Challenge #49 Add Some Sparkle

 International Art & Soul, a challenge which has been put together to incorporate any type of craft, paper, wood, flowers, recycling, glass - the world is your oyster :).  Come on over an join us with you artwork :)

Challenge #49
Add Some Sparkle

This fortnights challenge has been chosen my Maggie and what a super choice for us over the Christmas period for our challenge and for us to get another Christmas card made lol.

Oh dear, not good.  I tend to make my creations quite a while in advance of challenges so if I need a break then it is never a problem, commitments are covered and I can have a couple of weeks off with no problems. Alas this has just hit me really hard as I have just placed the card image on this blog post and it is the card I made for my Mum who passed to the next world a couple of months ago.  I know she would have loved this card, she was my greatest admirer but now I think I will have to put it in a memory box along with her birthday card with I used in a challenge a few months ago even though her birthday is not until July next year.

OK enough - have to move on.  I used green hammer card and foil embossed the arches then embossed the card with a frame embossing folder the used a Sheena Douglas gold glitter pen to pick up some of the embossed areas.  Next I spatted some gold paint onto the card to give it a bit of a distressed look.  Time to put the base to one side and move onto the holly and bow.  For the bow I stamped a pre designed bow stamp with wee holly on it by Sue Wilson I think using the same green card and a gold stamp pad.  I then cut the bow out, sprayed it with water on the back and shaped it using a pencil before gluing the sections together, these were then put to one side to dry.  Next was the holly using a Sheena Douglas die, the die does have a matching stamp but I don't have that.  Using white card and then a selection of green inks I coloured the sections on both the front and back so they were quite wet.  These were then scrunched up then un-scrunched and shaped and put to one side to dry for a day or two.  When totally dry and holding their shape properly I was ready to move on.  Firstly I sprayed all the holly leaves with several layers of Crafter's Companion Spray and Shine, a lovely light weight varnish which gives a fabulous shine. The green card base was matted onto gold mirror card, the holly was then glued in place with silicon glue then the bow was added and finally to finish off the holly I used red flat backed pearls for the berries.  A simple sentiment tag was cut and the text added using gold peel off stickers.  I made four of this card to give to family members and have to admit, I had a ball, it was a lovely card to make with several techniques.  My sparkle which would normally be with glitter :) this time was with the gold mirror card and the Spray and Shine, not quite sparkle but the effect is similar when the elements catch the light which is what I was aiming for.

Challenges entered:-

• Crafty Calendar M,3E December -  It's Christmas Time
• Crafty Friends Challenge 2W, 3E,  - #98 - Christmas (W2 of 2)
• Hiding in my Craft Room W,1E - #382 -  o TBA
• Inkspirational 2W,C10  #175 - Anything Christmas Goes (W2 of 2)
• Winter Wonderland - M, 3E, must be Christmas – DEC   ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
• Aud Sentiments Challenge 2W,E5  #219 Anything Goes + A Sentiment (W1 of 2)
• Moving along with the Times 2W,3E #86 Anything Christmas (W1 of 2)
• Through the Purple Haze M 1st Thurs, E3, C10 Dec- 'tis The Season
• Crafty Gals Corner  2W, E2, #180 - Anything Christmas (W1 of 2)

Hunky Potter

IKEsWORLD

Challenge 115
Christmas Time

Welcome back to the IKEsWORLD challenges :)  do pop on over to IKEsWORLD to join in the challenge, it is always so much fun and  Ike produces the most amazing stamps, everything from off the wall to cute and fluffy :) :) :)

My youngest daughter is HP mad, even at the age of 36 she can't get enough - of HP that is hahaha.  She is also not into frills or lace or I suspect the types of cards I like making but I know she loves the effort that goes into them.  Anyway this year I went pleading to Ike to help me out with an HP based image so I could use it on Nicole's Christmas card this year and WOW, Ike, you smashed the idea with the wonderful HUNKY POTTER image.  I think this is one card my daughter is really going to love although her other half won't as she is into VW's :) :) Thanks Ike for helping me out, you know how much I appreciate what you do xxx

