Passion for Markers - Mega Christmas Mid challenge reminder...

 Hey there, crafty friends! I hope you're all nearly ready for the big day and keeping well? I'm struggling to get into the Christmas spirit this year and have promised myself that I will be organised next year (although I promise myself this every year and have yet to follow through, so maybe 2022 will be the one to watch?!) 

It's half way through our month long Mega Christmas challenge over at Passion for Markers and so I'm popping in to share my DT make...

I used my own hand drawn Snowdrop image and coloured using my Pro/Flexmarkers, teaming the simple white and green colour tones with a contrasting navy blue. I embossed the background with a random snowflake folder and added some die cut snowflakes to add to the wintry feel, before highlighting with Stickles coated in crystal glitter for a snowy effect...

We've had lots of wonderful entries already and there are some fabulous prizes up for grabs! To play along with our Mega Christmas Challenge of Anything Goes (which couldn't be simpler!), hop over to the original Passion for Markers blog post HERE, or to see my talented teamies creations for your inspiration, visit our midway challenge post HERE...

I hope you all have a very Happy Christmas and wish you all the very best for the coming year, may 2022 bring you all good health and happiness!

Take care,

Passion for Markers Mega Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes...

*** WARNING – LONG POST ***

Grab a cuppa and a biscuit (or two) and make yourself comfortable!

This week we are launching our very special “Mega Christmas challenge”  over at Passion for Markers, which runs for a whole month and ends on 4th January 2022!  I’m sure you’ll agree that both design teams have worked extremely hard once again this year and they deserve a little break to catch up on their last minute gifts and cards.  However to make up for the lack of challenges we have some fantastic prizes up for grabs!

Our theme for the Mega Christmas challenge is “anything goes”.  We don't mind what you create for this challenge, as long as you colour with your markers!  You are welcome to make Christmas creations but as the challenge will still be running after the ‘BIG’ day you can of course make any type of creation.  As time is precious for our DT at this time of year we are limiting the number of entries you can make to just 3 for this month long challenge.  Please remember to be eligible for our prizes you must use your markers (alcohol or water based) such as Promarkers, Copics, Spectrum Noir, Karin, Zig Clean Color etc

So now for the exciting bit – the prizes!

Dies to Die For are offering 1 lucky winner a £20.00 gift voucher

Uniko Stamps are offering 1 lucky winner 1 stamp set (must be in stock)

Dr Digi's House of Stamps are offering 1 lucky winner 2 digi images

Leann’s World 101 are offering 1 lucky winner 2 digi images

Crafty Sentiments Designs are offering 1 lucky winner 3 digi images

Colour of Love digis are offering 1 lucky winner 3 digi images

All Dressed Up stamps are offering 1 lucky winner 2 digi images

Wow we are sure you’ll agree our sponsors have been super generous once again this year!

We have asked both design teams to share some inspiration with you but as it is such a long challenge we will be posting the inspiration from Team 2 today and then in two week’s time we will be posting inspiration from Team 1, so I'll be sharing my DT card with you then...

Hop over to the Passion for Markers blog to see the wonderful Team 2 creations and I hope you can play along with our MegaChristmas challenge

Hugs,

Lisa x

Passion for Markers - Christmas Critters...

 Good morning, crafty friends! It's the last day of November and we have a new challenge starting over at Passion for Markers with the lovely Julie choosing a topical theme of 'Christmas Critters'...so think robins, reindeer, penguins and polar bears!

We're being sponsored by Clearly Besotted Stamps, who are offering one lucky winner a £15 voucher to their online store...how fab!

There's a bit of a story behind this week's card... Storm Arwen goosed my monitor power supply, so although my PC is working I couldn't see anything! All my images are on my PC and because I have only recently got into 'proper' stamping, I discovered that I don't have many Christmas stamps, let alone animal ones...so it was time to improvise! I found these bird stamps that came with an embossing folder in the bottom of my stamp basket and turned them into Christmas robins...

I used a couple of different sentiment stamps, mistletoe embossing folder and some die cut holly leaves as the main embellishments, keeping the design clean and simple...

I have to admit that it was nice to create something from start to finish without touching my PC but think I am still going to be a hybrid crafter in the future, although my stamping stash needs some attention...maybe in the New Year?!

