Come to the dark side - we have cookies!

It is my turn to set the Quirky challenge and it is: Come to the Dark Side - no cute images! I want to see dark themes, un-cute images and/or dark colours.

We have two sponsors this time, and these images are from Doodle Dragon Studios and are called Grave Dolly and Rotten Apples. I coloured them in with Promarkers though there are both coloured and uncoloured images in the file in case you don't have the time to colour them yourselves. I found this DCWV paper which is so funny, it says nothing is crazier than family, perfect!

Scaredy Cat is also from Doodle Dragon Studios, and don't believe what Lyn tells you - he is not cute!

I feel he should be attached to a car window, but today he is on my card coloured with Promarkers. I had some cat patterned card which I think is Payperbox, cut that out with Nesties, and the backing paper is DCWV. Ribbon is by Crafty Ribbons, sentiments are Papermania (Nephew) and Hero Arts (Happy Birthday).

This is Zombie Girl from The Stamping Boutique who are also sponsoring us, and who have a non cute blog called Poisoned Peas. She is coloured with Promarkers and Trias and I mounted her on a Spellbinders fancy square, then on DCWV papers, and I added some ribbon from Crafty Ribbons from my gold edged taffeta bag. What sentiment should I use? Lets have Tea, Time for Tea or something else?

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

Poisoned Peas - The Walking Dead Nov challenge.

This is Medusa also from The Stamping Boutique and she has caught our imagination as there are three versions on the challenge post at Quirky Crafts. Coloured with Promarkers and cut out with Nesties, then mounted on some holographic black card (I think it is the last sheet sadly) and then some DCWV Rockstar paper with the gold edged taffeta ribbon from Crafty Ribbons. Again there is no sentiment yet, I was thinking of Bad Hair Day? what do you think?

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

Cute Card Thursdays - Starry Starry Night 

I love Promarkers - Moon and Stars

I hope to have at least one more card later but I decapitated the other character and now the printer won't play with me but as soon as I can get it going I will reprint and finish the card.

more Quirky Number crunching

Believe it or not I managed to make two more cards to show you, I have added them to the Quirky Challenge blog post too.

I just love this cute turtle from The Stamping Boutique, I coloured him with Trias and Promarkers, cut him out with Nestabilities large labels 8 and added a mat of polka dot paper I got free with a magazine. Heat embossed Happy Birthday in gold (before I attached the image and ribbon - I find the ribbon melts if you get a heat gun near it lol), added some Crafty Ribbons polka dot sheer green and black ribbon, and die cut the numbers with Embosslits, they don't match because in between cutting the numbers and the letters I managed to break my Vagabond and one of the dies is jammed in it (again, and I am very upset about it and waiting for a response from Sizzix on what to do, think it was my fault this time) so out with the trusty Big Shot and carry on cutting!

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
 Joanna Sheen challenge blog called "Going Dotty" which closes on 13th Sept
ABC challenge Wishes which closes on on Friday 14th Sept.
One Stop Craft Challenge - no floral embellishments which ends on Saturday 15th Sept.
Papertake Weekly challenge - things that make you go awwww. Ends next Tuesday 18th Sept.

This card was a very quick make with a Doodle Dragon Studios Freebie of the week, which is still there I believe. I printed the colour version for speed and I added the text, the banner is blank for your own text. Again freebie papers with a magazine.

Number crunching challenge

Quirky Challenge time again, and Diane picked numbers.

I picked out this Paisley Peacock image from one of our sponsors, The Stamping Boutique. I love this image but it is very detailed and tricky to colour (so don't look too closely). I wanted it to be sparkly so I started off painting it with mica paints then I couldn't do the tail part, you would need a very fine brush and steady hand for that. So I got out my Sakura Gelly Roll metallic set and used that, with a mica paint background. I think I need some metallic Promarkers! Cut the peacock out using a Nestabilities label die. The embossed panel is using a folder I bought at a show and Coredinations Whitewash paper sanded, I am not sure who it is by now. Happy Birthday is a Stampabilities stamp, heat embossed in gold, cut out again with Nestabilities long rectangle die and scalloped die. Gold edged ribbon from Crafty Ribbons, and letters and number cut out with Sizzlet alphabets to spell Bel8ted (belated for those not into text speak and I am not a big fan but it works for this card).

Stamping Boutique are giving 3 images away so you too could own the Paisley Peacock or other images of your choice!

Our new and exciting sponsor this time is Doodle Dragon, who will be giving $10 to spend in the store.

Just pop on over to Quirky Crafts Challenge blog for more great examples and to enter your project (which must contain numbers) now.

First signs of Spring

It is definitely Spring like here today, in fact it is almost like Summer with the lovely warm sun for a change.
The challenge is on at Quirky Crafts, and you need to make a double Z fold card or a 3d project with hidden element of Spring which was set by Diane who regularly challenges us to do some paper engineering! A link to instructions on how to make this card is on the Quirky Crafts Challenge blog.

