Pst.....

So...... some of you may have noticed I've sneaked something into my side bar on my blog ;) but most of you probably not - LOL!!  It's time to draw your attention to it.

There's a gathering at the Oddball Art Stamp Co. Team of new designers to work alongside the existing ones to expand the Oddball Art Stamp Co and I'm proud to say I'm one of them!  

There's going to be more happening with the challenge blog and Facebook with more inspirational posts as well as the usual challenges.  Whimsey also sell Lizzy's images and there will be launches of new digital and rubber stamps.  There are also some discount voucher codes floating around for you to use on Esty :)

So quite appropriately I've chosen this image Heidi Pinkyswear as my card to announce my DT place with Oddball Art. We don't officially start until 1 April.

Heidi is coloured with ProMarkers and I've chosen pastel pink shades. 

The layers of pink and white papers are from Lili of the Valley and First Edition.  I've used some pale pink ribbon and some pink and pearlised gems from my stash.  The image itself is cut out with a Spellbinders die and I've also used a banner die from LaLa Land.  I saved the heart that were cut out of the banner and used them around the image :)

Now I can't guarantee all my Oddball images with be in pastel shades I may go to the dark side with some of them.

Hope you all come over and join the in fun. 

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

In The Pink - Lots of Layers

Wag n Whiskers - Monochromatic

Digi Choosday - Lots of Layers

Papertake Weekly - A Cut Above

Polkadoodles - Use a Die

613 Avenue Create - A True Anything Goes

Thinking of you

I'm a huge Make It Craft fan, I love their images.  While I was browsing their website recently I saw this image Chelsea Hugging Legs.  At the back of my mind whilst I was browsing was Zoe's Design Team call for clean and simple cards.  In the blurb she'd written - sorry Zoe if you read this :)  were some examples of clean and simple cards.  If you want to take a look click here.

I knew straight away what I was going to try and do with this image.  Chelsea looks kind of dreamy and I thought she looks like she's thinking about someone.  I produced this sentiment on my computer and cut it out with a Spellbinders die.  The edge of the die is coloured in alternate purple and blue.

Chelsea her self was printed out so I could use her to one side on a CAS card.  She's coloured with purple and blue ProMarkers.  Here's a close up of her.

In this close up you should be able to see the dotty fantasy background I created around her.  I did this by making lots of dots first in pale blue ProMarker and using the blending pen to blur them.  I then added some purple dots around the blue ones and used the blending pen again.  To make some darker patches I just added some more dots but didn't blend these out.

To be honest I was panicking a bit when I was doing it as I've never tried this before.  BUT I'm pleased to say the result was even better than I hoped and I've used this technique on a few more cards since.

The only other thing I've used to finish it off but still keeping a clean simple design are some blue and purple self adhesive gems.

Now you know how I did it have a go it's really easy :)

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Paradise of Stamps - Clean & Simple

Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly - A Cut Above

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes

Meow!

Have you seen the latest challenge from Oddball Art?  It's to produce a card for a cause.  This caused me a dilemma - what cause to do, what image to use.....  So I went browsing on Etsy :)  Talk about inspiration - pow!  I love cats and when I saw this image Sassy and Sissy Cat I knew straight away what I was going to do - LOL!

Before I printed the image out I added the "Cat Protection" sentiment.  I coloured the image with ProMarkers in pastel shades and cut it out so the image would be the main focus.  It's then backed with plain black card stock to frame it.

Here's a close up of the image I coloured.

Design papers are from Lili of the Valley and Wild Rose Studio.  I've added some polka dot organza ribbon which is in pastel pink from my stash.

The final touches I've added are some letter beads, blue and pink self adhesive gems and a cat from Diamante Crafts.

Hope you love my card for a cause.

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Corrosive Challenge - Our Animal Friends

Oddball Art - For a Cause

Digi Choosday - Lots of Layers

Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

Fuschia birdhouse

It's Team B's turn to inspire you for the new challenge at Through The Craft Room Door.  This week we're sponsored by Sandi's Samples and the image I've chosen for my card is Fuschia Birdhouse.

