Springtime Little Birdie

Hello peeps.

I had to do a quick birthday card to post off to a friend today so I've done a CAS design using You're so Tweet from Little Claire.

I bought this stamp at a craft show a couple of years ago and came across it while looking for something else. It's perfect for this time of year.

There are tiny little areas to colour on this image so it was definitely a job for my Promarkers and the fine tips. Birds - March Hare and Sandstone

Fence - Ice Grey 2 

Hearts - Rose pink

Sun & flowers - Tulip yellow/Daffodil bloom

Leaves - Meadow Green

I've decoupaged a few elements to give a bit of dimension and also added florist wire (attached with silicone glue underneath the decoupage layers)

The sentiment is from a Personal Impressions set, I think it's one of Marion Emberson's designs.

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:-
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog #266 Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion #301 - Always Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp (Wed)  Anything Goes
Sassy Studio Designs  #322 Anything Goes
The Craft Barn  Clean and Simple w. flower and a sentiment
Crafty Friends Challenge #25 -FLORAL - FEATURE A FLOWER(S)
Eureka Stamps #182 CAS

Thanks for stopping by,

Katrina x

p.s. I'd like to say a huge 'Thank You' to the lovely volunteers at Paper Playful for their marvellous list of challenges. I spent ages building up my own list of challenge links last year so I could keep track of which challenges I'd entered, what the rules were etc. I've updated this faithfully every day with the current themes and then last night Blogger decided to wipe the entire page contents. Pressing undo didn't bring it back and then it very helpfully auto-saved the blank page and I lost everything. Aarrrrgh !

Thankfully after a couple of hours cutting and pasting from Paper Playful, I have most of the list back again (and still some semblance of sanity). 

Sitting on top of the world

Hello lovely peeps

I've stamped up one of the Gorjuss Girls - On Top Of The World - and coloured her with Graph'It markers

Skin: 4115, 4155, 4180

Hair: 3255, 3280, 3190

Apron:  5140, 9504

Dress: 9500, 9501

Tights:  9503, 9505, 9507

I've made a brick wall for her to sit on from a stripy paper (Docrafts Gorjuss)

I drew in vertical lines with a marker (9503) and then went around the edges with 'Hickory Smoke' Distress Ink. 

To distress it a bit more I scuffed it up with sandpaper before glueing it onto my card (the paper on top is from an old My Minds Eye collection)

I cut some flowers from white linen card using a Tattered Florals strip die and then inked the edges with 'Shabby Shutters' and 'Scattered Straw' Distress Inks. The card was a bit stiff  so to make them easier to shape I spritzed them first with water. 

To make the little dangly heart I die-cut a small heart from white shrink plastic using an X-cut die. I then drew a line around the edge and filled it in with some stripes (using a black fineliner pen). I punched a hole in the top before shrinking it with my heat gun. I've hung it from a branch (Memory Box Woodland Branch) with silver thread.

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:-
Crafty Friends #25 - Girly
Send a Smile 4 Kids  Anything Goes 4 Kids
The Ribbon Girl - February 'Use any image'
Addicted to Stamps #120 DIE CUTS
The Craft Barn  Hearts
Penny Black (any brand stamp) - Anything Goes With a Stamp and Dies
Dragonfly Dreams Challenge - hearts and flowers
Stamping Sensations - Anything goes
Crafts Galore Use a digi or stamp for February
Artistic Stamper HeART Art
The sugar bowl - Anything goes

Thanks for stopping by,
Katrina x

Hey Chick for Lili of the Valley

Hello lovely peeps.

Here's my second LOTV Design Collective card for February.

I've used papers from the 'Sunny Side Up' 8x8 pad (retired) and the chicken from Little Critters - Hey Chick

 Obviously she has to have a name. She looks like a Matilda to me, I'm going to call her Tilly for short.

First I made my main background by painting white gesso onto some Kraft card with a damp paintbrush, which I then left to dry.

Next I coloured Tilly in with Promarkers

(Poppy, Daffodil, Tulip, Almond, Putty & Blender)

I die-cut a plain and scalloped circle from two of the papers to give Tilly a frame to sit in and then covered up her nest with some raffia. The flowers are from Wild Orchid crafts (Foundation White Blooms) and I've just added red adhesive gems in the centres (Kanban)

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:-

Fan-Tastic Tuesday #124: anything goes with a twist ... make it cute
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog #265 Anything Goes
Brown Sugar #186 - Anything goes
Winter Wonderland - Clean and Simple
The Ribbon Girl - February 'Use any image'
Lemon Shortbread - #9 - Anything Goes
Creative Inspirations #345 - Anything Goes + option of  a sketch
That's Crafty! - Circle It
Stamping Sensations - Anything goes

Thanks for stopping by,

Katrina x

Watercolour Meadow

Hello peeps, hope you had a lovely weekend.

