Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge #8

It's the first Friday of November and the start of a new challenge at Creative Artiste We are a challenge blog for everyone who likes to mix their media. As long as you use more than one media on your project we'd love to see you enter the challenge. This is a month long challenge so you have time to create projects and enter up to three times. A full list of the rules is on the challenge blog. Thank you to everyone who entered Challenge #7 for October. The winner has been announced  on the blog.

Our theme this month is
"Anything Goes"
with an option of
"Traditional Christmas Colours"
(Red, Green and Gold)
We are sponsored this month by Lacy Sunshine
who are offering three digis to the winner.

The design team were given a choice of images to work with for this challenge and I made this hanging Christmas decoration with my choice.

I used the Sheena Douglass Holly Stamp from her Paint Fusion range on two different green cards and cut sections and individual leaves out. I die-cut a ring in gold card using scalloped dies and used that as a base for the wreath. The banner was printed on the computer.

The digi image I used is called Joy to the World and I coloured her in with Copics and then cut her out.

I added clear embossing powder and gold frantage to some of the holly leaves.

I finished the wreath with a gold bow and some red gems as berries. I attached thick twine to the back of the wreath to hang it with.

Now please visit the Creative Artiste Challenge Blog to see the wonderful projects created by my talented team mates for more inspiration.  Remember to have fun and enter your "Anything Goes-Traditional Christmas Colours" creations in the challenge.

I've entered this project into the following challenges:

http://craftingwithanattitude.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/challenge-9.html Top 3
http://crafty-girls-creations.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/challenge-8.html x
http://craftyhazelnutschristmaschallenge2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/chnc-challenge-extra-for-november-2015.html x
http://sparklesforumchristmaschallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/challenge-59-christmas-decorations.html x
http://christmasblogchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/angels.html x

Lacy Sunshine Challenge # 16

Welcome to a new challenge on the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog. Thank you to all those who took part in our last challenge. The lucky winners have been announced on the challenge blog.
This is, regrettably, my last challenge post for Lacy Sunshine. Because of personal issues and time constraints I have resigned from the team.

The theme for Challenge #16 is  "Dies and Punches"

All entries must have a hand coloured image, either stamped or a digi. There is a top prize five digis of your choice from the Lacy Sunshine Store The "Top Three" will each get to choose one digi from the store. There is also a GDT post up for grabs each challenge. There is now a loyalty program for the challenge digi. A discounted digi is available from the Lacy Sunshine shop for each challenge which will entitle you to a future challenge image for free if you've used the discounted one to enter this challenge. All the instructions are on the challenge blog.
All the DT were given the choice of any Flowerpot Pretty for this challenge and I chose Petunia.

I used a raspberry coloured card for all the mats. The papers are from Bearly Mine. I used Marianne fence and flower dies and Cheery Lynn leaf flourish dies. They were all cut from white card and coloured with Promarkers. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

I coloured the lovely Petunia with my Promarkers, choosing colours to match the papers. I cut round the image and mounted it on foam pads.

Now head on over to the Lacy Sunshine Challenge blog to see the Flowerpot Pretty digi images the other Sunshine Girls have used and the fabulous creations  they have made for your inspiration. 

Lacy Sunshine Challenge # 15

Welcome to a new challenge on the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog. Thank you to all those who took part in our last challenge. The lucky winners have been announced on the challenge blog.
The theme this time is "Girls, Girls, Girls". Quite simply, you must have a girl on your card. All entries must have a hand coloured image, either stamped or a digi. There is a top prize five digis of your choice from the Lacy Sunshine Store The "Top Three" will each get to choose one digi from the store. There is also a GDT post up for grabs each challenge. There is now a loyalty program for the challenge digi. A discounted digi is available from the Lacy Sunshine shop for each challenge which will entitle you to a future challenge image for free if you've used the discounted one to enter this challenge. The instructions are on the challenge blog.

All the DT have been given brand new digis from the City Girls range to work with for this challenge. I was given Nicolosia - Venice City Girl.

I matted and layered a blue textured card and a paper from Bearly Mine. I had a line drawing of Venice (I can't remember where I got it from) which I printed in blue and matted that onto blue card.

I coloured the lovely image of Nicolosia with Promarkers and cut round her. I added a few pearl embellishments to her outfit.

The sentiment was created on the computer and hand cut to resemble a banner. I used foam pads to give it some shape.

I drew and hand cut a mask from blue mirri card and added pearl gems and a feather.

Now head on over to the Lacy Sunshine Challenge blog to see the new City Girls digi images the other Sunshine Girls have used and the fabulous creations  they've made for your inspiration. 

