Wine

Some time ago I was fortunate enough to win a challenge at Just US Girls and was subsequently invited to be their Guest Designer for January!

The first of the challenges is entitled Beverage

Here is the first of my submissions. 

Sadly for everyone, Bugaboo Stamps, a digital image company, ceased trading. I have many of their images, which are such fun... they appeal to my sense of humour enormously. Although the sentiment is from the company I made it in a different font ( Amolina Boutique) adding it to the frame for the image. It's simply coloured with Copic Markers.

The start of a New Year  always brings hope, and this year I think that we need it... I hope that we will soon be able to think of Covid as a thing of the past. Stay safe and well everyone, and Happy New Year!

 

Happy Birthday

I recently discovered a site for digital images, which I wanted for the occasional background for some of my cards. It's called theHungryjpeg. I began this card with one such image. I printed two and used one for the front panel and another to die-cut a circle to superimpose over the image, so adding a third circle to the existing two in the design. Another couple of die cut foliage sprigs, a few pearls and an die-embossed stripe down the panel, together with the sentiment completed the card!

Addicted to CAS - Circles

 

Christmas Blessings

This is my first card for a challenge for quite some time. 

Having used all of the Christmas cards I had made throughout the year, I thought it appropriate to start on next year's batch!

It's a simple card, using the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches, CASology's SNOWMAN and the fact that it is Christmassy for Christmas Kickstart.

Today is my daughter's 40th birthday, I didn't know that I could possibly be old enough to have my baby reach this milestone. She is a wonderful person, a supermum, a hardworking executive, about to start a new job in a matter of days and the best daughter in the world. 

Happy birthday Libby!

Guest Elf at Christmas Kickstart

 

I was delighted to have been asked by the lovely Jo, to be a Guest Elf on the wonderful

  Christmas Kickstart Challenge

It's such a great idea to get a supply of cards ready for Christmas throughout the year, so avoiding all that drama when posting deadlines approach and insufficient cards are ready!

The challenge this time is 

My first thought of sweeties at Christmas is Candy Canes. In the late 1970's, we lived in Northern Virginia for a period of three years. My son was newly born when we arrived and so Christmases  were extra special with a little one. Unlike the UK at that time, there were candy canes aplenty and I used them to decorate the tree (not that he was able to indulge in them that first Christmas)

There seems to be a phrase 'Candy Cane wishes and Mistletoe Kisses', so I used this image from Dustin Pike, added a tiny stamp of mistletoe, (which I think was freebie from a mag) and a tiny scrap of ribbon, tied with my bowmaker. I added a  computer generated sentiment. I just noticed that I missed the 'cane' part off the sentiment, but I think it's still OK!

The frame was die cut with a new set I just bought on Amazon from Presscut. There are 16 Stitch/Dot squares which emboss either side of the cut line, so that both panels or apertures are edged! They range in size from 1/2in to 8 ins and have coordinating plain dies of which there are 32! I think they are going to be exceptionally useful!

Why not join in the fun and get ahead with those Christmas makes!

 

Smile

I think this frog is a real cutie., I got him from a download of colouring page images, free for personal use. He's simply coloured with alcohol pens and popped onto dimensional pads. I have three large 'smile ' word dies and I think this one is from Creative Cuts.

I love the flow of this one!The challenge this time at Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge is SMILE!

We could all do with a smile at this present time... so consider this one for you!

Different seasons

Here is a simply coloured SU image for the challenge at CAS Watercolour.

I stamped the image, masking off the sentiment, so that I could add my own. I used Watercolour pencils and a waterbrush to add colour and made a sentiment on the computer with a font to reflect that of the newsprint in the image.

This next one is for the challenge at ABC Christmas

The image is from A Day for Daisies, and as the teddy is inside the stocking, I thought that it would qualify for the 'I for inside' part of the challenge.

It was simply coloured with alcohol markers (I say that rather than using any particular brand name , as I have had many different sets of markers, some of which have dried up over time and been tossed, so I mix and match the brands to try to get the colours I want.)

I added a little Fun Flock to the band on the stocking for a little more interest, so I am also entering this into the TEXTURE challenge at Addicted to CAS

Candy Cane

Here is a digi image from Dustin Pike. I've had it for quite a while and it took a bit of searching through the files on my computer to find it, as I couldn't remember what heading I had filed it under. Anyway all's well that ends well and here it is coloured with alcohol pens and simply mounted onto the deep red card base. I double stacked the sentiment, as the card seemed rather flimsy!

