Sketch and Tic-Tac-Toe

Since I got home from holiday I've been mostly cleaning and washing clothes, but I've also made one card today. My card is inspired by the sketch over at "Seize the Birthday" and the tic tac toe challenge over at "The Paper Players".
I recently won some digis from Bugaboo, and this cute little bird was one of my picks - I just couldn't resist its eyes! It's been colored with Promarkers mostly in different shades of blue and orange to match my choice of papers. The image is fussy cut and is mounted on foam. The banner with the heat embossed birthday sentiment has been hand cut and distressed with blue ink. The star is a cut out from a DP that came free with a magazine, and I machine stitched with white thread around the edges.

I'm still trying to catch up with all of you since my return, but you've been such a crafty bunch so I need some more time to get around to visit you all:)

This card is for these challenges:
1) Seize The Birthday - Sketch #20
2) The Paper Players - Tic Tac Toe (Bird+Blue+Birthday)
3) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Red, White and Blue

I just got back from a wonderful 2 week stay on the island of Kos. I really enjoyed the holiday, but it's sooo great to be back home! I've been without internet access during my trip, and I've missed blogging, crafting - and sleeping in my own bed! I have one more week off, so I'll have plenty of time to do whatever I want next week!

I'm "warming up" with this male birthday card in red, white and blue, and a bit of kraft. The image is a Teddy Bo digi, which I've colored using Promarkers. I've used 2 DPs for his card. As for decoration I've used 2 ribbons, twine, 3 buttons, a star sticker, a star metal charm and a ticket with sentiment. I finished off my card adding doodled lines using a black pen.

This card is for these challenges:
1) Charisma Cardz - #25 1, 2, 3 Recipe (1 image, 2 DPs, 3 buttons)
2) Delightful Challenges - Red White and Blue
3) A Gem of a Challenge - #85 Male Birthday
4) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

You are special

I've just discovered the WOJ digis and I just couldn't resist getting a whole bunch of them! I picked this image because of the cool look of this mouse, and I thought it would be perfect for a card for a  teenage boy.
I've used white, blue and burgundy papers, as well as a Maja Design DP with script. The blue paper is embossed with a star patterned embossing folder. For the DP I used a new Fiskars border punch (an early birthday present from my older sister). I used a burgundy left over thread from a cross stitching kit and attached a post card metal charm to it. The sentiment is heat embossed with blue embossing powder and translates "You are Special".  The image is colored with Promarkers.

This card is for these challenges:
1) The Crafter's Cafe Challenge - #17 Fathers or For a Male
2) The Crazy Challenge - #147 Teens card
3) 'ABC' Challenges - I (Heart) Animals
4) The Corrosive Challenges - Animal Antics
5) A Gem of a Challenge - #83 Emboss It
6) Creative Card Crew - #38 Metal
7) Top Tip Tuesday - #103 Masculine
8) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

One Layer and Coloring on Kraft

My previous card had such bright colors, so I went with a more neutral color scheme for this one.
I just got this cute Whiff of Joy digi and thought it would be perfect for a male card as well as for the speed theme over at LIM.
For me one layer cards are the most difficult ones to make, but I like to challenge myself, and I did so by not only opting for a one layer design, but also by coloring on kraft using my Inktense pencils. I've used greys, black, white and a little touch of pink for the mouse's ear and nose.
It's also the first time I've tried the doodled frame technique - it's definitely a technique I will use again for future cards.
The sentiment in Norwegian is stamped with black ink, and it can be translated into both happy birthday and congratulations.

I enter this card into these challenges:
1) Less Is More - #123 Need for Speed
2) Paper Crafting Journey - Masculine cards
3) Penny's Paper-Crafty - #130 Birthdays
4) Try It On Tuesday - One For The Men
5) Make it Monday with Kraft Outlet - Clean & Simple

Fruity Colors!

