Wednesday 30 June 2010

Isabella's Sketchbook - First Design Team Blog Hop!

Well, it's Wednesday and you know that means it's Isabella's Sketchbook time.  This week, however, we've got a special something for you - it's our first Design Team blog hop and it should be great fun! 

This is a circular blog hop, and you can start wherever you want to.  You'll know when you've completed the hop because you'll be back at the same place you started!  And don't forget to leave a comment as you pass by - there will be NINE winners who will be chosen at random from comments left on the Design Team blogs and who will each win an Isabella's Sketchbook image for playing along. 

Isabella kindly designed a new image for the DT to use for the hop and each of the DT members has used the image in their project.  What's more, none of us knows what the others have created - it'll be as much a surprise to us as it will be to you!  Can't wait to see what my teamies have come up with!

Anyway, without further ado, here's my take on 'Faith Lemons':

 
 Image: Isabella's Sketchbook, 'Faith Lemons' (Available in store after the blog hop)

Papers: Pink Petticoat, 'Life's Lemons'


Isn't this a super image?  I wanted the lemons to be citrus bright (obviously) and the papers to really zing.  Luckily, some while ago I purchased this minikit from Pink Petticoat and the lemons and limes were perfect for this project. 


I coloured this up with my Copics but this time there were no Prismas at all - I wanted the image to stand out on the white background.

So, this week our challenge to YOU is to create a card or project, using an Isabella's Sketchbook image, and 'Anything Goes'. Yup, any image, any colour, any layout, in fact, anything at all!  Just have fun creating and show us your Isabella moments.

Keep hopping and don't forget to leave comments along the way - the more comments you leave, the more chance you have of winning - until you're right back where you started.

So off you hop to Randi's blog - I know you'll find much wonderfulness there!  Enjoy!

Happy crafting.
Photobucketxx

Monday 28 June 2010

Dance With Me at Karen's Doodles!

So, this is my last post as Guest Designer for Karen's Doodles USA Challenge Blog and I have to say I'm quite sad - it has been a pleasure working with Karen's images and her design team is so talented.  It has been an honour, thank you all.

So, on to this week's challenge and the theme is 'red, white and blue'.  I decided to use what I think is my favourite Karen's Doodles image for this one and a big red bow!

Image: Karen's Doodles, 'Tango'

Papers: October Afternoon

Other: Charm from stash; sentiment printed from my PC.

I adore this image - it really captures the dance and you don't even realise they are dog and cat at first. Karen has captured a lovely moment here.

Strangely, this image brings to mind my DD, who is a wonderful salsa dancer.  I've often watched her dance (very proud, of course!) and this sweet image reminds me of her 'dips' - when her partner dips her towards the floor.  It's a pleasure to see.

Anyway, enough proud mummy - on to the card.
 
There is something passionate about a tango, don't you think, so the sentiment 'Amour' seemed fitting, as did the big red bow. 

Obviously, for those who know me, I coloured this up with my Copics and added glow and ground with my Prismas. 

Rather than the traditional navy blue we all think of when we hear 'red, white and blue', I decided to use a pale teal, which works well with the scarlet and isn't too heavy.  This also meant that I could pick up this colour in Cat's dress and I still had a whole range of blues to choose from for Dog's suit.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT's wonderful creations - I know you'll be inspired by their talent.

And then it's over to you! What will you come up with for this week's theme, I wonder?  Remember to use a Karen's Doodles image on your entry and who knows, you could be the lucky winner of free images from the lady herself. Have fun!

So, to quote the Sound of Music, 'So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye' (with an added 'au revoir' from me).  Thank you to Karen and all my teamies for making this a wonderful month.

Happy crafting.
Photobucketxx

Saturday 26 June 2010

Top 5 at the Allsorts Challenge!

Woooo, I'm delighted to say that I made the Top 5 in last week's Allsorts Challenge with this card (image by Karen's Doodles):


Thank you! I'm thrilled!
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Shoes, Glorious Shoes

One of the downsides of having RA is that I can no longer wear killer shoes - you know the sort, spiky, high and crippling on the toes!  I have always loved shoes and, in fact, back in the 1980s, when brightly coloured, 4" high stilettoes were first in fashion (yup, wait long enough, as they say!), I had so many pairs, in so many colours and walked, ran and danced in them without so much as a blister!  But now I am reduced to wearing flatties and it is so difficult to get pretty ones, too, when your feet are as naughty as mine.  Still, at least I have enough room in the wardrobe for my current collection!

