Friday Sketchers and Dare U2 Digistamp

Dare U2 Digi Stamps Friday Challenge this week is black, white and pink. I have combined it with Friday Sketchers Challenge to use this layout:



The B&W background paper is by Pink Petticoat, the cross strip is embossed with the Cuttlebug Divine Swirls folder, and the image is from Polly Craft's Cherry Kisses digi set, coloured with watercolour pencils. The little glass hearts were in a box of embellies given to me by my friend Dilys as a thank you for knitting some second sizers for her due-last-Tuesday-but-not-yet-arrived, great grandson.

Two for the price of one...

This fulfils the conditions for Charmed Cards' Crafty Goings On blogcandy as it has a digital download image that has been coloured. Why not pop over there and check it out?

Secondly, this week's Dare U 2 Digi Stamp Challenge is to use embossing on your card, either dry embossing or heated embossing. The background paper and the large circle are from a Funky Hand CD. I used the Cuttlebug to emboss a piece of dusty pink pearl card, the image is from Polly Craft's Cherry Kisses digital set and the sentiment is a Cuddly Buddly stamp. The image and sentiment have been coloured with watercolour pencils. I had problems matching the colours in the background paper, and the close-up shows that I need to learn to be a bit less wishy washy with my colour, but I'm getting there...slowly! The flower and braid are from my re-cycled stash...the braid was once on a dress, and the flower was originally in a bathroom vase.

Stampavie Challenge #17

This is the sketch for the Stamp with Stampavie Challenge this week, and here is my version. The image stamp is by Rachelle Ann Miller, coloured with Derwent watercolour pencils and fibre tip pens. The text stamp is by Stampendous and the dotty paper is Pink Petticoat.I had some bits left over from another card, so came up with this second version as well, although this one does not use Stampavie stamps.

Stampavie Challenge #16

The company that produces the Rachelle Ann Miller stamps has a challenge blog here. The current challenge is to make a card using blue and brown. I've used brown Lidl cardstock, the background paper is from the Now That's Funky CD, the Lily stamp is painted with Derwent watercolour pencils, and the rest is from my little stash.

Cute Card Thursday Challenge

The challenge on CCT this week was to use stars on your card. I don't know who produced the stamp, it has neither name nor number, but it came to me from a friend who died recently. I coloured it with Derwent Watercolour pencils. The sentiment stamp is by Hero Arts. I found the little wooden stars with the table decorations in the supermarket yesterday. I tried scanning the card last night, but didn't like the way the shiny gold stars looked, so here is another attempt with my camera and home made light box; much better!

Two birds with one paint brush

I was asked to make a sympathy card, and so I thought I would use my new flower silhouette stamps. I made a watercolour wash for the background. Later, reading through my Blogroll, I found that DCM's challenge this week was to use paint on a card, so I am entering this.Grey background card and purple paper from a pad from Lidl, stamping layer is watercolour on hammered card, stamps are by Artemio and peel-off borders and text from stash.

I've been playing...

...with one of the Rachelle Ann Miller stamps. Last night I couldn't resist having a go, so I had a trial with the card and the stamp pad that happened to be out on my desk. The card was a coated card and took the image well, but when I tried to colour with pencils, they just skidded off the surface. Next I tried with watercolour. Well not watercolour as such, but felt tip markers scribbled onto the lid of the ice cream tub that they live in, and picked up with a brush. This was better, but the surface made it hard to control the paint, and the effect was rather blobby.Today I have stamped with the sepia pad again, but this time on to matte hammered card, and painted with paintbox watercolours. This is much less blobby. I think the colour of the hair is better in the first one, butI haven't figured out the best way to do the bows in her hair. Do I colour them, or leave them as strings?
This one was stamped with a black pad. I think I may need a new one! I have also found that the stamp is ever so slightly hollow in the centre. When I ink it, the centre doesn't get inked, and I have to dab at it with the corner of the pad. When I print with it, I have to have my card on a very spongy surface, and the lines are coming out thicker than they should be because of the extra pressure. Of course it could be my inexperience with stamping, and I may get better with practice. I filled in the missing lines with a propelling pencil.
Finally for today, here is a simple card I put together. I intended to sew around the edge, but half way along the first side, the thread shredded, and so I continued with an empty needle and drew in the stitches with a gel pen. The swirls are Inkadinkado, the dotty paper is a scrap of Pink Petticoat, and the flower was taken from a flower arrangement in the guest bathroom!