Pile It On! Challenge - For a Man

The theme of this week's Pile It On! Challenge is:

'For a Man'

We are sponsored for this challenge by Dude Time Doodles:

The prize is a $10 Gift Certificate to spend at Dude Time Doodles.

I've used an image that has been hiding...already coloured...in my image box for absolutely ages...it's a stamp by Toodles & Binks called 'Adam - You're so tweet!'. I think it came with a matching sentiment stamp, but I made my own on computer for this card. I kept the card really simple, embossing a couple of pieces of card using my Sizzix/BasicGrey 'Plaid' folder, then added a button threaded on to some button twine from the Ribbon Girls.

Here are the challenges I've Piled On!:

• Pile It On! - For a Man
• Cards for Men - Cheeky Chappy
• Craft Your Days Away - Just for Men/Boys with Buttons
• Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
• Do You Stack Up - Plaid
• Little Red Wagon - Clean & Simple
• Love to Create - Anything Goes
• One Stop Craft - Clean & Simple
• Paper Playtime - For the Guys + a Sentiment
• Pollycraft - Checks
• Scrapbook Sisters - Anything Goes
• Stampin for the Weekend - Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin' - Anything Goes
• Totally Papercrafts - Humour
• Whimsy Inspires - Anything Goes

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please visit the Pile It On! Challenge.

2012 Calendar

*Sorry...this post is rather picture heavy!*

It's become a kind of tradition, that every year I decorate some of the Papermill Shop's blank calendars to give as Christmas presents...this year, I made three...this is the one I gave to my Mum.

I kept each page very simple, mounting each one on to kraft card (cut to 6x4 so they can be recycled into cards once the calendar is finished), distressing the edges and adding faux stitching to unite all the different makes of papers, and brands of stamps used. I'll try to list the 'ingredients' under each month.

Image: 'Cat on the Moon' (Penny Black)

Papers: 'Papa' (Fancy Pants)

Tools: 'Lacey Scalloped Circles'; 'Stars' Nestabilities

Image: 'Bunnies - In Love' (Lili of the Valley)

Papers: 'Adore' (My Mind's Eye)

Tools: 'Concentric Hearts' die (Cuttlebug)

Image: 'Pinky Joy' (Penny Black)

Papers: 'Hello Luscious' (BasicGrey)

Tools: 'Circle' Nestabilites 

Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts

Brads: BasicGrey

Image: 'Spring Bunnies' (Hambo Digi Staamps)

Papers & Die Cut: 'Hippity Hoppity' (We R Memory Keepers)

Tools: 'Circle' Nestabilities; 'Wild Honey' Distress Ink

Image: from the 'Hugs' set (Penny Black)

Papers: 'Penny Lane' (My Mind's Eye)

Tools: 'Circles' Nestabilities

Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts

Brad: BasicGrey

Image: 'In the Shed' (Lili of the Valley)

Papers & Die Cut: '72 & Sunny' (We R Memory Keepers)

Image: 'Good Game' (Penny Black)

Papers & Die Cut: '72 & Sunny' (We R Memory Keepers)

Ribbon: Hobbycraft

Image: 'Toot the Flute' (Penny Black)

Background Stamp: 'Music' (Hero Arts)

Paper: 'Wild Asparagus' (My Mind's Eye)

Tools: 'Old Paper' & 'Brushed Corduroy' Distress Inks

Image: 'Clive Cockran' (Toodles & Binks)

Papers & Die Cuts: '72 & Sunny' (We R Memory Keepers)

Tools: 'Circles' Nestabilities

Image: from the 'Be Very Scared' set (Penny Black)

Tools: Spider's Web folder (Tim Holtz); Sweets folder (Cuttlebug); 'Lacey Circles' Nestabilities

Image: 'Circus Act' (Whipper Snapper)

Papers: 'True' (Fancy Pants)

Tools: 'Stars' Nestabilities

Image: 'Welcome Party' (Penny Black)

Papers: 'Countdown to Christmas' (My Mind's Eye)

Tools: Tree Die (Marianne Designs)

See...I warned you there was a lot of photos! Don't worry...I'm not going to show you the other two...they're not the smae as this one...different images, and papers...but very similar.

