Aunt Sally

We have been asked to make a scarecrow for a very special fete, and then found out it was not just any scarecrow (which was daunting enough) - it had to be Aunt Sally! Someone else is making Worzel Gummidge and they are in pairs!

The event is the 40th anniversary of the Canon's House Fete, Canon's House is a respite home for young people to have short stays, and it is in Devizes. So on our recent holiday in Devon we visited Exeter and spent a few hours going round charity shops looking for something she could wear - and Shaun spotted these polystryrene heads that were £1 each in a fancy dress shop - bargain. A couple of coats of white paint then I could paint her features. Hmmmmm....

I managed to slightly improve her eyes, and I made her a wig of yarn, the bonnet was from a charity shop, and I added some ribbons from my stash.

I think the head worked out better than the body! Dress and blouse from the charity shop, again ribbons from stash. Tights for arms from Mother in Law and black tights were mine. The problem is that stuffed they ended up a wee bit long.... so tied the arms up in a knot and wrapped them round the broom handle up her back that the head is on...The ribbons round her wrists are keeping the sleeves in place or her arms get longer and longer....her legs are a bit on the long side!

Side view. The flowery dress was the best one we could find, but no sleeves meant we needed a blouse too. Inside is a pillow inside a pillow case, unfortunately I can see the stripes on the pillow! I added some blooms to her hat.

Here she is after some minor surgery, arms a bit long now!

Believe it or not - Aunt Sally entered a challenge!

Charisma Cards - Anything but a card (Thurs)

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 Crafts challenge change - come and enter now!

I just want to tell you that due to lack of entries we have simplified the challenge at Quirky Crafts. All you need to do now is have a fairy and one item from the fairy ring, and you have until Midday UK time on Saturday to enter and win some great digi images, and to get 10% off at Crackerbox Palace just for entering!

I must have known - my last example only had one thing from the fairy ring, I was about to go on holiday and posted it very late the day before, totally forgot to add everything! I also gave that card to my Dad for Father's Day!

What are you waiting for?  Get on over to Quirky Crafts now!

A Quirky fairy reminder

All you need to join in the challenge and win some digis is a Fairy or two, and one or more three items from Doris's fairy ring above. I used Fairy Constance (from our lovely sponsor - Crackerbox Palace) coloured with Promarkers, and from the fairy ring I picked Stars (also from Crackerbox Palace), a sentiment (by Cherry Pie Art Stamps) and sparkles, my sparkles are Flitter Flakes on the stars (first time I have used them and I need more practice), and the holographic silver layer behind the starry card. 

You can get a 10% discount at Crackerbox Palace just by entering our challenge! So what are you waiting for? We need some fairy fab makes now!

This card had twinkled into the following challenges:

Creative Fingers Challenge blog - anything goes (Fri)

Come and Get It - Fairy Fantasy (Sun)

Open Minded Crafting Fun - things with wings (28th June)

Charisma Cards - sparkle and shine (Thurs) 

My Time To Craft - DL it (27th June)

Fussy and Fancy - things with wings (monthly challenge winners 4th July)

A very Quirky Fairy world.

Doris set us a challenge at Quirky Crafts, and it is a recipe challenge. In fact here is a fairy ring and you must choose 3 things at least, and feature a fairy or fairies!

Our lovely sponsor is Crackerbox Palace, they provided us with the images to use for this challenge. I decided to make a little scene with Sleeping Fairy Dreama, Clouds,  and Happy Sun, and I coloured this with Promarkers and a Flexmarker (I only have one of those). To get my sparkles I added Stickles glue to the fairy wings, hair and the clouds and gold eyeliner to the sun's eyes. The spots on the fairy's dress are enhanced with Liquid Pearls in Key Lime.

I die cut the scene with Spellbinders (labels 22 I think) grand nestabilities, and then cut a mat in sparkling purple card, and one in check paper. I matted this onto a square of green fabric effect paper, all paper is LOTV and came free with a magazine along with the Happy Birthday sentiment, which I stamped in purple Versacolor then heat embossed with Ranger Antiquities Frosted Crystal embossing powder. Again I die cut them with Spellbinders circles and a mat with scalloped circles. The other sentiment is by Digi Stamp Boutique and went so perfectly with my scene! 

