Its a New Year and a new challenge blog

Lets start off by introducing the new challenge blog:

                                International Art and Soul

My teamies and I are all old friends and we would love you to join us as we begin this creative journey together.  We will have fortnightly themes for you to follow and create whatever pleases you as long as it fits in with our theme.

The very first challenge is 'Love is in the Air' and for my tag I had bucket loads of inspiration from Christina Griffiths and you can find her gorgeous blog below. I was lucky enough to win one of Christina's beautiful tags to inspire me.   Christine has an amazing amount of videos on Youtube now and she shows you how to make something from start to finish, please check them out and her blog too. Flowers Ribbons and Pearls 

My tag was cut using the Tattered Lace Tags die which is great as there are so many sizes to choose from. I've covered it with a scrap piece of Graphic 45 paper and added lots of glitter.  I glued down a piece of lace and then added a mixture of flowers from Anna Marie Designs, Ribbon Girl and Wild Orchid Crafts.  Behind the flowers sits a piece of cheesecloth and a Memory Box die called La Rue Flourish.  The key I pick up in Paperchase in York, I think, the words are self generated.

Please join us on a craft journey and post your creation to our blog, just click on the link in the International Heart and Soul heading above.

Its been ages!

Its been ages since my last blog post. What with being ill (all better now, thankfully) trying to get stock ready for a craft fair,  Christmas and my husband being ill too,  blogging has been put on the back burner. I apologise to my teamies and our fantastic and long suffering co-ordinater, Jane.

But I'm back, luckily Christmas is two weeks away and have just a couple of cards to go international with a wing and a prayer for a good postal service.

Our Theme this week on the One Stitch At a Time Challenge blog *277 is Anything Goes with Lots of Sparkle and will run for a month. Lets see those fab Christmas and New Year cards.

*** This will be the very last One Stitch At A Time challenge but my fab Teamies will be back in February with a shiny new challenge blog and some exciting new themes. I can't remember when I started with the blog but it has been some time and its been wonderful.  Thank you to all those of you who have taken the time to leave me a comment or two. 

For my card this week I chose Coosty Creations Holly Girl.

This is a real vintage image so I've kept her fairly plain to show her off. I've coloured her with a mix of Pro-Markers and some Copics too.  The oval has been cut with a Spellbinders Grand Decorative Ovals and the gold card with Grand Scallop Ovals. I wish Spellbinders would bring back these large dies but perhaps Creative Expressions will bring out some new ones.

My card for Challenge *276

I bagged this card up and sold it at the Craft Fair and the lady was delighted as she thinks her husband would like her to dress like this on Christmas Day!

My card for Challenge *275

I loved this image of Poor Pumpky.

Challenge Time at OSAAT

This week at One Stitch At A Time is to showcase your cards or designs for a Special Day. This could be for a special year, anniversary, birth or some thing good that has happened.

There is a $10 gift voucher to spend in the store for the lucky winner, so please, come along and join us. The link is just above.

 I chose to use Rose by Stitchy Bear Stamps and the paper pack by Panda Bear Designs called Going Round in Circles.  Both of the designs are so handy to keep in your files as the image is lovely to colour and a;; the papers in the paperback all tone in with each other. Jusr a small knot of ribbon and a Memory Box Bow Corner to finish.  I cut a circle from the left over paper and added two Spellbinders numbers from a set I've had  for several years.

Please leave me a comment if you pop in, lots of people visit but I never know who you are. I can then visit you.

So forgetful and a new Challenge at OSAAT

I'm just getting so forgetful these days and it totally went out of my head to get this blog post done. I know we have a scheduler but i just don't get that far!!!

Anyway, last Sunday it was time for a fabulous new challenge at the One Stitch At A Time blog and this week we would love to see your creations with Lace/Pearls or both even.

 The Sponsor for this challenge is StitchyBear Digi Outlet with a $10 coupon to spend in our store.

When I created this card I had in mind a certain friend  for her birthday.  I've used another of the Shoes, set of 4 by Ike and you can find them here. Such a fabulous set and I have changed the overall colour of the image to a dark brown to match my lace.  The lace I bought from Ebay years ago and its perfect for the image. The cotton lace I was given to by a friend and the bronze apple blossom flower from WOC I've sprayed with Cosmic Shimmer Ancient Copper several times to get the right depth of colour.  My favourite Memory Box Flourish and a couple of Memory Box tiny leaves to finish.I was really pleased with the finished card and I hope Gill liked it.

Something for the Man in Your Life.

It's time for a new challenge on the One Stitch At A Time Challenge Blog.  And our theme this week in Anything Goes For Men.  We would really like to see those gorgeous creations for the man or men in your life.

