CCM Challenge 51 - Butterflies

This week at Crafty Cardmakers the theme, chosen by Melly, is everyone's favourites - Butterflies!

I've chosen Tilda this week to assist with my butterflies! Both she and her dog have one and there are several fluttering in the meadow behind them!  In case that wasn't enough, there are two die-cut butterflies crusted with stickles top left and a goldtone charm.

My lovely fabric-look papers were from C&C, believe it or not, one of their rare bargains.

You can't see much of the base paper, which is a shame because it's quite lovely, with fairies, butterflies and pink bindweed on a textured ground.

I coloured Tilda, her dog and the meadow in a mix of Copics, Marvy-le-Plume and Stickles!

Hugs.

Crafty CardMakers Spot 49 - Masking

I've been wanting to try my Copic Airbrushing system for some months but kept putting it off so when this theme came up at Crafty CardMakers Spotlight, I could prevaricate and procrastinate no longer! Thank you Jack! LOL!

I just tore a piece of white card in a vaguely 'hills & mountains' kind of profile and used the edges of both, right and wrong way up to create masks and sprayed colours through my Copic markers.


In addition, I have used  a Magnolia image of rope, a tour Jeep and tickets. 
The wooden 'bridge' is real veneer and alpha from stash (Brenda Pinnick I think). Please excuse the abysmal photo - my OH's rubbish camera again. Hopefully I'll get mine back tomorrow.  


Hope you like it! I'll remember to photograph the next one, promise...!
Hugs
Ei
x


Entered for:


Allsorts - Free & Easy    - 133

Crafty CardMakers #49 - Spots and Stripes

This week's theme from Crafty CardMakers is Spots & Stripes which was chosen by our Donna!

' 

I would never normally combine spots & stripes per se as I usually have quite a fussy style to begin with but I may just try this again!  I had a slight problem with my glue not setting - probably the heat - so I didn't quite do everything I wanted to do with this card. 

Papers are DCWV and a doily, flowers a mix of Prima, Wild orchid and poundshop.  

The image is my own Eiglas  'Un bon repas pour deux'  (which can be found at my showroom, 'Eiglassing' )  coloured with my Copics.
The lovely 'crossover' card shape was featured on Top Tip Tuesday last week but I didn't get my mojo to work in time and so missed it. Fussy & Fancy's Diane has also made a crossover card this week - it's clearly an 'en-trende' technique!

My number three son, Rob has pinched my camera so I've had to use his Dad's 'orrible little 'point and click'. You can't half tell the difference!  The digital artifacts are all over the place. Yukkk! 

is our lovely sponsor this week and they're offering £10.00 to spend in their super shop!

Please do pop over to CCM - the girls have worked really hard on their demo cards this week and you will be inspired by the beautiful results!

Hugs

Ei

x


Entered for:


Fussy & Fancy - Diane                    
KB Cute Monday - Flowers              3
Make It Monday - Anything Goes   29
Ooh La La  - Summer Flowers          7

Colour Create - Blue, Silver & Purple

I don't enter challenges very often but I do like  Colour Create Challenge and this week their challenge has one of my favourite colour combos of purple and blue with silver.


I've also entered a colouring competition at Letraset so I've used the same image of the Capri, on a card for my son Michael who has a birthday next week, in the required colours.

It's coloured, of course, with my trusty Copics!
Hope you like it!
Hugs
Ei
x

Top Tip Tuesday - One for the Kids!

I'd already written all this and scheduled it but Blogger's little emergency in the week claimed it so I've had to try to remember what I wrote!


Well, we've all got them or have been one and this week at Top Tip Tuesday my lovely teamie.... has decided to give this week's challenge over to matters of the kiddie-kind!


Which is fine by me - doting  Nanna that I am...! LOL!


I've decided to use this digi-stamp of my own Eiglas brand showing Rapunzel either hauling her Prince Leopold into her lair to have her wicked way with him or trying to shove him back out saying  '...you dolt! Now we're both stuck up here!' or 'Rescue me..? Who's gonna rescue you then..?!'


I've coloured them with my beloved Copics although I'm running out of a few and need to buy some inks. I can't complain as they've lasted ages, at least 12 months and you all know I use them constantly. It will be interesting to see how long the new Marvy solvent-based markers last.


