Red and Blue, a new card for You!

Happy Tuesday,
Last week I won a challenge at Penny's Challenges and my prize was $15 to spend at Busy Beauties on digital stamps and I just couldn't resist the little cutie I chose for today's card.
Then the owner of the store pointed me in the direction of her challenge blog and so it was the perfect time to try out my new image!

Other challenges:

Busy Beauties Creations - Red or Blue or Both
CCEE Stampers - Nursery Rhymes (Ladybird, Ladybird, Fly Away Home)
Cuttlebug Challenge - For The Kids
Sweet Sketch Wednesday - Sketch
Totally Gorjuss - Round and Round
Sew Many Challenges - Easel Card
Corrosive - Easel Card
Hand Full Of Stamps - Get Your Shine On
Stamping Vacation Pick 3 - My picks are; Make an Easel card, Blue Embellishment and Image to do with Gardening (my little Ladybug)
Quixotic Paper - How Does Your Garden Grow? (Handmade flowers)
Just Us Girls - Red, White and Blue
Crazy Challenge - Something New (new image)
Ooh La La - Bright and Cheerful
Alota Rubber Stamps - Bugs or Bees



Card Recipe:
Image - Sweet Ladybug by Busy Beauties
Paper - DCWV The Summer Stack 2009
Medium - Copic Markers
Sentiment - Cloud Nine for Fiskars
Embossing folder - Cuttlebug Flower Circles
Flower Punch - EK Success
Ladybug button - Dress it Up
Shine - Glossy Accents (on her hat, shoes and shell)
Border punch - Fiskars Apron Lace
Ribbon - Hobby Lobby



I love how the easel card stands.



I hope the photo shows the shiny parts, the are so cool in real life.
I thought this little girl looked like she was about to do a recital and so I used an encouragement sentiment.

This was such a fun card to make and I hope you like it too.
Katie

It's Time for my favorite technique - Paper Piecing of course!

Happy Saturday Everyone!
It's one of those "Just Because" cards and this one sure is a sweet one!
When I started scrapbooking almost 12 years ago there weren't very many products to be found and so it really was a technique driven hobby.
I met a scrapping buddy and through her I learnt how to paper piece. Soon I was cutting smaller and smaller pieces, glueing them and then pen stitching all around them. There was barely a page that didn't have a hand created character on it.
Then things changed, products were available everywhere, premade pages, 3D accents, all the things I'd spent hours making before were available to just "peel and stick". The art of the tiny scissors went the way of the wind.
Then I started cardmaking about a year and a half ago and I realized that the stampers were quietly keeping this technique going like a little secret society:)
It was a revelation to me and a joy!
Now I try and do a little cutting at least once a week and this is one of those weeks :)

It helped that one of my favorite blogs had this as a challenge this week amongst the others on this card:

La La Lands want Paper Piecing
Creative Cottage want Pretty Pink
Stamp Something want Pink Something
Jacksonbelle had a 123 recipe of 1 Black item, 2 Punched items and 3 Circles
Try It Out Tuesday had a Sketch
The Cuttlebug Spot want Pink and Green



Card Recipe:
Image - Sweet Lala
Paper - Imaginisce Fairest of Them All
Medium - Copic Markers
Flowers - Wild Orchid Crafts
Sentiment - Studio G
Pearls - Queen & Co
Border Punches - Martha Stewart





I hope you can see the paper piecing on Lala's dress.
She sure is sweet with her big blue eyes and I'm sending a wave over to all the Lala Girls!
Katie

A New Tutorial at The Pixie Cottage and a New Card from me too :)

It's time for another fabulous tutorial from The Pixie Cottage team and this one was created by the very talented Peggy of Beautiful Greetings!
She's showing us all how to watercolor with Distress Inks and I for one will be getting out my paintbrushes this afternoon to give it a go!

Also on The Pixie Cottage news, Michelle has recived so many new stamps in the last couple of weeks and they are all so super cute! You've seen 2 of my cards using them already this week and here's the trifecta!

