Party time

Hello my blogging buddies - how are you all? Hope this post finds you well and enjoying your week.

There's a DT call on at All Dressed Up so I thought I would "toss my hat into the ring" and enter it. Regular readers will know that I make no secret of the fact that I love Wendy's images and they are so perfect for girlie cards, which is what I seem to spend most of my time making! 

My typical card making style is Clean and Simple or Uncluttered, as I believe in showcasing the image. I currently work on 2 Design Teams, both have challenges twice a month. I always try to enter DT my projects into a number of challenges to gain maximum exposure for sponsor images. I'd be very happy working on either the Blog Challenge or Facebook team and I really enjoy visiting other crafters' blogs as that's how I sometimes get ideas to try and, let's be honest here, who doesn't enjoy reading a bit of love that's been left on their projects? I know I do!!!!!!! 

Please keep your fingers and toes crossed for me, as I entered the last ADU DT call and wasn't successful - hopefully this time will be my chance to become a "Dressy Girl" :o) !!!!!!!!!

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card Base - is Centura Pearl Snow White Silver which I have cut, scored and folded to make a 15cm square card
  
• Embossed Panel - is some silver mirri card I had in my stash (I think it might have come from a mixed metallic card and paper pack from Hobbycraft?) which I've embossed using a Sheena Douglass Embossing Folder called Curly Swirly, sadly no longer available.
• Doily - is some matt purple mirri card from the same mixed metallic card and paper pack. I've die cut this using my Die'sire Classical Frame die (another one that's no longer available :o( ) and then embossed it too, so the central part of the frame stands out.
• Image - is called Party Frock and she is by Wendy at All Dressed Up Stamps, although this gorgeous girl is, very sadly, no longer available. However, there are plenty more digis in Wendy's store to tempt you and your purse! I've brought this girl to life using my Spectrum Noir Pens in the listed colours before fussy cutting her and adding her to my card.
• Skin - FS2, FS3, FS4, TN4, FS8 (blush)
• Hair - CT1, CT4, GB3, GB7
• Dress & Shoes - HB1, HB2, HB3, LV2, IG7
• Outline - BT1

This card was so difficult to photograph nicely as the silver mirri card kept reflecting me, rather than the glorious sunshine we've got down here at the mo! I hope you can still see all the details, even though the photos are a bit dark :o/

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• DT Call at All Dressed Up
• Sketch #369 at Tuesday Morning Sketches
• Challenge #49 - Doily/Lace at Challenge Up Your Life
• August/September Colour Challenge at MHK Designs
• Hand coloured Image at Melonheadz Friends

Here are some of the other cards I've made using Wendy's gorgeous images:

Using "Christmas Present"

Using "Love to Dance"

Using "Over the Moon"

Using "Love to Dance"

Whatever you're up to today, hope you're able to fit in some crafty "you" time!

Hugs, Helen x

Who's that girl?

Good morning blog friends!

Firstly, I need to make an apology as last week I forgot to welcome Lynsey who is my newest follower and a fellow "Clowdie" - thank you for joining me on my crafty ramblings!

Secondly, hope everyone is in fine fettle. For most households in the UK it's back to school/college this week, although the Bambinos get a few more days respite due to Inset Days. I'm back to the madhouse, ooooops school today getting the office ready for the new academic year.

It's new challenge day at Incy Wincy Designs and this time we're bringing you a Colour Challenge. We've got two lovely sponsors lined up which means 2 lucky winners will get picked by Mr. Random.org from our challenge entries and they will each win one sponsor's prize.

Our first sponsor is new to us here at Incy Wincy Towers, and it's Waltraud from Miezo Stamps. They have some funky and quite quirky images, both line art and pre-coloured in the store.

Our second sponsor is Chrishanthi from Ppinky Dolls who is probably best known for creating the Lolita style images of girls!

So, here's your Colour Inspiration and we would like you to use at least THREE of these colours on your project, and our swatch has six colours that shouldn't be too difficult :oD !!! Of course you can also use neutrals and skin tones too!

And here's my card for you, using pale blue, pale pink and yellow from the colour palette above and featuring one of Chrishanthi's images:

My card recipe is as follows:

• Card Base - is a 12cm x 29.6cm piece of Snow White Silver Centura Pearl which I then scored and folded to give a 12cm x 12cm stepper card. Into the front step I used a Die'sire "Mini Victoriana" Edge'ables die to cut the standing piece of latticework - the bit it's cut out from is the back part of the front step. This technique, which I've not used before, was demonstrated in Crafter's Inspiration Magazine Issue 11 and I also saw Sara Davies demo'ing it on TV a few weeks ago, plus I think it looks pretty cool! I think that this die might also have been a past freebie from the same publication, but I can't find which issue it was in at the moment!
  
• Frame - is Die'sire Nouveau Stamping Frame which I have die cut from Centura Pearl in a pale baby blue. My cardstock came from a bulk pack called "Pastels" from Crafter's Companion. The closest I can now find in their store is this Fresh Blue which looks quite a bit darker on screen!
• Image - is the slightly wistful Lonely Sisi by Chrishanthi at Ppinky Dolls. I have brought Sisi to life using my Spectrum Noir Pens in the listed colours and Chrisanthi makes it easy to see where the shadows and highlights should be as she shades the images for you! I then die cut Sisi using the inner rectangle from my Die'sire Nouveau Stamping Frame. 
• Skin - FS2, FS3, FS4, FS9, TN4, FS8
• Hair - CT1, CT4, GB3, GB7
• Dress - PP1, PP2, PP5 

I have deliberately left this card sentiment free as I think it could be used for several occasions, so it'll go into my box ready to be used.