My lickle Ada will like this - I've made it 12 x 12 so it can be hung on the wall of her bedroom if she wants it.  The backing papers are my own Eiglas 'Roseheart' and one from stash.  The flowers are Poundshop and Prima.

Please do pop over to Tip Top Tuesday - the team have outdone themselves this week and there's so much inspiration there it's dangerous! LOL!


The fab sketch is from The Pink Elephant, so I'm going to enter it in their challenge too.
I hope you like it!
Hugs
Ei
x

Another melting-pot brooch.....

I made this brooch with a specific demo in mind then changed my mind at the last minute so here it is anyway! LOL!

I made the pendant bit in my Melting-Pot (I'll be uploading a tutorial in the next few weeks) with a stamp from CaroLines ( DS31C262)   and then mounted it with an old dungaree clip from my button-box.
I coloured the clip with my Copics (...see, universally useful...!) and threaded a grosgrain ribbon through the clip-loop.
I then sewed in a brooch-pin at the back incorporating a beaded 'knot' I made with some carnival beads and a rondelle on silver wire.


It's been really hard to photograph. I've tried in natural light, electric light with and without flash but they all look exactly the same! I even tried enhancing it in Photoshop but that didn't change it either!


If I can get a better one I 'll upload it later.
Hugs
Ei
x

Top Tip Tuesday - Everybody Join In...!

...and that means YOU! LOL!
Over at the challenge blog we have an 'open' theme which means your entries will be PHENOMENAL because you can choose your favourite stash, your favourite colours and your best techiques - so no excuse!


I don't really have favourite anythings as I love it all! So I've used my brand new 'Eiglas' digistamp 'Ramona - Queen of Rock!' , coloured her with my beloved Copics and blinged her up!

Not only is there a challenge over at the Top Tip Tues blog but there are some marvellous tips and hints to be gleaned over there thanks to our ladyboss suggesting all the team also add a tip each!  I'm gonna go over there and collect them all!


If you like 'Ramona' and you'd like her, she's over at my 'Eiglassing' site or just e-mail me and I'll send you what you want!


Hugs
Ei
x


Entered into


Papertake Weekly - Anything goes
Craft your Days Away - Music/Dance
Simply Create - Rock the Metal
Papercrafting Journey - Bling!

Flash - the Drummer...!

Well, they all have them.......bands that is! In every collection of musicians there is the odd one out and that's our drummer Flash! 


Being as he's like me - a ging that is - he kinda sticks out in a crowd and his 6 ft 4 inch height does nothing to blend him onto the surroundings either but none of this matters to Flash - he's only interested in bashing those Zildjians and pummelling those skins!


He's a really good rock drummer - great at holding the beat steady and blowing the proverbial minds of the audience with his phenomenal solos!

If you like Flash, he's over at my Eiglassing site or you can e-mail me and I'll send him to you!


Hugs
Ei
x


Challenges entered


Stamps R Us - For the Men
Craft Your Days Away - Music/Dance

Eiglas Super Challenge #1 - Baby Birth

***This post will remain at the top until 23rd February - please scroll down for more recent posts.***




To celebrate the birth of my gorgeous little grandson Tobias yesterday morning, I would like to run a very special challenge!


The Eiglas Challenge is not quite like most of the challenges out there - I am a stern taskmistress!LOL!


To be in with a chance of winning my prize this week I'd like to see the following:-


1)  a card or other project which must be specifically for the birth of a baby. No children, toddlers, puppies or doe-eyed girls etc, just newborn babies.


2) the colour pallette can be for either a girl or a boy but please, no gaudy or very dark treatments (I'm very old-fashioned! LOL!)


3) I'd love to see at least one hand-made flower.  I don't mean a bought one, I mean one you have made with your own fair hands. You can have as many Wild-Orchid Crafts type flowers as you like too!


4) I'd like to see, (but it's not mandatory) my Eiglas digistamp, 'Baby Toby' on the project . Please help yourselves to it and enjoy it! The only thing I ask is that you send me the link to any projects you make with him as I'd love to see them - preferably on this challenge! LOL! Also, if you'd please give a small credit to Eiglas if you publish him online or in a publication. Thank you so much!

