Cute as a Button

Since I got my new printer a couple of weeks ago I've been totally hooked on the sweet "ready-to-use" images over at Nicecrane Designs. I was asked to make a baby card for a girl, and I chose an image from the Bessie Gutman Pack, you can find it here.
The theme over at HoC is cute or shabby/vintage with buttons, so I added a couple of those, after all this baby is "cute as a button".
I added flowers from Storyteller and white string. For texture I used cheesecloth and corrugated paper sprinkled with frantage.
I heat embossed the sentiment with pink EP on vellum, the stamp is from Kaisercraft.
The pink DP I used as background is from Prima, it came free with a magazine. I stitched with gold metallic thread around the edges and mounted it onto kraft.

This card is for these challenges:
1) House of Cards - Cute and/or Shabby + Button
2) Fairy Tale - #88 Baby
3) Make My Monday - Babies
4) Shopping Our Stash - #133 3-2-1 (3 flowers+2 buttons+1 image)
5) Penny's Paper-Crafty - #167 Anything but Square
6) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Bold and Bright Colors

Thursday means a new challenge over at the Outlawz Twisted Thursday. And a new month means new sponsors. For March we've got Nicecrane Designs and  Paper Temptress, and for a chance to win you need to enter a project. It's Anything Goes every week, with an optional twist. Using the twist will earn you a second entry in the draw, and this week it's "your favorite color". You would think it's an easy one, but for me it was too hard to choose between purple, yellow and orange, so I added a bit of all!
The image is a topper from Nicecrane, you can find it here. The DPs are various scraps, the Whimsy Stamps sentiment is heat embossed with yellow EP  and flowers are from Storyteller. Bling and metal frame from my stash, leaves made using a MB die. And the stitching is made using a metallic gold thread.

This card is for these challenges:
1) Storyteller - #11 Punch og/eller dies
2) Top Tip Tuesday - #122 Use 3,5 or 7 things on your card (3 flowers, 5 DPs)
3) Crafty Bloggers Network - Nature
4) Come and Get It Challenges - Flowers Galore
5) Pile It On - #9 Sweet/Soft or Bold/Bright
6) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Christmas Card with Sparkle, Sequins, Rhinestones and Pearls

Seeing the sketch over at I knew exactly what stamps I wanted to use! I love when that happens!

The stamps I used are two different sets from Panduro. I decided to heat emboss the circles with gold and black, the sentiment with gold. For the stars I chose silver EP.

I added sequins, also from Panduro, in the same color tones as well as white, and I added red rhinestones and pearls from Bo Bunny in the sequins' centers.

I machine stitched around the edges using a gold metal thread, and I mounted the background onto silver mirri card.

It's tricky to photograph, but this is a sparkly, clean Christmas design.



I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:
1) 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - Sketch
2) Sparkles Forum Christmas - #38 More than 3 Embellishments
3) Completely Christmas - #1 Anything Goes
4) Charisma Cardz - #5 Something Not for Crafting (Sequins)
5) Divas by Design - Sparkle
6) Fab 'n' Funky - #205 Christmas
7) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Pocket Card with Poppies

It's the last Thursday of February and your last chance to enter in the Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge for a chance of winning prizes from our 2 February sponsors - Anne's Digital Art and Paper Temptress.

Our optional twist this week is to make a pocket card or to add a pocket.

I used my favorite flower image, which is one of Anne's designs. I chose to use the same image for the insert as for the front of my pocket card. Both have been paper pieced using scraps. On the front I fussy cut the image and mounted it on foam onto a woodgrain patterned  DP. On the front I also used gold liquid pearls and a MB die to make the die cut vellum leaves. I used birthday sentiments in Norwegian, stamped with black ink and heat embossed with clear EP.



This is for these challenges:
1) Make My Monday - Grown-up card (not cute)
2) Pattie's Creations - #86 Spot OR Dots
3) Great Impressions - Floral Images
4) City Crafter Challenge - #200 Do You Speak English?
5) Make it Monday - Anything Goes
6) House of Cards - Photo+ CAS or Classic

Christmas Card with a Valentine's Image

I loved this ADFD image from the minute I first spotted it and just had to have it! With Valentine's behind us I thought Iwould make a Christmas card with it. I think with the sparkly wings and red and white color scheme it works, but I'd love to hear your opinion about it too....
I colored the image using Promakers and the hearts have got a coat of glossy accent to them.
The stitched panels with red and white DPs have been on my desk for about 6 months now, and I've tried it with different images, but just couldn't find the right one, until today. I stamped a Christmas greeting and added 3 red heart shaped sequins and voilà!

