I won!

No card, I'm afraid, but I just had to post and let Blogland know that I've won the Challenge over at Simon Says Stamp!  My first ever challenge win!  Woo hoo!  I'll be going around on Cloud Nine all day and smiling like a Cheshire cat!!

Lisa X

Twice in one day!

...well, only because I couldn't post last night, but never the less, my creative juices are flowing - my housework is piling up, but it'll still be there tomorrow!

So onto tonight's card...

 After hopping over to the lovely Nic's blog, I decided to enter the Passion for Promarkers Challenge, which this week has a Teenager theme.  I am persevering with my colouring and have to say, I'm quite pleased with the result of this one (even if I say so myself!).  I laid all my Promarkers out on my desk whilst working, so I could see all of the colours (which don't seem very many when you start colouring!) and managed to get some highlights onto this one.  I love the large purple flower, which was off a rather expensive silk flower stem and the gardenia type flowers were from Sweet Lilac at Crafts4U.  I even managed to complete my card without the use of my computer (after printing the digistamp) as DH was using it most of the afternoon - it is his computer after all!  I used a Sissix swirl heart die, which actually came with my Big Kick many moons ago, I stamped the sentiment with single letter stamps and even managed to get it right first time!  Woo hoo!  (You can tell stamping is not my forte!)  Anyhoo, that's all for now, don't want to over do it!  Until next time, Happy Crafting!  X

You have to have priorities in life...

...and today, crafting won - hence, I'm back again with another post!!  I decided to make a couple of boys cards, which I do enjoy - maybe because I have 2 not so little monsters of my own, or perhaps because I love to use my Distress Inks (what did I ever do without them?!) ...

This first card, I'm entering into 3 challenges - Saturday Challenge, which wants us to dust off our stash, so I blew the dust off my Boys2Men disc and printed off the pirate digistamp and papers, One Stop Craft Challenge's theme is Birthdays and Sentimental Sundays say that Anything goes (plus a sentiment), so it fits with their themes too.  I used the treasure map digistamp coloured with Promarkers, the pirate text paper,  skull and cross bones paper and anchor embellishment from the Boys2Men disc, Craft Concepts woodgrain embossing folder inked with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain, twine lace antiqued with Walnut Stain and pearls coloured with blue Promarker.  The sentiment was made in PS using Dear Joe 5 Casual text.

Next, I printed the robot digistamp and created an easel card using papers from my First editions Up, up and Away paper pad.  I mounted the oval robot image onto a silver nestie which had been embossed with Cuttlebug Diamond Plate embossing folder, then sanded lightly and distressed with Walnut Stain.  The cogs were a Sissix die called Gears #1 and #2 and the screw head brads were from Crafts4U...

...this is the card when opened - the sentiment was from the Robot sentiments sheet and mounted onto embossed silver.  Who knows, I may be back tomorrow with more creations, it all depends on which priority comes out on top!?!  Until next time, enjoy your crafting and thanks for looking!

Practising with Promarkers

Hi there, everyone!  What wonderful weather we're having, and just in time for the school holidays!  I've spent the last week picnicking and messing about by the river, entertaining the children in anyway possible - so crafting had to take a back seat!
I ordered myself a few treats last week and as they came yesterday, I thought I'd have a play and create something...the first card was made using Sugar Nellie's Daisy stamp - I'm trying to get to grips with my Promarkers and understand them a bit more...I am getting better, but think I need some more lighter colours to get better shading.  Anyhow, I used First Editions paper pad, Spring Feast, nesties scalloped square and labels die, my new Nellie Snellen border die and flourish die (lovin' this one!) and a large rose from Sweet Lilac...

I love the way it turned out, (though the pictures never do them justice).  Next, I coloured one of Mo Manning's freebies - I think this monkey image is great, especially having 2 cheeky monkeys of my own...

...the papers were another of my new buys, by First Edition papers, called Up,Up and Away - I love the blue and green colour combo in this pad, great for boys cards.
Here's hoping the rest of the hols stays dry - we're (boys and me) supposed to be going camping one night next week with a few of my friends and their kids, should be fun!?!  Hope you are all having a Happy Easter and enjoying the weather...happy crafting!  Thanks for looking!

