Quirky June challenge and it's Quirky things with Wings.

Over at Quirky Crafts we have two sponsors this month, Bugaboo and Limited Runs. I have not managed to do any papercrafting for this challenge so I have found a couple of cards I made for previous challenges, I hope you will forgive me. In fact things started off well when we started challenges once more, and I had good intentions then my Dad was diagnosed with the same cancer that killed my hubby last year, and he collapsed a few weeks before Easter and died Easter Sunday. Talk about kicking a person when they are already down! 

Because of that and having to do a lot more for my mum, as well as mother in law, and sorting various things out I haven't had the time or energy to papercraft. I did start to sort out my craft stuff and put it in my new unit, and I have been revamping storage in the craft room but there is no space to craft right now for stuff that needs sorting!

The first card is made using Bugaboo digis, Ladybug Stack and Birdie Told me. A stamped background on this one.

The second card is made with Limited Runs digital stamps, I used Whootie Owl and Mushrooms. 

This challenge will close on the 23rd of the month when Inlinkz subs run out! 

Due to my problems this will be the last challenge for a few months, Quirky will take a long Summer break and might be back in a new format, there is a lot of thinking and working out to do but we hope to go back to more stamping and mixed media, and we really would love some non digi sponsors, real stamp sponsors to compliment the regular sponsors that have been so good to us.

Quirky emboss it.

Myriam is leaving the Quirky Team to pursue other interests, and this is her last challenge to us. We will miss her loads, she is so talented.

Quirky Crafts has three sponsors for this challenge, Sweet Pea Stamps, Limited Runs and Robyn's Fetish.

My first card is made with a Limited Runs digi set called Birds on a Wire with another of their digis called Birdhouse 2 set. The sentiment and a few more come with the birds on a wire set.

I coloured the digis with Promarkers, cut out the panel with Spellbinders and fussy cut the birdhouse. The background is embossed with a set of three little embossing folders that came free with Card Making and Papercrafts magazine a while back, and I enhanced the embossing by rubbing chalks over it, although I don't fix them with hairspray because I am allergic to it!

I am running late with my Sweet Pea card but I will try and beat the deadline, if not it will be along later.

Hop on over to Quirky Crafts to see some even better examples of embossing and to play along with the team. All you need to do is include any kind of embossing on any kind of project.

This card has fluttered into the following challenges:

Cute Card Thursday - anything goes

Addicted to Stamps - make your mark (Wed/Fri)

Sketch Saturday - sketch

Fab n Funky - things with wings (Aug)

Christmas in July reminder time

I was late again, I am late again - but here I am at last. It has been a hectic week, (It was my Big Birthday Tuesday and we went out last weekend and on the actual day in the evening, and have still been driving to visit mother in law then sorting things out for her return home tomorrow, and making a late card for my Daughter in Law) they all seem like that recently. How did I have time to go to work?

Over at Quirky Crafts we are playing Christmas in July, and we have three lovely sponsors, Crafty Ribbons, Bugaboo and Limited Runs.

My first card features an image from Limited Runs called Trees on a Cupcake, I thought I would coloure these in modern colours with my Promarkers - I think my bright green is running out because I use it so much.

I die cut the image and panel behind with Spellbinders card creator dies. The ribbon is one of the exclusive ones from Crafty Ribbons.

I added some Ice Stickles glitter glue which is still wet here.

 This cute image is called Puppy - enough reindeer from Bugaboo, he comew with the sentiment and together they make a very cute card. Just look at the tears welling up in his eyes because he can't be a reindeer!
 I coloured the image with Promarkers and a gold pen for the bells. Again this is die cut with Spellbinders Card Creator dies. The paper was a freebie with a magazine. The ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons.

