Flowers - Milk Coffee DT

Hello my lovelies!

Thanks for all the lovely comments everyone. And in response to some regarding the issues I'm having with Blogger:
I've had the occasional "empty" blog feed since I started by blog last summer, but a refresh usually fixed it. Recently it has started getting worse though... First needing half a dozen refreshes, and now it seems no amount will help when it decides it doesn't want to co-operate, which seems to be most of the time. I'm also having real problems with trying to load Mr Linkies that have pictures (text-based ones seem to work ok), which is causing untold problems commenting on challenge entries, or entering them myself. It's incredibly frustrating, and I've put in a query to Blogger to see if they have any solutions. Fingers crossed!

But on to happier things (luckily posting to blogs I have admin rights to works about 90% of the time!).

There's a new challenge over at MilkCoffee, and this fortnight we want to see Flowers. Well, that's hardly going to pose much of a problem for you all now, is it?

It certainly didn't for me, though I did make something a little different from my usual...

I used the lovely Lisbeth Loves Sunflower, and teamed her up with some Jillibean soup papers. I paper-pieced her clothes and headband, then picked some embellishments to match... The vellum oval is something relatively new to me. I tried with a regular piece of card first, but I found it "hid" too much of the card, then hit on the idea of using vellum instead, which I think worked far better.
I'm also not very used to using so many different colours at once, but I have to say I rather enjoyed that aspect! And I located some card candi I thought worked well... I keep forgetting I own a rather large supply of the stuff, and really should remember to use it more often!


Well, I'm certainly looking forward to seeing your entries (because enter you will, yes?) - provided blogger will play nice and actually show them to me! - and here's hoping I'll be able to catch up with you all soon!

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Craft Mojo - spring flowers
Papertake Weekly - Bingo (gems, die cuts, flowers - amongst others!)

May your day be truly excellent.

Sammy-x

Aged/Distressed - Rhedd & Rosie's DT

Good morning all!

You know, if I see "You aren't following any blogs" one more time when I try to access my blog feed, I'll probably scream! Please bear with me, I'm sure it'll get sorted, but if things don't improve soon, I'll be asking you all to email me direct links to your blogs instead!

Now, onto more fun stuff. Namely the new challenge over at Rhedd & Rosie's! Our new theme is the brilliant Aged/Distressed, which is rather an awful lot of fun if you ask me!

I'm rather partial to a bit of distressing really...

So I made this:

The dress-form stamp was a magazine freebie, and I stamped it onto some Prima paper (mounted on distressed very pale pink card - looks white in the picture!). I then re-stamped it onto card, and coloured and fussy-cut the corset, then added it with foam pads to give some extra dimension. Finally, I covered it in crackle varnish, like thus:

Some Vintage Photo distress ink was needed on the edges of the paper, naturally, and I dug out some lace and buttons to embellish.
The sentiment is from LOTV, and was stamped straight onto the paper with brown ink rather than black, to add to the aged look.

Et voila!

Your turn! Go take a gander at the other, gorgeous entries, then come and bring us some distressed or aged projects of your own!

I look forward to seeing you there!

Sammy-x

Inspired by a book, song or film - Sweet Stampin' DT

Hello everyone!

It's Saturday, which of course means a new challenge over at Sweet Stampin' and this week Team Fi get to play with the super fun theme of Inspired by a book, song or film.

For me the choice was an easy one... I recently won some images from Sassy Studios, and one of the ones I chose was the perfect digi for a birthday card for a friend of mine, whose birthday is next week!

This is what I made for him, and I'd say my inspiration should be rather obvious!

Of course it's the film "Captain America", which my friend is a huge fan of. Being a typical red-blooded male, females in figure-hugging costumes and stockings are also much appreciated, so I completely expect this card to be well received!

The papers are from Craftwork Cards and I did some more embossing as a way to include stars. (I put off trying embossing for ages, then half my cards suddenly use the technique!)

The sentiment was computer generated. Fun fact, the gentleman in question is actually known to myself and others in our circle as "colonel" (In fact, I think in all the years that I've known him, I've never actually called him by his actual name! He's always "colonel" or "sir"...)
I'm sure that he won't mind being demoted to "Captain" temporarily, lol.

So there you go, one card inspired by a film. There's some brilliant cards by my fellow sweeties waiting to be admired over on the Sweet Stampin' blog, so I suggest you go take a peek and see if you can guess what's inspired by what!

I'm soooo looking forward to seeing the entries this week!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Paper Crafting Journey - Make it Manly
Crafty Little Fairies - Song or Film title
Graph'It - Male Colours
Hobby Cutz - Celebration card


Have a most fantabulous weekend!

Sammy-x

Guest DT - Crafting by Designs

And hello again my dears!  I know, two posts in only a few hours, and I'm not even awake! lol.

I am very excited to be able to share with you that I have been asked to be a guest designer over at Crafting By Designs for the March challenge. Naturally I jumped at the chance to join in and create something for this challenge, which features everyone's favourite theme... anything goes!

It gave me an opportunity to play with a stamp I'd recently acquired (though it had been on my wish-list for quite some time!), which is the La-La Land Crafts Top Hat Steampunk Marci.
And to make it that little bit more special, I decided to make an easel card, as I've not made one in many months!

