Passion for Markers - Check it Out...

 Good morning, crafty friends! It's time for a brand new challenge over at Passion for Markers and this week I'm in the hostess chair! I've set you all an easy peasy theme of 'Check it Out', so I would like to see checks, ginghams and/or plaids somewhere on your creations...simple, right?...

We're being sponsored by Lili of the Valley, who are offering one lucky winner a choice of 4 digital images from their online store...

We were lucky enough to pick out an image to play with and I chose the pretty floral 'If Friends were Flowers' image...

 I coloured the image with my Pro/Flexmarkers -

Flowers - Pearl Blue, Cornflower, China Blue, Lilac, Orchid, Amethyst, Lemon, Yellow, Sunflower

Leaves - Apple, Forest Green, Lime Green, Pear Green

Vase- Blender, Tea Green, Pebble Blue

Butterfly - Soft Peach, Rose Peach, Sandstone

Bee - Yellow, Sunflower, Cool Grey 5, Black

Tag and shadow - Pastel Beige, Khaki, Blender

I used a pale green gingham for the background, hand drawing a doodle frame in black fineliner. I added a couple of strips of coral coloured, fine check paper to the bottom third, cut the image using a distressed rectangle die and mounted onto blue and then white, before attaching to the card front using foam tape. I also added two fishtail flags in lilac gingham to reflect the colour in the flowers.

I used my favourite Yana Smakula sentiments die in gold and stamped the word wishes below, then finished with gold coloured gems and pearls...

I hope you can find the time to play along with my fun challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations...

Crafty hugs,

 

Passion for Markers - Monochrome...

Hey there, crafty buddies! Another Tuesday arrives, which signals the start of a brand new challenge over at Passion for Markers! The lovely Sarah is in the hostess chair with a fun theme of 'Monochrome'...this doesn't just mean black and white, but can also be creations made using predominantly ONE colour (you can of course use skin/hair colours and neutral tones in addition, but your creation should be obviously one colour)...

We're being sponsored by Dies to Die For, who are offering one lucky winner a £15 voucher to their online store (can I play along?!)...

I decided to go typical monochrome and coloured this pretty orchid image in grey tones...

Colour List - 

Flowers - Brown Grey 5 (SN), Brown Grey 8 (SN), Blender, Blue Grey 2

Leaves - Cool Grey 2, 4 & 5

I added some silver glitter to the flower detail and some crystal glitter to the leaves. The floral paper was from my stash and I kept the design relatively simple with it being all of the same colour tones, finishing with just a few random pearls...

I hope you can find the time to play along with our fun challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations...

Crafty hugs,

Passion for Markers - Easter...

 Good morning, crafty buddies! The days are getting longer here in the UK, although it does feel as though they are moving a lot faster too! I can't quite believe that we are already a quarter of the way through the year, but it's nice to see the buds appearing on the trees, see the first Spring flowers and hearing the birds going about their nest building...

Today's challenge over at Passion for Markers has been set by the lovely Sue who would like to see all of your Easter creations, in anticipation of the celebration at the end of the month...

We are being sponsored by All Dressed Up Stamps who are offering one lucky winner a choice of 2 digital images from their online store...

The image that I  picked out is not particularly Easter themed, but I thought that this pretty 'Beret Girl' would make a wonderful Spring inspired card, with the right colour tones...

Colour List :

Skin - Bluch, Dusky Pink, Sunkissed Pink

Hair - Cinnamon, Auburn, Umber

Dress - Tulip Yellow, Sunflower, Gold, Pebble Blue, Black

Beret - Meadow Green, Apple, Forest Green, Cool Aqua, Duck Egg, Surf Blue

I gave her a die cut bouquet of flowers to hold and added some Easter eggs to depict the theme, keeping my design clean and simple, just using a pink plaid paper and my Spellbinders borders. I added some miniature butterflies (not strategically placed, of course?!) and finished with some flat back pearls...

I hope that you can find the time to play along with our topical challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your Easter makes...

Passion for Markers - Colours of Spring...

 Hey there, crafty friends! Another Tuesday rolls around and it's time for a brand new challenge over at Passion for Markers. The lovely Marlene is in the hostess chair with a seasonal theme of 'Colours of Spring'....

We're being sponsored by Polkadoodles who are offering one lucky winner 3 digital images from their online store... 

I picked out an image that I had used previously called 'Scruff Gardening'....I love this little pooch watering the flowers...

Living in Wales, the epitome of Spring has to be the swaths of green and yellow daffodils that adorn the hedgerows, towns and villages - so this is where I took inspiration. I coloured Scruff with my alcohol markers -

Fur - Champagne, Sandstone, Cappuccino, Umber (SN)

Bandana - Tulip Yellow, Gold, Pumpkin

Watering Can - Apple, Forest Green

I picked out some papers from my stash and played around until I was happy with the layout, then added a couple of die cut clouds...firstly, because I don't need much encouragement to use clouds in my crafting and secondly, because I thought that they went with the outdoor theme of the image (see, there is method in the madness at times!?!) I decoupaged Scruff with two extra layers and gave him some rosy cheeks using Distress Ink on a cotton bud (the easiest way to create blush, I think). I stamped the birthday sentiment using my stamp platform and added the die cut sentiment using foam pads before finishing with some sequins and pearls...

