Distressing...Simples!

Hi Folks!

Lots happening over on Dare U 2 Digi Stamp this week. The theme is distressing. We dare you to rough up your pristine Digi images. Any technique you would like to use; sanding, sponging and tearing to name a few. We also have our very first GDT. For the month of August we will be joined by the fabulous Jen. Her card, and that of the regular DT are in the 'Hall of Inspiration' ready for your perusal. Lastly, as of this week the challenges will be set fortnightly. So you will have lots more time over the holidays to join in with the fun!

The papers for my card are from the Felicity range by Scribble Scrabble (Fab you'll recognise these) I scrunched up the stripy panel, flattened it out and lightly dusted over it with a black ink pad. I sanded down the edges of my papers too. The image is my own 'Meerkat Simples!' and I have coloured him with copic markers. I added glossy accents to his eyes and nose. The sentiments are cut out of funky foam. The brown letters have been cut with Go Kreate dies and the turquoise with a Quickutz set. A few buttons and some ribbon finish this card off.

I followed the sketch over on The Pink Elephant and the recipe (3 buttons, 2 designer papers and 1 ribbon) on The Saturday Challenge.

Hope you can join in with this fortnights 'Dare'

Sandra x

More 'Thank You Teacher' cards

I folks!

Thought I'd share some more of the 'Thank You teacher' cards I made this year. The first two were extra special for me as the twins finished their time at playschool... I still can't believe they start 'big school' in September.

I think the patterned paper is by MME, but I can't be sure as it was in my off-cut mountain. I used my scalloped Nestabilities and Cuttlebug embossing dies for the Green panels. A Quickutz die for the little flourishes to which I added some red self adhesive pearls. As a little gift I covered reasonably priced notebooks. Handy for all those notes!

Very simple cards for Tommy's teachers. The red panels are embossed with the new Cuttlebug star folder. Hopefully you'll be able to see this better if you click on the image. The 'twig' pencils I've had in my stash for years... I knew they would come in handy one day.

I'm currently working on my DT cards for the next few weeks as we are on holiday from Saturday for a fortnight....with no internet!!!! How will I survive???

Ciao for now!

Sandra xx

More Photo cards

Hi folks!

Here are a couple of photo cards I made for my beautiful niece who turns 15 this week. She is very special to me as she was a babe in arms at my wedding! Looks like I'll be making family cards in 'twos' from now on as mum always says 'can you make one for me too' :oD

You are not going to believe this but I actually used some shocking pink holographic sticky back plastic on the card above... looks cool framing the photo. I stamped the swirls with glue and sprinkled on glitter (v. sparkly in real life) I used my Dreamboat Sizzix font to cut the letters from Pink Glitterboard. I cut the numbers from Black cards and covered with black glitter.

I'm not really into shiny paper but I thought this rainbow paper was too good a match for Charley' s eyeshadow not to use. Very simple card. Just used my Fiskars border punch on the rainbow paper. I used a flower punch and yellow glitterboard for the flower. The numbers are cut from Funky Foam and using my 'London' Go Kreate alphabet dies. The letters are again, from Funky Foam (ooooo I love that stuff) and this time I used A Sizzix alphabet 'Nouveau'.

I'm giving Mum the choice of which one to send.....I wonder whaich one she'll choose??

Ciao for now!

Sandra xx

Don't Forget Ruby, Holly and Hazel are now available here

Sketch Saturday #61, New Baby Girl

Hi folks!

Just a quickie post as I'm away from home this weekend. Week #61 on Sketch Saturday sees another fabulous sketch by Jo and some gorgeous new Cuttlebug embossing folders up for grabs from The Craft Barn. As you can see I decided to make a 'New Baby' card which will be in the post to a dear friend of mine just as soon as I get home.

I used K& Co papers and ribbon from my stash. The sentiment I cut from funky foam with my Go Kreate 'Amsterdam' font. The sleeping ducky is by Suzy's Zoo. I have coloured her with watercolour pencils. I just had to give her something soft to lay on... so out came the cotton wool, to which I added a little stickles glitter glue (you can see it better if you click on the picture to enlarge) I finished off the card with couple of cute pink star buttons.

