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)

Quirky Kitchen

The challenge at Quirky Crafts this time is K for Kitchen, and we are sponsored by Robyn's Fetish and Digital Delights. I have had some family problems which escalated in the past few weeks so while I have been busy in the background keeping the blog cogs turning I just haven't had the energy to make something for this challenge. So I thought I would share this recipe scrapbook that I made for a previous challenge which fits the theme perfectly.

Above is the front cover, and below some of the pages with pockets and decoration, all digis are from our main sponsor Robyn's Fetish.

I also made some cookery book tag markers to go in one of the pockets of the book. All ribbons are from Crafty Ribbons.

It's Quirky Lovely

I'm sneaking in so late, missed last week altogether - sorry about that. I have some pretty heavy family stuff going on right now. Anyway I used Love Birds together with Pussy Cat Luv and added a die cut branch and heart shaped leaves and flower petals and I found a heart shaped flat back pearl for the middle. I made the sentiments up and die cut them with an X Cut set, and the ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons, It has nearly run out so I much get more. I coloured the images mostly with Graphit markers and Promarkers and die cut them with Spellbinders card maker dies. The paper is by DCWV. White highlights are Sharpie paint pen.

The images are from Robyn's Fetish who are one of our sponsors at Quirky Crafts this time. You only have until Saturday to come and play!

This card has smooched it's way into the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps - photo inspiration (Wed)

Cute Card Thursday - crazy in love 

Fussy and Fancy - #132 It's all about love (Fri)

Crafty Gals corner - Pinkylicious (Fri)

Allsorts - #297 love is all around (Sat)

ABC - C is for cupid (Sun) -10

In the Pink - Love is in the air (Thurs 19th)

Pan Pastels - love is in the air (Sun)

Craft Hoarders Anonymous -  How I Love Thee (Feb)

Crafty Cardmakers - Love Love Love (Feb)

Die Cut Diva's - words and sentiments (Feb)

What's Quirky Cooking? A recipe for disaster?

 It is my turn to set the Quirky Crafts challenge and I chose What's Quirky Cooking - with ribbon. We have two great sponsors, Robyn's Fetish and Crafty Ribbons. I made a scene with My Little Chef and Cookn'mouse kindly provided by Robyn's Fetish, coloured it with Promarkers and edged it with Turquoise Graphit. I used some clashing colours, inspired by another challenge at Polkadoodles, I would not normally put orange and pink together or pink and red and orange - and bright green. I decided only this morning that it would become a recipe scrapbook so I got the Bind it All out. I also used the Xyron 150 to run all the papers and image through before adhering them to the book covers.
The papers were all freebie ones with magazines.
I found all my gingham ribbons from Crafty Ribbons and tied them to the binding wires, I wanted them to match the paper and the mouse's dress.
My possible big mistake today was to seal the front of the cover with Krylon triple thick glaze (dries in minutes), because it totally changed the papers which all became transparent. I could see gingham through the white card of the image - that was cool - and cake through the gingham, but worst of all the pale turquoise of the double sided paper turned pink from the other side design!  I am hoping that when it has had time to totally dry it will revert to the colour in the last photo below - which is what it looked like before spraying!
I kept it outside in the summer breeze for a few minutes hoping it would dry out, I think it just picked up dust!
I remembered I had some knife and fork charms and added one of each to the bottom of the cover.

 Inside the scrapbook are lots of blank pages in orange, some in pale blue and 4 pocket pages in teal. I used the Bind it All to punch the other side of the pocket and threaded red gingham ribbon through and knotted it to secure the side. I used Cake From Robyn's Fetish, printed twice and coloured with Promarkers, to decorate the pocket.

This is the other "disaster" which is not too bad, I meant to have this page on the outside to match the front, but punched the holes the wrong side! This is what the paper on the front should look like too.

There is more decorating to do, I am adding strips of the gingham paper to the page edges, I ran all the paper and image through the Xyron 150 and I cut the gingham paper into strips so I have lots of ready made stickers to put on.

Hop on over to Quirky Crafts to see more great projects and join in the fun, you could win prizes!

This project has stirred its way into the following challenges:

Tuesday Throwdown - other than a card or tag

Divas by Design - anything goes (Wed)

I love Promarkers - #230 Ribbons (Wed)

Cute Card Thursday - Vintage

Allsorts Challenge #270 - Favourite things (ribbons and bright coloured Promarkers) (Sat)

Polkadoodles - clash of the colours (Aug 15th)

My Craft Spot - #147 bright summer colours (Mon)

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 layer it up and pile it on, 3d style!