From Bugaboo comes Stella - Merry Christmas not Happy Holidays, I find Stella (and Gus) so very amusing, I hope the recipient of this card does too! This is an 8" X 8" scalloped card blank, but all the images for all 4 cards were cut out the same size with Spellbinders card creator dies, and yet they are all on different size card blanks. I coloured Stella with Promarkers, the papers are by My Mind's Eye (the top paper with little house scene) and Papermania, and the "Keep Calm" ribbon is a Crafty Ribbons exclusive which seemed perfect with the sentiment.

My last card features another of the Limited Runs cupcakes, this one is called Snowman on a Cupcake lol. Again I coloured it with Promarkers, die cut it with Spellbinders card creator dies and added Ice Stickles which are still wet here. There are 3 different ribbons from Crafty Ribbons on my card. The spotty paper is by My Mind's Eye.

I added three buttons to the side, I just thought I would, maybe I need some the other side too.

Come on over to Quirky Crafts Challenge blog to see some more wonderful examples and to play along and maybe win some great prizes.

I've entered a few challenges, different cards into different challenges so none of them breach the numbers rule:

Papertake Weekly - Christmas in July (Tues)

Passion for Promarkers - fancy that - Snowman on a cupcake (Tues)

Tuesday Throwdown - no patterned paper

Addicted to Stamps - make your mark (Wed)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - furry creatures

Creative Fingers = #87 Anything goes (Fri)

Daring Card Makers - no black, no neutral Trees on a Cupcake (Fri)

Creative Card Crew - die cuts (Tues 21st)

Digi Chooseday - Christmas in July (Jul 28th)

The Ribbon Girl - any image (Jul)

Challenges won:

Catch the Bug - Christmas in July Jingle all the way 

You better be good, you better be nice....Santa Claus is coming to town - Quirky style

I am so late, it is gone 1:00 in the morning and I really really need my bed now. I was late to bed last night 2:00 in the morning in fact, and had to get up at 7:00 and all because we were helping at the Cannon's House fete and having a stall which I really needed to prepare cards for - not that I really sell many, normally only 2 or 3 but I felt I had to get as many ready as possible, and take display racks etc.

Anyway it is challenge time again at Quirky Crafts and we have three great sponsors, Crafty Ribbons, Bugaboo and Limited Runs, what a great combination! The challenge set by Lyn (we are so pleased she is back with us) is her favourite Christmas in July and it is a great time to start on those Christmas cards - if only I can keep it up!

So I started with Stella Note to Santa, it was too funny and I couldn't not choose this one! I know a few Stella's, maybe I am one!

I coloured the image with ProMarkers, die cut it with a Spellbinders postage stamp style die with matching ribbon slider which I hand wrote on. I added two ribbons from Crafty Ribbons amazing range of Christmas ribbon, much of which is exclusive to them. I added a bit of Ice Stickles glue to the white fluffy bits of Stella's outfit, and added gold gel pen to the baubles. The paper is by My Mind's Eye.

My second card features one of Limited Runs great cupcakes, from a set of two called Penguin Set Cupcake, the other cake has a blank sign. I coloured the image with ProMarkers and die cut it with a Spellbinders die, mounted onto a die cut rectangle of red. The Singing Penguin ribbon (which I really love) is a Crafty Ribbons exclusive. The snowflakes are all Spellbinders die cuts, and again I added some Ice Stickles in Star Dust to the image. I can't eat cupcakes but I can never resist the wonderful Limited Runs ones!

So now I can go to bed, at 1:30am hope I get a lie in! You, on the other hand, might like to hop over to Quirky Crafts to see some wonderful examples by the team and play along with us to maybe win great prizes.

