Challenge 78 - Christmas Come Early

I really didn't want to think about this in September but it really is time to start thinking about it if I need to be ready and after last year when Christmas crept up on me (who knew it was at the end of December - Duh).

For this Challenge we have the fabulous Nicole from

Inky Impressions

The Winner will received a $10 Gift Certificate

We were given an image and sentiment to use and I got to use the fabulous 

Christopher Holding Logs.  I really enjoyed colouring this image in and for a change I used my Copic markers to colour my image.  I had an idea in mind when I saw the image and decided to make a stepper card and use my Tim Holtz Bigz dies of pine trees for the side steppers.  I've used glitter card throughout but the trees are a self adhesive glitter foam.  The snowflake is a die and the glitter card came from Home Bargains.  I didn't like the way the card mat edge looked so I used ribbon to mask the joins and edges.  For the edge of the white border at the bottom I drew round a Spellbinder die and then cut out with a knife.  The base card came from Craft Den Studio.  I'm really please with how this turned out and someone may get this as a Christmas card this year.

Hop over to the CWWCC and show us your Christmas projects.

CHALLENGES

Sketch Saturday #327 - Sketch by Debra
Clear it out - Fancy Folds & use your dies
4 Crafty Chicks #211 - Fancy Folds
Moving along with the Times - Texture Time (glitter card)
Papertake Weekly - Repeat Repeat (2 trees and repeat pattern on the border?)

Crafting When We Can Challenges 46 - Mad About Markers

For the next 2 Challenges we are being sponsored by the talented Heather over at Lacy Sunshine

We were generously given an image to use for these challenges and for the

MAD ABOUT MARKERS

use Promarker, Copics, Spectrum Noir on your main feature.

The image I used is called Mitzi

I have used a blank white card base with green, pink, yellow and gold card out of my stash.  The gold card was embossed with my new Tim Holtz wood embossing folder.  My image was coloured using Promarkers and Copics.  I used my new spellbinder flourish with a little flower punch and pearls to add interest.  Behind my image is a beautiful piece of ribbon which you can't see very well on the rubbish photo.  The sentiment if cut from a HOTP senitment sheet.  I added some tiny butterflies at the last minute punched from the parchment paper I used to help release the card from the die.

Hop over to the CWWCC and join in Challenge 46.  We would love to see your awesome projects.

CHALLENGES

The Paper Shelter #115 - Flower Power
My Time To Craft #225 - Fairytale ~ Thumberlina
A Gem of a Challenge 83 - Emboss it ~ tree trunk
Allsorts Challenge 210 - In the Garden
Shopping Our Stash 104 - No Patterned Paper ~ used 3 different plain card colours, piece of ribbon, embossing folder, die and punches.

Crafting When We Can Challenges #22 - 1 image, 2 ribbons, 3 buttons

Everyone's feeling better now, and things are back to normal so here is my card for Challenge 22 over at Crafting When We Can Challenges.  Our wonderful sponsor this challenge is 

Spesch Designer Stamps

and were were given our choice of image.  The image I chose was Birthday Girl by Max, I love the cute dungarees she is wearing and the careful way she is carrying her precious cupcake.

The papers are from a 360 page paper pack by K & Co. (love all the papers in this stack), the ribbons are from Craft Den the buttons are from my stash. The image is coloured with Promarker and Copics.  Edges of the Tim Holtz mat were distressed with DI, bundled sage, it doesn't look as scruffy IRL. 

I made this card while looking out at my wet, overgrown garden from the attic (my bedroom).  I haven't got my desk up there yet (it's still in the box in the garage) but I do have a shelf wide enough to work on and after moving all my OH's stuff I managed to clear a space for my craft mat so slowly but surely I'm getting there.  This year will be my year and I'm determined to get some space back from the OH and the kids.

Hop on over to the Challenge blog and leave your project with the blue froggy.

CHALLENGES
The Game - Patty Cake
Catch The Bug Challenge - Anything Goes
Victorine Stamps #38 - Buttons & Ribbons
Digital Tuesday Challenge #168 - Inside out, decorate inside of card
Clear It Out Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafting When We Can Challenges 20 - Mint Choc Chip (mint green & brown)

This Challenge we are doing a colour combo the only problem is everyone has a different idea of what mint is, we all know it's green but what green.  Ice-cream tends to be a pale green but the mint plant in my garden if quite a dark green and the mint jelly from the jar is very dark green.  So I chose a green I thought was a minty colour and used that. 

Our sponsor for this Challenge is Kenny K Downloads and we were kindly given a choice of the images from the store.  My daughter chose Brianna Blaster.  As Kenny's images are so detailed I decided to print the image A5ish and colour it in and then scan the image into my computer and size it up and print out 4 copies.  I used all the images to layer up my image.  The mats are are cut from Tim Holtz dies and the tag was cut from a piece of 12 x12 double sided paper but I don't know the name (the tag is the same paper of the mat but using the other side).  The black swirls are pieces of borders from Poundland and the ribbon is from Craft Den coloured with an Anna Griffin Chocolate ink.

Hop over to the Challenge and join in with your wonderful creations.

CHALLENGES

Ruby's Rainbow #30 - Tags

Cupcake Craft Challenge 195 - Tags

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Moving Along With The Times - Anything Goes

Digital Tuesday #163 - Anything Goes

Crafting When We Can Challenges #10 - Use something non crafty

The challenge over at Crafting When We Can Challenges is to use something you wouldn't usually use for crafting.

Our Sponsor this challenge is Trace over at 

Spesch Stamp Designs

I have used the Spring Fairy Design for my card, she is supposed to look like she is coming out of a fairy glade with the foliage and flowers but I made the fern leaves too dark and they blend in with the background.  My background is a piece of fancy corrugated card which they use at Ikea to put between some of their pot plant pots to stop them from smashing together.  I have spritzed it with Crafty Notion gold and silver spray and then gone over it with DI but it came out really dark and as there is no contrast between it and the leaves it gets lost.  It is also a rubbish picture and even though I took it under my daylight bulb it still looks dark to me.  I really like this image and will be having another go at making this card but trying to make the fern leaves lighter and that might show off the background better.  The flowers were made using K & Co papers, a spellbinder flower die and the Tim Holtz rose method and a few stickles to make them sparkle.  The leaves were cut on my Craftrobo.  I coloured the image with my Flexmarkers, which I bought myself for Christmas.

CHALLENGES

Colour Create #88 - Pink and Green with optional handmade flower (believe it or not her trousers are a very pastel flexmarker green)

Delightful Challenges - Distressed/vintage

Craft Your Days Aways #37 - Distressing

Crafty Purple Frog - Anything Goes

Craft Den - May ATC - Flowers

This is my entry for the May ATC swap organised by Lynne, owner of the Craft Den.  The papers are from the 6 x 6 paper pack Wild Asparagus by MME, the sentiment is from Craftwork Cards.  I followed the Tim Holtz method to make the paper rose.

The theme for June's swap is Shoes so get out those 2.5" x 3.5" pieces of card and get crafting.