Further down The Quirky Silk Road....reminder

For my first reminder card, at the Quirky Crafts challenge blog, I used Lucy Loo Fire Dancer from The East Wind. I printed her in two sizes and this was the largest, she is still very intricate to colour and I think she needs to be bigger still!

I coloured her with Promarkers, added a bit of Spica pen to the flames for sparkle then rough cut her out to go on the dark background. The paper is more (other side of red double sided) Papermania, and so are the stickers.

This card has burned its way into the following challenges:

Graphit Markers - wk#30 Hot Colours (8th Aug).

The Paper Shelter - anything goes (5th Aug)

Paula Holifield Crafts - It's Magic (July)

For this masculine birthday card I used Junk Boat from Squigglefly with Chinese Happy Birthday from Squigglefly also. Both are coloured with Promarkers and I added a few waves with a white Prismacolor pencil.

I die cut the Junk Boat after marking the part that came outside the die which I cut around manually afterwards.

Paper is Papermania, and it has a slightly metallic sheen. The sentiment is not straight but the Affixit tape is so instantly permanent that I daren't try and peel it off to straighten it! I added a Chinese coin charm, might be Woodware.

This card has sailed into the following challenges:

Creative Fingers - #44 anything goes (8th Aug)

I thought I should show you the first prize for this challenge, it is so good!

Just look at all the goodies you can win from That Craft Place!

If you come second or third you can win some digis from Squigglefly or The East Wind, both sponsors have highly desirable digital images.

The Silk Road - its Quirky oriental!

Monica set us the challenge to make something oriental. We have two sponsors at Quirky Crafts and they both have great oriental characters and sayings.

My first card is made with Mewshu Pork cat from Squigglefly, with Chinese thank you also from Squigglefly. I coloured them both with Promarkers and a gold Spica pen, and fussy cut them before sitting the cat on top of the sentiment box. The papers are a Make Me pack of Han-Ji papers of two designs. I added a doubled tassled cord to finish. When I tried to tie on the cord I found I had stuck the cat and sentiment on totally the wrong way round so had to cut the panel out again and mount it on another card blank, so easily done!

This little cat slurped his way into the following challenges:

Squigglefly - over the edge (closes today)

Incy Wincy Designs - strings and things (Mon/Tues)

Graphit Markers - #28 Christmas colours (ends 25th July, winners #30)

My next card features Lucy Loo Bookaholic by Unky from The East Wind. She has such beautiful hair, and it is so so long (and full of wildlife)! I coloured her with Promarkers and die cut her with Spellbinders long rectangles. The papers and embellishments are by Papermania, and the ribbon is Crafty Ribbons. Normally I would keep the two sponsors apart but the Chinese proverb about a A book is Like a Garden.. from Squigglefly, which I cut out with a Spellbinders book die, was so perfect for this image - I hope I am forgiven!

Lucy Loo has read her way into the following challenges:

Incy Wincy Designs - strings and things (Mon/Tues)

I love Promarkers - Girls, Girls, Girls - (Wed)

Chocolate, Coffee and Cards - for the birds (bird and nest in her hair) (Fri)

Creative Fingers - anything goes #43 (closes Fri)

Charisma cards - anything goes (23rd July)

That Craft Place - anything goes (Sun 3rd Aug)

Open Minded Crafting Fun - vacation related (I always read lots on vacation) (Aug 9th)

I am thrilled that Pam picked me as her favourite, it means more to me than to be randomly picked for a prize!

Chinese 80th Birthday card

I made this Chinese 80th Birthday card using a Woodware stamp set, image coloured with Promarkers, and die cut with Spellbinders. The papers are by Papermania, and were perfect for the colours I used, I love red and gold together.

I cut out the Filligree Delight largest panel with the oval in the centre to create a frame which I mounted onto red card cut with the A2 card maker set B version, both by Spellbinders.