I created the card by first using a starry sky background to which I then placed the Hunky Potter image removing the white background. I also removed some text which Ike had on the image as I wanted the area left blank.  I then used the same starry sky to create the sentiment tag and added the text personalising it for Nicole and Meesh.  The colouring was done with Prismacolour pencils and Promarkers with the addition of gold and bronze pens here and there.  Once all the colouring was done I cut the sections out and matted both the coloured image and the sentiment topper onto silver card ready for adding to my card blank.  The sentiment topper was added with foam tape for extra dimension.

Ingredients:-

• image - HUNKY POTTER by IKEsART
• colouring medium - Prismacolour pencils, Promarkers and digital background

I am entering this project into the following challenges:-

• Dream Valley Challenges - 2W, 3E, C10 - #192 CHRISTMAS
• Crafting With An Attitude M,1st Thurs,3E Always Anything Goes
• A Gem of a Challenge  2W   - #232 - Anything Goes (W2 of 2)
• Allsorts  W,3E  - #496 - Fairies, Fantasy & Magical
• Inkspirational 2W,C10  #175 - Anything Christmas Goes (W1 of 2)
• The Fairy and The Unicorn M, 1st Sat, E3, Mythical and Mystical - December - Anything Goes -  optional theme: Christmas

Gone Crackers

Aurora Wings

Holiday Spirit #74 - Holiday Spirit

Time for a new challenge at Aurora Wings and this month we know you will be in the Holiday Spirit with Christmas just round the corner.

Oh so much fun with this challenge.  I try to make my own crackers each Christmas to give to family either with their gift in the post of with us at lunch time, which ever fits and this was the perfect theme for my crackers this year.  I decided to use 9 of the Christmas Sprites Mitzi has over at the Aurora Wings store, they are just darlings to adorn the crackers aren't they :) :) :) I started by hunting for a cracker die cut template and found a great in Monica's Craft Room which is what I have used.  Monica is a very generous designer who has lots of free cutting files on her site so thank you so very much Monica, you are a superstar.  I made the crackers as big as I could with the template, each on fitting onto a piece of A4 card (similar size to letter) and used cream linen card.  Next I coloured 18 white doilies with gold paint and let them dry while I sorted the printing of the images, adding the sentiment along with the recipients name, sorting the correct size to fit my chosen gold die cut which they will be placed on etc..  Each of the Aurora Wings sprites was coloured using Promarkers in reds and greens (and brown for the reindeer guy) and then it was out with green, gold and red Stickles, I so love my Stickles lol.  With all the colouring done I assembled the crackers, mounted the toppers and used remnants of gold lace stuff to tie the two end sections.  There is no bang in these crackers so you just remove one of the ties and open the cracker box to reveal a wee gift, shhhhhhh don't tell, but this year they will be filled with Ferrero Rocher chocolates, partly because they have gold wrappers but mainly because they are yummy.

and here are some clearer pics of each of the crackers

I will let you into a little secret now, one I feel really bad about.  After all my planning and making sure I had things correct ready for the production line I must have lost the plot.  I had a cracker for everybody and two spare so I decided my lovely fur baby cats could have one each, they won't be getting Ferrero Rocher in theirs but probably a nice salmon stick.  Anyway, back to my little secret.  Crackers made and time to photography, still I did not see the problem.  Then to edit the photos and what do I notice, I have not made a cracker for my best friend, my hubby - how on earth did I make such a huge error and with the crackers having names on I could not hide this from him.  Yep, I feel bad.  Alan's response was he was not bothered (he is not a fan of Christmas) so I think I will buy him a whole box of Ferrero Rocher to say sorry and I know there are to many in a box to fit into a cracker hahaha.  

