Etsy Inspired Challenge #124 - Too Cute Kawaii

Well thank goodness it's the weekend, phew it's been a long, hard week.

It's time for some cuteness over at Etsy Inspired Challenge.

Our featured shop is Too Cute Kawaii.  They do these adorable little pieces...

The first picture was what started my card off with the green background paper, I then saw the gorgeous polka dots which got me thinking about my pink polka dot ribbon and all of the cuteness reminded me of Lawn Fawn stamps!  As you know I LoVe working with really bright colours so this card makes me happy!

I used the latest Card Patterns sketch #99.  I really do love their sketches, they trigger my imagination.  I can think of so many different ways you could use this simple layout, it's fab!

Our sponsor this week is Meljen's Designs Digital Stamps.  I'm really trying to get a bit quicker with these digital images, but I am a bit of a perfectionist which really doesn't help my cause.  I'm ok just printing in black and white but when I want to change the colour element of it I take FOREVER to get anything done!

Meljen's Designs is a lovely stamp company owned and illustrated by Melissa Jenkins. She illustrates whimsical rubber and digital images inspired by her kids and family.   I chose this freebie image and reduced it right down in size so that I could use it on my typewriter paper... If you look carefully you may be just able to make it out.

The images are SO sweet.  These are the kind of designs I'd like to learn to colour with my Copics.


I'm trying to get into my Copics, so I've been watching lots of videos but most of them talk about colouring in skin and hair.   Unfortunately, they aren't really the images I would work the most with.  I like my little monsters and cupcakes, flowers, butterflies etc, so if you see anything of interest I'd love to hear about it.  I've just signed up to an online Copic course with the hope that I will get a bit better at it.  I keep playing with them, but I'm a bit scared to post anything until I practice a whole lot more lol


So pop on over to check out what the rest of the DT made.  You will also find more information on the blog about the fab prizes..


Ashley N. Newell
Angi Barrs

Carole Chesser

De Swanick
Emily Branch
Jackie Bowman 

Joy Stagg
Kerry Angeles
Rachel  {January Guest DT}

Ruby McGuire (that's me!)

Savannah O'Gwynn
Sherry Campbell

Virginia Lu

Too Cute Kawaii are giving this cute little prize and Meljen's Designs are giving away four digis!

Deadline for entries is Friday 5th February (already?!!  Where did January disappear to?!)  at noon PST. If posting to an online gallery please use EIC#124.

Have a lovely weekend!

PDCC 66 - Colour Splash

Happy happy Thursday! :o)

Today we have a colour splash for you over at the Play Date Cafe.  It's the usual black and white but the splash of colour is LILAC.  Now, as you know pastels are definitely not my personal go-to colours, but I'm actually really pleased how this turned out.  I'm really into cupcakes at the moment, not sure why lol

On the icing of the cupcake I used little silver balls, just like the ones you would see on cakes, but they don't photograph very well :o(  They look so lovely in real life :o)

This is the inspiration pic from Sarah, isn't that pretty?!

So here's how I made my card;

1. Stamp heart backgrounds, using Copics colour in random open hearts in lilac
2. Cut a piece of black cardstock as a focal point, die cut label and stamp with polka dot label
3. Stamp cupcake twice onto white card
4. On one of the cupcake cases stamp some polka dots in lilac
5. Attach the polka patterned cupcake case to the white cupcake, cut out and attach to card using pop dots
6. Wrap lilac ribbon around the card and tie into a bow
7. Stamp the Happy Birthday sentiment
8. Colour in the candle using Copics and add the little silver balls to finish

Supplies (quite a few on this one!)