 All of my digistamps can be seen on my showroom blog www.eiglassing.blogspot.com although I only have a few Pay Now' buttons up yet - there'll be more soon! 


In the meantime, if you want to buy a digi just e-mail me at www.eiglas@eiglas.co.uk and tell me which ones you want.

See...! Not so bad, is it...?
Oh! What's that you say? What do you get out of this.....?
How about no less than seven Copic Ciao markers including the blender pen 0, Black 100, Barley Beige E11, Barium Yellow Y00, Mimosa Yellow YG00, Yellowish Green YG06 and Ultramarine B29


Is that all...? Well, no actually! I'm also offering my very special winner a selection of my own Eiglas digis and I'll try to include genres to suit the winner too!


Anything else? Surely not....?


But YES! There is!  I'm also going to choose two more entries to be in the top three and they will also receive an Eiglas digistamp. 
All three winners will have my exclusive banner to display on their blogs to declare they were in Eiglas' top three!

This won't be a weekly or very regular challenge but it will always be a special one with the winner chosen on merit by me!


Please link only to your project, not just your blog and link back to this blog.
Please enter up to, but no more than, three projects.
Please leave a nice comment! LOL!


This challenge will remain open for two weeks and will close at midnight 23rd February 2011


I look forward to seeing your wonderful projects!
Hugs
Ei
x

Sketch Saturday 140 + Papertake Anything Goes & Flowers

My latest digi is from a drawing I made of Ada when she was a few months old which I came across in an old sketchbook of mine this week.  I thought she looked very 'boy-ish' in it and that started me wondering about her new baby brother, Tobias, whom we shall meet one week today, if not before!


I'm so looking forward to meeting this lickle grandson - I can't wait to see if he's like Ada or not! Ada has been such an easy baby - a complete delight and pleasure - and I think her Mummy may have been lulled into a false sense of security.......!


So, I've called this one 'Baby Toby'!
And I've used him on this card which I've entered into Sketch Saturday's challenge and Papertake Weekly this week!

I printed the image onto silk art card, which is quite glossy and behaves entirely differently than with my usual Ryman's card with my Copics, so it's a much less pigmented effect. 


You can't do the usual layering up technique on this card, as a second pass with your Copic 'melts' the previous layer so you end up with a streak if you're not careful! It did, however, make for a nice effect on the baby's top!


Hope you like 'Baby Toby' as he is now on sale on my other blog 'Eiglassing' as are my other digis. (I haven't had time to get up all my 'buy now' buttons yet though so just e-mail me and I'll send any files you might want!).


Hugs
Ei
x

Totally Tilda 14 - Baby, Baby! Colour Create 63 - Lemon, green & White

I happened upon the Totally Tilda blog by chance and thought I'd enter with an old Magnolia stamps I've only used about twice in all the time I've had it! The theme is 'Baby Baby!' and this is the only baby Tilda  I own.
I've also incorporated the colours Lemon, Green & White, so I can enter it into the Colour Create challenge too! Clever eh...?


Using the image is a bit of a challenge for me anyway as it's so small (...for me..!)! I've also used a smaller (...for me..!) than usual card too.

The paper is from stash, although I'm sure it's either  DCWV or K&Co. The flowers are a mix of Prima and Wild Orchid Crafts and the punch is Martha Stewart.


The image is, obviously, Magnolia which I've coloured with my Copics.
I hope you like it!
Hugs
Ei
x

My Lickle Honeycream Jar

Copic Creations has an interesting challenge this week - colouring with Copics on surfaces other than card & paper! Immediately my cogs started whirring! What can I colour which I haven't already.....?

After a good few minutes, my eye fell on another project I'm doing. I've been having a go at making my own skin-creams and toiletries and as a part of this, I've been hanging on to any interesting containers (...like we crafters need an excuse for that...!) and I'd saved and cleaned up a frosted glass jar my lovely SIL had given me with some tiny chocolate eggs in for last Easter (2009) and I think she'd had it from her sister with a scented candle in it!
So here it is!


I haven't yet made this batch of cream (...which happens to be honey-based...!) so I've just stuffed some cotton-wool balls in it for now, so you can see the coloured image on it better.