I hope that you can find the time to play along with us at Passion for Markers this week and look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations...

Crafty hugs,

Lisa x

Passion for Markers - Anything Christmas...

Hello there, crafty friends! Yet another Tuesday arrives, which means we see the start of a brand new challenge over at Passion for Markers...

 This week it's the lovely Sue in the hostess and she's given us a topical theme of 'Anything Christmas'...I'm sure you are all much more organised than me, as I can't seem to get my head around Christmas until the month of December at least! Every year I promise myself that I will be more organised and every November I think, "Well there's no time to do anything about it now!"...

We're being sponsored by LeAnn's World who are kindly offering one lucky winner 2 digital images form their online store...

We were lucky enough to get an image to play with and I picked out the traditional 'Presents' Christmas tree image...

 I kept my card clean and simple, colouring the tree with my Pro/Flexmarkers and then cutting out leaving a white border. I inked behind the image with Salty Ocean Distress Oxide and added a strip of lilac gingham to contrast with the aqua colour tone of the card base. I doodled a hand drawn border and added some sequins and tiny star gems, then glittered elements on the tree ad presents.

The sentiment stamp is from Simply Creative Happy Christmas stamp set and I also added a Memory Box Precious Star die cut in silver pearl...

I hop eyou can find the time to play along with our festive challenge this week and lool forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations!

Hugs,

Passion for Markers - 3 or more patterned papers...

 Hello there, crafty friends! Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween weekend and didn't eat too many sweet treats?!...or get washed away?!

Another Tuesday comes around which means that we have a brand new challenge started over at Passion for Markers...

This week it's the lovely Marlene in the hostess chair and she would like you to use '3 or more Patterned Papers' on your projects....just remember that to be in with a chance of winning this week's prize, you must use your markers (of any variety) and follow the challenge theme...

 We're being sponsored by Crafty Sentiments who are offering one lucky winner a choice of 3 digital images from their online store...

 For my DT card I used the ever so sweet Snowman at the Window image and created a collage style card using paper strips. I framed the snowman with a Polaroid style frame, cutting around his scarf and hand so that they made an out of frame effect and then decoupaged his scarf for added dimension...

I used a snowflake embossing folder for the background, glittering some of the snowflakes and added some silver glitter paper stars and gems. I then mat the panel onto black before attaching to a blue 5x7 inch card base...I have to admit that I am getting more inclined to use coloured card bases these days, thanks to the talented Gina K and her inspiration!

I hope you can find the time to play along with our fun challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations!...

Crafty hugs,

Noel Christmas cards and a Penguin...

 Hello there, from a sunny North Wales!

I'm popping in to share the cards we made at our last workshop on Sunday...

 

The NOEL cards were inspired by a creation by Yana Smakula - Handmade Cards which I saw on Pinterest (if you're not familiar with her work, please go check her creations out - so inspirational!)...

 

...and the second uses my penguin image with a fab layout by Inge Groot...

I really enjoyed making these, especially the inked Noel cards...hence why there are four of them - just had to try them in different colour combinations!

Thanks for dropping by,

 

Crafty hugs,

Passion for Markers - Dies and/or Punches...

 Happy Tuesday, crafty friends! Another week whizzes by and it's time for a brand new challenge over at Passion for Markers!...

This week it's the lovely Marie in the hostess chair and she's given us a SUPER EASY theme of 'Use Dies and/or Punches'... I have to admit that it is very rare for me to create a card without using one or the other of these, so this was an easy one...

We're being sponsored by Dies to Die For who are offering one lucky winner a £15.00 voucher to their store (can I play along?!)...

 For a crafter who doesn't do Christmas early, I have been making quite a few festive makes and this one uses the free dies that came with Simply Cards and Papercrafts magazine Issue 222...

 

 I decided to show that using your markers doesn't have to mean colouring an image and created an ombre effect on the lettering and vellum background on this simple Christmas card. I used a Blender pen, Pastel Blue and Arctic Blue to create the shading on the letters and attached them to the white background die which was edged with Broken China Distress Oxide and glittered...

