Break out the yellow ....

.... because the sun is shining!!

It's been a very dank and grey spring here in Dublin, bar one sunny week way back in March (not that I'm complaining, as such - as I've said before, I like our weather). But today, the sun made a surprise appearance and it's to be fine for the whole week. My, what a good mood everyone is in!! And we've got Sports Day in school on Friday - it is so strange to hear people talking optimistically about the weather a whole 5 days in advance! Normally, we'd be hedging our bets and waiting until Thursday before deciding whether or not it can go ahead!

So when doing a commissioned card for a confirmation, I included a colour that I almost never use - YELLOW!! Here's what I made:

I used the sketch from this week's Sunday Sketch + Stamp and I'm also entering this into the following challenges: Paper Sundaes ("Pretty in Pink"), Basic Grey Challenges ("Anything Goes" - my third entry!), Sugar Bowl ("Free for All" using Sugar Nellie stamp), The Ribbon Girl ("Pinks and Creams") and Simon Says Stamp + Show ("Summer Holiday").

I used this cute Sugar Nellie Gorjuss Girl image - but masked out the heart and envelope seams and added a cross so it looks like a prayer book.  I was told that Róisín, the girl who the card is for, has reddish-blonde hair - so I had a go with the distress inks - quite pleased with the result.  Here's a close-up and then a pic of the distressed, inked and rolled flowers.

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey "Ambrosia", "Kissing Booth", "Nook + Pantry" and "Capella"

Stamp: Sugar Nellie Gorjuss Girl "Sent with Love"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Punch: MS "Branch"

Other: Ribbon from stash, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

Betcha didn't think ....

.... I'd finish that card today?  Neither did I, but .... I did!!  Maybe because I have to make a card a day for the next three days, no excuses - they're all due imminently.  Eek!

Today's card is the second of three commissioned cards that I'm making for a lady's 60th birthday.  I'm going for a very different look for each one, so I've moved from yesterday's soft greens and fairies to this -screaming bright red and manga!!

I've used the sketch from The Sugar Bowl - I'm also entering this into Kaboodle Doodles ("Stitching"), Stamp Something ("Summer Something" - my manga girl looks like she's heading out into an Irish summer - with sunhat AND umbrella!) and Totally Gorjuss ("punch or die").

I changed this card so many times while I was making it - the cardstock went from red to cream to aqua and finally walnut - and the top patterned paper layer went from these cherries to some blue with kites to some blue with red birds and finally back to the cherries again.  What a pain in the wotsit!!  My crafting buddy, Michelle, lent me a beautiful doily die at the crop the other night - it cuts out the most intricate doily pattern which I've used on this card - I'm going to have to buy this die, I think it's on the Joanna Sheen site.  It's also extremely therapeutic poking the bits out of all those little holes!!

Here's a close-up of my little Manga girl.





Recipe:

Papers: Cosmo Cricket "Togetherness" and "Early Bird"

Image: Sugar Nellie "April Showers"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: Doily Die, Hero Arts pearls, ribbon from stash, needle + thread

Thanks for looking - fingers crossed for another card tomorrow!!!

My first challenge ....

.... for Creative Card Crew!!   This week, the theme is "cute and girlie" and we're sponsored by the wonderful MelJen's Designs - I think everyone in blogland must now be aware of her lovely digi stamps, with their distinctive swirls.  Check out what the other CCC girls have made - all gorgeous stuff!

I have tried and tried to use digis, but no matter what I do, my printer is not complying and when I try to colour, I am not happy with the results no matter what medium I use.  I found a site last night that recommends washing the printed image under the tap to remove some of the excess ink, has anyone tried that?  I'd love to know if it is worth a shot.

Anyway, moan over, back to my card:

I've also entered this in this week's Sugar Bowl (DIY - participants can use whatever past sketch they wish - I've gone for No. 30), Daring Cardmakers (It's a Girl Thing), Paper Sundaes (stitching) and Basic Grey Challenges (stitching).

I used this beautiful Sugar Nellie girl by Leanne Ellis and coloured with distress inks - love the soft pinks and greeny/blues of the BG Olivia papers, my favourites at the moment, I think.  I stickled bits of the image and used glossy accents on the leaves, particularly on the ones I cut out, to strengthen them.  Here's a close-up:

Recipe:

Stamp: Leanne Ellis "Belle Flower" for Sugar Nellie

Papers: Basic Grey "Olivia"

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: Doily and ribbon from stash, stickles, glossy accents, needle + thread

Thanks for looking - and don't forget to enter my blog candy (click here) - only 6 days left!!!

Colouring is fun ....

.... but only when you can find the ones you want!!  I posted about my super new organised pro-markers in my last post.  It was so easy to find the ones I needed when I was making my daughter's birthday card.  She'll be 16 soon (eeeek - how did that happen?!!!).  Here's my card:

I used the sketch from this week's Sugar Bowl and there is also a blue theme, which I've covered!  I'm also entering it into Passion for ProMarkers (distressing), Crafty Creations (happy or sweet),  Papertake Weekly (cutie patootie) and Crafty Angels (shabby chic. Can shabby be bright colours - I'm not sure?).

I used my scrumptious new Cosmo Cricket papers that I got last week.  I cobbled the sentiment together on Word, using two different fonts and some text boxes to squeeze it all together and I'm really pleased with the result.

I bought the stamp quite a while ago, with my daughter in mind, she loves all things manga. And since her hair is dyed red at the moment I decided to colour the image's hair red too (although dd's is not quite as red at this!!).  Here's a close-up:

Recipe:

Papers: Cosmo Cricket "Material Girl"

Stamp: Sugar Nellie "Manga Girl #2"

Colouring Medium: Letraset ProMarkers

Fonts: OldGateLaneOutline and Dear Joe 4

Other: Distress Inks, Nestabilities Label 1, stickles, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!

