A cornucopia of blessings

The image for this month's progressive challenge at From the Heart stamps is a lovely cornucopia. A few months ago I would not even have considered colouring this image but practice has given me a bit of courage, so here it is!

Materials used:
From the Heart Stamps digi set - Cornucopia
Imagine That digi set - Subtle Harvest Kit
printer paper and card
stamping card
Copic pens
A5 white card blank

Method:
I printed out all the bits I needed for the topper, an extra image and two background papers from the Harvest Kit. I coloured both images and then cut my base image and sentiment to the size I wanted. I covered the front of the card blank with the leaves paper then matted my topper onto the purple paper before sticking it to the card front. Finally I fussy cut the main section of fruit and veg and the small bunch of grapes and pumpkin from the second image, shaped and attached them to the second image using gel glue.



As I am trying to build up a little stash of ATC's I also made one with this image.

The marathon run of Harvest Services and suppers has now finished and all the apple pies have been eaten! I don't do Halloween so the next big celebration will be Christmas. Whoa! Not already! Where has the year gone? I guess I should be thinking about getting the 200+ cards that we need on the go. Something quick and easy I think!

Thanks for dropping in. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:
From the Heart DOM Challenge - October
If You Give A Crafter A Cookie #29
Jo's Scrap Shack FFC #108
Simply Papercraft Challenges #14
Crafting With Dragonflies #44
2 Creative Chicks Showcase #3 Anything Goes!
Crafts Galore Encore - Make a card
Sisters of Craft - October
Your Scrapbook Place - October
613 Avenue Create #144
Lacy Sunshine's Color Your World

Thoughts of Winter

I know it's only just Autumn but the image for the Art By MiRan Facebook Challenge is very wintry!

Materials used:
Art By MiRan Digi - Flower Diva Adoncia (See Facebook page for details
stamping card
Copic pens
white fun flock
Hunkydory Snowflake acetate
silver paper
shimmer white paper
Crafters Companion Snowflake Flutter embossing folder
X-cut scalloped oval die
X-cut snowflake die
acrylic greetings stamp
Adirondak black archival ink pad
white paint pen
white A5 card blank

Method:
I printed out my image, and two smaller versions to make ACT's from, then coloured them all in with Copics. I added white fun flock to her stole to make it look fluffy and used a white paint pen to highlight the snowflakes on the image.

I used the stamp and black ink to stamp my greeting at the bottom of the card blank. I embossed a strip of silver paper with the snowflakes embossing folder and attached it across the front of the card and die cut a snowflake from Shimmer White paper. I then used the acetate to make a wrap adhering it to the back of the card and adding a small piece of stick tape to the front underneath where the topper is. Finally I added my topper and the snowflake on top of the acetate.

[caption id="attachment_1727" align="alignleft" width="300"] The ATC's[/caption]

As I am typing this post up the sunset is making the sky outside my window a beautiful orange colour and there is a little bat flying around, probably after the last of the flies. It is all very restful after a busy day.

Thank you for popping in. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:
Art by MiRan Facebook Progressive Challenge
Crafty Girls Creations #5
Beccy's Place October Challenge
Digitally Sweet Challenges #143
Crafting With Friends #7
Ike'sworld Challenges #47 ATC's with anything goes
Inspiration Destination #53
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge #247
Crafting with an Attitude #8
Outlawz Monday Greetings
Outlawz Friday Colouring Challenge

Something a bit different

I can't believe that September is almost over already, where did the time go. So despite all my plans to be in good time for challenge entries here I am scrabbling to get them in at the last moment. Today I finished my entry for this month's progressive challenge at Outlawz Challenges.



Materials used:
Nicecrane Designs - Flower Children Set (if you entered the challenge last month the image comes free)
stamping card
snippets of red, orange, yellow and blue card
Copic pens

Method:
I printed out the image 4 times to the size I wanted for an ATC and coloured them with the Copics in 4 different colourways. I then made 4 ATC blanks in the colours to match the images. I trimmed my images down to fit the ATC's leaving a narrow border around the edge and stuck them down.

I belong to an ATC exchange group and am always running out of ATC's to send out so another 4 to use is really good. I have a feeling I will be making a lot more in the days to come.

Before I go I just wanted to draw your attention to a competition Deedee's Digi's is running to celebrate World Card Making Day. You can find details on her blog here: http://www.deedeesdigis.com/2015/09/mark-your-calendars-for-next-saturday.html so why not go on over and take a look.

Thanks for dropping by. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my ATC's into the following challenges:
Outlawz Progressive Challenge - September
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 196
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #18
Crafty Time Challenges - September

Ice cream - yum!