I attached an embossed snowflake panel to some paper from my stash and then adhered the marker coloured vellum panel, just using adhesive in the centre where it would be covered by the decorative panel. I added some white, sparkly, organza ribbon, wrapping it around the snowflake paper and then attached to my card front, before adhering the lettering panel using foam tape.

I finished off with some die cut snowflakes and a few diamantes for holly berries. A really simple make...

I hope you can find the time to play along with our easy challenge this week and look forward to seeing al of your wonderful creations!

Crafty hugs,

Passion for Markers - Use Red...

Good morning, crafty buddies! So it's happened!...I have the back to school lurgy! "Little man" was full of it last week and I spent yesterday feeling sorry for myself with a throat like sandpaper and a foggy head. Managed to get SOME sleep and am feeling a little better in myself, just now I have a head full of snot and my nose is like a running tap...oh, the joys of Winter!

 

But on a positive note, it's Tuesday and you know what that means?...yep, it's time for a brand new challenge over at Passion for Markers! The lovely Lorraine is in the hostess chair and she has given us an easy theme of 'Use Red'...

We're being sponsored by Di's Digi Stamps who are offering one lucky winner a $6.00 voucher to their online store...

 I don't normally do Christmas until next month (despite doing festive makes with workshop from September!), but thought that this was the perfect theme for a festive make...

I used my own image and coloured the sweet robin with my Pro/Flexmarkers before embossing the whole panel with a random snow embossing folder. I used a white pencil to colour the flakes over the image and then added some die cut snowflakes.

I used Simply Creative Happy Christmas stamp set for the sentiment and cut out the large Christmas word, popping up on foam pads. I mat the image onto dark brown and then onto a pretty red plaid, continuing the theme. I finished with my favourite holly leaf die and some red pearl berries...

I hope you can find the time to play along with our fun challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your wonderful 'red' creations!

I'm off to blow my nose (again!) and disinfect all the surfaces I've touched!...

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Hugs,

Passion for Markers - Wings and/or Leaves...

 Good morning, crafty buddies! Another Tuesday arrives and it's my turn to host over at Passion for Markers! 

 Today is International Day of Peace, so I have taken inspiration for this week's theme from their logo and would like to see anything with Wings and/OR Leaves on your creations...

We're being sponsored by Sheepski Designs who are offering one lucky winner 3 digi images of their choice from the online store...

We were lucky enough to get an image to play with and I picked out the pretty Butterfly Curl image...I wanted to keep the card quite muted and coloured the majority of the butterflies in grey tones with just a hue of colour and then created the focal point in the large butterfly, colouring in soft, pastel tones -

Blender, Cool Grey 2, Cool Grey 4, Pale Pink, Cocktail Pink, Blush, Soft Peach, Tan

I decided I wanted to create a shaped card front, so flipped the image and sized it to fit a 5x7 inch card front in a dusky rose colour. I cut around the image, leaving a white border and then cut around the card front by hand, aswell. I decoupaged the large butterfly for a touch of dimension and added hints of crystal glitter, finishing with Dew Drops and grey adhesive pearls.

I think my Mojo is waning at the moment, as I really struggled to concentrate on crafting and the first effort got put in the bin?! Life is pretty hectic just now and we're busy trying to sort out moving my eldest son into his first home, then I'm hoping to get my own into some sort of organisation as I feel that the walls are closing in on me with excess 'stuff'...think it's time to be ruthless and have a good purge!

I do hope that you can find the time to play along with my fun challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations!

Crafty hugs,

Passion for Markers - Autumn Colours...

Good afternoon, crafty friends and a Happy Tuesday to you all! We're having a touch of late Summer here in North Wales with cloudless blue skies, 26/27 degrees and a gentle breeze...perfect to sit in the shade with a cup of tea and a Digestive! Though that's in a little while...at first, I have to let you know about this week's brand new challenge over at Passion for Markers!

The lovely Julie is in the hostess chair with a topical theme of Autumn Colours - the greens of nature are definitely losing their vibrancy and making way for more subdued, richer tones of russet and gold...

We're being sponsored by JMC Designs who are offering one lucky winner a choice of digital collection from their online store...

 We were lucky enough to get an image to play with and I picked out this fun Tartan Rex...

