MiC Manga for my sis... and colouring fun!! :)

Hello everyone!! :)

Well, I managed to get my head in gear long enough earlier to remember what was going on in there when I made this card late last year so thought I should get on and post it while the going was good!!lol ETA: I've just realised as I hit publish how incredibly similar this card is to the one I posted yesterday... guess I like the design- hope you do, too!!lol

This is the card I made for my sis, who loves Manga and all things Japanese, for her 17th birthday a couple of months ago :) Now, I'm often not quite sure about some of the manga style images (the styles of character all have different names but I can never remember them for more than a minute!!lol) I see for crafting... although some of them are growing on me more recently... but I really do like some of the fab ones that the lovely Zoe of MiC brings for us and, having spent a fair bit of time perusing the various MiC galleries and groups, etc., I was more than happy to have an excuse to treat myself to a few digis and have some fun colouring them up!! :)

I wasn't originally planning to go so CAS with this- I tend to go to town with my sis' cards and throw all sorts of things at them!!lol- but when it came to it, I simply couldn't find any papers in my stash that suited the image, either in style or colour... and then, when I put her down on a piece of white card I had on my desk, it really seemed to let the colours and colouring look so much better... so I went with it, printed a greeting panel, found some seam binding and coloured a matching mat layer- I still so love that I can do that with my PMs!! :)

I chose this image (called Cici) in particular as- apart from it just being gorgeous and fun!!lol- I wanted to try improving my colouring and shading of pleats and contours using Zoe's fab video, and her dress and flower are great for that :) My sis is also artistic and has started to get into Copics (always wanting to use my PMs when she's here, too!!lol) so I knew she'd appreciate that I'd put some effort into the colouring... most non-crafters just don't get that, do they!?!lol There's still huge room for improvement with the shading but this was my first attempt and I was pretty pleased considering :) I think the proper blending card I was using for the first time was a big help, too... couldn't believe how much ink I could put down to get the blend before it started bleeding!! :) Nearly ruined the whole thing when I tried to do her hair, though- thank heaven I remembered my Prisma pencils to hide my mess!!lol

I added some glaze to her cherry and some Stickles to the flower for a bit of interest :)

The List:

• 6" Sq. Elegant white card blank from Craftwork Cards
• Fab digi image, Cici from Make it Crafty
• Coloured with ProMarkers and Prismacolor Pencils... PMs: Marine, Turquoise and Pastel Green for dress and flower... don't know what colours I used for her hair as it was going so horribly and knew I wouldn't want to repeat it!! A deep pink Prisma came to the rescue to hide the worst and add some texture, though!! :S
• White paper coloured with Marine PM for mat layer
• Computer generated sentiment using free fonts: Candy Round BTN & BlackJack
• Strawberry Glaze Seam Binding from The Ribbon Girl
• Pink mini dewdrops with a gorgeous pearly shimmer
• Crystal Stickles
• Sakura Clear Glaze pen

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges: Charisma - CAS :) ; I ♥ Promarkers - Anything Goes :) ; Joanna Sheen - Celebrations :) ; Cupcake Craftroom - Anything Goes :) ; Papertake Weekly – Buttons, Bows, Bling and Blooms :)

Thank you for visiting... hope you like the card!! :) I have a load of photos already edited and waiting to be posted as I've been doing that when my brain has been refusing to form sentences to write posts for the ones I already had waiting before that so I hope I'll have another moment or three of lucidity soon to catch up with myself!!lol Thank you for all the lovely comments on my last card, too- I really do it appreciate so much!! :) :)

Introducing Newton... and it’s all about Animals over at Dream Valley!! :)

Hey there folks!! :)

Well, I’m starting to sound like a broken record now but... I really thought I’d have managed to get back here before now to post some of the many things I’m dying to share... soul is willing but the body and mind are still having none of it!! :S There’s always a crash for me health-wise after Xmas but it seems like it takes longer to get past every year... or maybe I'm just getting more and more impatient!! :S I did finally manage to make it to my desk a couple of times this week, though, to get my dad’s birthday card made (thank goodness!!) and finish another DT project while the mojo was still good- utterly exhausting but worth it as I feel a bit more like me again at last... just don’t feel right when I can’t craft!! :)

Anyway, much as I would like to pretend otherwise, a fortnight has passed us by again... the plus side of that, though, is that it’s time for another fab challenge over at DreamValley!! :) This time we would like to see ‘Animals’ on your cards... another lovely, easy challenge for you and I’m looking forward to all the cuteness that will inevitably ensue!!lol :) We have a lovely surprise prize for the winner this week from our very own Melly!! :)

So I have gone very Clean & Simple for my DT card this time and used a free digi I downloaded ages ago featuring the absolutely gorgeous Newton of Newton’s Law!! :)

There are about ten of these fab Newton colouring images available on this site- most have a sweet or funny caption on them (though I chose to remove it from this image) and they are really so lovely to colour!! :) I sized and arranged the image and text in my graphics program so all I had to do was trim, colour and embellish!! :)