The Bee and Honeycomb stamps are my own Eiglas stamps (...although the species of bee is inappropriate as it's a Carpenter bee not a honeybee...) and I've coloured them with my Copics and Spicas and a little silver metallic gel-pen for effect.

I tied a sunny yellow ribbon around the rim to finish it off.


Hope you like it!
Hugs,
Ei
x

C.R.A.F.T 45 - Buttons!

This week at C.R.A.F.T we have it all buttoned up! LOL!
We were asked to make a project and include buttons somewhere.

Our lovely sponsor this week, who is supplying a super and appropriate prize of a big pile of ..............

..................................BUTTONS!

is the uber-talented HopeJacare who is not only a fab artist but I'm proud to count her as a team-mate and a blogging-pal too.

AKA Claire, she is such a lovely lady - nothing is too much trouble and I've never heard a bad word from her for anyone - she is a genuine and loyal lass.

I do, however, dislike one thing about her fiercely. She's a better bloomin' doodler than me! Yeah! So you understand....hmmmm... And if you don't understand, take a butcher's at the doodle on my card - it's one of hers.....yeah! yeah! Just TOO bloomin' good, isn't it? Makes me ill, she does.... I just HAD to have it, didn't I?



You really DO need to have a look at her shop - she really does have some gorgeous 'doodles'. I love this one but her 'Dandelion' is really fab coloured up and that wonderful chicken.... the detail in it! I'll be back over there after to buy another couple.....

There are a couple of fab birdies too and the thing I love about her style is that there is something for everyone - it's not all big-eyed girls and puppies, although there are certainly some cute images there - there are some very beautiful drawings. Just think what you could do with them and your Copics or your Marvy pens.


Materials
I used :-

1 x 21cm square white cardstock
1 x 12" sheet of DCWV from the pink 'Spring' collection
4 x star-shaped buttons and some thread to tie through the holes.
1 large -ish scrap of double-sided pearlescent paper such as Stardream
1 x 14.5 cm x 10cm dark puce Bazzill Bling for a mat.
1 x 14.5 cm x 10 cm yellow Bazzill Bling for 'shadow' mat
Choice of embellishments - mine are plastic trailing ivy leaves
4 x 21cm strips of puce paper lace trim
Dusky pink chalk for distressing
3D foam squares and adhesive of choice
1 x image, stamped and coloured. I used HopeJacare's 'Birdhouse' and coloured it with Copics and Sakura 'Stardust' or 'Tiara' pens and a waterbrush.

Method
Not much method to speak of!
The DCWV paper is so colourful & lively, there wasn't much else for me to do!

1) Chalk up the two side edges of your patterned paper and adhere it to your cardstock but bend back the top left hand corner approx 7 cms first.
2) Cut two 7cm squares, one of the patterned paper and one of the pearlescent paper.
3) Punch four 8cm approx. strips of the pearlescent paper and leave approx 1cm blank strip at bottom.
4) Carefully adhere with ds tape or similar two of the punched strips to two adjacent edges of the pearlescent paper and trim to size. Tidy up the punched bit if required. Fold flat against the square.
5) Slip this square of paper under the edge of the turned back patterned paper and adhere to the top left hand corner of the cardstock. 'Fluff' the punched edge up a bit so it stands up a little
6) Take the patterned square and stick the other two punched strips along the two adjacent edges that will be adhered to the folded over corner to face it. Take care to get the pattern right. Adhere to face the blank corner and tuck the bottom in. Trim this if necessary.
7) Adhere the paper lace along the top, middle and bottom of the card to suit.
Puth this whole to one side for the moment.
8) Take your coloured image (Mine is 'Birdhouse' by HopeJacare) and chalk lightly round the edges with a mauvy-grey chalk. Adhere this image to the puce mat and adhere paper lace top and bottom.
9) Position yellow mat on an angle behind the image and puce mat and adhere it to the made up card to suit.
10) Using 3D squares, adhere the image and puce mat in place above the yellow mat.
11) Add your embellishments.
12) Adhere your stars with the thread tied through.

Job done!
Hope you like it!
Hugs,
Ei
x

My Baby Fairy

I just love Mo Manning's images ....just in case you hadn't gathered that by now LOL! I just wish I could keep up pace buying them as fast as she produces them! If I win the lottery I shall buy the lot! This lickle darling is one of Mo's Fairy Babies and her name is Flora. Just how gorgeous is she...?