Will pop another view of the card on when I get home.

Hope you are having a great weekend.

Ciao for now!

Sandra xx

Edit 27/07/09, Here's the other photo as promised.

DU2DS Larissa's Sketch

(click on image to enlarge)

Hi folks!

It's a sketch challenge over on Dare U 2 Digi stamp this week and it has been designed by the talented Larissa! Check out the DT cards. Such a fabulous variety I'm sure you will be inspired and want to join in with the fun!

For my card I have used just the cat from my soon to be released 'Hazel' image. (I won't tease you anymore... they will be on later today!!) She has been coloured with Copic markers. The backing paper I have had in my stash for years, I think it was from an early Provocraft stack. I used my Cuttlebug and embossing folder on all the black card used. Then rubbed over with some metallic wax. I cut the top circle out as an aperture (with Nestabilities) and criss-crossed behind it with some grey thread. I used a Cuttlebug die to cut the sentiment from orange funky foam and the spider from black card. I covered the spider with black glitter flock before adding googly eyes. I adhered the spider to the treads using glue gel. The velvet ric rac adds a lovely texture to the card.

Have fun this weekend. I'm working most of it :o(

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Late entry to Sketch Saturday this week :o(

I folks!

I can only appologise for my late entry to Sketch Saturday this week...and hope this card was worth the wait! Another fabulous sketch by Jo and, I'm sure you've seen already, Emma is our sponsor this week with 6 chances to win her goodies!! Emma has also created a stunning card for the challenge alongside my fellow DT (who are all far better than me at meeting deadlines!!)

I have used more of my latest cute Hanglar stamps. They have been coloured in usung Copic markers. Just love the little kitchen unit. All the papers and epoxy stickers are from the 'Miss Elle' kit from QVC ( as I blog this kit is still available at a super bargain price here....wouldn't want you to miss out on a bargain ;o) The ribbon is from my stash and I have used my Nestabilities to cut the square and the scalloped square.

Hope you are having a great week.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby!

Hi folks!

It's 'Anything but a card' week over on Dare U 2 Digi stamp. I had so much fun putting this cute little gift bag together. I hope you are able to join in with the challenge. If you need some inspiration then check out the crafty makes by our Design Team... you will be blown away!

I have used some really lush papers by 'Cloud 9'. I amazed myself by actually cutting into them. Have had this set for ages and only stroked it thus far. All of you paper strokers out there will know where I'm coming from. I cut the gift bag shape using my Cricut Expressions. I used some matching cotton art tape for the top and bottom of the bag. The flowers I made using my Woodware punches; inked; shaped; adhered and topped off with a self adhesive pearl. The leaves are a Martha Stewart punch. Also added a couple of bits of wire and punched butterflies to the flower at the top. The little cutie is Ruby. She'll be available soon along with Hazel and Holly (still drawing my 'Christmas' Holly) as a Digi Stamp on my other blog. I have coloured Ruby with Copic markers.

Pretty simple design really, but I didn't want to cover the beautiful paper that I had used to make the bag itself.

Ciao for now!

Sandra xx

...and now for something completey different!

Hi folks!

Well, well, well...what have we here? Something completely different! My friend Isabelle Norris recently celebrated her 40th birthday and I thought I would surprise her with a more 'Artsy' card as I know this style is more to her taste. I am thrilled to report that she loved the card :o) and ,yes, it was totally unexpected.

I started writing down how I created the card but it was turning into a bit of an essay. So I have deleted it and will just let you enjoy....

I hope you will leave a comment as it's something I haven't tried before. Would love to know what you think.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Thank You 'Dance' Teacher

Hi folks!