Stamps:  Waltzingmouse Holiday Labels 14, Hero Arts Clear Stamps Cupcakes, Papertrey Ink Polka Dot Basics & Enjoy the Ride (sentiment), Lawn Fawn 'Teeny Tiny Backdrops'
Dies: Nesties Labels 14
Accessories: Silver pearls

I have a funny story about the little silver balls/pearls used on my card.  I had asked my other half if he could remember what the technical baking term for them was, but we just couldn't think of it!  So my Marmie (Mum) said, 'Why don't you get Ian to bite one in half and see if it tastes of Aniseed'!!   (Not sure what that's got to do with working out the name Marmie but it did make us laugh lol.)  She thought I had used actual baking balls/pearls, whatever they are called, not cardmaking ones!

Our sponsor this week is the wonderful Cosmo Cricket.  So for a chance to win a yummy prize pop on over to the Cafe for the details.  Don't forget to check out our fab DT creations too, you will be in awe of the gorgeous designs they have all come up with :o)

Julie Ranae (Senior DT)

Sarah Anderson (Senior DT)

Savannah O'Gwynn (Senior DT)
Ruby McGuire (that's me!)

Andrea Ewen (Private Blend Designer)

Colleen Dietrich (Private Blend Designer)

Jaclyn Miller

Michele Gross
Tracey Kuzniak
Jinny Newlin
Libby Hickson
Fiona Shultz

So pop on over to the Cafe and link your post. If you use an online gallery, please use the keyword PDCC66, and remember to use our inspirational colours to be eligible to win!

I've been busy ;o)

Happy Tuesday everyone :o)

I feel really excited about something today but I don't know what! Do you ever get days like that?!! Very strange! Hope it's not just me lol

Today I have a couple of cards to share with you for some challenges.  First up is one that I made for Create: Challenge which is to use spray mist, and also for Wee Memories where 'anything goes!  I wanted to keep the card really simple but elegant.

 

Here's a close up of the flowers...

 For the background I stamped music using my Waltzingmouse 'Musical Backgrounds' set, the sentiment is also by WZM called 'Seasons of Love'.  I just love the font in those sets, they are FAB!

The flowers are so much fun to make.  They are from a Sizzix flower die that was recommended to me by Sue Lelli, yummy!!  If you see it you really should pick it up.  Now I'm a big fan of Prima flowers, don't get me wrong, but these are just as pretty in my opinion and you could age them a bit too with a bit of tweaking and pushing if you wanted to.

My second card was made using the latest sketch from Card Positioning Systems and also using the theme for the Hero Arts January challenge (January 2011B) of using the catalogue as inspiration.  I used my 'Canvas Stripes' background stamp from Hero Arts which has only recently seen the light of day!  This set off the ideas for the colours for this card.  I had been out into town and seen a big free-standing poster in a local department store recently, so I made Ian and Tinks pop into the shop with me to take a photo so that I could create a card from it! As you know pink is a bit outside of my comfort zone, but I found this gorgeous pink ribbon to play with.  I'm not entirely sure I like the card actually, it's missing something but I'm not sure what!  Hey ho!

I used my heart and heart scallop Nesties and my Martha Stewart hole punch plus a few pink swarowski crystals to finish it all off.


Enjoy the rest of your day.  I'm off to watch a bit of tv after a loooong day :o)

CR84FN #12

Hi there

I have a couple of mini cards to share with you today.  My daughter needed a card for her friend at school so I made these with PTI Tiny Treats: Valentine.  I just adore this little stamp set, it's all so tiny, LoVe it!  I wanted a tiny sentiment, but not with a lovey message so I used Wonderfully Whimsical's 'Happy Birthday' sentiment.   I had a play with my Copics to colour in the cake.  I'm really trying to practice more with my Copics instead of just storing them like I do with so many other things!  I've been checking out some tutorials, so if anyone has come across any good ones I'd love to hear about them. 

I created the first mini card using the CR84FN challenge colours.  I do find pastels quite challenging, so it's good to push out of my comfort zone every now and again!  I'm actually quite pleased with how this turned out.  I stamped the framed image using Tiny Treats: Valentine, die cut an MFT die-namic doily and mounted it onto PTI Dotty Biscotti paper with pop dots, having wrapped some ribbon around first.  My ribbon looked better before I started taking my photos, it all went pear shaped after that lol.  The brighter version of the card is very definitely more me, but I actually like how they both turned out.  Quick and easy to make while being cheery too! 

