Sunday 28 September 2014

Wednesday 24 September 2014

16th Birthday - take 2

This is the 2nd card I made for my son to give to his friend. You can see the other one in my previous post if you're interested to see it.
He has 2 friends who have birthdays on consecutive days. They all became friends in Nursery, and are now doing their GCSE's!


The image is by Jelly Park, I fussy cut it out after colouring as I wanted to use just the main part of the image. I coloured it with promarkers.
Both patterned papers are by Papermania (capsule collection/spots & stripes/jewels)
The metallic navy & kraft papers are scraps that I found, which happened to go nicely with the Papermania papers.
I stamped the game controller from the 'Text Me' stamp set by Clearly Besotted Stamps, I didn't stamp it perfectly (my fault, not the stamp) but I liked how it looked anyways so fussy cut it out and popped it up on foam pads next to the sentiment (which is by Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler)
I added '16' using my Die-namics By The Numbers die set, and finished the card with a few punched stars to balance it out.

I'm entering this card at:
The Pink Elephant - sketch
Sister Act Card Challenge - anything goes
My Mums Craft Shop - dies or punches
Stamp & Create - circles or dots
I love Promarkers - include a number

Thanks for stopping by today :)

UPDATE 02/10/14: Thank you! :)

http://thepinkelephantchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/winner-post-tpe269.html

16th Birthday - take 1

My son, Jake, asked me to make 2 birthday cards for his friends who are each celebrating their 16th's this week (one is today, the other tomorrow). All 3 are mad about gaming.
Here's the first one I made, the other will be in my next post.


The image is 'Video Boy' by Mo Manning. And, as is usual for me, I have used my promarkers to colour him. I fussy cut around the image as Jake didn't want the snacks included.
I've teamed up the image with some old papers by My Mind's Eye (Stella & Rose, Hattie) which I duffed up a bit on the edges.
'happy birthday' is from Paper Smooches (Sentiment Sampler stamp set), and the game controller and 'game on' text is from the 'Text Me' stamp set by Clearly Besotted Stamps.
 I added '16' using my Die-namics By The Numbers die set.

I'm entering this card at:
Crafts Galore Encore - make a card
That Craft Place - sentimental
A Random Fan - anything goes
Sister Act Card Challenge - anything goes
I love Promarkers - include a number

Thanks for looking, take 2 is coming soon ;)

Monday 22 September 2014

Lots o' luck

What does Monday mean?.... time for another fabulous I {heart}sketches challenge, that's what! ;)

Here's the sketch for this week, designed by the talented Calypso...


This week's twist: Use a handmade embellishment.

Either use the sketch, or use the twist, or use both!
Whatever you decide to do, we'd love to see your work.

Join in the challenge, and everyone who plays will receive a $1 discount code for the store. Use it as a discount, or save them up to earn a free stamp.
Remember though, you must use an image by From The Heart Stamps to be eligible, and please include a pic of the sketch in your blog post too.

Here's my card...


I loosely followed the sketch this week.  When I read what the twist was going to be, I looked through the store to find an image that I hadn't used before, but could also make an embellishment to match it with.
This image is Lots o' Luck, one of 2 main images that you will recieve when you buy this set, the other image is a 'Wee Bit' of luck. You also get an extra shamrock image and 3 sentiments too, one of which is used here. 
I've coloured the image with promarkers then fussy cut it out.
The papers are Basic Grey, Basic Kraft, and Dovecraft, Merry Magic.
I've used some gold glittered tape, a small star punch, and then a small heart punch to make my lucky 4 leaf clover embellishment, I coloured the small hearts to match the ones in the image.

I'd like to enter this at:
Your Next Stamp challenge - sketch (very similar to FTHs this week)
Papertake Weekly - punch it out
Passion for Promarkers - make it digital
Sister Act Card Challenge - anything goes

You can find more inspiration, and enter the I {heart} sketches challenge by clicking HERE.
Thank you so much for stopping by today :)

Wednesday 17 September 2014

Flappy Birthday SOTM reminder

It's time for our mid-month reminder for the SOTM challenge at From The Heart Stamps.
Remember, EVERYONE who plays, WINS!

If you joined in with the Stamp Of The Month challenge in August, you should have received Flappy Birthday Birdbrain via email.

Just make your card/project using Flappy Birthday, enter it HERE, and you will receive next month's SOTM digi emailed to you for free! :)
If you didn't play last month, you can still join in by buying the image from the FTH shop.
You have until Tuesday, September 30th, at 11:59pm CST to submit your entry, that's 5.59am Wednesday, 1st October in the UK.

Here's Flappy Birthday Birdbrain...

http://fromtheheartstamps.com/shop/birdbrain-chick/158-flappy-birthday-birdbrain.html

And here's my card...


