Pinky swear - keep a secret!!

Hi all,

No, I haven't got one to share with you, lol.  It is the title of the image I have used on my latest card and you can find her here.

This is my DT card for the Colour Crazy Challenge which started today.

Remember, we are a colouring challenge so there must be some HAND COLOURING on your project - we don't accept digital colouring I'm afraid.

Isn't she fab?

I have coloured her with my copic markers and just kept it really simple.

I often think that when an artist has gone to the trouble of coming up with an image it seems a shame to overcrowd them with flowers or die cuts.

I wanted this to be quite girly and that was the reasoning behind the paper choice here.

I just love that little pinky finger, don't you?

I hope you get chance to join in this fortnight, can't wait to see what you all come up with.

TTFN

xxx

Challenges:

Crafty Creations Challenge - Anything goes

A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes

Far Away Messages!

Hello everyone

Congratulations to all our winners in the February challenge.

Just a last little bit of inspiration for you.

This image is called Far Away Messages

Isn't she gorgeous?

My image was coloured with my copic markers and if I am totally honest, I am not really happy with this.  I had an idea in my head for the colours on her tail and it just didn't work out how I had imagined it.  I had done everything else and I didn't really want to start over so it is what it is!

Do you do that?

Have an idea in your head that just doesn't work out on paper?

What do you do?  Go with it or throw it away?

I'm just loathed to throw images away that have taken quite a while to colour up, seems such a waste of time.  Hey ho.  I now know what doesn't work! Lol

The little seahorse and starfish are wooden shapes to which I have added some of the fabulous Mermaid Tails Glitter by Lisa Horton Crafts - it is fabulous stuff and it changes colour depending on the colour of the surface you are applying it too.  It's awesome.

The backing papers are from one of my many Lili of the Valley pads which are no longer available.  Goodness knows what I am going to do when I run out. Mind you, that won't be for a little while yet as I have a few!! Lol

Back soon with some more, hopefully better, inspiration.

TTFN

XXX

Love - Must be something in the air!

Hi all

February is all about love isn't it?

Well, just because it is about love doesn't mean it has to be pink or red right?

This is the card I made for week 3 of our challenge over at Ching Chou Kuik's Facebook challenge.  (The blog challenge has the same theme so you could enter there too! 😉😉)

My card features the gorgeous LOVE image which is part of the Dreaming of Love set at Ching Chou's Etsy store.  What a gorgeous set of images this is.

I coloured this with my Copics and then went over some of it with my Polychromo pencils.  I am really really pleased with how this came out.

I think it looks lovely and soft in those lemon colours don't you?

Would you use an alternative to pink/red on your Valentine's cards?

The papers are from a Lili of the Valley with Raspberry Road Designs paper pad called Heartfelt.  I decided to use two different papers and cut them on the diagonal, something a bit different.  Does it work?  

The flowers are from my stash and the sentiment and little heart are from the Polkadoodles stamp set from the new Timeless Rose collection.

The background is done with my Pan Pastels and I "painted" them on with a paint brush.

So there you go.  Hope you can find a bit of spare time to join in with our challenge this month, we always love to see your fabulous creations.

See you soon.

XXX

Challenges:

Creative Knockouts Challenge - Flower Power

Southern Girls Challenge - Anything Goes

Through the Purple Haze - Anything Goes

A Bit more time to craft - Anything Goes

A Perfect time to craft - Anything Goes

Classic Design Challenge - Anything Goes

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge - Use pink and/or red

Crafts Galore Encore - Anything Goes

Love to Craft challenge - Anything Goes

Holly Flower Basket - Beautifully Pastel

Hello Polkadoodlers

How are you all doing in this nasty weather?

I don't know about you but I am getting fed up of the wind and the rain.  Roll on Summer and some warm sunshine.  Well, I can live in hope can't I? Lol

So, as my blog post title suggests I have a little Holly to share with you today.

Holly Flower Basket was part of the fabulous release earlier in the year and I have to say the images are all adorable.  I think this one would make a lovely Mother's Day card, don't you?

Using pastel colours was what the Design Team were challenged to do for the brand new challenge over at Digi Choosday today.  

Remember, you get a huge discount on selected digital downloads today, but you have to hurry, it doesn't last for long and it would be a shame not to take advantage of such a wonderful discount.

Coloured with my Copics in what I hope you think are pastel colours.  I tried a new blend for blonde hair this time which was a suggestion from a lady in the Kit and Clowder group on Facebook.  I quite like it, what do you think?  

The gorgeous papers I have used on here are from Winnie Wonderland Paper Heaven 5 and 6 - both gorgeous digital paper downloads.

The sentiment, which I thought fitted the image perfectly is from the Winnie Celebrations Sentiments Kit 1.

Quite a simple card this time but I really do think that these wonderful images speak for themselves, don't you.  It seems a shame to detract from the image with lots of embellishments.

Are you a clean and simple or a fussy and fancy person when it comes to making cards?  I'd love to know.

So, that's it for now.

See you again soon and I look forward to seeing what you make to join in with the challenge, which as you know is always:

ANYTHING GOES

Challenges:

A Bit More Time to Craft #110- Anything Goes

A perfect time to Craft February - Anything Goes

Classic Design Challenge February - Anything Goes

Crafts Galore Encore February - Anything Goes

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - Anything with patterned paper goes

Daisy Chain Challenges #38 - For the Girls

Love to Craft February - Anything Goes

Creative Crafters Challenge #25 - Anything Goes

World Wide Open Design Team Challenge - Anything Goes for a DT

Crafter's Castle -Anything Goes

Brown Sugar Challenge #298 - Anything Goes

Key of Love.

