By the Cute and Girly # 2

How time Flies. We're on Challenge #2 at By the Cute and Girly already and the theme this month is 'Winter Wonderland'. We're hoping you'll join us and share your Winter makes with us. There are 4 prizes each month -

One for the team's favourite card

One for the team's favourite scrapbook page

One for the team's favourite non card item - box, garment, calender - anything you've made and

One which is drawn by Randon Number Generator.

This means you're in with a chance of winning a prize whatever you choose to enter.

My first piece is a candle that has been sitting on my bedroom windowsill for years - I put it there originally to stop the cat scratching the wallpaper. It was a novelty for her as we had painted walls in the last house. I stamped the text and holly swirl stamp (Elusive Images) onto tissue paper in Teal Blue Stazon and heat set it onto the candle.Then I added some stick on gems and put glass pebbles in the candle tray.

The second is a card made using Fee J Designs Elegant Ladies CD. I've had it for ages but this is the first time I've used it. If I made this design again I think I would shrink the base image and all the layers in MCS as it was a bit big for my base card and I had to trim the edge off the image.

Do join us if you can. We had a great response last month and it would be lovely if it continued.

Thank you for visiting.

Beryl xx

Tanda Teaser # 121

I've done it. I couldn't upload this card without it being rotated - whatever I tried. I then went to blogger help and one suggestion was to re-save the photo as a png file. I did this and it uploaded the right way up first time. I'll have to remember that. Having said that - this card is my effort the the Tander Teaser this week 'Kind Thoughts'. Unfortunately, the frog stamp isn't mine - isn't he great. He belongs to Terrie (my niece) and I stamped a few images from it while I was staying at her place for a few days. It's coloured with Promarkers with some glossy accents on the raindrops. The text is computer generated and the bp is Funky Fairies. The Cuttlebugged piece is a piece of card that has been Glimmer Misted.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

Sketch and Stash #22

It's hard to believe Sketch and Stash are up to challenge #22 already. Where has the year gone?

The new element are the stamps from a Hobby Art clear stamp set. I've coloured the image with Promarkers and pastels pencils and matted it onto a piece of brayered card. Behind that, a piece of pearlescent paper (Cuttlebugged) and then a piece of Funky Fairies paper. The main bp is Dovecraft. Added to that a few punched flowers and leaves and that's about it really.

I've been trying to upload a card for the Tanda Teaser this week but it's another one of those that Mr Blogger keeps turning round whichever way you have it in your photo programme. I'll keep working on it but it's such a pain. Any Tips?

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

Halloween! Nearly over for Another Year

I'm afraid I'm not into Halloween at all. I didn't know people even sent Halloween cards until this year. So - I've had another play with my digi scrapbook programme. At least with this - if you make a mistake you can just undo it and nothing gets wasted and thrown in the bin - and it's there to print time and time again if I wish. It's still not as much fun as getting messy with inks and paints though so I won't be letting it take over. I'm entering this card/creation in the Crafts4Eternity challenge this week, which is to follow the sketch, use orange and black and a halloween image. It didn't say you couldn't use other colours so I've added some purple and brown.
Thanks for dropping by.
Beryl xx

A Card for Kim

This week's challenge on the Daring Cardmakers blog is to use at least 5 of your favourite crafting 'things'. My first is the stamp - which I bought knowing I would probably never use it - I just had to have that image - and lo and behold - my hairdresser is having a baby so I get to use it after all. The second is the swing she sits on which is from My Craft Studio - I only have a few of their CDs but I love what you can do with the programme. The third are the nestie labels - I don't think I need to explain why they are a favourite. Then we go onto the flowers, four are my Retro punches and five my large leaf punch. Six is the trim down the side which I got at a market down South earlier this year. Not seen anything like it round here so Kim is very lucky to have a little of it on her card - and last seventh - the bp which is from lovely Joanna Sheen cd set - Baby Love. Oh, how could I forget eight - my well loved Promarkers used to colour the WOJ image.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

Brand New Challenge Starts 6th November

I'm sure a lot of you already know Crafty Ann and will be delighted to know that she's starting her own challenge blog. The challenge will be fortnightly and starts on 6th November. You can find out more about it by clicking the logo and seeing what Ann has to say about the challenge herself.

I am so lucky to have been picked by Ann to be part of her design team and hope you will come and join us.

Beryl xx

Furry Friend

I've been dying to use my new Penny Black cat stamps so when I was told that the Allsorts challenge this week is 'Furry Friends' I thought I'd have a go. I coloured the image with Promarkers and matted it onto some glitter card, cut with a nesties scalloped rectangle. The greeting is from the same set, the bp another precious piece of Graphicus Guild paper, and the ribbon is from my stash. A plain and simple card but the sort my daughter will love.

Thanks for visiting.

