October is HERE

I hate spiders, the real kind, but do have fun including them on spooky cards. This spider silhouette, a freebie from illustrator and set designer Dave Lowe. Dave's blog included photos of his amazing yard decorations, plus he provides instructions for making many of them and also templates for Halloween window cutouts, including this spider [you can find it here- davelowe.blogspot.com/2014/09/halloween-silhouettes-2014.html]  The A2 sized spider web with Happy Halloween sentiment is a freebie from Gerda Steiner Stamps [find it here-gsd-stamps.com/products/spiderweb-for-halloween-digital-stamp-freebie] And the neat  sentiment on the inside of the card, is a freebie from Birdscards [birdscards.com/halloween-card-and-spid-ey-freebies-first-posted-wednesday-september-16-2009] I added small gems for his eyes and also attached him with foam tape under his body to lift him off the web a bit. Yikes. [Also added some of the mini gems on the web in the inside sentiment to add a bit of extra fun.]

  
 

Entered into: 

Simon Says Monday Challenge-Monochromatic          (simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes     (simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge)

The current Butterfly Challenge is a fun one. For this card, I used a Stampin' Up rubber mount stamp, embossed it on white with clear powder, then sponged several colors of green ink to bring the butterfly to life. The sentiment is from a Stampendous clear set. My card includes one color from the current challenge [sea green], and one theme [sequins.]

 

Entered into: 

Butterfly Challenge- #108 Letter A                                  (butterflyspotchallenge.blogspot.co.uk)

Word Art Wed Challenge- #354-355 Anything Goes   (wordartwednesday.blogspot.com)

A2zscrapbooking Monthly Challenge- CAS                   (a2zscrapbookingblog.com) 

Shoes, Heroes and Monsters

My final card for the current -and fun- Double D’s Challenge "If the Shoe Fits" features a digi from Bugaboo named "Heels and Accessories." I decided to use a monochromatic color scheme with just a pop of red. Wrote "Hello" on scrap paper to create a template. Cut it out and traced it onto red vellum. Then colored the digi with Spectrum Noir markers, matching the lipstick color to the red vellum. Put the card together adding a bit if sparkle with silver photo corners,silver sparkle gel pen. and Radiant Pearls. Because… well, the only thing that a girl likes more than shoes… is BLING!

 

Entered into: 

Double D’s Challenge- If the Shoe Fits                           (daranddiane.blogspot.com)

Word Art Wed Challenge- #354-355 Anything Goes  (wordartwednesday.blogspot.com)

Artistic Inspirations Challenge-Challenge #207          (artisticinspirationschallenges.blogspot.com.au)

Made a fun card using an image from a Craftin Desert Diva digi set named "Coffee Hero" [you can get it here for just 99¢- http://craftindesertdivas.com/coffee-hero-digital-stamp]. Decided to give the cute little Black Night a coffee break before he had to get to work, especially during Halloween season. The inside sentiment is a freebie from The Child At Heart Blog [http://www.thechildatheartblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/But-First-Coffee.jpg] The moon is from a Di's Digi stamp named l "Love To The Moon And Back" [https://www.disdigistamps.com] and the little bats are sketched and fuzzy cut by moi.

 
Entered into: 

Cute Card Thursday- #549 Autumn                                                  (cutecardthursday.blogspot.com) 

Simon Says Wed Challenge- Anything Goes                    (simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge)

Kitty Bee Designs- #128 - Fairytale/Fantasy                                (alohafridaychallenges.blogspot.com)

Di’s Digi Stamps- For the Boys                                                            (disdigidesignschallenge.blogspot.co.uk)

My final card using this weeks Stella Says Sketch at Bugaboo has a monochromatic theme with shades of brown. I love the cute little coffee monster named Fluffy Gustov and matching sentiment. [Both are freebies from a site named Useless Trinkets- https://uselesstrinkets.wordpress.com/freebies/creepies] I colored Gustov with Spectrum Noir markers and used up several paper scraps [I have files full of scraps so love to use them up.] I provided a close-up of Gustof so that you can see that I made his fur look fluffy by pouncing my blender pen on the image to get a nice mottled look. [I also need to take another photo of the sentiment but my camera is recharging. Will retake it tomorrow.]  

