Cuttlebug Spot - Charms

This week at the Cuttlebug Spot, we're continuing with our embellishment challenges, and our new theme is:

'Charms'

The image I've used is 'Doggy Pile' by Whipper Snapper, which I coloured using watercolour pencils. The stripey paper is from the 'Tis the Season' collection by Bo Bunny, and I embossed a piece of card with my Cuttlebug 'Diamond Plate' folder, then sanded the surface to reveal the white core. I used a piece of bone print ribbon to attach my cute little bone charm, and the sentiment is from a little Studio G set.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Totally Gorjuss - Sketch
• Charisma Cardz - Four Legged Friends
• Paper Sundaes - Stripes

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous creations by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Cuttlebug Spot - Hatpins

This month the Cuttlebug Spot Challenges are all about embellishments, and we're starting this week with:

'Hatpins'

Now, I've always been a little scared of using pins on my cards...so this is a first for me. I didn't have any ready-made hatpins, so made a couple using some of my beading supplies. If you'd like to have a go at making your own, one of my Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies,Theresa, has a fab tutorial. I've used a Penny Black image, 'Dream a dream' on my card, together with some gorgeously flowery 'Wisteria' papers by BasicGrey. I embossed (or rather 'de-bossed', as I put my paper in the folder upside down!) the plain paper using my Cuttlebug 'Floral Fantasy' folder, then sanded over the surface, and distressed all of the edges. I added some Prima flowers, a Hero Arts sentiment (from the 'Cupcakes' set), and a few adhesive pearls, before securing my hatpins with some organza ribbon.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• BasicGrey - Sketch
• Crazy Challenge - Here comes Spring
• Incy Wincy - Spring is in the Air
• One Stop Craft - Spring Flowers

For more inspiration, please visit the Cuttlebug Spot to see the fabulous creations by my lovely DT buddies.

Cuttlebug Spot - Pop-up Cards

It's the final week of our 'card fold' challenges over at the Cuttlebug Spot, and this week we're showcasing:

'Pop-up Cards'

This is my first ever pop-up card...so be gentle with me! As I wanted the focus to be on the inside of the card, I kept the outside really simple, using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystals' and 'Snowflakes' folders for the embossing, and 'Ice Crystal' die to cut the snowflake:

I continued with the snowflake theme inside, with more embossing, and snowflakes cut using Marianne Creatables and Cuttlebug dies. The images I've used are from three clear stamp sets by Penny Black: 'Christmas Critters'; 'Jolly Friends'; and 'Holly-Jolly'. The sentiment stamp is by Paper Make-up.

Here's a close-up of the pop-up bit:

I'm also entering this card into a few other challenges:

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - The white stuff
• Craft Us Crazy - Winter
• Winter Wonderland - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous creations by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Cuttlebug Spot - Gate-fold Cards

This week's Cuttlebug Spot Challenge theme is:

'Gate-fold Cards'

I've used two adorable Lili of the Valley bear stamps on my card: 'Busy baking' (on the outside); and 'I baked a cake' (on the inside). I used my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' folder for the embossing, to echo the dots on the little bear's dress, and the sentiment is a Cuddly Buddly stamp. I distressed all of the edges with inks, and my distressing tool.

Here's the inside:

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Creative Inspirations (Sundays) - Distressing
• Delightful - Punches/Dies (I used my Nesties)
• Fussy & Fancy - Sweet Treats
• Stamptacular Sunday - Lovin' from the oven

For more inspiration please check out the fabulous cards by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Cuttlebug Spot - Step-fold Cards

We're continuing our card fold themed challenges this week at the Cuttlebug Spot with:

'Step-fold Cards'

I love the look of step-fold cards, great for an 'extra special' card, but have only ever made one before. It was a large A5 sized side step card (here's a link to it, and I also made a tutorial, which you can see here), so I thought I'd try something different this time, and made a square card, with 'steps' on each side. I've used an adorable Lili of the Valley bear ('Teddy with Bouquet'), which I coloured with watercolour pencils. I decided to keep the rest of the card white...something I love to do on Christmas cards, but thought it would really make the image stand out here. I used my Cuttlebug 'Floral Fantasy' folder for the embossing, and cut the flowers using one of the dies from my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet, adding little white pearls to their centres. I lightly distressed the edges with my distressing tool, and added a sentiment (from the CCSR set by Papermania).