Now to enter some challenges:

Inspiration Destination - #40 anything goes (Wed)

TTCRD - anything goes (June 30 - Jul 6)

Addicted to Stamps - anything goes (Wed)

Crafty Ribbons - anything goes (Thurs)

Coffee, chocolate and cards - seeing red (Fri)

Creative Fingers = #86 anything goes (Fri)

Crafting from the Heart - #67 anything goes (Fri)

Winter Wonderland - all that glitters (Fri)

Crafty Cardmakers - Sentiment  (Sat)

Sketch Saturday - sketch #368

Christmas card challenges - colour combo or anything Christmas (July 20th)

The Ribbon Girl - anything goes or stars and stripes (July)

Challenges won or top 3 etc:

Cute Card Thursday - we love cake 

Pretty Woman, walking down the street.....it's Quirky Charades

Here's my second attempt at playing Quirky Charades, this time my card is about a book and a song, Pretty Woman. Once again I was singing this song all the way through making my card!

I used Molly from Limited Runs, isn't she gorgeous!

I decided I wanted the film strip somewhere and it ruined her to have it over her, so I decided to put the street scene, using a Hero Arts stamp, behind her in the film - she is walking the streets after all!

I found the perfect papers in my 8"x8" DCWV Rockstar stack (discontinued), and I had looked at the smaller stack first, but it wasn't big enough. I was amazed to find that the larger stack had more foiled papers and more designs, and I hadn't noticed this beauty before and I am so glad I managed to find someone selling it. The pink seemed perfect for my theme, and I added the strip of stars which I also liked. Molly is coloured with Promarkers and Graph'it markers, I coloured her hair and did the shadow with Graph'its and the rest with Promarkers. The street scene is also coloured with a combination of the two. Molly was die cut with a Spellbinders die, the film strip is a Sizzix originals die. I added some black lace which seemed appropriate too.

I haven't added a sentiment yet.

Hop on over to Quirky crafts to play Charades and see what else the team has done!

My pretty woman is walking into the following challenges:

Die cutting Divas - Think Pink (Tues)

Ike's World - think pink - just for fun (Tues)

TTCRD - anything goes (Tues)

ABC - V for vibrant (Wed)

Chocolate coffee and cards - for the boys (well she was in the film lol) (Fri)

Vintage Stamping - colour challenge - red coat (Oct)

Pile it on - #43 create a scene (Sun)

Crafty Cardmakers - cut it out (Sun)

Crafty Boots - music (Monday 10th Nov)

Creative Fingers - #54 Anything goes (??)

Quirky masks and stencils - how do you wrap a hug?

It is Quirky challenge time again, and Gemma set the challenge although she hasn't recovered enough to join in yet. The challenge is stencils or masks, use stencils or masks or feature masks - a masked character or a mask.

I used Emily with Huggle from Limited Runs on my card. This was my third attempt, the first one I tried with spray through the stencil and masking the image with masking fluid - I am too heavy handed with sprays it seems (or was I spraying too close?), and the whole thing was saturated, then the masking fluid when peeled off took the image off too!

Second attempt - I didn't clean the die off and it messed up the panel.

So this is what I did, printed the image then die cut it and embossed it for a deep edge. I taped the die cut and die to my glass cutting board, and then cut out a mask (from attempt 2) applied repositionable glue to the back and when dry I stuck it over the image. Then I used a Memory Box stencil and my new little hand held "air brush" with a couple of different colours of Promarkers. Finally I removed the mask and coloured the image with Promarkers. Then I removed the die which also acted as a stencil to keep the edges white. 

I cut a card blank in teal, rounded the corners, then added a purple layer, some pink LOTV paper and some orange polka dot ribbon. Then I added the die cut, a bow and some tiny buttons.

I stamped the greeting with a Penny Black stamp using Marvy Wet Looks pens and clear embossing powder.

So how do you wrap a hug?

I didn't manage to make a second example today, due to a wedding, but I should have one for you later.

Anyway we have three great sponsors (Limited Runs, Paper Pretties and Robyn's Fetish) for this challenge at Quirky Crafts so hop on over to see the exampled and join in!