The image has been coloured with ProMarkers and mounted onto some black card stock.

The card is made up with two different design papers and some plain purple card stock.  Usually I'm a little more structured when distressing papers but this time I decided to give it a go just and rip some of the backing design papers before distressing them.

Additions to finish the card off are flowers, a pin, a resin bird, silver butterfly charms and self adhesive gems.  The full detailed supply list can be found in the next edition of Through The Craft Room Door Magazine.

And now it's over to you to show us what you can do :)

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Crafty Card Makers and More - Spring has Sprung

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes

Bunny Zoe - Spring Colours

Crafty Boots - Spring

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

Dreaming of Spring

Unky's colouring of this image was staggering and inspired me to buy the image.  If you don't know it, it's Aurora - What Matters from The East Wind.  I wanted it to be the main focus of the card so I've kept the card fairly simple.

She's coloured with ProMarkers in bright spring colours.  the main challenge I found with this was to try and make some areas of the flowers and mist see through.  Here's a close up of the image.

The image is mounted onto plain black card stock to frame the image.  I've used design papers from Lili of the Valley/Raspberry Road Designs - Father Knows Best and Lili of the Valley/NitWit Collections - Country Meadow.  I've also used some more black card stock.

The only other thing I've used are some pale gold self adhesive gems.

Happy crafting

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Fab n Funky - Spring into Colour

The East Wind - A Spring in her Step

Show Your Digi Love - Anything Goes

A little bit pink

I've had this very cute image from Ppinky Dolls Art - Moongirl and Owl colour up for absolutely ages.  I've finally got round to making her into a card.

She's been coloured with ProMarkers, cut out with a Spellbinders die and enamel embossed with Stampendous Shabby Pink Rose and Aged Gold.

The four design papers are from Lili of the Valley as is the sentiment (coloured with pink ProMarker) from one of their art pads.

The lace with flowers was bought from Wild Orchid Crafts.

The final touches are a wooden owl hiding in the lace from Hobby Craft and some self adhesive gems in pink and pearlised white from my stash.

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

In the Pink - Lot of Layers

Digi Choosday - Lace/bling

Polkadoodles - Birthdays

Corrosive Challenge - Our Animal Friends

Ppinkydolls Facebook - Spring Friends

Spring's here

This image from The Paper Shelter just "wowed" me when I saw it and I've been waiting for an opportunity to colour her.  I finally managed to colour her this week and have just made the card up this morning.  The image is called I Miss You and whilst not an actual spring themed image at The Paper Shelter I've made her into.

She's coloured with ProMarkers (purples and greens with a hint of blue).  I've then just plain cut her out in a square to keep her the main focus.  She and two of the design papers have been backed with plain black card stock.

Design papers are Lili of the Valley/NitWit Collections - Snow Princess and Snow Princess Solids and Lili of the Valley/Raspberry Road Designs - Father Knows Best.

The flowers are all from Wild Orchid Crafts.

To finish her off I've added some black and white ribbon and some black self adhesive gems from my stash.

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

The Paper Shelter - Spring Delights

CRAFT - Mothers Day/Female

Creative Craft Cottage - Three of a Kind (3 sweetheart blossoms and 3 sets of self adhesive gems)

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes

Spring blossom

I virtually ran out of square cards a short while ago and had to order some more, browsing I found these beauties (easel cards) on Craftwork Cards.

This is my first go at making one so I was experimenting a bit (so nothing new there then!).

The image is Spirals from Small and Round.  The flowers in this image make me thing of spring blossoms so I wanted to colour her in very soft pastels and used ProMarkers to do this.  The spiral is highlighted with some white opal Liquid Pearls.  I've cut the image out to matches the shape of the easel card.  I've then edged it with pink ProMarker.

