DV #231 Shaped Cards, no Squares or Rectangles

Our challenge today at Dream Valley, and Sponsored by The Paper Shelter, is shaped cards. Any shape you like as long as it’s not a square or a rectangle.

I have used an image from The Paper Shelter called Coffee Break, which I coloured with polychromos pencils. My shape is made with Sue Wilson’s noble octagon dies, as are all the mats and layers. The papers are from Craft Consortium from their Watercolour and Light Tones Grunge papers. Gems also from my stash.

I made up my own sentiment as the card is for my Daughter who, when not working, is either taking photos of birds and wildlife or editing them!

I am entering this into:-

All Fun Challenges – #14 Anything Goes
Alphabet Challenge – J is For Jewels/Jewellery
CD Sunday – #42 Anything Goes (image is digi)
Craft-Dee Bowz – August: Anything Goes
Crafters Castle – #32 Anything Goes
Creative Knockouts – #364 Something to Say
Cut It Up – #207 Old School (the dies, years old!)
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends – #140 Anything Goes
Sparkles Monthly Challenge – #131 Use At Least 3 Patt Papers
The Happy Craft Challenge – Anything Goes
The Paper Shelter – #437 Punches And Dies

CCM #261 Lots of Layers

I hope you have all had a fabulous Summer. We are back today at Crafty Cardmakers after our long Summer break, and we are kicking off the challenges with Lots Of Layers.

I have used a cute new set of papers from Craft Consortium from the Gift of Giving range. What better way to get lots of layers than decoupage! So also from the same range they have a decoupage kit. I have used two papers from the 6” pad, plus the kitten decoupage. The ornate frame diecut was cut from the lemon paper from the centre as it was going to be covered by the balloon paper, so why waste the middle!

The sentiment comes from a huge year of sentiments pad from Craftwork Cards, but it was the wrong shape so I had to trim it into a square. The gems are coloured with copics to match the design.

I am entering this into:-

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – #41 Anything With a Critter Goes
A Bit More Time to Craft – #122 Anything Goes
All Fun Challenges – #13 Anything Goes
Crafts Galore Encore – #78 Anything Goes
Crafty Animals – #41 Anything with an Animal goes
Crafty Friends – #142 Anything Goes
Crafty Hazlenut’s Patterned Paper Chall – August
Creative Fingers – #191 Anything Goes
Dare 2B Artzy – August Anything Goes
Let’s Craft And Create – #162 Anything Goes with Lots of Layers
Lil’ Patch Of Crafty Friends – #140 Anything Goes
Love to Craft – #48 Anything Goes
Not Just Cards – August Anything Goes
Papercraft Challenge – #61 Animals
QKR Stampede – #402 Anything Goes
The Creative Crafters – #31 Anything Goes

DV #230 Add Gems or Pearls

Our challenge today at Dream Valley is to add gems or pearls. We are sponsored by Crafty Sentiments

I have used their lovely image ‘Oh My’ for my card. I printed her and then coloured her with my copics, and fussy cut her out.

My papers are all from Kaiserkraft’s Pink Gelato 6.5” paper pad. I love this size of paper as it’s a perfect fit for a 7” scalloped card base!

The scalloped and plan circles are using Julie’ Hickey’s die, but the intricate diecut is a spellbinder die.

My butterflies are a combination of different brands.

The pearls are white pearls coloured with the same yellow I used on her dress to match the design. The gems on the butterflies are coloured to co-ordinate with those too, and there are two little gems on the centres of her hair bows.

I am entering this into:-

CCC Digi Creations – #117 Include a Butterfly/Butterflies
Crafters’ Castle – Aug #32 Anything Goes
Crafty Animals – #41 Anything Goes
Crafty Calendar – Aug: Anything Goes
Creations in Pink – #24 #Anything Mainly Pink Goes
Creative Craft Cottage – #132 Ribbon/Lace and/or Pearls
Digi Doodle Studios – #30 Things With Wings
Dragonfly Dreams – Aug: Anything Goes
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends – #139 Anything Goes
Pearly Sparkles Challenge – #54 Anything Goes
Sheepski Designs – #41 No Rules, Anything you Want
The Artistic Stamper – Aug: Anything Goes
The Corrosive Challenge – #8 Anything Goes
The Crafters Cafe – #248 Anything Goes

DV #229 Christmas In July

Our challenge today at Crafty Cardmakers is Christmas in July and we are sponsored by Crafty Ribbons.

My card is a combination of Amy’s Design and Tonic Dies for the main area., Amy’s Design being the decorative frame and Tonic the sentiment.

I die cut these from white pearl card. They are matted onto mauve shimmer card/paper.

The little ice skate is a chloe stamp. It does actually also come as a combo stamp and die but I bought it when it was just the stamp. So I stamped it onto shrink plastic and cut it out by hand! Tricky round the actual blade part and coloured it with crayons and then shrunk it.

A few mauve gems in the opposite corner and the card was done!