Lacy Sunshine Challenge #14

Today sees the start of a new challenge on the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog. Our theme for this challenge is "Favourite Things". So use your favourite things and tell us what they are. All entries must still have a hand coloured image, either stamped or a digi. There is a top prize of $30 to spend on digis in the Lacy Sunshine Store if you've used a Lacy Sunshine image. The "Top Three" will each get to choose 2 digis from the store. There is also a GDT post up for grabs each challenge. There is now a loyalty program for the challenge digi. A discounted digi is available from the Lacy Sunshine shop for each challenge which will entitle you to a future challenge image for free if you've used the discounted one to enter this challenge. The instructions are on the challenge blog.

The DT have used their favourite Lacy Sunshine digis for this challenge and, after much umming and ahhing, and trying to pick just one favourite, I chose the Melancholy Moppet Anastasia - Field of Flowers.

I used a paper from MCS Quintessential Country Garden (a favourite thing) and digitally altered the colour and gave it a brown border. After printing, I used the Grunge Flourish stamp from Visible Image and copper gilding flakes (a favourite thing).

I decided to colour the image in sepia tones with my Promarkers (a favourite thing).  I then cut round the image and mounted it on foam pads. The flowers were white and I coloured them with Promarkers too. I tied a bow with silk ribbon (a favourite thing). 

I hand cut a tag shape and used Distress Inks and Cast Bronze gilding wax to colour it (another favourite thing). I added some frayed silk ribbon and a sentiment. The Art Nouveau shapes are a Crafts-Too die which I cut from brown textured card and rubbed with the gilding wax. I managed to include lots of my favourite things on this card as you can see.

Head on over to the Lacy Sunshine Challenge blog to see which favourite digi images the other Sunshine Girls chose and the fabulous creations  they've made for your inspiration. Then choose your own favourite things and tell us what they are. We can't wait to see.

Lacy Sunshine Challenge #13

Today's blog is a mid-way reminder for the current challenge at the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog. As always, the challenge theme is "Anything Goes". All entries must have a hand coloured image, either stamped or a digi. There is a top prize of $30 to spend on digis in the Lacy Sunshine Store if you've used a Lacy Sunshine image. The "Top Three" will each get to choose 2 digis from the store. There is also a GDT post up for grabs each challenge.
There are new rules regarding the digi offered by Heather for each challenge. There is now a discounted digi available from the Lacy Sunshine shop which will entitle you to a future challenge image for free if you use it to enter this challenge. The instructions are on the challenge blog.

Heather decided that the Gnomes of Snarly Pines should all go on vacation. I was given Nana Nancy Hula Dancing to play with.

I matted and layered two hibiscus papers from Ooh La La Shoes in Bloom CD onto turquoise mirri card from Creata and attached some raffia around the panel before mounting it onto the card. I found a butterfly bead in my stash and tied it onto the raffia.

I coloured Nana Nancy with Promarkers and created a frame for her with mini stamps. I cut the frame out and mounted it on foam pads. I finished the card with a handmade flower. Nana Nancy will be available in the Lacy Sunshine Store from later today.

Head on over to the Lacy Sunshine Challenge blog to see the other fabulous creations from the Sunshine Girls for more inspiration.

Coco - Santa's Hot Chocolate

Lexie's team kicked off Challenge # 12 on the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog last Sunday. As always, the challenge theme is "Anything Goes" and there is a free Lacy Sunshine original digi image for you to use. All entries must have a hand coloured image, either stamped or a digi. There is a top prize of $30 to spend in the Lacy Sunshine Shop if you've used a Lacy Sunshine image. The "Top Three" will each get to choose 2 digis from the store. There is also a GDT post up for grabs each challenge.

As a bit more inspiration for you I've made another card. I couldn't resist colouring in the free image that's on offer for this challenge. See the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog  for how to get yours.  The image is called Coco - Santa's Hot Chocolate. 

I decided to keep the colour palette simple. The backing paper is from Bearly Mine and is matted onto  card with a brown edge. The Crafts-Too art nouveau dies were given to me as part of a prize by the lovely Lindsay Jolly and were cut from Papermania textured card. The paper inside the frames is also from Bearly Mine and the leaf dies are from Marianne. The pearls, lace and ribbon are from my stash.

I love a big mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows and pink ones always look prettier. I coloured the image of Coco with Promarkers, cut round it and mounted it onto the card with foam pads.

I used a Crealies flower die and a Spellbinder's poinsettia die to make the flowers. I made the pearl sprays with thin silver wire and small beads.

