Pink and Yellow Easter Bonnet Bunny

This is the second design of my Easter cards for this year. I decided to use the same patterned papers as for the first but a different focal image.

I am also entering it into the following challenges:

• Everybody Art Challenge - #84 - Spring/Fruehling
• Simon Says Challenge - Easter/Spring and Glimmer
• Charisma Cardz Challenge - #12 - Spring Has Sprung
• Stampin' For The Weekend Challenge - #35 - Easter

The Easter Bonnet Bunny image, from the Penny Black Garden Friends stamp set, was stamped using Versafine Onyx Black archival pigment ink and coloured with the Copic Sketch markers.

• Bunny: E00, E41, E43, R20, YR02
• Hat: Y00, E00, YR02
• Ribbon/Butterflies: R20, YR02
• Flowers/Foliage: R20, YR02, Y08, YG41, G14
• Grass: YG41, G14

A strip of the pink distressed bubble paper from the K&Co The Best of K&Co Too paper pad was punched using the Martha Stewart Double Loop border punch and was then layered onto yellow and pink card with the Bunny image on top.
A strip of the pink paper was matted across a panel of the distressed pink and yellow tulip paper, also from the K&Co paper pad and matted onto the card blank.
The sentiment, from the See D's Easter Kit stamp set, was stamped using the Onyx Black ink and matted onto the pink paper and positioned over the corner of the Bunny image.
A yellow paper flower from The Crafty Cow was adhered onto the pink border strip and a yellow faux gem was added in the centre.

Pink and Yellow Easter Chicks

Here is the first of the two designs of my Easter cards this year. I have also entered it into a number of challenges.

• Everybody Art Challenge - #83 - Easter
• Simon Says Challenge - Easter and Glimmer
• Charisma Cardz Challenge - #12 - Spring Has Sprung
• Stampin' For The Weekend Challenge - #35 - Easter
• Pollycraft Challenge - #36 - Sparkly Things

The image, from the Penny Black Garden Friends stamp set, was stamped using Versafine Onyx Black archival pigment ink and coloured using the Copic Sketch markers.

• Chicks: Y00, Y08, Y17
• Beaks/Feet: YR02, E13
• Flowers: R20, YR02
• Grass: YG07, YG17

The sentiment was added using a combination of two stamps. The 'Happy' was taken from the 'Happy Birthday' stamp from the Woodware Jane's Script Sentiment stamp set and the 'Easter' from the Easter Egg stamp from the See D's Easter Kit.
The image was matted onto yellow Core'dinations card and pink card embossed using the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder.
A strip of the pink distressed bubble paper, from the K&Co The Best of K&Co Too paper pad, was punched along both edges with the Martha Stewart Eyelet Lace border punch. This was then layered onto a strip of the yellow Core'dinations card and the yellow tulip paper, also from the K&Co pad.
The image was added over the border strip and a yellow paper flower from The Crafty Cow was added in the bottom-right corner. Yellow faux gems were added along the border strip and in the centre of the flower.

Pink, Red and Green Gorjuss Girl with Fox

Here is my latest Copic project using the lovely Gorjuss Girl with Fox from Sugar Nellie.

It is also my entry to the current Quirky Crafts blog challenge, which is Flowers this fortnight.

I started by stamping the Gorjuss Girl image with Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink and coloured using my Copic Sketch markers.

• Hair: E02, E07, YR02
• Face: E00, E02, E11, R20
• Coat: R24, R29, E07
• Hat/Socks/Flower: R20, R24
• Dress: YG17, G85
• Fox: YR02, E07, E51
• Shadows: N3, N5
• Highlights: N3

The image was then cut out using a mega rectangle Nestabilities die and matted onto a larger pink panel. The sentiment was then stamped up the side of the image using the 'Happy Birthday' stamp from the Woodware Jane's Script Sentiment stamp set with Versafine Onyx Black archival pigment ink.
A green Prima hydrangea paper flower was attached to the top corner using a small pink brad.
A panel of the Rochelle paper from the Basic Grey Porcelain paper pad was matted onto the pink card and a length of the red striped grosgrain ribbon from the Chatterbox Scarlet ribbon pack was adhered across the centre.

Teal, Green and Pink Sitting Gorjuss Girl and By The Cute and Girly Challenge

Here is another of my Copic coloured cards - I'm very proud of this one and it uses one of my favourite colour combinations (at least for this week!)