Here's a view from the side to show the 'step' shape:

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Crafty Sentiments - Bears
• Sweet Stampin' - Spring Flowers

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous samples by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Cuttlebug Spot - Tri-fold Valentine

The themes of this month's Cuttlebug Spot challenges are all different types of card folds, and we're getting started this week with:

'Tri-fold cards'

And, as Valentine's Day is just around the corner, we're asking you to create one with a Valentine's theme.

I wasn't exactly sure what a 'tri-fold' card was...but I was fairly certain that it should have three folds...until I Googled...and found SO many different card shapes all described as 'tri-fold', and very few actually having three folds! They mainly seemed to have three panels, so that's what I went for with my card, simply making my square card base as normal, and then folding the front panel back on itself. The image I've used is an adorable Whiff of Joy stamp called 'Henry Hugging Heart', and I coloured him with watercolour pencils...making him grey (rather than my usual 'mousey' brown) to match the grey card I was planning on using. I added Glossy Accents to the heart, before cutting him out with one of my Nesties. I've kept it really simple...thought it would suit a man better that way! lol 

I used my 'Swiss Dots' folder for all of the embossing, and distressed the edges with my distressing tool.

Here's a view of the card 'open':

I mirrored the layout of the front on the inside, so that the message would be hidden when the card is closed. I used my Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet for the lettering, and the heart was cut using the 'Concentric Hearts' die.

For more inspiration....including different 'tri-fold' card shapes, please check out the fabulous samples by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

I have candy on offer here...if you haven't already entered :0)

Cuttlebug Spot - Inspired by a Magazine Advert

This is our final week of 'Inspiration' challenges at the Cuttlebug Spot, and this time we're being:

'Inspired by a Magazine Advert'

After a quick flick through my flatmate's glossy fashion mags for a suitable advert, I was feeling rather uninspired...so I thought I'd take a look through some of my magazines...I only have craft & food ones...so I wasn't hopeful...but I came across this one for Bonne Maman jam on the back of last month's Delicious magazine, and fell for the gorgeous colour combo of peach, aqua and green.

I found some old My Mind's Eye papers (from the '29th Street Market' Collection), the backs of which were a perfect match for the colours in the advert. I embossed them with my Cuttlebug 'D'Vine Swirls', 'Victoria', 'Floral Fantasy' and 'Just My Type' folders, then sanded over the raised areas to reveal the white core. I chose the adorable Lili of the Valley bear image ('Teddy with Flower'), because of the butterflies...if you click on the photo of the advert above it should be big enough to make out the butterfly that the little boy is trying to catch. I distressed all of the edges, and then added a couple of flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts.

I'm also entering this card into a couple of other challenges:

• Lili of the Valley - Sketch
• Teddy Stampers - Anything Goes

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous creations by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Cuttlebug Spot - Inspired by a Children's Game

This week at the Cuttlebug Spot, we're getting inspired by:

'A Children's Game'

Hmmm...had me stumped too...until I looked through a list of traditional children's games on Wikipedia...and spied 'Cats Cradle'...I used to love playing that! If you're not sure what it is...you can find out more here. I did start out by thinking that I could incorporate some string wrapped around my card...but when I stumbled across this image in my box ('Cat in a bra' by Penny Black)...I knew I'd found my cat's cradle! lol 

I coloured it with watercolour pencils, adding some shimmer with a Sakura Stardust pen. I used my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' and 'D'Vine Swirls' to emboss the purple card, then distressed all of the edges. The flowers are a mixture of Prima & Poppicrafts, the jewelled brads are from Craft Obsessions, and I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch along the bottom edge.

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous samples by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Cuttlebug Spot - Inspired by a Song

This week at the Cuttlebug Spot we're getting:

'Inspired by a Song'

I think it's fairly obvious which song I took my inspiration from...but just in case you haven't guessed...it's 'Lady in Red' by Chris de Burgh (can't actually stand the song, but it was the first thing I thought of! lol)

The image is 'Ginger' by Penny Black (although I've made her blonde), and the papers are from the '365 Degrees'  pad by Pink Paislee. I used my Cuttlebug 'Kassie's Brocade' folder to emboss on some of the plain red paper, sanding the surface to reveal the white core. I added a sentiment (from the Hreo Arts 'Anytime Messages' set), some Prima flowers, and some spotty ribbon.

