Back Again!

I have been missing from my blog for about six weeks, and this lovely vase of flowers was started before we went away. I have now finished it, and ready to enter some challenges.
The design is from my favourite site - Cardmaking Paradise (the link is over on the right) I cut it on my Cameo, and stamped the flowers and the band with a purple ink, and ran them through my cuttlebug with the swiss dots folder to give some texture. The little leaves are a Memory Box die, and I added the label to finish it off. Of course it folds flat for posting!
Challenges:-
Craftroom Challenge - roses/romance (is a gift of flowers romantic?)
Artistic Stamper - in the garden
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
Country View Challenge - nature's glory
Southern Girls - spots and dots
Paula Holifield - flower power
Feeling Crafty - one for the girls/ladies

Art!

The Q and L challenge at
the Craft Barn is to use  Art and/or Road. I have chosen to use Art for mine. This is the first time I have managed to get an entry in on time!
The background was created with the ink from a multi-coloured pen that I could no longer get to write. I opened it up and spread it over the page. The colours blended beautifully and have a lovely metallic sheen IRL.
I then added some texture paste through a dotty stencil, added silver EP and heated it. They bubbled up nicely! I used the art stamp from Stamp-It in the top left and some circles using a lid. The capital A is actually a shiny silver but shows up as black in the scan.
The quote "Imagination without skill gives us modern art" is by Tom Stoppard - I am not sure that I agree with him though

Friends Forever!

This beautiful stamp is the one I chose as my prize at Crafty Individuals. I have used it as a very CAS style for the challenge at
Inspired By Stamping #80 white/sand/coral
I stamped the message in coral and also sponged around the edge to give it a slight frame. The card is actually white!

Other challenges
The Crafting Cafe - C A S
Addicted to stamps - anything goes
Stamping for the weekend - anything goes

Love the inspiration!

I was inspired this week by the post on the Paper Artsy blog, by Joanne Wardle. I love her quirky one-layer cards, and this is my take on hers. I used the splatter stamp from HPXT01 with chalk blackboard marker for the blue, and made a wee line stamp from some leftover rubber trim for the pale lime line. The flower is from Darkroom Door, and buttons from my stash. The card is really a rectangle - it is my rubbish photography that has made it look like that!
Challenges
Paper Artsy
Creative Corner challenges - buttons
Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes

Simple Christmas

This is the start of my Christmas card box - I hope to do some every month so that it is not such a rush in December.
I have stamped my 2 images with Emboss It clear, and embossed with Detail White EP.
I found a little snippet of silver foil and punched some snowflakes, then added a little turquoise Kindyglitz for a touch of colour

Challenges :-
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas - use a sentiment
Pixie's Crafty Workshop - use snippets

Time for tea!

I thought I had posted this last week, but it was still waiting!
The background is 'tied together' embossing folder, and I trimmed it to be a little smaller than the card base. The stamp is an unknown brand that I have had a number of years. I have trimmed with a couple of snippets from my ever-growing box, and a pale mauve ribbon.
This is my second entry for
Pixie's Crafty Workshop

With Love!

This is one of my favourite Crafty Individuals stamps. I used Memento Tuxedo black to stamp with, and stamped the hearts again in red, which I cut out and layered. I slightly tinted the edges and then added a snippet of some pretty red & black lace. The 'danglies' at the bottom are coloured with Smooches and I finished with a peel-off which I tinted to match.
Challenges:-
Crafty Individuals - A fine romance
Sweet Stamps - anything goes
Love to Scrap - anything goes
Pixie's Crafty Workshop - use snippets

Love!!

Second post for me tonight!
I recently won this digi image, so thought it was quite appropriate for February!
I have coloured it with my promarkers, and sponged the edge with a red ink pad. The background is made from a piece of striped paper, and a snippet of red, which I embossed with my new 'tied together' embossing folder in my Cuttlebug. I used some narrow spotted ribbon over the join, and also added white dots around the edge of the letters.
Challenges -
Graph-it challenge - anything goes
Pixie's Playground - use snippets
Cuttlebugmania - Red
Passion for Promarkers - spots and stripes

Ribbon and Lace

Another delightful baby card using the template from Cardmaking Paradise (link on my sidebar)
I have embossed the bottom half with a scrolls folder in my Cuttlebug, and added colour by sponging with Brilliance Pearlescent Jade. The hood pieces are edged with some left-over lace, and I added a tiny Jade bow.
Challenges:-
Craftroom Challenge - ribbon & lace
Dream Valley Challenges - no designer paper
thecraftingcafe. - embossing
Pixie's Playground - I used snippets of lace and ribbon

Birthday

I have two birthdays coming up in February, so have made a start as they have to go overseas.
This one is cased from the one we made at coffee group this week. The 3 banner strips are washi tape, and I stamped one of the flowers from a Simon Says set, and embossed with detail white EP I popped on some candi for the flower centres, and raised them up too. I had just enough of the red card left from the mat to stamp the flowers on.
I would like to enter in
Pixie's challenge for using snippets
Paula Holifields Crafts for Celebrate
A-Muse Studio for anything goes

Abstract!

I have been following with interest Ellen Vargo's posts on the Paper Artsy blog, and loosely followed her instructions to make an A4 abstract background to use on cards. Here are the first 2 I have made.
I have used metallic acrylic paints in various colours, added some subtle stamping, some torn dictionary pieces, and then stamped the flowers from my JoFy set. The 2 sentiment stamps are from Darkroom Door.
Challenges to enter -
Paper Artsy
Sweet Stamps - anything goes
Crafting with Dragonflies - anything goes
Incy Winsy Designs - flowers

Birds of a feather

Today's card was inspired by Clare Lloyd at Paper Artsy. I had to improvise, as I did not have the same stamps etc, but I quite like the result. The circles and branch were from a Jofy set, the birds Hero Arts, and the message was from a Studio G set. I have coloured with mainly Promarkers
I stamped the birds again on a snippet, and they are raised up a little from the card.
I would like to enter at  Paper Artsy
                                      Pixie's Crafty Workshop
                                      Passion for Promarkers - CAS
                                      Ali craft - a/g

New Beginnings

There are several challenges in blogland with a 'new' theme, and as I needed some baby cards, I am able to enter with these.
I have cut them on my Cameo using a template from Cardmaking Paradise (see my sidebar for the link - it is a fabulous site) I have sponged the edges with matching ink and added some trimmed paper for the lace. The white one was run through my CB for added texture.
Challenges
                                    Sweet Stamps - something new
                                    Polkadoodles - anything goes
                                    Simon Says - something new
                                    C R A F T - anything goes
                                     Totally Gorguss - New
                                     Pixies - snippets (the lace trim papers were from my                                                snippet box)

Happy New Year

Debbie, over at A Scrapjourney is asking to see our 5 favourites of 2013. Here are my choices - for no particular reason.

 A fairly mixed bunch!!

Best wishes to all for 2014