Buttons and Bows

 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 #22
BUTTONS & BOWS

I so love this wee Connie Fong image, isn't she adorable and she lent herself so perfectly to this challenge of Buttons and Bows.  A straight forward card here is pale lilac and copper.  The background was embossed and pearls added to some of the flowers.  I hunted through all my die cuts to find a flower that would compliment the flowers on the dress but would also not be overly bulky for posting. The copper and mauve paper is from Craft Creations where I bought a bunch of offcuts several years ago and am still trying to use up hahaha. 

Challenges entered:-

• 
  

Tree box

Oh what fun :) I was asked recently by C.R.A.F.T. to be a guest designer for this challenge, thank you ladies, it has been great fun.  The challenge this time is #443 - Not a Card so if you have created something that is not a card then pop on over and join in.

The Cutting Cafe is the sponsor for this challenge and I had the privilege of being given one of her fab files to work with, a Christmas Tree box which has a sliding action at the back.

and this is the view from the back showing how you access those yummy tic tacs :)

The box was not the simplest to make and did take me a couple of goes but the end result is certainly worth it.  This wee box will be given to my grandson to keep him quiet after his Xmas dinner :)

Sponsor 1: The Cutting Cafe

The winner receives 3 sets of choice from the online shop at The Cutting Cafe.

Challenges entered:-

• Crafting By Designs - W, F, 3E - Christmas

London cake box

IKEsWORLD

Challenge 102
Anything Goes With an optional twist Cakes

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 :) :) :)

Cakes, cakes, cakes - should one bake for this challenge or, should one buy a cake and decorate it, possibly, I don't know hahahaha.  I think I opted for the easy option here and decided to make a box of a slice of cake to go into, it saves cooking which I hate.  I had planned on one of those old 99p frozen cream sponge cakes but could not find one in good old Tesco so ended up with a lemon flan thing that looked edible.  Apart from it having sat in my fridge for a week as I seemed to have been caught up in family stuff and only had time now to take the photo so the pastry base is somewhat soggy the topping was quite nice, tasted like a good quality lemon curd, perfect for a late breakfast hahaha.

Anyway, I used the image London and coloured it digitally.  It is a great collage image of what London visitors like to see, have to admit I have not been back to London for 36 years and have no plans to return !!!! I hate the place, give me open space, countryside, wildlife (not the 2 legged homo-sapian sort) any day :) :) :).  Once the image was coloured I then used another piece of software to make it into a 'tile' and then using Photoshop created my tiled London paper.  Great fun and certainly kept me quietly occupied while in my relaxing chair watching TV one evening.

This is the image I used - London by IKEsART

And here is my made digital paper having coloured the image and created it into a tile.

The paper was printed and used to cover a die cut cake slice box I made.  A flag was made to add to the top of the box with a suitable sentiment which in this case is suitable for the challenge option them and not in the least suitable for the contents of the box. Oh well, I think this is the perfect time for the old saying - You can't have your cake and eat it Ike!!!!!!! hahahahaha

Ingredients:-

• image - London by IKEsART
• colouring medium - Digital paper
• other items - Lemon tart!!!!, gold peel off line stickers and a toothpick.

I am entering this project into the following challenges:-

• Digi Choosday Challenge -W,E2, - #47 - Anything Goes
• Crafty Cardmakers - 2W, C15 - #200 ANYTHING BUT A CARD (Week 2)
• Crafty Friends Challenge 2W, 3E,  - Add a Sentiment (W1 of 2)
• Daring Cardmakers - W, C5 – Gift Bag or Box
• DL ART Thankful Thursday Challenge 2W, 3E #216 Patriotic (Or A Thank You Card) (W2 of 2)