It's a beautiful sunny day here in Somerset so I thought I'd show you a bright cheerful card. 

This was so simple to make but I love the effect, I got the idea from an old stamp brochure. I coaxed some wood mounted flower stamps out of hiding (these are all Hero Arts) and Distress Ink pads in various colours. 

Just ink up the stamp and then spritz it a couple of times with a fine mist of water before stamping onto watercolour card.  Spritz again without re-inking to get even more of a watercolour effect.  

I've finished off with a Crafters Companion butterfly (inked and spritzed using the same technique) and a Stamps Away sentiment stamped in black Memento. The doodled black border makes the colours pop a bit more.

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:-

 Stamping Sensations - Anything goes
THE PENCIL CASE  M = More than one
Simon Says Stamp (Wed) - One Layer!
 Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge #117 Anything goes with a twist: sentimental
 Craft your passion - #299 Anything Goes
 TTCRD - Anything Goes (always) 9Feb
ABC Challenge - B is for B (Bright)
 Cardz 4 Galz 15 - Fantastic Florals

Thanks for stopping by,

Katrina x

Driving Test for Polkadoodles

Hello lovely peeps.

I'm very excited to be back at Polkadoodles today with my second card as a Guest Designer. The challenge theme for the next fortnight is 'Lucky Green' so I have made a 'good luck with your driving test' card.

I have used images and papers from the new 'Sticks and Bones' CD. It's fabulous - full of lovely 'prehistoric' images and funny sentiments.

The main image of the girl on the tortoise is called 'Riding High'. I used the pre-coloured version and cut it out with my Craft Robo.  The background is one of the scenes on the CD and I have added an arrow and bones from the embellishments section to make the 'road'. 

There are lots of fab background papers on the CD but I wanted something to echo the pattern on the  tortoise's shell, with colours to match. I opened the green gingham paper in CraftArtist 2 and clicked on 'Photo Lab' then I had a play with the 'Roman Bath' effect (under 'Fun stuff'). It extracts the colours in the image to make a lovely mosaic print.

For the sentiment I printed off the scrabble letters from Work & Play 9 - Love & Kisses. I printed them in A5 size as I had a lot of letters to fit in :)  They are attached with silicone glue for a bit of dimension.

I've added green gingham ribbon with a leaf from the embellishments section, and flowers cut from purple glitter card using a Papermania punch.

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:-
Hiding In My Craft Room #237 - No Pinks or Reds!
Craft your passion - #298 Anything Goes 
The Ribbon Girl - Card - Anything goes
Lemon Shortbread - Anything Goes
Creative Fingers #102 Anything goes
Crafting by designs (monthly) - Anything Goes in February
Sisters of Craft - Anything goes
Southern Girls - Anything Goes
SSS Work it Wednesday - use something NEW (Sticks & Bones CD)

Please pop on over to Polkadoodles if you can to see more inspiration from the fabulous team.

Thank you for stopping by today,
Katrina x

Sticks & Stones DL collection

Love & Kisses scrabble letters

Squidgy Flowersoft Heart for LOTV

Hello lovely peeps.

Here's my first Lili of the Valley Design Collective card for February.

I've stamped up 'Odd Dog - Squidgy Heart' onto Neenah Solar White card and coloured him in with Promarkers (Almond, Putty and Tawny Owl). I then filled in the heart with PVA glue and sprinkled on 'Raspberry Fizz' ultra fine Flowersoft.

By the way, if you're doing this technique with something that has a finer texture I would suggest using Zig two-way glue or double sided adhesive. I tried PVA glue with embossing powder (I love the look of it unmelted) but because my glue wasn't perfectly even it ended up all bumpy.

I've layered my topper onto papers from the 8x8 Rose Garden pad by First Edition/Trimcraft. The hearts were cut with X-Cut nesting heart dies and I scribbled around the edges with a black fineliner pen.

For the tag I used one of the stamps from the Sentiment Tags set (also Lili of the Valley). I found a bit of ancient pink raffia in the deepest depths of my stash* to thread through the hole I made with my pokey tool.

