SPS - Hang in There - Karen Middleton

Sweet Pea Stamps

Today is my day to showcase an image from Sweet Pea Stamps and I have opted to use the digi "Hang in There' by Karen Middleton.  There is a certain person I know who is not that impressed with Christmas Time (bit like me hahahaha) and this digi seemed just purrrrrfect and so I have now made my first Christmas Card for this year - hurray.

First I printed some digital paper from Stitchy Stamps, one of which I added the sentiment 'It will soon be over'  Two copies of the digi were also printed with the added sentiment using the name of the digi - Hang in there.  I have decided on a tri-fold card so I can place the digi over the edge and have it sort of appear it is hanging on.  To darken the inside of the card I used Promarkers and the air brush system with Vanilla, Turquoise and Antique pink - very lightly as ! only wanted a hint of colour.

 After folding the card and covering with the printed paper I coloured the digi with Promarkers and cut out with Spellbinders Grand Scallop Ovals.

 Next I wanted a bit of bling so added Sticklers to parts of the printed design.  The inner part of the card was a bit in need so I made a bow using pink organza and turquoise ribbon, alas I forgot to take a photo.

 Time to assemble - side view of the card

 Front view

Ingredients

• Digi - Hang in There by Karen Middleton
• Promarkers
• DP by Stitchy Stamps
• Dies - Spellbinders Grand Scallop Ovals
• Stickles
• Ribbon from my stash

Challenges entered

• Color Me Creative Challenge -2W, 3E - #89 (W1 of 2)  Sparkle it goes until 11/04
• Completely Christmas - W - #5- Anything Goes
• Crafty Calendar - M, 1E -  Animal Antics
• Open-Minded Challenges - 2W, 3E  (W1 of 2) #7  Animal Antics
• Creative Card Crew 2W - #58 Animals (Week 1) 
• Digi Choosday Challenge -E2, - Animals
• A Creative Need - M,  (freebie provided) - No. 17 - March - Blue, Yellow, Pink - see inspiration photo below
• Just Add Ink – W, - No.207 - Just Add Color Combo 
• Crimbo Crackers 2W, Must be Christmas -(W1 of 2) Anything Christmas

Embrace

Hello folks.  We have another challenge at One Stitch At A Time so how about popping over to see all the fabulous creations by the design team.

Challenge #206

Theme 'Anything Goes' 

The sponsor is StitchyBear Digital Outlet with a 7 image prize pack. To win main prize you MUST use an Image from our store. Runner up prize for person using none store image is $3 to spend in the StitchyBear Digital Outlet. So everyone can win something ;O).

This week I worked with the Coosty Creation Embrace Digital Stamp and Paper Pack.  The pack comes with four themed papers which can be used with the digi.  You can of course, use just the papers or just the digi in your creations but these packs are great as the digi and the papers are coordinated to work together making sure you have just what you need to make a beautiful project with little fuss.

I first printed the digi and coloured with Promarkers

Next I prepared all the items I would need for this card; 2 of the papers from the paper pack one of which I used a heart border punch on. The tag was made using one of the papers and the text 'embrace, love, accept' printed digitally and cut with Spellbinders Circle Scallops and Nellie's Multi Frame Round Doily for the copper base.  Spellbinders Circle Scallops were also used to cut the circles which are part of my embellishment. I hunted out some brown ribbon, heart shaped brads and some metal disk.