Challenges for this calendar:

• Die Cut Dreams - Calendar
• Dutch Dare - My Favourite Things (Penny Black stamps, My Mind's Eye, BasicGrey & We R Memory Keepers papers, Nesties, distressing, faux stitching, embossing...just about everything! lol)

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Stitching

This week it's Beate's turn to set the theme of the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge, and she has chosen:

'Stitching'

(Real or faux)

Faux stitching is something I love to do on my cards, especially if I've distressed the edges of the papers, as I always thinks it makes them look kind of like fabric. I use a CutterBee Bug to pierce holes in the papers to make the stitching look more realistic, before drawing on the stitches with a white gel pen. The image I've used on this card is called 'Amelie Bunnykins' by Toodles & Binks, which I coloured using watercolour pencils, then cut out using my circle and scalloped circle Nesties (available here at the Secret Crafter). The papers and tag are all from the 'Hippity Hoppity' scrapbook pad by We R Memory Keepers.

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

• C.R.A.F.T. -Easter
• Crazy - Easter
• Creative Inspirations (Wednesdays) - Easter
• Daring Cardmakers - Spring Fling
• Delightful - Easter
• Die Cut Dreams - Easter
• Fab 'N' Funky - Spots & Dots
• For Fun - Choose at least 3 from: Pink, Blue, Purple, Green & Yellow
• Little Red Wagon - Easter
• My Time to Craft - On the Spot

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please visit the Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge.

2011 Calendar

This is one of the presents I made for my Mum...it's one of the 'Create a Calendars' from the Papermill Shop. As there are rather a lot of photos...I've made them into a slideshow:

The images are mainly Penny Black, but there's also some Lili of the Valley and Toodles & Binks images. The papers are a mixture of all the usual suspects: My Mind's Eye; BasicGrey; and Pink Paislee. There's not too much else on there...just a little bit of Cuttlebug embossing...I tried to keep them really simple, and made all of the 'pictures' A6 sized...for easy recycling into cards when the calendar's finished with. I did a couple of the slim calendars too this year...but forgot to photograph them before I wrapped them...doh!...but they were pretty similar to this one...all different images & papers...but set out in portrait, rather than landscape to fit the calendar.

I'm going to enter this into my lovely friend Samantha's Christmas Candy Challenge.

Amelie Bunnykins

I was inspired by the gorgeous colour combo from Paper Sundaes, to make my first Easter card of the year. I followed the sketch from Sketchy Colours....and am also entering this card into Stamp with Fun's 'Spring' challenge. The image is 'Amelie Bunnykins' (by Toodles & Binks), and the papers are 'Penny Lane' by My Mind's Eye. I distressed the edges, added some ribbon from Poppicrafts, and a Hero Arts stamped sentiment.

We'd Walk 500 miles...

I've used another of the Toodles & Binks stamps that I won on the Stampin' for the Weekend Challenge a little while ago on this card...this one is called 'Mark & Milo - We'd Walk 500 Miles'. I followed the Papertake Weekly sketch, to make a 'Male' card for the Charisma Cardz Challenge, and as I've not added any embellishments, I'm also going to enter this into the 'Keep it Simple' challenge at Cupcake Crafts.The papers are by My Mind's Eye ('Ooh La La' (for Him)), and the sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts (from the 'Anytime Messages' set).

It's Good News...Baby!

I won a prize from Toodles & Binks stamps on the Stampin' for the Weekend Challenge at the beginning of last month...and my fabby stamps arrived on Saturday...so I could resist inking one up straight away. I decided to use 'Clive Cockran'...to make a 'Baby' card for the Simon Says Stamp Challenge...not a typical image for that kind of card...but if you look closely you can just see the 'new arrival' peeking out of the chicken hutch...I've also used the sentiment stamp that came with the image as I thought it suited the occasion. I followed the Sketch Saturday sketch, using My Mind's Eye 'Ooh La La' (for Him) papers and a few Poppicrafts buttons...in 'Spring-like' colours...so I'm also entering this card for Pile It On's 'No Winter Colours' challenge.