Entered into: 

Bugaboo Stamp- Stella Says Sketch Challenge #615      (catchthebugblog.blogspot.com)

Simon Says Monday Challenge-Monochromatic            (simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge)

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge                  (craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper.blogspot.com)

Friday Fun

It's Friday, and that means it's time for a new  challenge at QKR Stampede where the weekly challenges are always Anything Goes and prizes are warded (qkrstampede.blogspot.com)
For this week's challenge at QKR Stampede I used an adorable image named Christmas Cheer [you can find it here stamponit.net code #Q-digi1421] I colored the image with Spectrum Noir markers, fussy-cut the dapper snow fella from the cardstock and set him aside. I created the shaped card by hand-sketching the large letters on an A2 sized scrap of paper. Once I had the right size, I cut them from vellum. I then adhered the vellum letters to snowflake paper and trimmed around then. Lastly, I positioned these on a white A2 sized card and adhered them securely. Finished the card by securing the snowman to the card and adding a nice layer of chunky glitter. The sentiment is computer generated. Note- I did find a free set of large letters at www.thelatestfind.com/2018/03/free-svg-letter-set.html that you can print to size and use as templates if desired. 

 

Entered into: 

Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #404 Anything Goes   (craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge.blogspot.co.uk)

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge                                (craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper.blogspot.com)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes                     (simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge)

I love the theme for current Double D’s Challenge [I mean, what women doesn't love shoes?] I found this sweet digi [a freebie from Dearie Dolls-(freedeariedollsdigistamps.blogspot.com] and figured that she was definitely all about the shoes. Colored the digi with Spectrum Noir Markers, used a piece of rainbow stationary paper for the background and added a computer generated sentiment. The final, crowning touch, was to color her shoes ruby red and then add glitter. Because those divine footwear deserve to attract attention. 

Entered into: 

Double D’s Challenge- If the Shoe Fits                              (daranddiane.blogspot.com)

Word Art Wed Challenge- #354-355 Anything Goes     (wordartwednesday.blogspot.com)

Artistic Inspirations Challenge-Challenge #207             (artisticinspirationschallenges.blogspot.com.au)

A2zscrapbooking Monthly Challenge- CAS (Logo)    (a2zscrapbookingblog.com) 

My wonderful MIL loves receiving handmade cards, especially those that have an extra wow factor. So I made her a cute penny- slider. I upcycled the leaf background from a postcard that advertised a local fall event, printed off and colored the sweet  fairy [a freebie from http://sliekje.blogspot.com] and created the slider  [instructions can be found here http://www.newtonsnookblog.com/2013/10/penny-slider-card-tutorial.html] The front sentiment is a scrapbook embellishment and the inside sentiment is a freebie [from paulaposts.blogspot.com]  that I decorated with a spray of leaves reserved from the front panel. I think my MIL and her friends at the assisted living facility will love this card. 

Entered into: 

The Paper Shelter- #355 Colours of Autumn/Fall                        (thepapershelter.blogspot.com.ar)

Di’s Digi Stamps- For the Boys                                                         (disdigidesignschallenge.blogspot.co.uk)

Cute Card Thursday- #549 Autumn                                                (cutecardthursday.blogspot.com) 

Midweek Fun

One of my favorite digis is "Love To The Moon And Back" from Dis Digi Stamps. I colored the cute images with Spectrum Noir markers and added computer generated sentiments. [Oh, and enlarged the moon, covered it with yellow vellum and, since I wanted to make this for Di's current challenge named "For the Boys," I added two hand-cut bats to add a little bit of eerie to the card.] Am entering the challenge in a few other challenges that require fall colors that can be found in the foliage, moon, card base, giraffe and bear. So cute.

 Entered into: 

Di’s Digi Stamps- For the Boys                                         (disdigidesignschallenge.blogspot.co.uk)

The Paper Shelter- #355 Colours of Autumn/Fall        (thepapershelter.blogspot.com.ar)

SumMoreFun Challenge- Mood Board #37 (Fall)        (summorefun.com) 

I recently signed up for the Gerda Steiner newsletter and got this adorable image FREE. [Nab your free digi right now by visiting gsd-stamps.com/collections/shop-digital-stamps/products/lets-eat-cupcake-printable] I colored the image with Spectrum Noir markers then added some realism to the balloon by tracing it with a fine-line permanent marker on a lavender plastic document folders. They come in a pack of assorted colors and you can find them in office supply stores. They are often cheaper than colored vellum, are more translucent and are easy to fussy-cut with a nice, sharp pair of scissors.) I printed an extra cupcake section of the digi, colored then fussy cut it. Popped it up on the digi with foam tape, added "frosting" with white opal Liquid Pearls and added a final touch of realism by adding sprinkles that I cut from very fine strips of scrap paper.  Doesn't it look good enough to eat? The sentiment inside of the card is a freebie from paulaposts.blogspot.com/2010/03/happy-birthday-digital-stamp.html [I printed off an extra copy of the party hat to make the sweet bear look a little more festive.]

