In between watching ....

.... paint dry, I managed to get to PaperPlay Challenges.  This week's challenge is to make a project with "Good Luck" or "Thank You" as the theme.  Our own Elisa is sponsoring the challenge, giving three of her gorgeous Mamidoodles digi-stamps to this week's randomly chosen winner.

Here's my card - it's a "thank you with all my heart" card!!  I've photographed it three times at this stage, the light was so terrible last night that the original version looked yellow rather than turquoise, this is much better:

I used the sketch from this week's Friday Sketchers, and I'm also going to enter Creative Inspirations challenge, this week is to use "White, Yellow and Green".  I'm a bit cheeky, 'cos I've used turquoise (GREENy-blue, yeah?!!!), yellow and white (with a bit of kraft, brown and red for good measure!).

Recipe:

Papers: October Afternoon Weathervane

Stamp: Basic Grey Heart Girl

Colouring Medium: Pro-markers

Other: Label 1 Nesties, Hero Arts Flowers and Pearls, Old Paper distress ink, ribbon from stash, needle + thread.

Here's a little close-up of the image - she's so cute.  It's a Basic Grey stamp that I bought a while back - I just had to have it because she looks so weird with her hypnotised eyes!!!  There's also a boy one and he is very odd too!!!  I love them!!

I coloured her with my pro-markers. Happy with the overall effect but I think it was a mistake to use blue on the shadow at her feet - I think she might possibly have wet herself!!!  I highlighted the heart with Glossy Accents and also those little blobs hanging off her dress - they are even blobbier now!!!

My craft-room is coming along slowly but nicely.  The carpenter was here all last weekend, and the storage unit is looking great, although not finished yet.  We are the slowest decorators in the world, but two walls are completely done, another half done, I'm about to start edging the fourth after finishing this post.  Two of the walls are cream, and the other two are a darkish greeny-yellow that I have chosen to call "Cow-pat Green".  Anyone who has ever stood in a cow-pat will know exactly the colour I mean!!!

And finally, it's my 100th blog post!!!   Waves arms around in excitement!!  Really, I should have a blog-candy or something, but since everything is packed away, it'll have to wait for a while.  Maybe 120th post or something of that nature.  Watch this space (but don't hold your breath or anything!!).

Back to the paint-brush.  Sigh!

Over-run with Caras ....

.... the name is obviously up at the top of the popular list at the moment.  I made a card a few weeks ago for the baby whose parents eventually plumped for the name Cara, and this one I've just finished is for a different baby Cara!!  (It's an Irish word meaning "friend", btw!).  I made this at a crop on Saturday at my friend's house (thanks, Julie Frog - I had a great day!).

I'm entering this into three challenges: Stampin for the Weekend "Monochromatic" - I've gone for shades of dusky pink, I've used this week's sketch challenge on Totally Gorjuss, and I've taken my soft pinks from the photo inspiration challenge on Basic Grey Challenges.

I've used the same stamp I used on the other Cara's card, and my all-time favourite BG Phresh & Phunky papers.

Here's a little close-up - hopefully you can see the sparkle on the image and flower:

Recipe:

Stamp: Penny Black

Papers: Basic Grey Phresh & Phunky

Colouring Medium: Prisma Pencils

Other: Nestabilities (thanks for the lend, Linda!), Stickles, Antique Linen Distress Ink, MS punch, Hero Arts flower, needle + thread

Thanks for looking!!

Crafting in ....

.... chaos!!!  My craftroom is out of action at the moment, we are getting a new storage unit fitted there (not for me!!) in a few weeks and since the room has to be entirely cleared for the carpenter, we decided to do that early and paint the walls too.  I spent most of last weekend standing in the middle of the room in a confused manner, trying to decide what crafting things I would be able to do without for a few weeks and pack away, and what small amount would absolutely have to come downstairs into the corner of the playroom where I have taken up temporary residence.  It was not easy!!!  Needless to say, I got next to no crafting or blogging done and this will be the norm for the next few weeks while we get the work on the room done.

A lovely challenge this week on PaperPlay Challenges from Deirdre, who has sponsored this lovely Hero Arts goodie pack for the week's winner.

Deirdre's challenge is called "Just Because": - "I love getting mail and I particularly adore getting a card in the mail.  I bet I am not alone in this?!!  I would like you to make a card/project - "Just Because".  We have all been busy making Valentines, St. Patrick's Day and Mother's Day cards .... so this week I want you to make a "just because" card - thinking of you, miss you etc and send it!"