Imagine That's Progressive Challenge for June features a portable ice cream parlour, what more  could you want on a hot summer's day?

Materials used:
Imagine That Digi Set - Ice Cream Parlour
Deedee's Digi Stamp Set - Ice cream truck
white stamping card
black and stripy card
white A4 sheet of card to made card blank
Copic pens

Method:
I printed out the image and the greeting onto the white stamping card along with some extra smaller images and greeting to make into ATC cards. I also printed out a small ice cream image which came from Deedee's Digis DOM for July set. I coloured all the images in with Copics then trimmed the large image and sentiment to the size I wanted before matting onto black card. I also fussy cut the single ice cream cone. Using the white card I made an easel card blank and covered the front and the inside with the stripy card, having first run a black pen along the edges. I stuck the matted image to the top of the card and used the sentiment and ice cream cone inside the card as stoppers.



With the smaller images, having coloured them I trimmed them down to ATC size and ran a black pen around the edges.

It has been a lovely hot and sunny day in Somerset today, so much so that I think an ice cream is called for right now!

Thanks for visiting. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into:
Imagine That Digi of the Month challenge - June
Outlawz Greeting Card Challenge - Anything goes
Word Art Wednesday Challenge 189

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge

Deedee is sponsoring the Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge this week and the challenge is to use markers. I had a little ATC done which fitted the bill.

Materials used:
Deedee's Digi Stamp Set - Basket of Love
Copic pens
white ATC blanks
stamping card

Method:
Having worked out the size of image needed for my ATC (Artists Trading Card) I printed it out onto the stamping card and coloured it in with Copics. I made it for a swap with the theme, Black and White and One Other Colour. Really quick to do in a hurry.

Thank you for visiting. Why not have a go at the challenge your self.

Take care.

Pippa

Remember Bill and Ben?

When I was young there was a TV programme called 'The Flowerpot Men' and they had a friend called Little Weed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozp8uwUWtBY When I saw this little flower image from 2CuteInk it made me nostalgic!



Materials used:
2CuteInk digi stamp - May Flower
Copic pens
stamping card
orange and yellow floral design papers
rectangle die
A5 card blank
greetings sticker

Method:
I printed out 2 copies of the image and coloured them with the Copic pens. Using the rectangle die set I cut one image and a slightly larger mat from the orange paper. I cut the large flower head and the pot from the second image and stuck them over the first image after shaping them a little, to create a 3d look. I covered the front of the card blank with the yellow floral paper then stuck my topper on and finishing off with the sticker greeting.

Thanks for popping in. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into:
Sir Stampalot Challenge May: Flower Power
Digitally Sweet Challenge 138: April Showers Bring May Flowers

ATC's and Deedee's Digis

This month the ATC swap group I belong to voted to have the theme of April Showers. I used the opportunity to make some ATC's using just Deedee's wonderful images.

Materials used:
Deedee's Digi Stamp sets: Chance of Showers, Rainy Day and Rain or Shine
Copic pens
white stamping card
white printing paper

Method:
Really easy! I just printed out the images, papers and sentiments I wanted to use at the size I wanted them to be then coloured them in, cut them out and mounted them onto blank ATC cards cut from white card.



I think the teddy bear is my favourite.

Thanks for popping in. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my ATC's into
The Outlawz Challenges: Monday Greetings Challenge - April Showers

I would like to enter my ATC's into:

Spring fever

The image of the month for the From the Heart challenge features some lovely little spring tiles. The theme for the month in an ATC swap group I belong to is inchies. Well the two just went together!



Materials used:
From the Heart Stamps Image of the Month - Easter Trio
white ATC blanks
spring greeting acrylic stamps from Creative Stamping magazine
Spectrum Noir pens
black ink pad
1 inch square punch

Method:
I printed out the image to the size I needed to make inchies from the tiles then coloured them in with the pens. Using the black ink I stamped Warm Spring Wishes on the right hand side of the ATC blank. I used the punch to punch out my inches then inked the edges and the edges of the ATC with black ink. Finally I stuck my inches to the left side of the ATC.

Although we had too much cloud cover to get a good view of Friday's solar eclipse the weather has definitely improved the past few days. The sky is bluer, the grass is greener and the sun has shone through. There is colour returning to the gardens and hedgerows, spring has arrived.

Thank you for visiting. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my card into:
From the Heart Stamp of the Month Challenge
Your Scrapbook Place - Anything Goes

Away with the fairies

Kit and Clowder have a competition this week on their Facebook page to colour in a fairy or fantasy image from Scrappers Delight and as I have run out of ATC's for my swap group I thought I might be able to kill two birds with one stone. Not that I advocate or would consider participating in bird killing, but you know what I mean!



Materials used:
Digital image from Scrappers Delight - Rose Petal
Digital image from Aurora Wings - Fuchsia Sprite
White blending card
Derwent Studio colouring pencils
Spectrum Noir Pens
Clarity Letterbox stamp set
Memento Rose Bud ink pad

Method:
Having decided I did not want to print out the images and then cut them out to glue to an ATC I made up a table using Word, sized the cells to ATC size and then put the images in the cells. It worked quite well. Having printed them out I then cut them into individual ATC's. I coloured Rose Petal with the pencils and Fuchsia Sprite with Spectrum Noir pens. I then used the Letterbox set to stamp Rose in pink down the side.

I have had my Derwent pencils for longer than I care to remember and used to use them a lot more. Since discovering alcohol ink markers I have been concentrating on them. I am at the start of a course with Kit and Clowder and have used applied what I have learned so far to the pencil colouring. (That will be the next course!) If you want to advance your colouring skills or just do a single project it is worth visiting Kit and Clowder and taking a look at the classes there. Alyce is very good and provides helpful and encouraging feedback as you go along.

Thank you for popping in. Take care.

Pippa

'Tis the season ATC's

Deedee's stamp of the month challenge for January is a fishing penguin and it just so happened that the ATC swap theme for the group I am in is ''Tis the Season'. So I have made a set of 5 ATC's all using Deedee's images.

Images used:
Ice Fishing
Snowman Soup
Dashing Through the Snow
Caroling Snowman
Let it Snow

All the links are for the EU version, those of you who live outside the EU will need to go to the appropriate shop on Deedee's web site.










Time is running out on me to get this posted before the challenge closes so I am not going to give you an account of how I did them. They are all fairly straight forward, print, cut to size and colour.

Thanks for dropping in. Take care.

Pippa

I would like to enter my ATC's into the following challenges:
Deedee's Digi of the Month- January
Outlawz Friday Colouring

One set of stamps, five ATC's

Well Easter has come and gone and life in the vicarage is a bit quieter so I have a moment to share a crafting session with you.  I mentioned in a previous post that I joined an ATC swap group.  Each month we have a new theme and this month it is 'Spring is Sprung'.  The most recent edition of 'Creative Stamping' magazine had a lovely collection of bird and flower stamps so I decided to use them and only them to create five different ATC's.



The first one is just the leafy swirl stamped on the left side of the ATC, coloured with Spectrum Noir pens and dusted with stonewashed Adirondack using a stencil brush.  The wording was stamped onto a circle of card, edged with a black pen and lightly dusted with ink before being stuck on with gel glue.



The second ATC is made using kraft card, stamped with Archival Sepia, coloured with pencil crayons and distressed around the edges with Vintage Photo.



This one will be familiar to anyone who has read my previous post 'Spectrum Noir OTT?'  Details are there so I won't bore you with a repeat!



Number four is again on kraft card.  I bought an old novel from a charity shop that had some pages missing so was no use for reading anyway.  I tore a piece of the paper to fit the front of the ATC and then tore out enough of the centre to frame the wording.  the circular vine is stamped with meadow, the birds and words with sepia.  I carefully distressed the printed paper around the outer and inner edges with Vintage photo before sticking to the ATC blank.



Finally the one I am least happy with. The background is made by spreading Adirondack meadow and stonewashed onto a class mat and thenspritzing with a fine mist before using a piece of card to lift a print from the mat.  I cut the ATC blanks from the resulting card, stamped first and second generation using the meadow flowers and black archival ink at the bottom and the words and bird in the sky.

I had fun trying out new techniques and just playing about so getting reasonable results to send off for the ATC swap was a bonus.

Thanks for dropping in.  Take care.

Pippa

Spectrum Noir OTT?

I am still enjoying playing with my Spectrum Noir pens, they make so much more sense having done half my course!  At the ATC Swap UK this month's theme is 'Spring is Sprung' so I have had a start on it using some stamps which came with 'Creative Stamping' magazine and the pens.  The reason for the title? Well it took this many pens



to colour in this Atc!



I have just bought a new camera and I am still getting used to it, not being a photographer by inclination it is a little bit of a challenge!  I think I may need to sort out some better lighting!

To finish with here is a closer view (a bit too bright!)



 

It may be a while until  my next post.  With Easter comes a whole different set of busyness, especially in the vicarage!

Thanks for popping in.  Take care.

Pippa

PS Managed a better photograph!