I hope I have inspired you to come on over to Incy Wincy Designs and join in our Colour Challenge. If you need any more inspiration though, please go over to the blog and check out the fantastic showcase of cards from my teamies - there are a variety of cards to suit all tastes! Then don't forget to come back and show us your creations using our colour swatch as your inspiration.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Challenge #212 - Girlie at Ooh-La-La Creations
• O is for Open at ABC Challenge
• Challenge #128 - Anything Goes with the Twist of Colour Challenge at DigiStamps4Joy - I've used Baby Blue for the frame, Yellow in her hair, and Fuschia Pink on her dress
• Game #72 - New to You Technique at AAA Cards - using an Edge'able die to cut across a fold and leave a portion standing up is my "new to me technique"

I hope you have a great day!

Hugs, Helen x

Hey kitty, kitty !

Good morning friends and hope you are well.

Can you believe that it's the 1st of September today - only 4 months of 2016 left!!!!!!! It's the last few days of summer freedom here at Casa Mia too as I start back at school on Monday with youngest Bambino returning the next day, and eldest Bambino returns to college on Friday.

Today sees the start of our new challenge over at Feeling Sketchy. Our sponsor for this challenge is the wonderful Jodie from Bugaboo Digi Stamps, who is offering the lucky winner from this challenge a prize pack. Don't forget though that everyone is a winner with Jodie's Friday Freebies and also her new releases are usually 50% off during launch week!

Onto the sketch, and this is what Michelle (our talented sketch designer) has given us to work to for this challenge:

And this is my card using the sketch as inspiration for a card featuring some of Jodie's fun images:

Now I have to confess that I really, really, really don't like cats. This stems back to my student days when I used to babysit for a couple once a month, looking after their two children, oh and the 4 (yes, FOUR) cats! Now 3 of the cats were fine, but one cat sure had the devil in him. He used to sit on my lap and make out that he was being friendly, and then dig all 4 sets of claws into my thighs. If I stood up, he wouldn't let go and I ended up with wounds on my legs where he'd drawn blood! And the worst thing was that the youngest child's bedroom was just off the lounge, so I couldn't even shout or swear at the thing!!!!!!! I resorted to wearing my jodhpurs under my jeans, with Nora Batty tights under them - yup 3 layers! Nora Batty was a character from a BBC show called "Last of the Summer Wine" played (I think) by Kathy Staff who used to wear really thick denier tights, and they were always falling down! And, whenever the cat came near me, I used to stand up so if it wanted to get me, it had to launch itself at me!

One of my neighbour's cats is doing his best to wheedle his way into my affections - we were next door recently and he came onto the back of the sofa where I was sitting, and rubbed his head against mine purring all the time. There may be hope for me yet, but deep down I am really a large dog girl ;o) !

Anyway, back to this card and my recipe is as follows:

• Card base - is Ivory Centura Pearl which has been cut, scored and folded to make a 15cm square card
• Design Papers - are from a Mini Kit called Kitty Kat by Marisa Lerin at Pixel Scrapper. I've inked the edges of both papers with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, just to give a bit of definition without the bulk of matting and layering
  
• Images - are from the Mini Set - Cat Blocks by Jodie at Bugaboo Digi Stamps. I've used 4 of 7 images and, as these are already framed, they are perfect for this project. I've brought this slightly shy feline to life using my Spectrum Noir Pens in the listed colours before cutting each frame out and adding it to my card.
• Face - GB8, GB9, GB10
• Ears - CR3, GB8, GB9, GB10
• Nose - CR5
• Body and Tail - GB8, GB9, GB10 and TN2, TN3, TN4, EB3
• Background - TB2, Colourless Blender
• Frames - I used a Black Gel Pen to "block in" the corners
• Sentiment - is by Paulette at Create with TLC and this was a freebie on her blog some time ago. I've had a quick peek in her store, but sadly can't find this sentiment in there. I've layered this onto another piece of the "Meow" paper which has been gently distressed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.
• Ball of Wool Elements - are also from the Kitty Kat set. I've superimposed these onto my sentiment (had to flip one of them first!) and then cut round both the sentiment and fussy cut round the wool before fixing it to my card.

I hope that you'll have a go at this sketch, but if you need any more inspiration just head over to the Feeling Sketchy blog where my very talented teamies  have great versions of it! Then come back and link up your creations. We'll be back with our next challenge on 15th September 2016.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

• Favourite Shaped Card Base and Why at As You Like It - 6"/15cm square card bases feature heavily on my blog because I think they're a great sized base to show off both papers and images without the card looking cluttered. Oh, and they go in the post easily too ;o) !!!!!!!!
• Challenge #9 - Furrything Goes at Show us your Pussies Cats Only Challenge
• Hip to be Square at Cards in Envy - Second Entry
• Cookie Challenge #51 (Photo Inspiration) at If you Give a Crafter a Cookie
• Neutrals at Double "D" Challenges
• Use Two Patterned Papers at The Crafter's Cafe Challenge
• September Challenge - Animals at Sasayaki Glitter Challenge

That's all from me for now. Hope you have a great day!

Hugs, Helen x