You have a fabulous chance to win a $10 voucher to spend in the Digital Outlet Store, hop on over to the store right here and check out the fabulous digital creations and check back often as there is usually something new being designed.

For my card this week I chose to use Coosty Creations, A Grandfather Is.  The gorgeous papers print brilliantly and the sentiment is wonderful. I've made my card into a shirt as this always reminded me of my grandfather who passed away when I was quite young.

If you drop by, please leave me a comment, I'd love to know what you think.

Its Sunday and time for a new challenge at OSAAT

It's that time again for a lovely new Challenge here at One Stitch At A Time and it's brilliant!

Our challenge for the next fortnight is Anything Goes with Boxes or Bags.

For the Challenge I chose to use use CraftyGirl's design called 'A Mother Is' and you can find it in Stitchy Bears Digital Outlet right here. What a beautiful sentiment this is and so useful to have for your Mum, Mothers day or just for giving.

The main image was coloured with Promarkers and mounted on a piece of gold mirri card. It has  a Memory Box die cut along side too. The little purple butterfly is from a Dollar Store.The backing paper is by Graphic 45.

Ive used a clear box to keep the card in and decorated with a Creative Expressions Sue Wilson die and also used the backing paper that you can see on the card.  The sentiment die is by one of my favourite card makers, Becca Feeken of Amazing Paper Grace designs dies for Spellbinders. Her cards are so very elegant.

One Of My Favourite Challenges!

There is a lovely new challenge on the One Stitch At A Time challenge blog for the next fortnight, please pop over and see what my fabulous team mates have made. You can find it right here!

Anything Goes With Dies, Yay! Love my dies!

for my card this week I chose to use Stardust by Digi Blessings and you can find this gorgeous image in the Stitchy Bear Digi Outlet here.

I've coloured her with Promarkers and Ive sprinkles real stardust on the stars and her shoes.  The background paper is from a pad of Graphic 45. and the die cuts are a mix of Sue Wilson Pierced Squares and Marianne Designs  Anya's Squares.  The delicate little silver bow is a die by Memory Boxcalled simply Corner Bow and the small flower is a LeCrea' Multi floral die.

Yup! Love dies!

Anything Goes With Elements of Nature

There's a smashing new challenge at One Stitch At A Time this week and it is Anytjing Goes With Elements of Nature. The Sponsor for this challenge is StitchyBear Digi Outlet with a $10 coupon to spend in our store. Check out the fabulous inspiration my teamies have come up with here

I chose to use Doorway by Coosty Creations and you can find it here and with the image comes five beautiful papers to use as a background as I have.

I chose one of the beautiful papers as my background but this one will work with lots of flowers too.  I've printed the image onto watercolour paper from Crafters Companion. On my scene i've coloured the image with Spectrum Aqua pens in various shades as I tried to give it a very soft feel. I wouldn't mind popping into this taverna for a drink on a warm summer's evening.  The ivy leaves are from a lovely die by Sheena Douglas and it's called Festive Ivy but I think this is an all year round die. The vein on the leaves have been inked through the die with some dark brown Mary Matchables ink.

This is going into my card stash to send at a later date.

Flowers, One Of My Favourite Challenges!

Its a Sunday and it's time for a new challenge at One Stitch At A Time. Our theme as usual is Anything Goes but this week we would love to see what you can create with Flowers. Please pop over to our blog and see the amazing makes of my teamies.

For my card I used a piece of Stamping Up paper that I've had in my stash for a few years, Its so pretty on either side. My main image is Meowme by BB Kakes and you can find it right here, ain't she cute!  I was on holiday in France last week and took as much of my craft bits and pieces as I could but when you are travelling with a fishing husband there ain't much room left! Anyway, I forgot to take anything to do with a sentiment but I'll find the right one soon.  I had these Heartfelt Creations Arianna Blooms flowers over from a previous card I had made for a 50th Wedding Anniversary so chose my Promakers in apricot/ginger tones.  A bit different for me. The leaves are by Memory Box and Tattered Lace and tucked right underneath is a die from a Tattered Lace magazine.

OSAAT Challenge 264 Anything Goes with Layers

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at the One Stitch at A Time challenge blog here.  Our theme this week is Anything Goes With Layer It Up.

Just perfect for me as I love the dies I can get many layers with.  On this card I have used Spellbinders 5 x 7 Detailed Scallops with the matching 5 x 7 Matting Basics. I've used some papers from First Edition Bird Song pad and mounted the layers on an A5 card.  The sentiment is by Stitchy Bear and is called Just Between Friends and is perfect for me. Theres quite a few sentiments in this set that will be perfect for a close friend. Leaves ar by Memory Box

Please pop over and enjoy my teamies cards, they are fabulous and you can find them here