Birthday page

I was challenged (can't say who by!) to make a page using a sketch from the Temporelles blog + summer colours + rolled paper + splashes/spots: Not a short order! I was inspired by this page on the GCD Studios blog to use my Homespun Chic papers and a birthday theme to do it:
Un petit jeu me demande de faire une page avec un sketch du blog Temporelles et j'ai été inspiré par cette page sur le blog chez GCD Studios à utiliser mes papiers Homespun Chic et un thème d'anniversaire pour le faire:

GCD Studios Homespun Chic papers inked with ColorBox chalk inks to which I added: Real paper streamers, big brads, felt number, metal wired cord, blue cotton thread from stash; Cosmic Shimmer ink; Crafty Bitz star charm; and 'Harmony' Cuttlebug alphabet with DCWV glitter border strip.

Mini-album - Distress ink techniques

I started this mini-album at a crop with Manuéla Jamet at Carhaix. I took my 'boutique' along so a great day of selling and scrapping. It is the 2nd crop I have done with Manuéla and she is a great teacher. This album focused on using Distress Inks and, although I knew most of the techniques, I certainly learnt some new ones and loved playing with different materials and being pushed to use colours I probably wouldn't have chosen. Also, being on rings, this album gave the freedom to add pages afterwards and change things around to suit what I wanted to do. I will not copy other people's work:  That is their's, not mine, but I love to be inspired and I'm pleased with how this turned out. The photo's are from my sister and bro-in-law's recent visit so we visited lots of local places and it was like a holiday for us too, hence the title. The covers are very similar to Manuéla's and the pages are both inspired by hers and different. If you get the chance to do this crop sometime, I thoroughly recommend it.

J'ai commencé ce mini-album à un ‘crop’ avec Manuela Jamet à Carhaix. J'ai pris mon 'boutique' pour un super jour de vente et de scrapbooking. C'est le deuxième crop j'ai fait avec Manuela et elle est un bon prof. Cet album axé sur l'utilisation des encres Distress, même si je connaissais la plupart des techniques, j'en ai appris quelques nouveaux et adorait jouer avec les différents matériaux et poussés à utiliser les couleurs, je n'aurais probablement pas choisi. De plus, étant sur les anneaux, cet album a donné la liberté d'ajouter des pages et ensuite changer les choses en fonction de ce que je voulais faire. Je ne copie pas le travail des autres: C'est la leur, pas la mienne, mais j'aime à être inspiré et je suis heureux du résultat: Les couvertures sont très semblables à Manuela et les pages sont à la fois inspirée par la sienne et différente. Si vous avez la chance de faire ce crop parfois, je le recommande à fond.
Used: Papers: Sultane, Inks: Distress, Adirondack, Versafine; Punches: Martha Stewart and EK Success; Stamps: Hampton Art, Inkadinkado, Tim Holtz, PaperMania; Cuttlebug embossing folder; Sizzix dies and other assorted/unknown stash.

Penguins on the Beach

This birthday card is for someone who loves penguins. And I was happy to use a bit more of the old Imaginisce 'A shore thing' papers with the Snag'ems stamp of this little fella feeling the heat! I stamped and embossed in black on pearly card and cut the two layers with Nestabilities. Then I coloured him by using my Cosmic Shimmer sprays but I took the lids off and used a paintbrush to make him all nice and shimmery.  :)
Challenges: Sketch Saturday; Kaboodle Doodles - Beach party theme; Papertake Weekly - Cute.

J'ai crée cette carte d'anniversaire pour quelqu'un qui aime les pingouins. J'ai été heureux d'utiliser un peu plus des anciens papiers d'Imaginisce 'A Shore Thing' avec le tampon. Je l'ai tamponné et embossé en noir sur la carte nacré et j'ai coupé les deux couches avec Nestabilities sur ma Cuttlebug. Alors, je lui colorées à l'aide de mon encres vaporiser de Cosmic Shimmer mais j'ai pris le couvercle et utilisée un pinceau pour lui faire très joli et chatoyant.

Cyclist Birthday Card

Had a request for a birthday card featuring a cyclist so made this one using the PaperPlay sketch as inspiration. I have no idea where I bought these cyclists from - It was too long ago  - but they are popular as it is the perfect sporty figure whilst my cyclist stamps are too old-fashioned/childish/wrong size! Also fits this week's 'Sporty' theme on Creative Inspirations and the Birthday theme on the Pollycraft blog. I will probably add a sentiment but I'm not sure if they want it in English or French yet!