I am also entering it into the By The Cute and Girly blog challenge (a new one for me) and their current monthly challenge is 'Spring Is In The Air'.

I started by stamping the Sitting Gorjuss Girl image from Sugar Nellie using Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink and coloured using my Copic sketch markers.

• Hair: E02, E07, YR02
• Face: E00, E02, E11, R20
• Dress: BG11, BG13, BG49
• Socks: YG11, YG17
• Highlights: N1 (not as noticeable in the picture as in real life)
• Shadows: N3, N5

The image was then cut out using the Nestabilities Label 3 die and matted onto a teal blue panel.
A panel was created using two co-ordinating papers from the Making Memories Funky Vintage Ruby Collection paper pad and a strip of green paper, and a length of white twill ribbon was attached across this, having been knotted first.
Three Papermania paper flowers were colour tinted with the Copic markers* and attached to the bottom corner of the card. Small self-adhesive pearls were then attached to their centres.
The sentiment tag, from Stamps Away, was stamped using Versafine Onyx Black archival pigment ink and coloured using the Copics.

• Tag: BG11, BG13, BG49

A hole was created in the top of the tag and white embroidery thread was threaded through and attached between the flowers.
* I don't recommend this as the paper tends to fluff up and get stuck to the nib of the pen!!!

Green and Orange Shamrock Gatefold

Here is the card I made for St Patrick's Day this year. It is also my entry to this week's Stamp Something Challenge, which this week is Distressing.


I started by creating the small gatefold card from white textured card and the panels from orange card and the green heart stems paper from the Papermania Olivine Essences Creative Tones paper pad. A strip of the green heart stems floral border paper was matted onto a strip of the orange card and matted across the panels. All the papers were distressed using Tim Holtz Distress inks in Peeled Paint and Frayed Burlap and the orange card with the Frayed Burlap.

The Shamrock circle image from the Studio G Dovecraft mini Good Luck stamp set was stamped using Versafine Spanish Moss archival pigment ink in the centre of a Nestabilities die cut circle and the dots were pierced with a piercing tool.

The edges of the circle were coloured using Tim Holtz Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters and Frayed Burlap Distress inks. This was then matted onto a circle of green paper. Rosewood and Golden White metallic rub-ons by Craf-T were then added to the edges of the Shamrock and green circles.

A scalloped circle was cut from orange card and embossed using the Cuttlebug Herringbone embossing folder. The two colours of metallic rub-ons were rubbed over the raised detail and the smaller circles were adhered to the centre.

The edges of the card were coloured with the Peeled Paint distress ink and the scalloped circle was attached to the left side of the gatefold card.

Pink and Green Mother's Day Hanging Card

This is the card I made for both my mum and my mum-in-law. It is also my entry to this week's Pink Elephant blog challenge, the theme of which is Spring.

Three panels were cut from dark brown card using the Label 3 die. A panel of the Whisper paper from the Basic Grey Sultry paper pad.

The two sentiment toppers were created by stamping the 'Just For You' circle sentiment, from the Papermania Just For You stamp set, twice, using Versafine Onyx Black archival pigment ink and cut out using a circle Nestabilities die. These were both matted onto a larger pink circle and a brown scalloped circle, also cut with the Nestabilities die.


The 'Happy Mother's Day' circle sentiment was created in Word and cut out using a Nestabilities circle die, and adhered over the 'Just For You' sentiment.

For the centre panel, the Waiting Tilda image was stamped using the Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink and coloured using the Copic Sketch pens.
(Hat: RV06, RV34, N3; Jumper: YG07, YG17; Trousers: E35, E57, N5; Hair: Y00, Y17, E35; Skin: E00, E02, E11, R20).

The image was cut out using the Nestabilities Label 3 die, and matted onto a hand-cut panel, made by cutting around the outside of the same die with a craft knife. This was then matted onto the brown label shape.
For the reverse side of the hanging card, the letters to spell out 'MUM' were die cut using the Sizzix Sizzlets Bounce die cuts cut from pink and brown card and matted onto white and pink panels cut using the Labels 3 Nestabilities dies. This in turn was matted onto panels of the Polished and Dressy papers from the Sultry paper pad and green paper.

A pink paper flower was attached to each of the panels and a silver Papermania shimmer dot was added the their centres.

Holes were punched to join the three panels together and threaded with olive green organza ribbon.