This is the inspiration pic for CR84FN.   The colours are light pink, lavender and kraft. 

I've been meaning to play along with Mona's challenge for a while, but never quite make the deadline for some reason, so I'm really pleased to have finally done it!! 

Enjoy the rest of your day :)

Etsy Inspired Challenge #123 Nanny's Room

*Edited to add links, must have been half asleep! *

Yay, it's the weekend!!  More importantly though it's Saturday so it's time for another Etsy Inspired Challenge!

I wasn't able to get into my studio tonight until nearly 1.00am because we are having some boxing in done which so Ian was putting up plasterboard, and it was all over the place in there!  It will be great when it's finished but I didn't dare to poke my head around the door in case I could see all the mess!!  Well sure enough when I got in there everything was filthy!! It doesn't matter how much you cover things up the dust gets everywhere.  Next job plastering and then a massive clean up is on the cards!

When I got into the studio though I got to play with my Papertrey Ink Banner Builder stamps and dies that Ian bought me for Christmas, fun!!  The card took a while to put together but I think that was more down to me faffing.  I had a great time piecing them together though, really fun, like being a child again lol.  The 'I Just Love You' sentiment is from Waltzingmouse Stamps, 'Sweethearts'.

Today's Etsy shop is 'Nanny's Room' which sells original artwork and handmade items using watercolour and coloured pencils.

I took inspiration from these pictures. In the first one I love the way the hessian was tied around with twine so for my background paper I chose some Fancy Pants Design paper called 'Darling' with a grid on it, and I used some twine for the banner.   I thought my other paper by Prima,'Island Beauty' worked well with the two other images.  I coloured the pearls with my Copic marker to match the Color Q challenge colours, and distressed the whole card with scissors and 'Tea Dye' / 'Vintage Photo' Ranger distress inks.

I used this week's sketch from Get Sketchy #71.

 
and these colours over at Color Q, aren't they pretty?  This is my first time to play along so I hope it's ok to add brown as a neutral like I have done.  It never even occurred to me until I was sticking down the final banner!

Alrighty.. pop on over and see what the rest of our fab team created, such yumminess!

Ashley N. Newell
Angi Barrs

Carole Chesser

De Swanick
Emily Branch
Jackie Bowman 

Joy Stagg
Kerry Angeles
Rachel  {January Guest DT}

Ruby McGuire (that's me!)

Savannah O'Gwynn
Sherry Campbell

Virginia Lu

Our sponsor for this week's challenge is The Twinery who will be giving the winner one trio pack (value $42) to one winner - the winner can choose any 3 spools of their choice, total yumminess!!

The winner will also win a great prize package of a necklace of their choice from Nanny's Room so don't forget to pop on over to the EIC blog for more info.

Deadline for entries is Friday 29th January at noon PST. If posting to an online gallery please use EIC#123.

Before I go I also need to mention that I received this lovely award from Christiana.

I've been a bad blogger because I was supposed to post this a while ago, oops!  Thank you Christiana for thinking of me, I love what you put about my blog name, it made me giggle!! ;o)

I received this award a while ago, so rather than bore you all with yet more information about me I will give you the link to read.  I would like to give this award to all of my followers this time.  Without you all this blogging thing would be a total waste of time.  I absolutely LOVE the feedback I get from people, and the fact that people take the time to leave little old me a comment on cards from my little world makes me so so happy!  It keeps me creating, and that makes me one very happy girl!  THANK YOU!

Have a great weekend!

PDCC 65

Hi everyone

Today over at Play Date Cafe we have some fun colours for our challenge; grey, green and orange.  My original idea for this card design is absolutely nothing like it turned out!  I had completely different plans for it, but just decided to go with the flow!!  Does that ever happen to you?  Now seeing it photographed I can see I missed a set of the little triple hearts at the top left, but I was just stamping randomly, and it's meant to look home-made, right??!!! lol

This is the inspiration pic from Sarah...

