Crafty Cardmakers challenge 90 - APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS.

Welcome to our latest challenge at Crafty Cardmakers, hosted by Tracey, who has chosen the theme 'April Showers bring May Flowers'  For this challenge, she would like to see cards that include an image of something rain related and are embellished with at least 2 flowers. 

For my card, I chose to use a plain white base card, cut to be 6" x 6" square.  For my main image, I chose a stamp from the SWALK range, which I coloured with promarkers.  I stamped it onto some plain white card that I had put through my calibur, using a 6 x 6 embossing folder from crafters companion (Regal corner).  I distressed the edges of the card using tattered rose distress inks.  The background layer was also white card - but I coloured the edges with a promarker, and also the ribbon to match the colour scheme I'd used.  The flowers came from my stash, and are Prima.  The final touches were the stick on pearl gems and small pearl bow.  

To be honest, I wasn't happy with my colouring.  It's not bad, but I have done it better.  For some reason it wasn't clicking for me, and I couldn't get past the block.  But you have days like that when crafting - some days it goes really well and other days.... not so much.

Oh well, better luck next time I do this one!

We are sponsored by 

DI'S DIGI DOWNLOADS
 with a

$10 GIFT VOUCHER

I have been drawing since a child and studied graphics at College many years ago, I now work as a Medical photographer part time but my love was always drawing. I started cardmaking about 4yrs ago when I bought my daughter a cardmaking kit which we did together, but I’m afraid I got the bug! My daughter preferred scrapbooking. I then started looking online at other blogs and this then became my passion and I loved sharing my cards with likeminded people.
I love stamping and loved finding images, but sometimes I could not find what I wanted so I started to draw myself.
This then has become my second addiction and I have never looked back, I love thinking of new images, and its just fabulous to see others take them and make them into beautiful works of art. 
Long may it continue! 

and

THE STAMPMAN

 We are kindly sponsored for this challenge by The Stampman (and Lady of course!) who are ofering the winner a £10 voucher for their store, you can spend this online, in the shop or if you're lucky enough to see them at a show!  They have a ton of items in store, enough to tickle any crafty taste bud.

New baby girl box card

 One of my friends recently had her second baby, and as she had a little boy last time was delighted that this one was a girl.

I made her a box card - this is a very versatile card, and I have previously used it for other things, like tealights.  This time though, my box contained a tiny pair of newborn socks!  I used a nestie to cut out the circle in the box and backed it with acetate.

I used a textured card for the base, and embellished it with backing paper from my Hollybush Hill Joanna Sheen cd  and some pink pearlescent card (12 x12 cardstock from Create and Craft).  The image for the tag came from the same cd.

On the front of the card I used various nestie dies to cut out the shapes and mat and layered with the pink and base card.  The small pink flower came from my stash, and the lace that is going up the base of the spine is a paper lace on a roll.

I used white ribbon to tie the front and back together - this was applied underneath the backing paper so it didn't show.

Finally, the box card has to go in a box!  I made mine using a plain white card, but used the last of my pink pearlescent for a mat on the top.  I ran it through my bug in an embossing folder to give it some texture and finished with a small diecut image.  The final touch was the small diamante flower from my stash.

Crafty Cardmakers challenge 89 - Tag/Card with matching gift wrap, bag or box.

This week, the challenge at Crafty Cardmakers is hosted by Carole who has chosen the theme 'Tag/Card with matching Gift Wrap, Bag or Box'

 Carole would like to see a card or a tag with a complimentary matching gift wrap, bag or box. Any style just as long as it matches! 

Please ensure your project has the two matching features to qualify for a winner or Top 5 slot. 

A friend is getting married this week - so I thought this was a good opportunity to use the cute couple digi image from The Paper Shelter that I had in my collection.

The bag was made using a mycraft studio template, and I brought the digi image into the programme multiple times on top of the background. 

I used the same background paper for both the card and the tag, but for the card ran it through my calibur (mainly so I could try out the new A4 embossing folder - Interlocking circles - I bought at Ally Pally this week!)  All I have to do now is learn which side to have facing up, because my backing paper ended up debossed, not embossed, but I liked it like that too...

The tag base was made of gold card, and I mounted the image that I coloured with coloured pencils (cut out) using foam pads to give it emphasis.  I edged the tag with flexible peel off, and punching a hold through the top, attached it to the bag with white ribbon.