This card is cosying into the following challenges:

Crafty Ribbon - lets go spotty with ribbon (Thurs)

Art by Miran - Anything goes 8 (Jul 4th)

Creative Fingers - anything goes (Fri 4th)

Pile it on - Kawaii Cute (Sat)

Stamping for the weekend - anything goes (last ever challenge 5th July)

Crafting at the Weekend - anything goes (month of June)

Ditzie Digi Designs - anything goes 6 (Sun 29th June)

Bunny Zoe's - Layers (July 14th)

Die cut Diva's - colour challenge (June)

Quirky pumpkins - reminder part 1

Hi everyone, I added this reminder card to the Quirky Blog last night but I was too tired to make the other cards I want to show you, I had a really bad night and didn't get much sleep on Saturday night, so my brain was feeling fried, I sat and looked at the bits for the next project but couldn't make them so decided I had to go to bed!

Anyway this card is made using Witch with Pumpkins from Limited Runs who are one of our two great sponsors, the challenge is Pumpkin Time, and all you have to do is include pumpkins in your project.

I coloured the image with Promarkers and Trias, die cut it with my one and only Grand Nestabilities die set by Spellbinders, added a purple mat, then a green mat with halloween ribbons by Crafty Ribbons, and layered the whole thing onto an orange card. Maybe I should have used black to make it really stand out!

I added eyelets, which I think are Eyelet Outlet ones.

The reason I was late with this: I spent the week organising a surprise meal for my parent's 60th wedding anniversary and getting 18 people booked in for a meal without my parents knowing (Mum said she guessed 6 weeks ago, pretty good seeing as I didn't start on this until a week or so before). It was a great success and I will show you the card I made for that later. Apart from that I was driving round different places dropping off a letter asking local companies for donations of lots for our auction on Friday, and I was also not well for most of the week. So by Saturday evening and the meal I was shattered, then didn't sleep, had a house full of family who came for the meal and stayed over, and was trying to get the reminder up ready and make something for it! 

So back later with some more examples using Bugaboo images.

If you would like to see some more fantastic examples and to join in the fun, hop on over to Quirky Crafts Challenge blog now, and don't forget to enter by Saturday midday!

I have entered the following challenges:

Artful Times - Autumnal colours.

Fairytale challenges - Pumpkins, mushrooms or bats.

Allsorts challenge blog - Autumn colours.

Crafty Ribbons challenge blogspot - anything goes with ribbons.

Feeling Crafty - Autumn - October Challenge.

MAWTT - Anything goes 10th Oct

Papertake Weekly - anything goes

It's Quirky Pumpkin Time!

Doris set the Quirky challenge today, and it is Pumpkin Time! You just need to feature pumpkins - simples!

I used Bugaboo Image - Pumpkin Crow, I really love this one so put three in a row, which was kindly supplied to the team by Bugaboo. The sentiment was a freebie from Bugaboo that I picked up last week, you might be lucky to still find it free if you hurry on over, or you could buy it - or win it in our challenge!

All images are coloured with Promarkers, and the spider ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons. Die cuts with Spellbinders dies. (The ribbon looks crooked here, probably is).

I also used a very pale green mat on white card, you can hardly see it in this photo.

I should have another example to show you later.

We have two sponsors, Bugaboo and Limited Runs so there are some great digi prizes to be won and some fantastic examples by the team so hop on over to Quirky Crafts to take a peek, maybe leave some lovely comments and of course to join in!

I have entered the following challenges:

Artful Times - Autumn Colours - Sept

Cute Card Thursdays - Pretty Ribbon

Fairytale challenges - pumpkin, mushroom or bats

Quirky Black and White challenge reminder (with a tiny touch of colour allowed).

I used Mushrooms 7 and Whootie Owl from Limited Runs, and some Papermania double sided paper used both sides matted! I added some polka dot ribbon and my mushrooms have gel medium on them for texture. Not sure it worked but hey. This is a short post because I am not well and I am either hitting the shower or going back to bed!

Quirky well black and white challenge (with just a teeny tiny drop of one colour allowed).

Doris set the challenge at Quirky Crafts this time. The sponsors are Crafty Ribbons, Limited Runs and Robyn's Fetish. 

