Cat sketch...

As soon as I saw this dynamic sketch by Donalda at http://liliofthevalleythursdaychallenge.blogspot.com/ I wanted to use it in this way. I thought the two outer circles were just right to use with animal prints with a wild cat image in the central circle.

As the challenge at http://tandastamps.blogspot.com/ this week is cats my card is also just right for there.

The paw print is made using a punch my daughter bought years ago and it may not be a cat's but it was just so tempting to use it in the bottom corner.

Materials used:

• brown base card
• hammered cream and gold mirri card for matting and layering
• paw print punch
• Wizard standard circle die
• Joanna Sheen Jayne Netley Mayhew CD for image and animal print backing paper
  
  

Blog inspiration...

This week the arty girlz at http://artygirlzchallengeblog.blogspot.com/ want everyone to look at other crafter's blogs and take inspiration from them to create their own work.

This was an ideal challenge for me as I was already in the middle of some cards that I originally got the idea from another crafter. Eversince first using Magnoli Tilda stamps I have loved to use them with a garden/countryside background. I was using the sky and grass background paper from the DCWV Spring pad but sadly three sheets do not last for ever.

Then following a link from my friend Heather's blog to Elaine at http://elainesden.blogspot.com/2008/10/step-card.html I saw the most fantastic card and details of where to get the gorgeous bits and bobs of clip art to create the background scene.

The clipart is from http://www.pccrafter.com/. It took awhile to find just what I wanted but eventually I found a collection of winter clip art (and quite a few more things that are in my wish list) to use with both Tilda and Messy Rabbit.

Thank you so much for the link Elaine and the help you gave me about using the site. You're a star.

Materials used:

• Joanna Sheen Messy Rabbit stamp set
• Clip art
• turquiose and yellow card
• silver mirri card to lay inside mirror frame
• silver sentiment peel offs
• Wizard die tag
• Sakura clear stardust pen

More messy rabbits coming soon...

Messy Rabbit Quick Card...

Doing quick cards is not easy for me. I'm a great one for spending ages choosing the right shade of paper etc and generally messing about trying things out so the challenge at http://abc-challenge.blogspot.com/ to make a card in 20 minutes was quite a task. At one stage I did think that the alternative 'Q' choice of quilling might have been a better bet!!!

However, I tried and I did keep to the 20 minutes - honest - well almost - I did get carried away when choosing the brad because I remembered that I had some cute bow things that you can use with a brad. I reckon the 10 minutes or so trying to find the safe place they were stashed away in should not count!!!

I made the card using the scarf frame from the fabulous clip art I bought recently and my Messy Rabbit stamp that hopped over from Joanna Sheen's website yesterday. I'm not completely happy with the card, but it is the first time I've coloured a messy rabbit image and the bright colours in the scarf made it quite hard to get the combination right on the rabbit.

Materials used:

• turquiose base card
• yellow card
• satin photo paper
• Joanna Sheen Messy Rabbit stamp
• PC Crafter Clipart
• wizard tag die cut
• brad and bow from stash
• silver sentiment peel off

Hidden Message...

The challenge at http://onestopcraftchallenge.blogspot.com/ is to create something with a 'hidden message'. A very different challenge and one that I have been thinking about on and off since I first saw it. The idea for this card came into my head last night when really I should have been asleep - thank you Heather for the pad and paper idea it's working well!!

The central octagon is fastened to the larger one by a crystal brad and can be turned to reveal the hidden Christmas message.


It always makes me incredibly happy when an idea I come up actually works so I really do think this card is very apt for the challenge at http://themethursday.wordpress.com/ . This week crafters were encouraged to think about what makes them happy in their work.

Materials used:

• wizard standard octagon die
• sizzix snowflake die
• silver mirri card
• white silver flecked card
• silver border, corner and sentiments peel offs
• blue gems from stash
  
  

P is for .... PINK...

When I was doing the Cuttlebug Sketch challenge a few days ago my daughter passed a comment that it was okay but would be brilliant in pink. She is very much a PINK person so just for her and the challenge at http://abc-challenge.blogspot.com/ a pink Christmas card.