Safely back where I belong, in ....

.... my comfort zone.  I spent several happy hours last night with distress tool, inks, needle and thread and it felt good!!!

My card is for a retiring Sunday School teacher called Rosie.  I immediately thought of using BG "Sugared" paper, with its lovely blousy roses, but am branching off in other botanical directions too by using a Mary Hall for Sugar Nellie stamp called "Miss Sweet Pea"!!

My card is for this week's challenge on The Sugar Bowl, a lovely sketch (and an option to use pink/black/white, what can I say, I'm a rebel, I only used 33.3% of that option - pink/green/cream!!).  I changed the sketch very slightly by putting the "three elements" on the left hand side, I needed the right for the tag which has quite a bit of info that the customer wanted "on the front" - I love making tags for getting all the text on, but not in a way that clutters the card.

I'm also entering this on Crafty Angels ("My favourite stamp"), A Spoon Full of Sugar ("Floral Delight"), and Creative Cottage ("Pink").

I coloured this stamp using Distress Inks, love the dusky pink and olive green colours.  I have lots of the ink pads, but only a few reinkers and I am definitely going to build that collection.  Here's a close-up of the image, it's such a sweet stamp:

Recipe:

Papers: Basic Grey Sugared

Stamp: Mary Hall "Miss Sweet Pea" for Sugar Nellie

Colouring Medium: Distress Inks

Other: BG "Sugared" brads, ribbon from stash, needle + thread.

My daughter started her exams today, talk about cool as a cucumber - I don't want her to be panicking, but I wouldn't mind if she was a teeeeny weeeeny bit less laid-back either!!!!  And the next few weeks are bonkers, parish fete, boss's retirement events, car-boot sale, it's all go - and I have a long list of cards to make too.  EEEK!

Thanks for looking!

Deadlines are ....

.... sometimes a good thing!!  My step-mother asked me to make a card for her friend's birthday, and since it's at the end of this week, I had to put down the paintbrush and get crafting.  Yayyyy!!

I've used this week's challenge on The Sugar Bowl, which is called "Sketch by You", participants get to choose whichever sketch they wish from the Sugar Bowl archives.  I've chosen Sketch No. 21, I've used it before and it's a lovely sketch.  I'm also slipping it in at the tail end of Quixotic Challenges - "Case It".  I love Rowena's work, and I guess I'm influenced by her in the way I'm using more and more stitching on my cards, although she uses a machine and I hand-stitch (and they're consequently taking longer and longer to do!!!).

Here's my card:

I've used new Basic Grey Kioshi papers - I like these particular ones, but some of the papers in the set are ..... hmmm ..... not really to my liking!!

Off for lunch with my friend now, then when I come home I have to do my DT entry for next week's PaperPlay - more deadlines!!!

Thanks for looking.

Yahoo, a commission ...

.... from school, for a teacher who recently got engaged (I've never made an engagement card before).

I've also made it for this week's challenge on The Sugar Bowl, which is this interesting sketch:
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I've flipped it 90 degrees and done a DL card (very out of my comfort zone - but there needs to be plenty of space for all the staff to sign it!!!). I used my Leanne Ellis "True Love" stamp, and decided to use more masculine colours - after all, the card is for a bloke as well as a girl!!!
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I agonised for ages over whether or not to cut the image into 4 pieces to replicate the "window" in the sketch. In the end, I did it and I think it makes it a much more interesting card. I also glossy accented the flower and leaves.

Recipe:
Papers: MME 29th Street Market
Stamp: "True Love" Leanne Ellis for Sugar Nellie
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Vintage Photo and Antique Linen
Colouring Medium: Pro-markers
Other: Ribbon and brads from Stash, Fiskars border punch, needle and thread

ETA: Took the pics again in daylight today - it was a grey day so they're only a bit better, but the colours are at least truer!!
Thanks for looking.

P.S. Update on the baby's name from a few posts back, they called her Cara (so glad I put repositional adhesive on the nameplate!):o).

My first card ....

.... using my Promarkers. I've been fiddling about with them, and this is the first image I've coloured. Few observations, first being that I used the wrong paper, it was quite difficult to blend the colours and they bled a bit too, but I'm happy enough with it as a first experiment.

I've followed the lovely sketch on this week's Sugar Bowl - I've used their sketches before, but hadn't used Sugar Nellie stamps, so couldn't enter the challenge. Well this week, as I've got my Gorjuss Girl image, I can enter - here's my card:

There was an extra requirement to use lace. Well, I don't have any lace, so I used my MS Doily "Lace" punch, hope that fulfils the brief!! The papers are Cosmo Cricket Lil Man - I love 'em!!

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Thanks for looking - and thanks for lovely comments left on my last post.

Dry spell ....

.... around here, I hadn't made a thing in over a week. I didn't even get to Mandy's challenge on PaperPlay last week - it was a lovely sketch and I would have enjoyed it.

But after a late night frenzy last night, I've managed this week's challenge on PaperPlay Challenges, set by Sandie:

For my challenge I'd like you all to use your favourite embellishment on your project... whatever it may be :)

I've used brads and stitching, both of which I love, on my card, I'm also very fond of organza ribbon, but I felt there was enough on it already!!

I'll also enter this on Stamping for the Weekend, their challenge this week is to use the colour combo of orange, brown and leafy green (Hello, BG Archaic!!). It's hard to see them properly in the pic, I took it at 7am this morning when it was still dark, but those are indeed the colours!!!!

And the lovely sketch that I've used is from this week's Sugar Bowl, but I haven't used a Sugar Nellie stamp so I can't enter it!!

Thanks for looking!! And thanks to all those lovely readers who leave nice comments too!!!