WOYWW #199

Here 'tis then!

The aftermath of a mad, ooh! I'm late! Easter card make.
I am thankful to Clear Dollar Stamps for gorgeous digitals plus backgrounds - all in one Easter kit!!
They are all ready for posting now and will be gone as soon as it stops snowing!  My cards are quite plain, I think the only addition was gold paper ribbon - supposed to be for Christmas but you know how it is .......... bring the goody bag home and then unload then pack away then forget .............. 
Have a happy WOYWW!

More information can be gathered from the page at the top entitled WOYWW - original huh!

Here Come the Boys Challenge No 48

One of the DH's colleagues has a birthday coming up soon.  He is interested in aeroplanes as well as steam trains and after searching through my stash I chose this digi.      
I watercoloured the background and then, after the paper had dried, coloured the figures with watercolour pencils, using metallic pencils for the aeroplanes.  I used backing papers from Paper Wishes (one of the folders containing these was dated 2005 so I suppose I should say they are out of my stash!!!).  The banner came from a Kanban kit that was also purchased some time ago - not quite ancient but close!

I am entering this card into Here Come The Boys Challenge #48  who are using an inspirational  picture collage which inspired me to make this card and then I shall post the card to R for his birthday.

Lacy Sunshine #04

I am so challenged by this one.
I am a pretty simple lady (read 'no imagination'), so my cards tend to be a write-off if I try anything clever and this challenge is 'Layer it up'.
I just love these designs and this lady - Anastasia - has POPPIES and we all know that most poppies are red and red ones are my favourites,.

So through the email came Anastasia, she was quickly printed out in several different sizes and taken to my craftroom.  I coloured all the poppies with a red rollerball pen, bright, unadulterated red.  Then I used watercolour pencils to colour the outfits, the best being the one with the green hat.  I laid out all my papers and embellishments and then decided to punch the corners of the digital to match the base paper.  I told you that I am a simple lady..........horrors!!!! a different punch!!
So now we have the outfit with the light gold hat and a red feather..........................
Plain scarlet card backed onto the base paper lifted the poppies but was quite boring, so I added buttons to tone it down.  After I added the buttons it still looked bare so I started to sort through my embells but could find nothing suitable and then ................ the thought hit me!  kapow!  punch out some flowers from some of the red card (same as my last post) .............. brilliant!  This time I doubled up the shapes and then, using my embosser pen, I 'rolled' the centres so that the petals lifted.  Into this cup I placed a black bling.
Perfect - well for me anyhow - how much is too much?
This looks too much but I have 'layered it up' and enjoyed the process.  Shame the green hat made it to the bin but .............

Imagine That #03

This pretty digi arrived in my mail box all ready to be coloured and entered into the Progressive Challenge No 3.

I measured the folded card and printed the digi three times on an A4 sheet and after using my watercolour pencils to colour each printout differently,  I liked this colour best.  I tried several different embellishments but, these flowers punched from some glitter paper, matched perfectly.  After taking the first photos I realised I hadn't coloured in the cross on the butterfly so swiftly added a gel pen colour and hey! presto!  a card I am pretty pleased with.

WOYWW #198

O my goodness!  Wednesday already!  It's a good job Julia sends us out a reminder nudge kind email or I would never remember!  Catch all the gossip here - Julia's Fantastic Idea.

So..... what is on my workdesk?

Had to leave this last night - right in the middle of attaching flowers to a Challenge Card.  The challenge is to 'layer it up' and this is a challenge to me as I only do simple, but I just love this artist and so I stepped up.
The little stacking pots contain my bling which is very handy, they separate into individual pots.  My DH used them in his spice business - each stack consisted of five different spice mixtures - and when the business closed he was left with hundreds of these.  Mrs Scrooge just couldn't bear to throw them out, gave him a £1 per stack and about twenty of them have appeared in my craftroom with beads, sequins, confetti etc!  (if you want any he says you can have them for a pound a stack as well -  plus P&P)

AND............ the more observant of you might see that the carton and glass is still on my desk - still?!!
no more - I have removed it!
Happy WOYWW to everyone.

ROTD #2

Well, I may have missed the deadline for Challenge #1 but I am sure to make this week's challenge.  Jackie has been super generous with her digi designs and the choice was difficult to make for this challenge.