This card is for these challenges:
1) Jingle Belles - Rudolph the *RED* Nosed Reindeer - use predominantly RED
2) Winter Wonderland - The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
3) Addicted to Stamps and More - #83 Holidays
4) 4 Crafty Chicks - #182 Things with Wings
5) Aud Sentiments Challenge - #100- Bingo (vertical middle row)
6) Fab 'n' Funky - #204 Spots or stripes
7) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Vellum Card

Some cards come together easily, like my vintage take on the House of Cards color scheme. This card representing the style of "classic and elegant" did not. I've been thinking for a week on what to create, before I picked inspiration from Donna's card to use vellum, and I also got some ideas from different challenge blogs.
I haven't used any DP for this card, only vellum and stamps from 4 different sets.
I used a script stamp from Kort&Godt to make the background.  I heat embossed with white EP. Then I used 2 different stamps to make the swirls with silver glitter EP. For my doily flowers I used pink EP and fussy cut the images. The two smallest flowers are mounted on foam. One got a pink pearl in its center, but for the cluster of flowers I decided to add light green ones around them. The sentiment (meaning congratulations or happy birthday in Norwegian) is die cut. I covered it with silver glitter EP.

This card is for these challenges:
1) House of Cards - Photo+ CAS or Classic
2) Creatalicious Challenges - #60 Pearls and Glitter
3) Sentimental Sundays - #195 Make your own background paper
4) ABC Challenge - F is for Flowers
5) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

CAS with the use of Metallic Tape

The challenge theme over at LIM is "metal", ADFD "green" and Keep It Simple "Things with Wings", and I thought I'd combine these themes for my card.
I treated myself to this image of adorable chicken yesterday and wanted to use it straight away. I colored the chicken with a pencil using "squeezed lemoande" and "wild honey" Distress Inks. I ussycut the image and mounted it on foam.
The paper has a lovely textured look, so I kept it untouched, added it to a panel of green paper. I know it doesn't look green, but it is... This is one of the reasons I rarely make green cards - the colors always end up looking very different on photos than they do in real life, no matter what I do with lighting and angles.  You'll just have to take my word for it:)
I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder and metallic tape to make the ground.

This is for these challenges:
1) A Day for Daisies -#90 Add Green
2) Less Is More - #160 Metal
3) Keep It Simple! - #34 Things with Wings
4) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Triple Play

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at the Outlawz Twisted Thursday! Our optional twist this week is "triple play", and our February sponsors are Anne's Digital Art and Paper Temptress.
I added 3 gems. But I also tried a technique that is new to me - triple stamping - and I also used the same swirl stamp 3 times. I really like the effect of triple stamping and was surprised at how easy it was. Looking up tutorials and videos on the web, as well as scanning many different blogs, give me much inspiration, and when you learn the tricks things are not as difficult as you would imagine!
I used a butterfly image designed by Anne. I colored it using different shades of purple and I also added some purple liquid pearls. The sentiment is made using peel off stickers, one of the advent calendar gifts I received from my mum. The swirls are heat embossed with silver glitter EP.

This card is also for these challenges:
1) Digi Sketch Challenge - Sketch and/or Theme Glitter (T)
2) Through the Purple Haze - Embossing
3) Cards Galore Encore - #2 Add a gem, glitter, candi or any bling you fancy
4) Digi Galore - Things with Wings
5) Word Play Saturday - Swirls
6) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Using my Washi Tapes...

For this card I was inspired by the sketch over at Try Stamping on Tuesday. I've printed this sketch, it's a keeper and I know I'll be using it again! I had planned to make it a male card, had sprinkled the background  paper with brown mist, added the striped DP and my washi tapes. Then I spotted the rose die cut amongst my pile of "ready to use items" and had a change of heart. I went with a design with a stemped sentiment as the focal point as I don't have any thank you cards left in my card pile. I added a circle die cut and some pearls, mounted the rose on foam. .

