Cabbage Patch

This decoupage set came free with Quick Cards Made Easy magazine (free stuff seems to be a theme with me at the moment!) Beatrix Potter images are gorgeous but I just never know how to frame them. This one just begged for a nestie and following my current trend for clean and simple I decided to just stamp a simple message on the bottom (again from a clear acrylic Papermania set that came with Creativity magazine!). Hmmm, not convinced but maybe I've spent too long looking at it!

Image: Beatrix Potter decoupage set free from magazine
Card: from stash cut with nestie
Sentiment: Papermania acrylic stamp

Simple Jemima

I'm still at my Mum's and as we have loads of family due to arrive I thought I'd pop up a simple one. I definitely seem to be leaning towards clean and simple at the moment.

Image: Jemima chopbaord embellishment from a magazine.
Pink ribbon: cheap from the market!
Card: from my stash
Sentiment: Papermania acrylic stamp

The Pianist

This is definitely one of my favourite images at the moment; The Pianist. I love the curves and being at my Mum's it's a sight I see so regularly (either Mum or my sister, oh and now my little monkeys!)

I know I posted this image for a challenge recently but i liked it so much I had to have another go! I coloured using Pencil crayons and sansador, my prefered colouring method (at the moment!) Again, I used my nesties to frame it (I'd be lost without them!) and did some of that faux stitching I love so much.

Card blank - Elco, Square

Paper - Papermania Creative tones, Pink

Flowers - Papermania elements and mini flower brads

Drewent Coloursoft Pencils, Sansador oil, black ink pad, black gel pen

Three crowns

My inspiration definitely came from Simplicity for this Christmas card. I like the clean and simple theme and hopefully you still get the Christmas message (although I might have to work on what I put inside, maybe a bible verse?)

Card - Craft tonic
Images - Digistamps: Crowns from DigiSparkle
Circles - nesties
Derwnt Softcolour Pencils, Sansador Oil, black gel pen

A pile of challenges

I worked quite hard on these, and as I'm staying at my Mum's without all my stash and I was working on the floor not a desk, I feel quite pleased with them! Nothing like blowing your own trumpet, is there!

This first card is for a whole pile of challenges:

Pile it on: Good things com in three's - like my 3 little monkey's!
But in the card sense: 3 ribbons (the 3rd one is hiding behing the flower) 3 flowers (layered, I know it's flimsy!) and 3 papers.

Stamp something: Birthday somethings


Get sketchy Well that was the sketch!

Pollycraft: Favourite things

This definitely uses my favourite things, my nesties and big shot! How did I cope without them? Well, no more dodgy circles for me (well not many anyway!)

Image - Digistamp The Pianist from Digisparkle
Card blank - Elco, Square
Paper - Paper pad free from Quick Cards made Easy Magazine
Flowers - Papermania elements and mini silver brad
Ribbon - Glued flower and straight navy blue ribbon & white sparkly ribbon from stash
Sentiment - Papermania mini birthday clear set
Derwent Coloursoft Pencils, Sansador oil, silver gel pen

This second one is using the sketch from Friday sketchers. I really like Robbie the robot but couldn't work out how to use him. I'm still not convinced it has shown him off properly, I think I needed different colour stars, I don't know. Any suggestions? Please be honest, it's the only way I'll learn! Oh and the blue doesn't look very blue in the photo; I need to practice my photography as well as my colouring!

Image - Digistamp Robbie robot from Digisparkle
Card blank - Elco, Square
Paper - From my stash and embellished with stamp from Papermania Alphamania clear set
Stars - Nesties
Derwnt Coloursoft Pencils, Sansador oil, Black gel pen, Blue ink pad

A quickie!

Just a quickie, as it's getting a bit late, and way past my bedtime! It's a card for my brother-in-law, a masculine card but without having to find a relevant theme!



Stars: Nesties and Papermania spotty brad
Paper: Papermania Colossal
Stamps: Papermania alphabet stamps

A Different Grandad

My Uncle recently became a Grandad and I was commissioned to create a card for him as Aunty felt most other cards were a little on the 'cutesy' side. He's not one for the mess and noise of babies and she wanted that reflected in the card. I think I got the gist! I couldn't help adding the more 'ahhhh' bit inside.

