Inky Challenge

It's challenge number 131 over on the Tanda Stamps blog and the theme is 'Ink it Up'. This is my first 8 x 8 card - something I've been meaning to try for a long time so, as this butterfly stamp from Inkadinkadoo is quite large, I thought this would be the one. I stamped and embossed it with Cosmic Shimmer Aurora EP and then coloured with distress inks using  Cut'n'Dry nibs. I stamped the U-mount swirls with Memento London Fog and then inked the background with Shabby Shutters distress inks. Used a large nesties label die to cut it and then made slighter larger mat from gold mirri card. The embossed panel is silver mirri card, inked up with three shades of alcohol inks and then put through the paisley embossing folder. The bp is from my Graphicus Guild papers and the  large flower is stamped and cut out from Elusive Images stamps onto ds scrapbook paper. You can't see in the piccie but I've used alternate sides of the paper to layer the flowers up. The small flowers were punched with my Nellie Snellen punches and layered up the same. I also inked the edges of the flowers with Versamark and gold embossed them, then added a spacer to the centre of each. I also decided to add a little glitter to the butterfly as it's going to be for my friends birthday and I know she likes things blingy and sparkly.

Thanks very much for visiting today.

Beryl xx

Rainbow Lady's Challenge #87

I made this card with Rainbow Lady's challenge 'Fur and /or Feathers. The stamp is by Serendipity and is stamped in Versafine Onyx black onto a background of silver Cosmic Shimmer mist. I've cut it with my Peoni Wixard die and made a slight larger frame from brown card. The red bp is from a pack by Dovecraft and the panel on the left is Glimmer misted, scrunched and then gold embossed. I didn't realize how much a sheet of A4 shrunk after it's been soaked. Of couse, this wasn't my idea - I copied Jill from The Stampman.

It's finished off with a stamped and embossed greeting and a corner peel off.  The spotty effect on the base card was made using a Stamp in the Hand spotty background stamp. I ended up doing the same border on the back (because I got a spot or two or red on the back while doing the front. So I stamped another horse on the back too.)

I'm thinking this will probably be a 'man' card.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

Crafty Ann's Challenge #7

Another challenge from Crafty Ann and this time it's 'metal'. It can  be metallic colours, card, paper, metallic embellishments even altered metallic items. As usual Ann will be giving away a prize from her shop to one lucky winner. I do hope you'll join in.
For my card I've used Ann's digi stamp Rosebud and Posy - using just the posy. I coloured it with Inktense pencils and backed it onto a paper from the Abstract Earth Tones collection in Ann's shop.
For the metal element I have used some cheap silver card - put it through the Cuttlebug and distressed it with black acrylic paint. It's the first time I've tried this technique which was in the Craft Stamper magazine a couple of months ago. I also made the corners from the same piece of card. The swirly paper is from Sharon Duncan's embossibilites cd and the ribbon is from my stash. The embellishment was made from a Cuttlebug die and a flower using my new Nellie Snellen punches.
Thanks very much for visiting.
Beryl xx

Sketch and Stash Challenge #27

This is my card made using the sketch for the current Sketch and Stash challenge. Most of the elements in this are 'new' or unused. The bp's are a mixture of Crafters Companion (never used before) and Funky Fairies. The cross stitch isn't real. It's just drawn on with a fine line marker pen. The blocks round the edge of the peach piece are stamped on. The strip across the bottom is from a Joanna Sheen paper pad which I've had for ages and not used before. The WOJ stamp I have used before. This time I've coloured it with Inktense Pencils - I didn't have them when I last used this stamp - so that probably qualifies as 'neglected'. The really new element is the flower embellishment  which has been punched with my Nellie Snellen punches, which only arrived on Saturday. I saw them first on Jem's blog and they are brilliant as they punch and then emboss.

Thank you for visiting today.

Beryl xx

Glitter? - Bah Humbug!