I actually bought and coloured her a couple of weeks ago but wanted to save her for a special challenge and what could be more fitting than Mo's own challenge?!

I've had a job taking the photo today as it's been so overcast. Of course, now I've managed to get it posted, the sun has just come out! Typical!

Mo's DP2 25 is asking for a Mo image in pastels, so here it is and I think it's one of my favourites so far. There! I've finally said it! I won't usually admit to a favourite of Mo's but lickle Flora has to be up there....she reminds me so much of my Ada!

Materials

1 x 21cm squ gatefold card.
1 x A5 pastel mint green cardstock, textured with my Sizzix Texture plate
1 x A5 pastel lilac Stardream (pearlescent) cardstock
1 x sheet of Laura Ashley Fresh Linen and Jasmine drawer-liner (Spotty aqua)
1 x 10cm squ piece of aqua glitter card
1 x Stamped and coloured image (mine is Flora Baby Fairy by Mo Manning)
2 x strips of a contrasting patterned paper approx 3.0cm x 19.0 cm
3D foam squares and adhesives of choice
Punches (mine are Martha Stewart)
Scalloped scissors
Flowers of choice - mine are Le Blanche
Inkpads of choice for distressing.



Method

1)Scallop edges of lilac card and cut in half lengthwise. Ink up scalloped edges with lilac pad of choice.

2)Take the green card and use a corner punch on all four corners. I used a Martha stewart punch then cut off the filigree bits, remaking them in the Laura Ashley paper and adhering in.

3)Take the Laura Ashley paper and use a border punch down the edges then cut to size 3.0cm x 19cm. You need two of these. Now ink up the fancy edge.

4)With the remaining Laura Ashley paperand a border & corner punch, create a 13.5cm square mat with lacy edging and adhere to white card for strength.

Construction

a) Take your base card and trim the two open edges with scalloped scissors.

b) Take the two strips of the 2nd patterned paper and adhere approx 0.5cm in from scalloped open edges

c)Adhere the two Laura Ashley strips approx 0.5cm in from each folded edge.

d)Using 3D foam squares on the outside facing edge and ds tape on the other,
adhere the lilac card pieces on on each leaf with the scallop facing towards the outside edge.

e) Now adhere the green textured cards to the lilac cards with ds taps or sticky dots, ensuring the fancy corners are facing outwards.
That's your basic card done.

f) Now take your coloured image and adhere to the glittercard mat (I used glue gel so the glitter doesn't shed)

g) Adhere this whole to the fancy edges Laura Ashley and white card mat using 3D foam squares.

h) Take your DS tape and apply to the back of this mat on the left (facing you) side only alomg the outer edge. Apply another piece to the edge of the left hand leaf. Carefully offer the mat to the left leaf, ensuring you're placing it right in the middle of the whole card. It should stick only to the left hand (facing you) leaf.

i) Finish off with your embellishments/flowers. I used La Blanche flowers.

If liked decorate the inside of the card in similar mode. I made a mat with the Laura Ashley paper and my Martha Stewart Round the Page punches.

I deliberately didn't over-gussy this card as I didn't want to overpower the important feature - Flora.

Hope you like it!
Hugs,
Ei
x






..

C.R.A.F.T 44 - Purple & Turquoise

For my C.R.A.F.T 44 demo this week, I ended up making two cards as I did one (not telling which!) and wasn't happy with it, so I did another! Then I went back to the first and altered it and now I'm happy with it!

I wasn't in my comfort zone this week with Purple & Turquoise as a colour combination (....I don't know why as I love both...!) and found it hard to get to the 'that's it!' point, but see what you think!

In no particular order here are the two cards.

Best Friends Forever - Sarah Kay

Materials

1 x 21cm square gate-fold card in white
1 x 15cm squ sheet of turquoise patterned paper 'Boxflower' from the 'Lauren' collection by Making Memories
1 x 15cm squ sheet of purple floral from DCWV 'Floral Prints' stack.
0.5mtr x 2cm turquoise patterned ribbon
0.5 mtr x 0.5 cm turquoise satin ribbon
Couple of Prima or Petaloo flowers
About 30 -32 small Prima flowers
Scrap each of purple, turquoise and lilac card to make message mount.
3D foam squares
Glue-gel
Adhesive of choice
Coloured image, mine is a Sarah Kay stamp coloured with Copics (...what else...?LOL!) and decoupaged.