Paper Pack with 4 papers

And here we have the completed card :)

Ingredients:-

• Coosty Creation Embrace Digital Stamp and Paper Pack
• Di  Spellbinders Circle Scallops and Nellie's Multi Frame Round Doily
• Promarkers
• Hearts and metal disks coloured with Pormarkers
• Ribbon from my stash

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-

• Get Inky! - 2W, 2E - No.10 - (W2 of 2) - Circles
• Left of Center Creative Challenges - 2W - No.28 - (W1 of 2) - Ribbon  and/or Flowers,
• Top Tip Tuesday 2W, 3E - #123 Metal Or Faux Metal (Week 2)
• Allsorts - W, 3E - #252 Use those dies
• Hiding in my Craft Room - W, 1E  - #143  Freestyle

Thanks for looking and hope you have a happy crafting day:)

Spring into Spring

Time for another challenge over at

IKEsWORLD

Spring into Spring

I do love Ike's challenges, somehow here I seem to step right outside my box to create something different.  This week I used the digi Spring Fairy, a digi I have used a few times as she is just beautiful :)  So far I have only used her on cards but this time, after chatting to my sister and hearing how fed up she is with the long wet winter I had an idea.  Something else new for me, a shadow box, could I create a 3D scene for my sister to hang on her wall which, during the coming winter 2014/15 she can look at it and know Spring is not far away.  Now that sounded like fun and so I set to work.  To begin with I found a photo I had taken at Glen Coe in Scotland, a place I love and was just perfect.  Next I overlaid the digi in Photoshop, this way I can colour the digi but not have to do any fussy cutting.  Time to print :)

So here we have the Spring Fair placed on the photo background and printed ready for colouring with Promarkers.

 Here we are with the digi coloured with Promarkers.  I also added orange Stickles to the centre of each flower but forgot to take a close-up :)

Next was to make the flowers.  I used Spellbinders Bitty-Blossoms-6 and three colours of yellow paper.  After the flowers were made I dipped each one in gold Extreme Glitter for a bit of bling on the edges of the petals.

While these were drying I found some light green wrapping paper for part of the mount and also used dark green card which I embossed with the leaf Embossilicious A4 folder.

So far so good, what next?  Ah leaves for my flowers.  For these I used Spellbinders Foliage.  Once cut I used the air gun and my trusty Promakers to ad a bit of shading to them.

Next I assembled the flowers and leaves.  First I used some green wire and a glue gun to create a stem for each flower.  Then I twisted these into a few bunches.  Next I attached them to the leaves with glue dots and using a strong adhesive attached a toothpick to the back for strength.  WOW, pretty pleased with these, for a first time effort I am giving my self a pat on the back lol. Now I needed to work out how to put all this together as I am pretty much making it up as a I go along. After a good look at the shadow box I found the class front was flush on all edges so no way could I just stick the flowers and leaves onto the base.  Time to take a coffee break and hunt the house for something I could use to place the flowers stems onto.  Ahhhh - brilliant, an old bedding plant box.  Out with the craft knife and slice a bit off, this should work but it is going to be a bit of trial and error.  I coloured the nasty squeaky polystyrene with Olive Green Promarker but that was no good.  Then I remembered I had this strange mossy stuff I had picked up somewhere, I think it is for model railway making.  The polystyrene pieces were covered in UHU and lots of the mossy stuff put on.  Once dry I attacked this with a green Promarker, bit of a waste of time as it did not make much difference to any of the colour lol.  By now I was in a real mess, glue, green, moss fiber everywhere, all over the craft table and all over me too hahahaha

The end result was worth it all and I did have lots of fun.  Here we have the two completed rose bushes ready to go into the shadow box.

I added more UHU and moss to the white ledge area of the box and the two rose bushes, one at either side.  The wrapping paper was glued to the back board of the frame and the green embossed mount next.  Finally the scene was put in place and this was then put in position on the shadow box.  Finished - time to turn it over and have a look at the end result :)

I hope you like it big sis and it helps towards seeing Spring during the Winter :) :) :)

Ingredients:-

• Digi - Spring Fairy by IKE'sART
• Shadow Box from IKEA
• Promarkers - Olive Green, Moss, Marsh Green, Gold Lemon, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Sandstone.  Flex Markers:- Cinnamon, Dusky Pink, Blush and Linen
• Dies - Spellbinders Bitty Blossom 6 and Foliage
• Stickles, Extremem Glitter, cocktail sticks, moss stuff and wire from my stash.