This card is for these challenges:
1) Try Stamping On Tuesday - #156 Sketch
2) A Creative Romance - Let's Get Sentimental
3) Pile It On - #7 Sentiment as the Focus
4) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Humorous Birthday card for a Man

For my humorous card I used an image and sentiment from two different Bugaboo sets. I colored the image with Promarkers and added glossy accent to Gus' glasses and the balloon. I wanted to include some color on my card, so I used a scrap piece of chevron patterned DP and orange panels, as well as 3 different DPs with spots and stripes. The image is mounted on foam. I've got so many buttons in my stash, and I chose 3 different colors and sizes and added twine.
This card is for these challenges:
1) Come and Get It Challenges - Humorous Birthday
2) Stella Says Sketch - Sketch #203
3) Kaboodle Doodles - Buttons and Twine
4) Digi Makeover Challenge - #128 Add Dimension
5) A Gem of a Challenge - Spots and Stripes
6) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Vintage Christmas Card with Nicecrane Image

Inkspirational has a bingo challenge this fortnight, and I decided to make a Christmas card with a Nicecrane image that can be found here. What I love about bingo challenges is that they force me to add more elements than I usually do, which I find quite challenging.

I used several dies for this card, two circle shaped ones, my newest set of Spellbinders, Labels 22, and pine branches from Cheery Lynn. For the snowflakes I used a punch.

I also used several stamps. I stamped postmarks on the background DP from Maja Design with a stamp from Kort&Godt. The postcard is from TPC Studio, I placed it onto a scrap piece of harlequin patterned DP. The tags are from LOTV.
Since I used rather dark colors for this card I think it needed a bit of sparkle. I've used Frantage Shabby White and Chunky White. As for embellishments I used 3 pearls and a pearl brad, and I attached a git metal charm to twine.


This card is for these challenges:
1) Inkspirational - #50 Bingo (Pearls+Metal charm+Punches/Dies)
2) C.R.A.F.T. - #246 Christmas
3) Brown Sugar - #81 Use a Die Cut or a Punch
4) Card Makin' Mamas - Make It Sparkle
5) 4 Crafty Chicks - #181 Use Pearls
6) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Birdhouse

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at the Outlawz Twisted Thursday! Our optional twist this week is to add a flower, and our February sponsors are Anne's Digital Art and Paper Temptress.

I used one of Anne's images and colored it with Promarkers. I had planned to make this card CAS, but it turned out differently as I felt something was missing and decided to add a piece of brown striped DP and seam binding ribbon with a metal birdhouse charm. The image is fussy cut, mounted on foam and attached to a panel of light blue DP, which is actually from a Christmas collection, but I think it works as a spring sky too.
I would also like to enter this card into Make it Monday - Anything Goes.

Christmas Card with lots of Gold and Glitter

I want to be well prepared for Christmas this year, so I've set myself a goal of making some Christmas projects each month.
Seeing the color palette over at 52CCT I decided to play with these colors: gold, red, black and green. I also decided to go for a paper pieced poinsettia, made with a Papermania stamp, left over papers and gold glitter EP. I believe this was one of my first Christmas stamps buys.
The red background DP is a new one, it was part of a paper set I won over at Kate's blog.
The circle shaped sentiment I received as a calendar gift in December. I heat embossed it using clear EP.
I stitched around the edges using a  gold metallic thread and I added 3 green gems that I think have been in my stash for several years now.



This card is for these challenges:
1) 52 CCT - Color
2) Crazy 4 Challenges - C4C222 Glitter
3) Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge Extra - Anything Christmas
4) Paper Crafting Journey - Emboss That
5) Penny's Paper-Crafty - #163 Something old and something new
6) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Confirmation Card with Prima Doll

My aunt asked me to make a card for her friend's daughter's confirmation. With the girly theme over at CAGI and the bingo board over at Wags'n Whiskers I thought I could get it done sooner rather than later.
I made a card holder with an insert. The holder I covered with a butterfly DP from Maja Designs. I used gold metallic thread for stitching.
I placed the stamped Prima doll image, colored in pink and grey, onto a circle die cut found in my stash of leftovers, as well as a doily.
I stamped the greeting directly onto the DP and used a freebie butterfly die to make the larger butterfly and covered it with pearls. The smallest butterflies are made using a punch.

This card is for these challenges:
1) Come and Get It Challenges - Make it Girly
2) Wags 'n Whiskers - #122 Bingo (Pink+Pearls+Doily)
3) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Hugs and Kisses with Texture

Texture, CAS, Love, Valentine, Male, &... There are so many different inspirational sources I could mention for this card.
My own idea was to make something without DPs, I also left out stamps, and I've fallen in love with my new Penny Black dies, used for "hugs" and "kisses". 
I used a die to cut out the heart of burlap and corrugated paper. I wish you could see how the corrugated one sparkles in real life, I've added Frantage to it and it looks so nice.
I think the textures and color scheme of this card makes it suitable for a man. The only color I added are the dark red colored gems.
The "&" is a chipboard.
So no DPs, no stamps, only die cuts, texture and some gems...