I hope you can find the time to play along with our seasonal challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your Spring inspired makes...

Crafty hugs,

Passion for Markers - Dies and/or Punches...

 Good evening, crafty friends! I am a little late to the party with this week's challenge over at Passion for Markers - life is pretty hectic at the moment and I am trying to get my house sorted after emptying Mum's. It is definitely a case of cluttered house, cluttered mind and I have been busy building flat pack furniture and decorating to store the multitude of stuff that I brought home. I cannot even get into my craft room properly, so this card was created mainly on a board on my knee?!...

The lovely Marie is in the hostess chair this week and she always gives us a nice, easy theme - this week being 'Use Dies and/or Punches'...

We are being sponsored by Dr Digis House of Stamps who are offering one lucky winner 2 digital images from their online store...

We were lucky enough to get an image to play with and I picked out Bob's Balloons...

I just used a portion of the image and created a CAS card with some paper piecing and doodling. I coloured Bob with my Pro/Flexmarkers -

Skin - Blush, Dusky Pink, Rose Peach

Shirt - Pebble Blue, Blender

Jumper - Marine, Surf Blue, Blender

Hat - Wild Orchid, Purple, Red Violet

Balloon - Meadow Green, Apple, Forest Green

I added a strip of polka dot paper to the bottom third of the card and freehand drew some doodling around the white area before mounting Bob using foam pads for a bit of dimension, I also paper pieced his jumper with a striped paper. I die cut some balloons in a gold and blue glitter and drew the strings using a fine line pen. I used my favourite Yana Smakula Birthday sentiments die and stamped 'wishes' underneath, then finished with some sprinkles of gems and pearls...

I hope that you can find the time to play along with our fun challenge this week (and as for me, better late than never?!)...

Crafty hugs,

Passion for Markers - Use Red and/or Hearts...

 Good morning, crafty friends! So we're into February and the days are slowly starting to get longer (yay!) but Spring still seems a long way off....my crafty mojo is still nowhere to be seen, but I think that's because of the fact that the house is in complete disarray after having to empty Mum's and not being able to resist bringing a lot of stuff home! I need to be ruthless and then to get organised, but it's a slow process and one that requires motivation (something which I am very much lacking at the minute!)...

Anyway, it's Tuesday! So that means it's time for a brand new challenge over at Passion for Markers and I did force myself to sit at my crafty desk and create something?! We have the lovely Lorraine in the hostess chair this week and she has given us a topical but easy theme of 'Use Red and/or Hearts'...

We're being sponsored by Dies to Die For who are offering one lucky winner a £15.00 voucher to their online store...awesome right?!...

I decided to take the opportunity to make hubby's card for next week and was inspired by a card that the lovely Deborah Hellman created with a fabulous and relevant sentiment!...

With everything that has happened over the last few months, I can't imagine that I have been the best of company at times, so I thought that this sentiment was the perfect way to say thank you for being there...

I used a heart stencil which I dry embossed first and then used my Versamark pad to heat emboss with white embossing powder to create a resist. I inked with Festive Berries Distress Oxide and then added my fussy cut cactus image on foam pads -

Plant - Apple, Forest Green, Ivy (SN)

Pot - Soft Peach, Honeycomb, Spice

I added the sentiment which I created in PS and a couple of red, heart gems to follow on with the theme...

I hope you can find the time to play along with our fun challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your wonderful makes...

Crafty hugs,

Passion for Markers - Birthdays...

 Good morning, crafty friends! It's time for another brand new challenge over at Passion for Markers and this week I am playing hostess. As it's my birthday this weekend, I decided to choose a super simple theme of 'Birthdays'!...

We are being sponsored by Colour of Love Stamps who are offering one lucky winner a choice of 3 digital images from their online store...

We were lucky enough to get an image to play with and I picked out the sweet 'Sitting Pretty' cat...

I coloured the cute kitty with my Pro/Flexmarkers :

Fur - Soft Peach, Honeycomb, Spice, Cinnamon, Auburn, Champagne, Vanilla, Sandstone

Bow - Cool Aqua, Duck Egg, Surf Blue, Petrol Blue

Flowers - Pastel Pink, Cocktail Pink, Sorbet, Antique Pink

Grass and leaf - Apple, Forest Green, Camo Green (SN)

I went for a CAS design with a stenciled background using Peacock Feathers DI and fussy cut the cat leaving a white border, before mounting using foam tape. I stamped a two part sentiment, one directly onto the card and the birthday on a strip mounted onto a turquoise blue cardstock. I added a touch of glitter to the sentiment, a tiny die cut butterfly for a bit of dimension and finished with a couple of self adhesive pearls...

I hope you can find the time to play along with my Birthday challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations!

Crafty hugs,