31 January 2011

I like driving in my car!

OK, how many of you have teenagers dropping hints about driving lessons & or cars??  The driving age is 17 here in the UK so I have about 18 months to go with my son - unfortunately cardboard box substitutes nolonger suffice.  Thankfully, driving simulators courtesy of PS3 appear to be appeasing him at present, phew!!  However, some of the flashy cgi cars he's driving mean his "car wish list" is a tad "expensive" LOL!!!!
 Convertible       Antique 1      Hazzard Smileys  Truck  Quad Racer
I've made this little card for Mo's Challenge Blog - this weeks competition is a "colour" challenge:



With such a busy "traffic" related background the card didn't really need too much more, so I merely added ribbon & a really cute caption from Create with TLC which I've printed on coloured paper & coloured with Prismacolor & Zest-it.

Image: Mo Manning - "Eli"
Paper: Basic Grey Wander paper pad
Colouring: Copic, Prismacolor, Chalk & Distress ink
Additional: Ribbon & cardstock from stash & Nestabilities


And for those who like to know the Copics colours used - yep as always I've managed to use "quite a few!"


Good luck to everyone who is entering this weeks challenge - I love seeing how differently we all interpret the challenges.  Not forgetting a big thank you to Mo for her wonderful work that I find so inspiring.


Happy Crafting

28 January 2011

Love "n" buttons

Here's my entry for this weeks Karen's Doodles Challenge, where the theme is "buttons":




Image: Karen's Doodles - "Bigsbys in love"
Paper: Papermania Rose Garden
Colouring: Copics, Distress & Chalk Inks
Additional: Nestabilities, QK Exclusive buttons

This challenge gave me the opportunity to use one of the last Exclusive Quickutz dies I designed - I added embroidery thread, shading with chalk ink & mounted them with foam squares.

Good luck to everyone who is entering the challenge & a big thanks to Karen for creating such a cute image - had a blast colouring it!!!


And yep the pink box system is still working - sorry they're bit of a jumble!

Happy Crafting

27 January 2011

Mother-in-laws birthday card

Keeping it short & sweet today - had a migraine yesterday so my little 'ol brain is feeling a tad delicate.



 

This adorable stamp is by Lili of the Valley as is the sentiment. Oh dear,  I feel the urge to splurge coming on, hubby best lock up the CC!!!!

Unlike my usual "less is more" approach to card making, I got a bit carried away with this one...............

By the way - it was a hit with MIL - brownie points to me!

Image: Lili of the Valley stamps
Paper: V&A Linen Paper Pack
Colouring: Copics, Prismacolor & Chalk ink
Additional: Raffia, Marianne D die, Nestabilities, sewing machine.





Happy crafting

23 January 2011

Don't twy thish at 'ome 'coz it hurtzzz!!!

Over on Doodle Dragon Studio Challenge Blog this week the challenge is "winter" and here is my entry:


Card - Doodle Dragon Studio Challenge

Ok - admit it, who's actually tried this?  And before you ask - no I haven't!!!

And as with my previous entry I've tried to keep it simple - letting the image stand out instead of smothering it in bling.  And on this occasion I was even organised enough to choose the background paper first enabling me to match the dragon & cardstock - impressed?  Well I am - I'm usually in far too much of a hurry to play with my Copics & improve my technique to worry about the card side of things.  It's not until I have a finished image that I'm pulling my hair out searching my stash (and I have alot of papers - just ask my hubby) to match the Copics I've used - you'd think I'd learn, but I just adore the colouring side so much when I've finished one image I want to start on another........

Talking of Copics I'm on a roll - this "pink box system" seems to be working as yet again I have the piccy:

Image: Dustin Pike digi
Paper: Basic Grey Origins
Colouring: Copics & Prismacolor blended with Zest-it
Additional: Ribbon & card from stash

Good luck to everyone that's entered & keep the images coming Dustin - love them!!

Something bright & zingy for a dull January day!!!

Fed up of dull, chill mornings & biting winds - well how about some zing to brighten up your day?

This weeks challenge over on Karen's Doodles Challenge Blog is to make a "Tent Topper Card" and here is my entry:
card - Tent Topper - Karen's Doodles Challenge


I was determined to make Karen's Doodle the focal point of the card - and not over power it with bling!  So I've deliberately made the topper larger than normal to draw your eye straight to the image - hope it's worked!

As usual I've used a fair few Copics (less is more never seems to apply to these beauties!)

Image: Karen's Doodles - "Tiger Fun"
Paper: Basic Grey Lime Rickey
Colouring: Copics, Prismacolor blended with Zest-it
Additional: ribbon & card from stock

Happy Crafting

16 January 2011

Monochrome Celebration!