I am entering this project into the following challenges:-

• All Crafts Challenge - 2M, 1st Monday of the month every other month, NO CARDS - (February/March) Anything but a Card
• Crafty Bloggers Network - M, SIO - (March) Nature
• Lexi's Creations - 2W - (Week 2) Punches & Dies
• Stamp and Create - M, 1E/week - (March) Ready for Spring
• The Crazy Challenge - 2W, 4E - (Week 2) Flower Frenzy
• Come and Get It Challenges - W, Unlimited - Easter/Spring.
• Craft a Scene - M, 3E, must include a Scene - March Challenge (4th Week) Let it be Spring.
• Great Impressions - M, 3E, SIO - (March) (4th Week) Spring Celebrations.
• Robyn`s Fetish - W -CHALLENGE # 204- Anything but a card.
• Ladybug Crafts - M, P1, 3E  Spring is here
• Color Me Creative Challenge -2W, 3E - #89 (W2 of 2)  Show some skin
• Hiding in my Craft Room - W, 1E  - #142  Lets get Digital Digital
• Stampin With The Dragon - 2W, SIO – (W2 of 2) - Let's Go GREEN
• Add a Little Dazzle - W, SIO - #17 Frames/anything goes
• Divas by Design - 2E - Flowers
• Paper Shelter Challenge -3E, SIO - #150 More than 5 flowers

The Dragonfly - Ching Chou Kuik

Sweet Pea Stamps

Today is my day to showcase an image from Sweet Pea Stamps and I have opted to use
The dragonfly by Ching Chou Kuik

I haven't made an easel card for ages so thought I would make one for this card. The digi, being in a circle shape was just perfect for a circular easel card I think.  To begin with I digitally designed the base layer and the coloured shading for the front, also adding two circles of dragonflies, printed very lightly so they are just visible but would not distract from the digi.  (oops re the photo - I obviously had something blocking the light LOL)

Next I got out my watercolour paints, they have not seen the light of day for a few years and painted the background of the digi with a mixture of purple and cyan.  Once that was dry (after my cup of coffee) I then coloured the digi with Promarkers.

 To finish off the digi I used Crystal Stickles on the wings of the dragonflies and the trim of the dress. Gems were added to the centre of each flower and Lilac Liquid Pearls to the circular surround.

I should have mentioned that the print outs were then attached to purple card and cut with Spellbinders Grand Circles.  For the easel section I folded more purple card in half and used the same Spellbinder die to but it.  Some small dragonfly brads were added to the inside layer and more Lilac Liquid Pearls around the inner circular area to match the front of the card.

 I really fancied some lace on this card and decided to place it around the back, slightly ruffling it.  The lace was attached with a strong adhesive to the lower section which will be covered by the card top and also just in the centre area on the part that will be visible.  Then I cut a small scalloped circle with Spellbinders Scalloped Circles and cut it in half.  A few more Lilac Liquid Pearls and time for more coffee while all this was drying.

 Once dry I attached the semi circle in location to cover up the glue which would otherwise be visible on the completed card.

 The inside needed a little something extra so out with some skeleton leaves which I airbrushed with Promarkers the I rummaged through some of my flowers and found an almost perfect match.  The centre was wrong so I pulled this out and used the a gem, the same as I used of the flowers in the digi,    then added some Stickles and Liquid Pearls to the centre.

 So here we have the completed card.

Ingredients

• Digi - The dragonfly by Ching Chou Kuik
• Promarkers
• Watercolour paints
• Stickles, Liquid Pearls, brads, lace and flower from my stash

Challenges entered

• Card Mania - 2W, 3E - (Week 1) Lace & Pearls
• Created With Love Challenges - 2W, 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month, no challenge on 5th week of month, 3E - (Week 2) Girly
• Eureka Stamps - W, 3E, F - No Square Cards
• Kaboodle Doodles - W, 3E - Dreaming of Spring
• Ooh La La Creations - 2W, SIO - (Week 2) To a Special Lady
• Glitter n Sparkle - W - Challenge #77 Use some Blue.
• A Gem of a Challenge - 2W - #115 (W2of 2) Mothers day/ Female Birthday/ Special Lady
• Sunflower Fields Designs - M, SIO ,3E    Birthdays and or Flowers
• Get Inky! - W, 2E - No.10 - (W1 of 2) - Circles

Summer Heat

Hello folks.  We have another challenge at One Stitch At A Time so how about popping over to see all the fabulous creations by the design team.