I used three of the designs and rearranged them on the page, leaving enough room for the sentiment.  I used my watercolour pencils and was going to 3D decoupage the flowers but then decided they didn't need it.  I cut the edge of the card to match the border design - remember I'm left handed so this wasn't easy to do - and then attached some pearl bling to the centres.
Don't you just love that sentiment - it's been in my Sentiment Book for a long time so I cannot tell you where I found it...... but it's out in cyberland somewhere!

Crafty Creations Challenge # 213

When the weather is rainy and the wind is icy cold, there is only one thing to do - put on your Pink Mac and Green Wellies, take your umbrella and go dance in the raindrops.


Wish I had and wish I could but as I can't ............ here is a card.

The Challenge is Singing in the rain..........

The digi is from Lacy Sunshine (Emily Rainy Day) and I have coloured her with watercolour pencils - how very apt!!!
The shiny blue paper behind, which looks so very wet, is from my stash - yes, I am actually finding and using from my stash.
I love the sentiment, framed it on my PC, printed and cut, popped it along the bottom to finish off this very wet little girl.  
Did I mention that I used a gel pen in metallic pink for the mac - oooh! I so wanted one like this when I was younger!!

Lacy Sunshine request

I found out that a member of one of my Yahoo groups is really suffering with chemo therapy at this moment in time and she cares for her elderly father as well so this is not good.  I cannot visit her in person so want to send her a hug in a card.  
Heather Valentin has just released some beautifully sad girls, Melancholy Moppets,  and I thought one would be perfect for H.  I emailed Heather just on the off chance that she could design a Melancholy Moppet with a few daffodils as I wanted to send H a bit of Spring to cheer her up - Spring always follows Winter.  
Almost by return - bearing in mind we are on different Continents - I had a reply to say it would be no problem.  Less than 24hours later - Daphne was in her store.

May I present Daphne No 1.................

I printed out several of the images, coloured a couple but loved this one most so here she is.  I used watercolour pencils, adding water to the daffodils to bring them out more.  The image is backed onto patterned tissue paper which is backed onto plain yellow card.  I added a piece of ribbon and a Mulberry Paper heart.

I hope that Heather likes what I have created with her image.

Nutcrafters Challenge # 38

Feline Playful sends through a list of Challenges each week and although my intentions are good, I seem to miss out. 
I could not, however, miss this one on Nutcrafters Blog and I knew just which digital I would use.
'Something beginning with B'

This design is from Lacy Sunshine, I quite like her stamps ...... no, I don't ...... I lurve her stamps (Heather Valentin is the artist) and she is so helpful and prompt with her orders, no what I mean?
Anyhow, I coloured this digi (Sweet Lil Bumblebee With Flowers) with my watercolour pencils and backed the digi onto the card itself.  I knew what I wanted as a sentiment so I printed that out from my PC in brown lettering and popped it onto the card.
I am very pleased with this one........   Bee-autiful, brown stripes, brown writing.

Rockin' Out The Digis Challenge # 01

Yes! 
This is the first Challenge on this Blog and if you pop over there you will see that this one is a bit different.  Jackie has given us the digis and the Challenge is on..........
I printed three of the flowers, intending to make them into a big bunch but then life got in the way.  After a few meetings, and an AGM, I ran out of time to enter the card but ..... being the simple girl I am ........ I still made the card!

I coloured just the centres and added a bow.  Matted onto a red card I thought that this was still a bit plain so I cut some white paper and felt tipped round the edge for a faux matting.
I am looking forward to seeing what Challenge #02 brings.

I see now that it is not quite straight but I think I have one crooked eye - dunno which one yet!

Wobble Thursday

I have signed up to be notified by email when a new post is made on Action Wobbles Blog and today's posting reminded me that I have two young men's birthdays coming up.  
Younger J is five on Sunday so I have had to put a spurt on but I think I have made it ok.  As he is five I don't want too complicated a card, so I used wrapping paper as a background and then added my Action Wobble to 'the Cat in the Hat'.  I used charcoal to colour with - I have a charcoal pencil and picked it up by mistake, once started had to finish! - and of course I forgot....... bit messy on the message but I'm hoping he will enjoy playing with the wobble more  than check the colouring!!
So here is my Action Wobble Thursday card - check the label at the top of the page for more info about the wobble.

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WOYWW #197

I hereby certify that this is a true photo of my workdesk, unaltered and unadorned, as it was left last evening and photographed this morning.