Beryl xx

Tanda Teaser #120

Another 'man' card. That's two in a week. Unheard of for me but the challenge for the Tanda Teaser this week is 'Tick Tock'. So, a bloke type card it is using this Crafters Companion stamp which I haven't used for ages, and I made a couple on 'man' cards with it then. I've stamped and clear embossed it and coloured with Cosmic Shimmer paints. The bp is Dovecraft and the text is from Dimension Fourth.
Thank you for visiting.
Beryl xx

Santa Kitten

This kitten stamp is one of my purchases at the Port Sunlight show the other week. It's made by Beach Bums. Haven't come across them before but their stamps are lovely. I've followed the sketch for this weeks challenge from crafts4eternity. It's a recipe challenge requiring the sketch, a cat or cats and some felt. I did have to buy the little felt hat - I've never bought any toppers or embellishments (apart from brads and flowers) but I searched high and low in the house and couldn't find anything with felt on at all. The bp is from Daisy Trail except for the maroon strip down the left which is a piece of Graphicus Guild pack paper left over from another project. The Santa dancing on the nestie circle was printed from My Craft Studio. the silver ribbon and peel offs from my stash. I think that's about it.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

Scaredy Skellies

I hope Cynthia doesn't mind me playing this week with a digital image. I know I would never use a Halloween type card,which is the theme on the RainbowLady's challenge blog . I need to get to know my graphics programmes better anyway - that's my excuse. Nothing much to say about it really except that it was done made from an image in The Greeting Card Factory programme.
Thanks for visiting.
Beryl xx

Butterflies and Ribbon

This week Lorraine (Coldwaters2) is hosting the challenge for Digital Tuesday - so I just had to have a go. The challenge is 'Things with Wings' and I chosen to use this butterfly image which is a freebie from Patti Picklicious. I've printed it out twice, once on light card and once on vellum. I've coloured both with Copics and then sprayed with Crafters Companion glitter spray. It's a bit messy on the vellum and takes quite a while to dry. The background behind the butterfly was made by squishing two colours of pearlescent glue on the card and then putting it through a Cuttlebug embossing folder when dry. The greeting label is a Wizard die and the ribbon from my stash. The bp is from my Graphicus Guild pack and it took me quite some to to decide to actually use it. I still feel a bit faint.
Thanks very much for visiting.
Beryl xx

Acetate and Stars

I tried to upload this card yesterday but no matter which way I rotated it in my photo programme, blogger turned it on it's side. So, I gave up and took another photo of it today and 'voila'. It loaded first time. It happened to me once before so I don't know if it's a particular property in the piccie that blogger doesn't like - it's a mystery. Anyway, I made the image in Daisy Trail and printed it onto acetate. It was so faint that I decided to print it again - this time on a piece of Funky Fairies paper and then layered it up. I cut the base card back to the scalloped border and then put another piece of card (with the image on it ) inside to fold. It's finished off with some gems and ribbon. I'm entering this in the Daring Card Makers challenge which this week is titled 'I Can See Clearly Now' - the idea being to have something either 'see through' or reflective on your card.
Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

Card for a Mountain Biker

This week's Tanda Teaser is called 'Just for Men'. I don't have many menfolk to make for but a cycling mad friend of ours has a birthday in a few weeks so I thought I'd make his card this week. As soon as I saw this image in MCS I knew who I would be using it for. It looks just like him. The original quote on the image was 'A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top. ' As our friend spends a lot of his time cycling up and down mountains I thought I'd better chop that bit off. The papers are Dovecraft and the buckle made using my new Wizard buckles die.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

Something a bit different

I have a computer magazine each month which comes with a cover DVD. There are a lot of free prograames on it but nothing usually that interests me. Until this month. There's a free version of Serif Daisy Trail - which is a scrapbook programme. So, I loaded in onto the pc yesterday and had a play. This is my first attempt at anything like this and I did have fun. I may have to upgrade to the full verson where you get lots more tools to play with. Anyway - the main bp, the ribbon and the two square pieces were all done on the pc. I got to print out a six inch square of paper - thereby saving lots of ink.(and DS tape) I even managed to do the stitching round the edge of the pieces in the programme. Can you tell I was enjoying myself? The nesties and Tilda were done in the usual fashion and the flowers are from my stash. I used the sketch from the latest Sketch and Stash challenge - so my 'new' bit for this challenge is the scrapbook programme.
Thanks very much for visiting.
Beryl xx

Poppies

With rememberence day coming up, the challenge set by Rainbow Lady this week is to make your own poppy. I can't see me wearing this one though - it's not very robust and wouldn't be doing the Haig fund any favours. I made a card to go with it though - using the same Elusive Images stamps, coloured with a mixture of H2O's and Cosmic Shimmer paints. The bow and trim on the side of the plate is a piece of netting - originally bought as one of those circles you make into a skirt with the bodice template (I really must get round to using that.) The light backing paper is another piece of my precious Graphicus Guild paper and the green bp is rom my stash.