Challenge #205

Theme 'For A Woman In Your Life'

Our sponsor this week is StitchyBear Digital Outlet with a prize of a 7 image digi pack.   To win this prize you MUST use a digi from the StitchyBear Digital Outlet.  A second prize of $3 to spend in the StitchyBear Digital Outlet will be given to an entrant who does not use a SB product.

This week I had the pleasure of working with a digi by BBKakes called Summer Heat, a really fun image and as the theme is For a Woman In Your Life I knew exactly what I wanted to create.  I know a certain person (my sister lol) who hates the heat, one reason why the pair of us could not live in the same house (well we could personality wise but I would be dressed as the Michelin Man for Ingrid to be comfortable or she would have to be pretty naked and I would be comfortable lol).  When I go to visit, bless her, she puts the heating on and melts just so I can survive and not turn into an ice block.  Yes Ingrid, here is another creation that is heading your way but you can't hang it on your wall :) :) :) 

To begin with I designed a box base to hold the surprise contents of this creation (I am keeping you in suspense a little longer), and the cover for the top.  This was then cut with my Black Cat Cougar.  The bottom part of the box was covered with navy paper and the lid was covered with some awesome water effect vellum I have and just love.  After everything was covered I assembled the box base and put it to one side while I worked on the lid.

The text was designed in Illustrator and saved as an .svg file which was then sent to my cutting software and cut with my Cougar.  At I used white card I then used my beloved Promarkers and the air brush attachment to colour the shadow base and the text itself so they would match in with my colour pallet for this creation.

 Now onto the digi, as you can see, lots of Promarkers used in this one :) :)

 The ice cubes are clipart from IClipart which I fussy cut.  One of the ice cubes I printed twice so I could layer it on the block to give a bit of dimension.  The did was also fussy cut.  With all the components ready it was time to assemble.

 Here we have the finished box lid with the digi, title, ice cubes (finished off with Lace stickler and Ice Stickles for a bit of texture and to give a watery effect) and ribbon stripe corner.

Once the lid was attached to the box I added the surprise contents hahahaha .  . . . .

an ice cube tray.  Now big sister, you have your own personal heatwave kit to keep you cool when I need heating up :) :) :)

Ingredient:-

• Digi - Summer Heat by BBKakes and available through the Stitchy Bear Digital Outlet
• Die cut for box and text by me
• Promarkers and Flexmarkers
• Ice cube tray from IKEA
• Ice cube clipart from IClipart.com
• Vellum, Stickles and ribbon from my stash

I am entering this project in the following challenges:-

• Brown Sugar – W, E2 - No. 86 - Anything Goes
• Created With Love Challenges - 2W, 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month, no challenge on 5th week of month, 3E - (Week 1) Girly
• Melonheadz Friends Challenge - 2W, 2E, SIO - (Week 1) Girly
• Path of Positivity - M, any positive/inspirational project or idea welcome - (March/deadline April 6) Thoughtfulness 
• Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge 2W, 1E, SIO - For A Special Lady (Week 1)
• Aud Sentiments Challenge - 2W, E5 (W2 of 2) #102- Anything Goes (don't forget a sentiment)

Leather and Lace

Just a quick post with a card I made this morning using the heavenly digi Leather and Lace by Delicious Doodles :)

I coloured the digi with Promarkers and used a gel red pen to add some texture to the earring, nose ring and bow.