Items Used:-
Images:- 

• Aurora Wings Store Wine Sprite   Poinsettia Sprite  Holly Sprite  Mistletoe Sprite  Garland Sprite  Christmas Cactus Sprite   Christmas Tree Sprite   Winter Sprite   Reindeer Sprite

• Etsy Store   Wine Sprite  Poinsettia Sprite   Holly Sprite   Mistletoe Sprite   Garland Sprite    Christmas Cactus Sprite   Christmas Tree Sprite    Winter Sprite   Reindeer Sprite

• Die Cut - Monica's Craft Room
• Colouring :- gold paint, Promarkers
• Other items:- Stickles, doilies, gold lace 

Aurora Wings Digital Images Store

I am entering this creation in the following challenges:-

• Christmas with the Cuties - M last Monday, 3E, must be cute Christmas - #22 ANYTHING BUT A CARD (WEEK 2)
• Crafty Cardmakers - 2W, C15 - #223 ANYTHING BUT A CARD (Week 2)
• Dragonfly Journeys - 2W, monthly Nov & Dec, E5 - #130 Handmade Holiday Magic (deadline December 31)
• Crafty Calendar M,3E December -  It's Christmas Time
• Inkspirational 2W,C10  #175 - Anything Christmas Goes (W1 of 2)
• ABC Christmas Challenge M, 1st Wed,- W for Wishes/X for Xmas
• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' M, 2nd Wed, 2E, Anything Goes Christmas
• I love Promarkers  2W,3E Must use Promarkers, #369 - Anything Goes/Option  of Christmas (W1 of 2)

Christmas Giggle

 International Art & Soul, a challenge which has been put together to incorporate any type of craft, paper, wood, flowers, recycling, glass - the world is your oyster :).  Come on over an join us with you artwork :)

Challenge #47
Funny Christmas

This fortnights challenge theme has been chosen by DT sister CraftyGirl. I have made a digital card this time using a combination of digital papers, a digital image coloured digitally and sentiment base with elements from a digital set.  The sentiment was also digitally produced.  I find digital very flat and untextured but with the addition of shadows to create the illusion of depth I can just about get away with the end result.  I am not much of a Christmas card maker, only really making a few super special ones for very close family but this might just come in handy to pop onto the likes of FB in digital format to wish my friends around the world a Happy Christmas :)

Image used:-  

Colouring:- 

Other items:- 

Challenges entered:-

• 
  

Foxy

 International Art & Soul, a challenge which has been put together to incorporate any type of craft, paper, wood, flowers, recycling, glass - the world is your oyster :).  Come on over an join us with you artwork :)

Challenge #46
Wild Animals

This fortnights challenge theme has been chosen by DT sister Hazel.

Oh how I enjoyed creating this card with the awesome 'Foxy' rubber stamp by Sheena Douglas of Crafter's Companion.  The image was stamped and then coloured with Promarkers.  I then masked the image and used Distress Oxides with another Crafter's Companion stamp to create the background.  For the small dots at the right hand side I used the rubber end of a pencil.  The top layer was then mounted on black card and then green before being attached to the base layer.  The sentiment is from a stamp set I have, think it was from the Creative Stampers magazine.  

Image used:-  Foxy by Sheena Douglas of Crafter's Companion

Colouring:- Promarkers and Distress Oxides

Other items:- 

Challenges entered:-

• 
  

Cat-attitude

IKEsWORLD

Challenge 114
Colour Inspiration

Welcome back to the IKEsWORLD challenges :)  do pop on over to IKEsWORLD to join in the challenge, it is always so much fun and  Ike produces the most amazing stamps, everything from off the wall to cute and fluffy :) :) :)

I do so love a colour challenge and this one was perfect.  I needed a decent sized picture to go in our spare bedroom and felt like a bit of experimenting.  We have a great printer here were I lived so after discussion with the company and working out which paper/card would be the best to try for mixed media painting and would also work with alcohol markers I set to creating the image ready for printing in A3 size.  I used a cat background and superimposed the image KRAYZEE KATZ, this was then fired off to the printers - Fantasy Prints, Berwick upon Tweed.  Great, only a day to wait and then I collected my A3 black outline image.  The background cats were then coloured with Promarkers and the main design a mixture of acrylic paint and stick-back fuzzy felt.  To create the shapes for the fuzzy felt I converted the Krayzee Katz image to an svg. and sent it to my die cutter.  To complete the picture I added a few gems and google eyes along with the sentiment which was also cut using fuzzy felt.

