Trick or Treat!

Another Halloween card creeping in today!   This is one of my old Elisabeth Bell stamps from years ago and I don't think it's available as a digi - at least I didn't see it in the collection.

I've stamped and coloured with my Copic pens then put the card together with odds and ends of Nitwits digi papers from my bit basket.  Here's the card:

I've added a Penny Black die cut sentiment, punched stars and the die cut mini leaves from the Marianne Design Autumn leaves strip die. I've also done my faux embossed stitching around the edges of each layer and inked with Niagara Mist chalk ink.

There are a couple of challenges I can enter: both The Craft Barn and Sweet Stampin' have Halloween themes going on, whilst Crafty Cardmakers are looking for Autumnal colours.

Have a lovely Sunday, whatever you are doing.  Here in North Cornwall it is a glorious Autumn day with blue skies and no wind!  Rare in these parts so I'm going to make the most of it with Izzy.  Thanks for stopping by and please, tick a box before you leave.

CCT Candy

This week at Cute Card Thursday our theme is Candy .. .. so interpret any way you like!  Our sponsor for this challenge is Whimsy Stamps, please stop by the CCT blog to read all about it and see what the rest of the team have created.

With Halloween creeping up behind us, I've put together a little candy box for the kiddies that come around - last year just 6 little ones all together with a couple grown ups, so hopefully the same this year.  Most of my neighbours are more elderly or don't have young children so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I saw something similar on Pinterest so started out with an empty egg box.  The inspiration picture had it painted black, but I didn't have any black paint so instead went with blood red and used Alizarin Crimson Americana acrylic instead - one coat more than covered the green box but it was easier to spread the paint with a damp brush just to thin it a little.  The pumpkins on the side are a Penny Black stamp I've coloured and fussy cut out then fixed with a double thick 3d pad on the end pumpkins so they sit over the 'hole' but it still shuts - get that?

On top is an easel card with 'Little Witch' by Elisabeth Bell, coloured with my Copics.  I've stamped little bats and spider webs from another PB set and gone over areas with a sparkle pen, but unfortunately it doesn't show up.

The black mat is cut with Marianne Design die LR0310 and I've gone around the edge with black Stickles - you can just about make it out I think.

The stopper is an old brad from my stash, and the spotty paper is from my digi bit box. The 'Trick or Treat' die cut is from a Penny Black set.

Here's the inside of the lid:

I've die cut the 'BOO' from the same set and added black Stickles on top, then fixed onto a strip of bendy plastic so it bobs when the box is opened.

The stamped image is LOTV's little wizard, coloured with my Copics and silver pen for the stars.

And finally, the candy .. ..

The Halloween version of the Creme Egg (disgusting things).  I coloured tissue paper with Copics then used my fancy edge scissors to cut strips to use as padding in the box for the eggs.

Well, I hope my little Halloween monsters will like the gift.  I might have to make a few more little things just in case more of them turn up .. .. watch this space!

Moving Along With The Times blog challenge theme is for Halloween this week, so I can enter with them.

Thanks for stopping by, and hope to see you again soon.  If you've stayed with me this far, you might notice I have added a couple of tick boxes under the comment box, so if you don't want to leave a comment perhaps you would tick one of the boxes instead - thanks!

Summer Ice Cream

At last, it's Summer! well, fingers crossed anyway, it's all very 'British' this year with umbrellas doubling up as sun shades .. .. but whatever the weather, an ice cream always goes down well!

I have inked up an old stamp by Elisabeth Bell originally designed for the Sweet Ebony range at Sugar Nellie many years ago, so probably no longer in existence.  I've coloured with my Copic pens, hope you will like it - here it is:

Note: I checked Elisabeth's digi store here, but couldn't see this image. And checked the EB stamps at Whimsy Stamps too, some of my old Sweet Ebony designs are now with them, but sadly not this one.