And where is this leading, you may ask?  Well, this week over at the City Crafter Challenge Blog, the theme is 'Pink, purple and pearls' and there is a most delightful inspiration photograph of the prettiest shoes.  As soon as I saw it, this project sprung to mind:


Papers: Pink Petticoat digital download.  Unfortunately, however, this collection is not longer available but there are some beautiful papers of similar types to choose from.

Template: Craft Stamper magazine online.  Free template: 'Bejewelled' (Grunge Paper shoes).

I fell in love with the grunge paper shoes in Craft Stamper's May 2010 issue.  However, as I have never used and do not own any grunge paper, I wasn't able to sew the two pieces of the shoe together, as the card I was using didn't have sufficient weight or flexibility to allow me to do so successfully.  Therefore, I had to adapt this free template so that the shoes could be made from card, printed with my Pink Petticoat design.  Instead of simply cutting out the shoe upper on the outside line, I scored on this line then cut the shoe upper out with a border of about 1 cm all the way around the outside line, to allow me to create a 'fringe' that I could use to tuck under the sole.  I also had to cut two soles so that I could sandwich the 'fringe' between the two soles to securely attach the upper to the sole and still have a neat finish underneath.  You will find this much easier to understand if you have a look at the template!

The template doesn't have a heel, either, so having constructed the basic shoe, I made a heel out of a scrap of co-ordinating paper. 

Now, unfortunately, this shoe is a bit of a lesson to me in how not to do things in the dark!  Yesterday was so sunny that we were unable to watch the television yesterday evening because of the reflection through the window.  So we closed the curtains and I thought there was still plenty of light for me to work.  There was, but, of course, the quality of the light was different and I'm afraid that my colour matching was all to pot!  So the pink ribbon is not quite the colour I thought it was but, hey, having spent a good while sewing it neatly into place, I was blowed if I was going to remove it and start again once I saw the whole thing in daylight.  Therefore, the pink isn't quite the colour I'd envisaged but you get the idea.

As you can see, I sewed the ribbon in ruffles around the top edge of the shoe then, using a piece of the printed paper as a guide, I cut out a piece of the pattern and coloured it with my Copics to achieve the colour I required (and the pink in the centre is much more the colour I would have preferred the ribbon to be!).  I then attached this embellishment to the front of the shoe and added pearls. 

My OH and I wondered what could be done with this shoe and we came up with the idea of filling it with champagne truffles for a shoe-loving friend.  The nice thing is, you can go completely to town with the decoration if you wish and you can have any colour you like, it just depends on the paper you use. I only chose this colourway because of the challenge - how about a sumptuous aubergine or a deep red flocked paper for starters?!

It's been sunny again today and I actually ventured into the garden to remove some offending weeds.  So it's time for a well-earned rest whilst my darling OH prepares dinner!  What a lucky lady I am.

Happy crafting.
Photobucketxx

Friday 25 June 2010

Fairy Wishes

Oooh, an unexpected morning off and it's sunny and bright here in York!  It's taken me a while to get back into the swing of things after my holiday, which is a surprise, really, as I was raring to go.  But as soon as I saw Mo's new Fairy Kiki I couldn't resist picking up my Copics and having a go. 

This will be my Dream Team card for this week and also my entry for Mo's Digital Challenge, where this week's theme is 'Anything Goes!'.

Image: Mo's Digital Pencil, 'Fairy Kiki'

Papers: Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday collection, 'Sunday'.

Tools: EK Success Retro Flower Punches; Floral Punch leaf spray

You have to admit, she is one adorable little fairy.  And that sweet expression - aaaaaah, who could resist?

This little one reminds me of when Daughter was small - that plumpscious little bottom and creamy skin - you can almost smell the baby powder! 

I'm pleased I chose to go a little minimal on the DPs for this one so that Kiki can shine.  I love the summery feel of this Cosmo Cricket paper, though.