It's the third challenge already on the Bah Humbug challenge blog. Where's this year going? I know - same place as the last one. This week they want to see some glitter on our creations so I stamped the U-Mount image with Versamark and embossed with disco black ep. Then glittered the roof, window sills and the ground with a holographic glitter - which means - that although it hardly shows up here - irl the colours in the glitter change as it catches the light.(Perhaps it would have showed if the sun had been out today but no such luck.) I cut out the image with a Wizard label die and made a slightly larger one of silver mirri card

 (Bev Rochester style - thanks Bev.) The bp is from the same Dovecraft pack I was using for my Christmas cards - there's loads left so I guess I'll be using it for next years cards too. The sentiment stamp is a freebie from a magazine and was also embossed with the dicos black ep.

Thanks very much for visiting today.

Beryl xx

Bah Humbug #2

This is probably the quickest card I've ever made - the reason being that I didn't want to detract from this gorgeous image from Delicious Doodles. It's just backed onto dark blue pearlescent card and then a piece of backing made by squidging pearlescent glues round a piece of card. The ribbon slider is the same blue card as the matting and is made using a Wizard die. This digi stamp was new to me just after Christmas so qualifies as the 'new' element for this week's challenge on the Bah Humbug blog.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

One for the Pot

This week's challenge on Rainbow Ladys challenge blog is 'Teatime'. I didn't have a stamp that fitted the criteria so I used this image from a sheet of decoupage I was given when I first started crafting cards. It's matted onto a nesties scalloped circle cut form the same blue pearl card that is the back layer. The gingham paper is Funky Fairies and the ribbon and flowers from my stash - coloured to match the card with Promarkers. The foliage is punched from some dark blue pearlescent paper. The sentiment on the Wizard ribbon slider is computer generated.

Thanks very much for visiting. Hope you are all feeling a bit warmer now most of the snow has gone.

Beryl xx

Tanda Teaser #130

This week's Tanda Teaser is 'A Touch of Lace'. My stamp is a Penny Black that I've wanted for ages and finally got at the NEC in November. It's been coloured with Inktense pencils and edged with Cranberry Adirondack ink. The bp is from a Crafters Companions cd - Florals I think and the lace from my stash. The plate with the sentiment (a Hobby Art stamp) is done using my Nesties ovals and I have to tell you - I am sooo peeved. I have lost the scalloped oval this size somewhere - I have spent so long looking for it I have decided it most have gone in the bin. Most annoying is the fact that it's the ideal size for so many sentiment stamps. This one was one I had cut earlier and was white so I coloured it with the Cranberry ink. Rant over!

It's finished off with a black peel off.

Thank you for visiting.

Beryl xx

Crafty Ann's Challenge #6 - Embossing

This time the challenge from Crafty Ann is to use embossing on your creation - wet or dry - it's up to you. As usual, there will be a prize of some digi papers and images from Crafty Ann's Shop.

For my card I have used Ann's lovely digi  - duck in umbrella - the bp is also from Ann's shop and is from the Abstract pastel range - I have used a pale yellow which is a little stronger in real life.The flower, which is also from Ann's blossom sheet and the main image have been coloured with Promarkers. The sentiment is a clear stamp from Hobby Art. My embossed piece is some Co-ordinations card - put through the Cuttlebug and sanded lightly.

My second card is another piece that I did for this month's By the Cute and Girly challenge for something new.

Both the image, which has been stamped and coloured with Distress inks, is a Joanna Sheen stamp and the bp if from Joanna's Baby Love cd.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

A Little Recycling

There's a brand new challenge starts today - Bah Humbug - it going to encourage us to make Christmas cards throughout the year - hopefully to avoid the rush next November/December. Their first challenge is to recycle some of your Christmas wrappers or Christmas cards (shop bought ones only of course). This is also the challenge this week from Rainbow Lady so I've made two cards from the same recycled item - one of those bags you get a bottle of some sort in (usually wine). This one had some glittered snowflakes on it so I cut two of them out with my nesties dies and then matted them onto the corresponding scalloped circles. Then I stuck the two together to make a 'dangler' for the first card.  The snowflake was also cut from the base of the bag where there was no pattern and some glittered white card. The bp is from my stash, the scalloped frame from some glittered white card and the ribbon was the handle on the bag.
For the second card I used the bag as the bp - used the rest of the ribbon and added a couple of nestie circles - one with a nestie snowflake and the other with a greeting.
Thanks very much for visiting.
Beryl xx

