As pretty (in pink) as a Quirky picture!

This is a very Quirky card, my neice will love these Musical Hamsters, and Musical notes by Sentimental Susan, she has pet hamsters, plays in a band and loves pink (I hope she's not reading this). I coloured the hamsters with Graph'it markers and Pink Promarkers, added lace from my local market, Prima blooms and half pearls, and die cut Happy Birthday with IO dies. The rectangles are cut with Spellbinders dies.

This is the photo inspiration for our challenge set by Monica, and you just need to have pink, green, cream or white with lace or ribbon and flowers on your project.

Come and play with us at Quirky Crafts. You could win these musical hamsters, and more images provided by our sponsor Stitchy Bear, or some images of your choice.

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

The Stamping Boutique - layers (Fri)

Ribbon Girl - add flowers (7th Mar)

TTCRD - anything goes 3rd to 9th March

Creative Fingers = #69 Anything goes (Fri)

Die Cut Divas - Spring or children's cards (March)

More Cazzy-S Quirkyness!

 I was a bit later than I thought I would be with the additional examples for this challenge. To begin with
this card is made with Flower Name Sunflower paired with Flower Gals - Sunflower, I think we featured her in an earlier challenge. I found some paper with the same colour scheme as I had coloured the image then added some ribbons from Crafty Ribbons, and stamped a sentiment. I die the the image with a Spellbinders die, does it make it clean and simple if you cut the image directly rather than layer it? I don't normally do this but I like it. I added some colour to the die cut with Atyou Spica pens. The papers are from a pad by First Edition and it is called Hideaway by Lauren Jung. The sheet on the front is glittered, so pretty. I added two different coloured grosgrain ribbons from Crafty Ribbons. Finally I stamped a greeting with a Cuddly Buddly stamp, die cut it and added some colour to match. Cuddly Buddly sell these greeting sets (or they did) as compatible with Spellbinders dies, however I found that they were not compatible with the current Nestabilites, I have one of the original sets, the ones that you had to seperate before using, and that shape oval fits. I think they discontinued the stamp set shortly after I bought it.

Inside the card some non glittery paper from the same stack.

If you want to see more wonderful examples and join in - hop on over to Quirky Crafts Challenge blog.

I have entered the following challenges:

ABC - K for keep it simple (Thurs)

Creative Fingers - anything goes (Fri)

Daring Cardmakers - colour challenge (Fri 11th)

Papertake Weekly - anything goes - optional no DPP (Tues)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - flowers

Fussy and Fancy - Spring colours (15th May)

That Craft Place - anything goes (Sun)

Bearly Mine challenge blog - flowers (May)

Cards Galore Encore - anything goes (May)

Feeling Crafty - one for the girls or ladies (May)

One Sweet Challenge - flowers (May)

Crafty Little Fairies (new to me) - in the garden (May)

Quirky Secret Garden

Monica chose a lovely challenge this time, it is called Secret Garden and must feature flowers. 

We have two sponsors, Samaflora who is giving some hand made flowers to two lucky winners, and Unky who is our brand new sponsor and provided the gorgeous images we have used - you really need to go see the rest on the Quirky Blog too!

For my first card I used Aurora Cherry Blossom, I coloured her with Promarkers and die cut a frame with Spellbinders. I put some Chatterbox ribbon top and bottom of the image and the pearlescent panel the frame is mounted on has some very pretty chiffon ribbon printed with daisies from Crafty Ribbons. 

I die cut the cherry blossoms with Britannia dies, and punched the centres with a Nellie Snellen punch, and added green to the ends, and Stickles to the middles. I haven't decided if I am going to add a sentiment yet. The frame is popped up and with the flowers this is very 3d.

Cherry blossoms make me happy, they are all about new beginnings and Spring. Our poor cherry blossom tree really suffered in the drought last summer, it lost all of it's leaves so early and we are hoping for signs that it has survived and will blossom this Spring.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

Craft Mojo - Spring flowers (March)

ABC - G is for Girls (Sat)

Allsorts Challenge - Spring is coming (Sat)

Passion for Promakers - Make it digital (Tues)

The Technique Twist - Faux frames (Sat 15th) (Winner)

The East Wind Challenge Blog - Use a digi (13th March)

My second card features Vintage Dolly Girl Mon Amour Sitting in the Flower Garden, and I set her in her secret garden behind a green fence and gates die cut with Spellbinders DLites, and sitting on some HOTP paper representing a picnic blanket. I added some Prima blooms, and a die cut sentiment using a die free with a magazine. The image is coloured with Promarkers (I haven't mastered clothes yet, the hair is getting better) and die cut with Spellbinders.

I have entered this card in the following challenges:

Feeling Crafty - Use a digi and bling (March)

I Love Promarkers - Use die cuts but no punches (Wed)

That Craft Place - Anything goes (Sun)

Stamping for the weekend - Sparkle and Shine (Fri 14th and I really hope it wasn't me that posted too many entries last time, my memory is awful)

Quirky Eyes Wide Open for 2014!

It is the first challenge of the year over at Quirky Crafts, and it is my challenge and all you need to do is make something with big eyes, lots of eyes, the theme is Eyes Wide Open.

I have to say that if anyone enters an image by someone contentious with Stamp Out Stamp Theft, for example Sherri Baldy (if she later clears her name then we will allow her images), they will not be included in the voting.

I used Poppy from our sponsor Stitchy Bear Digital stamps, they have lots of suitable images for this challenge and I really love poppies, but it was so difficult only choosing one!