* I found the burgundy hessian down there too :D

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:-

In The Pink #87 With Love

Crafts Galore Use a digi or stamp for February
 ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS #149 Anything goes / twist of valentine
The Ribbon Girl - Make a card - Anything goes
THE PENCIL CASE  L = Love/Romance 
Creative Corner Challenges - Happy Valentine's Day/Love
Brown Sugar #184 - Valentine/Love
Simon Says Stamp (Wed) - Have A Heart
Inky Chicks #62 - LOVE (LETTERS) AND/OR HEARTS
Incy Wincy Designs - Love is in the air
Deep Ocean #122: "Hearts"
Creative Moments #86 Always Anything Goes/ optional twist Romance/Love

Thanks for stopping by,

Katrina x

It's a Love Thing for Crafty Calendar

Hello peeps.

It's the first Saturday of the month, which means there's a new challenge starting at Crafty Calendar.
This month's theme is 'It's a Love Thing'

There are two fab sponsors:-

Robyn's Fetish - winner gets their choice of 3 digis 

and

Bugaboo - winner gets their choice of 7 digis

I've used a Bugaboo image for my DT card, he's called Charlie.
Isn't he fab?! I love his slightly hopeful expression.

I coloured him in with Promarkers:-

Ivory and Sandstone, Budding Rose, Fresh Meadow,

Ice Grey 1,3 & 4, Poppy and Blender.

The papers are from the 6x6 Forever Friends Kraft Notes pad and I did the lettering with Hobby Art's Alphabet-Typed set, edged with a black fineliner pen.

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:-
Catch The Bug - February Anything Goes!
Creative Moments #86 Always Anything Goes/ optional twist Romance/Love
Brown Sugar #184 - Valentine/Love
ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS #149 Anything goes / twist of valentine
Incy Wincy Designs - Love is in the air
MY BESTIES UK -Anything goes with Buttons Or Brads
Crafting for all Seasons #119 Love Is In The Air
That's Crafty! - First Love
Creative Corner Challenges - Happy Valentine's Day/Love

Thanks for stopping by, please visit the Crafty Calendar Challenge Blog to see some more fab inspiration from my teamies.

Katrina x

True Love for Polkadoodles

Hello peeps.

I'm very honoured to announce that for the next 3 months I am going to be a Guest Designer over at Polkadoodles.   ~Happy Dance~

This is my first card for them for this fortnight's challenge - the theme is 'Love & Romance'.

I have used a digistamp called 'True Love', which is available as a separate download or as part of the Work & Play 9 'Love and Kisses' bundle or CD.

I coloured the image in with my Graph'It markers:

Skin: 4115, 4155, 4180

Her Hair: 1210, 1230, 1270
His Hair: 3210, 3255, 3290

Dress: Budding Rose PM, 6150

The engagement sentiment is from the Cherryblossom Lane CD and the patterned papers I've used are printed from 3 different Polkadoodles CDs. The dotty paper is from the Pretty Tuff CD and I've just roughened the edges with my scissors. The brown Circles paper is from Work & Play CD 6 and I die-cut it using an X-Cut Heart die before roughening the edges. I tried the same technique with a smaller heart die and some vellum but the vellum creased too much and didn't tear well. Instead I used the heart die as a template to draw on some more plain vellum and tore it by hand.

To make the shaker I passed the rose paper (from the Pretty Sweet CD) through my ebosser machine with two nesting circle dies, which made a circular frame. This was then taped on top of a circle of acetate, which was cut with the largest of the two circle dies. I attached foam tape all around the underside of the acetate circle, making sure to leave no gaps. For the shaker pieces I punched some heart shapes from vellum.The patterned vellum was some that I've had for years from a pound shop. The coloured vellum started off white so I coloured it with a Graph'It marker to match the Chrysanthemum before punching the hearts out. 

The flowers are mostly from Wild Orchid Crafts, but a couple are from my stash. The gorgeous lace was also from Wild Orchid crafts but doesn't seem to be on their site any more.

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:

Fan-Tastic Tuesday #122 Anything Goes with a twist: Sweethearts
Creative Inspirations #344 - Hugs & Kisses!

Incy Wincy Designs - Love is in the air
Live & Love Crafts #44 Love is in the air!
Crafting for all Seasons #119 Love Is In The Air 
 Simon Says Stamp (Wed) - Have A Heart
Creative Moments #86 Always Anything Goes/ optional twist Romance/Love
Crafts Galore Use a digi or stamp for February
Crafting by designs (monthly) - Anything Goes in February
That's Crafty! - First Love


Thanks for stopping by,

Katrina x