Well, it was my twins last Ballet and Tap lesson before the summer break and I thought this Gorjuss Girlie would be just the ticket for a card for their dance teacher. I had fun following lots of challenges for this one. Cute Card Thursday has a 'Thank You Miss' theme. The Sketch is from The Saturday Challenge blog (extra option being Ribbon) Papertake Weekly wants us to use our favourite things (mine have got to be these Gorjuss Girls at the moment) This weeks Copic Creations is 'Brunette Hair' (I found the tutorials on their blog really helpful) Creative Card Crew wants to see ribbons. Cupcake Craft Challenge is Blossoms and Butterflies (what a lovely challenge) Stamp With Fun has a theme of Shapes or punches. Cute Daisy May is asking for three of a kind (I have used 3 yellow glittered dots in the top right corner) Not sure if I can squeeze in the Colour Create challenge ' Yellow, Green and white' as my paper has touches of orange and blue, but I have tried to keep to the colours for the most part.

The paper is by DCWV. I used my scalloped Nestability to cut the Yellow Glitter board and circle Nestie for the circle which I embossed with my Cuttlebug before inking the edge with distress inks. I used vellum for the rectangle panel that I also embossed. The butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch and I used a little distress ink and glitter to colour it. The glittered dots are from a pack from QVC. The ribbon was a freebie from a magazine. I cut the sentiment from Funky Foam with my new Quickutz Banana Split font. I coloured the Gorjuss Girl with Copics and glittered her wings and detail on the dress.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

I'm Guest Dt for Cutie Sunday :oD

Hi folks!

I'm so excited to share with you that I'm Guest Designer over on Cutie Sunday this week. Not only did I create the Rosabella card but I also designed the sketch. I hope you like it and are able to join in with this fun challenge.

The papers I have used are by imaginisce. I cut a large funky foam white frame with my Nestabilities. The flowers are punched, shaped, inked and layered. I finished them off with some sparkly self adhesive dots and punched leaves. As mentioned above, the image is my own Digi Stamp 'Rosabella Sitting' I have coloured her with a combination of Copic markers, Cosmic Shimmer water colours and Glitter.

A huge thank you to Arwen for choosing me as your Guest Designer for this week.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Boys and their toys

Morning folks!

Hope you are having a great weekend. There is another one of Jo's gorgeous sketches on Sketch Saturday to get your creative juices flowing. Simon Says Stamp is sponsoring the challenge and Gitti is joining us for her second week as Guest Designer. Another week of varied and stunning designs by the DT, so much talent I'm sure you will agree.

I used one of my new Hanglar stamps for this card. Just can't put them down at the mo. The cute little boy and his kite were coloured using Copic Markers. The papers and raised sticker I used for the sentiment are all by K&Co. I embossed the aqua panel with my Cuttlebug. The sun and cloud are both Quickutz dies. The 3 brads are by Basic Grey and the orange fibre from my stash. I'm quite pleased with how this card turn out. It's exactly how I imagined it to be....and that doesn't happen very often! LOL

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Introducing my little witch 'Hazel' & a fabulous Colour Combo

Hi folks!

It's Friday and week 15 over on Dare U 2 Digi Stamp. The weeks are just flying by. We've got one my favourite colour combos up, Pink, Black and White. The DT have really enjoyed this challenge and you can tell by the outstanding cards they have created. I'm taking this opportunity to introduce you to my little witch 'Hazel' who will be available as part of a set very soon on my Digi Stamp site.

Hazel and her little kitty have been coloured with Copic markers. I cut them out with (what I call) a 'Redy Brek' glow (in other words leaving a little white border) so they stand out on the black background. I free hand cut the card in a kind of gravestone shape and embossed the spiders web with my Cuttlebug. I made the smoky wisp's by tearing and adhering vellum. The letters are my new Dragonfly Quickutz font (still a few left as I'm writing this at Crafts U love at a bargain price) My letters are Funky Foam of course ;o) The little skulls are from a Cuttlebug die and I added pink Sakura gel pen to the eyes. I finished off with a few pink gems to the letter 'h' and some silver metallic rub on to the edge of the card.