Method
Nothing clever, just as you see in the photo!

Number two!

Miki's Puppies - Mo Manning

Materials

21cm square white card .
1 x 15cm squ sheet of turquoise patterned paper 'Boxflower' from the 'Lauren' collection by Making Memories
Stamped and coloured image - mine is 'Miki's Puppies' by Mo Manning coloured with my Copics.
3 x small scraps of 0.5 turquoise satin ribbon
7 x 5 cm scrap each of purple and white card for message mount.
10 x La Blanche flowers.
Turquoise pen for doodling!
3D foam squares for mounting picture & message mount.
Adhesive of choice.


Method
Once again, not much method - just what you see in the photo!

Hope you like them!




Eiglas Challenge Winner!

I also have two winners to announce!

I said, last week, that I would give a personal prize to a selected entrant from the C.R.A.F.T Easter challenge.

I asked for someone to blow me away with a project that, just for once, didn't have a 'cutesy' image on it! Nothing against 'cutesy' images but there is nothing else out there any more! No arty images, no beautiful landscapes or still-life images - I trawled very many challenges listed on the 'Daily Dare' and not one of them had anything but big-eyes dogs or cartoon rabbits or similar!

As you all know, I love Mo Manning's images so I'm not against whimsical images - I like Tildas, Penny Black & House-Mouse and some of the Elisabeth Bell images and I have a few Sarah Kays.

A couple of weeks ago, I was showing my very good friend Brenda around the blogs, trying to explain to this non-blogger, why we do it (....don't even go there...!) and it was then, whilst I was trying, in vain, to find a graphics-based project to show her (...being a friend of very long standing, I know her taste...) that I discovered the dearth of such items!

That's why, especially at Easter, I though a little encouragement was warranted!

Now there weren't that many non-cutesy entries even with my very small temptation, but the quality was amazing! With a bit of luck, perhaps some peeps may have discovered their old non-cutesy rubber stamps again!

I had real difficulty choosing a winner becasue they were so wonderful and I've ended up with two that I cannot bear to choose between.

The first one was an absolute shock to me in the most wonderful way.



Carolyn entered this beautiful card and I immediately went and bought the same beautiful image.

I don't have a problem with Easter eggs and bunnies but we have nearly lost the origin and meaning of Easter and this card took my breath away with its beauty and its remider of the Passion.

Carolyn - you make beautiful cards and this one is special.



My second card is only second because I saw it after Carolyn's, not because of any lack in it.

Rosette (who, co-incidentally is our Guest DT member on C.R.A.F.T this month) provided this beautiful and breathtaking creation.



Isn't it gorgeous?

So, I have two winners and will be issuing prizes in the next couple of days (...now I have a couple of days off from the ankle-biter....!).

My lovely winners will have a choice of digistamps from the talented HopeJacare
at Stitchy-Bear!

Hope you all enjoy looking at these lovely cards and pop over to both Carolyn's and Rosette's blogs for a look-see! The rest of their cards are equally amazing and Rosette's work can also be seen here and also at 'Mo's Dream Team' although you'll have to scroll through to find her work as all the DT have their stuff on there.


I've loved Rosette's work for some time and was delighted when she agreed to come to C.R.A.F.T as a Guest Designer (I originally selected her from a C.R.A.F.T challenge entry - we do this in turn) for the month of April.

Well, this is quite a long post for me, and I have prizes to pack....!
Hope you've enjoyed your visit!

Hugs,
Ei
x

I have short but important addendum to this post.

Apparently I have offended one of our very talented entrants on our C.R.A.F.T Easter challenge with a badly judged attempt at jocularity.

I would never intentionally offend or hurt anyone's feelings and have apologised most sincerely to the artist in question for my jokey comment coming over as anything but a 'wink'!

The irony is that I thought her card was super and said it was 'gorgeous' and 'beautifully coloured' but questioned, jokingly (... as these entries are all on Mr Linky and we have no interference at all in that..) the entry's connection, in my opinion, with Easter.