Cupcake Crafts want Friends/Friendship
Crafty Calendar want Love/Friendship
Rosie Dees had a Friendsip theme too
Cuttlebug Spot wanted to see the Double Embossing technique (they have a great video showing how to do this over there)
Lord Have Mercy had a sketch that worked great with the embossing technique
Sophisicats wanted Embossing
Incy Wincy want Touchy Feely!
Peachy Keen had a recipe. Must contain Green and Yellow, a 3D object/embellishment and a stamped image
Copics Colour Challenge had the combo of YG03 Yellow Green, Y17 Golden Yellow and C7 Cool Grey #7
Paper Garden wanted to say Farewell to Winter



Card Recipe

Image - Spring Friends at The Pixie Cottage
Paper - DCWV The Citrus Stack
Flowers - Wild Orchid Crafts
Paper Lace Punch - Martha Stewart
Sentiment - The Paper Studio for Hobby Lobby
Die Cuts - Nestabilites by Spellbinders
Medium - Copic Markers



Inside is more of the wonderful dp and a message mat.



Here is a close up showing that double embossing technique. You can see the video tutorial for this Here.
It's hard to show in the photo as the mat is white but I hope you can see both the Swiss Dots embossing and the edge embossing from the Nestability.
I nearly gave up on this technique as I couldn't get it right and then I spotted my mistake and it worked wonderfully!
Be sure to check out all the wonderful new designs that Michelle has in the store right now, perfect for your Spring crafting!
And also remember the latest challenge (a new sketch) is still going on over at The Pixie Cottage and we'd love to see your entry over there!


Katie

My Grafico- Recipe Challenge

It's a new challenge at My Grafico and the team got to work with a set from one of the newest designers at My Grafico, Lindsay!
She gave us this fabulous recipe set and this week there was no sketch so we could do what we wanted!

Kraftin Kimmie wanted a Gift Card Holder and so did Crazy 4 Challenges
Bee Crafty wanted "Christmas Extras" and I think the gift card works.
Cuttlebug Spot wanted a Christmas Gift (I cut the Nesties with my Cuttlebug)
The Secret Crafter wanted a matching set



I used the "From My Kitchen" tag circle on both the gift card holder and the lid of the gift jar.
The dp is The Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby.





I hope this shows that sets can be used for things other than you first think, so you get more for your money!
I'd love to see your cooking/recipe themed projects so get creating and enter at My GraficoKatie

You're a T-Riffic Friend! My Grafico DT card

Happy Monday!
Today I have a wonderful new card for the challenge over at My Grafico and it's all about Dinosaurs!
They have a wonderful set of digital stamps at the My Grafico Store designed by Meljen Designs called simply Dinosaurs! I got to work with the T-Rex and I thought he was so adorable!

If you join in the challenge you get a chance to win the set for yourself!
This card also covers a few challenges:
The Cuttlebug Spot" wanted a favorite folder (I have so many faves!)
Tuesday Morning Sketches gave me the sketch
Simon Says Stamp wanted buttons and ribbons
Paper Play wanted All Creatures Great and Small
Dare U2 Digi wanted us to get Distressed
and both
Whimsy Stamps
and
No Time To Stamp wanted a card for friends.



I printed the T-Rex out on a piece of green dp and some blue cardstock and paper pieced the scales and stomach parts. I colored the claws with a Sharpie Paint Pen.
The ribbons are pieces from my scrap jar and I printed the sentiment.
I inked the embossed mat and the sentiment mat with chalk ink and added buttons from The Paper Studio.
I hope you like him and I'd love you to drop on over to the My Grafico Challenge blog and join in with the challenge too!
Katie

Happy Monday and another Christmas Card! Plus my new Marker Caddy find!

Hello Everyone!
There were a couple more Christmas in July challenges that I wanted to do so this week I'll have two more cards for you to see.
This one covers 4 challenges:
Polka Doodles gave me the sketch and I rotated it a 1/4 turn
Paper Play wanted a card for a boy or man, I think the blues make this more boyish
The Cuttlebug Spot had the Christmas in July theme
and
Belli wanted metal tags.

I used a wonderful Dustin Pike Image that you find at Doodle Dragon and colored him with Copic's, cut him out and matted him on an oval that has been embossed with Cuttlebugs Swiss Dots folder.
The papers are Walmart from a couple of years ago but I love them!
I also embossed the border with the Snowflakes folder. I used Coredinations cardstock and sanded it to reveal the white center, I love that cardstock!!


The inside has more dp and an oval journal mat to coordinate with the one on the front.