I was late with my card, I have been having so many computer problems and this weekend my Son, Daughter in law and baby grandson came to stay, so babysitting was in order! The great thing was that my son was able to spend Friday evening and some of Saturday working on fixing my ailing computer - which still has problems. The bad news was that when I finished my card and took the photo I realised I didn't have any of the programs I needed to upload and trim it etc! So I spent time looking for the software I need to reload (oh this could take me some time), then thought of the phone! So the photo is courtesy of the phone so not as good as it could be, and I will some better photos on when I can.

Lyn set the challenge as her favourite, Lyn loves to use lots of layers and is very good at it! So we are to use layers and 3d as much as possible. The sponsor providing the images is Robyn's Fetish, and Digital Delights are giving one of the prizes. 

This image is called Ms Lamb Chop, and I didn't immediately think baby card (though it crossed my mind), once I had coloured the flowers and added layers of HOTP papers and a gorgeous grosgrain spotty ribbon from Crafty Ribbons the card just yelled out Baby Girl! I coloured the image with Promarkers, and cut out several layers of the lamb to decoupage it (I will take a better photo to show this soon) added some Stickles glue to the flowers (and having decided to do this today as I was trying to finish the card a few accidents were inevitable, so I had to reapply it a few times and it is very much wet in the photo), and die cut with Spellbinders dies. The sentiment is a Molly Blooms clear stamp that came with the Molly Blooms magazine and is stamped with Brilliance ink.

I need to buy another part for the computer, load the software back on and I know I have loads of people to visit from last Wednesday's WOYWW, and a few more, I just might get there before the next one!

I have entered the following challenges:

Pink Gem of a challenge - spots and stripes (my squares are stripey) (Sun)

ABC Challenges - F is for Flowers (Sat)

Crafts Galore (2nd entry) - if you bling you are in (Feb)

Cute Card Thurdays - clever cutting

Stamping for the Weekend - Flower Power (Feb fortnight)

A few of my Quirky favourite things

We are feeling very sad, it is Daire's last challenge so she choose a theme to cheer us all up, and that is My Favourite Things. You can use your favourite colours, embellishments, techniques, mediums, the things you love!

We are sponsored by Robyn's Fetish and Crafty Ribbons, the image is called Paul Penguin Sleighing and is from Robyn's Fetish and the ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons. 

I used my favourite colour combination of purple with bright green, the brighter green the better! I also love penguins, and I used my favourite sparkly glitter purple card for the card blank. I love to add ribbon, and had some in bright green that was perfect, and I even found some of my precious buttons in the right shade of green and purple! The die cuts are all Spellbinders, I'm not sure the tiny triangles were meant to be holes but they are now, the image is coloured with Promarkers and that is another Christmas card made!

I even finished the inside on this one, the papers are from a Docrafts pad of non traditional Christmas papers.

We will miss our Quirky Daire so much, and I hope you will pop over to say goodbye to her, to see more great makes and to join in at Quirky Crafts.

I have entered the following challenges:

Passion for Promarkers - snow is falling (Tuesdays)

Stamping for the Weekend - anything goes with option to include breast cancer awareness.

Stamping Sensations - All Creatures Great and Small - October challenge

Woodware - Monochrome.

Joanna Sheen - button it up (sorry if too early - I thought it was the whole of Oct)

A Quirky reminder, ha ha ha ha ha

Your mission if you choose to accept it: An Octopus's Garden (in the sea). Three prizes up for grabs and as nobody has entered yet (too challenging to stick a fish and some flowers on a card?), there is a very good chance of winning if you follow the brief!

I used images by Squigglefly to make my first ever centre step card. The instructions are on Split Coast Stampers. I used Birthday Octopus, Sea Maiden, bubble fish, Crabby, Unbrella fish and Beach Star Fish to make my card. with extra greenery using Martha Stewart punches, ribbon from Crafty Ribbons, ribbon slider die cut with Spellbinders. I coloured all images with Promarkers or Trias, and added some Anita's 3d gloss to the bubbles. Images come in pairs so you don't need to know how to flip them.

The other sponsors are Paper Pretties and Robyn's Fetish.

So hop on over to Quirky Crafts and join in by Saturday 3rd August midday, and you could win some digi images.

Phew it's so hot, so "I want to be, under the sea in an Octopus's garden by a cave" It's Quirky!