Here's a picture of it flat so you can see it flat.  The papers used are from Wild Rose Studio Antique Library.  I used the darker shaded papers to create a border for the lighter shaded papers.  The bottom of the image portion of the card is edged with some flat backed pearl trimming from Wild Orchid Crafts.  I've also used pearl and clear self adhesive gems.

The flowers edging the image are from Wild Orchid Crafts and Live and Love Crafts.

On the bottom portion of the card I've used a couple of Spellbinders dies to create an area to write backed with the same lovely papers from Wild Rose Studio.

Hope you like my first attempt at an easel card

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Digi Choosday - Make Anything but a Square Card

Crafty Boots - Spring

Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

A Gem of a Challenge - Pretty in Pink

Allsorts - Flowers and Pearls

Graph It Colour Crazy Challenge - Spring Colours

Fab n Funky - Spring into Colour

A Little bit of Magic

This one is very different for me.  The image (The Magician) was coloured for the Make It Crafty in the Spotlight colour challenge.

The first task was for me to find an image that would look good in a spotlight.  So what I was really looking for was some sort of entertainer and I thought this one fit the bill perfectly.

Next task - look up spotlight photos.  I discovered something I didn't know here.  When a spotlight hits the ground it forms an ellipse BUT the ellipse isn't actually at the base of the spot light it's outside of where the light hits the ground!!  There must be some geeky physics terms for this (perhaps I should as the guys at work).  Anyway here's a close up of what I sketched.

So first I coloured the magician a lighter colour inside the spotlight area and darker outside.  I then added some shadows to his clothes and made lighter spots on both him and the rabbit for a shining light effect.

I then sketched a shadow slightly behind and to the right of the magician and coloured it.  Once done I moved onto the inside of the spotlight.  I used a darker yellow at the edges of the ellipse and downward lit area and a lighter yellow towards the centre.

The outside was created using three pens a dark blue a very dark blue and a blending pen.  The lighter of the two blues was the one I coloured first.  The darker one was used towards the edges of the card.  Once down I thing started to use the blending pen to lighten some of the area around the spotlight.

So to finish him off I mounted him onto some plain black card stock, used some black self adhesive gems and an appropriate Magical Birthday sentiment form one of Lili of the Valley's art pads.

For those of you that asked me how I did it I hope this helps.

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Cardz for Guyz - Clean and Simple

Addicted to Stamps - Celebration

Polkadoodles - Birthday

Create & Inspire (Formerly A Step in the Dark) - Anything Goes

Without Words - The Bunny is Coming/Easter

Make It Crafty - Colour Challenge - In the Spotlight

Bunny time

The new ABC Challenge starts today with F is for Festive sponsored by Magnolia-licious.

I chose to do an Easter card as it's not far off now.  Easter always make me think of spring when all the flowers are starting to come out so I've added cascading flowers to my card.  These were in two shades from Hobby House floral embellishments.

The image I've used is Bunny Tilda, she's in a sitting position so I decided to sketch in a giant egg for her to sit on.

I've coloured her in ProMarkers in light subtle shades to keep the card girly.  Shading has ben done with a black polychromos pencil.  Around the edge of the image I've used some Stampendous shabby white embossing enamel.  The image has then been mounted onto some plain black card stock to frame her.

This being a bunny/Easer card I decided Tilda needed a cute bunny sitting at the base of her egg.  So I decided to sketch my own then coloured and fussy cut it before mounting it onto the card.  Here's a close up if Tilda with her bunny.

The design papers are from Wild Rose Studio - Antique Library and Santoro Gorjuss - Neutrals.  I've added a sentiment from Lili of the Valley (coloured with prink ProMarker) some tiny brass butterflies and pink self adhesive gems.

OK it's over to you now to show us your festive cards - these can be Birthday/Easter/Christmas for example.