Before attaching the sentiments I added the polka dot ribbon, from Crafty Ribbons who are having a sale right now, and found some wishing well charms and added one (it is in the centre of the ribbon), didn't even know I had them! The whole thing was then attached to an 8" x 8" card which was big enough for the scene.

So I have a fairy and more than three items, sun, clouds, sparkles and sentiment (x2)

Inside the card, more of the LOTV paper in blue this time, with a strip of the check.

As well as being able to win digital images from our sponsor, anyone who enters can have 10% off, and any stamp can be ordered as a digital image for just $3 each, then you get the 10% off!

My fairy has zzzzzz her way into the following challenges:

Papertake Weekly - anything goes, optional Summer (Tues)

Passion for Promarkers - mythical creatures (Tues)

I love Promarkers - Digi does it (Wed)

Fussy and Fancy - outdoors (ends 12th June)

Glitter and Sparkle - use a digi (Sun)

Pile it on - use patterned paper and enter loads of challenges (so funny) (Sun)

Stamping for the weekend - anything goes (Fri 20th)

Art by Miran - anything goes (winners 20th June)

Open Minded Crafting Fun - things with wings (28th June)

 The Divas that cut paper - colour challenge (June)

Bunny Zoe's - layers (June)

Groundhog day?

It feels like it, here is the challenge book again (see previous post), this time with all its ribbons and with a couple of wings and a crown added to the front cover, I think the front cover is finished! I inked over the gold clock hands, and the cogs and wings, might take it off the wings and do something else.

I used the Time background to make the covers, and the Clocks full page background (both from The Cutting Cafe) to make the pages, which I creased to make pockets and lined with either clocks on purple or green card. 

I made some slips which are currently supposed to be one per challenge, you write the date it ends, the blog, and the details. When you complete the challenge you move it to the "DONE" pocket, when winners have been picked it can be recycled, or kept if won maybe in the spare pocket at the back.

I have collected a load of links to challenge blogs in my sidebar, I found a whole bunch of new ones yesterday too. I spent ages looking down the list to see if there is a new challenge, trying to remember if I entered the last one, or if there was a challenge I wanted to enter, then visiting them. When they post additional posts between challenges I lose the challenge, especially monthly challenges! So I thought this way I could keep track of challenges I hope to enter, and enter them in time, not have to hunt around for a blog that was doing ribbons and lace only to find I missed it, or couldn't find it again!

I am already thinking that maybe I should have created a page a day, and that would make the whole thing easier, and maybe not have a slip for every challenge but one for a blog, that can be put back with the new challenge so used again until full - I might have to try that!

If I start over with a seven day and one month book I will give this one away - if anyone wants it! Hmmm, would I have to make it 14 plus 2, for days of the week a challenge starts - or ends, and a done pocket for each day, and month? This could grow into a big book! I will just try this one for now and see how I get on.

Don't forget to hop over to Quirky Crafts and enter your make by Saturday!

This book is ticking over into the following challenges:

Avenue 613 - make something for yourself  (Sun)

Art by Miran - anything goes 7 (4th July)

Milkcoffee - anything but a card (June 4th)

Moving Along With The Times - no image (Thurs)

That Craft Place - ribbon and lace (Sun)

Crafts Galore - use a digi or stamp (Jun)

It's still about Quirky Time!

It is reminder time for the Quirky Challenge, and this is my challenge book. It is not finished, I ran out of time, so I will add more photos later as I complete bits of it, in fact I could probably carry on decorating it for weeks! The idea is that I have pocket pages, and into the pockets I put slips with details of all the challenges I want to enter. 

I used Time background from our sponsor The Cutting Cafe, coloured with Prismacolor pencils, inked with Distress inks and edged with Treasure Gold. I found a few sheets of chipboard alphabets and decided to use those to spell Challenge, first colouring them with Krylon pen, then Treasure Gold. Real lace on the hinge side. The book is punched using my Bind it All, I had to watch the video tutorials again before I started using it and as you will see I wasn't totally successful in getting all the pages punched the same, and had to redo the back cover!