I coloured the image with promarkers, and mounted it onto some kraft shimmer paper.
I added a faux cross-stitched detail to the top corners by paper piercing, then using a marker for the 'thread'.
I wanted to add extra balloons, and I suppose I could have printed 3 extra ones when I printed the image, but as I had printed the image last week and only decided to add extra balloons after i'd finished colouring the image, I decided to make them from scratch instead.
Plus i'm too lazy to go downstairs at 10pm to start the printer, when it's quicker to grab a couple of punches that are right by my desk and make some balloons, lol.
I grabbed some white card stock and punched out three 1" circles, and one of the smallest flower from the Boho Blossoms punch by Stampin Up. I cut up the punched flower into quarters so that I could use 3 of them for the 'knots' of the balloons. I used my promarkers to colour them, then glued the knots to the circles, et voila! balloons!
The paper is by Basic Grey (Life of the Party), and the sentiment is by Paper Smooches (Sentiment Sampler), which had another stampin up punch used on the bottom edge (scalloped border).

I'm entering this card at:
Papertake Weekly - punch it out
Crafting from the Heart - anything goes
Passion for Promarkers - make it digital
Tuesday Morning Sketches - sketch #267
ABC challenge - T is for Tic Tac Toe (faux stitching/sentiment/punches)

I'm looking forward to seeing more of your entries :)


My Blog Hop Winner:

Congratulations to Janet for having her name drawn as the winner of any FTH image of her choice, and my blog hop diorama card.

Janet, Please go to the FTH blog page for the details you need to claim your free image.

Also, if you'd like the card personalised or a sentiment added ("Merry Kissmas" or "Meet me under the Mistletoe"), then please let me know and i'll happily do that for you before posting out the card to you. If you'd prefer it to stay 'as is' then that's fine too of course :)
Oh, and don't forget to let me know your full address too please. My email is shown in the top right sidebar.

Thanks for stopping by today xx

Monday 15 September 2014

Birdbrain Needs Coffee

Happy Monday! it's time for another fabulous I {heart}sketches challenge :)

Here's the great sketch for this week...


This week's twist: to make a humorous card.
Either use the sketch, or use the twist, or go the whole hog and use both! ;)
Whatever you decide to do, we'd love to see it.

Join in the challenge, and everyone who plays will receive a $1 discount code for the store, and if you are the challenge winner, you will receive a $5 discount code to the store! :)
Remember though, you must use an image by From The Heart Stamps to be eligible, and please include a pic of the sketch in your blog post too.

Here's my card for today's challenge...


This sleepy eyed dude is Birdbrain Needs Coffee, and i've coloured him with promarkers.
I've used 2 digital papers for this card; The striped paper is from my Kanban Male Backgrounds CD, and the grey chevron is by Erin Bradley Designs.
I've used a Marianne die (pretty lace border) to frame the image. I thought it would give the impression of a frilly pillow lol.
The sentiment is by TLC Creations.

i'd like to enter this card at:
Charisma Cardz - lace & pearls
Crafty Catz - clean & simple
QKR Stampede - things with wings
Sister Act Card Challenge - anything goes

You can find more inspiration, and enter the I {heart} sketches challenge by clicking HERE.
Thank you so much for stopping by today :)

Wednesday 10 September 2014

Martini Chicks

I have a bottle gift-tag to share today for our weekly inspiration post for From The Heart Stamps.
My lovely friend and teamie, Kathy, made a fabulous tag for our September Blog Hop, so after I read her tutorial showing us how to make one, I couldn't resist and had to have a go myself...


This image is Martini Chicks, and one of my favourite Birdbrains, oh, who am I kidding? ALL the Birdbrains are my favourites! :)
I've coloured it using promarkers, but added some touches with pencils too.
The patterned paper is Pretty Please Spring by MME, I've had this pad for years, so i'm not sure if it's still available anymore, though I very much doubt it.
The stitched grosgrain ribbon is by Stampin Up, a scrap found in my ribbons tub.
'sister' was cut using a Clearly Bessotted Stamps die.

Kathy, thank you so much for the inspiration. This is exactly what the blog hop is all about :) xx

I'd like to enter this tag at:
Crafting from the Heart - anything goes
Shopping Our Stash - chicken! (can use a different bird)
I love Promarkers - It's all about tags
Crafting By Designs - pretty in pink

UPDATE 17/09: Woohooo! Thank you xx



By the way, there's still time for YOU to hop with us too, there's prizes to be had, and that AWESOME main prize of working with Faith herself to create a new Birdbrain!
(click the graphic below to start hopping)

http://fromtheheartstamps.com/community/

We'd love for you to link up a birdbrain creation of your own too using any of the DT's tutorials as a guide. And remember, we're looking for some guest designers who will each get a 2 month stint and have images to play with along the way, so please link up (adding GDT after your name)
Go on... You know you wanna! ;)

You can link up at any of the blogs on the hop list, or just link up on the main From the Heart Stamps blog when you've made your entry, good luck!

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Sunflower{less} Girl

I think this image is adorable...



This is Sunflower Girl by 2 Cute Ink, and coloured with promarkers. The frame behind her is a Marianne die (Petra's Ornaments)
Now, I fussy cut around the girl because I originally didn't want the sunflower. However, it was only AFTER I put the card together and decided I wanted to add flowers after all, and glued down the die cut flowers, that I realised that I'd put one of them in that same place as the sunflower in the image! I should have just coloured in the sunflower to match the die-cut ones eh? lol
The spotty paper is from the 'Little Girl' paper pack by Echo Park. The paper i've used for the flowers and the star behind the number 20 are scraps that happened to be the perfect matching colour, they were from a freebie paper pack with a craft magazine.
I've used some Hunkydory scrabble letter card tiles, and printed the bottom sentiment off my computer. SISTER & 20 were cut using die-namics dies (By The Letter/Number).