Happy crafting

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Fantasy Stampers - Spring is in the Air

A Gem of a Challenge - Pretty in Pink

Graph It Colour Crazy Challenge - Spring Colours

As You like It - Rubber (it's what I started out with when card crafting and the size is always predictable)

Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes

Just Inspirational - Metal

Fae with Fitztown

It's Team B's turn at Through The Craft Room Door.  We're sponsored by Fitztown this week and have some beautiful cards for your inspiration.

The image I've chosen here is Fae 4.  I chose to do her in very pale pastels with blonde hair by using ProMarkers.  I've used some DecoArt glitter on the butterfly and on her clothing.

The papers I've used are Santoro Gorjuss - Neutrals, Lili of the Valley/Raspberry Road Designs -Timeless Victorian and Lili of the Valley/NitWit Collections - Solids Always and Forever.  All the papers have been distressed to give a shabby chic effect.

The image in mounted over some lace bought from The Ribbon Girl.  To carry on the flowers theme I've added some flowers (mainly roses) around the image.  These were bought from The Ribbon Girl, Live and Love Crafts and Wild Orchid Crafts.

To finish off the card I've added some self adhesive gems and a silver butterfly bead.

Ok it's over to you :)

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

Allsorts - Spring is in the Air

Wags n Whiskers - Ready for Spring

Paradise of Stamps - Fairies

Graph It Colour Crazy Challenge - Shabby Chic/Vintage Romance

Design Team Snowcase - Challenge 7

If only....

....Spring were here and we could put away our winter coats.  This beautiful digi image All Wrapped Up from All Dressed Up makes me think of spring.  She's wearing a scarf as though it's a bit chilly but is surrounded by flowers.

I've coloured her with ProMarkers and used some while gel pen for some highlights.  She's cut out with a Spellbinders die and then I decided to make life difficult for myself and mount her onto some purple paper.  This was a little tricky as I had to hand cut round the edges of the die shape.

The design papers used are from Lili of the Valley/NitWit Collections - Solids - Snow Princess and Snow Princess.

I've used some lace, flowers/leaf and organza rose trim from Wild Orchid Crafts.

The final touch to the card is some pearlised self adhesive gems.

Supposed to be sunny here in Yorkshire Tuesday which should really make it feel like spring.

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

All Dressed Up - Anything Goes

All Dressed Up Facebook - Spring Time

Doodling

Soooo.... the latest challenge form The East Wind is to do some doodling.  Well I was torn when I produced this image whether to enter her into the Facebook Challenge or to add her into the Doodling challenge.  In the end I went for doodling.

Plenty of doodling on here.  For starters I've added some biro to her hair.  Then I kinda sketched out a background on my white stamping card (moon and tree which I then coloured with ProMarkers and Copics).  Once I'd coloured the tree I doodled with some biro on it.  Finally I doodled some bats onto the background.

OK so doodling finished.  The image I used is Lucy Loo Vampire Queen from The East Wind.  The greys/blacks I used were Copics.  the reds, blues, yellows and browns were ProMarkers.  I wanted her to have a very pale vampiric look so I've only used a touch of flesh tones.

I've mounted the actual image onto some black card stock to frame her.  the only other thing I've added are some black self adhesive gems.

Happy Sunday - I'm off back into work tomorrow for a rest.  Moving house is hard work!

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

The East Wind - Doodle Doodle Do

Show Your Digi Love - Anything Goes

Left of Centre - Big Eyes

The East Wind Facebook - I'm Ready for my Close up Mr DeMille

Pink magnolias

I originally did the centre of this card for a Make It Crafty Colour challenge, which was water colours.  The stamp I've used is Magnolias for Mum bought from Quixotic Paperie.  I've used Faber Castelle water colour pencils but first I had to use a light coating of hairspray to stop the ink running when I applied the paint!

Once I'd done the image and entered it, it ended up buried in my crafting stash.  I was looking for something (as you do) and found it and hough do you know that would make a lovely mothers day card.  So I set to work doing a simple mount onto black and pink papers to showcase the image.

