Off to School

It's time for the mid challenge reminder at Crafty Boots Challenges. The current theme is 'Spots and Dots'.

My card today features a Mo's Digital Pencil image called 'Erasmus'.

Once I had coloured the image with Promarkers I mounted it on some gold mirri and red card. The backing paper is by DoveCraft. The washi tape and cupcake charm are from my stash.

The card was for my little niece, who had just started school, I made her a couple of school uniform cardigans and a jumper to go with her card.

Now, don't forget to pop over to Craft Boots Challenges to enter you card featuring spots or dots.


Dionne

Minni Mouse

I have another card for you today featuring one of the nations favourite mice .., Minnie Mouse.

The current challenge at Crafty Boots Challenges is 'Spots and Dots' and I have adored colouring these Minni Mouse images, with her fabulous red and white polka dot outfit.

I found this free colouring page on Colouring Book and I coloured it with Promarkers.

I mounted the image on some red glitter card.  The red and black polka dot paper came from Bearly Mine.  I layered this with some gold mirri and I added a round Craftwork Cards sentiment.  The gorgeous red polka dot grosgrain ribbon came from my stash.

Don't forget to check out the Crafty Boots Challenges blog and take a look at the projects done by the other members of the Design Team.

Dionne

Spots and Dots

A new challenge starts today at Crafty Boots Challenges, the theme for the next two weeks is 'Spots and Dots'.

When I sat down to think about my DT piece for this project, there was one character which kept coming to mind as representative of dots - Minni Mouse.

I found this free colouring page on Colouring Book.  Minni Mouse is so cute and she always brings a smile to my face.  Now, if I have done my maths right, last week was Minnie's 87th birthday.  She first appeared in Steamboat Willie on 18 November, 1928.  I suspect she looked a little different to this in that film.

I coloured the image with Promarkers and mounted it on some red glitter card.  I then covered the card with some embossed dots card and added some polka dot ribbon top and bottom.  Finally I added a round Craftwork Cards sentiment.

The rest of the Design Team have been making some amazing projects, so please make sure you check out the Crafty Boots Challenges blog and take a look for yourself.

Dionne

Merci

I decided to try something a little different with this poppy stamp.  First I stamped Stampin' Ups ' A World of Thanks' stamp with vintage photo ink.

I then stamped over it with Penny Black's 'Poppy Time' stamp using black ink. I coloured the stamped image with Promarkers before mounting it on red and silver glitter card. The sentiment is from CraftWork Cards.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Dionne

Pretty Poppy

I know what you'r thinking, not more poppies.  The trouble is I have so many poppy stamps and digi images, I just love their rich red colours and the fact that poppies also come in virtually every other colour too.

This card features another free colouring book page from Super Colouring, which I coloured with Promarkers.  I mounted it on silver mirri and white card, I then added a layer of red glitter card and some embossed white card.

The red flower is from Wild Orchid Crafts (apologies for the poor quality photograph but here it is in close-up) and the sentiment from CraftWork Cards.  The berries, buttons and ribbon all came from my stash.


Dionne

Vintage Poppies and Peonies

Regular visitors will not have failed to have noticed that I am having a bit of a thing with poppy images at the moment. It does not take much to get me rushing for my pens and pencils to colour poppy images because they are so much fun but this set came pre-coloured and they were just perfect to make into Artist Trading Cards (ATCs).

This set of nine images of rich red poppies and peonies came from Pics and Paper. At first glance they looked as if they was very little to do to them, but once I got out my craft supplies I found lots of suitable embellishments.

I printed two sets and layered some of the flowers and mounted them on glitter card. I also added some ruby coloured flat backed gems to each card. I added pearls to some and ribbons to others. I also added butterflies and leaves to others, all from my stash.

Apologies for the poor quality photographs, they weather here has been dreadful this week and it is constantly dark and overcast, this does not lead to very good quality pictures.

Of course, there is another reason I have been playing with poppies, the current Crafty Boots Challenge is 'Remembrance' and/or 'Giving Thanks'.  There is still time for you to play along with this challenge.

Good luck.


Dionne

With Deepest Sympathy

The current Crafty Boots Challenge is 'Remembrance' or 'Giving Thanks'.  I have a another sympathy card to share with you today.