I'm entering this card at:
Sketch Saturday - Lizy's sketch
My Mums Craft Shop - Dies or Punches
2 Cute Ink - Anything goes
That's Crafty - Girl Power!
Stamp & Create - circles or dots

Thanks for looking :) xx

Friday 5 September 2014

FTH September Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on From the Heart Stamps blog hop.
If you're a FTHS fan, and especially a fan of the Birdbrains, you're going to want to read about what is happening for our hop this time ;)

Our theme is “For the Bird{brains}” and let me tell you, I am SO EXCITED that we are having a hop dedicated to my favourite little feathery dudes/dudettes! :)

http://fromtheheartstamps.com/community/
As you hop along, please leave a comment on each entry. One random commenter will be selected on each blog to win an image of choice from the FTHS store. Some Design Team members are also giving away the actual project they create for the hop, too. So, you may win an image and a card or project from some of the blogs!
Additionally, one commenter on the From the Heart Stamps blog will be selected to win a $15 gift voucher to the store!

BUT WAIT! there's more! We are offering another really cool prize on the FTHS blog!
Have you ever had a great idea for a Birdbrain image? Well, this is your chance!
One lucky winner randomly selected from all the comments will be selected to work with Faith to design a Birdbrain image! How AWESOME is that?!

We would like to invite all of you to be a part of our hop this month too.
There is an inlinkz at the bottom of this post, and at every stop on the hop.
Use one of the designer’s tutorials and your favorite Birdbrain image to create a project to play along. We can’t wait to see what you create!
If you are interested in guest designing for FTHS over the next few months, simply add GDT to your entry. We are looking for six people to guest design for two month rotations over the next 6 months. Hope you will print off your favorite Birdbrain and play along!

If you have arrived here from the lovely Imke, you are in the right place, if not, why don’t you start at the From the Heart Stamps blog, so you don’t miss anything. The full hop list is there too.

Here is my Blog Hop project, a simple fold, diorama card...


And here's how I made it. I used the following items:

From The Heart Stamps Mistletoe Birdbrains digital stamp
2 pieces of white cardstock, both measuring 20cm x 15.5cm *
1 piece of white cardstock big enough to make a frame for my aperture
Dovecraft / Back to Basics / Christmas / Vintage (6x6 pad)
oval coluzzle cutting system
Marianne Design Creatables Die Set (Petra's Ornaments)
Poppystamps Die (Frozen Flakes)
large and small heart punches

* The finished card will lay flat in its envelope, So your cardstock can be any size you wish, so long as it fits inside the envelope you want to use.  So if you have a 6" square envelope, then cut 2 identical pieces of cardstock, slightly smaller than the envelope size (e.g approx 14.5cm or 5¾" squared)


I started this card by scoring both pieces of cardstock on the 20cm side at 2cm, 4cm, 16cm & 18cm
(or you can score at 2cm and 4cm, turn and repeat at other end)

Fold your scored cardstock so that the 2 pieces look similar to this:


(You will glue the 2 outer ends together once you have completed the inside of the back piece, and cut out your aperture on the top piece.)

Next, add your designer paper to what will be your top piece. Then either die-cut or punch out your aperture. I used this Marianne Creatables die. I also used the same die again, plus the slightly bigger die from the set, on a seperate piece of white card stock to make a frame for the aperture.


Next I glued more designer paper to the inside of the back piece, then glued down my image, which i'd coloured with promarkers, then cut out using an oval coluzzle . I added some punched hearts to the bottom of the image.


Now all that's left to do is glue the 2 outer ends together and to finish decorating the front of your diorama card. See? I told you it was simple ;)
I chose not to add a sentiment, but I did add the snowflake border die-cuts (Poppystamps die)
I thought it would be nice for YOU to choose your own sentiment, or maybe add the name of the recipient to the front of the card?
That's because I'd like to send this card to one of you lovely people. The randomly chosen commenter can have this card sent 'as is', or, if you'd like me to, I'll add either of the 2 sentiments "Merry Kissmas" or "Meet me under the Mistletoe" and/or a name of your choice too (cut from Die-namics By the Letter dies)
And remember, if chosen, you'll also get to choose an image from the store too :)

So if you'd like me to send this card to you, please remember to leave a comment, as mr random thingy might just pick you ;)

Here's the finished card again...


I'd like to enter this card at:
My Mums Craft Shop - Dies or Punches
2 Cute Ink - Anything goes
Paper Makeup - Anything goes
Fan-tastic Tuesday - Anything goes
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes

Now, please head over to Kathy's blog to see what she has made for this fun hop :)
Thanks for hopping with us today. The hop will end on Sunday September 14th at 6am, EST. Winners will be posted on the From the Heart Stamps Blog on Wednesday September 17th.