After seeing the lovely entries into Challenge # 12  using this freebie, I think I'll be trying out a few more colourways with this image. Please now go and check on the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog for a full set of the rules and how to claim your free image. You will also be able to see the wonderful winter creations from the other members of Lexie's talented team.

Lacy Sunshine Challenge #12

Today sees the start of a new challenge on the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog Thank you for all the wonderful entries into our last challenge. The voting has been done and the winner's and a new GDT are announced on the blog. Congratulations everyone.
It's the turn of Lexie's team to start things off this time. As always, the challenge theme is "Anything Goes" and there is a free Lacy Sunshine original digi image for you to use. All entries must have a hand coloured image, either stamped or a digi. There is a top prize of $30 to spend in the Lacy Sunshine Shop if you've used a Lacy Sunshine image. The "Top Three" will each get to choose 2 digis from the store. There is also a GDT post up for grabs each challenge.

Heather Valentin - the talent behind Lacy Sunshine - has been busy creating new digis for all your Christmas cards. I was given "Tinsel" to play with. She is a delight to colour and will be available to purchase in the Lacy Sunshine Shop later today.

I wanted to use this lovely Bearly Mine green and blue paper and matted it onto bright green textured Papermania card. I wrapped a length of sparkly silver ribbon around the layers before attaching to an 8"x 8" card blank. The holly, tree and snowflake dies are all from Marianne. I cut the holly and snowflakes from white card and coloured them with Promarkers. I added glitter as accents to the snowflakes.

I just had to chose blue and green as the matching colours for Tinsel and I used my trusty Promarkers on her - colours on request - I found a metallic silver pen to colour all the tinsel bits and then added glitter, which doesn't show too well in the photos unfortunately. After loosely cutting Tinsel out, I mounted her on foam pads. 

Lastly, I added some sparkly gems to the tree but left the rest of it for Tinsel to finish off.

Please now go and check on the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog for a full set of the rules and how to claim your free image. You will also be able to see the wonderful winter creations from the other members of Lexie's talented team.

Lacy Sunshine Challenge # 11

Today is the turn of Lexie's team to remind you about the current challenge over at Lacy Sunshine.
As always, the theme is "Anything Goes" and there is a free digi image for you to use. All entries must have a hand coloured image, either stamped or a digi. There is a top prize of $30 to spend in the Lacy Sunshine Shop if you've used a Lacy Sunshine image. The "Top Three" will each get to choose 2 digis from the store.

I was given the gorgeous Sticky Wings image "Coco Skiing" that was created by the talented Heather Valentin. I don't generally do Christmas before September, but I was only too pleased to make an early start this year.

I printed off my favourite snowflake paper from an old MCS CD and matted it onto silver mirri. I wrapped a wide organza frilly ribbon round it first. The snowflake die-cuts are all Marianne dies that I've layered up with foam pads.

I coloured Coco with Promarkers and glittered her cute little wings. The frame is made from a Lace Doily Corner die from Whimsy Stamps. I finished with a bow from the frilly ribbon. To give you an idea of size, this is an 8"x 8" card and I printed the image 13.5 cm high.

Please check on the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog for a full set of rules and how to claim your free image. You will also find the wonderful creations from the talented DT for your inspiration.

Eleanor as Dorothy

Today I have two special cards to show.  It's the same image on both cards and was created by the talented Heather Valentin who has been inspired by The Wizard of Oz and has created Lacy Sunshine's World of Oz. This image is called "Eleanor as Dorothy" and is for sale in the Lacy Sunshine Store in the New Digis section.  Please pop over to the   Lacy Sunshine Blog to see a special presentation of the wonderful new images Heather has created on this theme.

I merged two papers in MCS to create the background and coloured what was a plain path to look like the yellow brick road. The fence die is from Marianne and the flowers are  from Wild Orchid Crafts. I coloured them yellow and added brown Candi to the centres to make them look like Sunflowers.

I coloured the image with Promarkers. I wanted to keep some traditions so I gave Eleanor/Dorothy red hair and coloured the little dog black. After cutting round the image I mounted it on the card with foam pads.

For the second card I printed a paper with a frame from MCS. I then took just the frame and positioned the image inside it before printing out. Once coloured, I cut around the image leaving it attached to the frame in three places. I cut out the frame and mounted it over the base card with foam pads. I cut up and coloured some Cheery Lynn leaf flourish die-cuts. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and I created the sentiment on the computer.

I again used Promarkers to colour the image. I decided to give Eleanor/Dorothy the customary blue outfit this time.

Don't forget to head over to the Lacy Sunshine Blog to see the new images and then to the Lacy Sunshine Store to purchase them for yourselves.