I have a little confession to make...I originally got the theme totally wrong...eeeek...for some reason when I transfered my lists of DT project themes into my diary, I somehow managed to write the theme of today's challenge as 'Inspired by a Film'...ooops! Anyway...after I emailed it to Nilda, she pointed out that it should have been a 'song' and not a 'film'...but not to worry...just pick a song from the film...and that's fine...well...the film I took as my inspiration was 'The Snowman' based on the Raymond Briggs...and there is a song in the film, a very famous one in fact...called 'Walking in the Air' (I'm sure you must have all heard it a million times over Christmas...which would have been fine, except...this was the card I made:

Not exactly flying are they? lol

The particular scene I took my inspiration from was the one where the little boy wakes up the morning after his adventure with the snowman, to find him melted on the lawn....only a hat and scarf to mark where he'd been...

Anyway...in case anyone's interested...the image and sentiment on my snowman card are from the 'Meting Snowman' set by Woodware...it's the 'after' image from the 'before' one on the card I posted on Sunday. I stamped some little snowflakes (from the 'Bubble Tree' set also by Woodwaare) in Versamark on the card blank, and then added some more kraft card embossed with my beloved 'Snowflakes' folder.

For more inspiration...on the correct theme! lol...please check out the fabulous samples by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Cuttlebug Spot - Inspired by a Book

This month at the Cuttlebug Spot we're getting inspired...and this week we're taking our inspiration from:

'Books'

I really didn't know where to start...but decided I'd take a look through all of my stamped images, to see if anything came to mind...and when I fsaw this adorable Penny Black stamp 'Feeding Frenzy', I knew I had it...'One Hundred & One Dalmations' by Dodie Smith...lol
In keeping with the 'spots' idea I used my Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots', 'Spots & Dots' and 'Tiny Bubbles' folders on plain grey card. I used my EK Success 'Scalloped Diamonds' punch on the edges of the strip across the centre, and added some spotty ribbon from Hoobbycraft.

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous samples by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Cuttlebug Spot - Happy New Year!

Today sees the final Cuttlebug Spot Challenge of the year...with a theme of:

'Happy New Year!'

We want to see projects that celebrate the New Year.

I've made an easel card style 2011 calendar - I'll be making a few more of these to give as Christmas gifts. The image is 'Bunny Bath' by Penny Black, the papers are from the 'Wild Asparagus' collection by My Mind's Eye, the flowers are Prima, the buttons Making Memories, the pearls from Wild Orchid Crafts and the calendar tabs are by Anita's. So where did I use my Cuttlebug??? On the strip across the middle...it's the 'Victoria' folder...one of my favourites. I cut the image out using one of my deckled rectangle Nesties, and then distressed all of the edges and over the raised areas of the embossing with a brown chalk inkpad.

Here's a view showing the easel card shape:

And a close up of the front:

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous samples by my Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Oh...and make sure you stop by tomorrow for an exciting ABC Christmas Challenge & Blog Hop!

Cuttlebug Spot - Christmas with your favourite embossing technique

The Cuttlebug Spot is back today after an extended Thanksgiving break...and the theme of our challenge this week is:

'Christmas with your favourite embossing technique'

A nice easy one to help you get your Christmas cards finished? NO! It took me ages to decide what my favourite embossing technique is...as I just love embossing with my 'Bug! I eventually settled for embossing on plain white card...I just love how such a simple technique can give such effective results. The image I've used is 'Wishes for Kisses' by Penny Black...another of my favourite things. For the background I've used my 'Snowflakes', 'Ice Crystals' and 'Swiss DOts' Cuttlebug folders on plain white card, distressing the edges slightly to add some definition to the layers. The snowflakes were cut using Cuttlebug dies, then coated with 'Crystal' Stickles.

For more inspiration, please check out the samples by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

The Cuttlebug Spot - Thank you!

This week at the Cuttlebug Spot it's time to say:

'Thank You!'

The challenge is to make a 'Thank You' card to send to your Thanksgiving dinner host/hostess, but as I made Christmas themed items for our last couple of Thanksgiving challenges, I've continued with my snowflake theme, and have made a set of little notecards...perfect for sending as a little thank you for a Christmas gift.

I've used the same colour scheme as my Invitations and Table Decorations, cutting the card blanks using the largest of my scalloped square Nesties. I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' folder again to emboss the blue card, adding a touch of Glamour Dust to the edge.The snowflake was cut using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' die, and coated with yet more Glamour Dust. The sentiment is from the Cuttlebug 'Olivia' alphabet set.