This card is for these challenges:
1) The Male Room - #14 Valentine
2) Addicted to CAS - #30 Love
3) CASology - #81 And
4) Come and Get It Challenges - Clean and Simple
5) Eclectic Ellapu - Texture
6) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Girly with Hearts

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at the Outlawz Twisted Thursday!
A new month also means new sponsors, and this time it's our own talented Anne with Anne's Digital Art as well as Paper Temptress.
This week's optional twist is to make something for Valentine or something with hearts.
I used one of Anne's sweet girly images. I colored it with Promarkers and cut it with a Spellbinders die. The inner border of the die cut is pierced, and I decided to hand stitch with a silver thread, and I used my sewing machine for the edges of the card base.
For the background I used the sunray technique. I think it's a fun and decorative technique and it allows you to use some of those scraps too!  I die cut a heart and added a birthday greeting using pink EP and 3 rhinestones.

This card is also for these challenges:
1) Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes / Hearts
2) Ooh La La Creations - Use a Heart
3) Crafty Boots - Bingo (Embossing+Heart+Die cut)
4) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Hugs & Kisses

I was inspired by the photo over at "House of Cards" for this card. I've never used this color scheme for a vintage card before, and I quite like it, they cheer me up with the dull, grey winter weather we have in Oslo right now.
The DPs are from My Mind's Eye and Panduro. The vellum leaves are cut out using the "Curvy Leaves" dies from Elizabeth Craft Designs, and the sentiments with dies from Penny Black - both new. The chipboard "&" and the pink flowers are from my stash.
I don't remember the origin of the image, but it was a gift from my mother. I cut out the image and frame using Spellbinders Labels 22 dies.

This card is for these challenges:
1) House of Cards - Photo Inspiration+ + Cute/Fun or Shabby/Vintage
2) Top Tip Tuesday - #120 Girly Challenge
3) Sparkles Forum Challenges - #52 Show us your New Stash
4) Penny Black Saturday Challenge - For Someone Special
5) Sugar Creek Hollow - #79 Love and Adore
6) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

CASEing Yvonne

Inkspirational has a CASE challenge this fortnight, and the task is to CASE anything made by DT member Yvonne. I love Yvonne's work. I'm especially fond of her vibrant yellow colored cards, and I love how she makes the most wonderful backgrounds using stencils.
I got this Tim Holtz stencil on Saturday, along with some embossing paste, and this is my very first attempt of using either one. I decided to case this card. Along with the color scheme and the sunrays, I picked up her idea of adding stars and a non colored image.
My image is made with a stamp from Kort&Godt, the image is heat embossed with clear EP.
The sentiment is one of my favorites, it's from a Dylusions set.
I used Squeezed Lemonade and Wild Honey Distress Inks, and some star bling from my stash. For an added touch of sparkle I sprinkled a bit of Frantage to the background and machine stitched with a gold metallic thread around the edges.
So this card has a little bit of Yvonne's style and a little bit of mine...

This card is for these challenges:
1) Inkspirational - #49 CASE anything by DT member Yvonne
2) Totally Gorjuss - #221 - Sunny Colors
3) A Little Bit Crafty - Man Up
4) The Squirrel & the Fox - #62 Use embellishments
5) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Best Friends

I love the boy images from LOTV, they remind me so much of my two youngest nephews. I've chosen hair colors to make theirs, one is blond and one has dark hair, and they're so good friends, just like the boys on this image.

I used DPs from Authentique, a Tim Holtz paper for the tree and kraft paper. I've used dies from Marianne to make up the scene of nature.

The sentiment is a birthday greeting,heat embossed with brown embossing power.

This card is for these challenges:
1) Moving Along with the Times - Birthday Boys
2) Penny's Paper-Crafty - #161 Spots & Dots
3) Shopping Our Stash - #128 Outdoorsy Theme
4) Send a Smile for Kids - For the Boys
5) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Purple and Yellow Girly Card

This week we have an "Anything Goes" challenge for you at the Outlawz Twisted Thursday. By entering a card or project you'll be in the chance of winning prizes from this month's sponsors - My Besties by Sherri Baldy and Paper Temptress.
I've used a Bestie image for my card and a color combination of purple and yellow. Purple is one of my favorite colors, I think it goes so nicely with any other color. I used different DPs for this card, the one I used as background came free with a magazine, all others were leftover strips. I used MB dies  to make the flowers and die cut leaves and a Spellbinder die to make the oval. I also used some green leaves and a flower from my stash. The birthday greeting is heat embossed, and I used a punch to make the butterflies, which I decorated with pearls.