The numbers were cut with Sizzix Shadow Box die, the ribbon is by Chatterbox. The sentiment is heat embossed in gold and finally I added some red flat backed pearls.

Inside the card, I managed to cover the inside with the same sheet of paper, with a strip of gold card strategically placed over a necessary join! Happy Birthday Granny Tao!

I have entered the following challenges:

Crafty Ribbons challenges - anything goes with ribbon.

Passion for Promarkers - favourite colour combo (Wednesdays)

A Gem of a Challenge - anything with B (birthday, blossoms) (Saturdays)

Papertake weekly - flowers (Tuesdays)

I love Promarkers - bugs - dragonflies (Wednesdays)

Polkadoodles - all things bright and beautiful (Fridays)

Woodware - Girly things

Stamping Sensations - wings and things and a touch of vintage. (August challenge).

Also I finally made a box for the baby word card I made ages ago, and here it is:

The box base is plain and stapled at the corners for strength.

The lid is strengthened by ribbon (from Crafty Ribbons) threaded through punched holes to match the word book (The Cutting Cafe file), and the letters were cut with the same paper used on the word book using Sizzix Shadow Box dies, finally the notches were cut with Sizzix Lollipop die and hammer.

WOYWW #218

I can't believe it is Wednesday already, and I detected the smell and feel of Autumn not only last night but this morning and it is still like it. I am cold! What happened to the heatwave that was supposed to stay until September? Not that I wanted it that hot for that long, and the garden would have been totally frazzled by then.

Anyway it is that day again, that day that those who want to share their crafty spaces messes with the world. This was all started by Julia Dunnit of The Stamping Ground, and you can join in too!

 First the birds, I have been trying to sneak up on the little flock of sparrows and other little birds that all descend on my feeder when I am looking out of the kitchen window, and the conservatory window which is beyond the kitchen. So I have tried to grab a photo, I set up the camera with long lens, on the right settings and kept it in the kitchen - then when the little birds arrived I snuck out and - every time they saw me! This was the most I could capture in one shot, and I know it is a bit out of focus! I have one with a sparrow flying in too but only two birds.

 The only bird that doesn't fly away is the lovey collared dovey!

 So here is the desk, from this end, baby book that I made ages ago and I am finally making a box for it, having decided that I can't make an envelope big enough. Then the black on red images are done with an oriental stamp that I bought years ago after falling in love with it when it was used in a magazine tutorial. I think they did their's black embossed on black and cut out some of the background, which was gorgeous and I will try. This is the first time the stamp has seen ink, I was putting some other stamps away, it was in the same box and I decided I would use it, yes I would, and I did! Also next to that are some panels ready to make into cards, some Hero Arts newsprint balloons, and a Dustin Pike image and Spyder Lyn Image to make Christmas cards. Then those die cut frames, I haven't decided what to make with them yet. Then some embossed card, I am so cross, I can't use my A4 Crafts Too embossing folder in the eBosser and don't have another machine big enough, I did sucessfully use my first ever Spellbinders M Bosser, and was very happy with it so have bought a few more - guess what - the second folder won't go through, the eBosser spits it out again - grrrrr! The only consolation is that they will fit the Big Shot so I guess I will be getting that out even more. General mess in the background and Really Useful box full of images coloured or waiting to be coloured, and some die cuts and images ready to use.

From the other end, you can see more of the Christmas images, and that chameleon which I need to finish the zoo book with. Some stamps I am using or going to use, and some that need putting away if I can find the box they came from, and some new ones that need a space to go. There is a blank stepper card that I  creased in the wrong place that I am thinking I can cover the side panels with card panels first of all to fix the problem and not waste the card blank.

I wonder if it is better to be last over at WOYWW, first is great but will never happen, middle - hmmm, don't get that many comments! I noticed that I get over 100 views and maybe 12 comments. So please see the note below if you can't comment.

Just a note to say if you want to comment on this post you need to go to "home" and scroll down to the post and then press "comment", I have reported this issue yet again to blogger.