Penny Black Challenge #73 - White on White

Welcome to week #73 of the Penny Black Saturday Challenge - hope you all have a really spooky Hallowe'en tonight, and thanks so much to everyone who make a spooktacular card for last week's Hallowe'en challenge. Don't foget to pop along to the challenge blog to check out who won last week's cute Christmas hedgie stamp donated by Carole.

This week we have a total contrast from the "dark side" of last week's Hallowe'en challenge - our theme is

white on white

Yes ... we would like to see your projects using only the colour white, with the exception of the colouring on your image! As always the only rule is that we need to see a Penny Black stamp or sticker somewhere on your creation.

This week we have another fab prize ... our regular sponsor Dick at PB Stamps has donated a 15% off voucher to spend in his online store - so what are you waiting for??

The DT members really have excelled themselves with a stunning selection of white cards this week - do be sure to go and check them out :-)

Here's my card for this week. You know how sometimes the whole card will spin off from one particular item in your stash?? Well this week I found some white-on-white pearlised paper AND some sparkly white floral vellum ... so I couldn't wait to get going lol!

Also for an all-white card I thought it important to try to incorporate some unusual textures, so after racking my brain I was pleased to think of using a feather ... which meant it was fabulous that I had got this wonderful vintage angelic image to hand which was an RAK from my lovely teamie Debbie.

Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black "Sharing a Secret" (1132K) coloured with watercolour pencils and decorated (liberally!!) with glamour dust.
Sentiment: Craftwork Cards "Oh! My Words";
Paper: s.e.i "Poppy" and Papermania sparkly floral vellum; "ice gold" pearlised white card from Edwin Allen;
Supplies: Prima flower; large pearl brad from The Hobby House; white feather from John Lewis; sparkly white brads by Doodlebug; all paper edges and flower decorated with glamour dust; pearl gems from my stash;
Tools: large deckle rectangle, and large mega deckle rectangle nestabilities.

As this is such an unusual colour combo i would also like to enter it for another open challenge, namely Colour Create #30 - All White

Update Tuesday: Simon Says Challenge has just posted that they are ENCOURAGING multiple entries for their all that sparkles challenge in an attempt to reach 300 entires. I had already entered this challenge, but this is way the sparkliest card I have made for a long time (and I did make it after the SS challenge was posted), so I'm entering it as a second entry :-)

Have a great weekend, and happy crafting :-)

I'm on a roll!

I'm definitely getting into the swing now with some Christmas card makes, and last night I made a couple more to add to my slowly growing pile. Again I started by colouring a few of the same image - I actually coloured three of this adorable little mouse, but only managed to get two cards made up in the end .. but at least I've got a head start on another card!

For my first card, I followed the sketch over at Cupcake Crafts Challenge #63


I flipped the sketch and substituted snowflakes for flowers, so I would also like to enter this card for Creative Card Crew Challenge #34 - snowflakes.

Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black "Thinking of You" (1517E) watercoloured, and decorated with polar white Flowersoft and glamour dust on the Santa hat;
Sentiment: Craftwork Cards "Oh! My Words";
Paper: Kaisercraft (from The Hobby House);
Supplies: sparkly brads by Doodlebug; ribbon from Hobbycraft; pearl gems from my stash;
Tools: Martha Stewart "embossed snowflakes" edge punch and Arctic Snowflake punch (from The Hobby House).


For my second card I used the sketch at Sketch and Stash Challenge #22


I don't actually have any new stash on this card (pretty unusual for me lol!!) but I do have a a few neglected items .... the gold star is from a Prima red Christmas bubble - I often use the flowers but the stars seem to just sit there!! My matt gold mirri card is also somewhat neglected as i don't normally go much for gold on cards throughout the year, but I do seem to bring it out a bit more at Chirstmas. Finally, at the last minute I spotted a neglected piece of gold ribbon with stars in my box, which I thought complimented the other star reasonably well.