I made a double z fold card a long time ago and so I had to use the instructions, even then it took me several attempts to work out the best way of making this, and ending up with straight edges that met in the middle! I used my Fiskars rotary trimmer with the scoring blade, and I eventually worked out it was best to have the bulk of the card on the trimmer bed, so that it didn't skew. The sponsor this time is The Stamping Boutique, and you can win 5 lovely digi images from them. I used digi images from The Stamping Boutique called  Spring, and Cynthia Fairy and the Carrot Thief. The papers are by The English Paper Company, and all images are coloured with Trias and Promarkers. I die cut Spring with a Nestabilities labels die and added a Lakeland flower - Lakeland don't do them now. I added some wide organza ribbon in pale green, I think it was from Ribbon Oasis. I may add Happy Birthday or Happy Mother's day to the card at a later date when I decide what it is for.

Quirky Attitude make 2

This is to say Happy Birthday to Charlotte. I used Emo Alice who I though should have pink hair. Coloured with Promarkers, gems added for skull eyes. Die cuts with Nestabilties, and numbers with Sizzlets Bounce. It's a Girl thing is a Penny Black stamp.

It's Very Puzzling....

and I don't mean the torrential rain and Autumnal conditions here in the U.K. "Summer"!

What I am talking about is the new Quirky Challenge set by me over at Quirky Crafts Challenge blog. I want you to use jigsaw pieces, in any way you like, either real ones (charity shops are great for getting puzzles for very little) or die cut puzzles or pieces or inchie puzzles. Hop on over to the blog to see some great examples.

I have had this giant piece for a long time, Deanne (Quirky Boots) sent the DT one each when she was still around, and I haven't ever got round to altering it. So this was the ideal opportunity. I managed to find it which was a good start, then had to decide what to do with it. I knew I was using the Tree of Circles image from our sponsor The Stamping Boutique. This is what I did:

1. Sanded the shiny picture side of the piece with fine sandpaper.

2. Painted it with white Gesso (you could go right to step 3) and allowed it to dry.

3. Painted over the Gesso with white acrylic with a touch of blue blended in and again allowed it to dry, this was too pale so....

4. I used two different blue alcohol inks and some pearl blender and applied that using a felt pad and applicator handle, also applied plenty to my fingers in the process.

5. While the Gesso and Acrylic paint was drying I coloured the image using my Koh-I- Noor Progresso woodless coloured pencils for the first time, mainly because they leapt off the shelf and hit the floor when I reached for the Trias, and this was quite an intricate image to colour and I find it easier with pencils. These pencils are blendable with Sansador and can be used with Prisma Color pencils too. I think they are very vibrant which I what I wanted. I went over the colours with some paper blending stumps and Sansador, I had trouble finding my stumps and had to open a new pack.

6. When the acrylic paint was dry I found a pretty stamp to stamp the background with Stazon ink. The stamp I used is by Inkadinkado and is a wood mounted corner flourish stamp with a couple of birds on it, I don't know the name of the image.

7. Got out the old Krylon gold pen and went round the edges.

8. Cut out a large and smaller image, and worked out where to place them then I used Decopatch to stick them to the piece and to go over the whole thing to seal it, that stuff dries very quickly compared to the Gesso and acrylic, which was good for me! 

9. I felt it needed more, I added a Kan Ban metal tag, using a gem brad, and then some matching Papermania  adhesive gems to the trees.

10. Still needed more, so the pack of mother of pearl buttons I found in my hand were threaded through with green wire and added.

11. Finally I went over the edges of the image where they met the edge of the piece with Krylon gold pen, and I punched a hole in the top and added a loop of ribbon to hang the finished piece, and that's all there is too it!

I might see if I can get a better photo, looks a bit out of focus one side, or maybe the Decopatch was still a little wet! This was so much fun, and I am really pleased with the result so I will have to go hunt for more big jigsaws at the charity (thrift) shops, unless I can cut them out on the eCraft.

This is a little late being posted, we were out for the day yesterday at my Son and Daughter-in-Law's house, taking my Mother-in-Law to see it for the first time, and we had a lovely lunch out and a busy day with lots of travelling, I was too tired to blog last night.

Hop on over to Quirky Crafts and have a go, you could win some lovely Summer Holiday ribbons or some digi's from our two lovely sponsors: Crafty Ribbons and The Stamping Boutique.

Now I have spotted a few challenges I can enter, so here goes:

Paperplay - Things with Wings, there are birds in the image and background

Paperkutz - The Skies the Limit

Cute Card Thursday - Going round in circles

Lollipop Crafts - Anything goes

Stamping for the Weekend - Wings and Things

My Time to Craft - Bird Watcher (not sure if non cards are allowed though)