The base is a thick peachy pink pearl card I had in my stash, left over from making my son and dil's wedding invites back in 2010 - there is quite a bit left too!  The paper is a sheet from Marianne Design Butterfly 6x6 pack, not sure if that is still available either .. .. and I've used small snippets of a coordinating paper from the same pack down each side.  Rather than do my usual faux embossed stitching I decided to have a go again at using my distressing tool on the papers .. .. still not sure I have the hang of it though.  I've die cut a fancy label mat for my image then used various Marianne Design die cut pieces for embellishment, along with ribbon and pearls I've coloured with my Copic R30 pen to give me the soft peachy pink shade.

Here's the Marianne Design die list for this card:

chicken wire with the die in the cut and emboss set DF3404

flowers from COL1323

leaves snipped from LR0138

flower stamens from the mini poinsettia set LR0142

peachy swirly fronds from LR0157

butterflies from LR0261

Incy Wincy challenge is called Summer Lovin', and the Allsorts challenge is for pearls and gems, I have quite a few pearls on my card so hope that will qualify.

Thank you for stopping by to take a look at my card, and hope that it's ice cream weather where you are today!

Awesome Autumn

This week at Cute Card Thursday we are celebrating Autumn with our regular sponsor Whimsy Stamps providing the prize - stop by the blog to read all about it and for more inspiration from the DT.

My internet is playing up again so I'll have to keep this short and sweet and hope that the pictures show up (I'm not seeing them). I've made one of my little 5" square cards with scraps of digi paper by Nitwits and stamped an old Elizabeth Bell sweetie called picking apples.  She's coloured with my Copic pens.  Here's the card:

The die cut embellishments are all by Marianne Design and I've added the stars to the centres of the flowers, they are old sticky things from my stash but I see coming back around again!  I noticed at the show last Saturday that a lot of the 'new' things are versions of stash I have from almost 10 years ago when I first started out, so glad I kept some of the smaller bits and pieces but a bit annoyed I gave a lot away in the house move, ah well!

Here's the list of Marianne dies I used:
scallop edge of middle layer cut with LR0300
green leaves and swirl LRO271
large flowers COL1323
small yellow flowers from CR1210

Can't do any linking up today so no other challenges to mention, but I might try later if the internet comes back to more than 1 bar signal strength. Thanks for stopping by and hope you will come and join in our Awesome Autumn challenge.

Picnic with Dolly

A few weeks back Rebekah asked me if I would like to join the design team at Stampin' For the Weekend  .. .. and after a little thinking I said yes!  After all, I love to stamp, it's a fortnightly challenge and the ladies seem so friendly .. .. so here's my card for the children at play theme that started yesterday.

Picnic with Dolly is an Elisabeth Bell design, and my rubber version is one of the first stamps she designed for SCACD, but sadly it seems to be no longer available. Would you believe that this is the first time she has been made into anything .. .. I remember stamping up the image and not being happy with my colouring so throwing it in the bin, thankfully now I play with Copics things have improved!   I enjoyed colouring in this adorable image and as there was a red and blue colour scheme developing I dug out some old Papermania paper from last year to create the card.

It's looking darker than in real life - what happened to the sunshine?  My base is a kraft C6 and the dark blue paper is matted with SU! Night of Navy cardstock.  I've lightened things with the red and ivory layer then diecut my daisies from scraps of dark green and SU! Cherry Cobbler card.  The daisies are cut with Marianne die LR0106 with the centres from LR0111 and leaves from LR0240. To colour the pearls for my butterflies' bodies I used my Copic pen R39 so they would tie in nicely.  The card is a bit of a change from my normal pastel colours, but I like the way it has turned out.

The Papertake Weekly challenge is a 3, 2, 1 theme - I have 3 flowers, 2 patterned papers and 1 image, while the Allsorts challenge is for 1 image, 2 patterned papers and 3 embellishments (flowers, leaves and butterflies, or 3 floral and 3 butterflies).  And over at the One Stop Craft challenge it's an anything goes week.