I've never done this before, so it cetainly was a challenge!  It also meant I couldn't use my usual number of Copics.  Why you may ask - well it's my entry for this weeks Karen's Doodles Challenge - where the theme is "monochromatic".

Card - Karen's Doodles Challenge
I may not have used quite so many Copics as usual, just a selection of cool greys to compliment the black & grey papers, cramming in as many other crafty goodies as I could.

Image: Karen's Doodles - Bigsby.......
Paper: Paper Cellar - Checks, American Traditional Designs - Earthtones, black vellum & card from stash
Colouring: Copics (see below), Distress Inks, Chalk Inks
Additional: Dies by Nellie Snellen, Cuttlebug, Quickutz & Nestabilities; Ribbon & Stones by Anita's; sewing machine stitiching

If you haven't done so already why not pop over to the blog and check out all the other great monochrome entries - good luck to all that have entered!

Happy Crafting

15 January 2011

"Scribbles" for Mo's Challenge Blog

Today I finally get to showcase my first ever Mo Manning creation, her work is amazing & I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of colouring it..........................


Card - "Scribbles" for Mo's Challenge Blog

The theme for this weeks challenge is "It's Playtime", for me as a child that meant anything involving art - so crayons, pencils, pens and paper were order of the day - I guess that's why this particular image appealed to me so much.

Image: Mo Manning "makin cards"
Paper: V & A Hanovarian by Do Crafts, Core'dinations - various
Colouring: Copics, Chalk Ink, Distress Inks
Additional: Martha Stewart punch, Quickutz crayon & corner dies, Nestabilities, sewing machine, PC created greeting.

Copic Colours used

Good luck to everyone that's entered the competition.

10 January 2011

A Pirates life for me!

My goodness, where have the last 9 days gone, so much for my blogging resolution!!!
I may not have been blogging but I have been crafting so I will have items to share but atleast I am keeping to my other new year aims - I'm currently teaching myself how to use Word properly, much to my son's amusement!  Hopefully, I won't break my laptop this time - some of you may know I had a slight accident whilst teaching myself Blogger basics, got a page of the Blogger Guide for Dummies caught under a key on my keyboard which then promptly flew across the room - heard all the "Dummy" jokes that week!!!  You don't realise how much you use the letter "i" until the key breaks!!! 
  Techy

Oh and darling son is taking his mocks this week and next - please send good luck his way, he's been revising like mad & I hope it's paid off.  He does like to test me though, yesterday afternoon he came down stairs looking as white as a sheet, school blazer in hand.  Not until he turned it around did I see 2 large white smears of glue or paint across the back of his jet black blazer!!!!
Shocked 1
Once I'd got over the initial shock my brain got to work trying to think how on earth I was going to get this stuff off without making the smears worse or damaging the blazer.  The answer was Copic cleaner, kitchen towel & packing tape - still not sure what the stuff was but about 45 mins of work paid off & unless you look really closely you'd never know it had been there.  Thank goodness he found it last night - can you imagine the panic if he'd handed it to me this morning!!!!  

Now I normally use the cleaner for my pens and fingers (yep I still get inky fingers) - talking of my infamous inky fingers, I'm guessing you've logged on to see crafty creations not read my bloggy waffle so here you are..........
Card - Dustin Pike Pirate Parrot
This card does to me what I intend it to do for it's eventual recipient - "smile" -  To know that something you've taken time to create makes someone smile is the best reward an artist can get in my book!
And for the myopic ones amongst us ( I give moles a run for their money these days) a close up view of the the parrot..............
and yes Ros a colour list too...............................

You'll laugh, I had my new organised system all planned, when I've used a particular Copic pen I put it in the mug so I can take a piccy when I'm done (kept losing the list when I merely wrote the codes down) - that was fine until I did a more detailed project & they wouldn't all fit in the mug, now there's a pink box permanently on my desk awaiting the Copics of the day - so in theory, I should, brain permitting be able to provide a colour list each time.

Hopefully you'll also start to notice an improvement in my photography, the big piccie was taken with my new Panasonic G2 - the latter 2 were done with the old camera and are a tad greyer - it's early days but the results so far have been pretty good.

Oops nearly forgot the materials list:
Image: Dustin Pike
Paper: Life's Journey by K & Company, cardstock from stash
Colouring: Copics & Prismacolor blended with Zest-it
Additional: Marianne D Creatables dies, Nestabilities, Magnolia Doo Hickey, Emery board for distressing

Well that's all for now folks, will blog again soon