Coloured with my Copics (which I seriously need to refill now!) and shaded with my Prismas, this little one needed only a touch of glitter to bring some fairy sparkle to her darling wings and flourishes.

So, I've still lots of colouring to do and I need to get ahead of myself a little over the next few days but it feels good to have completed my first post-holiday project.  And, to make things even better, today is pay day and I can feel some 'stash cash' burning a hole in my pocket!  There's a new craft shop about to open in the city centre and it would be churlish not to show my support, don't you think?

Happy crafting.
Photobucketxx

Wednesday 23 June 2010

It's Isabella Time!

Happy Wednesday all! It's another Isabella's Sketchbook Challenge and this week we are celebrating summer with our theme, Summer Fun!

I have just returned from the most idyllic and relaxing holiday in mid-Wales.  We booked a self-catering cottage in Wales, in the middle of nowhere (but not too far from a beach!), surrounded by beautiful countryside, with only the sheep and birds for company. 


Here are views from the front (left) and the back (right).  Beautifully appointed - clean and bright and just heaven (here's the link, if you want it)!



Anyway, my brother and his wife were also on a camping trip in Wales at the same time, so we arranged for them to come to the cottage for a family tea on Saturday night.  Obviously, the cottage was well-hidden from the main road in a little village called Llanegryn and I needed to make sure that brother would find us.  So what better way than to send him a card with all the directions?  This is what he received:

Image: Isabella's Sketchbook, 'On The Road'

Papers: Cosmo Cricket and October Afternoon - a perfect mix!

I printed out the sentiment on my PC - I couldn't resist quoting Cliff Richard's 'Summer Holiday'!  It seemed so appropriate.

I wasn't sure about the colouring on this one - I'm not very good at metal and this large car bonnet (hood) ws certainly a challenge.  This one is coloured with more Prismacolor than Copic - I just felt more comfortable with my Prismas on this occasion.



Brother was delighted to recieve it and, of course, we had a wonderful family evening on Saturday - much love, much laughter and much food!  Mmmmmm - what more could I ask!?

So, now it's over to you.  Using an Isabella's Sketchbook image (and there's over 250 to choose from!), show us what Summer Fun means to you and you could win two free images and a beautiful 'I Won' badge for your blog!

And don't forget to check out what my Isabella's Teamies have created - you're sure to find inspiration on their beautiful blogs!

Can't wait to see what you create.

Happy crafting.
Photobucketxx

Tuesday 22 June 2010

Squaring Up

Aaaaaaah, no matter how wonderful my holiday, there's something very comforting about being back amongst my crafty stash, Copics in hand, digis on the paper!  And I thought I'd best get back at it as soon as possible otherwise the blog will start looking bare!

So, I'm squaring up for the Allsorts Challenge this week, with a bit of Raise The Bar thrown in!

Over at Raise the Bar the theme is 'What A Special Guy' and there's a sketch challenge over at Allsorts this week - cute, eh?

Being away in the run up to Father's Day meant that I missed most of the 'make a card for Dad' challenges, so I hadn't expected to come back to find an opportunity to use this image - but I'm sooo glad I did!
Wanna see?


Image: Karen's Doodles, 'Crafting Widower'

Papers: Scenic Route

Oh, how much fun did I have with this one!?  Tons!  What a super image to colour - full of detail and humour!

I only have one daughter for a reason - and this guy's face says it all!  Poor chap!  Mind you, I have seen this expression on many a male face, not only when dealing with children.  Vacuums, washing machines and pets can all elicit a similar response!

The background is probably a little bit busy on this one but I love the banner!


I coloured it up with my Copics but spent some time going back in with a mid grey to create some shadow on the chair to 'sit' him down properly.  That's something I like to do - you'll have seen it before without noticing, probably - I take a mid grey (C3) and pop some grey shadow in over my colouring, to give depth, particularly on things like this chair.

Obviously, there has to be Prismas and the 'glow' and the 'carpet' were done with pencil and spirit. 

So I'm truly back in the swing of things!  Back at work too, which is a bit of a bum, but no cash, no stash!

Mmmm, my tummy is rumbling so it must be dinner time so I'll say 'ta-ra chucks' and go and raid the fridge!

