Easter Bunny

Hello Friday! I have been waiting for you all week long and you're finally here! To celebrate, I made a card featuring a sketch and colour combo from 2 challenges I used to enter frequently, a year ago - Tuesday Morning Sketches and Colour Throwdown in a perfect Reunion.

I'm using some ancient stuff from my stash, like those card candis. No idea when (or why!) I got them. The patterned paper is from First Edition's Isabelle pad ... another oldie from way back when. The bunny and eggs are from Clearly Besotted's Hoppy Easter clear stamp set, sadly now discontinued. The good news is the greeting is is still available. :)

Little Bunny is hopping off to play at these challenges:

Tuesday Morning Sketches #289

Colour Throwdown  #331

Addicted To Stamps #133: Holiday

Brown Sugar Challenge #135: AG

Sister Act #95: AG

Products used in this project:

That's all from me today. Thank you so much for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend, friends. (Can you believe that tomorrow is the last day of February? Eeeek!)

Beijinhos!

Chocolate Baroque Colour Challenge #8: Arabian Nights

A new Chocolate Baroque Colour Challenge has started and we're kicking off this monthly meet-up with warm rich tones... perfect for this time of the year.  If you haven't played yet, now's the time to do so. The colours are super gorgeous and will work for any occasion. You can use any medium to create your projects: paints, inks, pencils, pens, stains, etc., as long as you keep to the colours from the colour swatch.

You don't have to use Chocolate Baroque stamps to play along but if you do you will be entered into a random draw to win £15 to spend on Chocolate Baroque stamps. All participants will have a chance to be on the Design Team's Top Three list and proudly display winner's badge on their blog.

Sometimes I look at certain colours and an image pops into my head that I just cannot shake. These colours took me deep into the realm of 1001 Arabian Nights. So, I grabbed my Indian Textiles A5 rubber stamps, Distress Inks, black embossing powder and created this:

The Taj Mahal is heat embossed in black. I also did some stamping with a border stamp from the same set. The moon got a dousing of Glossy Accents and the stars are little dots with a Silver Sharpie. Here's a close-up.

I got a little over zealous with the Chipped Sapphire and lost some (if not all!) of the Shaded Lilac while blending the inks. Where the blue meets yellow, I ended up green. But that's art for you... not all errors are bad. So, if you don't have the exact colours in the swatch, don't let it stop you from entering our challenge. As long as you have most of the colours, you're good to go.

Challenge #8 will close at 12.00 p.m. (UK) on Tuesday 17th March 2015, and the winner will be announced on Wednesday 25th March 2015. I hope you'll play along and run the risk of winning £15 to spend on Chocolate Baroque stamps.

I'm taking my card to these challenges:

Wonderful Wednesday #25: AG
Word Art Wednesday #172: AG Inspirational
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: AG / No Rules
Through The Purple Haze #79: AG
Get Creative #9: Emboss
Craft Your Passion #250: AG
Crafting From The Heart #48: AG

Products used in this project:

Thank you so much for stopping by. Looking forward to seeing your projects over at the challenge blog. Have a wonderful Wednesday, chums!

Beijinhos!

Chocolate Baroque: Dramatic Doodles

Good morning, friends. It's about time I had another go at taming the beast called CAS. Inspired by the Oscars (tonight's the night!!!) I decided to do it in bold and dramatic style. And that led me to the opulence of gold and the simple yet timeless elegance of black. These things sound great in my head ... and then reality sets in! LOL.

My first sample is all about textures. I ran the card front through the X-Cut Foliage embossing folder. Next I heat embossed the flowers and leafy element from the Sketchy Doodle Flowers A4 sheet with WOW Rich Gold EP on black card and coloured them in with my Caran d'Ache Suprasoft water colour pencils. Next I fussy cut and adhered the leaves down to the card front and popped up the flowers with some foam tape. The sentiment is from the Loving Sentiments A5 sheet, also heat embossed in gold.