Samples

Hi guys!  Well, it's almost a fortnight since my last post - I know, I'm a bad Blogger!  To be honest, I just haven't had anything to post as I've been busy with design work, not to mention that I spent half of last week fitting a kitchen at MIL's house with my hubbie's cousin!  I have to say, we did a pretty good job between the two of us, though I'd been praying that it would all fit, as I'd planned and ordered everything!!  So it's back to crafting this week and I've spent today making Plush Pals samples for a demo day that we're hoping to do up at Craft Land-udno next month (I'll let you know when I have a definite date).

It's amazing how much my cardmaking has changed over the last year - after being introduced to Nestabilities and Distress Inks, I wonder how I did without them!  The first cards I made were using the lion decoupage (no surprise there?!)...

 ...you may recognise the layout on this one, seems to be a favourite at the moment!  I used blue star glitter card (that I'd picked up from Craft land-udno), Cuttlebug Divine Swirls embossing folder, inked with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, Labels Seventeen Nesties and my Nellie Snellen fancy corner die...of course!  Ribbons were just from my stash.

Next, I used the Dovecraft Masculine 8x8 Paper Pack with the pyramage topper and added some paper letters to spell the word 'dad' - inside, the message reads 'Happy Father's Day...you big pussycat!'

I printed off the lilac rabbit decoupage sheet and created a simple Easter basket, trimmed with lace and gingham ribbon, then created an 8x13cm card using the lilac plaid backing paper, over printed with the pink polka dot, Cuttlebug Argyle folder inked with Walnut, Beaded Oval Nesties inked in the die with Worn Lipstick, then out of the die with Walnut.  I finished off with a Sweet Lilac tea rose, pink daisies, small cream rose and lilac feather, oh and pearls of course!

Finally, I printed off the lemon cat decoupage sheet (yellow is not really one of 'my' colours), lemon patchwork backing paper and used some of the left over panels from one of the Dovecraft Masculine papers.  I added buttons and light brown grosgrain ribbon...the ribbon loops hide the fact that I dropped my Versafine ink pad onto my finished card, leaving a nice balck stain!

Have to dash to pick youngest up from school, so that's all for now - Happy crafting!

Spring has sprung!

Hi there everyone!  Isn't it wonderful?!  The days are getting longer and warmer, and there's colour in the garden at last!  It may only be in the form of daffodils and primroses, but it's a welcome sign that summer's on it's way!
 My days, when not being filled with design work for the next disc, are busy making card orders for local people - it seems everyone is having a birthday or something at the moment!  So, as I haven't had any chance to 'play', I thought I'd let you see what I've been making...


The first three cards follow the same sketch - I find it much easier if I can design a card and then use the same sketch for others I have to make...

 

...I love using the Nellie Snellen fancy corners die, especially as corners are 'in' at the moment, plus my nesties, Distress Inks and Budding vine embossing folder have made appearances again...you do get favourites!  I then made a vintage car card for a male birthday...

...the images were a free vector I found ages ago and coloured with chalks to give a vintage feel.  The papers are all just scrap bits from my many scrap drawers.  And finally, a house mouse card for someone who's into photography...

...the sentiment reads 'Say cheese...' then inside, '...it's your birthday!'.  So, altogether, today was quite productive - if only every day could be like it!  My craft room now looks like a very large bomb has gone off and exploded everything across the room, so I know what I'll be doing for the next hour or so!  Happy crafting!

Templates and tutorials

I know it's taken a week, but Val and Laura, you'll be glad to hear that I've managed to sort out the tutorials for the front step card and calendar cube card that you wanted!  I hope that they are easy enough to understand!

So, Val (and anyone else of course!), you can download the .pdf tutorial for the front step card from 4shared here - I've done it in photographic step by step instructions (though the light wasn't great), so I'm hoping it will be easy enough to follow...

This is one of the calendar cube cards made for a workshop last year

...and Laura (and anyone else again!), you can download the template for the calendar cubes here and there's also the card template here which you can print onto A4 card, cut off to 21cm and score and fold in half (A5 half fold) to make a tent fold card.  Score between the grey lines along A5 Gate, then cut along the grey lines up to the score line.  Pop this section down to create the 'shelf' for the cubes to sit on. Hope you understand this once you've printed the sheet out!  If you have any problems, let me know and I'll write some instructions, though it's quite simple...famous last words!

Enjoy!

Decided to make instructions for the cube card anyway, so you can download them in .pdf here.