It features a free colouring page from Super Colouring, which I coloured with Promarkers. I mounted the image on some deep red card and gold mirri. The background is black mirri card. I printed the sentiment on my computer.

Dionne

Avec Sympathie

We have reached the midway point in the current challenge at Crafty Boot Challenges, the theme of which is 'Remembrance' and 'Giving Thanks'.

My Design Team card this week was influenced by the atrocities that took place on Friday in Paris.  I was based in London for my entire working life and saw my fair share of terrorist bombings and the impact they had on the people who live and work in the places affected, from the IRA attacks in the 1970's and 1980's to the horrendous bombings of 7 July 2005.

Times like this bring back some awful memories for me and my thoughts and prayers are currently with the people of Paris.

This card has a deliberately simple design, featuring Stampin' Up's Pleasant Poppies stamp, which I coloured with Promarkers and pencils.  I types the sentiment on my PC and I layered the image and sentiment on some silver mirri and added a band of black glitter card to represent the bright lights of Paris that are currently switched off.

My thanks to my good friend Mrs Beez for the inspiration for this card.

We have two lovely Guest Designers this week so make sure you pop across to Crafty Boots Challenges to check out their work.


Dionne

For the Fallen

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;

They sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond England's foam.

Extract from 'For the Fallen' by by Robert Laurence Binyon

The current Crafty Boots Challenge is Remembrance and Giving Thanks.  My card today gives thanks to all of those who have laid down their lives in the defense of this great nation, in the war to end all wars, and every war since.

This beautiful wreath of poppies is by Delicious Doodles and is simply called 'Poppy Wreath',  I coloured it with Promarkers and mounted it on silver mirri and black pearlescent card.  The embossed white card, ribbons and flat backed gems are all from my stash.

Dionne

The Last Post

A brand new challenge starts at Crafty Boots Challenges today.  For the next two weeks the theme of the challenge is remembrance or giving thanks for those things we have, like family and friends, those things that make our lives comfortable.

There have been services all over the UK, indeed all over the Commonwealth, this weekend to give thanks for those who gave their lives to secure and protect our freedom.  In honour of those brave men and women I have made a card featuring the poppy, which has come to symbolise remembrance of WW1.

My poppy image is a free colouring page which I coloured with F&C polychromos pencils and Promarkers.  I printed the sheet music for The Last Post from the internet and distressed it slightly with Vintage Photo and Antique Linen inks.  I fussy cut the poppies and glued them to the sheet music, which I had mounted on red mirri card. Finally I added a double bow of red ribbon and two of my favourite hat pins.

The rest of the Crafty Boots design team have been hard at work making inspirational pieces, make sure you take a look when you enter your project.

Good luck.

Dionne

Trick or Treat

I hope you had a good weekend.  I wonder. did you or the family take part in any of any Halloween jollity's over the weekend?

My family have held an annual pumpkin carving party on the afternoon before Halloween for the past four years, it is meant to be for the small children, but I think the big children enjoy it every bit as much.  We had fingers in a bun (sausages in a bridge roll) and baked philosopher's stone (jacket potatoes) for lunch and drank Slimaide (limeade), Dragon's Blood (cherryade) and Pumpkin Juice (orangeade).

This year the grandchildren are that bit older and helped with the carving of their pumpkins, but the adults did the knife work, here are a few of the pumpkins we carved.

As you can see there was something of an animal theme this year with the cat, fox, lion and rabbit.  I think my two nephews took the prize with their vomiting man and ghost designs.

Over at Crafty Boots Challenges it is time for the mid challenge reminder for the 'Autumn or Halloween' Challenge.  I made trick or treat bags for my neighbours and all the children at the party on Friday.

The images are all from Gecko Galz.  After enlarging the images I mounted them on orange and green card before attaching them to craft coloured bags.  The bows were made from a Marianne Creatables die from orange and green card and gold glitter card and I added lots of orange and green ribbon before attaching them to the bags.  

I also added a few Halloween stickers before filling the bags with all sorts of Halloween goodies.  To be honest with you, I think they were all far more interested in what was inside the bags than what was on the outside.

The rest of the Crafty Boots Design Team have been very busy so please make sure you hop across there and take a look.

I hope you have a good week.

Dionne