The old oak tree

 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 #21
AUTUMN COLOURS

A simple but effective creation.  I was in the mood for stamping a silhouette image and have had this Sheena Douglas stamp for a while and not used it so today it saw the light of day.  I know I said simple but the trials and errors I had making the background ended up taking me a good 2 hours lol.  I first tried on some stamping card I got on my holidays down under several years ago (with being a useless stamper I hardly used this rather nice card so most of it has spent the last 7 years hiding away).  Anyway, one side of the card is shiny and the other matt and I had no idea which side to use.  Opting for the shiny side I set to work with distress inks and WOW what a result, mega interesting.  Then came the stamping and using a stamping tool to get everything position just right I moved on.  Grrrrrr, the shiny side of the paper kept sticking to my stamp and pulling it off the stamping too.  First attempt in the bin.  Then I tried again and I have no idea what I was playing at but that ended up in the bin too.  They do say 3rd time lucky and using my cheap white card I stopping trying to be so careful I succeeded.  So simple in reality and without the hiccups I would agree.  With such a beautiful tree and the vivid autumn colours I decided on the most minimum of embellishments, 3 black gems, just could not resist putting them on hahaha.  

Challenges entered:-

• Allsorts  W,3E  - Colours of Autumn
• Crafty Calendar M,3E November  - Autumn Colours
• Quick Quotes - M (First Friday of the Month), E1, SIO - November - No. 81 - Fall Colors
• Moving along with the Times 2W,3E #58 Trees (W1 of 2)
• Tic Tac Toe Challenge - W, E3 - #23Tic Tac Toe*
• Artistic Stampers (M, P1, E3, must use rubber stamp) November - Use a Quote
• The Crafty Addicts M, 3E, #41 - Anything Goes Autumn Colors
• Double D Challenges - 2W, 1st /3rd Wed of M, E3 - Fall/See Mood Board* (W2 of 2)
• Shopping Our Stash W, C13 - #328 Autumn Color Challenge*

Let It Snow

IKEsWORLD

Challenge 101
Anything Goes With an optional twist Let It Snow

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 :) :) :)

In my happy place with this bag I created just in time to fill it with some special gifts for Christmas. Oh I love birds so much and often wish I could be like them, wings to fly and explore the world with no need for all the hassle at airports and no need to apply for visas to travel :) :) :) I have used this image several times, a real favourite of mine and I think he looks wonderful on the front of the bag.  I created the Let It Snow sentiment in Illustrator and then exported as an svg. to my die cutting program.  The background paper was also digitally designed with the image of the BlueTit super imposed and then coloured with Polychromos crayons.  I bought this very odd snow stuff for my Grandson last year so pinched that back, have to admit I was rather surprised to find when I opened the bag it was all clear plastic chopped up, yucky to work with but has the right effect. I finished of with a good old tartan bow to pick up the red of the berries and represent my Scottish roots (yep I am proud of them, I originate from the Highlands north of Inverness through my great grandfather's side. 

Ingredients:-

• image - Bluetit Rowan by IKEsART
• colouring medium - Polychromos pencils
• other items - digital paper background, ribbon, plastic snow, Let It Snow die cut

I am entering this project into the following challenges:-

• Colouring in Scrapland - M 1st Monday, E2, winner + Top 3, No digital coloring, must have hand-colored image -  WINTER IS COMING
• Color Inspiration Monday - M 1st Monday, hand colored images (Top 3, winner) - ALWAYS ANYTHING GOES WITH HAND-COLORED IMAGE
• Incy Wincy Designs - 1st & 3rd Monday, 5E -  NOT A CARD - ENDS NOV 19 (Week 1)
• Make My Monday - 2W, Top 3, 3E - #58 ANYTHING BUT A CARD (Week 2)
• Really Reasonable Ribbon - 2W, 3E (1st & 3rd Friday) - No.175 - Anything Goes with Ribbon (W1 of 2)
• Craft Rocket Challenges M 1st Thurs #43 Christmas Is Coming
• Moving along with the Times 2W,3E #57 Add A Charm Or Tag (W2 of 2)
• Animal Friends Challenge (M, P1, E3, must have an animal) #56 - Christmas
• Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - M, 2nd Wed, 2E, Anything Goes for Christmas