The sentiment I made was computer generated and just finished the card off with a few self adhesive gems.

Lucky I found this in time for my stash of cards to sell at work :)

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Fantasy Stampers - Mum's the Word

Digi Choosday - Mum's the Word

Creative Knockouts - Border Time

In the Pink - For a Special Lady

Last year I didn't bother.....

....not with Mother's Day you understand, but I was only just getting into crafting cards and was still doing some fairly basic stuff.  Things took off for me in August last year when joined my first Facebook crafting group and I started blogging.  There was so much inspiration out there from so many talented people!

This year I've been asked to make a few of these exploding boxes by my colleagues at work.  These are my favourite thing to make that are not cards because people are so surprised when they open them up and see all the beautiful embellishments.  The ones I tend to make are just so perfect for spring with all the flowers/blooms I use.  This is one of Susan's she's asked me to make two (one pink and one purple).

Here's the inside of this one.

Papers are from Lili of the Valley.  I've used dies, and embellishments galore from Wild Orchid Crafts, The Ribbon Girl and Live and Love Crafts.

Here's a couple of close ups of the interior

Flower close up.

Mother's Day is next Sunday here in the UK so I've got this done just in time :)

Andrea x

I've like to enter my exploding box into the following challenges

Allsorts - Spring is in the Air

Just Inspirational - Mother's Day

Crafty Boots - Anything but a Card

Just Inspirational - Shaped Card

Not Just Cards - Anything Goes (14)

As You Like It - Favourite Anything but a Card

Black roses

Colouring black stuff causes a few issues so I've heard many times and one of my crating colleagues was having some issues, so I thought I'd have a go myself to see if I could do it.  I'm always up for a colour challenge as many people know on Make It Crafty (as long as I have time).  I'm please to say I'm very happy with the results.

The image is Roses of Love and I have it in rubber stamp form.  I've used green ProMarker for the leaves with a touch of brown.  The actual roses themselves were coloured using Copics.  I have a full set of grey neutrals that I used to do this with (sad to say these are the only Copics in my collection at the moment).

The trick with colouring black I've found it to build up the layers and blend.  For these roses I also had to decide roughly where I wanted to put the highlights first.

My inspiration for this was some photos of black rose images I searched for on Google.

To make the card up I wanted it very clean and simple to showcase the roses.  So I've just mounted the image onto some plain black card stock to give it a border.

I wasn't sure they were a Mother's Day thing so I chose a sentiment from Lili of the Valley - Art Pad 8.  The only other thing I've added are some black self adhesive gems.

Hope you like my colouring :)

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

A Step in the Dark - Anything Goes

Sweet Stampin - All or Nothing

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

Glitter n Sparkle - Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Creative Knockouts - Border Time

Black widow

Another something different for me - I'm starting to dabble in the dark side.  I saw a challenge on Left of Centre to show your spiders and I knew I had the perfect image.  BUT instead of going all girly this time I thought I'd try a dark fairy.

The image is Chin-Chou Kuik's Spooky Blue.  I've used ProMarkers and Copics to colour her with.  She's cut out with a Spellbinders die andn I've added some DecoArt glitter to her wings and the spider web.  There's also a touch of white gel pen to add highlights to her heart, eyes and the spider.

The papers I've used are from Lili of the Valley/Raspberry Road Designs Father Knows Best, Lili of the Valley/NitWits Enchantment and Santoro Gorjuss Neutrals.

The image is mounted onto some black card stock cut with a Spellbinders die to give her a frame.

Accessories black lace, black roses and black stamen are all from Wild Orchid Crafts.  Black pleated gauze trim and flim strip (Tim Holtz) are from Live and Love Crafts.  Black heart gems from Hobby Craft.  Brass swirl corner from Amazon - that I've had forever (or so it seems).