I would also like to enter this card for Simon Says Challenge - All that Sparkles - it's by no means the most sparkly card I have created, but I hope it qualifies with the sparkly star and the sparkly fluffy effect on the hat!


Recipe:
Main image and sentiment as before;
Paper: BasicGrey "Wassail";
Supplies: gold star from Prima red "Christmas bubble"; gold star ribbon from my stash.

Hope I can keep up this productive streak! :-)

Production line - part 2!

Here's the second "batch" of Christmas cards from my mega Sunday afternoon session. I started out by colouring 3 cute "Forever Friends" images which were an RAK from Marcea, and then had a play with a few papers all in similar colours, and followed a few sketches to produce similar but not identical cards. I definitely found this a bit quicker than starting from scratch with each card, t hough it was nowhere near as fast as the first batch that I posted yesterday.

I would like to enter all of these cards into this fortnight's Forever Friends Challenge - Christmas, and would also like to enter the different cards into a few other challenges:




Card 1: I followed the sketch over at this week's Sketch Saturday #74; and would also like to enter this card for Allsorts Challenge #24 - furry friends .

Also I would like to enter this one into this week's Daring Cardmakers' Challenge, which is to use at least 5 favourite things (preferably 10!). Well I have a lot of favourites, but they definitely include .....
1.nesties,
2. Cuttlebug snowflakes die,
3. Doodlebug sparkly brads,
4. holographic silver card (used on the matting),
5. white glitter card (for the snowflakes),
6. white pearlised "ice gold" card (for the snowflake edging),
7. ribbon,
8. MS edge punches,
9. glamour dust,
10. teddy images ....

Am I there yet? lol!!


The close up is trying to show my newest "wonder discovery" - polar white Flowersoft used for the fur on teddy's hat. I saw this used on a sample card in my local craft shop Edwin Allen, and was really blown away ... it really does look soft and fluffy, and it even feels nice. I gave it a little more zing by mixing the Flowersoft witha little glamour dust - it looks really sparkly in real life!
Card 2: for this one I followed the sketch over at this week's Friday Sketchers #75.

Another angled closeup ....


Card 3: I used Dutch Dare Challenge #63 - Cathy's sketch.


Recipe (all cards):
Image: Forever Friends, coloured with watercolour pencils. Teddy's hat decorated with Flowersoft in polar white, mixed wtih glamour dust.
Sentiments: Craftwork Cards "Oh! My Words".
Paper: Cards 1 & 2 - Reminisce "Snowflake Spots", Paper Company Studio "Christmas Fun Green Swirl"; Card 3 - Daisy Bucket "Wrapped Wishes".
Supplies: card 1 - ribbon by Paper Company Studio, sparkly brads by Doodlebug; card 2 - ribbon from stash; card 3 - white felt ric-rac & sparkly gems by Papermania, pearls from my stash.
Tools: card 1 - Cuttlebug "snowflakes #2" die, Martha Stewart "embossed snowflakes" edge punch, large classic scallop nestabilities; card 2 - Cuttlebug "Snowflakes" embossing folder; Spellbinders "Make a flake 2" Shapeabilities, large classic scalloped squares nesties; card 3 - Cuttlebug "snowflakes #2" die, Spellbinders "decorative photo corners" Shapeabilities.
I'm feeling a bit maxed out on Christmas cards now, but in reality there's still a long way to go .... :-)

Winter Wonderland

I got a bit of a mini production-line going this afternoon for Christmas cards - and not before time I must say!! I actually managed to make 7 cards in the afternoon, which is pretty remarkable for me as I'm normally such a slowcoach as I dither over papers .... ribbons ... embellies ... etc.... lol!

Anyway, my first 4 cards were almost identical, so I have just pictured two of them here. I went for a very clean and simple layout which enabled me to ink up this fab Penny Black sentiment stamp which has lain unused in my drawer since I got it about a year ago (naughty!) I was also able to use up some of these gorgeous Prima Christmas bubble flowers, which are really yummy but for some reason have never seemed to go with any of the cards I made since I bought them!