A good challenge, huh!!

This card was ever so easy to make.

1. Stamp house image and sentiment, colour and cut out
2. Cut a frame (well actually get your other half to cut your frame, if you're anything like me you will cut it wonky - I just can't do straight line cutting!!!)
3. Stamp the frame with lots of mini hearts and a little balloon in the corner, use stickles to decorate
4. Cut a piece of green patterned paper, attach to back of frame
5. Stamp little flowers on the paper, hearts for the chimney and add stickles
6. Attach house image to green paper using pop dots
7. Add orange polka dot ribbon before attaching whole frame to front of card

Julie Ranae (Senior DT)

Sarah Anderson (Senior DT)

Savannah O'Gwynn (Senior DT)
Ruby McGuire (that's me!)

Andrea Ewen (Private Blend Designer)

Colleen Dietrich (Private Blend Designer)

Jaclyn Miller

Michele Gross
Tracey Kuzniak
Jinny Newlin
Libby Hickson
Fiona Shultz

So pop on over to the Cafe and link your post. If you use an online gallery, please use the keyword PDCC65, and remember to use our inspirational colours to be eligible to win!

Supplies...

Stamps: Papertrey Ink 'Wonderfully Whimsical'
Papers: Bazzill Cardstock and Basic Grey 'Sugar Rush - Pulled Taffy'
Accessories: Polka dot ribbon from stash, Stickles, Copics

Have a great day!!

CPS #201

Hello my blogging friends :o)  I started typing this post out last night but I was literally falling asleep over the keyboard, so thought I'd leave it to another day!  Here's a quick card I made for the Card Positioning Systems sketch challenge.

 I used two sets from Hero Arts, 'Sew Stylish' and 'Make Your Own'.  I distressed the edges using Antique Linen and Vintage Photo distress inks.  The red border is from Tim Holtz 'Ornate' die.  Not quite as bright as my usual cards, but I got a splash of red in there somewhere!  The papers are by Cosmo Cricket, 'Material Girl'.  Hope you like!

Etsy Inspired Challenge #121 - Modern Bird

It's Saturday!  So that means it's time for an Etsy Inspired Challenge.  This week's challenge is to get inspiration from Modern Bird.  This store is a creative metalsmithing store, and it really is creative! 

I used an old sketch by Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenges for this card, it was their very first sketch.  I never did get time to play along but kept the sketch because I really like it.  I used Cosmo Cricket 'Togetherness' papers, Lawn Fawn 'Bake Me A Cake' and 'Bannerific' stamp sets, and my new Nesties (Fancy Squares) which I'm sure you will be seeing loads more of, hope that's ok!!   Where's the connection to the items in the shop I hear you ask, well my little circle in the middle has butterflies on it and they really look like little hearts, which was where this all started.

I saw this GORGEOUS ring ...

 Here are some more lovely little pieces.  Pop over and see what the rest of the DT made, lots of inspiration!







Ashley N. Newell
Angi Barrs

Carole Chesser

De Swanick
Emily Branch
Jackie Bowman 

Joy Stagg
Kerry Angeles
Rachel  {January Guest DT}

Ruby McGuire (that's me!)

Savannah O'Gwynn
Sherry Campbell

Virginia Lu

Our sponsor for this week's challenge is Kutz who will be giving the winner a silhouette cut out.

The winner will also win a great prize package of a Petite Little Bird Necklace so don't forget to pop on over to the EIC blog for more info and a

Deadline for entries is Friday 22nd January at noon PST. If posting to an online gallery please use EIC#122.

Card Patterns Sketch #97

Hi there

Happy Friday, it's the start of the weekend! Yay! I've not had the best few days with my back, so I have really enjoyed my time in the studio tonight creating this card, and my one for the EIC post tomorrow. It's such a great hobby for taking you away from what's bothering you, don't you think? Nothing quite like a bit of distraction!

