Tilda with beads...

There seems to be tons of bead themes around this week. I made a card earlier in the week using beads and a Penny Black image. However, today I got out my favourite Tilda stamp and made this card for the challenge at http://magnoliachallengeblog.blogspot.com/ and also the challenger at http://www.daringcardmakers.blogspot.com/. Both challenges involved using beads somewhere in your design - my beads make up the word heart and came already attached to a little heart motive in a set my daughter brought home as a present the other day.

The design is from a fabulous sketch by Katharina and is the challenge on http://cutecardthursday.blogspot.com/. I had to reverse the layout of the design to match the way Tilda was facing.

The pink and green gingham paper is from DCWV and the green is embossed using a cuttlebug folder. The purple heart was part of the set with the beaded one and I sort of wish I hadn't put in on now as I think pink would have been better. However, having pulled things off in the past and ripped cards I think it can stay this time!!!

Be Square

The challenge on http://wednesdaystamper.wordpress.com/ this week is to use squares somewhere in your card design. I've been wanting to try out the grid technique tutorial on http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/grid_technique since I saw it last week.

This challenge gave me the perfect excuse.

The stamp used is a huge background leaf design that came in a grab bag a little while ago from Frantic Stamper. It's the first time I've used it and I couldn't believe how good the definition on the leaves was - the grid of squares on my card is only a small portion of the stamp.

I used Sepia versemark ink.

Ismaki 20

Every week the sketch on http://ismaki.wordpress.com/ is totally fabulous and very inspiring. This week the sketch involved making a circular card. It made me remember some circular card footballs I bought a few weeks ago at a Pound shop. At the time I thought I would be able to mount them on a card to use as a backing paper, but seeing the challenge this week I decided to fasten two together to create the card.

I made a hinge on the inside between the two football shapes and then covered the whole inside area with black light weight card.

I stamped and painted footballer Edwin using my Lyra crayons and he is decoupaged to give him more oomph! The birthday words are attached with white sparkly brads and I've already added a name as I happen to know a keen Sunderland supporter who has a birthday coming up fairly soon.

In the garden...

Just in the nick of time to post this 'in the garden' card for the challenge at http://rainbowladyschallengeblog.blogspot.com/. The image is a cute hedgehog one from Penny Black and was given me by a stamping friend. Thank you Irene.

I painted the image using Art Quest Pastelle water colour paints with a touch of orange stickles on the centre of the flower and the bees. The beads strung on white ribbon across the bottom of the card are from a set bought for 10p in one of Tesco's sale baskets.

I think I may use some more of them to join in this weeks Tilda and Co challenge.

Hang in there!!!

Hmmmmmmmmm could do with sending this card to my self considering the way I feel this week but not to worry things can only get better!

The challenge on http://www.daringcardmakers.blogspot.com/ was 'animalia' with a brief of creating a card with any animal on it. At http://tandastamps.blogspot.com/ the title for the challenge is 'Zoofari' and you can create a card with any zoo animal in it.

I had all kinds of ideas in my head but ended up making a very very simple card using some of my new stamps from Hero Arts and Autumn Leaves - both sets have similar animals in and I thought they would work quite well together. The 'hang in there' words are also in the set.

The card is dark brown and seems to be blending in to the background a little on this photo - sorry about that. I used Marvy Le Plume pens directly onto the stamps and and then using a damp paint brush I dragged the colour from the edges to colour the image. The card is from DCWV and the leaves are from a little pack of Jolees I was given.

A thank you card

Beginning to feel a bit better and had a lovely time putting this thank you card together for the challenge on http://stampchallenges.blogspot.com/.

It was only when I came online to add it to my blog that I realised I was supposed to 'Stamp something' -so sorry - my head is so fuzzy from this summer cold. I will make amends by stamping the words inside the card.

The floral card is by Kanban and is double sided which meant that I could punch the flowers out of the scraps left from my A4 sheet. I used the trick of rolling the wooden handle end of my pricking tool on the centre of my flowers in the palm of my hand just to give them a bit of dimension. I also added a gemstone to the centre of each of the big flowers. The purple gems were in a pack of Hero Arts clear stamps I got from http://www.thebargaingarden.net/index.html. How good is that? Clear stamps and bling in one packet - heaven!!!