Getting Inky

I don't often get the inks out these days, partly because I craft in a corner of the lounge, and when I make a mess I have to clear it up, and partly because I work full time in the kind of job where inky fingers are frowned upon, so I need to try and confine my inky time to when I know I will have a couple of days for the ink to wash off (it doesn't come off easily, especially when it gets under my nails).

This is a card I made at the weekend.  the stamp I used is by Crafty Individuals.  I created layers by stamping over the image with a snowflake background in Versamark ink and embossing the snowflakes with clear embossing powder, then inking over it with distress inks.  I added a few highlights with white gel pen to make the deer stand out a bit.  I  distressed the edges of the image and the papers with scissors and Distress Inks and added kraft card behind.  The papers used on this card are from the Bobunny Sleigh Ride collection.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges - Forest Friends
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes

It's too Early! (Christmas in January)

I was looking through photos on my phone tonight and came across some Christmas cards that I made at the beginning this year, when I must have had a short break in my studies, so I have decided to share them.  This top card was made using a digi stamp by Digi Stamp Boutique.  I coloured it with Promarkers.  The background papers are by First Edition and I added some die cut snowflakes.

 The second card was created using an image by Di's Digi Stamps.  This is one of my favourite Christmas Digi Stamps.  I coloured it with Promarkers, and added a die cut landscape at the bottom.  I also added some timy red gems as lights on the trees.

 For this third card I decided to do something a bit different.  With all the pink, this is far more girly than my usual style.  The image is by Digi Stamp Boutique, and I coloured it with Promarkers.

This final card was made using another Digi Stamp Boutique image coloured with Promarkers.  The background papers are by First Edition, and I embellished it with some bits that have been hanging around in my craft stash for a few years.

Blue Christmas

Today I am sharing some more of my Christmas cards.  I have a tendency to use of a lot of traditional christmas colours on my cards (red, green, white), so I have been trying to get out of the rut a bit and use some different colours.  These are some cards I have made using a blue theme.  The top card was made using a digi stamp from Di's Digi Stamps, which I have coloured with Polychromos pencils (my favourite colouring medium at the moment).  I have also used patterned papers.  These are from the Frosty Christmas pad by Lili of the Valley.  I have also added die cut snowflakes.  As it is a Christmas card I have of course also added glitter (I use Stickles glitter glue because it is nice and easy)!

The second card was made using the free snow globe stamp that came with this month's Quick Cards Made Easy magazine.  I decided that I wanted to have a 'working' snow globe, so this is a shaker card.  The deer stamp was also part of the free set that came with the magazine and I coloured it with Polychromos pencils.  I layered the patterned paper onto blue card, then stamped the snow globe onto it.  Then I die cut a circle in the middle of the globe and stuck acetate behind it.  I stamped the background onto a spearate piece of card and coloured it then added double sided sticky foam around the window.  Finally I added some white glitter in the circle created by the foam tape and stuck the background onto it.  I have added some wooden snowflakes to embellish it.  Both the snowflakes and the papers are from Hobbycraft.

By the time Christmas comes around I may actually have managed to make enough cards this year to give everyone handmade ones, which will be nice.

Christmas Again!

I have been busy making Christmas cards over the last few weeks.  It's nice to finally have time.  This is a card that I made using the Hollyanna digi stamp from Lacy Sunshine.  I have coloured her using Polychromos pencils.  I have hand stitched around the edge of the main image and added die cut holly and a stamped sentiment. 

I am entering this card in the Addicted to Stamps and More challenge, where this week's challenge is holiday I am hoping to join lotsmore challenges once I get properly back into the swing of things!

Exciting Times

I am so excited!  As of today I will be a design team member on the Cardz 4 Galz challenge blog.  You can check it out from the link above or in my sidebar.  So far I have seen some fun challenges and a variety of great talent.

This is my first DT card, for today's theme which is fall colours.  I hope you like it!.

I have used a Gorjuss stamp by Santoro, which I thought would be perfect for this colour scheme because of the foxes.  I stamped the image in brown ink on kraft card and coloured it with Polychromos pencils.  I hand stitched around the edges of the circle and also added some thread through the buttons that I used as centres for the flowers to tie it all together.  The papers I have used are from the First Edition Desert Blooms pad.

An Easel Card

This is another family birthday card, this time for my mum. Myself, my dad, brother and mum all have  birthdays in September, so it was always a busy (and expensive) month in our house when I was growing up.  Actually, it's still an expensive month!  Thankfully my boys' birthdays are a bit more spread out (although the months coincide with two of my nephews).

This was my first ever attempt at an easel card.  The image is a digi stamp by Julia Spiri, and I  coloured it using Polychromos pencils.

I also used a variety of die cut flowers and butterflies on this.  The flower dies are clever.  They cut in strips and then they can be rolled up and the petals spread out.  I got these a while ago and unfortunately can't remember what brand they are.  I am going to have to start keeping bits of packaging!

The printed papers are by First Edition, and I also made a matching box since there was no way this one was going to fit into an envelope.  It's made from a 7 inch pizza style box which my 6 inch card with embellishments fits into nicely on a bed of pink tissue paper. 

Ouch!!

I'm feeling a bit fed up today.  I had a wisdom tooth removed last Tuesday, and despite folllowing the aftercare instructions to the letter, it has become infected.  I won't bore everyone with the details, but after a visit to the (very kind and sympathetic) dentist today, I am extremely tired but hopefully now on the mend (although my mouth trastes of iodine and I'm stuck on a soup and smoothie diet for a few days).

Today I am sharing a birthday card that I made for my brother.  I made it a couple of weeks ago but I had to wait until after his birthday to share it.

