Just for Ewe

I thought I would experiment with using background papers to suggest scenery.  It was a lot of fun and easier than I thought it would be.  I am quite pleased with the result.  I found it easier to use mainly one colour (soft blue) to work out what went well with what and then coloured the image after I had made the background.  The papers and the stamped image were all digital ones from Pink Petticoat.  I especially like the ribbon stripes papers which I have used on cards for any age or occasion and for both genders. 

I really like the example cards on Pink Petticoat.  They look simple until you try to replicate them and then you realise how complex and clever they are. 
There is a really good bow tying tutorial by one of the Pink Petticoat design team that has inspired me to practise.

I have entered this card in the Daisy Doodles #18 Challenge Critter Mad.

Striped background paper: Ribbon Stripes colour Collection
Flower background paper: Wild Blossoms Just Papers
Digistamp: With {Flowers} Image Stamps

New Beginnings

It is lovely to come back to blogland after a long absence especially when you have such a friendly follower like Scrappyjacky. She is always there with words of praise and encouragement. Thank you so much. You are appreciated. Do visit her blog for some brilliant inspiration.

A family member asked my to create a card for her friend for a special occasion.  It seemed like a perfect excuse to buy some new digistamps and invest in a digikit (all now safely backed up on separate media!).  I am so getting hooked on Pink Petticoat so I did a bit of buying in her boutique instead of my normal window shopping.  And here is the first of my creations with my new kits.  I entered the Pollycraft Monday Challenge for sparkly things.  The stardust pens are very sparkly, though not in a photo!

Digikit: Wild Blossoms by Pink Petticoat
Digistamp: With {Flowers} by Pink Petticoat
Colouring: Sakura Stardust pens, Lyra Aquacolours

Oval frame: Majestic Keepsake Board by the Glitter Girls

Curved Cards

I so loved 'The Next Step' blog. I was so sorry to hear they wer unable to continue to to ill health. Anyway, I finally got round to using one of the templates that are still available to download. The instructions are excellent and easy to follow. Here are a couple of examples of cards I made using the template.

DigiStamps: Vase of Hearts & Perfume Bottles by Sketching Stamper

DigiKit: Peachy Keen free from Nana's Attic

Embossed Flower: Majestic Keepsake Board by the Glitter Girls

Colouring: Sakura Stardust pens, Lyra Aquacolours, Colour Box chalk ink pads

Big Flowers! Card Pattern Sketch #17

I don't know if I will have time to put all my cards on my blog as I have so many family & friends with birthdays in June & July that I am working flat out. One of my favourite crafters is Madgesty & on her blog I noticed a link to The Daily Dare. Wow, so many card challenge sites all listed in one place. It's fab! That's how I found Card Pattern Sketch and this card is my entry for their challenge.

I cannot begin to tell you how many things went wrong with this card! I think I have managed to cover them up - well most of them!

I recently became the very happy owner of 25 Sakura Stardust pens. Of course every opportunity I can find out come my new pens. I coloured the flowers with Sakura, I wish you could see the sparkle, but the photo does not do it justice.

Stamp: Flower Heads by Rubbadubbadoo

Digikit: Easter Blessings by NBK-NicNic

Coloring: Sakura Stardust pens

Going Green

No, not a new environmental initiative on my part, just time for some green colour crafting. This beautiful digistamp from Sandra Dry keeps calling to me. I tried a bright colour combination previously and now thought I would try a green/lime green/black combination as I was inspired by the striped paper.

But I had a complete disaster, I smudged the base card because I tried to stick on the paper lace before it had dried (I coloured it with a black ink pad). OK, it wasn't a complete disaster but the small smudge kept glaring out at me so I decided to remake the card. I reprinted the green striped digi paper with a startling improvement in the results. This was all due to the new gentle gloss paper I bought from Joanna Sheen. The greens were so much brighter and the black was actually black instead of dark blue. The ink was also dry instantly.

I am entering the card in the Lace Challenge (#53) at A Spoon Full Of Sugar.

Lace Adhesive Borders: Lakeland (no longer available)

Digistamp: Sandra Dry

Colouring: Lyra Aquacolours

Digikit (striped paper): Two Peas In A Bucket (Rhonna Farrer)

Digikit (swirly paper): Funky Fairy Paper Crafts

Lilac & Lemon - What A Challenge!

There are so many great challenges for crafters each week and I could certainly never complete all the ones I would like to do so I usually pick one. This week I thought, (as I am often found bemoaning my penchant for pink and green), I would try the Lemon & Lilac Challenge Number 7 by Dare You To Digi Stamp. I even spent a bit more effort on the inside of the card after being inspired by some of you amazing crafty bloggers. I must update my list of Amazing Crafters as there are so many of you!

I so enjoyed this challenge and I even had a go at a ribbony/bows/button thing embellishment, not my forte but I gave it a go!

