with promarkers. The dies are Marianne, and the papers are Kaisercraft Pink Gelato and some blue Bazzill which I distressed and then spackled with embossing powder. The gauze I dipped into white acrylic paint. The two prams I trimmed from some shaped ribbon.

I think Teddy Bo looks a little like Simon Cowell with his very high waisted trousers!

I am entering this into the following challenges:-

Addicted to Stamps – #3 Make Your Mark

Di’s Digi Designs – Use More Than One Die Cut or Punch

Digi Doodle Shop – #125 Final Ever Challenge – Anything Goes

Milk Coffee Challenge – Show us at least two different shapes

My Heart Pieces – Anything Goes

Shelley’s Images – TTT Anything Goes

Simply Create – Linky Party #2

Stampavie and More – #176 Baby

Stamping With The Dragon – Teddy Bears

Whimsy Stamps – #51 Anything Goes

ABC X’ing – Criss Cross Card

Our challenge to you at ABC this fortnight is to create a Criss Cross card. If you need a tutorial on this you can find one here on Julie’s blog.

We are sponsored by

I must apologise in advance for the photographs, but the image had quite a bit of glitter added to it and it wouldn’t show up under normal light, and under the flash it has washed out the image somewhat, and the other pics the background is too yellow.

I have used a LOTV stamp and coloured it with copics. The papers are from First Edition and the lovely diecuts are the new Labels One Decorative dies from spellbinders, which I used both inside on the insert and out behind the image. Flowers from my stash.

The pic above is the card, minus the insert. If you were trying to cut down on bulk I would recommend not covering the inside of the card, as the insert will cover it anyway and I did find this to be a very heavy card when it was completed.

I am entering this into the following challenges:-

Avadares Challenge – #3 Make It Sparkle

Di’s Digi Designs – Use More Than One Die Cut or Punch

Digi Doodle Shop – #125 Final Ever Challenge – Anything Goes

Dutch Dare – #182 Sugar & Spice

My Heart Pieces – Anything Goes

Paper Play Challenges – #37 Fancy Folds

Polka Doodles – #37 Ice Cream Colours

Shelley’s Images – TTT Anything Goes

Simply Create – Linky Party #2

Southern Girls – #53 It’s Well Bling, bling

Lexi’s Creations Challenge 73 Autumn Colours

This is my first post back for Lexi’s Challenge. I have missed you all girls, but particularly Susan our lovely leader.

Anyhow this time around we would like to see your creations using Autumn Colours

We want to see a representation of the season, try using the beautiful colours that are evident at this time of year in your design. The challenge can be for thanks giving, harvest festival, birthday celebrations or anniversaries the skies the limit, as long as it has an autumn look to your creations.
Your creation as always can be anything..card, tag, bookmark, 3D item, scrapbook page.

We are sponsored by with a prize of 3 digis.

I have used a digi by Mazy Art called Shawna with Latte. She looks as if she is wrapped up against the windy autumn weather sipping on her hot coffee. I coloured her with promarkers. All the papers are Basic Grey and the flowers are prima. The border is a Memory Box die overlayed on some brown satin ribbon, which has in turn been overlayed on some mesh ribbon.

I am entering her into the following challenges:-

Amusing Challenges – Markers

Delightful Challenges – Fall Days

Emerald Faeries – #32 Punches and Dies

I Love Promarkers – #132 Anything Goes

Ladybug Crafts – #1 Anything Goes

Natalie and Amy – #1 Anything Goes

One Stitch at a Time – 129 Use A Digi

Paper Crafting Journey – Anything Goes

Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge – #33 Anything Goes

QKR Stampede – #3 Anything Goes

ABC W for Wishes

Our theme at ABC this fortnight is W for Wishes. Now that could be Anniversary, Get Well, Birthday, New Baby, Wedding, well you get the idea!

We are sponsored by

 

and

and we were lucky enough to be given some fabulous Paper Shelter images to work with. I chose Little Bit Grumpy, as that’s just how I have been feeling lately, lol

I coloured her with copics, and her frills and wings have added sakura glitter pen, although you can’t see it in the picture! My photography skills seem to have drifted backwards since I moved. The background mat is a lovely Marianne diecut and the paper is from Bearly Mine’s Patchwork Party set.