I stuck with my usual grey tones for the colouring as (I’m a chicken with the brown PMs and...) I love the way the greys look with purple!! :) The greeting was specific as it was made for a friend to give to her daughter when she arrived from abroad after they had not been able to see each other for 5 years and more... I was really touched when my mum told me our friend had said she would like for me to make a card if I was at all well enough as I knew just how much it meant to the whole family to be together at last :)

This version is one I printed first with a generic greeting but then my friend said she’d like something more specific so I made the other one up... couldn’t resist colouring this one up, too, though!!lol

I’m not sure which I like most in terms of position of the sentiment and/or printed frame with colour added between lines versus PMed mat layer... I guess they both work and variety is the spice of life after all!!lol

• The List:
• 6” Sq. White card blanks
• Newton’s Law image - free download here
• Coloured with ProMarkers and FlexMarkers: Bear- Cool Grey 1, 2, 3 & 4 (PMs); Flower- Purple, Orchid (PMs), Muted Mauve (FM), Ivory (PM), Pale Chiffon (FM) and Soft Green (PM); Outline- Soft Aqua (FM) and Copic Blender
• Paper coloured with Purple PM for mat layer
• Computer generated sentiments- Blackjack and Andalus fonts, I think... two old favs I use over and over!! :)
• Sky Mauve Seam Binding from The Ribbon Girl
• Teeny tiny purple gems from DoCrafts
• Sakura Clear Glaze pen
• Crystal Stickles

I’d like to enter these cards in the following challenges: Charisma Cardz – CAS :) ; Anything Goes Challenge – Anything Goes :) ; Cupcake Craftroom - Anything Goes :) ; I  ♥ ProMarkers - Anything Goes :) ; Joanna Sheen – Celebrations (celebrating a family together again) :) ; Papertake Weekly – Buttons, Bows, Bling and Blooms (I have teeny bling and a bloom, too, if flat ones count!?!) :)

Thanks for popping by today and for all the comments on my last post :) I’m really sorry I’ve not been managing to leave many (any :S) comments on the blogs I follow... I’m amazed I have managed my DT comments this last few weeks as my brain is mush at the mo’- very frustrating but will hopefully improve soon... preferably before I go mad and/or you all give up on me completely- it means so much when any of you lovely people leave comments knowing you probably won’t get one back for ages... so thank you!! :) Don't forget to pop over to Dream Valley to check out the amazing array of inspiring ideas from the rest of my lovely DTeamies... looking forward to seeing your entries, too!! :) Have a great week!! :)

Shades of Grey for Anything Goes at Dream Valley!! :)

Hello again folks!! :)

I had hoped to be back before now but my body has had other ideas this last few days- had hoped I’d be able to report on my first experiments with my new toy the Grand Calibur, too, but I have done nothing remotely constructive since my last post as I have been either in too much pain or half asleep from the pain-killers, which I normally try to take rarely as they make me so extra dopey- like I need any help with that!! :S lol Will hopefully be able to get back to my desk soon, though- I have so many ideas... which is always better than none!! :D

Anyway, I’m here today to tell you about our first challenge of the new year over at DreamValley... the lovely Melly is making it nice and easy for you (and us!! ;D) with an ‘Anything Goes’ theme and so I’m taking the chance to share a beading project with you!! :) We are sponsored this time by our monthly sponsor, One Stop Card Crafts, and the winner will get a voucher to spend on lovely goodies!! :)

This is a bracelet I made last year for a lovely friend of mine...

I had seen this style of bracelet around on craft tv and in blogland and was itching to try it... it’s very simple as you just curl the whole head pin that the bead is on to create a coil instead of trimming it to just long enough to make a loop as normal, then tread onto tigertail... and the result is a very pretty clustered effect... mine didn’t end up as full as the ones I’d seen as I used smaller beads, but I really like it and it felt lovely on- nice and substantial as there’s a fair bit of weight between the beads and all the coils, but it still moves and falls nicely :) Most importantly, though, my friend loved it, too!! :D

I used a big selection of beads- Czech Fire Polished Crystal, pressed glass, glass pearls, seed beads and stardust silver- plus a few little silver charms... I had all the beads from making a charm bracelet watch for my sis’ 16^th last year (which I’ll show you soon... if I can only find the pics!!lol)

A couple of close-ups to show the beads, clasp and the coils better- I love the effect and will be making more like this soon with different beads!! :)

I’d like to enter this in the following challenges:  {{ I can't find any that don't say just 'papercraft' items at the mo'... think I've entered at Dream Valley with jewellery before but guess that's out this time!!lol Will add later if I can find any!! }}

Well, I hope you like my little bracelet- if you do and want to see more then click the tab at the top of the page :) I love to see other people’s jewellery and beading makes, too, and don’t come across too many in blogland so please let me know if you have any jewellery projects on your blog or know a blog that does so I can pop by and have a look!! :)

Don’t forget to visit the Dream Valley blog to see all the fab inspiration from the rest of my new teamies... there’s a great variety of styles on the team so really worth a look!! :) And, of course, joining in couldn’t be easier this time!! :)

I hope you’re all well, having a lovely weekend and keeping warm and safe in this weather... thought the winds were supposed to be over but it picked up again here last night and now it’s calm but sooo dismal!! :S See you soon, I hope- thanks for stopping by today and for all the comments on my last card... it’s so nice to be back in blogland properly and I will hopefully start feeling up to visiting a few more of your blogs and commenting  again soon, too!! :)