I had a sympathy card to make for an old school friend, so here it is as my DT sample:

I'm also going to enter it on Daring Cardmakers - their challenge this week is called "Here Comes the Sun" - I think the warm yellows and browns of the yummy Cosmo Cricket "Everafter" papers in my card, as well as the lovely flowers, are quite spring/summer-ish!!  And this week's challenge on Quixotic Challenges is called "Leave it Out" - you have to use leaves somewhere - I have!!!  And Simon Says Stamp's challenge is either Mother's Day or Girlie - I think this card is a definite girlie one!!

I particularly love this Hero Arts stamp set, I don't have the stamps (yet - but am ordering them today) - a forum friend, Sabrina, sent me the stamped images and I think they are so lovely, used either singly or together as I have on this card.  Here's a close-up:

Recipe:

Paper: Cosmo Cricket "Everafter"

Stamps: Hero Arts

Colouring Medium: Prismas

Other: Rock Candy Stickles, Doodlebug brads, ribbon from stash, needle and thread

Thanks for looking - and thanks to those who left me lovely comments - I'm sorry I'll not have time to reciprocate over the next few weeks!!

This year's obsession ....

.... yup, it's my son's birthday again.  He is one of those boys who gets completely obsessed with things, so each year, I make a card relevant to his current craze!!  Last year, it was James Bond, the year before it was Nightmare before Christmas.  We've had Mister Men, Countdown, etc. down the years.  But, to give him credit, these are no flash in the pan fixations - we usually get a good 6 to 18 months before he moves on to the next big thing!!!

This year, he is madly into Lego PowerMiners.  So having dithered about with large shapes and got nowhere, I decided to use Sandie's sketch for this week's PaperPlay Challenges, and here's what I made for him (his name has been blurred out):

I layered up pieces of the image (it's a Rock Monster, should anyone wish to know!!!), here's a side shot:

And I printed out lettering from the computer, transferred it to black card for the number and yellow for the lettering.  I've used Rock Candy Stickles to highlight his tusks and the number 8 - that stuff is fabulous, here's a little close-up - see how chunky it dries.  And since this fortnight's Fussy and Fancy Friday challenge is called "Dazzle Us", I'm entering it in - bit different from the usual entries, but there's a lot of shimmer and shine on this card, with the Rock Candy, also I stamped the background in metallic silver, and have used glitter buttons.  Bling!!

Recipe:

Papers: BG Ambrosia

Stamp: Hero Arts Grid

Ink: Brilliance Silver

Other: Rock Candy Distress Stickles, Doodlebug Buttons, needle + thread

I also made party bags for his friends, using the Rock Monster's face and more letters for their names:

Lots of cutting out!!!

And when DS opened his card, he said "Oh. My. Gosh.  That.  Is.  So.  Cool!!". 

Result!!!!

Someone finally had ....

.... a baby boy.  Just looking back, I've made nothing but baby girl cards for the past 6-8 months.  Now, one of the teachers at school has bucked the trend and had a boy. 

Here's my card - I made it at a crop in Marie's (Crafty Angels) house on Saturday (thanks Laura and Marie - I had a lovely day).  This card doesn't cover any challenges, 'cos all the ones I normally do were still doing Valentine's when I made it, or else needed images from a specific company, I just used my Hampton Art stamp again.

Recipe:

Stamp: Hampton Arts

Ink: Staz-On Dove Grey (+ Tim Holtz Antique Linen for distressing)

Papers: Piggy Tales

Other: Crackle Accents, MS Zig-zag punch, ribbon from stash, needle + thread.

Once again, a very dark photo, the crackle glaze on the image wasn't dry enough to take a daylight pic, so this will have to suffice!!

Oh Mother-in-Law ....

.... you don't know how lucky you are!!!!  I got my pack of BG Origins and you got the first card made with it!!!!

This week on PaperPlay Challenges, the challenge is "Birthday for Someone Special", and since it's MiL's birthday this week, she gets to be it!!!

Look at this yummy paper, who would have thought that yellow/green/brown could be combined and actually look good!!!

I'm also entering it on this week's BasicGreyChallenges, which is to use this sketch:

And Quixotic Challenges this week is called "Tag it" - they want to see tags on projects.  Well, I've got a little tag that pulls out from behind the image, here's a pic:

I'm also entering this on CraftyAngels, their challenge this week to to use your favourite colour.  Here's the weird thing, I think my favourite crafting colour is brown.  I never ever wear brown, I wouldn't decorate my house with brown, but nearly everything I make papercraftwise has brown in it somewhere.  Can't understand it at all!!!

Recipe:

Papers: BG Origins (drool!)

Stamp: Hero Arts stamped using Pro-markers

Colouring Medium: Pro-markers

Other: MS Doily Lace Punch, MS Branch Punch, Distress Ink, needle and thread, ribbon, gems and flowers from stash

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).