I made the flowers myself by heating organza fabric, which I had previously cut into rough circles, with a lighter, decreasing in size to make the layers. It may work with a heat gun, but I didn’t think to try that at the time, if so, it would be safer to do I think. Please be careful, it flares up really quickly and could start a fire, but gives this wonderful crinkled edge to it. I then glittered the melted edges. I made the leaves behind the flowers in the same way. They are fastened together with various brads and metal bead crimps which I have flattened out to make the flower centres. The die cuts around the flowers are a combination of Whimsy dies and DieNamics.

I am entering this into the following:-

Addicted to Stamps – #38 Lots of Bling

Avadares Challenge – #3 Make It Sparkle

Bearly Mine – #50 Anything That Glitters

Catered Crop – Anything Pink

Copic Marker Europe – A Summer Card

Crafts and Me – #99 Birthdays

Fairytale Challenge – #49 Anything Metal

Pattie’s Creations – #51 Birthdays

Polka Doodles – #35 Flowers

Southern Girls Challenge – #52 It’s All About the Flora

ABC V for Vanish

Well it’s been so long since I blogged anyone out there following me must think I disappeared off the face of the earth. In fact I have been moving house. What a nightmare experience that is. No wonder they say it’s the most stressful thing next to Divorce. Firstly my IP managed to mix up the dates I was moving and cut off my broadband two weeks before my moving date and despite trying all sorts of tricks they were unable to turn it back on until after I moved. When I finally got this end there were boxes piled high right across the lounge and furniture piled even higher in the bedroom. I had no idea where my pc was, let alone be able to access it. It took me almost two weeks of decanting boxes into any space I could find in order to free up the lounge enough to get a carpet laid.

If anyone out there is about to move somewhere smaller I highly recommend ditching all your rubbish BEFORE you move and not leaving it until afterwards. I guess it would have been a lot easier if I was not trying to decant the contents of a two bedroomed house with dining room into a one bedroom bungalow with just a lounge whilst at the same time trying to fit in the contents of a small craft shop! Ladies, and indeed Gents, I am here to tell you all, we collect WAY TOO MUCH craft paraphernalia. I have been busy cataloguing my craft stash and it has already run into way too many pages and I haven’t gotten past half way yet.

Anyhow before I bore you off my blog, here is my first creation since somewhere back in April! I struggled with this because everytime I had an idea, I couldn’t locate the relevant supplies to go with it. I feel like a novice, lol

So, onto business. Our challenge to you at ABC this time is V for Vanish. We want you to use something hidden on your creation, hidden message, tag, pop up, use the vanish theme with extinct animals or magic, use your imagination for this one!

I have missed a few birthdays since having my life packed into boxes and being unable to access it, so my hidden part is a ‘belated birthday’ greeting on a card for a friend.

The image is Willow from Tickled Pink, who also happen to be one of our sponsors over at ABC this time. With two digis on offer to the winner along with Bugaboo who have 7 digis on offer.

I coloured Willow with copics, and trimmed her out with a labels 10 nestie, and edged it with turquoise glitter. The mats are all from a die cut kit I got from QVC as I couldn’t find my patterned papers, or at least the ones I wanted at the time. The flowers are prima and the background card is Kanban. I used the same crafters cord to make a feature around the edge of the first layer as I did for the tag.

The tag is a flower die cut from a Kanban kit, with coloured peel offs.

I hope by the next time I post I shall be a little tidier and have managed to pack a craft store inside my twee bungalow, but I shan’t be holding my breath!

I am entering this into the following challenges:-

Crafting For All Seasons – #33 Bright Colours

Crafty Creations Challenges – #183 Yellow sunshine, Blue Water, Green Grasses

Emerald Faeries Challenge Blog – #29 Bling

House of Gilli – #39 Add A Sentiment

Lexi’s Creations – 71 Sparkle and Shine

Love To Create – #28 Sparkle

Marker Pop – #4 Bright Colours

Paper Girls Challenge – #13 Birthdays

Victorine Originals – #40 Bling

Whimsy Stamps Challenge – #50 Lots of Layers