Challenge 33 Polkadoodles

The Polkadoodles Challenge this week is 'vintage' to show that although lots of their images are really quirky it is possible to make a vintage style card using their products.  I chose an image, border and background paper from Love and Cherish CD which with the addition of some inking, stamped flourishes and lace made a card suitable for a Wedding or Anniversary. The sentiment was computer generated and punched with Stampin Up punches and the heart border is a Martha Stewart punch

Bah Humbug Challenge 32

Winter wonderland is the topic for this weeks challenge at Bah Humbug and as it is a miserable wet morning I decided to go into the craft room and get started - would you believe that half way through the first card I had an idea for a second one so they are both here as I couldn't decide which I liked best.

The shaker element on the first card was one I had made last Christmas and not used, background paper is from Artylicious Seasons Greetings CD, sentiment was also done using the text facility on the greetings element of the CD and the snowflakes are Nestabilities using glitter hand made paper.

The second one came about because I saw a forgotten  bonus section on the CD which has some lovely pages  which are text editable so I added the words at the bottom.  The trees are pearl card cut out and embossed with a Cuttlebug Christmas tree set.

Another Henry

Today's card is another Henry Hedgehog image coloured with Copics and as he is tucked up in bed I thought it would make a cheery get well card.  Background paper (with some detail using a fine black pen) is from a Polkadoodles CD and the ladybirds on the border at the bottom are from a set of their stamps with the addition of a little text stamp from my stash.  Flowers are made from ready made blooms with the addition of a punched layer using Papermania punch and emboss daisy; leaves are from Stampin Up bird and leaf punch.

Henry Hedgehog

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I can never resist the 'free' stamps which come on the front of magazines from time to time (shame the mags often appear so 'samey').  This image is from a set of Henry the Hedgehog which was on the front of the current Papercraft Essentials, coloured with pencils.  Background paper is from Kay and Co with the addition of some oddments from my stash.  Die cuts are Nestabilities and Nellies dies, punched border made with Martha Stewart punch; the sentiment was produced on the computer and now I've seen the card on the screen I might just be tempted to add a little embellishment to the centre of the sentiment.

A Useful Tip

Sorry no picture today but a handy tip for using Copic (or Promarker) pens.  I have been repairing a crochet handbag for a friend - just don't ask how I won that job; I really must learn to say 'no' sometimes!!  Anyway back to the Copics - I did part of the repair using the sewing machine but when it came to re-attaching the loosely made crochet I found it had to be hand sewing but it needed to be strong.  I have a reel of strong jeans thread but it is cream and then a lightbulb moment - I coloured some lengths of it with a Copic pen which matched the bag and being permanent ink it won't run at all.  I've used Copics to colour ribbon and fabric flowers to go onto cards before but this is the first time I've actually 'customised' sewing thread.

Crystal pendant

I decided to have a go at three dimensional right angle weave stitch which I believe looks great in the 'proper' crystals - the expensive ones -  but as I only had some fire polished faceted beads I decided to try it out first with those before lashing out on the crystals.  I found it fiddly working with two needles and very fine almost invisible filament  (some very frustrating tangles and difficult to thread into needles) but once I grasped the actual concept of working the 3-d cubes and joining them to each other I was away.  I'm not entirely convinced I have the best method of hanging but this was all I had in the house and I just had to wear it once made!! I will probably rethink on this in due course.