Keeping It Simple

There hasn't been much going on in my craft space for the past few days, as I have been off work since the middle of the week with a stinking head cold. I've spent the past couple of days ambling listlessly around the house - yesterday I never even got dressed til mid afternoon, so I'm feeling pretty dopey and sorry for myself. I thought today I would try making a card to cheer myself up a bit, but my energy has got up and run for the door, so I stuck with a couple of simple themes which didn't require too much mental attention lol!


I made a card which is rather more simple than my usual style, and would like to enter it for the following challenges:

Challenge Up Your Life #35 - Clean and Simple
Creative Craft - Monochromatic Madness
Crafts & Me #22 - Monochrome
Wee Memories #39 - For the Love of Ribbon
Papertake Weekly - Ribbons and Pearls
Creative Belli #109 - The letter P (petals, pearls)
Pile It on #3 - Anything Goes
Paper Sundaes #52 - Favourite Challenge of the Past Year (2nd entry)
(this time I have chosen #46 - Adorn Those Corners)

I have to confess I also made this card with a view to entering it into the Passion for Promarkers Challenge ... but ... errr ... I didn't use Promarkers - oops!! (told you my head was full of cold lol!!)

Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black "Blush" (2666K) inked with Marvey brushstroke pens;
Sentiment: LotV sentiment circles;
Paper: Papermania "Forever Friends - Spring Time";
Supplies: pearls from The Hobby House; patterned ribbon from my stash;
Tools: small circle and lacy circle nestabilities; Martha Stewart PATP corner punch "Wild Flowers".

Off now to cheer myself up with a coffee and a cupcake ... see if that will get my mojo back on track!! :-)

Hearts and flowers

Although I am a huge fan of their cute hedgies, teddies and meeces, I also really love Penny Black brushstroke flowers. I hadn't used one for quite a while so decided to ink up the beautiful and very versatile "blush" stamp ... or rather watercolour up, as I used various shades of Marvey brushstroke marker (how long is it since I got them out of their packet??) to produce a soft impressionist effect.

I followed the sketch for this fortnight's BasicGrey Challenge #29 - I did employ rather a lot of "artistic licence" with the shapes for the different elements of the sketch as I was stuck on using the heart doily which has been sitting in my stash since I received it as a birthday RAK from Paula :-). So I hope it's ok for the challenge!! Still, it also gave me opportunity to break out my heart shaped nesties which have been sitting naughtily unused in my stash for quite a while!

I would also like to enter this card for the following:

A Pocket Full of Posies #7 - Lavender & Old Lace
Challenge Up Your Life #28 - Lace & pearls
CRAFT #70 - Fancy Floral
Creative Card Crew - Bloomin' Marvellous

Recipe:
Main image: Penny Black "Blush" (2666K) stamped twice and coloured with Marvey brushstroke markers;
Sentiment: Penny Black "Happy Birthday" (2912D);
Papers: BasicGrey "Wisteria";
Supplies: Papermania lilac flowers; large pearl brads, pearls, lilac ribbon and lace from my stash; heart doily was an RAK from Paula;
Tools: classic hearts nestabilities; Marianne D Creatables "leaf swirl" die.

Just time before I go for a quick sneaky peek of this week's card for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge - don't forget to join us then :-)