I coloured Poppy's hair with Graph'Its markers, it is the first time I have used them and I love the colours, I only have browns, the only drawback for me is no extra fine nibs like Promarkers - I will have to look into this and see if there are any, my colouring skills improved considerably with the fine nibs and I had to do a lot of correction after colouring the hair. The rest of the colours are Promarkers. I added a little Spica to her lips and eyelids. She is die cut with Spellbinders dies as are the other shapes (except for the poppy), and I added some flat back pearls mainly because I cannot find a rectangle die that fits the fancy rectangle shape, there is a gap each end.

The poppy is die cut with my new Sizzix Bigz Tattered Florals Tim Holtz design die, moulded with a rub on tool and lines drawn in (badly), finally I added a dark green button, and topped that with Ranger Distress Stickles, which I also put round the button. I added some polka dot ribbon before attaching the black mat to the green mat.

The greeting is from a free stamp set I got with a magazine, not sure which one now.

Will the recipient of this card realise it has taken about 4 hours to complete I wonder? No of course not!

So hop on over to Quirky Crafts to see some fabulous makes from the rest of the team and to join in our easy challenge.

I have entered the following challenges:

Graph'It Marker Challenge - Anything goes and any markers allowed. (Fridays)

Allsorts challenge - Anything goes (Saturdays)

Craft Mojo - All things new (Graph'its and Die) (Jan)

Creative Card Crew - Anything goes (Tues 14th)

One Stitch at a Time - anything goes (Jan)

Papertake Weekly - Pick of the Year, I chose Die-ing for a punch (7th Jan)

Stamping for the Weekend - Anything goes - (17th Jan)

Stamping Sensations - buttons, ribbons and bows - (Jan)

Craft All Day - Handmade flowers - (Jan)

Ali Craft - Anything Goes - (Jan)

Cards Galore - Anything goes (Jan)

Avenue 613 - anything goes

Pink Gems Challenges - Something New

Peeking posies take 2

Same card darker colours, and the background is another piece of card I was trying out ghost stamping with, which didn't work because I need water based inks! So Hero Arts Peeking Posies set again coloured with Promarkers, same Hero Arts sentiment as before and the same ribbon from Crafty Ribbons.

Special Lady

It's Quirky Challenge time again and this time the challenge is to make a card for a special lady, and to include circles, gems or pearls and flowers.

 The sponsor is The Cutting Cafe, and I used sets Its All About Mom and A Spring Day. There are so many images and sentiments in each large set, they are very good value and you can also buy cutting files for electronic die cutting machines.

I decided to use my cut and dry foam (had to hunt for it) and Distress inks, which I am pleased with however they made the printer ink smudge a little. I cut an aperture in a square card blank using Spellbinders Nestabilities small circles, mounted the word block inside the card, then cut out flowers to decorate the front. There is a Sizzlet die cut flourish too, that corner needed something else. The sentiment has bubble stickers over the printed flowers. I used Promarkers on the small flowers and the striped middle of the flower inside.

This is the inside:

I could have made some more flowers to cover the back of the ones you can see the back of, or coloured both sides, I didn't think of it at the time (I might be able to rectify that), I was up against the deadline. I had hoped to also have made at least one more card that I started a week ago, however I have been quite ill with a nasty virus that kept getting worse so I ended up in bed for a few days. At least I have lost a bit of weight!

Anyway do please hop on over to Quirky to see some more great examples and join in if you want to win a great prize of some of these great digi sets. 

First Quirky Craft Challenge of 2011

The first Quirky Crafts Challenge of 2011 is Something New - New Year, new house, new baby - a celebration of anything new this year.

I have taken the plunge and attempted my first ever canvas. I bought the canvas with the small easel because I wanted the easel, now it just may have to stay on display like that! I primed the canvas with white gesso, first time I have used that. Then when it was dry I inked the canvas with Ranger alcohol inks, Sir Tim would be proud of me. I used Cranberry and Lettuce with Pearl and Copper mixers and just swirled it around on a felt pad. Then I tried to ink the word Quirky directly onto the canvas, this took three attempts and I had to find an acrylic block the right size to wedge into the back of the frame so that the inkpad had a firm surface. Not bad I think. I dabbed over that with a Distress ink pad, which didn't work out as I planned.

Then I die cut copper sheet letters, oh I stamped the copper first with Stazon and a Hero Arts background stamp, and stuck those on. For the 2011 I die cut some chipboard packaging with Shadow Box Sizzix alphabet dies, and painted the numbers with gesso. I inked the shadow part with two colours of distress ink and stamped over the top numbers. I also inked the top numbers a little with Denim distress ink. I stuck on some Tim Holtz tissue tape that I got for Christmas from my son, he brought it all the way back from NY. I sprayed the whole canvas and lettering with Perfect Pearls turquoise mist spray, I can't find my glimmer mists anywhere. Then I stuck the numbers together and on the canvas with DST.

Finally I inked up some grunge paper with some Paperartsy stamps, and inked the flowers with Distress inks which were not drying so I added Denim Distress powder and heat embossed. Then I sanded off the powder. I scrunched up the flowers and added a brad through them and the canvas.

My New Baby card is made using a Stampavie stamp that I think I won. It is so sweet, and I decided it was really for a baby card. I coloured the image with Promarkers, cut it with a Nestabilities die. I cut a panel of Papermania paper slightly smaller than the card, and stuck it in the middle before stitching round the edge with my mini sewing machine. I added a piece of paper lace then the image. I also used some paper daisies and a foil panel I found in my stash. I decorated the inside of the card to match, but left it blank so someone can add their own words as desired. I don't know any pregnant ladies at the moment.

I have entered the card in the:

I Love Promarkers anything goes challenge

 Lots to Do New Beginnings challenge (spooky that).

My time to Craft Brand Spanking New challenge.