This card is also for these challenges:
1) Word Play Saturday - Yellow
2) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Friends...

It's been some time since I last did a CAS card, so I thought I'd go with the option of sketch+CAS for House of Cards.

But what to make? Its' the season for Valentine's cards, so I was quite inspired by red and hearts, but I also wanted to make a card to give to a friend. So I chose a sentiment in Norweigna which translates something like "A friend is a gift so great that it can only be measured by the heart". I don't know if the sentence makes sense in English, but it does in my language:) 

For the image I used a stamp from Lost Coast Designs. It's called "Waiting for Mr Right", but I cut out parts of the image and what was left was 3 girlfriends. Both the image and sentiment were stamped with black ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I used 2 heart dies to make the frame of the image and the two smaller hearts are sequins.


This card is for these challenges:
1) House of Cards - # Sketch + CAS or Classic/Elegant
2) Everybody-Art-Challenge - #263 Heart
3) Creative Creations Challenge Blog - Less is More
4) Dream Valley Challenges - #74 No Designer Paper
5) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Festive Fairy

For this card I used Chocolate,
Coffee and Cards' sketch as inspiration for the layout and the Inkspiational photo as inspiration for my color choices.

This adorable grown up fairy lives over at Doctor Digi House of Stamps - Phyllis the Festive fairy can be found here.
I gave her a paper pieced dress with spots and vellum wings. The DPs are from a paper pad from My Mind's Eye.

As golden accents I used a yellow seam binding ribbon, 3 gold bling stones and gold thread for my stitching. For the oval I had to "cheat" and used a gold metallic pen instead. I also added some gold embossing powder on top of the stamped sentiment.



This card is for these challenges:
1) Inkspirational - #48 Photo inspiration
2) Chocolate, Coffee & Cards - #57 Sketch
3) Crafts 4 Eternity Recipe Challenge - #160 Tic Tac Toe (Blue+Paper Piecing+Stamping)
4) Sweet Stampin - In Stitches
5) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Bugaboo Birthday Party - Funny Birthday Project

This my final card for the week long Bugaboo Birthday Party!  I've had quite a hectic week, so I can tell you it was quite a challenge for me making all 7 cards, considering I'm the type of crafter that usually spend a ridiculous amount of time on each card! But I did manage to fill up my stack of birthday cards which was partly the reason why I wanted to participate.
For this card I had decided I wanted to use the star patterned paper, so I chose colors for my image based on this paper's color scheme. I had planned another layout, but found the red panel with stitching in my stash and decided to add a DP with lots of words. I mounted my image and star onto foam for dimension and used the sentiment that came with this Stella image found here. I added glossy accent to Stella's glasses and used 6 red pearls from my stash.

This card is for these challenges:
1) Catch The Bug - Funny Birthday Project
2) Crafter's Cafe - #47 Funny or Whimsical
3) Fab 'n' Funky - #200 Words
4) Paper Shelter Challenge - #144 Digi image + sentiment
5) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Bugaboo Birthday Party - May the fours be with you

And this is the 6th card for the Bugaboo weeklong birthday challenge.
The design was at first inspired by the Digi Sketch Challenge sketch, then I started to alter the layout, and the card ended up only fitting their masculine theme.
All DPs are from Maja Design's Christmas Collection - I just love these papers, so perfect for other occasions as well, it's all up to which side of the paper you want to use!
My idea here was to use a paper as background that would work as a wallpaper and a texture that would resemble a carpet.
Gus has been colored with Promarkers and his armchair is paper pieced. I added glossy accent to his glasses.  You can find Gus here. The image comes with a fun sentiment, but I used one in Norwegian instead. My elements of "4" are card candies.

This card is for these challenges:
1) Catch The Bug -May the fours be with you
2) Totally Papercrafts #203 One for the Boys
3) Digi Sketch Challenge - Sketch and/or Theme "For Men"
4) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Bugaboo Birthday Party - Just kidding around

For my fifth card for the Bugaboo Birthday Party I used a Subonnet image - you can find it here.
I used my very neglected wave die from Memory Box and my often used cloud dies.
I stamped a birthday greeting on one of the clouds.
I wanted to use blue DPs to make the sky and sea, but felt my card was a bit colorless, so I used a yellow striped paper as frame. I machine stitched around the edges and decided to use no embellishments! 

I would like to enter this card into these challenges:
1) Catch The Bug - Just kidding around - birthday project for kids!
2) Charisma Cardz - #2 It's a boy thing
3) Kaboodle Doodles - Use Blue
4) Make it Monday - Anything Goes