Criss Cross

 Morning all.  Are you ready for a new Make My Monday Challenge? And this one was a challenge.  Have you ever made a 'Criss Cross' card?  No? Me neither.  There is a handy Tutorial over on Splitcoast Stampers. It's fairly easy once you get your basic shape.  The only thing that foxed me was having to cut two panels of paper to get my pattern to face the right way.  I have several triangles on my craft desk as testament to the fact that I couldn't get my head around it. I'd used some of my expensive papers too so I need to create something else with those offcuts.  I'd decided to go a bit tropical again - well, I'd bought that flamingo stamp set by My Favourite Things so I needed to get some mileage out of it. What do you think.

I couldn't resist doing a little stencilling behind my flamingo and I used an ancient stamp set for the tropical flowers. A little bling finished it off nicely and I'm quite pleased with the result.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how you all interpret this challenge. Please pop over and have a go.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Too Cool for Skool

 Wow, look at me.  Creating a card for fun instead of a DT project.  Crazy!  Well, she asked so nicely. 

Let me explain.  I've been following Donna's blog Duncan Street Designs for ages and I like to comment on her beautiful cards.  Recently Donna left me a lovely comment and happened to mention that she was part of a challenge blog called The Paper Funday Challenge.  She said she would love for me to enter the challenge, so here I am.  I am a little close to the wire as this month's challenge only has a day and a half to run.  I suppose that does mean there will be another challenge soon and maybe I will find time for that one too.

The challenge was 'anything goes' with an option of 'back to school'.

I've had the Tiddlyinks image printed out for ages and never got around to colouring him.  Thanks Donna, that's another bit of my stash used up.  I'm on a mission to use what's already there in my craft room.  It's a mission I'm failing at but the thought was there.  I also used an old (ancient) Spellbinders die and cut three pencils.  I have never used this die before so that's something else I can pat myself on the back for.  I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out once I'd coloured them.  So thanks - once again - to Donna and thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

K for Krafty

 Morning all.  We are up to the letter K over at The Alphabet Challenge and K is for Kraft.  We had a Kraft challenge a short while ago on one of the other blogs so I had to think a bit about this one.  I have some really pretty kraft papers so I started out by thinking about them.  I chose a pretty floral pattern that was just black print on a kraft background.  It was pretty - pretty boring if I am honest.  It needed livening up a bit.  Time to crack out the inktense pencils again.  I wasn't sure how the paper would take the colour or the water that I added to blend the pigment.  I started with just one flower and a few leaves.  Then I got bored so 'spotlight technique' it is!

I popped a black frame around it, just in case you didn't know what I was trying to highlight.  After that I just needed a little sentiment panel.  I did splash some shimmer pen over the main image and that's about it.

OK, now it's your turn.  Let's see how krafty you really are.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Hello, Hello

 Good morning all.  We have a lovely new challenge for you over at Cardz4galz this morning.  We just want you to say 'Hello'.  I had so many ideas for this theme - I can't remember any of them now of course - but the one that stuck in my head was a little critter popping out of an envelope.  I stamped a couple of critters (I think the set maybe My Favourite Things but when I bought it there wasn't any packaging) and created a couple of cards with different papers.

I always think cats are more girly but I do love little dogs too so I couldn't resist.  The speech bubble and sentiment come from the Lawn Fawn reveal wheel set that I bought from a friend and haven't dared use yet.  

OK, time for you to say 'hello'.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Take a Hike

 Morning all.  Are you ready for a new Cardz4guyz Challenge.  This time we are looking for your 'outdoor' cards - any outdoor pursuit would do. I'm not really an outdoorsy person, unless you count sitting by the pond reading a book. I suppose I could have chosen cricket as a theme again.  I do also like a good walk.  Maybe I am more outdoorsy than I thought.

I had a freebie stamp set from a magazine not so long ago and this pair of hiking boots was perfect for this theme.  The little footprints came from the same set.  It had to be done.  I used a piece of foam tape to raise the little footprint panel.  It's all one piece of green, I just scored where my tape was and made a little raised bit.  I added my circle dies - strategically placed over an ink splodge - but it needed something to finish it off. Gems didn't really fit the bill.  Bring on the little tin of bits.  Come on, admit it, we've all got one.  A little tin or box filled with little embellishments that we bought in the last millennium and could figure out what to do with.  It's been in the cupboard for ages and only comes out when you purchase more embellishments that you can't think what to do with.  I've had these little trees forever (they came with little tents, little bears, little moose etc - which remain in the tin if anyone has any idea what to do with them). I knew they would come in handy one day.  I may have to make another card like this just because I have more trees!

Ok, head indoors to your craft space and give us your outdoor projects please.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Just Beachy

 Morning all.  We have a summery new challenge over at Make My Monday.  We would like to see your projects 'on the beach'.  I would love to spend some time on the beach but this year is proving to be a challenge for everyone and I'd rather be safe at home for the moment.  Instead I have created a little beachy card in my not so sandy craft room.  

I have surprisingly little in the way of beach themed stash but I did find a piece of backing paper in my scraps that had all sorts of beachy bits on it. Right in the middle was a lovely big sandcastle that was just ideal.  