First Card Made With My Copics and Creative Card Crew Challenge #46

So, I've had my Copics for a few weeks now and made a few cards with them, but haven't got around to uploading any to my blog as yet, mostly down to all the computer problems I've been having of late.

So, newly returned from a long weekend over in Dublin where I was lucky enough to to go to Croke Park to watch the Six Nations match between Ireland and Wales, I am now ready to let you all see my first Copic efforts.

I was in need of a few men's cards and wanted to use some different stamps. So, I pulled out my Changito stamps that I bought at The Glitter Pot back in 2008 when I visited Alex. I actually made three different versions of this card, but the other versions are currently locked in my old laptop!

So, here is the card I made.

Apologies for the quality of the image, but after 3 months of having my new scanner, I've only just discovered the setting for 'not bleaching out the whole image' so hopefully my newly scanned images will be better!
And here is how I made it:
The Vine stamp, from the Stampendous Changito the Monkey stamp set, was stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto smooth white card, and the Hanging Monkey image stamped next to this. The image was then coloured using a selection of Copic markers (Monkey: E02, E04, E11, E13, E35 and E57; Leaves: YG11, YG17 and YG67; Highlighting: BG11).
The image was then cut to allow the 'out of the box' die-cutting technique using a circle Nestabilities die and then matted onto larger circles of light blue paper and dark brown card.
A strip each of the Primitive and Ancient papers from the Basic Grey Archaic paper pad were then adhered to the front of an A6 cream deckle edged card blank, and the Changito image panel matted over the top.
Additional Jungle Leaves from the same Changito stamp set were stamped and coloured using the same YG Copic markers, cut out, and two leaves were added to the top of the image panel using 3D foam pads. A third leaf was added flat to the card.
The sentiment, from the Hero Arts Birthday Messages stamp set, was stamped using Versafine Onyx Black archival pigment ink in the bottom right hand corner of the card.
The other two versions of this card were more or less the same, but I didn't do the 'out-of-the-box' technique on them, and on one of them I completely coloured around the image with the BG11 Copic marker.
In honour if the fact that this is the first card I have made with my Copics, I have decided to enter this card into the Creative Card Crew blog challenge this week, which is all about Going Dotty.

Computer Disaster!

OK, so disaster has struck. I got the blue screen of death on my laptop last week with an 'Unmountable Boot Volume' message. The DVD drive had given up the ghost last year when I was loading my CDs up to my iPod and a scratched disc wouldn't stop spinning and eject itself so I think it burnt out the laser. Then, just before Christmas the screen went on it (you couldn't see anything on the screen unless you had night vision goggles it was so dark) and I'd had to resort to using it plugged into the desktop monitor!!!

So, an executive decision was taken to invest in a new laptop at the weekend - but I have a huge problem. I was just about to back-up my files from the old laptop but of course I didn't manage to do it before it died!!! And I don't know how to access the files on the hard drive. I have everything cardmaking on there - pictures of my cards (not everything is on photobucket!!), downloads, and a load of other stuff that I can't remember but I'm sure I'm going to need it now!!!

So, if anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I'll probably end up taking it to PC World where they'll wipe everything for a fortune!

Masculine Italian Architecture

I really like the Travels in Italy stamp set from Crafty Individuals, so have made a couple more cards using it in a couple of different colourways.


The first card I made in a green and brown colourway. The image was stamped onto the green paintstroke paper from the K&Co Basic Grey Sublime paper pad and cut into squares. Three of the squares were then matted onto cream and brown card.



The sentiment was stamped onto a square of cream card using the 'Warm Wishes' stamp from the HOTP Sentiments stamp set and Versafine Vintage Sepia archival pigment ink. The panel was then colour distressed using ColorBox Chestnut Roan fluid chalk ink.


A panel of the brown map paper from the K&Co Life's Journey Map paper pad was matted onto a square of the brown card and lengths of brown ladder ribbon were wrapped around it.


The square image and sentiment panels were then adhered centrally to the card.


The second version was made in exactly the same way but using blue and mustard yellow.




The images were stamped using Versafine Onyx Black archival pigment ink on the brown paintstroke paper from the K&Co Basic Grey Motifica paper pad. The sentiment was also stamped using the Onyx Black ink.


A panel of the blue flourish paper, also from the Motifica paper pad, was matted onto mustard yellow card.


The inside of the card was decorated using a strip of the blue flourish paper and the 'Happy Birthday' stamp from the Papermania 'Just For You' stamp set, stamped using Versafine Majestic Blue archival pigment ink.