Happy New Year... and Shaped Cards at Forever Friends :)

Hello Bloggers!! :)

Well, I think it’s time to finally wish you all a very Happy New Year and, come to that, Happy Christmas, too!! :) I really thought I’d be able to get back on my blog in time to do both those things but the madness that is the month before Xmas in my family, with my sis’, mine and my mum’s birthdays plus Xmas, meant my body had other ideas and I just haven’t managed it... permanent exhaustion aside, though, I did have a lovely time and thank you for all the birthday wishes on my last post!! :) I hope you all had a lovely time, too, and found yourselves with lots of new crafty goodies to enjoy!?! I didn’t get much crafty stash for Xmas but I got some money to spend on it instead- people have preferred to do this since they started to see my obsession with crafting and it suits me just fine as I get to shop in the sales and get exactly what I want!! :) I also got given a Kindle (Yay!!! :D) and, as I was planning on trying to save my birthday and Christmas pressie money- not mentally spend most of it on craft stash before I even had it like last year!!lol- to buy one, I decided to use the extra money and treat myself to a Grand Calibur :) I’ve been looking wistfully at them for a while but kept telling myself I didn’t need one- and where would I find to put it anyway?!lol- but have given in as I just keep finding myself having great ideas for cards/projects and then realising they would be impossibly tricky- or just plain impossible- in my lovely little ‘Bug... so come on Mr. Postie, I want to play!!lol   *** ETA: It's arrived!! :D lol ***

Anyway, it’s time for our first challenge of the year at Forever Friends & Co. And this time we want to see ‘Shaped Cards’... any shape you like so long as it’s not square!! :) We’re sponsored this time by the fabulous Ribbon Girl!! :)

I made this card on Boxing Day for a good friend who’s birthday is on the 27^th Dec.- one year I *will* be prepared and have her card ready before Xmas rather than struggling to find the energy straight after but not this time, so I combined this and the challenge... I’ve been wanting to try a circular easel card for quite a while and never got around to it- ‘til now...

I thought it might seem a bit small as I still only have regular Nesties and my little ‘Bug at the mo’, but I think, as an Easel card with the extra surface area that gives, it’s actually quite sweet and the small area means you can have fun with embellishing!! :) I cut the base from a card blank and another circle from a second blank for the top, then cut more circles from two gorgeous new First Edition pads, which I got before Christmas but hadn’t used yet, to layer on top :)

The image is one of my fav FF stamps and is coloured with my usual PMs- I almost always stamp more than one of the FF bears (and all other stamps, just in case I go wrong with colouring...which happens a lot!!lol) but I always colour the spare bears and just leave the extra bits- in this case the flowers- uncoloured... then I have a nearly ready image that I can finish colouring quickly to match whatever I need if I’m in a rush or not well enough to colour from scratch :) I used a tag from one of the paper packs and added some seam binding, lovely butterflies and my staple pearls :)

For the stopper I used a border from one of the paper packs, then embellished with a swirl and a flower I have had sitting in a pot on my desk for months, which just matched perfectly... I made the flower myself from a cut file I designed for my Cricut last year and had a few spares as I really enjoy sitting making them up but have now run out so best get making some more!! :) I have used them on a few special cards already- just haven’t got around to blogging those quite yet!! :S

The List:

• Two white card blanks to make the base
• Nesties- Circles Large and Petite Scalloped Circles Large
• First Edition Paper Pads- Spring Feast and Birdsong
• Forever Friends wooden stamp from DoCrafts, stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa and coloured with ProMarkers: Bear- Ivory, Vanilla and Oatmeal with Sunkissed Pink for ears and cheeks; Flowers- Pale Pink and Cocktail Pink, Buttercup, Green Whispers Marker fineliner for stems
• Handmade flower- made with Hi-5 Pearl paper and my own digi cut file
• Marianne D Swirl die
• MS Large Monarch Butterfly punch
• Sentiment is an old Anita’s one
• Cream Seam Binding from The Ribbon Girl
• Stickles- Diamond, I think!?!
• Sakura Clear Stardust pen
• Pale Green and Pale Pink Flat-backed Pearls

So, a pretty simple card in the end but the lovely papers make all the difference!! :)

I’d like to enter this in the following challenges: Bunny Zoe’s Crafts – Fancy Folds/Shaped Cards :) ; TheSecret Crafter – Anything Goes :) ; Papertake Weekly – Anything Goes plus optional ‘something new’ (my papers) :) ; Paper Sundaes – Out with the Old, In with the New (Old- stamp, New- Papers) :)

Thanks for stopping by today and for all the lovely comments on my last cards- please do pop over to the FF blog to what the rest of the fab team have created to inspire you and don’t forget that you don’t even have to use and FF image to enter- though we’d really love it if you did!! :) – but you must have an animal on your creations!! :)

See you again soon, I hope- I have plenty to share if energy allows, my lack of blog posts before Christmas was mostly down to the amount of actual crafting I was trying to get done, after all!!lol