 

Entered into: 

Gerda Steiner Designs- Share you Designs Challenge               (gsd-stamps.com/blogs/share-your-designs)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes                    (simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge)

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #354-355 Anything Goes     (wordartwednesday.blogspot.com)

I really enjoy making cards for Pixie's Snippets Challenges because it encourages me to use some of my large stash of scraps. For this card, I used a card I found on Pinterest as inspiration. However, the link was broken, so I have no idea who created the original, and also had to spend some time coming up with the proper sizes of the background and paper strips, plus the measurements of the strips cut into the card. [Here's the original Pinterest post- www.pinterest.com/pin/323062973251624151]

When I have some time, I might make another of these in different colors and create a tutorial. [But am not sure just what this "when I have some time" thingee is. Ha.] Added a diecut "Hello" that was in a packet of scrapbook goodies I had in my stash and finished the card by adding a few tiny black rhinestones along the edge of the "H" plus a pink rhinestone heart to provide a bit of sparkle. These days I try to decorate my inside sentiment to match the front of the card, so added a few of the black rhinestones and pink hearts there, too. [The inside sentiment is a freebie from winkwinkink.com]    

 

Entered into: 

Pixie's Snippets-Week #335                                           (pixiescraftyworkshop.blogspot.com) 

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge          (craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper.blogspot.com)

Artistic Inspirations Challenge-Challenge #207       (artisticinspirationschallenges.blogspot.com.au)

My final card is a cute pop-up kitten [find the template here www.redtedart.com/3d-cat-card-diy] Made for the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie challenge. trying to match the cookie mood board.  The sentiment is computer generated with a fun font named Bertha. I provided a closeup of the little feline to show how I'd wrapped the yarn around one of its paws. Am thinking that might explain the look on his furry face!

 
Entered into: 

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie- #103 Kitten                                (giveacrafteracookie.blogspot.com)
We Craft Cards Monday Challenge- First Initial Creation        (wecraftcards.com/forum)

Dreamin'

It's Wednesday! So time for another challenge at Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge Blog.  Penny's challenges are always Anything Goes and prizes are awarded from one or more sponsors.  Stop by the blog to check it out! (pennyschallenges.blogspot.com)

I made a card with an adorable image named "Dream Charlie" from Little Blue Button Stamps [http://lbbstamps.com] Charlie was so easy to color with Spectrum Noir markers. I decided to go bold with the colors and really make them pop with a dark embossed background that has a gorgeous sheen. Added some bright pink rhinestones to enter the card into the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge. And used the current layout at Sketch Saturday. The sentiment on the front of the card is a freebie from maxammadestudio.com and the inside sentiment is from Beccy's Place digi set Seasonal Windows.

Entered into: 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Bling It On                (simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge)

Word Art Wed Challenge- #352-3531 Anything Goes     (wordartwednesday.blogspot.com)

Sketch Saturday- Week #532                                                (sketchsaturday.blogspot.com) 

A few current challenges include an apple theme. I used a rubber stamp that I've had for many years, but pulled it off of the wood so I could use my MISTI, so don't know the company. [I think it might be from Hero Arts or All Night Media.] I had sequins on my desk from some cardmaking last week so gave the card a little bling. The patterned paper also adds a bit of bling with the golden leaves. Finished the card with a free sentiment from TLC Creations (createwithtlc.blogspot.com)

 

Entered into: 

Bugaboo Stamps- Photo                                          (catchthebugblog.blogspot.com)

SumMoreFun Challenge- Mood Board #37        (summorefun.com) 

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge     (craftyhazelnutspatternedpaper.blogspot.com)

I recently discovered the website of an amazing illustrator, author and Ted Talk speaker named Elizabeth Dulemba. [http://dulemba.com/index.html] Elizabeth has created hundreds of digis and coloring pages that she offers for free download! I love this sweet illustration [that you can download here- dulemba.blogspot.com/2010/06/coloring-page-tuesday-reading-sprite.html] I added glitter to the wings, you can see in the closeup. The book page background is from gutenberg.org/files/26019/26019-h/26019-h.htm and the sentiment is a freebie from TLC Creations (createwithtlc.blogspot.com)

Entered into: 

Power Poppy- Hit the Books       (powerpoppy.blogspot.com/2018/09/power-spark-hitting-books_7.html)