Here's a close-up... you can just about see all the embossing.

For my second card, I decided to make a One Layer Card. Now that was a challenge for me! I started by heat embossing directly on to the card base and colouring in with pencils. I also heat embossed the greeting from the Birthday Words A5 set and it would have been a One Layer Card ... had I stopped there. At the last minute I added a fussy-cut gold-embossed leafy sprig to balance the sun burst. (What?!) I rounded the corners and called it a day.

In the close-up you can see the leaf barely hanging off the card. I also added some Glossy Accents to the centre of the sunburst and the leaves.

Challenges:
Happy Little Stamper February CAS: Embossing
Sweet Stampin': Spring Flowers
Seize The Birthday: AG Birthday
Scrapbooker PhD: CAS (Use Stamp)
Scrap & Craft Inspiration #3: Birthday
Addicted To Stamps #132: Make Your Mark - water colour pencils

Products used in this project:

Thanks for stopping by today. If you're watching the Oscars - enjoy. We usually give it a miss because the live telecast here in Portugal is way past our normal bedtime. At our age, beauty sleep is mandatory! :) No doubt we'll be reading all about the Oscars for the next week(s) or so!

Have a grand Sunday, friends.

Beijinhos! 

CASE-ing Christmas #8: Cohenna

Tell me it isn't true! Is it Friday already?! I guess it's time to welcome you to another lap of  CASE-ing Christmas - a weekly challenge devoted to the holiday season all year 'round. Today we're starting Challenge #8.

Here's how you play along. Each week you'll be given you a card to CASE and ... you CASE it! It's as easy as that. If you've never CASEd a card before, here's how you do it:

• Look at the photo of the card to CASE; 
• Be inspired by some elements of the card - the colours, layout, image, embellishments, etc 
• Make a card based on that inspiration and link it up at CASE-ing Christmas Challenge Blog by Noon (Central) / 6pm (UK) on Thursday,  26th February 2015. 

And that's all there is to it. Our CASE card this week is this gorgeous creation by Cohenna. Lots of ideas here and I can't wait to see how this project inspires you.

When I first saw Cohenna's card, I just couldn't shake that stocking out of my head. I really did not want to copy... but that is exactly what I did. The only touch of originality is that my stocking is facing the other way! I'm not entirely happy with my card. CAS still eludes me...

I used a die from Spellbinders Shapeabilities Holiday Cheer set (S4-225) and some bits of felt from way back when to cut the stocking, XCut embossing folder for the background, a scrap piece of paper I fished out from under my craft table and some ribbon I ripped off Richard Parker (much to his dismay!) The greeting is by Clearly Besotted, heat embossed in white.

Here's a close-up. As it's a Christmas project, a little sparkle is mandatory! The felt stocking is popped up on some foam tape. I added a little Tim Holtz Bundled Sage to the embossed background to show the design.

Challenges:
Sister Act Challenge #94: AG
ABC Christmas: D Is For Die-Cuts
Christmas Card Challenge #11: Inspiration Photo / AG Christmas
CHNC #216: Love / Hearts / Red - just red :)
Word Art Wednesday #171: AG Uplifting 
C.R.A.F.T. #299: CAS
CHNC Extra February: AG Christmas
Crafting For All Seasons #96: Dies / Punches

Products used to create this card:

Now it's your turn to make a Christmas card by CASE-ing Ellen's creation. And if you played along last week, the Winners of Challenge #7 will be announced on Wednesday, 25th February 2015.

You'll find more ideas over at the DT's blogs: Mynn ... Donna ... Ellen ... Pat ... Steph.

Thanks for dropping by and Happy CASE-ing. I'm looking forward to seeing your take on Cohenna's card. Have a lovely day, friends.

Beijinhos!

