Projects from ...

... Wednesday.  Well, a couple of them anyway.

All stamps on the first card were from a stamp set that came free on the front of a Docrafts magazine some while ago.  Loosely coloured with ProMarkers, I loved the freedom to colour this one any way we liked without having to worry about blending, staying within the lines etc 'cos it didn't matter.  Cartoon style drawing lets you get a way with all sorts - *lol*  The main image was stamped onto a piece of card (mat) that then had 'windows' cut into it (with nesties in this instance) and the sentiment and handbag stamps were stamped through the windows onto another piece of card (mat).  The edges of the mats were coloured using the ProMarker chisel tip and a ruler.  Width of the colouring can be adjusted by where the ruler is positioned and at what angle the nib is used.

The following card was the first one made.  Reason being, the centre of the flowers.  Debs had discovered, purely by accident, that if you put a big blob of PVA glue in the centre of the flower, covered it in glitter and allowed it to dry that it dried leaving the glitter raised, brad style.  The idea was to replicate that but, in the event, we ended up with something completely different.  Our glue sunk in the middle and we ended up with a raised edge, like a doughnut, and have to say .... I love it!  I will certainly be playing with big blobs of PVA again ... just to see what I end up with although, I don't generally 'do' glitter well, not loose glitter anyway - *lol*  The other highlight of this card was the ruched ribbon.  I'd never used ribbon in this way before but I will be using it again.  On this card the ribbon was ruched by making running stitches along the centre and then gathering it up, fixing the ends behind the mat and then playing with the positioning of the ruches before sticking it down with a bit of tape to stop it moving around - although it could be left loose.

Plans for yesterday went a bit awry - as can be seen from the blog.  I did go into my crafty corner for a while and I can see the desk again - yessss!  Then I decided to start on the blog makeover.  It's going well and I think I've most stuff covered.  Was stuck for a while on one thing I wanted to do, even though I'd found really good instructions on how to do it.  Just couldn't find the relevant place in the template.  I just took time out to cook dinner, which was delish ... and quick but not good 'cos it's not encouraging Paul to take the cooking reins back - *lol*   Seemed to be just what was wanted 'cos I came back and found it!  So it's job done and just the final bit of tweeking to do ☺

Thanks for dropping by .....

ProMarker storage

UPDATE: I've put this update at the beginning as it's important and it should have been mentioned in the following post but a commenter has brought it to my attention (thanks Sonia) and I'm going to shout this .... PROMARKERS (& Copics or any other alcohol based marker pens) CAN BE STORED EITHER HORIZONTALLY OR VERTICALLY!  It is only waterbased markers, like Aquamarkers, Marvy Le Plume etc. that are better stored horizontally ie.  flat, on their sides.  I queried this directly with Letraset having read this so many times that ProMarkers had to be stored flat and being sure it wasn't the case.  On 7th June 2010 Martin Gibbs from Letraset replied to my question as follows .... " It makes no difference which way you store ProMarkers.  The confusion probably comes from the fact that the water based AquaMarkers are best stored horizontally"  The Copic site actually state the same for their pens and both Letraset and Copic sell storage for their pens which allows for them to be stored either way, which is not something they would do if they should be stored flat.  I hope this clears up any misconceptions and confusion and if still unsure of what I've said then please contact the respective manufacturers and ask the question, as I did, to have your mind set to rest.  Now, on with the post ...

The following was an idea I saw on a blog some while ago. Unfortunately I can't remember which blog so can't point you in it's direction but I thought I would show you my adaption of the idea. The original idea uses a much larger box, with 3 sections (holding around 240 CDs I think), which is ideal for a full set of ProMarkers however, I don't have a full set and at the moment have sufficient quantity for my needs. As such I went on a hunt for a smaller box and found one on eBay. One section only and it holds up to 91 ProMarkers - at a squeeze. I have 84 ProMarkers, blender pen, gel pens and fineliners in my box as well as a colour chart.

The boxes are aluminium DJ CD cases and come complete with the index cards and sleeves. The one I found suitable for my needs is one that holds 120 CDs ... this one. 

The sleeves hold 7 ProMarkers each and I've put a slip of paper with a colour sample and it's name in the back of the sleeve. The colour chart is kept in the lid with a list of the colour combos for skin, hair and colours that blend well together. The dots on the top of the ProMarkers are just punched dots, coloured and stuck on with glue dots but it allows me to see the rough colours at a glance (not true colour as they're not coloured onto the card I use). I also try to keep the colours in the order they appear on the colour chart I printed off of the Letraset site.

It's small and compact enough to sit on the top of the CD tower that holds my clear stamps and is easily portable.

UPDATE #2:  I now know where I saw this idea originally.  Thank you Nicky, of Stiggys Cards.  You actually helped me at the time as I asked you for measurements of your box to work out whether this one would work for me!

Enjoy!!

Christmas meet shoebox project #7

Well, it wasn't my project #7 as these are the cards I made the kits up for. I made several samples as I'd used different colours in my kits and wanted to show that, depending on how the snow couple were coloured, any colourway could be used.  There was one more, in  a pinky colour, but seems I've omitted to photograph it and it's now gone to a good home - lol!