The paper is Kanban (I am sooooo in love with that pad. I'm kinda hoarding it though, as I'm unlikely to be able to find more!) matted with gold Miri card, to match the gold embossed designs in the paper.

Some metal brads seemed the right thing to frame the sentiment...

Some copper coloured ribbon and gold pearls to finish it off...

I really, really enjoyed making this card, and colouring this stamp with my Promarkers. I've come to the conclusion that the LLLC stamps really are a pleasure to colour!

So that's my GDT card for Crafting By Designs. I hope some of you are feeling inspired to play along with the March challenge!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Sweetpea stampers - Easel card


Remember to be fabulous!

Sammy-x

Shaped cards - Crafting with dragonflies DT

Hello my dears,

Just swinging by to share this fortnight's Crafting with Dragonflies DT post with you all, and the theme is Shaped cards.

Now, my first set of Grand Nestibilities should be on its way, but in the meantime, I managed to find a pack of shaped cards, so figured I'd grab them and use them (I normally make my own card blanks... Don't see the point in wasting money on something so easy to make!).

Now, we are sponsored this challenge by the wonderful MilkCoffee and by All Dressed Up and they gave us some gorgeous digis to play with.

This is my card using an All Dressed Up digi, called "Little Angel":

I used some paper from a Spellbinders Mixed media pad and inked the edges with Walnut Stain ink. The flowers are from WOC and some other embellishments from Live & Love Crafts. The wings are of course covered in Stardust Stickles, as is the flower garland in her hair.
The lace was from my stash, and I chose that particular one, as I thought the pattern resembled angel wings.
The sentiment came from a magazine freebie set.

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Wild orchid Crafts - Wings and things
Stampin' for the weekend - Sparkle and shine
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes
The ABC Challenge - G is for Girls
Sparkles Monthly - ribbon/Lace, hearts and pearls (2nd entry)


And of course I could not resist making a card with a MilkCoffee image too. This particular image was a freebie on their blog some time ago...

I think the papers I used here are Melissa Frances... The heart die is from Memory Box and the large gemstones from My Mum's Craft Shop.
The ballerina charm was a pound shop find!

As you've probably been able to tell, I've found a new favourite hair colour... The "dirty ash blonde" look is far more realistic, I find, than the more yellowy blonde, and more co-operative with Promarkers than browns are.

Anyways, that's my contributions to the theme, now it's your turn - after you've seen what the other Dragonflies have been up to, of course!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafts Galore encore - Use a stamp or digi


Be excellent to each other!

Sammy-x

Oh hello there!

Good morning my dears!

Oops, I may or may not have ended up at LOTV again yesterday, and this time hubby and son came along too. I'm pretty sure hubby is planning to stage an intervention one of these days, lol.

I did however get some of the new paper pads, and a stamp set I have plans for... Watch this space!

I'm here just for fun today, no DT work to show off this time. I do however have a card to share, which features a digi stamp I won recently. The stamp is called "Girl Friday" and is from Art By Miran. She is such a cutie, no?

I teamed her up with some papers from a pad of randoms I picked yp at the Harrogate fair a year ago... They just seemed to work really well with the image!

I edged the image panel with tattered rose ink, then added some ribbon, liquid pearls and Stickles for a touch of sparkle, and I added a few pearls (coloured green with my Promarker!) and a magazine freebie sentiment to finish it off. Oh, and glossy accents on the shoes, of course!

I so loved colouring this image! I have a few more, so may well be making some more such cards in the near future...

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

A Creative Romance - Bingo (pearls, glitter, bow)

Bearly Mine - One for the girls

Craft-Dee Bowz - anything goes with a handmade bow

The Ribbon Girl - Birthday

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

Sammy-x

March challenge - Rhedd's Creative Spirit DT

Good morning blogland!

Is it just me, or did February fly by rather too quickly? There were some gorgeous entries over at Rhedd's Creative Spirit, and all in all I think we can call the first challenge a success!

This month we have a brand new challenge, and the theme as always is anything goes, provided of course it is altered art (please, no cards!).

For my DT project I did something a little different...

I've been admiring all these beautiful journals I've seen in the land of blog, some art journals, some for jotting down random thoughts, and others that double as a planner. So I thought, hey... Let's grab a nice journal, and alter it!

So that's exactly what I did...

I used some gorgeous DCWV paper that my mum got me for Christmas. I have a real weakness for bookprint papers, and there are several in the pad, but this one was my favourite. I also cut some other elements from the pad to act as frames/mats for the "sentiment" (Grace Taylor letter stickers) and the image, which was a rub-on. I used a few Kaisercraft sentiments and finally finished it off with some flowers (WOC and Papermania blooms)

Spine:

And the back:

The notebook itself was gorgeous to begin with... It's A5 with a (faux) leather cover, and has a couple of pockets in the back that will be great for keeping things like stickers and such in.

The prize this month is this gorgeous money box:

So what are you waiting for? Go take a look at the stunning makes by the rest of the DT, then go and create! I can't wait to see what entries we will have this month!

Have an excellent day!

Sammy-x