Tuesday Throwdown #232: Use Metal

Happy Tuesday, friends! Hope you are ready for another week of crafting fun with the Tuesday Throwdown gang. Our challenge theme this week is Use Metal. All you have to do is incorporate some metal on your project - such as metal embellishments, charms or ink.  Our sponsor is Sassy Studio Designs but you can use any stamps from your stash as long as you follow the theme.

I made a masculine birthday card with this image of Handy Sassy, so generously provided by our sponsor. This is a simple card, with the sexy lady taking centre stage. The Woodware square metal brads echo the embossed checkered background. The dark blue and grey are strong and masculine colours. I heat embossed the greeting in silver - more metal.

I coloured Handy Sassy with Graph'It Markers and gave her outfit and hardhat a little sparkle with the Wink of Stella Clear pen.

Challenges:
Crafting From The Heart #47: AG
Craft Your Passion #249: AG
Love To Scrap #48: AG
Craft Creations 16/2: AG
Happy Little Stampers Feb CAS: Embossing

Products used to make this card:

Now it's your turn to create a project based on this week's theme: "Use Metal". For ideas and inspiration, take a peek at what the rest of the DT members have made. Remember to link up your project at the Tuesday Throwdown Challenge Blog by 3pm Pacific / 11pm UK on Monday,  23rd February 2015. And the most important requirement: Have Fun!

Thanks for stopping by today and I wish y'all a fab Shrove Tuesday. 

Beijinhos!

Polka Doodles #7: All Things Kraft

Can you believe it's time for a brand new show and tell over at Polka Doodles! The theme for the nest fortnight is "All Things Kraft". And that means go crazy with kraft.

I'll be honest, this week's challenge crept up on me without warning. But that's nothing new. If it's not a blog challenge, it's somebody's birthday. I'm always caught unawares. A card is never at hand when I need it.

Enter the DESIGN SHEET.  It makes light work of last minute cards. On one sheet you have all you need to create a card. I picked this Design Sheet from the Winston Deluxe Papercrafting CD and made a cute little masculine card. There are several designs to choose from.

In keeping with the challenge theme, I used kraft cardstock and inked the edges with Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink. To finish, I tied bits of twine from my stash, added foam tape to give the little guy some dimension and my card is done  - all in under an hour, which is a fraction of the time I usually spend on my projects.

Here's a close up of the image. Isn't he adorable?! I just LOVE these design sheets. All you really need are a good pair of scissors, some glue and you're good to go.

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: All Creatures Great And Small
Creative Moments #61: AG / Love
Cuttin' & Stampin' #6: Masculine
Everyday Art Challenge: Bakers' Twine
FanTastic Tuesday #72: AG + Optional Baker's Twine
Sister Act Card Challenge #93: AG

Products used to make this card:

Now it's over to you, my friends. Create any project - card, tag, lay-out, box, bag, etc. You have until Noon (UK Time) on Friday, 27 February 2015, to link up your entries over at the Polka Doodles Challenge Blog. You don't have to use Polka Doodles products to enter, but if you have it, by all means, flaunt it! One randomly selected winner will receive a £10 Gift Voucher to the Polka Doodles Digi Download Store. The Top 3 Design Team favourites will a £2 Gift Voucher each.

What better excuse to head straight to your craft room! Thanks for stopping by and I can't wait to see your projects. Have a warm and sunny crafty weekend, friends.

Beijinhos!

Chocolate Baroque: Tropical Flower

Good morning, friends! I have a simple project to share with you today showcasing stamps from Chocolate Baroque's new Sketchy Doodle Flowers A4 sheet. I'm combining 2 of my favourite techniques: embossing and water colouring, to create an easy birthday card. I was inspired by a silk scarf I purchased in Hawaii many moons ago. It has a huge pinkish red hibiscus surrounded by swirls of delicate foliage.

I started by heat embossing the leaves in white with WOW Bright White Embossing Powder on a piece of heavy water colour paper before colouring them in with Tim Holtz Distress Inks. I usually use Strathmore paper for water colouring, but this time I'm using Canson Mixed Media 300gsm Paper. LOVE it! Colour goes on smoothly and it does not warp with heat embossing.

