Mami Doodles DT challenge 2 - use ribbons

How cheeky is this little snail, peeking from behind his flower checking the coast is clear before scoffing my lettuce.
I coloured my images using the fill tool in Photofiltre, makes for speedy creations. I painted a terracotta pot cream using acrylic paint and as it is for indoor use only added some ribbon around the top. The pot pick is a wooden skewer, with the image layered with nestabilities, accented with a Daisy D decoupage flower and wooden ladybird (my current obsession) and I got the lettuce with rootball in Lidl for €1.29 - a novel alternative to the usual houseplant gift, the recipient can eat it (if escargot doesn't get there first!)
While looking for inspiration I found the snail poem and I just thought it was brilliant - the wall hanging is given dimension by decoupaging the snails and using foam pads to raise the flowers.
Finally, the flowerpot card is made using DCWV glitter flowers that I have had forever and usually give to the kids to make cards with. I curled the layers with the edge of my scissors and layered with foam pads. Handcut the leaves and made flower centres with a punch and adhesive pearl. Ribbon on the flowerpot and silver toadstool (just got these - you'll be seeing more!)and I used escargot as an embellishment, I covered his shell with diamond glaze and it looks quite dimensional IRL.
Digital Tuesday wants anything but a card so check twice!

new stuff

First off, I can hopefully start to get back into my blog habit - I was caught up in preparing and organising for the Galway mini extravaganza last weekend and I had a great time. Thanks to Kerry and Nora for organising it - plus everyone who came, taught, bought and demo'ed I enjoyed every minute.
Lots of happy crafters got to see and buy the Plush Pals dvd, although if you missed the weekend then a few copies went back to an siopa bui, Spiddal with Kerry and Kim. I never stoppped the whole weekend and by the time I got to go shopping, the new Tim Holtz dies had sold out - so I'm first reserve when the new stock arrives! I adore the off the page bracket and the tattered flowers, plus I have to get a couple of the embossing folders and there is a perfectly divine hanging sign that has my name all over it.
I had a few of the brackets from white cardstock to demo them and I carefully packed them up and brought them home to play with - after a few months of cutesy cute, I need a break and so I've decided it's all about the ink this week. I got out my distress ink pads and had a play - this week's paperplay challenge is no patterned paper, so it fits in nicely. Stamps are from Darkroom Door and flowers are Tim Holtz tattered flowers by Sizzix and the bracket is also Sizzix.
This week raise the bar wants your fave colour and I'm going through a red phase, while papertake wants you to try something new, which all distress and stamps is a new direction for me.

the countdown begins!

Well, I have my bags packed with samples, glitter and pearls and a box of brand new "Plush Pals" dvds ready for the big launch at The Westwood Hotel, Galway City on Saturday. I just have to finish my class prep off as well and I'll be ready to go. Although I am not sure it will all fit into my little corsa... who needs to see out the back window? Surely transporting paper is more important... beware on the roundabouts around 11am, it could be me!
Hope to see some friendly faces; old and new - give me a nudge if you're passing!

I just seem to get time to actually post things at the moment - I made 4 challenge cards last week and never got to upload a single one.... so here's a set I made for Bee crafty downloads challenge, thankfully you get 2 weeks to enter and this time the theme is Weddings, engagement or wedding anniversary - I bought the cute images from the bee crafty shop at Artisan
and the set is basically made from lots and lots of layered Spellbinders nestabilities and shapeabilities.
I have ordered an engraved silver pocket watch for the groom - hence the "get me to the church on time" quote and for the bride a larger box filled with a white and blue garter, a borrowed tiara, a pandora bracelet and a silver sixpence. The matching card is an easel card.
I used navy as it is part of their wedding scheme - although I think the polks dots makes it all a little more fresh looking. Images coloured with promarkers, pastel blue, pastel green, ivory and pastel beige.
thanks for looking!

Mami Doodles colour challenge

I' d already done my DT projects so here's my take on the colour challenge. It's my 1st attempt ar t shirt transfer and I made a bit of a pigs ear of it - so don't look too closely....
here's the challenge
I tried a t shirt transfer - it was my first try - don't look too closely, I made at least three errors! But I can't wait to try it again - off to find plain t's to try on later. Just an aside though, most t-shirt transfers are for white and light and coloured fabrics - you need a special one for dark fabrics. P.S - I used Aleene's "OK to Wash It!" fabric glue to attach the rose buds and of course the pearls, the image is coloured with Distress inks that I then heat set with the iron and then wash inside out on a cool wash to set. Hopefully nothing will fall off but it will need washing inside out to help protect the transfer.

Right that's it, enjoy the fine weather and your weekend.....

"Ohayou Midori" - it's my first Mami Doodles DT projects

Hurray I finally get to share my first Mami Doodles DT projects. Midori is such a cute and fun character, she just bursts with life and in her three style ways, you have a myriad of design options.
I kept her bold in solid promarker colouring, and I kept a lot of green, in honour of her name (see Elisa's reveal at Mami Doodles for all the info and of course to buy this gorgeous set of digi stamps.
I really enjoyed working with Midori and made no less than 3 cards - the first is a boxed card with lots of layers and uses all My Mind's Eye papers and My minds Eye decoupage flowers (I love these flowers)- then I used all my leftovers to make the little patckwork style card.
Finally, my fave is the bold red and black card - the background is digi and the red satin ribbon reminded me of the big sashes on a kimono. Bold and bright colouring and I embellished with ribbon roses that have been in stash for years and years.
tfl and don't forget to checkout the fabulous creations from the rest of the Mami Doodles design team and Sabrina aka "Cook 22" - this month's guest designer at mami doodles
Isn't the weather great? I'm getting behind on my cards as I spend the days outside and I've been doing a brochure, voucher and biz card for a friend and it's taking forever (she keeps changing it!) but hopefully more posts next week.
I'm putting these cards forward for the following challenges -
http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com - cutie pie
the res q challengehttp: pastels and image that makes you smile
papercutz challenge anything goes!