It's my DT card for the challenge at Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge.

Hopefully I am ahead of the game this year as far as Christmas card production goes... I haven't actually done a count, maybe I should and hope that suppositions are correct!!

Stella Christmas

The images from Bugaboo always bring a smile to my face. For this one I simply coloured with Copics and added a little Fun Flock to the edges of her dress and cap. Although this sentiment was part of the download, I decided to write it myself rather than use the one provided as I didn't think think that the weight of the type or the font itself matched the image too well. I used DJB Baby Bump instead and split the sentence into two parts to arrange around the figure.

It's my DT card for Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge

I'm not sure if it's actually Bah Humbug, but she looks a little grumpy!

DO join in the fun!

Gnome

I downloaded this digi image from a craft magazine's website... I thought he looked really cute. This one was called a DIY image as it was a separate gnome and two different sets of hands. This one holding a gingerbread man and another holding a bauble. The  problem arose in trying to put the hands in a credible place on the gnome. I worked in Word and had to use a text box to place the hands appropriately. I made the box transparent and when I had the size and position as good as I could get them, I removed the lines  from the text box and printed him. I think it looks as though the hands are emerging through his beard.

He's coloured with alcohol pens and after cutting out, popped onto dimensional pads.

The 'merry' is stacked and the lower gold layers just slightly offset, to give a little more dimension.

A snowy sky (Sheena Douglass) and (Memory Box) tree lined hillside completed the scene.

Merry Little Christmas  - Anything Goes

Dies R Us Challenge - Trees or Leaves

CAS Christmas - Warm and Cosy (That beard looks kinda cosy)

Christmas elf

I have used this little elf from Bugboo once before; that time sitting him on a dry embossed wall. This time I decided to add  a gift box for him to perch on. I drew this in Word and sat him on it. I then decided to paper piece the gift. After cutting it out  thought that I would add a real pice of ribbon to the box. It was a bit of a fiddle but I finally managed to get it on, slitting the card to the side of his feet to draw the ribbon through to make it go behind his feet.

The sentiment is from MFT.

Fusion (Just the sketch)

CAS Christmas

Me my elf and I

Challenged once again by CAS Christmas Challenge I had to find an Elf!

I knew I had one somewhere... just one... however it took a while to find it, so during the process I popped over to Bugaboo Stamps and purchased this digi image of a seated Elf! I think it's quite a cutie.

I made the card with the elf I'd rummaged for in my stash, but thought I might try again... see that card below!

SO I began to work on the Bugaboo image (above)!

However once coloured he had to have something to sit on and a host of ideas came to mind, but none was particularly exciting. Then I decided to see if he could sit on an embossed something or other. I was thinking of a wall and tried that but was more pleased with this section of music manuscript.

SO I cut him out, sat him on it and added the sentiment from Paper Smooches.

One less card to make in the run up to Christmas!

I don't know the origin of this elf but it's a stiff plastic stamp and stamping a fine line is quite difficult. The sentiment is from MFT but sadly the spelling of favourite is wrong for a British recipient, so one of my buddies from across the pond may see this one coming their way

Snowdrops

It's a while since I used a digi image for one of my cards, but this is a favourite of mine from Fred She Said, Spring flowers are so delicate looking and these tiny snowdrops look beautiful. It's simply water coloured with a dash of Glamour Dust added to the petals. The sentiment was computer generated using Andalus and Alex Brush fonts. The front panel was cut with a Creative Dies die.

Mother's Day is celebrated in March in the UK unlike the US where it takes place in May. I have many friends from my choir who are particular about calling the special day "Mothering Sunday". It refers back to the time when servants in large houses were allowed to return home for one special day to visit and take a small gift to their mothers. Normally their work work be seven days per week!

Working in service is far less popular these days, as most of the help we have in our homes comes via other means...central heating, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers etc!

Back in the day, I think I would have been the one scrubbing the floors rather than having them scrubbed for me!

AAA Cards - Spring

Krafty Chicks - Shades of green

ElliBelles Corner - Think Spring... add some Green

Always fun Challenge - Add some Green
Addicted to CAS - Green

Another Christmas Card

This dear little image from a Day for Daisies has long been a favourite of mine.It has been gently shaded with Promarkers and given a little Glamour Dust to the top of the stocking. The sentiment was computer generated straight onto the card and the dry embossed snowflakes were effected from a Freebie folder from a magazine. The image was cut out and popped onto dimensional pads.

I used a few challenges as inspiration for this simple card.