Digistamp: Lily-Boo's Boutique

Digikit (inside card): Funky Fairy - Simply Swirly Pack

Water Colours: Lyra Aquacolours

Inks: Color Box

Teddy Card - 2 Sketches 4 You Challenge

Well this was something new for me - I have to confess it took me ages to work out how to get the base card the correct shape for Kazan's Sketch 26 challenge! But once I'd managed that I was very pleased with the basic shape. I have been far too conservative with my card shapes in the past and it was great fun having a go at something new.

Digikit: Nanas Attic
Digistamp: Sketching Stamper
Water Colours: Lyra Aquacolours

Mothering Sunday Card - Sketch Saturday #42

For once I have completed my project a few days before it is due! I am usually hoping the paint/ink/glue is really dry when I am handing the card over to the recipient! Anyhow, here is the card for my Mum made with a new digistamp which I love. I based my design on this week's sketch from Sketch Saturday.

Digi Stamp: Watering With Love by Sketching Stamper

Digikit: Easter Blessing Part One by NBK Scrap

Water Colour Crayons: Lyra Aquacolour

Chalk Inks: Color Box

Anniversary Swirl - Friday Sketchers 43

For my dear friends, a wedding anniversary card. I shall never forget the date as my nephew was born on the same day as their wedding. This card, created from a variety of digikits, was put together in the early hours of the morning. I didn't have a lot of time to spend on it but was quite pleased with the result. Inspired by Friday Sketchers 43 sketch.
Happy Anniversary D & D!

Digikits: Two Peas In A Bucket, Skrapping Alley assorted kits.

Baby Girl - Sketch Saturday #41

OK so I do seem to be going a bit overboard with pink and green at the moment, especially pink! Make mental note to use another colour palette soon! The gorgeous baby in pram is my first purchase of a digital doodle. I printed it out, coloured it with water colour pens and then used some chalk inks to colour the background. I am entering this card in the Sketch Saturday #41 challenge.

Digital Doodle: Grab-A-Doodle-Do

Background Papers: Digikit by Skrapping Alley

Spring Tulips - Papertake Weekly Challenge Entry

Actually whether it's spring, summer, autumn or winter this must be my most used stamp (Brush Tulip by Rubbadubbadoo). As it happens it just fitted the space reserved for the image as I made the card in reverse to my normal way of working. I started with layering the background sheets, added the 'ribbon' and then worked out the space left for the central image. Different, but it seemed to work and I am entering the finished result in the Papertake Weekly Challenge.

Pink background, ribbon & flowers: Skrapping Alley Digikit
Green background paper: Two Peas DigiKit
Inks: Colour Box Chalks, StazOn
Colouring: Lyra Aquacolours

Sail Boat - Kazan's Sketch 21

What a lovely challenge the 2 Sketches 4 You sketch made for me. Definitely outside my comfort zone, all those layers! I really struggled, almost gave up several times but persevered until I had created this sail boat card. The card was created from a DigiKit by Chaos Lounge Creations. Thanks very much to them.

1st Birthday - Dawnys Sketch #9

Pink and glitter for my niece's 1st birthday and my 1st entry for the Papertake Weekly Challenge! A couple of die cut teddies with bows to finish off. I printed all these elements (except the teddies) separately from a digikit. I could have layered them all on the screen and printed them assembled but after doing this for other cards I don't like the one dimensional look. I printed the pink background with the white rectangle as one element (this helped with saving ink), the striped paper with the black text on, the oval with a flower on as another element and finally a second flower so I could decoupage it. The papers and flower were from the free June 2007 Digikit by Two Peas In A Bucket.

What Are DigiKits?

Digital kits are sets of files to craft with on your computer. The designers create a collection of papers, frames, embellishments etc. that you can download. You could then just print them straight out or you could combine them on the screen in a suitable program before printing out. Alternatively, you can create scrapbooks by adding your own digital photos and journaling and publish/save them digitally. There is no right or wrong way of using them, just the best way for the user.

This recent project needed a card in a hurry. All the elements are from a DigiKit. I combined the red and blue papers in a drawing program, added the text and printed it onto pearl gloss paper. The 'happy birthday' label and round embellishments, part of the same DigiKit were also printed onto pearl gloss paper, then cut out and added to the card. The red ribbon and white card stock were the only non digital elements of this card.

You can find stunning DigiKits on sites such as Sweet Shoppe Designs. You purchase them online and then you download them. Two Peas In A Bucket publish a freely downloadable DigiKit every month. The software I used for this card was 'Draw' part of the freely downloadable 'Open Office' suite. To use the full functionality of DigiKits you would need a progam such as 'PhotoShop Elements'.

Well Here Goes!

Being a habitual procrastinator of course I have been thinking about becoming a blogger for a long time! Faced with a blank page I now realise I wasn't thinking anything useful as my mind is little better than blank. Why today, why not carry on procrastinating? I guess I needed something new, hopefully creative and colourful, to combat the onset of our dark cold winter.

So I guess I had better start with one of my most recent projects to add a bit of colour. I love cardmaking and stamping in particular. I am also just getting into DigiKits and enjoyed using this free kit from Two Peas In A Bucket. All I added were a few buttons, hearts, flowers, text tag and a ribbon as embellishments all the rest was from the digikit.