One of the things I'm most pleased about with these cards unfortunately doesn't really show up in the photos - I have embossed onto a fabulous pearlescent white card called "ice gold" which has a gorgeous sheen to it ... but I guess you're going to have to take my word for that lol!

I would like to enter these cards for the following challenges:

Winter Wonderland #22 - open theme
One Stop Craft Challenge #52 - Celebration
Recipe:
Sentiment: Penny Black "Christmas Flourish" (3900H);
Supplies: "ice gold" white pearlescent card from Edwin Allen; flowers from Prima gold "Christmas Bubble"; brads from my stash;
Tools: Cuttlebug embossing folders - both called "Snowflake"; leaves cut using Leone Em "Ash Branch" punch.
Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with the production line part 2 .... :-) Hope you've all had a good weekend!

Penny Black Challenge #72 - and an 11-into-1 combo

Yippee! It's the weekend ... so it's time for another Penny Black Saturday Challenge! Thanks to everyone who entered last week's challenge using Nat's fab sketch ... sorry I didn't manage to get round to look at everyone's entries, but I'll try my best this week :-) Don't forget to check out the blog to see who won last week's fab prize!

Now hold onto your (witches') hats ... this week we have a very scary challenge for you, which is

Hallowe'en

Yes ... we want to see all your spooktacular creations with lots of scary spiders ... ghosties and all things spooky! As always the only rule is that you use at least one Penny Black image or
sentiment.

I'll 'fess up straight away that this was a totally scary challenge for me , for a number of reasons - not least of all the fact that I had NO Hallowe'en images, NO sentiments, NO suitable papers ... ribbons ... charms ... embellishments ... EEK! You start to get the idea lol?? Add to this the facts that I'm terrified of spiders, ghosties and ghoulies freak me out, and I hate the colour orange ... and it wasn't looking too good! Luckily my fab PBSC teamie Domi came to the rescue with some cute rather than scary Hallowe'en images and sentiments, and I managed to download my first ever paper (a free one!) so I was at least able to cobble something together .... and although I don't normally use peel offs much nowadays I thought the spiders webs were a cheap and convenient way to hit the spot!

As usual we have got a gorgeous prize for you .. it is this fabulous PB stamp "Cozy" donated by our very own Carole - thanks hun, it's wonderful! :-)

So here's my card ..... spookily it was very sunny when Itook this picture which is totally inappropriate for a Hallowe'en card I know ... strange how the sun never seems to come out when I want a bright picture lol! The rest of the DT has also woven lots of Hallowe'en magic, so don't forget to peek through your fingers at their scary offerings!

As this is almost certainly going to be my one and only Hallowe'en card this year, I'd like to also enter it into a few challenges .....

Corrosive Challenges #34 - Spooky Times

Pile It On #19 - Ready for Hallowe'en

Kaboodle Doodles - It's a spooky challenge

Cupcake Crafts #62 -Things that Go Bump in the Night

Stamp with Fun #29 - Hallowe'en

Creative Inspirations #32 - Hallowe'en

My Time to Craft #82 - Hallowe'en Colours

Everybody-Art-Challenge #62 - Hallowe'en

Stampavie & More #66 - Hallowe'en

Stamp Something - Hallowe'en Somethings

Stampin' for the Weekend #21 - A Haunting Good Time

(11 - a new personal best lol!!)

Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black "Pup-o-lantern" (2538J), coloured with watercolour pencils and the pumpkin decoupaged;
Sentiment: Penny Black "Trick or Treat" (1906E);
Papers: "Super-Spooks" - free download by Marie Stones from Free Digital Scrapbooking
Supplies: Black & orange sparkly brads by Doodlebug; black dotty ribbon and spider's web peel offs from my stash;
Tools: Martha Stewart "Scallop dot" edge punch.

Looking forward to seeing all your spooky creations ..... sleep well, and don't have nightmares ha ha!