The base card was crafters companion pearl card, cut to 6" square size.  Onto this I mounted some of the green backing paper (after distressing the edges with lettuce adirondack ink pad.  I put flexible peeloff across the top and bottom of the backing paper, and a gold heart border peel off down the sides.

I coloured in the image again, using the same colours, but this time left the image on the card I printed it onto.  I gave the wedding dress some shimmer using some pearl lustre powder. I used this to mat behind a spellbinders die - A2 Fancy ribbon threader - and threaded some white ribbon through the slots, which was then topped with a small bow.   I stuck this topper onto the right hand side of the card, leaving some space on the left hand side for a peel off "love" balloon.

Finally, I cut out a spellbinders D'lite flourish and stuck it onto the bottom left hand side of the card, adding some stick on pearls (bought on a sheet at a very reasonable rate from Crafty Devils) for emphasis, and finishing with some paper flowers from my stash.

Finally, I used some peel off words in the bottom right hand corner.

This time we are sponsored by

THE PAPER SHELTER 

with a $20 gift certificate for their fabulous store

 If you are looking for fun, cute and lovely digi stamps for your paper-crafting or web design projects, The Paper Shelter is your one-stop boutique! This growing catalog of high-quality digi stamps with many different kind of options offers a multitude of themes such as everyday items, holidays, special occasions, children, adorable characters and creatures. Stamps are available in standard black and white line art, as well as in pre-colored format. Images are wonderful for coloring and make perfect additions to greeting cards and scrapbook albums. In "The Paper Shelter" you'll also find great other resources for all crafts (or digital) projects, like Paper Packs, Printables, Accessory sheet, etc. 

and 
WOODWARE CRAFT COLLECTION

 with this fabulous prize:-

 

Woodware are a Yorkshire based family owned business, as well as distributing Dreamweaver Stencils and Stampendous Stamps we have a wonderful range of stamps designed for us by Francoise Read and Jane Gill. We also scour the world for new and innovative products for the crafty card maker, and have a great range of punches and tools of the trade, to find stockists in your area or to see the range visit the website www.woodware.co.uk.

Our design team are playing along with the challenge so check out our blog, which is there for inspiration at www.woodware.co.uk/blog.

Our prize is £12.00 to spend at your favourite Woodware Stockist, either in store or on line. 
Happy Crafting! 

Crafty Cardmaker Challenge 88 - Humour

 Welcome to our latest challenge at Crafty Cardmakers, hosted by Suze, who has chosen the theme of Humour. 

It's April Fool's Day, a day for fun and trickery! Suze would therefore like to see some humour in your project. Perhaps a funny image or sentiment, or you might just want to add some googly eyes. Remember, laughter is the best medicine - so have fun! 

I was recently asked to make a funny card for a man who was hitting the big 50.... he is a Yorkshire lad, so it occurred to me that a nice pint of yorkshire bitter was obviously on tap in this bar scene from the La Pashe CD rom.

I used an A5 card base for this one  and because it was a flippin' men image, had to work out how to showcase the "back" side.

In the end I stuck the man seated on the barrel onto the front flap of a card, and then carefully cut him out so he was attached by a thin strip.  Then I stuck the reverse image onto the back.  This meant that my card now had a very strange front - so I mounted the whole thing onto another A5 card blank, meaning my man on a barrel was a flap!

To embellish my card I used some silver peel off around the image to highlight it, and some silver photo corner peel offs for the corners.  The verse at the bottom came with the image on a sheet.

We are sponsored by 
DI'S DIGI DOWNLOADS
 with a

$10 GIFT VOUCHER 

I have been drawing since a child and studied graphics at College many years ago, I now work as a Medical photographer part time but my love was always drawing. I started cardmaking about 4yrs ago when I bought my daughter a cardmaking kit which we did together, but I’m afraid I got the bug! My daughter preferred scrapbooking. I then started looking online at other blogs and this then became my passion and I loved sharing my cards with likeminded people.
I love stamping and loved finding images, but sometimes I could not find what I wanted so I started to draw myself.
This then has become my second addiction and I have never looked back, I love thinking of new images, and its just fabulous to see others take them and make them into beautiful works of art. 

Long may it continue! 

and 

HOBBY ART

with this fabulous prize:-

As a family business we're a friendly, helpful, bunch at Hobby Art.  All our stamps are designed by us and manufactured in Britain.
Look at the gallery on my blog - jennymayes.com - for lots of card ideas using the Hobby Art range.
We're pleased to sponsor the Crafty Cardmakers Challenge and look forward to seeing the entries.   
Good luck everyone.  Jenny and all. X