Thanks very much for visiting and thank you also for the lovely comments you've all been leaving.

Beryl xx

Autumn Purple

This week the challenge over at Daring Cardmakers is 'Autumn Purple'. Now anything from pale lavender right through to the darkest purple is my favourite colour range so I had to join in.

The image is Elusive Images and the piece behind it has been Glimmer Misted and a swirl stamp added. The border on the left was done using a Martha Stewart punch and the ribbon is from my stash. All done on a cream card base.

Thanks very much for visiting

Beryl xx

Tanda Teaser #118

The theme for the Tanda Teaser this week is 'Russet and Gold'. I've spent ages this afternoon trying to achieve what I had in mind and it's very messy in here. Yesterday at the Port Sunlight show I saw someone using double sided sticky to attach silk to card, then metal embossing it and colouring it with Glimmer Mists. Easy? You'd think so. I remembered I had a gimormous roll of what looked like lawn cotton, ex factory I think so thought I'd try that as I didn't have the silk. When I went to iron it flat I found out it was adhesive, like vylene. Great thinks I. The only trouble was, the wetness of the Glimmer Mists ruined the sticky. Next I tried distress inks. Better results but then had to stitch round the edges which were lifting. That means the machine's out too. The material didn't like the embossing so this image is stamped with Memento and painted with Cosmic Shimmer powders and Hi Gloss. Apart from that it was plain sailing - BP from my Graphicus Guild pack, ric rac from my stash and a punched leaf courtesy of my new punch (bought yesterday). Oh, and the stamp is by Elusive Images.This room looks like a bomb's hit it and my hands look as if I've been using henna with no gloves on. If you've got to the end of this saga - well done.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

They did ask for a Cherry

The current challenge over at Rosie'Dee's is 'Coffee and Cream with a Cherry on Top'. There's no denying there's a cherry on top. The paper is from Crafters Companion and both the text stamp and the cupcake stamp are from Dewdrop Craftz. The cupcake has been coloured with Promarkers and glazed over with Anita's High Gloss. The matts are Wizard Nesties. The ribbon is from my stash. Not my sort of card but I did one with a cupcake before and my daughter nabbed it. Perhaps she'd like this one too.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

A Recipe from Crafts4Eternity

This is the first time I've entered the Crafts4Eternity challenge - mainly because I didn't know it was there. The recipe is to use the sketch provided plus a punch and add a bow or knot to the design. I'm trying to use up some of the images on my desk - ready coloured and taking up too much space. This 'snowcouple' have been coloured ever so slightly with Promarkers and then given a shimmer with a Sakura clear Stardust pen. The glitter on the background was done by slapping on some Stickles and swooshing it around with my finger. The piece behind the image is a Glimmer misted piece which has been through the Cuttlebug snowflake folder and the bp is Crafter's Companion. The greeting is on a nestie circle and the other circles are done using a normal circle punch. The stick on snowflakes were a freebie from a magazine quite some time ago. The blue mirror card and ribbon are from my stash.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

Improvisation

These are the other two pieces I made for the By the Cute and Girly Challenge - Autumn Glory.

The first is a bookmark using a lovely leaf stamp which was given to me by Terrie. The second, a canvas wall hanging, is where the 'improvisation' comes in. I saw Sheena Douglass make a wonderful wall hanging with her new stamps, which I haven't managed to get - yet! I coloured the canvas with distress inks and spritzed with Glimmer Mists. As I didn't have the crackle background needed to stamp and emboss round the edges I used the edge of a tree stamp and a few squiggles with a Versamark pen. I didn't have the script stamp either - so I printed a letter which was a freebie from Craft Stamper - then tore it a bit and distressed the edges with inks. Nor did I have the pear stamp - so I used this apple digi stamp by Ann - which I think served the purpose very well. That's about it really. Apologies to Sheena for not using her idea but not her stamps but they are at the top of my wish list.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

A Brand New Challenge

The new By The Cute and Girly Challenge starts today. This month's theme is 'Autum Glory'. The challenge is to make anything with an Autumn theme. It doesn't have to be a card - it can be something sewn or knitted, painted or crafted. Anything that you would like to share with us. And - there will be prizes each month. I'm so lucky to have been picked for the design team - a first for me - so I hope you'll pop over to the By The Cute and Girly challenge blog - have a look at the creations of the rest of the design team - and hopefully - join in.
I've used Glimmer Mists and Elusive Images stamps to make the main image, the sentiment is by Serendipity and the leafy corners by Clarity. The die cut leaf is from a Dawn Bibby set that I bought when I first started making cards.
Thanks very much for visiting.
Beryl xx