This time I moved away from the original sketch and did a square card. I had a major (I do tend to exaggerate a bit) disaster while doing this card. I originally had the die cut the squares in the same glitter card as I have used for matting and layering. Then I used the Collall photo glue to stick them on. I was working on the theory that it would enable me to move the squares around to get perfect alignment. Hmmm not my best idea the glue had a strange effect on the glitter card (and I didn't put that much on). It seeped through and made the glitter bubble up and then it dropped off !!! Not good at all!!!

So be warned ... Glitter card and Collall glue is not a good combination!

So on my second attempt, using a pink mirri card, I took no chances and used DST - the squares may not be straight but there's no bubbles.

Materials used:

• silver mirri card
• pink glitter card
• pink mirri card
• Wizard die cut letters
• snowflake punch
• pink gems from stash

Let it snow sketch...

This is really uncanny! I made this card yesterday afternoon and then later in the day went to check out the new challenge at http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com/ and found that is was a sketch almost identical to the card I had just completed. I know I'm trying to keep up with challenges but doing them before they have been set is going a bit far.

I hope the members at Papertakeweekly will accept the card as an entry cause it just seems such a 'meant to be' kind of thing.

The card came to be due to another blogging friend, Elaine, who introduced me to the clipart at

http://www.pccrafter.com/. I was so impressed with the way she had used it with a Tilda stamp that I just had to go and investigate. I have been wanting some backgrounds to work with for awhile and the ones available at this site are just wow. I bought the snow scene to use with Joanna Sheen's Messy Rabbit stamps but couldn't wait for my rabbit to arrive before I started to play.

All the parts of the card are made using the clipart - I designed the layout on my computer and then printed off extra sections to be decoupaged.

As my card has a snowy theme it is also perfect for the challenge at http://craftawayasunday.wordpress.com/ where the challenge is 'Let it snow' and the challenge at http://www.mytimetocraftchallenge.blogspot.com/ where the challenge this week is 'Snowmen'. Wow a triple whammy!!!

Hope my rabbit arrives today so that I can do some stamping combined with the clipart.

Materials used:

• PC Crafter clipart in conjunction with Serif Home Office programme
• blue pearlescent base card
• silver card for matting and layering
• heavy duty photo paper - satin finish
• gemstones from stash
• computer generated wording

Wow another award...

I have been given the fabulous "I love your blog" award from the lovely Heather at http://ricas-haven.blogspot.com/. Over the last few months Heather has become a best blogging friend. I never fail to be amazed by her gorgeous work and she leads me astray so many times especially when I have decided not to buy anything for a while.
Check out her blog she does some fabulous stuff.

Now the rules say I have to give this to 7 people but I have already given an award out this week and so have decided to have open house!!!

If you are visiting my blog and would like this award consider it yours with my love, but do leave a message here so that I can come and check out your work.

Fabulous Folds...

Well actually the folds might be fabulous but I'm not that keen on the decoupage on them. I was trying to use up some of my QVC stash and really would have preferred to have done some stamping. The card is for the challenge at http://tandastamps.blogspot.com/ .

Ah well lessons learned. Not done one of these kind of cards before, but I think the effect of the stand up central diamond shape could be quite effective and it certainly something I would use again. I got the instructions from a magazine but I'm sure they will be available on the web somewhere.

Sentiment stamp only...

I think I may have cheated slightly on this challenge, but as I made 3 - wow - yes 3 cards I'm hoping to be forgiven.

The challenge at http://pennybfriendssaturdaychallenge.blogspot.com/ was to create a card, etc using only a sentiment stamp. No images allowed - hmmmmmmmmm well I reckon that this is a sentiment stamp even though it does create an image.

The stamp is from a set of clear Penny Black stamps called T for transparent. All three cards are really tiny ones. I may decide to use them as gift tags - not quite decided yet.

Materials used:

• Penny Black sentiment clear stamp
• red card
• cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder
• green and black card
• black Christmas words paper from DCWV
• red organza ribbon