I fussy cut the image for a perfect focal point.  Once again (you will be sick of my stencils) I used a sandy ink through a shell shaped stencil and layered it with the rest of the backing paper.  I plonked my image in the middle and added my 'sunshine' die cut. At least this sandcastle should be safe from my son.  I spent many a happy hour when he was a toddler building sandcastles for him to destroy.

Please pop over and join in the fun.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Patterned Paper Possibilities

 Here we are again, on the 15th of the month.  Time for a new challenge at Sparkles Monthly.  I have no excuses for lateness this time as I chose the challenge.  I would like to see 3 or more pattered papers on your projects please.  If you are anything like me you will have hoards of the stuff waiting to be used so here's your chance.

For my card I just picked a sketch from the realms of Pinterest and searched for some pretty papers that would go together.  To be honest, I'd put my card together before I'd even chosen an image to use.  I went with a sweet image (unfortunately, no longer available) from 'From the Heart'. I coloured it in pink and blue to go with my papers and popped it on.  

It's not actually a bad way to make a card.  I didn't have to agonise over my colour scheme and then try to match my papers.  Maybe I've been doing it the wrong way around all these years.  I bet I forget next time I feel like colouring.  Anyway, please nip over and join in the fun.  The DT have come up with some stunners for inspiration.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Thinking outside the 'Jewelry' Box

 Morning all.  It's been a busy blogging week this week and today we have a new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. J is for Jewels.  OK, I totally drew a blank with this one.  None of my stamps seemed to fit the bill and I couldn't find any digistamps that I fancied either. I didn't think I would get away with two parcels from Seven Hills Crafts in one month so I had to think outside the box.  Or more accurately, inside the box - the jewelry box!

I don't really swap my jewelry much.  I wear a silver cross and chain and a ring that belonged to my grandma (other than my wedding and engagement rings).  I have earrings but I only really wear them if I'm going out somewhere but I do wear bracelets.  Having rooted around in my box I found a pretty piece of costume jewelry that my sister had bought me a while ago.  Unfortunately, it had broken and it was going to be a fiddly fix.  Luckily, it was perfect for this challenge.  I unlinked one of the panels and used it for my card.

I had used an embossing folder on some pearlised card and mounted it on the same coloured card blank.  I just added the panel and the sentiment.  I'm really pleased with it and, if I want to make more, I have several more panels from my bracelet to use.

Over to you.  Let's see your jewelled projects please.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Monochrome madness

 Morning all.  Cardz4galz has a monochrome theme for today's new challenge.  Now I don't know about you but I always tend to think male cards for monochrome.  Don't know why, it's just the weird way my mind works.  As a result I half created this card and let is sit for a while. I stencilled my background with London Fog ink, just because it was on my desk and I cut two layers from an old spellbinders label set.  One in white and one in grey.  And there it sat - and continued to sit.  You nearly got it as it was. I thought about just stamping a sentiment but it seemed like a bit of a cop out.  Anyway, whilst digging through my pile of pre-printed digi stamps I came across a three layer stamp from Tiddlyinks (no longer available). It isn't a typical Tiddlyinks image and I'd forgotten all about it.

Anyway, I gave it a dusting of the same ink that I used for my background and cut them out and shaped them.  I added a sparkly gemstone brad to make it really girly and uploaded it quick before I changed my mind.

As I obviously need persuading that monochrome is for the girls, I need to see you entries for inspiration. Come on, I'm desperate.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Gone Fishing

 Morning all.  We have a new challenge for you over at Cardz4guyz and it is ultra suitable for any Fishing fanatics you may know.  'Gone Fishing' is the theme of our challenge.  Now I don't really know any fishermen so I don't really have much in that line in my stash.  What I did have was a spellbinders die set that my husband bought me years ago and that had never come out of it's packet.  I just didn't know what I would do with fishing flies.  Well I do now.

I cut the dies from the same pearlised card that I intended to use as a background and created a tone on tone piece. I then cut out a couple of tags I'd got in a male themed booklet and popped them on to with a brad.  I know it's wonky but the little arms poked out from the top when I tried to straighten it.  I also messed up my fishing stamp so had to do it again on paper and add it down the side.  Other than that, I'm quite pleased with the result for this challenge.  No idea who's going to get it.  It will probably go in my pile of cards for church.  

Please pop over and have a look at the lovely DT inspiration.  And whilst you are there you can join in the fun.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x

Simply Does It

Morning all.  We have a new challenge for you over at Make My Monday.  Don't worry, we've picked a nice simple one for you this time.  We would like to see your 'Clean and Simple' projects please. I can do clean and simple but I tend to do it by accident. So, let's have a think about it and try to do one on purpose.  Firstly, chose a stamp.  Maybe choose the lovely stamp that 'accidently' fell into my shopping cart when I was shopping for my tropical nightmare Island Fun card.  It's only a ickle stamp and it wasn't many pennies - honestly.  I just couldn't resist this tiny Toucan.

I stamped him and coloured him, along with some of the flowers in set.  I left him flat (apart from his wing) but popped the flowers up on some silicone glue.  It looked a bit lost on a blank card so I stencilled a pattern in Momento London Fog ink and layered them up. I added the obligatory bling and there you go.  Now why didn't I think to enter this for the Tropical card!  Oh well, never mind.

Please pop over and join the fun.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn x