Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #211

This week's challenge is a Sketch with a Spin - Going Buggy.

For my card, I chose a Lil' Bee stamp from Bella Stamps, coloured it with Copics - and cut it out with a square nestie - just stopping at the section where the flowers extend past the square, leaving them to be 'outside the box'!  A neat trick when you don't want to make the whole shape too large just to fit one part of the image!  For the banners, I used dp by My Minds Eye: Miss Caroline and Authentique:  Delightful - their pretty colours give such a great Spring feel to the card.  The script is from my stash.  I think this sketch is fab - I will definitely use it again.

Please check out the inspiration from the other Sweet Stop Sugar Babies and then let us see what creations you come up with:
Cathy McCauley, Korin Sutherland, Ceal Pritchett, Faye-Wynn Jones, Marlena Peduzzi, Melissa Shultz,Robin Parker, Stephanie Serrano, Cynthia Olheiser, Debbie Owens, and Jamie Moore.  

Thank you cards - using Perfect Pearls

A few weeks ago, I was inspired by Jill Foster  who shared her creations using Inchie Arts and Pan Pastels.  The problem is I don't have any chalks or pastels, so I thought I would try Perfect Pearls and Perfect Pearls Medium to achieve a similar result.  I am pleased with the results I achieved, but will still try to get hold of some chalks some time down the track.  Jill demonstrated her collage effect - it looks so free and soft, and 'arty' that I just had to give it a try!  I have used small tags, cut with a Paper Smooches die, to make a few cards to take with me for occasions when I might want to say 'Thank you' - it pays to be prepared!  I used PaperCrafters Workshop stencils for most of the background, and then added some stamping - small snippets of text, some graphic images etc.  I also sprayed with Smooch Spritz when the stamping was completed.   Some background paper and a few embellishments completed the cards.  IRL the tags have a lovely shimmery effect - I think the potential for these is endless, as each one is unique.  Hope you like them!

Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #210

Time for another Sweet Stop Sketch -   I chose to rotate the sketch, giving me vertical panels for my sentiment and focal image.  The graphic-style greeting is from SNS Birthday Bash stamp set and because of its uniform rectangular shape, I thought it would suit the vertical panel if I stamped it a few times.  Do check out this set, as it has some really cool sentiments in this bold style, as well as great birthday images.  Little Rhubarb comes from another SNS set called Rhubarb's Birthday Wish.  He is so fun to colour - I added glossy accents to the balloons - you can just make it out!

Remember to check out the rest of the team, to see what they have created - you are bound to find plenty of inspiration there!
Cathy McCauley, Korin Sutherland, Ceal Pritchett, Faye-Wynn Jones, Marlena Peduzzi, Melissa Shultz,Robin Parker, Stephanie Serrano, Cynthia Olheiser, Debbie Owens, and Jamie Moore.  

Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge # 209

I am honoured to be a new member of the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge team -  I will do my best to live up to the very high standard of the other team members, who have inspired me for some time.  Do check out the SSS blog whenever you can, participate in the challenges and be inspired by the creative talent you will find there.  Here is the sketch and this is my card.
  



I have used Sweet n' Sassy Birthday Bash stamp set for the cupcake, cutting out the cake wrapper and frosting with the coordinating die.   I have used dp by Gina K from my stash, and some ice-blue corrugated card which I thought looked like a cake wrapper.  Some heat set puff paint completes the topping.  The sentiment is from another SNS stamp set - Rhubarb's Birthday Wish.

Now don't forget to head on over to the rest of the team, to see what they have come up with for this challenge;   Cathy McCauley, Korin Sutherland, Ceal Pritchett, Faye-Wynn Jones, Marlena Peduzzi, Melissa Shultz,Robin Parker, Stephanie Serrano, Cynthia Olheiser, Debbie Owens, and Jamie Moore.  

Baby cards

I have been on a 'bender' recently, making some cute baby cards, and today I have continued that trend with even more!  On this post  you will find one of the elephant cards that I had made for a commission, and using this stamp, I made several more with the paper piecing technique.  Each one was different, and all very cute!  Today I decided to colour the stamped image instead, and this is the result.

It is such a different look to my previous card (below) and by adding the sentiment 'sweet boy', I felt it could be used for a young child, as well as a new baby.

Well, my baby cards didn't stop there - with a new die in my possession, called Baby Onesie from

MFT, I created four more cards - two bright and crisp and two with a softer feel.  Now, are there any newborns out there that a need a welcoming card? Let me know what you think of my efforts, if you visit - I love to hear from you!

A clean up in my craft space

Just thought I'd share with you the results of the latest 'tidy-up' in my craft space.  I found I was trying to create on the space of my craft mat - everything else had been encroaching on my desk top, so it was definitely time to tidy!  I bought a set of small drawers from Officeworks, and I went from there.  I like to have a place for everything, and most of my supplies can easily be found in their rightful place, but the bits and pieces used for making (or considered for making) often stay around on my desk and clutter both the desk and my head!  Of course this is only one wall!  on the opposite wall is our desktop computer, which is nominally my husband's area - and I also use the cupboards in this room for my put-away stuff.  I carry out my die cutting in another room, so my dies and embossing folders are kept in there.  You can see that I have now reclaimed more of my desk than just the working mat and I am much happier!

Cards made for commissions

As most cardmakers would love to do, I make a card (or two) almost every day, and I do this because I love to create.  However, the down side of this is that I have lots of cards sitting in a box, which I would love to find a home for, and in order to get them out in circulation, I am trying my hand at a market stall.  Last weekend, I held my first stall (not counting one other market which was totally unsuitable) and was thrilled to sell 20 of my cards to appreciative customers.  So I will continue with this for a little while, to see if I can develop a market base.  In addition to this, I am taking orders from friends, who love to be able to give a card that has been specially made for the recipient.  I am thrilled to take on these orders, as they stretch my creativity and challenge me in unexpected ways.  This post will show some of my latest orders, and you will see that the range is extensive - from unborn babies to 80 year-olds!

 This card is for a young lady who aspires to owning a car!  The image is a digi stamp from DSB

 A card for a 14 year-old girl - the stars were cut with a die by Sweet n' Sassy stamps.

 Obviously for a 40 year-old keen fisherman!  Another digi image - this one from Sue McMahon.

 This image is a stamp, but I don't know who made it - I coloured it with Copics, and added liquid pearls to the floral oval by Spellbinders.

I just love this elephant stamp by Woodware - it lends itself so well to paper piecing, which is a lot of fun!

For an 18 year-old young lady, just starting out on her career path - the digi image is by Digistamps4joy - a South African company who have some very interesting images.  For this card, I was able to upscale some cheap embellishments, ie the chipboard numeral, and a rather tawdry bronze look key, by heat embossing them with silver ep.  I'm very happy with the result and so was the customer/friend!