Mami Doodles design team

So I finally get to tell you today that Elisa of Mami Doodles asked me to be on her Design Team. How flippin delighted was I? The first release is out Thursday and until then here's a little peek.
I also get to share the Mami spotlight with some very talented crafters - drum roll and step forward please
Deidre
Jackie
Lily
Ling
Rachel
Do check out their blogs, there is such talent in this one small blogpost....
and a little sneak at something I've been playing with.... more Thursday!

Introducing plush pals again!

This time with completed photos!
TODAY is the grand launch of "Plush Pals", an interactive papercrafting dvd made my oh so clever sister at Ella's Design. It's her first attempt at such a project and it's turned out simply fabulous - and that's not just my biased, the few sneak peeks have been extremely well received and I hope it is a roaring success for her.
She is at Crafts for U 2 Do, Dentons Lane, St.Helens, Merseyside all weekend, together with crafty duo Sylvia and Dianne (aka our mum and aunt) - this is the only place that the dvd is currently on sale.
Then Sat April 24th, I'll be launching the dvd at the Galway Spring Extravaganza in the Westwood Hotel, Galway City. I'll have lots of sample cards, ideas and I'll be doing a full demo of how to use the dvd - trust me it's simple!
In the meantime, here are a couple of cards to whet your appetite.... and I have even more exciting news next week........
So my cards today are for
Cute Card Thursday - mono mania with my blue cat card and hanger .
Bee Crafty Downloads - birthday with a digi - rabbit card and giftbox and cupcake holder and pick.
Digital Tuesday have blue and white plus one as this weeks challenge, so my cat is blue & white with grey.
Magical Crafts fortnightly challengewants animals.
and finally the res q challenge has a variety of puzzle answers for you to opt from and everything fits in!

Introducing Plush Pals!

Tomorrow is the grand launch of "Plush Pals", an interactive papercrafting dvd made my oh so clever sister at Ella's Design. It's her first attempt at such a project and it's turned out simply fabulous - and that's not just my biased, the few sneak peeks have been extremely well received and I hope it is a roaring success for her.
She is at Crafts for U 2 Do, Dentons Lane, St.Helens, Merseyside all weekend, together with crafty duo Sylvia and Dianne (aka our mum and aunt) - this is the only place that the dvd is currently on sale.
Then Sat April 24th, I'll be launching the dvd at the Galway Spring Extravaganza in the Westwood Hotel, Galway City. I'll have lots of sample cards, ideas and I'll be doing a full demo of how to use the dvd - trust me it's simple!
In the meantime, here are a couple of cards to whet your appetite.... and I have even more exciting news next week........
So my cards today are for
Cute Card Thursday - mono mania with my blue cat card and hanger .
Bee Crafty Downloads - birthday with a digi - rabbit card and giftbox, I have made a cake holder as well but forgot to buy a cake to put in it - so you'll see that tomorrow!
Digital Tuesday have blue and white plus one as this weeks challenge, so my cat is blue & white with grey.
Magical Crafts fortnightly challengewants animals.
and finally one stop craft challenge wants paper piecing

In the Red!

So I found two red themed challenges today - quite apt given the state of my bank account! I'm starting to struggle financially, oh the joys of being a single mum and hence the new "classes" button on my blog. I'll also be selling off some of my huge stash haul, just as soon as I photograph and price it but onto today's card.
The Recipe - layered nestabilities circles, Basic Grey Boxer paper, art deco multi punch, embossed flowers, ribbon rose buds, sizzix ticket,gold charm, red and brown cardstock, heart pin, fabric yo-yo.
Excuse me if it looks a bit a wonky but I had no paper trimmer, so I cut the background squares freehand and then layered the nestie shapes on top. On the top layer I glued a green fabric yo-yo (a gathered circle of fabric) - I find flowers glue to it easily and have more dimension than when glued to the card. I also had no red flowers or red roses, so I simply coloured white flowers and blue rosebuds with my poppy promarker.
So the ABC challenge is R is for Red and then the papercutz challenge is a rather odd one I think! Make a Spring card using red, green, brown and white only.

Karen's Doodles freebie & die cuts r us sketch

You can snag this super cute Spring time girl free from Karen's Doodles when you join her Papercraft Planet group - the link is here.
I used the colour inspiration from this week's Karen Doodles UK challenge. It was a gorgeous green, pink and white confection and boy do I struggle with pink! I used this week's sketch from die cuts r us but my final card wasn't that pink - so I had another go! It's still not as girly as I'd like but it is perhaps closer....
On both the papers are Rob and Bob Studio and Sassafrass, the chipboard and brad - 3 bugs in a rug and flowers Prima. I ran a stitch along the length of the green ribbon to gather it up and of course there are pearls (there's always pearls!).
And a new challenge I've joined for fun challenges is letting you make anything. ;-)
tfl and a happy and peaceful Easter.