This was made using a digi stamp by Dr Digi, which I coloured using Polychromos pencils.  I distressed the edges of the papers using scissors and added some distress ink around the edges.

These are two "his and hers" cards that I made using Polkadoodles digi stamps.  The images are coloured with promarkers and I have matted and layered patterned papers for the background.

I am a big fan of bright colours!

Today I am sharing a card I made a while ago.  The dragonfly is a Sheena Douglass die cut, and I have also added a die cut background and flowers.

The background behind the dragonfly was created using inks and layered stamping, and I used mica powders on the dragonfly to make it shimmer.

Pink

In the interests of showing more of my recent work on my blog (and to match the new background), I am posting one more card today.

This is a card that I made using a Saturated Canary digi stamp, coloured with Polychromos pencils.

I love this image because it reminds me of what I was like as a girl.  My mum would try and make me look pretty, but I preferred boots and messy hair.

The butterfly dies are by Marianne Designs.

Bright and Cheerful

Hello again.  Today I have decided to share one of the cards I made recently.  This was a birthday card I made for one of my son's friends using a digi stamp by Dr Digi, which I coloured using Promarkers.  The die cut branch is from a Spellbinders set which includes cherry blossoms.

I have a few works in progress at the moment, and lots of recent work to share too, so watch this space!

Christmas

All of this time with no posts at all, and then two in one day!  It's September, so time to start making Christmas cards (at least if I want to have enough of them by the time December comes around).

This card was made using a digi stamp by Di's Digi Stamps, coloured with Polychromos pencils.

This is a card made using a free image I downloaded some time ago.  I have it credited as Kasjan's Scrapblogg, but I don't know whether or not it is still available.  Again I have coloured with image with Polychromos pencils.  I love these papers, which are from the Warm and Cozy collection by Carta Bella.

I have seen some lovely cards made by colouring on kraft card, so I decided to give it a go.  I always think this looks really effective, especially with whites, as the white really pops out.

I've added glitter glue on all of these cards, but I think it shows up particularly well on this card.  Christmas cards have to have glitter!

The papers used here are from the Jingle all the Way pad by First Edition.

I've been stuck in a bit of a colouring rut recently, so decided to try something a bit different.  The background here was created using embossing folders.  The winter scene was from my box of random bits and I've added a satin ribbon and bow, die cut snowflakes and die cut star.  The star is from a collection of X-cut miniatures, which I love.

This is another card created using embossing folders for the background.  The star is a die cut created using a Creative Expressions die by Sue Wilson, and I absolutely love it!

I think that's me done for today, but I will be back!

Sian. xx

Long time no see

Well, hello to anyone who's still following me after all this time!  I ended up having to take a long break from art, craft and blogging as I simply didn't have time to do any of it whilst working full time and studying for a degree.  I am pleased to report that I have now finished my degree and have a BSc (Honours) degree in psychology.  I graduated with first class honours, so it seems that the break was worth it!

Anyway, I've been busy making cards.  I don't have the space to do all the messy stuff now that my boys are bigger.  Looking back at my last posts, I think my card making has improved over the last 4 years despite having only been able to do it occasionally until very recently.

I have recently discovered that I really enjoy colouring with pencils, and the images on the cards on this post were coloured with Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils.  If anyone is interested in trying out pencils I would highly recommend them.  They don't break easily, they are easy to blend, and the colours are lovely and vibrant.

The mermaid image to the right is a digi stamp by Julia Spiri. 

This is a Polkadoodles digi stamp from the Winnie in Wonderland Collection.  I really enjoyed colouring the hair in funky colours.

The image on this final card is by Pink Gem Designs.  This is one of my favourite cards from the ones I have made recently.

Now that I am back in the swing of things, I am hoping to be able to enter some challenges again, so if anyone could point me in the direction of some good ones I would be grateful.

I am hoping to be back soon!

Sian. xx

Cute Card Thursday

Now I've started on the cards again, I can't stop, so I've decided to try and have a go at a few challenges.  This is my first attempt for Cute Card Thursday, where this week's theme is fairies and angels.

The image is stamped and coloured with Promarkers.

More Christmas Cards

These are my cards from this weekend and alst weekend.  All except the sparkly reindeer were made using stamped images coloured with Promarkers.

The sparkly reindeer was done using layerd stamping with a distress ink background.

Back in the swing of things!

Well, I've been back to crafting  for about 3 or 4 weeks now, and I can honestly say it feels like I never stopped.  I'm going to miss it when I have to get back to studying.  I promised myself when I first started the degree that I would put aside one night a week for art and/or craft, but with a full time job and two children it's impossible, so I'll just have to make the most of it while I can!

I'm sticking with card making for the time being, as I don't want to get all my messy stuff out only to have to put it away again.  I've also decided that all of my Christmas cards are going to be made this year.

The cards shown are the ones I made last weekend and this week.  I will post this weekend's efforts another time.

The two teddy bear cards and the penguin are rubebr stamped and coloured using Promarkers.  Did I say how  much I love my Promarkers?  The teddies were free with a magazine - I can't remember whih one - but I think they're great for freebies!

The reindeer and the santa's sleigh scene were dones using layered stamping and distress inks - probably as messy as I'm going to be getting for now!

The Christmas tree card at the bottom was made using a wooden embellishment which I have decorated using Letraset metallic markers, Stickles and some stick on gems.  I am loving using black on my cards at the moment!

Christmas Cards!

I know it's early, but since I really only have time to make things at the weekend and I want to try and give everyone handmade Christmas cards this year, I have made a start.  The penguins are stamped and coloured using Promarkers.

I've got lots of new Christmas stamps, so there will be more to come!

Still doing cards

This is one I made a couple of weeks ago.  Again stamped and coloured using Promarkers.