Crafty Cardmakers challenge 101 - Cute and Furry

Welcome to our latest challenge, hosted by me this time and I have chosen the theme 'Cute and Furry'

I would like to see the main focal point of your creation be something that is cute and furry. It can be a digi stamp, stamp, photographic image, but must have fur and be cute.

For my card I have chosen to use a topper and some background papers from the Crafters Companion Moreheads CD.  I love this little pup - and he is ideal for this birthday card which I needed to make quite quickly because all the main elements of the card are on the sheet you print out.

The base card was cut to be square (it's about 5 3/4 inches) and was a nice thick cardstock.  Onto that I layered a docrafts backing sheet in a mauve, which matched the iris in the picture perfectly.

Next was the components from the printed off sheet - the base layer was printed onto matte paper, and the topper part onto semi gloss photo paper.  I added some gems and paper flowers from my stash to finish it off.  The hardest part was cutting the small scallop around the topper edge - but even so this was a really quick card to make and sometimes, that is what you need!

Good luck with your cards - I look forward to seeing your creations.

We are sponsored by 
DI'S DIGISTAMPS
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. 

Winged things - pondery thoughts about our cards

When I was doing my card for the challenge this week at Crafty Cardmakers, the first one I made was this.  But I didn't like it when it was finished.

I am not sure what I don't like - perhaps the green mat? And I think the colouring was off, too.  So what to do with this?

I've put it in my box of made cards anyway.  When the box is full I take it in to work and if anyone asks me if I have any cards, I say I do and they can rummage through.

What's weird, though, is that sometimes they will pick a card like this, that I don't like and they love it.

So what I think I am saying is, don't ever give up on your cards.  Even if you don't like the finished result, someone else may.  And even if it didn't come out the way you wanted, you have learned something to bear in mind for the future.  In my case, acid green is not my thing...

Challenge 100 - Winged things

Welcome to our latest challenge at Crafty Cardmakers where we would like to see Winged Things.  Your project must have something with wings as a major focal point. Not a tiny butterly charm, or a small bee in the corner of an image, the wings need to be obviously part of the focal point. Fairies, angels, LARGE butterflies, birds etc. would qualify. 

My card came about when I needed a "quick win" and utilised quite a lot of things I had already got in my stash box (backing mat, butterflies and sentiment). 

The base card was brown DL size, and the backing mat was embossed with a cuttlebug embossing folder (script) and distressed with vintage photo distress inks. I used oval nesties for the photograph and the mat and layers in the centre. The two butterflies  were spellbinders dies, also distressed with vintage photo. The sentiment was a bought one. 

 I was really pleased with the way this came out.

We are sponsored by 

CRAFTS AND ME

with three digis of the winner's choice from their great range

AND ALSO BY

WOODWARE CRAFT COLLECTION

With a prize of £12.00 to spend at your favourite Woodware Stockist, either in store or on line.

 

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.

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge 99 - Christmas Snow and Ice

Welcome to Crafty Cardmakers latest challenge, hosted by Josephine, who has chosen the theme of 'Christmas Snow and Ice'. 

As the hot weather draws to a close, she would like to see us preparing for Winter with some Christmas Snow and Ice.

Your creation must include either a representation of snow or ice, plus a Christmas theme in order to qualify for the Winner or Top 5 slots

Christmas is probably the time of year when we send the most cards, at least in one go! For my card this time, I decided to continue my quest to use up some of the stash I already had from previous years and so went on a treasure hunt through my "bits" box.

I used a 6 x 6 inch square card base with a texture, which I ran through my cuttlebug in an old Docrafts embossing folder.  This gave me icy snowflakes around a centre framed area. To make the snowflakes pop, I used my trusty distress ink (tumbled glass), but only around the edge.  It hasn't come out particularly well in the photograph, but I used a quickie glue pen and some glamour dust to add an icy sparkle both to the snowflakes and the frame.

Next, I used a small small topper from a hunkydory kit of (I think) 2 years ago, which went into the centre of the frame, after I had added some "falling snow" with the quickie glue pen and some glitter. Lastly, I added a sentiment  embellishment from the same kit.

One card down- about 40 or so to go!!!

This time...

We are sponsored by
DI'S DIGISTAMPS
 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 these two gorgeous stamps:-

Archie and Pals

Bertie The Snowman 

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