Eleanor's Wishes

Firstly I would like to say a very big thank you to all of you lovely people who commented on Bailey's card for his Mummy. He was so thrilled. It was lovely reading all the fabulous comments with him. You've all made a little boy very happy ( and his Nana) .

I seem to be making quite a few yellow and blue cards lately, the colours seem to go together so well. This one is using a gorgeous image by Heather valentin. It's available in the Lacy Sunshine Shop and is called "Eleanor's Wishes". There is a special celebration going on at the moment for Eleanor and Pickles 1st birthday. Check out the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog for the details on how to win over 90 Eleanor and Pickles digis on a one off CD created by Heather.

I made this card for a friend's birthday which was yesterday. I hope she gets as many of her wishes granted as possible. I used an 8"x 8" card blank, some card edged with a yellow Promarker and a paper from MCS. The yellow stars were punched from textured card and the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Eleanor has been coloured with Promarkers and loosely cut out. I mounted her on foam pads. This was such a delightful image to colour. The yellow ribbon was coloured with a Promarker and the sentiment was made in MCS.

If you'd like a free Lacy Sunshine image to colour then pop over to the challenge blog where Heather offers a free one with each challenge. The theme for every challenge is "Anything Goes" but your entry must include a hand coloured image. The current challenge finishes this Saturday at 6pm BST. I hope to see you there.

Emma's Crafty Challenge # 17 Reminder

The current challenge at  Emma's Crafty Challenge is:

"Buttons and Bows"

and our sponsor for this month is Carley Duff from Creata who is offering a prize of a fabulous bundle of crafty goodies.

I started with an 8"x 8" card blank. The green papers are from the Docrafts Chronology range and the red spotty paper is from Docrafts Brights Capsule Collection. I thought it went perfectly with the mushrooms. The wired ribbon and the buttons are from my stash.

I used a fabulous digi by Heather Valentin, available from the Lacy Sunshine Store, It is called "Finkle - Under the Mushrooms" and it can be found in the New Digis section of the store. I coloured the image with Promarkers and created the sentiment on the computer. Once die-cut, I inked the white areas with Distress Ink Bundled Sage.

The extra mushrooms are from the Gnome Digi Bits set also in the Lacy Sunshine Store. As it's provided in a png it was easy to take into MCS and manipulate into the arrangement I wanted. Again I coloured them with Promarkers.

Here is a photo of the wonderful prize from Creata that you could win.

You can enter any new crafty creation as long as there is a button and a bow. We would love to see what you create. Your entry doesn't have to be a card, it could be any crafty project that follows the theme. Please visit the Challenge Blog to see more inspiration from the talented DT and to check out a full list of the rules. You only have until the end of the month to get your entries in, so don't forget.

A Special Lacy Sunshine Card

Challenge #10 on the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog is celebrating a very special occasion as it's the first anniversary since Heather created Eleanor and Pickles. In honour of this Heather is offering a fabulous prize for the winner; she has put all of her gorgeous Eleanor and Pickles digis onto a CD. That's over 90 images! Only entries using a Lacy Sunshine hand coloured image will be entered into the draw for this amazing prize. If you don't have one, Heather is offering a freebie on the Challenge Blog.
The theme for all our challenges is "Anything Goes" but every entry must feature a hand coloured digi. There will also be Top Three chosen winners who will receive beautiful blog badges and a GDT spot up for grabs. For a full set of rules please visit the Challenge Blog.

I hope you've guessed that I didn't actually make this card. It was my 5 year old grandson, Bailey. He loves colouring Heather's images, especially Eleanor and Pickles. I was making my "Eleanor Blue Ribbon Pie" DT card and he asked to make a card for his Mummy.

I printed "Eleanor and Pickles Back to School" digi directly onto an A5 card blank and he got his colouring pencils out. I gave him my die-cut leftovers and and the 1st badge that I decided not to use. The sentiment is entirely his own effort - he is learning to spell phonetically at school - but I'm sure you can tell what it is.

This is such a cute image with Pickles hitching a ride in Eleanor's bag. Bailey tried so hard to be neat and put quite a bit of thought into his colour choices. He was wondering if Pickles had snuck into Eleanor's bag or if she knew he was there? And whether Pickles could write with the pencil in his mouth? 

I hope you'll join in with our celebrations for Eleanor and Pickles. Challenge # 10 runs until Saturday 22nd June. Please visit the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog to see how to get a free Heather Valentin digi. We also have a Facebook group where you can come and join in some fun, get sneak peeks and share your crafty creations.
There are so many fantastic digis for everyone in the Lacy Sunshine Store, so pop on over there and take a look, new ones are added nearly everyday.

