Back with 2 challenges

I decided to make another card for a male, I often struggle with these but this image is just so like a lot of teenagers I know and as I haven't used it for ages, felt it was time it got inked up....



I used the sketch from Creative Inspirations challenge and hoping that this will qualify for the ABC challenge which is B for Blue, the card has to be 80% blue, hoping there's enough blue on here....
The papers are from a Basic Grey pad I've had for ages, image coloured with copics and edges distressed with Weathered Wood distress ink. Decided to make an easel card as its a long while since I've made one of these. Star dies are made by trimming the rounded edges from an SU! flower punch.

Just a quick post as I need to get dinner on. Have a wonderful weekend, whatever you're up to.

Monochrome motorbike

I needed to make a card for a nephew's 14th birthday today. I often struggle with making cards for males of this age group unless they are into football, so had to get my thinking cap on..... I had a flick through the challenges about this week and this is what I came up with



I used the sketch from Get Sketchy, although I'm not sure if I'm in time for this one, the Papertake Weekly challenge is a colour combo this week of black, white and one other, my one other being silver, and the challenge at Creative Inspirations is to use numbers and/or letters on your card.
Quite a plain card in comparison to my normal makes but it doesn't seem right putting flowers, ribbons or gems on a card for a male....
Not totally happy with this one but better get it in the post as it needs to be in Germany be early next week :-s

Manga boy rocks 3 challenges

Must have tempted fate with my earlier comment about the beautiful sunshine as no sooner had I posted that then the sun went in and its been quite dull and chilly ever since! What an excuse to shut myself away in my craft room.

I had a look through the current challenges and with some of these in mind this is what I came up with.....



I used some new rubba, Manga Boy from Funky Kits, which arrived last week, but I haven't managed to ink up, until today. I coloured the image with Promarkers as shown in the picture below and used Basic Grey Archaic papers and offcuts in varying shades to match.



I am going to enter this into the challenges listed below:-
Passion for Promarkers - sketch challenge this week, no specific colours
MTTC - neglected or forgotten stash, the papers and Super Stars stamps from Banana Frog which I found lurking in the back of my cupboard - never inked up I think!
Creative Inspirations - doodling.

My first attempt with distress inks

I have never used distress inks before but after seeing Bev use them at Newbury, I had to have some! Here is my firt attempt using them, it was very theraputic painting with them, think I need to get some more colours.....



I'm going to enter this card for 2 challenges the first is Just Magnolia, a sketch this week by Mina. I used my Butterfly Tilda stamp that I got at Newbury, still not received my summer kit, grrrrr..... I dug deep for this Papermania double sided paper, really like the colour tones, which pick up the colours in the main image.
The challenge at Creative Inspirations is to use gems and/or pearls, more Newbury purchases, lovely Kaiser craft pearls, an absolute bargain, had to get them in all of the colours LOL!! Flower punch from XCut, MS border punch, SU tag punches and sentiment, image coloured with distres inks and twinkling H2Os.

Am off to finish off the ironing now, got last bit of school uniform to do :-( still only 1 more weekend, then 6 weeks off, for me and the kids - yippee!!!! Lots of crafting time.

Anything but a card.....

The challenge at Creative Inspirations this week is anything but a card.
Anyone reading my blog earlier this week would see that I am trying to set up some kind of system for all the challenges out and about, in a bid to enter more and to clear my desk of all the notebooks and scribbed notes.
Not managing to come up with anything new, have resorted to these little index cards I found lurking in a cupboard recently, I have written out a card for each challenge, added day the challenge is launched in pen and the deadline in pencil, so this can be changed each time, the rest of the card is free for the challenge details to be written, sketched in pencil, which can then be rubbed out and the card used again. Once I had written out the card I needed a little box to put them in, not finding any at The Range, not wanting to go to Staples in Fareham or being able to wait for the postman to deliver one I could order online I set about making one.



After a couple of prototypes, this is my final version which I am really pleased with, hope it will enable me to be a bit more organised! Wonder if I could organise the rest of my life so easily ROFL ????
Not sure if this side will be the front or back as I like both sides, perhaps I could alternate it! Dotty circles made using the Seeing Spots stamp set, stamped in Apricot Appeal, Green Galore and Tempting Turquoise ink, then mounted onto co-ordinating card and finished of with brads.



I used an A4 sheet of Tempting Turquoise card to make the box and scraps of Rainbow Sherbet to jazz it up a bit, a length of ribbon tied around it and a few punched shapes completes the look.



I used the the text is computer generated, couldn't get the font colour to match the papers, this is the nearest I could get. I ran an chalk ink pad over the white paper to make it merge into the TT card mount.



I used plain white card to make the divider cards, stamped some TT card with the Polka Dot backgound stamp using the Versamark in pad, added tags with days of the week written on them and one for completed challenges.

Really enjoyed making this, hope it works, time will tell, if you see more entries here you know I've solved my problem....

Was hoping to catch a bit of sun today, but its still hiding away, oh well, have a few jobs to do so could get those out of the way then hope it makes an appearance this afternoon!

All stash from Stampin' Up! if you would like to order any of these or other items, please contact me and I will be more than happy to help.
CS - Tempting Turquoise, Apricot Appeal, Green Galore
DSP - Rainbow Sherbet
Inks - as CS colours
Stamp sets - Polka Dot background, Seeing Spots, Polka Dot Punches
Tools - Tag, 5 Petal Flower, Circle and Scalloped Circle punches
Ribbon - Tempting Turquoise
Brads - as CS colours

Creative Inspirations challenge 3 - Scallops

Two posts in one day, can't remember the last time that happened!
Thought I should have some quality crafting time and catch up on some challenges today, the boys are out, Elle is supposed to be revising - the house is lovely and quiet.

The challenge over at Creative Inspirations this week is scallops, so having several punches with scallops on I thought I would join in this one.



Time to use some of my lovely SU! stash, I love the set I have used here, Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set along with papers from the Sweet Always designer paper set, another favourite of mine. The image was stamped onto Whisper White cardstock with Chocolate Chip ink, coloured in with Creamy Caramel Stampin Pastels. The icing on the cake is paper pieced from scraps, it has a lovely sheen to it, not very clear in the photo but very effective IRL.
I have used my scallop border punch along the right side of the card front and on the Pumpkin Pie mat on the front of the card. Sentiment has been stamped on WW cs in Choc Chip and mounted onto a scalloped oval which has been paper pierced. Do you think there's enough scallops?

Am off out in the garden now, ought to do a bit of pruning while the sun is shining. See you later.