Limited Runs provided the images to the team. I just love the Limited Runs cupcakes and chose to use Graduation Cupcake. The papers are DCWV and Cordinations Jewel Black. I coloured the image with Promarkers adding burgandy red as my accent colour. The Cordinations cardstock is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder then sanded. The final touches were 4 pearls and a real tassle, I am not happy with my colouring now I can see it here, so I may have to work on it again. I also added matt medium to the icing, it doesn't show up well in the photo.

Beauty in the water, mermaid on the beach....

This card reminds me of the Josh Grogan song that has been playing on the radio all week! The characters are all from Limited Runs who are sponsoring the latest Quirky Challenge A Quirky Supernatural Love Story, along with Doodle Dragon Studios. I coloured the mermaid with mica paints and the frog prince and butterfly with Promarkers. The die cut island and waves are cut with an X Cut build a scene set, the sun is cut with an Accucut die and the heart with a Spellbinders shapeabilities die. Romance is stamped with an Inkadinkado set, I don't know if I will keep that or come up with something better! Birds are doodled. The mermaid has a few small hearts which dropped out of punched corners which have some red Stickles applied.

The challenge runs until next Saturday and there are three prizes.

I hope to show you anothe Doodle Dragon creation soon!

I have entered this in the I love Promarkers challenge - 4 legged friends.

Quirky Supernatual Love story

Daire set the challenge of Supernatural Love Story, and we have two sponsors. The first is Doodle Dragon Studios, and Dustin sent us a couple of files full of images, I think I got carried away with these insects and I'm not sure they are supernatural enough! I made them into a little wall hanging (or it will be when I can work out how to attach a hanging ring to the back) for the room my grandson sleeps in when he is here. The canvas was pre-primed with two coats of Gesso so I could work on it right away and I used Alcohol inks to make the background before adhering the images with Decopatch glue and sealant. The images were all coloured with Promarkers and Trias and the spider's web with Ice Stickles in silver. I painted over the images with Decopatch to seal them.

This card is more like the idea Daire had I think, and features two images from Limited Runs, Gober and Sally Stitches. Both are coloured with Promarkers and Trias, and I cut a couple of Spellbinder hearts, added a freebie sentiment from Limited Runs which reads Pucker up Lover, and finally added some black fibre. The cardstock was preprinted with swirls.

Once again there are three prizes to be won at Quirky crafts challenge blog so hop on over and enter.

Whoops I posted the Quirky challenge too early, sorry about that folks, and can't take it back because we had an entry right away!

I have entered the following challenges:

That Crafty Place - Valentines

Creative Inspiration Paint - based on Valentines

Quirky Cupcakes

I haven't posted for two weeks, how awful of me! The hot weather didn't help me, I just don't function well in sweltering conditions!
Well here I am now and it is my turn to set the Quirky Crafts challenge, which is all about cupcakes, and any project must have cupcakes on it somewhere.

This card is made with Swordfish Cupcake from Limited Runs, they have some wonderful cupcakes which inspired me to set this challenge and it was hard to choose which one to use. I coloured the image with Promarkers and Trias and added Ice Stickles to the icing and Artist's Iridescent Medium to the water on the cup under the cake. I cut a doily with a Spellbinders die, and used some paper free with Card Making and Papercrafts magazine that arrived Friday, and this was great for my tablecloth. I used some pretty pastel grossgrain polka dot ribbon from Crafty Ribbons and a stamped embossed greeting with a Stampabilties stamp.

We have two sponsor for this challenge, so two prizes, and Paper Pretties supplied the two images I have used on this card, Party Hat Cupcake and Sprinkles. Doughnuts are allowed - as long as there is also a cupcake somewhere!

Again free papers from Card Making and Papercrafts Magazine, and I was going to use the other side of it but by happy accident flipped it over and liked this side better with my design. Promarkers, Perfect Pearls and Ice Stickles were used to colour the images. I had three attempts at Sprinkles, he got bigger each time until I had him the perfect size which is one of the advantages of digi images!