I got my Sizzix Tim Holts dies out to cut some metal gears and a weathered clock, and this would be so much further on IF the Ebosser had cut the metal instead of embossing mostly, cutting a little, and generally ruining my metal sheets. So out came the Trusty Big Shot which instantly cut them like they were butter, so another disapppointment about the eBosser, but gold stars to the Big Shot!

I tied on a few ribbons from Crafty Ribbons, more to be added later!

 I made 5 pocket pages, one for weekly, or fortnightly challenges to do, one for monthly challenges to do....

one each for weekly and monthly challenges completed, and one that is spare for now!

I hope to add some more photos later when I complete more, and I will show you the slips I am going to use in the pockets. I am so happy I finally did this even if it is a bit Quirky and not perfect!

It's About Quirky Time

  It was my turn to set the challenge, and the sponsor this time is The Cutting Cafe who have some wonderful clock files of images so I called the challenge It's About Quirky Time to feature clocks.
I made this pop up card, I made one once before and really liked it, and it didn't take too much time to do (pardon the pun).
I used Clocks background printed on lime green to make the card base, with sentiments from the It's About That Time set.

The tag pulls up to make the card base into a box which stands up, pretty neat I think. My tag is cut from the Time Background, sponged with Distress ink and cut with a Tim Holtz Sizzix die, which is a little wider than the measurements in the SCS instructions so you need to cut the slot a little wider, also I had to cut some off the length of the tag to make it the right size.

This is only the second time I have made a card like this, and I was intending to make a stepper when I found the instructions for this one. The first one was also made as a challenge example for The Cutting Cafe sponsored challenge!

I used a little cuckoo clock from It's About That Time, as well as the two sentiments, and I coloured the clock with Promarkers. Cuckoo is cut with a speech bubble stamp from a DoCrafts X Cut set, I think it is a dream bubble but it fits! All other sentiments were cut with Spellbinders dies.

You can also buy the clocks ready coloured. I wanted a cuckoo as well, so searched around for a bird and found one in One Spring Day that I could use. I know mine looks like a Robin lol!

Finally I found some large polka dot reversable ribbon and used it on the front section, wrapping it round with seam binding. I also used seam binding, this time with polka dot chiffon ribbon, on the tag.

People I know, even family don't always "get it" when it comes to novelty fold cards, so I have added a clue on the back of the tag, an arrow from It's All About Time.

You can just see the tip of the arrow when the card is closed, I hope folk get the hint!

If you want to see some more great examples hop over to Quirky Crafts challenge blog, and if you join in the fun you could end up winning some sets of your choice from The Cutting Cafe.

I've popped this card into the following challenges:

Coffee, Chocolate and Cards - Use a Tag (Fri)

Allsorts - Happy Birthday (with blog hop) (Fri)

I love Promarkers - Anything goes (Wed)

Technique Twist - pop up card box (Sat) (Mine is a little different - hope ok)

Ghoulish - atishoo!

 I have no idea what I am going to do with this card, maybe keep it for Halloween! The image is from Bugaboo, and is called Slelekinz Baby the words are my own. The card blank is embossed with a Craftwell embossing folder, I tried it out and then put this blank away in a box, so it is a leftover. I coloured the little darling with Promarkers, die cuts are all using Spellbinders and the pink panel, with gold and spotty paper, and the ribbon is one that I made up and then didn't use and it has been hanging about as a left over in my spare die cuts box until now.

 Side view, showing the other embossed side of the gatefold.

This card has haunted the following challenges:

Left of Center (this one is specially for LOC) (Fri 23rd)
Catch the Bug - Bingo, buttons, something beginning with S, circles (May)
Passion for Promarkers - use your die cuts (Tues)
Papertake Weekly - Ooooh so cute (Tues)
Delicious Doodles - a bit moody (Fri)
Addicted to Stamps - anything goes (Wed)
Our Creative Corner - leftovers (great idea) (May)

This card is a work in progress, I am road testing some Crackerbox Palace digi images, just waiting for some sentiments to go with the tissue box. I got the idea of the tissue coming out of the box from the Crackerbox Palace blog, it was a Vicky make. I printed the digi out twice, plain card and spotty paper then cut them out and put them together to make it stronger, I only needed to print it once, stick it onto the card and cut round (sometimes I make extra work for myself lol). I kept the background plain, at least so far. 

Quirky peacock theme reminder.