I just love this picture, so much fun and placed in an A2 picture frame it is just perfect size to go on the wall.

Ingredients:-

• image -   KRAYZEE KATZ by IKEsART
• colouring medium - Promarkers and acrylic paint
• other items - gems, goodle eyes

I am entering this project into the following challenges:-

Santa Muerte Mobile Phone Cover

Aurora Wings

Sketch Challenge #72 - Once Upon a Dream or a Nightmare

Time for a new challenge at Aurora Wings and this month we want you to head down the road of dreams or nightmares, how cool is this :)

I spent quite a long time pondering over this challenge, so wanting to use a darker image but my heart always heads towards the more peacefully ones.  In the end the decision was made for me totally by accident.  It was a Friday, not the usual day I visit my mother who has Alzheimers but she was having a very rare lucid couple of days and as these days are so very special as I have my Mum back as she used to be I couldn't let the day pass without a visit.  She lives about 25 miles away and I set off, alas with my mind on other things and by the time I arrived I desperately needed a pee lol. Now it was also a warm day so I did not have a coat on and I don't use handbags as I leave them lying around and forget to pick them up so I had put my mobile phone in my back pocket.  Pretty sure you can guess what happened - plop - no not me but yes, my mobile phone which was not waterproof, decided to dive head first into the loo.  Oh my heart sank, I could only imagine the hassles ahead of me but what to do.  Hand in the loo to grab my phone, took the cover off, gave it a good shake and hoped for the best, I had to now make Mum the priority and enjoy the special moments with her.  A few hours later, with a hot phone that did not want to switch off I headed off home.  Hubby to the rescue and mobile phone had Sim card removed and was then placed in a bag of rice - fingers crossed.  Anyway, to cut a long story shorter the phone worked after a couple of days but the big button at the bottom for closing applications was still dead grrrrr.  What to do, get it repaired - no Apple wanted over £300 for that, buy a reconditioned one, again no, battery problems often found there.  So only other option was to get a new phone.  With that sorted I needed a new case, so many pretty ones out there and then a lightbulb came on, get a clear silicone one and then I can make my own colourings to fit.  So here we are, my 'Nightmare' creation is more ways than one :)  Hope you like.

To make my mobile phone cover I used a template from the Internet for sizing.  I then removed all the background from the .jpg image and created a simple gradient to put behind the image in a colour to match my new phone :) and then added some text.  I have wanted to colour this fab image for a long time but never knew what to put it on but this seemed the perfect project for her, the image is Santa Muerte, a super image with a lot of detail which did make colouring her at this small size a real challenge.  Thank goodness for a good pencil sharpener to keep my Polychromes super sharp.  The scythe was coloured with a copper gel pen and a gold gel pen was used for her earrings but you can't really see that. I completed the image with some glass Stickles and Liquid Pearls and a quick spray of Crafters Companion Spray and Shine.  She is pretty blingy but I have not really managed to catch that with the photograph unfortunately.  Lots of fun with this challenge and I love the outcome, different and so lovely to be able to carry a bit of my colouring around with me.

Items Used:-

• Image:- Santa Muerte by Aurora Wings available from the AW Store here and from Etsy here
• Colouring :- digital background, Polychromes, gel pens
• Other items:- Stickles, Liquid Pearls, 

Aurora Wings Digital Images Store

I am entering this creation in the following challenges:-

•