A Blue Ribbon Day

I have some news that I'm very excited to share with you today. The wonderfully talented Heather Valentin invited me to join her Design Team at Lacy Sunshine, so, this is my first post as a Sunshine Girl!
Challenge #10 on the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog starts today and it's a very special occasion as it's the first anniversary since Heather created Eleanor and Pickles. In honour of this Heather is offering a fabulous prize for the winner; she is putting every one of her gorgeous Eleanor and Pickles digis onto a CD. To be eligible to win this amazing prize you must use a Lacy Sunshine hand coloured image on your entry. If you don't have one, Heather is offering a freebie on the Challenge Blog or you could visit the Lacy Sunshine Store to purchase one, or more, of your choice. There will also be Top Three winners who will receive beautiful blog badges and GDT spot up for grabs.
The theme for all our challenges is "Anything Goes" but every entry must feature a hand coloured digi. For a full set of rules please visit the Challenge Blog.

I was given this wonderful image to play with, it's called "Eleanor Blue Ribbon Pie". In the UK a blue ribbon is actually 2nd place, but, as Eleanor is American she has won 1st prize for her delicious pie. I "borrowed" one of my daughter's horse riding rosettes for my card and the papers are from the Summer of 59 CD by Kraftyhands. I added a doily and chopped up a Memory Box die-cut. The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

I chose yellow to go with the blue and coloured the gorgeous Eleanor with Promarkers. I mounted her on the card with foam pads.

I thought this image was perfect for decoupage and printed the pie and rosette on their own a couple of times, coloured them, then built them up with foam pads.

I hope you'll join in with our celebrations for Eleanor and Pickles. Please visit the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog to see what the wonderful DT have created for your inspiration and see how to get the free digi. We also have a Facebook group where you can join in the fun, get sneak peeks and share your crafty creations.

Stardust Satyress

The very talented Heather Valentin is offering this beautiful digi image for those who want to enter the current challenge at Lacy Sunshine and I just couldn't resist. I've been away from home for a couple of weeks, but I did manage to sneak some crafty items in my suitcase. I also went to the Sincerely Yours craft show in Bracknell and acquired some more. Considering I didn't have access to my full stash, I'm still pleased with this card and I'm entering it in the Lacy Sunshine Challenge # 9.

I covered an 8"x 8" card blank with a Graphic 45 paper from the  Le Cirque collection, which is covered in tiny stars, and created a mat for the gorgeous image from bright green Papermania textured card. I used a new border punch from Docrafts on two edges.

I coloured the image with Promarkers and extended the tree to run off the edges. I used a couple of the waste cut-outs to embellish the corner and mounted it onto the card with foam pads.

I was light on embellishments but I had a few flowers and punched some stars. The pretty bow is made with wired ribbon from Ribbon Box . I thought that was all the card needed to finish it off. 

The challenge finishes Saturday at 6pm BST, so be quick if you want this lovely digi. Just visit the Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog for the details.

Emma's Crafty Challenge #16 Reminder

You only have 4 days left to enter this month's challenge at Emma's Cards UK, where the theme is

"Pink and Blue" 

We are being sponsored by Foil Play who have generously donated a £15 voucher to spend in their online store. There will also be blinkies for the top three runners up.

My card is a heart shaped easel that I hand cut. The mats and layers are Papermania textured card, a large heart doily and a Floral Damask paper from Kraftyhands CD Edwardian Rose Garden.

The image is one of Heather Valentin's hauntingly pretty Melancholy Moppets. Her name is Anastasia and I've coloured her with Promarkers. For your choice of wonderful digis please visit the Lacy Sunshine Store, it's THE only authorised place to sell them.

I embellished the card with a chopped up memory box die, ribbon and flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and a Joy Crafts butterfly. All were coloured with Promarkers.

Head over to our challenge blog to see the cards from our talented DT members and check out the rules. Don't forget, you could win a fabulous £15 voucher from Foil Play for your efforts.

We look forward to seeing your crafty Pink and Blue creations. 

Flowerbed Fred

I have made this card for the latest challenge at Lacy Sunshine where the theme is Spring Fever. I just couldn't resist the wonderful freebie digi by Heather Valentin and it would be so rude not to use it to enter the challenge.

I chose a blue and yellow colourway for this card and covered an 8"x 8" card blank with a paper from MCS Quintessential Country Garden.

The adorable image is called Flowerbed Fred and I coloured it with Promarkers before cutting it out and mounting on a couple of die-cuts.

I created the sentiment on the computer and used my favourite Cheery Lynn leaf flourish die and flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts to embellish.

Remember to visit the Lacy Sunshine shop to purchase any of Heather's wonderful digis, it's the only place to legally buy them.