As I mentioned on Friday I wanted to share a wonderful container that I found at Target. It was designed to hold beverages on your outdoor table but my daughter saw it and said "Mum that would work perfectly for your markers!". I had previously had the markers in hanging buckets which worked great apart from when I wanted to take them downstairs to work on a piece in the evening to be with everyone else. I used to have to get a try and balance 6 or 7 small buckets on it and make my way downstairs. Now I just grab the handle of one container and I'm fixed!
The best thing was it was originally $12.99 and I got it for 50% off so just $6.49!
I found it online too Caddy but it still full price there (I don't know why it says not available in stores either)





I think it looks like I need more Green markers, what do you think? ;)



So I can get all my Copic's, my Promarkers and Prismacolor markers in one caddy.
I hope you liked today's snowman and my new marker caddy.
Katie

OK, I really think a 12 step program may be in order......

I'm sorry to say that I may soon be standing up and saying "My name is Katie and I'm a Challenge-aholic". Every day I spend some time going through peoples blogs and if I see a new challenge that's not in my journal then I get all excited and scribble it down. And when it comes to creating a card I sit down at my screen clicking from page to page finding things that work together.
This morning I had time to do a little playing and somehow (with encouragement from my daughter) I managed to find 12, yes 12, challenges to combine! LOL
So here comes mr reason for needing a 12 step program!

Sketch Saturday - Sketch
Pile It On - Mostly Orange ( I had to manipulate and color over the yellow flowers with an orange Copic)
Our Creative Companion - A triple play, 3 embellishments from a list and I chose Ribbon, Buttons and Brads
Paperplay - Your favorite nibble. I chose a Terry's Chocolate Orange as Christmas wouldn't be the same without it.
PollyCraft - Arrows (and I used a Pollycraft image although you don't need to)
My Time To Craft - A Bird in the Hand
Secret Saturday Crafter - Spots and Stripes, I used spotty buttons and paper and stripy brads.
ABC - W is for Window
Belli - Texture, I embossed the background and used different ribbons for more "feel"
The Cuttlebug Spot - The Inside Counts (easy for me as I always finish the inside)
Daring Cardmakers - Away with the Fairies
Tuesday Taggers - more Texture




I used a cute Twiddly Wings from Polly Craft Designs and colored her with my Copic's. I cut the window with a Nestie and made a frame with the next size up Nestie. I embossed the yellow paper with my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. The brads and buttons are Paper Studio and the dp are K & Co. The arrow is a chipboard one that I colored with my Copic to match (and thanks to Georgia who searched through a drawer to find the last one left of these arrows)



Hopefully you can see through the "window" to the image.



I added ribbon across both sides of the inside as I couldn't do much to the window side.



In case you couldn't see Twiddly closely I added another shot of her.
Anyway my fingers hurt from all the links so I'm signing off right now!
Have a great Sunday!
Katie

Another 4 challenges in this cute Tilda card!

Happy Thursday Everyone!
Be sure to scroll down to yesterdays post for a great deal on Copic's that I found!
I made another card the other day and this time she covers 4 different challenges.
I keep finding all these great challenge blogs and I'm always happy when they let you combine ;)
This time the card covers;
Magnolia Down Under - Sketch, this was where I started with this card.
Scrap Masters - Color challenge - Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede and Melon Mambo
The Cuttlebug Spot - Something funny, the sentiment I used is a quote that says "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people- Victor Borge"
The Pink Elephant - Stars and Strips. I used punched border strips, ribbon strips and added the stars to another punched border inside.
ETA There is no white strip down the side of the sentiment it's just the way the light caught the beveled edge of the epoxy sticker, I didn't spot it in editing only after this posted!

I used the cute Tilda with Cowberry Muffin and colored her with my Copic's. I then added Diamond Stickles to her wings, muffin case, bows and around the eyelet edge of her smock.
I used my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder on the bottom rectangle and the Flowers folder from Quickutz on the top. With the flowers I used CoreDinations cardstock and sanded it gently for the pale pink to show through. I love how this looks and will be playing with this new cardstock lots in the weeks to come!
The border punch is Apron Lace from Fiskars.
The dp is DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby Boy

The inside is simple but I needed to add the stars to make The Pink Elephant challenge ;)

A close up of cute Tilda and her Muffin.
I hope you like her and have a great day!
Katie