Happy crafting.
Photobucketxx

A Blast from My Past

JUST A WARNING - THIS IS A LONG POST, BUT YOU MIGHT FIND IT INTERESTING!

While I'm getting back into the swing of things after my holiday, I thought you might be interested to see this project from way back when.  In 2002 my mum celebrated a big birthday (no, I'm not telling!) and when asked what gift she would like, said she'd love a 'proper' leather jewellery box.  So we trotted off to see what was available but I wasn't happy with most of those we saw:  they were either too small or not the right configuration or just not well finished at all and with Mum's birthday only a few weeks away, I still hadn't found 'the one'. 

One night, unable to sleep, I was downstairs at 2.00 a.m. when, suddenly, just out of the blue, I had this vision of how Mum's box should be.  I got my sketchbook and pencil and by 6.00 a.m. (yes, an all-nighter!), I had designed the very thing, down to the last detail.  Next morning I showed my OH the sketches and declared that I was going to make Mum the perfect jewellery box, with slots for watches and hangers for earrings and drawers for rings and ....... well, you get the idea.  At that point, I think the concensus was that I had finally lost my marbles but not once did anyone say I couldn't do it. 

Over the next few weeks, for hours each day, I skived leather (i.e. removed the 'flesh' from the back of the leather to make it thin) and cut board and we lived in a constant fug of leather shavings and board scraps.  My Dad and close friends would pop round from time to time to see how it was going and never once remarked on the state of the living room, bless them all! 

I recorded some of the work along the way and thought you might like to see the work in progress and the final product.  Remember - this started as large pieces of heavy grey board and two calf skins and everything was done by hand.

Here are the photos:


The inside of the box, finished and ready for the casing and hinges.
















Here you can see the bare board, covered in leather, and one of the earring drawers.  For earrings, I created a sort of 'suspension file' system, with leather tabs on mahogany hangers, with holes punched in the tabs, through which Mum could hang her earrings.  Worked like a treat!













These are various open compartments:

the ring drawer, with padded insert (top left)
a watch drawer, long and narrow (x 4) (middle right)
a longer, deep drawer for brooches, etc. (bottom).

Each of the drawers was lined with raw silk (as was the inner of the outer casing you'll see later) and each compartment (i.e. the empty space where a drawer would fit) was lined with blue book cloth.

The handles were mahogany cubes, cut from mahogany square strip wood, tipped with pewter, screwed through the drawer fronts. 





Here you can see the removable travel jewellery box, which fastens with a pop fastener.  Inside there is a ring tray, a space for earrings and a deeper space for more bulky items or necklaces.  This box was lined with silk also.

As explained above, the empty compartment is lined with book cloth, which you can see here.











The finished box.  As you can see, the base and top have now been added, as have the doors, which are L-shaped and open out around a concealed circular hinge (which I designed at around 4.00 a.m. on the morning of my brainwave!).  The hinge itself wasn't particularly difficult to achieve, but the construction had to be planned carefully and executed very accurately to get the desired effect.  Aaaaah, the things we do for love!











As you can see, the doors open outwards as two L-shaped units, lined with silk and with hangers on the inside to take necklaces.  You can see where the inner box (as above) fits inside the outer construction. 

The doors are panelled at the front - you will probably see this more clearly in the final photograph.  The top panel of each door is inlaid with a hand-embossed pewter panel, in the style of Rennie Mackintosh.  The pewter panel has also been enamelled in places to give some colour.




Unfortunately, this photograph of the pewter panel is not the best but you'll get the idea.  As well as picking out some of the pattern with enamel, I also lightly hammered other parts of the panel to give further texture.  IRL it works really well. 

The back of the panel was filled with silicone to try and prevent the embossed areas from being accidentally knocked back in
during day-to-day handling.











The finished box - hopefully you will see the door panels more clearly now.  The lower panels are simply sunk into the doors to add interest.



















The finished box stands around 13 inches tall (32 cms) and is approximately 9 inches (22.5 cm) wide and deep. 

It took a total of 16 sq ft of calf leather, most of which had to be skived, even though I had had the skins split thinner at the tannery.

It took a total of eight weeks, working much of each afternoon and evening, to make from scratch.  There are an incredible number of separate pieces to each component and some very careful measuring and planning had to be done before each stage. 