Bubbles!

This week's Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge #74 is a sketch by Debbie, which seemed to me just right for a friend's birthday card I needed to make.
I also took the Secret Crafter Challenge #54 to dig deep, and I found a stamped image deep in my stash that was an RAK ages ago from the lovely Marcea. The image is Daisy & Dandelion "Bubbles" - how could I possibly have left her alone 'til now??


Recipe:
Main image: Papermania - Daisy & Dandelion "Bubbles", coloured with watercolour pencils and the flower decoupaged;
Sentiment: Craftwork Cards "Oh! My Words";
Paper: Papermania "Sweet Nothings";
Supplies: organza ribbon, flowers, brad and charm all from my stash.

Thank goodness I have only a couple more friends with birthdays between now and the end of the year .... my Chrimbo card production is going to have to soon get into full swing lol!

Thanks for looking!

Penny Black Challenge #71 - Sketch by Nat

Good morning everyone, and welcome again to week 71 of the Penny Black Saturday Challenge ... the weeks are flying past, so it's great to see so many of you taking the time to join in the challenges now we're getting into the run up to Christmas :-) Once again there were some wonderful entries for last week's buttons and bows challenge - don't forget to visit the challenge blog to find out who won last week's prize.

This week we are ringing the changes with a sketch by our talented teamie Nat ... who by the way has just been shortlisted by Craft Stamper Magazine for their Stamper of the Year 2009 .... woo hoo and well done hun!

The DT has created some stunning samples to get you in the mood - do visit their blogs and leave them a kind comment :-) And to help get those creative juices flowing even more, we have got another great prize on offer this week for one lucky randomly drawn winner .... A SU scrub from Valentine's.
Here's my card ... I went for a festival of pinkness this week for some reason! I was pretty much influenced by the image shape on the sketch, and thought this was one of my most appropriate stamps. I haven't made a brushstroke flower for a while, and I must admit it is a look I really love.

Recipe:

Main image: Penny Black "Blush " (2666K), stamped and spritzed using Marvey markers.

Sentiment: Penny Black transparent set "Hugs!";

Paper: Craft Creations;

Supplies: flowers by Woodware; heart-shaped button by Doodlebug; iridescent pink cardstock from Edwin Allen; other buttons and ribbons from my stash;

Tools: large circle and large scalloped circle Nestabilities; Cuttlebug "daisy pattern" embossing folder used on pink iridescent card.

Have a great weekend, and look forward to seeing your creations.

Autumn combo

I made this card two evenings ago for various challenges, but couldn't photograph it as it was too dark, and then I forgot to take a pic during the day yesterday ... so having just got in from work today I'm now in a last minute scramble to get it loaded in time for some of the challenges :-) ... so I'll keep this post short!

I have made this card for the following challenges:



Friday Sketchers #73 (I turned it into a square but the basic elements are still there)
Stamp Something - brown + something
Stampin' for the Weekend - orange, brown & leafy green
Secret Crafter #53 - autumn colours
The Pink Elephant #36 - Fall
Incy Wincy Designs #13 - Wildlife
ABC Challenge - F is for Flying (see the butterfly?? lol!)
Flutterby Wednesday #79 - Butterfly or fairy
Here's the inside ....


Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black "bunny bath" (3616J)coloured with watercolour pencils;
Sentiment: Craftwork Cards "Oh! My Words" (front), Penny Black (inside);
Papers: Daisy Bucket;
Supplies: flowers - Petaloo "fancy foil dahlia blend box"; ribbon and brads from my stash;
Tools: large oval and large scalloped oval Nestabilities.

Phew! Think I just made it in the nick of time!

Sketch Saturday #72

I don't very often get the chance to join in the Sketch Saturday Challenge, but I've had a bit of extra crafting time this week, and this week's sketch seemed ideal for a "get well" card I needed to make for a lady at work who has had to go into hospital for some surgery. I decided to use up a bit more of the yummy Kaisercraft papers I got from Port Sunlight last Saturday .. they're nearly all gone already!!

Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black "Fanfare" (3946K), coloured wtih Sakura sparkle pens;
Sentiment: die cut using Cuttlebug cut'n'emboss folder "Everyday Greetings";
Paper: Kaisercraft;
Supplies: pink chiffon ribbon from Hobbycraft; pink & cream pearls by BasicGrey "opaline"; pearl brads by Papermania; hydrangeas and spacers from my stash.

Here's an angle shot .. once more the sparkle isn't showing - the last couple of days the weather has been so dull!

Got a bit of time for another craft sesh this evening ...woo hoo! Off I go to get a cup of tea then I'm going to get stuck in!

Christmas Snowflake in the Sugar Bowl

This fortnight's challenge over at the Sugar Bowl is this fabulous sketch by Tiets, with the added element of Christmas ... the perfect opportunity to crack on with the Chrimbo cards!!

I only have 3 SN Christmas stamps, and I have to admit that "Snowflake" is my favourite - she just looks so cute and cosy! I also took the opportunity to use some new Christmas paper I got at Port Sunlight on Saturday ... it is by Kaisercraft and I bought it from Stamps & Memories. Unfortunately I only bought one pack of 4 12" * 12" sheets - I wish I'd got more now!!

I did my best to follow the sketch but I was struggling with the large circle so used my largest "labels 1" nestie and tipped it on its side ... call it artistic licence lol!

Recipe:
Main image: Sugar Nellie "Snowflake", watercoloured and decorated with glamour dust & a little doodling;
Sentiment: Craftwork Cards "Oh! My Words" (from The Glitter Pot);
Papers: Kaisercraft, from Stamps & Memories;
Supplies: pink, white and aqua glitter card from Edwin Allen; pearls, sparkly gems and sparkly lace from my stash;
Tools: "mega deckled rectangle", "large deckled rectangle" and "labels 1" Nestabilities; Cuttlebug "Snowflakes #2" die.

This card is actually very sparkly so I have tried to capture it on the obligatory angle shot .. not very successfully alas!


The Christmas card pile is starting to grow a bit now .... but there's still a long way to go!!

It's a celebration!

Woo hoo! My great bloggy friend Sharon is celebrating her 50th birthday today - happy birthday hun and hope you have a great day! Here is the card which I made for her, which I'm crossing my fingers has arrived in good time!

In honour of Sharon's birthday, Creative Card Crew challenge where she is a member made this week's challenge #31 theme It's a celebration - how perfect! This week's One Stop Craft Challenge is also in honour of Sharon's birthday with a theme of Happy Birthday & it is also challenge 50 - spooky or what ?? lol!!

I followed the sketch for Everybody-Art-Challenge #60: I kinda stretched the image shape and size to fit my stamp, but I hope you can still see the major elements of the sketch!



My card also fits another challenge I recently discovered, namely Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #36, which is Think Pink, in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Here's a pic of the inside ....

Recipe:

Main image: Penny Black "Day-dreams " (3947K), embossed wtih detail gold powder and coloured with Sakura Sparkle pens;

Sentiments: front - Craftwork Cards "Oh! My Words"; inside - Hero Arts (embossed wtih gold detail powder);

Papers: both sides of 2-sided Bo Bunny paper, with the inside background paper free with "Making Cards" magazine a long time ago!!

Supplies: gold crocheted lace ribbon from Quixotic Paperie; Papermania pearl brad; dragonfly brads, green organza ribbon & various flowers from my stash;

Tools: mega deckled rectangle Nestabilities; iridescent pink cardstock embossed with Cuttlebug "Stylized flowers" folder; numbers cut out using Cuttlebug "Hippie Chick" alphabet.

Happy birthday to Sharon, and hope everyone is having a great weekend whatever you're doing ... I should be out at port Sunlight craft fair today (I've scheduled this post in advance to be sure I don't miss the birthday girl!) ... wonder what goodies I'll see??