Here's a close-up of one of the cards:

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous creations by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Recipe Challenge Blog Hop

The Cuttlebug Spot is taking part in a recipe challenge blog hop this weekend, with three other blogs. The idea is that pick up an 'ingredient' at each of the blogs with which to create a project.

The first stop is Sassy Lil Sketches, where you will find a sketch to follow...it's quite a detailed one, and was designed for a scrapbook layout, but I've used it to make a card...just to show it is possible! lol

Instead of two photos, I've used two small Penny Black images (from the 'Christmas Critters' and 'Holly Jolly' sets), with papers from the '29th Street Market' collection by My Mind's Eye.

The next stop is ScrapFIT...who are asking you to use 3 of something...I've used three snowflakes, cut using a Cuttlebug die.

Then it's on to Crop Suey...for Ink, Paint, Mist or all three! I used ink to distress the edges of the images and sentiment.

After that you head to Scrap Tiffany to pick up some lace...mine's from Hobbycraft.

And finally, you reach the Cuttlebug Spot where you add...what else...but Embossing! I used my Cuttlebug 'Snowflakes' folder to emboss the little mosaic of papers behind the images, sanding the raised areas to add definition.

And here's the card I 'cooked' up:

The pompom trim along the top was from Tescos last Christmas...it was with the giftwrap, and the sentiment is a Penny Black stamp.

For more information, and details of the prizes on offer...please visit the Cuttlebug Spot.

Cuttlebug Spot - Decorate the Table

As a follow up to last week's 'Invitations' challenge, the theme for this week's Cuttlebug Spot Challenge is:

'Decorate the Table'

I've made a set of place cards, favour boxes and a luminaria that match the invitations I made for last weeks challenge.

I used my Labels One Nesties to cut the place cards, cutting the blue layers in half, before embossing with my 'Snowflakes' folder, and glittering the edges. The snowflakes were cut using my 'Ice Crystal' die, and then coated with Glamour Dust.

I used my EasiScore Board to make the little favour boxes, decorating them with the same embossed pattern and snowflakes.

The luminaria took a bit more time...I layered up two pieces of card to make it more sturdy, using my Labels One Nesties again to cut the apertures. I embossed the frame with my 'Swiss Dots' folder, and added some more glittered snowflakes. I used tracing paper, embossed with the 'Snowflakes' folder to cover the apertures, before placing a few battery operated tealights inside.

Here's a photo of it in the dark...you can still just about make out the embossing.

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous samples by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Cuttlebug Spot - Invitations

This week at the Cuttlebug Spot, the theme of our challenge is:

'Thanksgiving Dinner Invites'

As we don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK, I've made my invitations for a Christmas dinner & drinks party. I've gone for a snowflake theme...mainly as an excuse to use my absolute favourite embossing folder...'Snowflakes'! I used the largest of my  large scalloped circle Nesitess to cut the cards, then added an embossed panel in duck egg blue which I'd edges with Glamour Dust. I cut some snowflakes using my Cuttlebug 'Ice Crystal' and 'Snowflakes' dies, then coated them in Glamour Dust too, before attaching them to the invites. I printed the invitation part on ordinary copier paper, then cut them out using Nesties, before attaching them to the insides...I've opened one of the invites up in the photo below so you can see:

Here's a close-up of one of the invitations, so you can see all the sparkle:

For more inspiration, please check out the fabulous samples by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.

Cuttlebug Spot - Anything Fall

The theme of this week's Cuttlebug Spot Challenge is:

'Anything Fall'

Here in the UK, the leaves have all started to turn the most glorious colours...so that's what inspired my card.

I made the leaves using some freebie digi stamps I found on Tiffany Doodles. I printed them on to plain white card, then cut them all out. I used chalk inkpads to colour the leaves, then I embossed them with the follwing Cuttlebug folders: 'Spots & Dots'; 'Kassie's Brocade'; 'Textile'; and 'Perfect Paisley'. Using one of my circular Nesties as a guide, I created a wreath with the leaves, sticking them to the card with 3D foam pads. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Sending Sunshine' set by Simon Says Stamp.

For more autumnal inspiration, please check out the fabulous creations by my lovely Cuttlebug Spot DT buddies.