Hi everyone

Well we are into our second week of the challenge over on Ching Chou Kuik's Facebook page and we have had some lovely entries so far.

As I said on my last post, these cards don't necessarily have to be for Valentine's Day do they?  They could be a Just to say I love you card or a birthday card for someone you love.  The possibilities are endless really.

So, that said, here is my second Love card.

The image I have used here is called Key of Love, gorgeous isn't it?

I have loved colouring this image, especially the hair.  Mind you I am pretty chuffed with that heart and ribbon too. Lol

Once again, I have used my Copics on this and am really getting in to how beautifully they blend.  Mind you, it really does help if you use a decent paper.  I invested in some Express It paper and I have to say they blend so much nicer on this than what I had been using previously, (which was nothing special at all).  The old saying is never wrong is it?  You get what you pay for!!

I thought instead of just cutting a rectangle from my paper I would use my Picot Edged Nested Dies from Claritystamp  They just add that little something don't you think?

The flowers I have used on here come for a wonderful lady on Facebook who makes them.  If you are interested in seeing more of what she does then go visit her page and ask to join, you won't be disappointed.  

The word I used on here is one of the Word Chain stamps from Claritystamp.  They really do come in so useful and there are lots to choose from.  Really good quality stamps from a fabulous company.

Right, that's me for today.  Back soon.

xxx

Challenges:

The Alphabet Challenge - W is for anything you Wish

Brown Sugar Challenge - Anything Goes

CAS on Friday - Love

Creative Fingers Challenge - Anything Goes

Cut it up challenges - Love is in the air

Cute Card Thursday - CAS

Love is in the air!

Hi all

February, the month of love.

Do you celebrate Valentines Day?

Some do, some don't, I guess it is a personal thing isn't it?

Anyway, sending cards with "love" greetings on doesn't just have to be for Valentine's day now does it?

Our challenge this month over on Ching Chou Kuik's Facebook page (and incidentally the blog too) is:

VALENTINE'S DAY/LOVE/FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL

Now that gives plenty of scope doesn't it?

So for my card this week I have used the beautiful Love is in the Air

Isn't she gorgeous?

Here is the card I made.

The image is coloured with my Copics. I really am loving using these markers and am slowly but surely building up my stash of colours, although I am a very long way off having a complete set! Maybe one day. 

The background has been done with stamps, stencils and masks from Claritystamp.  I'm not 100% happy with the background but I know what I need to do to improve on it, so hopefully the backgrounds will get better.

Do you like to make backgrounds for your images or do you purely concentrate on making the image the "main attraction" so to speak?

The background papers I have used come from a First Edition paper pad called Isabelle which I have had on my shelf for ages!!  But once I had coloured my image and done the background I knew that this pad would provide me with complimentary colours.  It is a lovely 8 x 8 pad with 48 sheets, some glittered and some double sided and is fabulous quality.

Here is a close up of the image (don't look too close at the background though! Lol)

That gorgeous flower, which was just perfect for this card was in a little bag of goodies from a friend for my birthday.  The sentiment stamp is from Claritystamp and comes as part of the latest Entwined Wreaths sets which are Gawjuss!

So there you go then.

I do hope you can find a bit of time to come and join in the fun. 

I can't wait to see what you all come up with.

See you soon

xxx

Love Hearts with Oddella.

A very good morning to you all.

Do Valentine Cards always have to be in red or pink?

I don't think so, and that is the thinking behind my latest card.

This card features the gorgeous Oddella available here

As soon as I saw this image I just knew she was going to be on my Valentine Card.

Now because she is a bit, "out of the ordinary" shall we say, I thought that the colours I used should be non ordinary too.

You may or may not know that I love purple so that was the colour I went with.  I added a bit of bright green on her skirt to make it a non traditional plaid.

Now obviously she had to have hair that was "different" too so I went with a fabulous Red Head look for her.

The Design Team were challenged to add heart shaped balloons on our projects this week and I knew just how I was going to do that.

Have you seen the Timeless Rose collection which was released recently?  Well if you haven't just click on the link and go have a look - it is a gorgeous collection.  You don't have to buy the whole collection, it all comes as seperate components too, but to be honest when I looked, it just made sense to buy it all! Lol

So in the stamp collection is this perfect stamp of heart shaped balloons! Just what I needed.

I used the die to make a frame and then added a white square on top to stamp the balloons on.  The Heart shapes at the bottom are also part of the die set and I stamped a small heart from the stamp collection on top of them.

The backing papers are from the Winnie Wonderland Paper Heaven 6 download and I love them all.

All in all, I am pretty happy with how this came out.  I think I am getting a bit more adventurous with my layouts these days and that is thanks, in part, to being a part of this fabulous Digi Choosday Design Team.

Are you adventurous with how you put your cards together?  Do you prefer Clean and Simple or The more the Merrier?  Why not leave me a comment and let me know?

So, there you go, that's it from me for today.

See you soon.

xxxx

Challenges:

Always Fun Challenges - Anything Goes

Dream Valley Challenge - Love

Incy Wincy Designs - Love Love Love (and DT Call)

Colouring in Scrapland - Hand Colouring + Opt Love is All Around

Get Creative Challenge - Use Hearts

Angie's Digital Stamps - Anything Goes + Opt Love

CD Sunday Plus - Anything Goes

Dragonfly Dreams - It's A Love Thing

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Always Anything Goes

A bit more time to craft - Anything Goes