Ingredients:

Penny Johnson stamp from Stampavie - Snowy Cuddles

Promarkers

Digi sentiment from Create with TLC

Snowflakes embossing folder (Cuttlebug exclusive to Kars)

Stickles glitter glue

Snow writer

Papermania paper

Mirri card.

Enjoy!!
 

Christmas meet shoebox project #3

I love this one ... well, I love them all but like the simplicity and impact that this has.

Jan's shoebox kit

Ingredients:

A6 card blank

Score board for scoring lower part of card and border (Hougie board in this instance)

Strip of DP paper

Circle nesties for matting.

Nellie Snellen Multi frame circles or Nestie Lacey Circles

Stamp or Digi image (this one was from Pink Gem)

Colouring medium (promarkers used here)

Greeting and SU window punch

Stickles glitterglue

 Enjoy!!

 

Kenny K's Krafty Girlz Challenge #2

Well, if nothing else Kenny K's images have me colouring! I did this image while in Doncaster last weekend (report on that to follow) then, when I got back home, found that Kenny K's second challenge was a sketch. Sketches I can sort of do but real life has got in the way and I didn't think I'd be able to find the time to enter however .... last minute.com perhaps, but here it is! What's even more of a surprise, it got me using one of my purchases from last weekend ... the DP! When I saw it I just knew that it would suit these girlz - *lol* 

I still made a mistake on the card though.  Can't seem to make a card without one *sad face* Anyways, I had to go back to make it less obvious so hopefully nobody will notice.  The camera hasn't picked up the colours as they really are, which is unfortunate as they are much more distinctive than they seem and the hat is most definitely more red and the blues are actually quite a dark mauve.  The whole card is much more vibrant and psychedelic than piccie shows. Perhaps light is not good for photography ... *grin*

Ingredients:

Cream hammered card blank.

DCWV mat stack - Neutrals (love the range of colours in these)

Paper - DCWV Girls Square with Glitter (Nana's Kids Print range)

E-Line gems

Ribbon from stash

EK Success Edger Punch - Morocco Lace

QuicKutz Cookie Cutter - Nesting Label (cut, embossed and sponged with ink)

Image - Kenny K's All That coloured with Promarkers.

Ink for 'distressing/edging' from stash

Enjoy!!
 

Kenny K's Krafty Girlz Challenge

Call over to Kenny K's Challenge Blog for their very first challenge ... PASTEL. I'd purchased Kenny's digi images when they first came out and had coloured a couple of them. When I saw what the challenge was I thought - I can do that! I'd already got an image coloured in a way I thought would fit so here is yet another reason why I don't make many cards off my own bat *LOL*. 

Hopefully it's pastel enough for the challenge.  One of my first attempts at colouring with Promarkers.  Must practise more - *LOL*

Ingredients:

White hammered card blank

DCWV mat stack - Neutrals

Papermania Colossal paper pack - Pastel

Nesties, petite ovals - large and small, plain and scalloped.

Martha Stewart Lever Deep Edge Punch - Garden Trellis

Prima E-line flowers (I think)

Gems from stash.
Craftwork cards Card Candy

Image ... Kenny's Download Diva coloured with Promarkers.  No idea what colours used.
         

                                     

Enjoy!!

 

Bad News, Good news ... and a Challenge.

Back at the end of May news was received that the only forum I used was to close. The imag-e-ation forum was to finish, kaput, no more. Devastating to hear as I've made many friends because of that forum, both cyber, but better still, in real life. Without that forum I would not have met any of my good friends (not counting those that I knew before the forum - *LOL*) and many are now friends for life. We've had crafty days, weekend meets and now .... holidays. I would never have been to Tanzania this year without having met Jackie through that forum. I wouldn't have just come back from a weeks girlie holiday in Spain without having met the ladies that I went with, and to, without that forum but help was to hand! One member - one of our British Spanish residents - Senorita Lynn, found an host and opened another forum .... Crafters Reunited .... and most of the regulars, and my friends, have transferred there and it's moving along well. It's become a 'home from home' and, although imag-e-nation is not yet closed (but could disappear at any time), it is little used now.

Anyway, I've digressed right from the outset but it's a bit of background to what's to follow so ....

It was decided that Crafter's Reunited would continue with the card challenges but to only have one challenge a month, starting on the 1st of each month. June saw the first challenge and, although it is rare for me to enter them I took the plunge. To 'celebrate' the football/soccer World Cup being held in South Africa and to show a bit of patriotism, the theme was set as a card for any occasion but the colour had to be red, white and blue.

I had been playing with my Promarkers and had coloured a few images. Thought I had one that just about fit the bill so I put it on a card and here it is .... Colouring has a way to go but reckon it's just about passable. I didn't win the challenge and didn't expect to but thought I should support the first one on the new forum. No idea when I'll enter another one - lol!

Ingredients:

Stamp - Greeting Farm's Miss Anya

Colouring - Promakers

Embellishment - Miss Anya mounted onto Nestability petite oval, Stickles, Craftwork Cards Christmas sentiment and Card Candy, Stamping Up Scalloped oval punch

Papers - Papermania Colossal Christmas Contemporary paper pack.

Enjoy!!