I don't revise my opinion but I do regret, and apologise for, giving offence where none was meant.
Ei
x

A couple more Easter cards......

I don't make many Easter cards - I don't make 'quickie' cards normally and I can't bear to think of the work I put into my 'proper' cards going in the bin the next day, but I do have a couple of peeps who like my cards and look forward to receiving them so here we are with another two.





My good friend Roni is a practising Christian and so I always make a 'proper' Easter card for her, as I also do for my daughter's grandma-in-law who is devout too.

For this card I used a lovely digistamp by McMahon Five called Easter Cross Digital Stamp which I coloured with my trusty Copics and covered with Glossy Accents for a glossy finish. The flowers I use are nearly always from Wild Orchid Crafts.





The 'Lickle Chickie' card is for my neighbour's children and is one of my own 'Eiglas' stamps.

I'll possibly have another one or two later on.

Hope you like them!
Hugs,
Ei
x

C.R.A.F.T 42 - Easter

I love Eastertime. It's the new beginniing, the opportunity to start life afresh after the winter.

In my garden, we have about eight or nine nesting-boxes and I'm thrilled that four of them already have incumbent birdie families! You can hear the little ones cheeping away - it's a wonderful sound and I'm so blessed to be able to go into my garden and listen to them.

It was with this influence in mind I made my other demo card for Colour Create but for C.R.A.F.T 42 I have another new image from Mo Manning to introduce.

Her name is Savannah and she's tending her lickle chicks. I love all of Mo's images as you know, so I won't say it's my favourite, but it IS cute as anything, isn't it! LOL!



Materials

1 x 21cm gatefold white card.
1 x 21cm pastel patterned sheet from Paper Pizzaz '4 Seasons'
1 x 14 x 10.5 cm rectangular mat in buttercream
1 x approx 18.5 x 14 cm rectangular sheet of heavy white paper or light card
4 multi-layer flowers (I made mine with a Martha Stewart 'Cosmos' punch)
30 cm piece of patterned ribbon
3 x small gems
Adhesive of choice
Image of choice. I've used Mo Manning's 'Savannah' and coloured with Copics .


Method

It's a very simple card so no clever techniques involved.

1) cut your patterned paper to fit both front leaves of the card. I used scalloped-edged scissors for mine. Adhere to leaves (I used my Xyron).

2) colour image and mat it onto the buttercream mat. Tie your ribbon around it to one side. I popped a little daffodil through the knot.

3) using a punch (I used a Marthat Stewart punch) edge the white mat.

4) adhere the buttercream mat onto the wite lacy one with 3D foam pads.

5) adhere your flowers to the corners of the mat. I used the brads they were made with on mine.

6) adhere this completed mat onto the left hand leaf (as it faces you) with ds tape or, if you're worried about positioning, silicon glue gel.

7) if using one, insert your inner.

And that's it done! I hope you like it!

Now as you can see I've used yet another 'cute' image on this card.
Just as a matter of interest, I've been looking at peeps blogs as I've been doing my follow-ups for C.R.A.F.T and Colour Create and there are ver fre projects on any of the blogs I've seen that are not adorned with 'cute' imagery.

There are Tildas by the multitude, Gorjuss Girls, Whimsy, Whiff of Joy, lovely Penny Blacks and, of course, even my favourite Mo Mannings and they're all, with very few exceptions, 'cute'. Even Mo's elderly incumbents, Jack & Ginger are cute, in a wrinkly kind of way!

So I'm throwing down a personal challenge! There will be loads of 'cutesy' images uploaded to the C.R.A.F.T challenge this week and that's wonderful and as it should be but I personally want to see some offerings WITHOUT the cute images. And I'm going to make it a real challenge and tell you it had to be a stamped and coloured image, no decoupage or Kit cards will be considered. I want to see YOUR work, not Kanban or Miss Bibby's or some cd imagery!

What am I offering for all this trouble I'm making you go to...?

It's a mystery! But it will be worth it!
Just upload your project to C.R.A.F.T in the normal way and if you have made a piece of art in the way I've described, you will be in with a chance of a nice mystery prize! It is a good'n, I promise you.....and you'll also still be in with your normal chance of the ProMarkers too!

So, get thinking and let's se what you can do!
Hugs,
Ei
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