Sketch and Stash Challenge #26

It's time for a new challenge at Sketch and Stash and my 'new' item is the Penny Black stamp which I bought at the NEC but hadn't even inked it up till yesterday. I've coloured the image with Inktense pencils and backed it onto some maroon card. The bp is from Two Peas in a Bucket and the flower from my stash. I've at last got some spacers - which arrived this morning from the Hobby House, and of course  I just couldn't wait to use one. The sentement is a Stampman stamp and I used Adirondack Cranberry to ink it. I used fancy scissors to edge the maroon card just to make it a bit less plain.
Thanks very much for visiting.
Beryl xx.

Tanda Teaser # 129

It's time for another challenge from Tanda Stamps. This time it's 'Pretty as a Peacock'. I've gone for the obvious and used a peacock image from Joanna Sheen's JNM cd. The bp is from my Graphicus Guild pack and the cuttlebugged piece is plain turquoise paper - sprayed with Crafters Companion Glitter spray and put through the paisley embossing folder. The corners are made from some stick on thingies - I think maybe Asian in origin which were given to me ages ago and the fluffy trim is from my stash.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx

Rainbow Lady's First Challenge of 2010

I saw this image while blog hopping the other night and 'just had to have it'. I had no idea if or when I'd be using it but then remembered my friend's daughter is expecting. Three baby cards in fairly quick succession is very unusual for me as my lot finished having babies years ago. The stamp is a digi one from Sketching Stamper and the bp is from Joanna Sheen's Baby Love cd. The flowers are punched from different papers. I can't decide if it needs anything else. I'd love to 'pile it on' but it doesn't look right when I do so it's a bit minimal. I'm entering it in Rainbow Lady's challenge which this week has 'NEW' as the theme. New stamp for a new baby. I think it fits.

Thanks very much for visiting..

Beryl xx

Crafty Ann's Challenge #5

It's challenge #5 from Crafty Ann already and this time the theme is :-

 New Year, New Inspiration - Be inspired by something new - new stash for christmas, a new technique or a new idea you've picked up while blog hopping and tell us what the new bit is.

I've chosen to use my new Martha Stewart border punch for this card - simply 'cos I was dying to use it. The bp and image are by Crafty Ann and can be found in her SHOP. The image has been coloured with Promarkers except for the jeans which are a bp from Joanna Sheens Fashion Boutique cd. The flower was made from the same blue backing paper and the navy trellis, flower and base bp are a shiny leather look paper from Crafters companion.

Thanks very much for visiting.
Beryl xx

By the Cute and Girly Challenge #4

Happy New Year to You All

Today sees the start of a new challenge from By the Cute and Girly. Hosting this month's challenge is Debby - a fellow DT member and the theme this month is 'NEW'. New anything - beginnings - baby - job - house - whatever you consider falls into the category. As usual - there will be prizes.

Janlynn, $25 voucher plus goodie bag,

$20Simon Says Stamps voucher,

£10 Joanna Sheen voucher

and a Funky Hand CD full of gorgeous backing papers to print which has been donated by Anice of Funky Hand

My first makes for this challenge are a new baby card which I made for my daughter's friend. The baby is due any day now. What a chilly time of year to be born. I have made a scene using Lily Boo's house,coloured with Promarkers, some Stampscape stamps and Adirondack inks and a Motivet stamp, coloured with Promarkers, cut out and attached with Pinflair glue gel. The spotted BP is by Crafty Ann and the flowers made using a small daisy punch. The sentiment was done in the Greeting Card Factory programme.

The second card is for my daughter - who is starting a new job any day now. The image is a pre-coloured one from Charmed Crafts, given a background of distressed paper by Funky Fairies in MCS. The bp is from a Graphicus Guild pack and the flower and ribbon from my stash. The sentiment was also done in the Greeting Card Factory programme.

Thanks very much for visiting.

Beryl xx