Next I created my background using and Embossilicious embossing folder rubbed down with black in (not a great idea to use Archival as I now have a wonderfully stained folder lol) and then put through my embosser to transfer the ink and emboss at the same time.  I love this way of making background papers, an uneven distressed look.

Time to get all the other bits ready.  I double mounted the digi on red and black and finished off with some line stickers.  Black lace, Birthday Peel Off sticker and a couple of die cuts using Spellbinder - Fantastic Flourish Three.

And here is the finished card,  I did add Red Stickles to parts of the die cuts and to the trim of dress and bow too.

Ingredients

• Card from Craft Creations
• Digi - Leather and Lace from Delicious Doodles
• Die - Spellbinder - Fantastic Flourish Three
• Embossing Folder - 15 x 15 cm Embossilicious 
• Lace, stickles, stickers from my stash

I am entering this card into the following challenges:-

• Delicious Doodles - W, 1E, SIO – No. 80 - Black plus One Other Color
• LOC 1st Anniversary Challenge - Anything Goes
• Challenges and candies - 2W , 3E - No.30 - (W1 of 2) - Embossing
• Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - 2W, 3E -  No. 61 - (W1 of 2) - Glitter & Lace
• Creative Corner - W, 3E  - A Little Texture
• Fussy and Fancy - 2W - No.110 - (W1 of 2) - Shabby Chic
• That's Crafty! Challenge Blog - 2W, E3, Must be a UK resident - (W1 of 2) Inky Antics (must use some kind of ink)
• 2 Sisters - M, 3E #174 Black white and one other colour
• A Gem of a Challenge - 2W - #115 (W2of 2) Mothers day/ Female Birthday/ Special Lady
• Color Me Creative Challenge -2W, 3E - #89 (W2 of 2)  Show some skin
• Outlawz Twisted Thursday - W - Anything Goes...  Add Texture
• Crafter's Cafe - F, 3E - #55 Square Card
• Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge - SIO - #302 Make your own background
• Created With Love Challenges - 2W, 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month, no challenge on 5th week of month, 3E - (Week 1) Girly

A Special Request

This card was a Special Request in a couple of ways.  A friend of mine as me to make an Engagement card for her son and soon to be daughter in law <g>.  

First I used a couple of images of the couple, alas they were very small digital versions which made the artwork I wanted to create a bit hard.  I started with the two images and played around with them in Photoshop, finally using the Stamp filter to create very bold idea I wanted.

Next I brought the images into Illustrator, got them positioned as I wanted them, did a few other bits and bobs then printed on an mustard/gold paper.

Out with a card blank in black which I then covered the front of with gold coloured lace.

The different sections of the card topper were cut with Cherry Lyn Heart to Heart Doily dies, in the gold/mustard again and in black.  Now it was ready for layering.

Not to much in the way of embellishments for this card, I really did not think it needed much more that a bit of ribbon and an engagement peel off sticker sentiment.  I used gold organza and gold ribbon which I layered together.  Then I made the bow to match using the gold organza.

Ready to put it all together now :)

I also decorated the inside to match

And here we have the finished card.  The base of the heart was attached to the card then the centre heart with the image was mounted with foam tape for a bit of dimension.  Ribbons were put in place and I added a few Bisque Liquid Pears for a bit of fun :)

Ingredients:

• Back card
• Digi by me
• Dies -Cherry Lyn Heart to Heart Doily dies, Spellbinders Grand Labels 1
• Lace, ribbon, sentiment sticker and Liquid Pearls

I am entering this card in the following challenges:_

• Deep Ocean Challenge 2W - #73 Lace and Pearls (Week 2)
• Flourishes Timeless Tuesday W-  #263 A Touch Of Gold
• Bunny Zoe's Crafts - M, 1E - (February) Hearts/Love
• Crafting from the Heart - 2W, E3 - (Week 1) Anything Goes / Use Dies
• Craft-Dee BowZ - M, E3, project must have bow - (March) Anything Goes with a HANDMADE BOW
• Through the Purple Haze - W, E3, C10 - Use a Digi