Verified by the clock on the desk!!!  This belonged to my mother, bought in Singapore in 1932 ish and, being the windup kind, still works.  It usually sits on top of my radio but has to be moved  in order to switch off the radio - the last thing I did before leaving the room!!!
On my desk are two ATCs as I am starting to play around with these - nothing to do with Julia's suggestion (much) about celebrating 4yrs with a swap.  
BTW all the details abut WOYWW can be found at the top of this post.
I am also experimenting with making some 'grunge' stamps with the knife and a cheap pack of pretty pink stamps from Lidl.
Everything else much the same - my daughter and niece still smiling at me (or are they laughing at my attempts to be ........ something else!!!) 
Thank you everyone for visiting me last week and leaving comments, sorry I was late visiting some of you.
Happy WOYWW day!

One Stitch at a Time Challenge #153

Not really being a green lover (as a colour) I don't make many green cards but I have had this image and sentiment for some time so I thought it would be appropriate to use in this Challenge.

Not a good picture as it is a white card on white background - I will have to source a different background methinks.
Unfortunately I have had this image for such a long time, it was before I learnt to save the creator's details but if I can find it I will update with a credit (and a thank you)
I backed the image and sentiment onto a pale green card, punched some butterflies and flowers out of the leftover piece.  The butterflies were attached by the body and wings curled upwards. Two flowers were placed together and using a ball tool, curled upwards with a diamanté placed in the middle.
Thank you One Stitch at a Time blog for choosing Green for the Challenge.

















http://www.onestitchatatimechallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/challenge-153-green_3.html

Drunken Stampers Challenge #117

This Challenge offers me the chance to try a sortof Steampunk card so here is my offering:

What is that! I hear you say ............. this is my first attempt ..........
I printed some background paper from Shabby Pink and then realised it didn't fit my card.  Hmmm!  I placed across the centre, stamped the top, added the piano which I had fussy cut ready.  I then stamped along the top but left the bottom of the card plain as I thought it could envelop the sentiment.  I found some ribbon which I thought looked a bit Steampunky so made a bow.  The sentiment was soooo plain ............. found a black liner and drew a pattern round it to match the ribbon edges.  I have heard of this 'doodling' and it saved the day I think.
This is the 'Sound of Music' to me at the moment - I am loving Steampunk - so I am entering this into Drunken Stampers Challenge - wish me luck!!

Progressive Challenge #02

This drawing for Imagine That blog has certainly brought back some memories! 
 I think I have a photo of my girls in their Irish Dancing costumes somewhere - I will have to look it out one day - I still have the medals and shields that my eldest won, the younger was given hers when she had a daughter.
Here is my entry into the challenge:

I have coloured her in the School's colours (brown with multi colour stitching) although the eldest girl's solo costume was red, lined with cream satin, handmade by moi!  Those were the days!!
BTW  the circles are handcut and if you look closely you will see I'm not much good at cutting circles!!!

WOYWW #196

Coming late to the party today!

I am going to attempt some ATCs so I have been researching the subject and forgot the time .... my excuse anyway.

So here is my desk this morning which is about to be altered around but in the meantime it looks like this.  
I have just discovered uncovered  recovered found the packet of daubers and so I have been altering my doilies - I have been very happy in my room - have to find a name for it now (DH favours PLAYROOM).

I commented on Cindy's blog about the lamp she used and, blow me down!, this week dear old LIDL are selling the same sort of thing.  Weeell ......... a girl's gotta do whata girl's gotta do so.............. I have go clear my desk to find the perfect place for the clamp lamp to fit  - and with a lamp, me being insomniacal ............ see where I'm going? 

Happy WOYWW day!

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge 196

I have subscribed to Desert Diva and today she was sharing a card made for an embossing challenge on C.R.A.F.T. which set me to thinking.  Some time ago (many years in fact!) I spent an evening at a friend's house embossing anything we could lay our hands on.  What fun we had!  During the 'Great Tidy Up' of my craft room I tried to organise my cards into one area and that is where the 'embossed one' is to be found.  
Or it was.

So one of my ladies from this post was just the right size for the card.  It was very boring on its own so.................. I played around with it, lots of discarded bits in my 'Bits' box and eventually came up with a red square of card.  I backed the lady onto a piece of white card and rounded the corners of this and the red card.  Popped the lady on a flat backed red card and voila! Elle est fini!
I am very pleased with this, maybe cause it's RED that I love it.
I have now completed this card and want to enter it into the above Challenge, and move it to the 'Completed Cards' box!

Yeah!