I am entering this into:-

Christmas Crafts All Year Round – July Cool It
Crafty Hazlenut’s Christmas – #500 Anything Christmas
Crimbo Crackers – #211 Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday – #644 Christmas In July
Die Cut Divas – Christmas In July
Dies R Us – #149 Christmas in July
Digi Doodle Studio – #29 Christmas in July
Jingle Bells – Colourful Christmas (Inspired by the hanging wreaths)
Lost Coast Portal – #103 Christmas in July
Merry Little Christmas – #24 Anything Christmas Goes
Sheepski Designs – #40 Christmas in July
Sweet Stampers – #46 Christmas in July
Sweet Stampin’ – Christmas in July
The Holly and The Ivy Christmas Chall – #75 Anything Christmas Goes
The Paper Girls – #204 Christmas in July
Winter Wonderland – Hip to Be Square

CCM #260 Create Your Own Background

Our challenge today at Crafty Cardmakers is to create your own background. As usual you can enter anything you like as long as it follows this theme.

My piece is for my Art Journal and it’s a little glimpse into my brain during these difficult times!

I created the background by first smooshing some distress oxides in squeezed lemonade and dried marigold onto my page. When that was dry I dotted on some areas of contrast colour using bleeding art tissue paper. In this particular case I scrunched it up and made it wet and then pounced it onto the background. You can also tear it in random strips and lay it on your background before wetting, diecut it and lay those down before wetting. Well anything you can think of really!

I used various stamps to add even more mess in the background.

The hands are from Woodware which I stamped onto white stamping card and cut out then just stuck in place. The various statements are in my own terrible handwriting and you can see why I don’t normally use it. But it added to the messiness of the background!

I wanted the whole piece to represent the muddle in my head right now, as here in the UK, we are constantly getting conflicting advice from the Powers That Be. One minute we’re following the science and the next the Scientists are telling us they disagree with what decisions have been made. So my head is all of a muddle and I don’t know which way to turn which is what the hands all pointing in different directions represent. And the general messiness of the background is what it’s like to be in my thoughts!

Because it’s quite messy, the joined up writing (doesn’t that sound odd) says, Round and round and round we go, where the virus stops nobody knows. All the other block capital words are words that have been flung at us these last few months.

Anyhow enough of my confuddled thinking……… I am entering this into:-

613 Avenue Create – #234 Anything Goes, OT Blended Background
Arty Divas – #24 Anything Goes
Creative Fingers – #189 Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp – Wednesday Chall Anything Goes
Southern Girls – June Team Trace Anything Goes
Sweet Stampers – #45 Something Beginning with B – Background
Sweet Stampin’ – Create Your Own Background
The Corrosive Challenge – #6 Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown – #460 Anything Goes
We Love 2 Create – #7 Anything Mixed Media Goes

DV #228 All Occasions

Our challenge today at Dream Valley is All Occasions, so that might be a birthday, Wedding, Christening, etc.

We are sponsored by Morgan’s Artworld.

I created this with a cdrom of Morgan’s Artworld that I have had for ages. It has some lovely toppers, which I printed out, along with the backing papers. I matted all three layers onto black cardstock to create the card and added a sentiment using again a very old die from Tattered Lace. The final touch was to draw some glue lines in her hair and glitter it with glamour dust. I love glamour dust because it takes on the colour beneath it but still sparkles beautifully.

I have quite a few cds, which I used to use frequently, but they hardly see the light of day currently. However, they often have some gorgeous images, such as in this case and they are reasonably quick to create with, and in the case of this one. Totally flat for posting!

I am entering this into:-

A Bit More Time To Craft – #118 Anything Goes
Aud Sentiments – #253 Anything Goes
CCC Digi Creations - #115 Anything Goes
CD Sunday – #38 Anything Goes
Crafters Castle - #30 Anything Goes
Crafts Galore Encore – #76 Anything Goes
Morgan’s Artworld – #6 Anything Goes
Not Just Cards – June Anything Goes
QKR Stampede – #400 Anything Goes
The Creative Crafters – #29 Anything Goes

CCM #259 Masculine

Our challenge today is Masculine, which should give you lots of scope. And as it’s Father’s Day next weekend any of those lovely projects will be very welcome too.

I used a die set from Crafters Companion to make my masculine card. It very much reminds me of the trophy shields that they used to dish out in school for sports winners.

The brown happy birthday card has been in my stash for soooooooo long, it’s nice to find something to use it on!! The diecuts on the bottom half of the easel are from Tim holiz I think, and the sentiment again from Crafters Companion.

I am entering this into:-

CCEE Stampers – #2024 Father’s Day
Crafty Gals Corner – #208 You’re the Man
Cute Card Thursday – #638 Masculine
Dare 2B Artzy – June Masculine
Dragonfly Dreams – Make It Masculine
Paper Fun Day – #18 Anything Goes Twist Make It Masculine
Papercraft Business Challenge – #30 Fathers Day/Male
Try It On Tuesday – Make It Masculine