Hope you are able to join in with the challenge this week.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Commisson, 21st Birthday card

Hi folks! Hope you are all well. Just a quickie from me today. This 'end-of-school-year' seems to be keeping me on my toes. Only 2 weeks left and still parent teachers consultations, sports days, Patina Parades to fit in not to mention 'thank you' gifts and cards to be made. With all of that and all the other stuff I wont bore you with I haven't been able to craft or draw much :o(

It thought I'd share this card with you. I was asked by a work colleague to make a 21st birthday card for her baby sister Robin. She gave me a handful of old photos and pointed out the one she liked best. I scanned all the photos in and cleaned them up a bit with my editing suite. I made a special feature of her favorite photo by keeping it large and in colour. The others I printed out quite small and in grey scale. The papers and embellishments are by American Traditional Designs. I cut the large numbers using my Cricut Expressions. I arranged the small photos over the numbers, glued them down and trimmed off any excess. I finished the card off with some orange ric rac.

The whole family were delighted with the card. My friend said it bought a tear to her Dad's eye! What a compliment!

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

Lovely Jubbly!

Hi folks!

Happy 4th July to all my American buddies! Gill is hosting over on Sketch Saturday this week and has come up with a cracking Sketch with an added twist celebrating American Independence Day. Sponsoring this week are All That Scraps. Gitti is our new Guest Designer, see her fabulous creation and that of all my fellow DT on the blog.

I thought some Gingham (YeeHaw!) was in order for this challenge. The one I've used is from a Joanna Sheen pack. I have embossed a piece of red card using my Sizzix texture plate. The decorative corners are cut from Funky Foam using a Cuttebug die. The ribbon arrived yesterday from The Paper Mill and I must say was great value for money. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the hearts and the sentiment is by K&Co (the first one I've used from my HUGE embellishment box...it's gonna last me a lifetime I think!) The cute little cook is by Hanglar and Stanglar. I coloured her in using Copic markers and highlighted the icing on the cupcake with some glitter.

Have a nice day!

Sandra x

Dare U 2 Digi Stamp Challenge 14 - Embossing

Hi folks!

Wow...what a scorcher this week. Two scoops of 'cooling down' for me please. This week over on Dare U 2 Digi Stamp the theme is embossing. Wet or dry...we don't mind. My poor printer has died :o( but I'm getting a new one on Wednesday :o) luckily I always print off more images than I need so was still able to join in with this weeks challenge.

The papers, butterfly and chipboard heart embellishments are all by K&Co. They are from the Smitten range. I also used a K&Co adhesive rub on with some brown glitter for the sentiment. I cut the aperture using my circle scallop Nestabilities. I coloured Rosabella and Drake with Copic Markers, cut them out and adhered them to the aperture from behind. I then embossed some Vellum with my Fiskars embossing plate and taped that behind Rosabella and Drake covering the whole aperture. I made the doily corner with....a doily ;o) and I finished off the card with some self adhesive pearls around the aperture.

Hope your printer feels better than mine and you can play along with this weeks Dare. Don't forget to hop on by and visit my fellow DT who have all created fabulous cards this week.

Ciao for now!

Sandra x

A Multi-challenge Commision card

Hi folks!

Hope you are all managing to stay cool in the warm weather. My card for today is for a work colleagues wife. I have used one of the new Tilda characters from my stamp club that arrived this morning. I have combined lots of challenges with this one. Cupcake Crafts and A Spoon Full of Sugar want a summer themed card. Both Cute Daisy May and Charisma Cardz are letting their designers choose for themselves this week. Colour Create has Green Aqua and Pink up which has to be one of my favourite combos at the moment so this also qualifies for The Pink Elephant Challenge. Gosh! I nearly forgot the most important challenge...the sketch which is from Just Magnolia!!

I used imaginisce papers; Doodlebug paper trim with a ribbon on top; Nestabilities to cut the pink funky foam scalloped circle and the circle; I die cut more Foam with Cuttlebug corner die and Go Kreate Lingfield Alphabet; the flowers are Prima and the leaves a Woodware punch. I coloured the image with Copic markers and added Tattered Rose distress ink to the circle. I finished off the card with some flower gems and tiny gems on the letters. I also stamped the image again and cut the flower to add it as an extra layer.

Ciao fo now!

Sandra x