Grossgrain cupcake ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons, and it works perfectly with the paper and images.

Make a scene

Yes it's another Quirky challenge and this time you need to build a scene. My scene is from Squigglefly (one of our two sponsors for this challenge, the other sponsor is Limited Runs) and I used the Japanese scene with the Japanese pack, and screen. I coloured the images with Promarkers and Trias. I cut out the bonsai, lady, fan, sandals and lamp that the lady is holding, and added them to the scene. I also decoupaged the two red garden lamps/fires to make them stand out more. I used some card with oriental characters on and die cut the scene with a Nestabilities large label 9(No 8 I think). I added some yin yang ribbon from my stash and mounted the whole thing on a red C5 card blank I folded myself. Finally I stamped the Celebration fan image and cut it out and added it to the top corner.

I will make another card using the Limited Runs image soon.

If you join in at Quirky Crafts Challenge blog and provided you follow the rules, you could win one of two prizes on offer for this challenge.

Its Quirky Snowing

Well it is according to Lyn who set the challenge! My first card is made with a Limited Runs digi called Snowman on the Cupcake, I love it.  Coloured with Promarkers and Trias and a little glitter glue to finish. Die cut with Nestabilities and the sentiment comes singly and in sheets ready sized to cut out with Nestabilities circle dies, how cool is that! The ribbon is by Crafty Ribbons and is exclusive to them, and the snowflake is cut from Create a Flake set by Spellbinders, the tiny snowflakes are punch waste.

My second card uses an image by Paper Pretties called Frozen Frog Legs, it is too funny! I coloured the image with Promarkers and Trias and put the image behind a Snowflake Frame from a Spellbinders set, which also contains the snowflakes, two of them are from the Create a Flake set.

So you have probably guessed it - we are sponsored by the two sponsors above and have a first and second prize over at Quirky Crafts Challenge blog this time. You better hop on over to see the other great makes by the team and join it, got to be in it to win it!

Quirky Spookiness

It is Lyn's challenge over at Quirky Crafts challenge blog and she set Something Spooky with an alternative recipe for those who don't do Halloween. I used the sponsor's (Limited Runs) images and I just love the cup cake images, was tempted to have the eyeballs cupcake but decided on Witch Splat at the last minute. The sentiments are free from Limited Runs, I used Hanging Pumpkin and Snake inside the card. I had some spider's web embossed gold card which I used for the base card, some spidery ribbon from Crafty Ribbons, eyelets from stash, boo and bat sequins, and some punched spiders. All images coloured with Promarkers and die cut with Nestabilities squares.

Challenges entered:

Scrap Creations Halloween

ABC Challenges Anything goes

Crafty Ribbons Challenge blog - BOO-tiful Halloween Projects--Pretty Spooky

Cute Card Thursday - Time for cake

One Stop Craft Challenge - Anything goes

Stampalot October Challenge - Food

I didn't manage to make anything for my own challenge last time due to not feeling well which turned into a full blown migraine on the two days before the challenge when I planned to make my project. I tried to recover this and make it a week later but didn't finish it and then we were away on holiday. I will still make it and post it but not just yet. I had visited Exeter show on the Friday and a few goodies came home with me, then I was ill maybe due to the exertions and having to finish the journey in a tow truck when someone put the wrong fuel in the car!

 As you see I got quite a lot of nice goodies including some unique to Crafty Ribbons Christmas ribbons, and I had a little chat with Ali, nice to meet you Ali. I wanted more sizes of the Nellie Snellen Christmas flower punch but they had sold out. I also got a couple of Really Useful boxes and some white stamping card, and white printing card from Anna Marie's which I am very pleased with, it was buy one get one free. The printed card is so much better than I was using and the ink doesn't go right through like the very thin stuff.

I might be able to give you some exciting news soon, just a couple of weeks to go.....