We only have two entries so far in the latest Quirky challenge, it ends Saturday Midday so get your peacock coloured projects or projects with peacocks, or peacock feathers in now, great chance of winning a prize from our sponsor Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps.

For my first card I used the gorgeous peacock by IKEsArt, which I painted with Twinkling h2Os and highlighted with Atyou Spica pens. I decided not to add backing papers with this stunning image, but I did cut a couple of feathers from a new Spellbinders die. Happy Birthday is stamped and heat embossed in gold, the stamp is from a Hero Arts set. MUM is die cut and embossed with a Sizzix Embosslit alphabet die set. The thin satin ribbon is from Ribbon Oasis and was some I got when getting samples for my son's wedding stationery.

Will she like it? I will find out tomorrow!

For this card I used a panel of paper from the Coosty Creations Mehendi Peacock pack, it is covered in tiny peacocks. The large peacock is by Delicious Doodles and is totally coloured with Atyou Spica pens, I tried to give the tail feathers a goldy green look.

I sat my peacock on some green grosgrain ribbon from Crafty Ribbons. Happy Birthday is cut out and debossed using a Spellbinders set of words, I felt the urge to fill in the debossing with gold stickles - did that work?

These cards have flown into the following challenges:

One Stitch at a Time - Keep it simple (Sun)

Polkadoodles - things with wings (Sat)

Daring Cardmakers - Light as a feather (Fri)

A very special birthday, two of two!

This is Kenny's card from us, Grampy (Grumpy lol) and Granny! Again it is an 8"x8" scalloped card blank, this time a blue card mat, and some more of that English Paper Company paper in a sort of patchwork. Again I used a Bugaboo image called Birthday Monster Sign, coloured with Promarkers and die cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities, with a bit of outside the box. I wrote on the balloons, and die cut a number 2 with  a Sizzix Shadow Box number die. I also used a Pollycraft little boy in monster costume which I coloured with Promarkers. Pollycraft ceased trading last year so you can't purchase this digi. 

The silhouette ribbon I used this time is the Dinosaur one, available from Crafty Ribbons in many colours.

I cut Kenny out with an old Zipemate alphabet die set, and mounted the letters on a panel cut with a Spellbinders Nestabilities.

 This time I used yellow Papermania starts paper....

......and another Pollycraft digi, also coloured with Promarkers. He is s cute monster about to tuck into cake!

I don't think Kenny reads my blog yet, these are in the post!

This card has rampaged into the following challenges:

Creative Fingers - Anything goes (Fri 16th)

Incy Wincy - Birthdays (Mon)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenges - Simon says Die Crazy

Left of Centre - Masculine cards (23rd May)

ABC - L for lots of layers (Thurs)

Crafty Ribbons - anything goes with ribbon (Thurs)

A very special birthday card, one of two

Yes Kenny is TWO on Saturday! This card is from Mother in Law, Kenny's Great Nanny. I used an 8"x8" scalloped card blank. I created a panel using red card, and different papers which I think are English Paper Company - the cover was missing so I will update this if I find it and I am wrong. The pack included a circus paper that went perfectly with the Bugaboo Clown numbers -Two image. I coloured the image with Promarkers and added some glitter glue to the top of the candle, die cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities and matted it onto red. I used one of my new silhouette ribbons, I thought horses went with the horse on the circus paper. I won a huge bag full of silhoutte ribbons from Crafty Ribbons recently.

Happy Birthday words are from a Spellbinders die set, I didn't expect it to be a debossing die set before I got it home and looked properly. Kenny is cut out with dies from a Quickuzt set.

Inside the card, just blue stars and this is Papermania paper.

I won this huge bag of ribbons, lucky me!

Next card coming up... 

This card tumbled into the following challenges:

Creative Fingers - Anything goes (Fri 16th)

Incy Wincy - Birthdays (Mon)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenges - Simon says Die Crazy

Left of Centre - masculine cards (23rd May)

Crafty Ribbons - anything goes with ribbon (Thurs)

Polkadoodles birthday blog hop - free digis

I just discovered the Polkadoodles 5th birthday blog hop, so glad I did because every team member has had a digi made of themselves by Nikky, including one of Nikky herself, and you can download all of them for free!