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!! :) :)

Making it (a) Colourful Christmas with Something Old and Something New at Forever Friends :)

Hello there!! :)

{What a garbled post title... all will become clear(er!) soon!!lol}

Well, it's *not* the first Thursday of the month, it's the first Friday... which means I'm a day late with my card for the new  Monthly Challenge over at Forever Friends!! Ooops!! It's been one of those weeks (or months, maybe!!) and time's just run away from me again!! :S Anyway, we have a fab challenge for you this time as we'd like to see you use both 'Something Old and Something New' on you cards (or any other creations you would like to share!!)!! :) You only need to include an animal not necessarily a FF bear- though we'd love it if you did and I really enjoyed seeing so many more of them in the last challenge!! :)- and we are sponsored this time by Stitchy Bears!! :)

I have ended up with two 'Old' and two 'New' items on my card, although I could probably have got away with just using my FF stamp as both as I have had it for at least a year but this is the first time I've used it!! Tut tut... ;) The old are my FF stamp and the gorgeous K & Co. paper and the new are the fence and LOTV Circular Sentiment stamps :) I must just give credit where it's due and say I came across a gorgeous card similar to this (using probably my favourite of my FF stamps :) ) over here on Caroline's lovely blog while I was visiting entrants to our last Forever Friends challenge (one of the best things about being on a DT is the chance to discover so many fab crafter's blogs and so much great inspiration!! :) ) and I knew at once that I had to have the lovely fence stamp she'd used so that I could have a go myself as I've been wanting to get some stamps that would let me try making scenes for while!! :)

I have to say that the proportions of the finished image did stump me a tad on the layout front and I was in a strange mood when I was trying to put this together anyway and just was not going to let the image get stuck on straight... so the odd, slanted layout came about as, while I was fiddling with bits of paper and different shaped/sized card blanks, I knocked this piece of paper to this angle... and just kinda liked it!!lol Gotta love a happy accident... much better than the usual chuck-it-in-the-bin-and-start-again kind!! ;D

I've coloured with ProMarkers and was inspired by the current challenge at Make it Colourful (hence the post title!!) to try 'colouring texture' so the fence is my first attempt at that... have another idea in my head for that challenge, too, but will have to see if I have time/energy enough to try it!!lol I'm none too happy with the sky as it's gone a bit patchy... didn't really think when I chose to use the Santa FF about the fact that the scene would need to be a night-time one... so *slight* panic when that occurred to me when I'd already coloured the fence and was committed!!lol

A close up to show the fence better- I coloured with my normal PM nibs first, starting by laying down a layer of my mid tone (Spice) and then adding the darker colours for shading (Walnut and Cinnamon) and the light (Gold) in short strokes following the direction the grain would run, aiming for a patchy, scratchy look rather than a smooth blend. Then went back in after that was dry with the lightest and darkest colours and my fine nibs for some more definition... I'm fairly pleased for a first attempt and had fun trying which is what it's all about after all!! :) This pic is also the best one to see the stardust pen I used to try to look like snowflakes in the sky- when my attempts to bleach the blue out with my blender didn't work!!lol I was too chicken to use a white gel pen as that always seems to look weird when I try it and I really didn't want to ruin the whole image at the end!! :S

I coloured the bear in my usual way (PMs: – Ivory, Oatmeal, and Vanilla with Sunkissed Pink for ears and cheeks) though he looks paler to me... don’t know if this is 'cos it's the first time I've coloured a FF on this cardstock or just because the rest of the image is so much darker than usual and is making more of a contrast...I'm learning fast how important the card is for colouring!!lol I also used my Glamour Dust for the first time, so another 'New' thing, and it is sooo pretty and much more sparkly than glitters I've used before (though you were right, Carole- it has already got everywhere and I didn't even spill it!!lol)!! :)

A couple more close ups- the lovely sentiment (I have been singing 'Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...' to myself since the Crafter's Companion challenge went live this week ...only, after I get that far, I get stuck as all that comes into my head is 'Wake up, it's a beautiful morning...' - damn that BBC Weather trailer!!lol) and some more of my pre-prepared Cricut Snowflakes, which are sat on my desk, ready glimmer-misted, and just waiting to be added to any Christmas card that needs a little something!! :)

The List:

• 5"x7" white card blank
• Forever Friends wooden stamp
• Snow Fence stamp by Alota Stamps
• Stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa and coloured with ProMarkers (picture below to save time and energy again :) )
• Corner Punch
• Beautiful DP from a K & Co. Tim Coffey pad I was given years ago :)
• MS Cherish border punch
• Glamour Dust
• Sakura Clear Stardust and Clear Glaze pens
• LOTV Circular Christmas Sentiment (stamped in Brilliance Starlite Black)
• Snowflakes- larger ones cut on Cricut from When It's Cold Outside' cartridge and spritzed with Perfect Pearls Pearl shimmer mist, smaller ones were the 'waste' saved from a MS border punch
• Assorted gems 

I’d like to enter this in the following challenges: Crafter’s Companion – Let it snow, let it snow. Let it snow... :) ; Crafts & Me – Let the music move you (song as above!!) :) ; I ♥ Promarkers – Glitter and Glitz :) ; Dream Valley – Anything Goes :) ; Pollycraft Monday –Anything Goes :) ; Charisma Cardz – Cutesy :) ; Papertake Weekly – Anything Goes plus optional (is it ever optional really?!lol) Bling :) ; Pink Gem - Cold and Frosty :) ; Little Claire’s – Christmas :)

Well, thank you for stopping by and sticking with me through another long post- I really must try harder to write less, I just like to share and have a record of not just the basics but the thought processes behind my cards as I forget things so quickly with my hopeless foggy brain but apologies if it bores people!! :S Thanks for the comments on my last few posts!! :) Do pop over to the Forever Friends and Co. blog to see the lovely cards from the rest of the team!! :) Hope to be back soon- have a great weekend folks and enjoy the fireworks if you’re lucky enough to see any!! :)

Gorjuss in Purples :)

Hello!! :)

Well, I didn’t get back here as quickly as I’d planned again as I just didn’t have the spare energy last week as I was busy trying to get an ordered Wedding card ready for today- took a bit longer than expected on way and another but worth it in the end, I think, and I’ll share it sometime soonish!! :) I did have another couple of cards I in line to share next but this one has sneaked its way in early as I thought it was a perfect contribution to Chrissie and Mandi’s  attempt to get 1000 entries to one challenge over at Less Is More this week!! :) I’ve not been able to enter over there for a long time- which has made me sad as I was so enjoying it and proud of entering every week in the beginning, but my health has a mind of its own on that one at the mo’... Anyway, I couldn’t but respond to Lady and Diva LIM’s appeal for entries, especially with an Anything Goes theme to make it nice and easy!! :)

I coloured this Gorjuss image last week as my first entry into a MiC challenge- I’ve never been brave enough to enter before as the standard is so high but last week’s was Colour with Purple, which- aside from being an easier first go than merging images or colouring a sunset!! ;) – is my fav colour and one I’ve had major problems with my PMs despite now having every purple PM there is!! :S Seemed to go a bit better this time, though- possibly as I used a different type of card, will have to experiment with that more, I think!! :) And I made it into a really simple card with some inked edges, seam binding and teeny gems- not sure if it’ll be a Christmas or winter birthday card yet so I’ll add a sentiment when I know!!lol Need to keep my options open as my stash of spare cards, so helped by all my LIM inspired entries earlier in the year, has been very depleted by having to raid it so often when not well enough to make these last few months!! :S Just glad they were there when I needed them, though!! :)

And a close up of the image- my camera hates purple and this was the shot I could get closest to the true colour with (warmer and pinker than it looks), so apologies for the incredibly uninventive framing!!lol I really like these deep purples so, if I can get them to work and blend again next time, I’ll definitely be using them more!! :) I used Blue Greys on the hair and fox as I thought this would tone better with the Purples... but the fox looked weird so I added some pale purple... and it still looked weird... so I gave up!!lol

The List...

·     DL white card blank

·         Gorjuss Girl ‘Foxy’ image from Sugar Nellie stamped in Memento

·         Coloured with: Clothes- PMs- Mulberry and Plum, Fuchsia Pink and Mulberry; Skin- PMs- Almond, Satin, Blush and Pale Pink; Hair- Spectrum Noirs- Black, Blue Grey 1 & 5; Fox- Spectrum Noirs- BG1 & 5 and PMs- Lavender, Lilac and CG1

·         Sakura Clear Stardust

·         Dusty Concorde DI (edges)

·         Anita’s 2mm Gems

·         Seam Binding

Thanks for looking and for any comment and also for all the comments on my last cards!! :) Hope to be back before too long with another card- have a good week in the meantime!! :)