 

I coloured Rex up with my Pro/Flexmarkers and gave him a brighter green colour tone to make him pop from the more subdued tones of the papers, using Lime Green, Chartreuse and Forest Green...

I used one of my go to sketches for the layout and picked papers from my scrap drawers in an orange, brown and green colour palette. I added the sentiment from WOW! Stampset66, cutting the happy word with a white border and popping up on foam pads, and then finished with some enamel dots (which I NEED to get some more of!)

Well, I'm off for that cuppa and biscuit - I hope that you're enjoying the good weather, if you have it and that you can find the time to join in with our fun challenge this week...I look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations!

Crafty hugs,

Passion for Markers - Fantasy/Magical...

 Good afternoon, Blogger buddies...gosh these weeks sure are flying by! It's Tuesday, which means the start of a brand new challenge over at Passion for Markers! The lovely Sue is in the hostess chair giving us a fun theme of 'Fantasy/Magical'...so think, unicorns, gnomes, fairies, mermaids and dragons - anything magical and mystical!...

We're being sponsored by the wonderful SheepSki Designs who are offering one lucky winner a choice of 3 digital images from their online store (thanks, Andrea!)...

We were lucky enough to get to choose an image to play with and I picked out this pretty Unicorn image...

I coloured the unicorn with my Pro/Flexmarkers and 3D decoupaged the head and horn for a bit of added dimension. I kept the card clean and simple, just adding a band of rainbow polka dot paper and some glittery stars and glittered the mane and tail of the unicorn...because when it comes to magical you can never have too much glitter!...

I hope you can find the time to play along with our fun challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations...

Crafty hugs,

Passion for Markers - Christmas in August...

Good evening, crafty friends! I'm a little late checking in today as we have had family staying from Scotland, but better late than never, I suppose!

 

We have a brand new challenge starting today over at Passion for Markers with the lovely Marlene choosing the theme 'Christmas in August'...so we'd like to see all of your festive makes, whether it be cards, gift bags, boxes or gifts! Our only rule is that you use your markers somewhere on your creation and follow the challenge theme to be in with a chance of winning our weekly prize...

 This week we're being sponsored by Colour of Love Digis who are offering one lucky winner the choice of 3 digital images from their online store...

We were lucky enough to get an image to play with and I picked out Christmas Star...

I decided to keep my card relatively clean and simple with such a detailed image and opted for a shaker card to frame the sweet snowman which was coloured with my Pro/Flexmarkers. I added a couple of die cut snowflakes and the sentiment was made up of an ancient Christmas word stamp that I found lurking in my stamping box and my new WOW! Happy Sentiments stamp set 66...

I always struggle with Christmas cards before November, but have to start thinking of them soon as we'll be making them in workshop from next month!...I hope you can find the time to play along with our challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations!

Hugs,

Passion for Markers - Make it Bloom...

Hello there, crafty friends! Another Tuesday arrives with a brand new challenge over at Passion for Markers! The lovely Marie is in the hostess chair this week setting us an easy theme of 'Make it Bloom'...whether it's floral papers, images or embellishments, we'd like to see some flowers on your creations...

We're being sponsored by LeAnn's World 101, who are offering one lucky winner a choice of 2 images from their online store...

We were lucky enough to get an image to play with and I picked out the pretty Bouquet digistamp...

I'm trying to put together some cards to sell in our village shop, which has recently been taken over by new management and want to try to include local makers in the store, so thought this image would make a pretty Anniversary card...I created 4 of these cards, in two colour ways and in both Welsh and English...

I cut a heart aperture in the front panel and edged it with a lace heart frame, before attaching to a pale blue mat using foam tape. I inked the die cut heart with Cracked Pistachio to give an aura where the bouquet would sit, stamped the word Happy and then glued the heart back in the aperture. I coloured the image with my Pro/Flexmarkers and attached using foam pads, then stamped the word anniversary and cut out leaving a white border. This was attached with foam pads and then I added a small dusky pink heart and a strip of patterned paper along the bottom section...

 I hope you can join in with our easy challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your floral creations! 

Crafty hugs,

 I'd like to enter my card into the Allsorts Challenge Week 633/634 which is Feminine/For a Lady