White card blank - from my stash

Circles - images found online cut with my nesties

Wording - black gel pen

Header - done on my computer!

Paper - Red with gold thread from my stash

Jemima

My girls adore Jemima Puddleduck at the moment, they like a lot of the Beatrix Potter characters but there is something about Jemima that appeals to them. I think my DH is getting a bit sick of reading it though! I got this stamp free with a magazine and have just been waiting to frame her properly. I finally got my oval nesties a couple of weeks ago so now I can display her as she sould be. I like the blue and pink mix, it seems to work (I suppose you can't mess with a colour combination that has worked for so long!)


Card - Papermania Designer blanks (All Ocassions set - I think!)

Image - Jemima (free stamp from Quick Cards Made Easy)

Oval - Nesties

Tag - Sizzlits Funky Tags and ribbon from my stash

A Challenge or two

Well here goes, my first challenge card. I thought I'd go for broke and have a go at piling the challenges on. So I've managed 3 challenges in one go. I'm impressed with myself, although I'm not amazed by the card. This was my first go at colouring using pencils and Sansador. I'm relatively pleased with the colouring but I'm not convinved about the brads. Oh well we live to learn!

So here's my 'pile':

Pile it on - Oh boy!
Lord have Mercy - Sketch #35
A Spoonful of sugar - Challenge 65; Travel

Card blank - from my stash

Paper - papermania pack

Image - Cartoon car from Digisparkle

Brads - Papermania elements

A little note

Papermania Designer card blanks (I think this is from the All Ocassions box) are really good but I often struggle to decide what to put on them - they're almost a card in themselves! This sentiment (cut using my nesties - gotta love those nesties!) just seemed to fit perfectly on this background, and the hedgie, well he fitted just perfectly!

I tried for an arty farty angle, I do like the way hedgie floats.

Card - Papermania Designer card blank (All Ocassions)

Sentiment - A little note from Circle Sentiments set at DigiSparkle.com cut with nesties

Image - Penny Black Stickeroo

Clean and Simple Shepherds

I've noticed just recently that there are more and more Christmas cards on blogs. Normally I'm really against seeing Christmas before November but since it was such a scurry to get all my cards done last year maybe making an early start is a very good idea.

I really struggled to find the right Christmas image for my cards last year. I know I ask the impossible but I want stylish and Christian ('tis the reason for the season!). I went for a clean and simple look - really into that at the moment! So here are my first Christmas cards of the year. Question is have I achieved stylish and Christian, I'm not convinced yet!



Cards - Craft tonic card blanks
Image - Shepherds digistamp from DigiSparkle.com
Ovals - Nesties with coloured paper/card from my stash
Tags - Sizzlits tags
Paper - Plaid digi paper free download (can't remember where from!)

Just to say

I was really inspired by this card at kwernerdesign. I really like her designs and am grateful for her tutorials. So i thought I'd have a go at making a card similar to hers - I think hers works better (I need to get some proper background stamps!). What do you think? I'll keep trying!

Card - orange card from stash

Image - Penny Black Zoophabet set

Inks - Orange, red and yellow

Rock and Roll

It was my DH's birthday recently which gave me an excuse to do a slightly more time consuming card. (Prepared before we went on holiday luckily!) I followed a template from Cardmaking & Papercraft and used my new nesties to create the stars. He appreciated the music in the background as it is a tune he plays a lot at the moment!

Card - white square card blank

Guitar - template from Cardmaking and Papercraft

Stars - nesties using card from my stash

Boxes

Had a KFC the other night (very naughty I know!) and the popcorn box appealed to me. I've yet to decide what to put in these boxes, think it might be some homemade fudge.

Net - KFC popcorn box, traced onto plain card

Papers - Papermania Clossal pad

Scallop circle/Oval - Nestie with card from my stash

Ribbon - silver and yellow from my stash

Cupcake

I recently bought a cupcake die to use with my big shot (gotta love ebay!). Creating a clean and simple card is supposed to be easy but I often end up spending ages trying to decide what to put on the card! I recently found a blog I really like called Clean and simple and it really has inspired me. I love the simplicity of these cards and layouts.

But anyway, here's my cupcake card:

Cupcake - sizzix die
Circle - Nestie
Tags - sizzlits funky tags die
Card - Papermanid Designer card blank