I can see you!

May 23rd 2012
I made this card for the new colour challenge at Smudgy Antics - you had to use at least 3 of the colours on the colour palette & I used the 3 shades of green (plus I added some red).

Solitaire Monocle & Swirl design and Spirelli shape are from CS Designs.

A Frame of Mind

May 22nd 2012
A brand new challenge at Art With No Boundaries for the next fortnight - we want to see you use "frames" on your creations - I'm sure you will all come up with some amazing inspiration for this one!

The Designers have used some new designs from CS Designs this week - I have used the "Striped Circular Petal Frame" to make this soft pink Asian Themed card and I have framed the "Framed Geisha 2 Design" also from CS Designs.

I used a beautiful variegated serviette to "cover" my white base card, I cut the centres from the Circular Frame and placed the Asian Geisha behind the large frame. I wrapped metallic thread around the smaller frames and added some torn textured paper and Japanese flower stickers to complete the front of my card. The frames & Geisha image have been coloured with Copic Markers.

Remember you have 2 weeks to enter our challenge! And our DT Call is still open - you will find all the details on the challenge blog!

I am also entering my card in the current Divas by Design Challenge Blog as they have a "Tickled Pink" challenge!! And I've also entered it at Make it Monday in their Anything Goes Challenge!

Steampunk at So Artful

May 19th 2012

Our new theme for this next fortnight is "Steampunk and/or Earthy Tones" - make sure you head over to the So Artful Challenge Blog to see the other DT Creations - which are amazing and also to add your link so we can see what you come up with!!!

Camouflage is a game we all like to play...

I made this wall hanging using designs from Chris at CS Designs - firstly the image is "Steampunk Solitaire" and the Spirelli Cut Out is from her fantastic Spirelli Kit. I went a bit "alternate" & used rubber bands to make the spirelli pattern instead of thread - I love the effect - something different! The background is a "Clocks" embossing folder which I love to use with my Steampunked creations! I made the Camouflage quote & added screw look brads and some fibre to make a hanger.

I am also entering this creation at the "Raise the Bar" Challenge Blog as they have a "Military / Patriotic" Theme and my "camouflage army looking" design is perfect for this!!! Also Pixie Dust Studio have a Steampunk Themed Challenge this week too so I am entering there as well!!

All Tied Up

May 15th 2012

A reminder that you still have a week to join our "Fit to be Tied" Challenge at Art With No Boundaries. Remember to read our updated rules before you link up!! Remember for this challenge we want to see some form of "tieing" on your creation using string, thread etc but NO ribbon or lace.

For this card I have used on of the images from the CS Designs "Haunting Apparitions" Series - "Dementia". I've used another great Spirelli shape from the CS Designs Spirelli Kit and this time I decided to go with a simpler "wrapping" on the shape to show that simple can look really effective too and the image was only given a bit of red colour with my Copic Markers. I love this image - very striking and eye catching!

ATTENTION: Chris is having a Design Team Call and is on the look out for some "creative & artistic" people!! You can check out the details here: CS Designs DT Call.

Fit to be Tied!

May 8th 2012

A fantastic new theme for our challenge at Art With No Boundaries - lots of possibilities and I expect lots of "interesting" creations!!! We want to see creations with some sort of tied element using string, raffia, thread, wire etc but NO ribbon or lace!!

For this fortnight the DT are using the "Spirelli Kit" from CS Designs - make sure you visit the store and check out this fun kit- you can really let your imagination go wild with this set of Spirelli Shapes!

I've used a square spirelli for this project and one of my favourite Darlings of the Orient Designs "Masami - Beautiful" also from CS Designs. All the papers on this card are from my stash of Japanese Papers - I just love these gorgeous papers!!

ATTENTION: Chris is having a Design Team Call and is on the look out for some "creative & artistic" people!! You can check out the details here: CS Designs DT Call.

Yellow is the Colour of Summer

July 6th 2011

This is my new card for the Summer of Colour this week. I have to say yellow is really not a colour I use at all but it's always a good thing to think and create "outside" your comfort zone so that's what I've done!

I've used a great image from Anitra at Cute Art World and framed it with my Spirelli design (the Manual Print & Cut Spirelli "kit" I use is available from CS Designs). The "flowers" are from a collage sheet by June at Dezinaworld and the die cut butterflies are a Spellbinder die I have which is one of my favourites! I've also cut the circles with my Big Kick. Everything has been layered to make this very yellow card!

Red, White & Blue + More Spirelli!!!

July 5th 2011
As you can see the new challenge at the CS Designs Challenge Blog is "Red, White & Blue".

I've combined some of the great digi designs at CS Designs with the Manual Cut Spirelli Kit I have been playing around with over the weekend - also from CS Designs. There are several different "shape" patterns in this great kit Chris has set up which I will be experimenting with and showing on my blog in the coming weeks so keep checking back to see some great spirelli designs - these are really quite addictive and really do look effective when they are finished!! You can get all the details on purchasing the "kit" from the CS Designs site!

I've made two cards for this challenge as I was having so much fun with the Spirelli patterns and my embroidery threads that I got carried away LOL!

Both cards use the "Fancy Square" pattern which has been printed in 2 sizes and I've done two different "spirelli" wrapping patterns with the thread for contrast.

This first card uses one of Chris' "Arty Expression" designs and I have embossed the red background with a 'star' folder and then rubbed a white ink pad over it to 'highlight' the stars - I love the look of this! The "Reach for the Stars" sentiment can be found at the CS Designs store. I am also entering this challenge over at Vicki's Blog - The Cheerful Stamp Pad - in her 'favourtie background' challenge as I've made my background paper for this card.

This second card uses the 'face' from the "Charisma Montage" digi and I have mounted the spirelli and image onto a great patterned paper which I thought matched the colour theme perfectly. The "believe" sentiment is also available at CS Designs and I have printed this directly onto the patterned paper.

Both cards 'qualify' for the new challenge at The Pink Elephant Blog as they also have a Red, White & Blue theme! And the Quirky Crafts Challenge this week is for NO patterened papers - make your own so the first card with the embossed background fits in here! My second card also uses 3 items from the new 'itinerary' at the Desert Islands Crafts Challenge Blog - copics (Charisma has been coloured), nesting dies (the spirelli shapes are the same just different sizes) and pop dots (foam pads) to mount the layers of Spirelli! Penny's Challenges and The Shabby Tea Room have a red, white & blue challenge too! Stamp Something Challenges has a digi day! Cupcake Inspiration Challenge Blog have a great red, white & blue cupcake to work from!

Less is More Challenge

July 3rd 2011
I've been following the Less is More Challenge Blog for a little while but up until now haven't entered anything!

Well last night I decided to play around with a fantastic little Manual Print and Cut Spirelli Kit from CS Designs - this kit is so great because you don't need to have a fancy cutting machine - you just print out and cut yourself !

I made this cute little "frame" using one of the new tiles from the Summer Garden Collection which Chris has just released at CS Designs. I've used one strand of blue embroidery thread and one strand of silver thread to make the Spirelli pattern - looks effective doesn't it?

Such a cute simple little card with a great CS Designs sentiment printed in the bottom corner - on blue of course as the challenge is "Shades of Blue".

I think Spirelli might be making a comeback!!