The sketch from Case this Sketch

The subject matter from Addicted to CAS

CAS is the theme at Addicted to Stamps and More so it's for that too, I trust that a digital image still counts as a stamp!

AAA Cards has Christmas in July so it's for that too!

A couple more cards

Here is a simple card made for the challenge at Colours and Sketches.

When I saw the design I immediately thought of this digi image which was lurking somewhere in the depths of my computer. As it has been there for quite sometime I really don't remember its origin. It was simply coloured with Promarkers, cut out and mounted on 3D pads. The sentiment is from a stamp set from Creative Stamps.

This one is for the CAS Christmas Challenge. It couldn't be much simpler! Again this is a digi image but when filed away on my computer ages ago, I failed to add a source to it, so if anyone recognises it I should be pleased to know its source. He was gently shaded and twinkled with Glamour Dust.

The sentiment is from Altenew which I believe was a freebie with a mag. The embossing on the background is from  a Sheena Douglass folder.

Anything but a card!

The challenge at A Day for Daisies is Anything but a Card... if it must be something different, I can't think of anything better than a good bottle of wine...hence the tag!

It's necessary to use an image from ADFD for their challenges but as they are so generous in donating images, there's really no excuse for not participating!

Here I used a flower head and superimposed the png images over each other. Coloured with watercolour pencils, blended with a water brush and glazed with Glossy Accents, the tag was cut with an Avery Elle bottle hanger die and then some Liquid Pearls added to the blossom stamens.

The sentiment was computer generated in Sunshine Poppy font, made bold to match the weight of the lines on the flower images.

Fairy Kitty

This is my first attempt at colouring with my Chameleon Pens!

What a strange experience! It's like I'm doing things backwards. I usually regard my light source as coming from the right, so I begin colouring on the left of my image in the darkest shade, however as the Chameleon Pens go from light to dark, I felt a little stumped, I tried turning the image upside down, but as yet I haven't got used the amount of time it take for the pens to infuse with blender fluid in order to lighten them, I guess it will be a case of trial and error, with rather a lot of the latter.

Anyway this is a Day for Daisies image for their current challenge which is to use Glitter. I have glittered the wings of this fairy cat. The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted and the tiny Hearts from Simon Says Stamp. The panels are cut with SSS stitched rectangles.  I extended the second largest rectangle sideways on, to cut the front panel for this card which measures 125mm x 150mm  or 5in x 6in.

This one would actually fit with our challenge at "Less is More" this week, which is One Layer  - Love, but I'm entering it for  The Paper Players colour challenge!
Actually I'm not ... I've just seen that I missed the deadline!!!!

It's a digi image printed on an angle, then masked and over-stamped with a Kaisercraft Tiny Dot background stamp.

Once the mask was removed I coloured in the hearts with Copic and Mirage Markers and then added Glossy Accents. The sentiment is from Mama Elephant.

It's also for Addicted to CAS's Mask challenge!

My grandchildren will be arriving imminently for the week, It's half term for them so by the end of the week I shall be ready for a rest! 

One Layer Week at "Less is More"

The theme for one layer week at "Less is More" is SNOW!

I have had such a busy time this week, with lots of engagements singing carols... three times at Manor Farm for their Nativity in the farmyard, one rehearsal on the Isle of Wight plus our normal choir rehearsal for our Christmas concert this evening. Phew!

Here is an emboss resist , with various snowflakes (mainly freebies), stamped in Versamark and clear embossed. The ink was applied with sponge daubers in Bashful Blue and Soft Sky SU ink. A few extra snowflakes were stamped on top of the ink and embossed in silver.

The sentiment is from Butterfly Kisses.

Here are a couple of digi images from Dearie Dolls. They are coloured with Mirage Pens and twinkled with Glamour Dust. I think they're fun!

For this last one I used a Memory Box stencil with Pearlescent White Embossing Paste, again sprinkled with Glamour Dust whilst still wet. In order to get the sentiment to match I did use a die from Clearly Besotted. To be truly one layer I should probably have used the negative of the die cut as a stencil too, but sticking all the loopy bits in was a little daunting and as I've had a busy week, I'm afraid I chickened out! It is also twinkled with Glamour Dust!

Hi Sweetie

I have a few cards to make today and before I crack on with those, I'd just like to post this quickie card for CASology's Candy challenge before it closes.

This image is a digi from Dustin Pike, coloured with Mirage pens, cut out and popped up onto dimensional pads. The sentiment is computer generated in 'my oh my' font. I think it's rather cool... the font that is.

Now to get on with my day!