I think that's listed everything :)

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Left of Centre - Spiders

A Step in the Dark - Anything Goes

Ching-Chou Kuik - Fancy & Frills

Roby's Fetish - Use a Digi

Ribbon Girl - Add Flowers

Corrosive Challenge - Follow your Heart

Flowers for mum

This one is quite different for me with no digital image as the focal point.  Every now and then I try a card like this - and - I'm pleased to say I may be improving :)

Sooooo... the papers I used are from Lemoncraft - House of Roses.  All the edges were distressed then I also used some Distress Ink from Tim Holtz in Antique Linen on the edges.  The butterflies are also cut from the same Lemoncraft paper.

The flowers and leaves are from Wild Orchid Crafts.  There are some pearlised self adhesive gems in the bottom right corner.  I've also used some hemp twine which I can't for the life of me remember where I bought it because I've had it for so long.

The only other thing I've added is a computer generated sentiment which was cut out using a Spellbinder die, distressed, Antique Linen used on the edges and some tiny self adhesive gems added.

Hope you like what I've produced

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Inky Chics - Flowers

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes

Glitter n Sparkle - Anything Goes

The Ribbon Girl - Add Flowers

Dream Valley - Mothers Day

Just Inspirational - Mothers Day

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Creative Inspirations - Something Old (Hemp Twine)

March/April Through The Craft Room Door Magazine

Been dying to share this.  This is my colour challenge card for the Through The Craft Room Door Magazine - March/April edition.  And here's a close up.

Also done an exploding box tutorial - yeah that's right you heard - me doing a tutorial, never heard anything so daft :)

For more details you need to go here TTCRD Magazine

Andrea x 

Dragonfly friend

There's kind of  feeling of spring in the air around which has inspired me to do a green themed card.  This beautiful little fairy image from Oddball Art (Dragonfly Fairy Girl Image 73) was my choice.  I've coloured her using ProMarkers and added some DecoArt to her wings and the dragonfly wings.

Paper used are from Lili of the Valley/Raspberry Road Designs - Timeless Victorian, Shabby Shack and some black card stock.  All the papers have been distressed to give it a shabby chic look.

The lace is from The Ribbon Girl.  The self adhesive gems and the flowers cascading down the card are from Hobby Craft.

Just wait it'll be snowing tomorrow :)

Happy Crafting

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

Oddball Art Facebook Challenge - March

Digi Choosday - Anything Goes

Polkadoodles - Ribbon and Lace

Robyn's Fetish - Use a Digi

Glitter n Sparkle - Anything Goes

Paradise of Stamps - Fairies

Creative Card Crew - Green

Exceptionally cute - definitely!

It's the 1 of March already, I can't believe how fast the time's flying this year!  So it being the 1st of the month we have a new challenge over at The ABC Challenge.  The theme for this challenge is E  is for Exceptionally Cute sponsored by Sherri Baldy and The Ribbon Girl.

I love Sherri's images and the one I've used here is Besties IMG875.  This is actually the second image I coloured up.  I did her in reds first then changed my mind about what I wanted to do with her.

She's coloured with purple and blue ProMarkers andf cut out with a Spellbinders die.  Here's a close up so you can see her better.

The desig papers are flom Lili of the Valley/Raspberry Road Designs - Timeless Victorian and Lili of the Valley/NitWit Collections - Solids - Promises.  All the design papers have been distressed.

So what else have I used - some gorgeous lace form The Ribbon Girl.  The background wall cut out and purple flowers are all from Wild Orchid Crafts and the white hortensias are from Live & Love Crafts.  Here's a close up of the wall and some of the flowers.

Ok it's over to you now to show us your Exceptionally Cute creations.

Andrea x

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges

 Crafty Catz - Use Your Dies and Punches

Polkadoodles - Ribbon and Lace

Creative Inspirations - Luscious Lace

Inky Chicks - Flowers

Digi Choosday - Anything Goes

Sweet Stampin - All or Nothing

Design Team Snowcase - Challenge 7