For the leaves I used Pine Leaves and Mowed Lawn. For the little buds I used Scattered Straw and a touch of Squeezed Lemonade.

The background is colour washed with Evergreen Bough and I did some free hand swirling with Peacock Feathers to create some movement . The greeting is from Birthday Words A5 sheet, stamped with VersaFine Olympia Green.

I also heat embossed the bloom, this time with Ranger Specialty Embossing Powder Rose Quartz embossing powder, followed by Distress Inks, adding a darker shade of red each time: Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry and Aged Mahogany. When dry, I fussy cut the flower and adhered it to the card over the leafy background and off the card base.

Finally, I gave in to a little shine with the Wink Of Stella Brush Tip Glitter Marker in Clear... couldn't be helped! It's not obvious in the photo but trust me, it's there IRL.

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Red & Pink
Addicted To Stamps & More: AG
Crafty Gals Corner #6: AG
Penny's Paper Craft #214: Embossing
Word Art Wednesday #170: AG
Loves Rubber Stamp #138: Show Me Some Red

Products used to create this card:

This really is an easy card and the embossed outline makes water colouring a breeze. You know me, I don't go for complicated techniques! These sketchy images are perfect for colouring in the lines. The card is also flat as a pancake - perfect for mailing!

Thanks for stopping by today. I haven't posted or visited much this week. Sorry about that. Rosie's having a tough time. We've had a few good days and it's time for a few not so good ones, I guess. As you know Rosie's not one to give in to a few aches and pains and we're cheering her on. I'll make some time for blogging this weekend. Hope to see you soon. Here's picture of Rosie looking guilty because she was caught napping on the one decent sofa we have left. We pretended not to notice. :)

Beijinhos

CASE-ing Christmas #6: Ellen

Welcome to CASE-ing Christmas! This is a weekly challenge devoted to the holiday season all year 'round and today we're starting Challenge #6.

Here's how you play along. Each week you'll be given you a card to CASE and ... you CASE it! It's as easy as that. If you've never CASEd a card before, here's how you do it:

• Look at the photo of the card to CASE; 
• Be inspired by some elements of the card - the colours, layout, image, embellishments, etc 
• Make a card based on that inspiration and link it up at CASE-ing Christmas Challenge Blog by Noon (Central) / 6pm (UK) on Thursday,  12th February 2015. 

And that's all there is to it. Our CASE card this week is this gorgeous creation by Ellen Parker. Lots of ideas here and I can't wait to see how this project inspires you.

The "O" in Joy reminds me of Christmas pudding... and there was no turning back! I'm taking the colours, the holly and the CAS look of Ellen's card to make my version of her awesome card.

The image and sentiments are by Clearly Besotted Stamps. The patterned paper is from Bo Bunny's Mistletoe Collection. Keeping it simple with just a few bling.

Here's a close-up. I've cut the images with coordinating dies and popped them up on some foam tape. Plenty of white space... more than I'm used to and it took strength not fuss and walk away. Phew!

Challenges:
Sister Act Challenge #92: AG
CHNC #214: Something Beginning With "B" - Bling & Berries (holly berries)
Word Art Wednesday #169: AG Uplifting 
Christmas Card Challenge #9: Colour / AG Christmas
Winter Wonderland: Keep It Simple
CHNC Extra February: AG Christmas

Products used to create this card:

Now it's your turn to make a Christmas card by CASE-ing Ellen's creation. Winners of Challenge #5 will be announced on Wednesday, 18th February 2015.

You'll find more ideas over at the DT's blogs: Mynn ... Donna ... Ellen ... Pat ... Steph.

Thanks for dropping by and Happy CASE-ing. I'm looking forward to seeing your take on Ellen's card. Have a lovely day, friends.

Beijinhos!