I have to say that this is one of my biggest achievements.  It is in use daily and eight years later is still all in one piece (with the exception of one small piece of pewter, which I must go and reattach!).  It was a real labour of love and Mum still delights in showing it off to anyone who hasn't already seen it!

So, if you've made it this far, well done you for sticking with it and thank you for being interested enough not to give up and go eat chocolate instead!

I'm working on getting some cards sorted now, as quickly as possible, and 'normal service will be resumed' in the next few days.

Happy crafting.
Photobucketxx

Monday 21 June 2010

Sketch Time at Karen's Doodles

I'm back from holiday and raring to go again and to get me started it's sketch time over on the Karen's Doodles USA Challenge Blog.  It's a fabby sketch:


I popped over to Karen's new store (go and have a look, if you haven't already!) and found the perfect image for what I had in mind.

Do you ever have those days where you just can't seem to find an obvious solution to a niggling problem?  And then, in the middle of doing the dishes or feeding the cat (insert other mundane chore, as you like) the answer just pops up because you'd stopped thinking too hard about it.  Well, I guess that's what this week's card is all about!

Image: Karen's Doodles, 'Peekaboo Boy'

Papers: Scenic Route

Isn't he the cutest?  I knew immediately what my sentiment was going to be and this card just made itself. 







I love the sketch, actually - it's not often you get a layout where the image and the sentiment are separate and it works really well with this combination.  I love that there's more room for the sentiment this way so you can use something longer and/or more interesting.  Fabby sketch!

Coloured with Copics and shaded with Prismas, this little guy was such fun to colour - I smiled all the time and couldn't help myself saying the odd 'Peekaboo' to him either - mmmmm, I don't know if I should be admitting to such strangeness!  But, honestly, you try it without playing along!

I love this colour combination for a little boy - in fact, I love this colour combination full stop, as you may have noticed along the way!  These Scenic Route papers are perfect - long strips of
co-ordinating patterns, 12 inches wide and anything from 1 to 3 inches deep - brilliant!  It means that I don't have to buy a full sheet of each pattern in order to get the combinations I want.  Result!

So, time for you to go and check out the rest of the DT's wonderful creations - I'm delighted to have such talented teamies and I shall be sad when I have to say goodbye. 

And then it's over to you - I can't wait to see your take on the sketch. Remember to use a Karen's Doodles image on your entry and who knows, you could be the lucky winner of free images from the lady herself. Have fun!

Happy crafting.
Photobucketxx

Saturday 19 June 2010

Back From Holiday!

Hi Everybody!  I wanted to say a really big 'THANK YOU' - you've made my day today.  I've just returned from a week's holiday in beautiful Wales and, of course, one of the first things I did as I walked through the door was fire up the computer to see if everything had posted properly whilst I've been away.  Thankfully, no worry needed, it seems but, WOW, I'd not expected to receive sooooo many wonderful comments from you all on this week's post.  It was wonderful to come back to 68 fantastic blog comments (and to see around 900 hits recorded!) - enough to make a girl blush and cry with happiness, all at once.

So, I'm back in the driving seat now, although it may be a couple of days before I get some colouring done.  I did take all my Copics and some images to colour but, honestly, I was just tooooo chilled to get them out of my bag!  The holiday was just perfect - good weather, beautiful scenery and the most wonderful little cottage in the back of beyond, surrounded by silence, other than the sheep and the birds!  Heaven!

So, watch this space for Monday's Karen's Doodles challenge card and I'll see you soon with the latest from 'Stuff'.

Hugs to you all.
Happy crafting.
Photobucketxxx

Thursday 17 June 2010

Mo's Dream Team Project of the Month Blog Hop!


Hello Mo Fans! It's that time of the month again, when the Dream Team hopes to inspire and delight you with our Mo-jo! This month, the theme is 'Glitter'. If you have arrived here from Liza's blog, then you're on the right track. If not, hop back to Shell's and start at the beginning because you won't want to miss the wonderfulness along the way.

I love a bit of bling and glitter - a wonderful way to add a little something to a finished image.  And this little lady deserves it more than most:

Image:  Mo's Digital Pencil, 'Diva'

Papers: Scenic Route

I think Mo has outdone herself with this gorgeous image - isn't she adorable? 

When I was small, my grandma had a purple satin dressing gown - really heavy, long and, of course, to a seven-year old girl, pure dressing up heaven - and I used to walk around the house, dressing gown draped around me, wearing a pair of my mother's shoes, pretending to be a princess.  I'm sure that at some point I must have taken up this stance and maybe even have demanded to be addressed as 'Princess Peri'.  I was such a little Diva ('was'? - he-he).

I had such fun with this one - I'd been purposefully holding back from colouring her up just to that I could use her for the blog hop today.  And that wasn't easy, I can tell you. 

There was a happy accident in our house a couple of days before I made a start on this one.  The zip broke on the large feather-filled cushion on 'my' sofa (i.e. the one where I always sit) and, unfortunately, the feathers made a mess everywhere.  But as I was contemplating clearing them up, I suddenly had a marvellous thought - surely I could colour them and use them for Diva's boa?!  So, I collected a few in a pot and once I had coloured up little miss here, I gently coloured up the edges of the feathers with matching Copics and stuck them to her boa - I love it!

Her dress has been paper-pieced with a pale purple/white patterned paper - to tell the truth, I simply couldn't face colouring the whole expanse of her dress!  I added some Copic shading, though.  Then the fun started.  I added the feathers, added some pearls for her necklace, glittered up her tiara and added gems, sparkled up her gloves, gave her gems in her earrings and even in her shoe bow.  Then for one final flourish, I added a row of glitter dots around the top of the frill of her dress and a sparkly bow to the top corner of the card!  She glitters and sparkles like a true princess - aaaaah!

I didn't want to use too much pattern on this card - I wanted the image to take the spotlight, as befits such a Diva.  (BTW - the dusky pink is just the background for the photo, not part of the card!) The deep purple reminds me of my grandmother's dressing gown and, of course, it is a very royal colour, most appropriate for a very special princess.

So, next on your trip is Cheryl's blog - and I just know she'll have something wonderful waiting for you.
Enjoy hopping.

Happy crafting.
Photobucketxx

Wednesday 16 June 2010

It's Isabella Time!

Happy Wednesday all!  It's another Isabella's Sketchbook Challenge and this week we are honouring fathers. 

My Dad is my superhero - nuff said, really.  He has given me my love of music, art and architecture and is a talented artist himself.  He will be celebrating a big birthday this year, although he looks much younger and still has the ability to act like a teenager, if allowed!  He's wonderful!  We're both known for our love of steak pie - I mean, we reallllllly love it - and, in fact, most other sorts of pie (apple, cherry, rhubarb, chicken, vegetable - just pie!) but neither of us is supposed to indulge as we also share some health problems.  But that might help to explain the card I've made for this week's challenge:

Image: Isabella's Sketchbook, 'Blueberry Pie'

Papers: October Afternoon, 'Farm Fresh'

How scrummy does that pie look?  And there's ice cream too - mmmmmmmmmm.

I couldn't resist the sentiment - and it's quite true!  Even more than pie! Although pie with ice cream ...... that's a toughie! (Only joking Dad!)
Unusually, I coloured this image with my Prismacolor pencils - I wasn't getting quite the right quality of finish with my Copics, probably because I don't have quite enough of the intermediate colours yet. So out came the Prismas for a change.

So, why not join us at Isabella's Challenge this week - we always love to see your creations.  Remember to use an Isabella's Sketchbook image, though.  You could win two free images from Isabella's Sketchbook and a beautiful 'I Won' badge for your blog.

And don't forget to have a look around the DT blogs - I'm sure they'll have much gorgeousness for you to see.

Happy crafting.
Photobucketxx

Monday 14 June 2010

Summertime at Karen's Doodles

I'm beginning to wonder if summer will ever arrive here in the UK.  We'd all love to see the sun.  But, the forecasters still seem to be saying that when it does arrive, it will be hot, hot, hot so there's hope!

Over at the Karen's Doodles USA Challenge Blog we're celebrating summer today - and I don't doubt that some of my fellow teamies are having excellent weather at the moment, lucky things!

Summer bring to mind an old friend, who had a convertible BMW some years ago.  We would travel all over in the nice weather, top down, singing at the tops of our voices to whatever was on the radio.  Aahhh, happy days.  So when I saw this image from Karen's store, I just knew it was the one for me:

Image: Karen's Doodles, 'On The Road Again', one of Karen's 'Rosie' images

Papers: Scenic Route

Tools: EK Success Retro Flower Punches; Floral Punch leaf spray

Wouldn't you just love to be in the passenger seat?  You can almost feel the wind in her ..... trunk!

I chose to cut this image 'out of the box' with my large Nestabilities rectangle die - I think there's a feeling of real movement here, which is helped even more by cutting a strip of striped paper on an angle to point the way.  And these papers from Scenic Route are just so summery!

I coloured Rosie up with my Copics and added some 'glow' and grounding with my Prismas. And because she is a very chic elephant, I added a little bling to the corner of her sun glasses - can you see it?  And only a little red sporty number would do for this gorgeous lady!

So, time for you to go and check out the rest of the DT's wonderful creations - I'm a lucky girl to be among such talented teamies. 

And then it's over to you - I can't wait to see your summertime projects.  Remember to use a Karen's Doodles image on your entry and who knows, you could be the lucky winner of free images from the lady herself.

Happy crafting.
Photobucketxx

Thursday 10 June 2010

My First Award

Wow! I've been given the Sunshine Award by Tracy and Ann-Marie over at TwoCrafty and I'm absolutely thrilled (insert rest of Oscar-style speech here!).  But seriously, this is really something for me because it is wonderful to know that my blog is inspiring someone else along their crafty way.  So, a big THANK YOU girls - I'm touched.

Although I'm not sure how it all started, it seems generally accepted that the Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging world and the 'rules' of receiving the reward are as follows:

Post the award on your blog and link back to those who gave it to you.
Give the award to 12 other bloggers and let them know that you've given it to them by leaving a comment.
Link to your recipients and spread the sunshine!


I have chosen to give my Sunshine Award to a group of ladies who totally inspired me and set me off on my crafty journey and/or who have encouraged me along the way and who celebrate my every success.  In fact, they bring sunshine to my life so it's only fitting that they should be my award winners.  They are:

Dawn B - My Stamping Thyme
Peggy Marsh - The Wired Angel
Mina - Pink Puds
Jak Heath - Jak Heath
Mo Manning  - Digital Pencil Blog
Dawny P - Pink Piggy
Paula Williamson - Paper Possibilities
Linda Heavens - Heavens Created This
Cathy Edgar - Ink It Up, Stamp It Out
Rachel - Papercrafts By Rach
Jeanie - The Spotted Chick
Michelle Wooderson - Mish Mash

These ladies are all soooo talented so check out their delightful blogs and spread the love.  You won't be disappointed.

Happy crafting
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(aka 'Little Miss Sunshine')

Wednesday 9 June 2010

It's Isabella Time!

Happy Wednesday all!  Time for another challenge from Isabella's Sketchbook and this week we have a sketch challenge for you:


And because there are lots of newborns around at the moment, I thought this would be the perfect sketch for a new baby card:

Image: Isabella's Sketchbook, 'Girlie Jumper'

Papers: October Afternoon

Isn't this an adorable image?  I just love baby clothes (and babies!) - so tiny and pretty, and this one is no exception. 

I wanted this card to be happy and bright and these October Afternoon papers were the obvious choice.  I'm having a run on yellow at the moment for some reason - may be I'm just hoping the sun will come out soon!


Coloured with my Copics and Prismas, as always, I used my Nestabilities oval dies to cut out the image and mat it on to yellow scalloped oval for 'pop' factor.  I layered up the background strips with yellow polkadots and pink satin ribbon, and I couldn't resist the two pink bows!

Don't forget to check out the other DT samples - I know my talented teamies will have some gorgeous work to show you.

So, it's over to you now.  Show us your creative 'take' on the sketch and you will be in with a chance of winning two images from Isabella's Sketchbook and a beautiful 'I Won' badge for your blog.

Don't forget that you must use an Isabella's Sketchbook image for your entry. There are over two hundred to choose from so you're bound to find something to suit your mojo!

Can't wait to see your creations!

Happy crafting.
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