This card was based on the Card Patterns sketch.  I always love these little patchwork type sketches, it's fun mixing and matching different papers.

For this card I dug out my Cosmo Cricket 'Pixie-licious' papers.  I then cut out two labels using my Nesties Labels 9.  I distressed the smaller one using 'Antique Linen' distress ink, and stamped some Waltzingmouse music notes ('Musical Backgrounds' onto it.  I then stamped the sentiment using 'Fancy Phrases' by Waltzingmouse, and tied on a ribbon which I'd coloured with my Copics.  I also coloured two little white flowers with the same purple copic, and finished off by die cutting a Papertrey Ink 'Signature Series' butterfly, and the smaller butterfly using my Martha Steward punch, all topped off with a little mini purple button.

Well that's it from me today, I will be back tomorrow with my Etsy Inspired Challenge card, see you then!

PDCC 64 and our new DT!!!

Hi everyone

Firstly, WOW, what an amazing response on the Denami blog hop.  I had loads of comments, in fact I'm still trying to get around to everyone, so if you haven't had a visit yet you will over the next few days.  Thank you so much for your wonderful comments, I had the best Sunday!

Well it was my intention to blog at the earlier part of the week, but I haven't had any time to get into my studio :o(  I get a bit frustrated when I can't make cards, it's like part of me is missing somehow.  Are any of you like that?!   Work is finished for the week now, so hopefully I will be able to get in there!

So without further ado, here is my card for this week's Play Date Cafe challenge. As soon as I saw the colours I knew I wanted to use my Papertrey Ink's Warm Happiness set that I got for Christmas.

I really like how this turned out, but then I do love polka dots and anything caffeine, plus it works really well with the Play Date 'Cafe' theme too, huh?!

This is the inspirational pic from Julie..

Here's how my card was made;

1. Cut a card base with coffee coloured cardstock, tie on a bow of polka dot ribbon, attach to card
2. Die cut Nesties 'Lacey Squares' in grey cardstock
3. Die cut Nesties 'Labels 16' in coffee cardstock, distress edges
4. Stamp polka dot patterns with Versamark, one large onto grey cardstock, the other small onto blue, heat emboss
5. Add grey strip to bottom of card, stamp sentiment above
6. Attach blue strip at top of card
7. Attach die cuts together, using pop dots between layers
8. Stamp and heat emboss a coffee mug, again using Versamark, and heat emboss
9. Tie twine around the handle
10. Stamp/paper piece a small piece of brown cardstock for the coffee detail at the top of the mug
11. Add Stickles for polka dot detail on mug

Today is finally the day our new designers come on board with the Play Date Cafe!!!!

It's seemed like a long time coming!!  The team has been slowly revealed to you, so now you just want to see them in action I'm sure!  You are going to LoVe what they create, their work is so much fun! If you've been playing along with us for a while you may have even noticed them as players.   We have almost had to get them to sit on their hands because they have been dying to get involved, so I'm sure you will see some wonderful creations from them all over the coming months.  Watch this space!

So here is the full list of our new team

Julie Ranae (Senior DT)

Sarah Anderson (Senior DT)

Savannah O'Gwynn (Senior DT)
Ruby McGuire (that's me!)

Andrea Ewen (Private Blend Designer)

Colleen Dietrich {New Private Blend Designer}

Jaclyn Miller

Michele Gross
Tracey Kuzniak
Jinny Newlin
Libby Hickson
Fiona Shultz

So pop on over to the Cafe and link your post. If you use an online gallery, please use the keyword PDCC64, and remember to use our inspirational colours to be eligible to win!

Supplies:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink 'Warm Happiness' & 'Polka Dot Basics'
Dies: Papertrey Ink 'Warm Happiness' die
Papers: Bazzill Cardstock
Accessories: East of India ribbon, Nesties 'Labels 16' and 'Lacey Squares', Ranger Distress Ink 'Frayed Burlap, Stickles

Have a great day!!