Daire set the challenge at Quirky Crafts and it is "An Octopus's Garden" by The Beetles. I can't stop singing this song, and have done for years, it seems to play in my head!

Now you don't have to have an octopus on your make but it must be under the sea with an undersea creature and a garden and if you hop on over you can see some more great examples.

The sponsors are Squigglefly, Paper Pretties and Robyn's Fetish, images provided by the first two. I have used Paper Pretties images on my first card, I used Daisy (fish in bowl), Billingsley (diving duck), Butterfly Blossoms, Max Splasher (dive bombing dog) and Hani (parrot in treasure chest). Most of these come with several great sentiments, Best Fishes is one that comes with Daisy.

All the images are coloured with Promarkers or Trias, the treasure chest is finished with gold Stickles and Liquid Pearls. Paper is by Papermania from years ago. Sentiment die cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities.

You know that awful feeling when you have spent hours colouring images and cutting them out, assembled your card, punched eyelets, added patterned paper to the inside and you are feeling pleased, then you turn it back over and on your main image there is an orange ink line that shouldn't be there? Well I had that feeling last night! Hastily coloured the smaller daisy image, just the daisy, which I had printed previously, and cut it out to cover said line! I tried using the Promarker blender, it was Memento Ink I think so that didn't work. Well a happy accident you might say!

I am working on a second make using Squigglefly images which will appear later,I might not finish it in time.

It is so hot here in the UK that everything in the garden is dying, so I am now trying to save water from washing fruit and veg and rinsing things and even took a bucket into the shower to catch water. Last week when I had to rest and keep my leg elevated I coloured in winter images to try and cool me down!

Everybody wants to be a Quirky cat!

Quirky challenge time again, and I set the challenge which is called Everybody wants to be a cat, and that is a song from The Aristocats. You can base your project on the song or the film and over at Quirky there is a You Tube video and a link to help you. 

The sponsor providing the images to the team is Robyn's Fetish, we are also sponsored by Digital Delights.

I used "Friends Forever" and "I taught I saw a pudie cat" images coloured with Promarkers. I used Spellbinders dies to cut most of the shapes. 

I think the cat looks like Thomas O'Mally the alley cat so gave him a bow tie, and the stolen cats were rescued by hound dogs and made friends with a goose, and there is much singing in the film so this image looked almost perfect (just pretend the chicken is a goose). 

I have entered the following:

Stamping for the Weekend - anything goes.

Nom nom strawberries!

You have until Saturday midday to enter the latest Quirky Crafts challenge, either following Spyder Lyn's sketch with added items from the bingo grid, or just using the bingo grid. This image is called Strawberry Delight from Robyn's fetish and I coloured it with Promarkers Robyn's Fetish are providing two of the three prizes, the other sponsor is Digital Delights.

I used the sketch and from the grid I used: tearing, die cutting, embossing, and metal (eyelets). I wanted to make it fresh and zingy.

I remembered I was going to add stamped stitching and that it needed something so here is the messy result, should have stamped before assembling!

 I have entered the following challenges:

Creative Inspiration Paint - Spring colours (April)

Quirky sketch or not!

My visitors have all gone now and apart from demands to help hold bits of wood as Shaun makes a frame for the extra strong net we are getting to Kenny Proof the pond I was able to get on with these examples for today's Quirky Crafts Challenge.

The challenge is a sketch by Spyder Lyn using as many items from the bingo grid as you can, or just use the bingo grid with no sketch (amended, I got it slightly wrong before). 

Belinda Bunny is one of the images kindly provided to the DT by Robyn's Fetish, one of our two sponsors. I coloured her with Promrakers and a Flex marker, cut her out with Nestabilities and used a Hero Arts sentiment. For this card I followed the sketch, used die cutting, baker's twine, real sewing and heat embossing from Lyn's grid.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:
Creative Inspirations Paint - Anything goes.
I love Promarkers - Spring is in the air (Wednesdays)
Passion for Promarkers - Bingo - I used die cut, glitter (on paper and in embossing powder) and "free".
Simon Says challenge blog - Anything goes closes soon.

This image is called Mrs Turner and Hootch, and I didn't follow the sketch. The image is coloured with Promarkers and a Flexmarker (I only have one), then I die cut it, used ribbon, embossed the pink background with an embossing folder, added Hero Arts stamped tickets die cut with a Tim Holtz Sizzlet die and added metal staples with the Fastenator.