The Inkspirational team has given as three bright and fruity colors to play with this week. I started out making the background using a set of hexagonal dies and colorful papers. The REALLY bright look made me want to go "all in" for a cheerful look with a fun image and sentiment from Bugaboo, using the same bright colors to color the image. Her drink contains some cherries, and Stella looks quite "breezy".
I can't say that this card is representative of my style, although I had a fun time putting all the elements together for this card - these colors kind of puts you in a good mood, don't they. I believe it's going to be a birthday card for my aunt - she's got the sense of humor for it.

This card is for these challenges:
1) Inkspirational - #23 Colors
2) Catch The Bug - Anything Goes
3) Fab 'n' Funky - #174 Fruit
4) Crafty Bloggers Network - Bright & Breezy
5) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Quick and Simple Masculine card

I love the sea and I love nautical themed cards, whether they're clean and simple or with plenty of layers and embellishments.
This card came together quickly as I had an idea about the design before I sat down to make  my card (that doesn't happen very often!)
I went with a long rectangular shape (11x22cm) and blue card base.
I cut out the circles of kraft using two different sized dies and attached them to a white background.
The boat is a metal charm, but the two other elements are die cuts made with Die-namics dies, heat embossed with platinum embossing powder.
I wanted to keep the background white and clean, so I chose to heat emboss the stamped sentiment using white embossing powder.

This card is for these challenges:
1) The Crafting Cafe - Here come the boys
2) CAS on Sunday - Make it Masculine
3) Addicted to CAS - #14 Circles
4) Shopping Our Stash - #104 No Patterned Paper
5) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Baby Fairy Image for a Baby Girl

I've made so many male cards lately that I thought it was time to make a girly one. So why not get ahead with the card for a friend of mine who's expecting a baby girl. 

When I spotted this ADFD digi I just had to have it. I've colored it using mainly pink and blue Promarkers, and I've added Diamond Stickles to their wings. I love Diamond Stickles because of how its color varies with the angle and light - from pink, to blue or even clear.

I'm not really a "pink person", so I went with kraft paper for the card base, layers of blue papers and pink embellishments -  pearls from my stash, Basic Grey flower chipboard stickers and a Kaisercraft sentiment heat embossed with pink embossing powder.

All edges have been distressed with Walnut Distress Ink, and I've used a circle die for the sentiment and a MB Corner Bow die.

The inside is decorated with the same papers as for the front, but in a different order. 3 pearls are used for embellishment.




This card is for these challenges:
1) Passion for ProMarkers - #200 All that glitters
2) Bearly-Mine Challenges - #89 Dies and/or Punches
3) Heck of a Challenge - Bingo (Pearls+Die+Flowers)
4) Natalie and Amy's Challenge - Fantasy
5) Great Impressions - Leave a Little Sparkle
6) No Matter Which Challenges - Bingo (Die cuts+Flowers+Glitter/Sparkle)
7) Allsorts - #209 Here Come the Girls
8) Di's Digis Designs - Winged Things
9) QKR Stampede - #41 Any Winged Creatures
10) Make it Monday - Anything Goes

Birthday Card with Chipboard Bird

This card is for a friend who turns 40 this month.  I've used dies from the Spellbinders Timeless Rectangle set - the largest one is used to make the card base. I used kraft paper and distressed the edges with Walnut Distress Ink. A smaller die is used to make the brown inner frame, which is placed upon a honeycomb embossed paper sprayed with a peach colored glimmer mist - it gives a bronze shimmer finish on brown papers.
The music notes paper is from Minnehjørnet. I added a cardboard die cut frame from a set from Ikea, and the bird is a chipboard sticker from Basic Grey. The hand cut banner has a heat embossed birthday greeting. The number is made with die cuts and I added a bow  with a golden heart charm from Kort&Godt.

This card is for these challenges:
1) Inkspirational - Anything Goes (2nd entry)
2) Eclectic Ellapu - Anything with Wings
3) Happy Campers - Use Metal
4) Glitter n Sparkle Challenge Blog - Anything with a B (Bird)
5) Crafty Calendar - Things with Wings
6) Crafts 4 Eternity Recipe Challenge - #126 - The Same Letter (Bird+Banner+Bow)
7) Creative Moments - #18 Lots of Layers
8) Make it Monday - Anything Goes