Used: Basic Grey 'Cupcake' papers and rub-ons; SCAP background stamps; ColorBox chalk inks; blue paper and cyclist from stash.

Exposition du Scrapbooking, St Yvi

I'm back after a little break in the UK to see the twins and our family. Also been preparing the exhibition I have in the local library this month: Newspaper articles below. I'll be back with some of the scrapbooking I've been doing but not yet had a chance to blog!
Une longue pause alors que nous avons été en Grande-Bretagne pour voir les jumeaux et leur famille. J'ai également été occupé à préparer l'exposition de scrapbooking de ma groupe. C'est dans la bibliothèque St Yvi toute ce mois. Voici les articles de l'Ouest France et du Télégramme: 

Je serai de retour avec quelques photos des mini-albums que j'ai récemment terminé.

It's Twins !

Sorry I've been so long posting again: Had my husband in cardiology intensive care half the week after being rushed in Sunday morning with chest pains! It wasn't too serious and, after the op he was already booked for, he is now home again. At the same time, his daughter had twins on Monday: All well and also home now. So a hectic week of ups and downs! Don't know when this will reach them but here's the A5 size (roughly 6x8.5") card I made to celebrate the twin's arrival. We are looking forward to going over to the UK in a couple of weeks to meet them in person :)

Challenges: Sandrine Vachon - sketch; Caardvarks - embossing + stamping; Create 4 fun - baby card; Tuesday Throwdown - Dry embossing; Cute Card Thursday - Recycle (the 'ribbon' under the flower is the lining tape from the sticky paper ribbon border as well as me using 'scrap' bits of Bazzill and other card).

Used: pearlised green, pink and blue card (Diamond craft); Cuttlebug with Floral Screen and Paisley embossing folders; Bazzill sandbox swiss embossed card; Hampton Art 'Our Baby' stamps; Brilliance inks - pearlescent orchid and pearlescent blue; Fancy Pants pins; and bits from stash with printed text.

For the home - Memo board

The PaperPlay challenge #10-23 'Home' and 'Spoon Full of Sugar' challenge 'Floral delights' spurred me to get this memo board finished that I started a week or so ago. My grand plan is to make things for my still-being-converted craft space and it was love at first sight with the GCD Studios 'Homespun Chic' papers so this board matches the tin I covered last month.

I started the board at the Tourc'h craft group. For scale, the recycled cardboard base is about A4 size (approx 8 x 11.5"). I gave it a thin coat of white acrylic and then layered the papers making sure there was good support behind the notepad so the brads holding the ribbons wouldn't rip through. All the papers, including the bird, are the same GCD papers and I love the different textures - flocked, glittered, laminated - found in there. I just added the die-cut flourishes and the Doodlebug sticker letters which I bordered with a Whispers green pen to make them stand out better. I made the 3D flower in the same style as the one on my card here (tuto en français) and cut and shaped the leaves by hand.  Now we've just got to get the room finished....  ;)

PollyCraft & PTW

The last of my colour-themed requests (phew!) was for an emerald green birthday card...
I already had this Pollycraft image coloured in with water-colour pencils so I decided to use it along with the Papertake Weekly sketch #42 and also enter in the Pollycraft challenge 'Ribbon and Bling'.

Used: PaperMania papers; ColorBox chalk ink 'Misty Meadow'; Nestabilities 'Labels 1' and Cuttlebug 'Sliders'; Sakura 'Lime Stardust' for image highlights; Compagnie d'elfes stamp; gems and ribbon from stash.

Sketch Saturday #106

I was asked to make a sapphire blue card so ... I have used the Sketch Saturday challenge for the layout:

Also entered for Cupcake Crafts challenge 'Dazzle us'.
Used: Papers from GCD Studios 'Homespun chic' and bits from stash; Dovecraft 3" flower punch; EK Success border punch; PaperMania felt butterfly; Doodlebug Ribbon; Compagnie d'elfes stamp; ColorBox chalk inks;  gems.

Is it a spider, is it a mouse...

It's Henry superhero digi stamp! Free from Kathrina's blog. I had a request for a sand-coloured card for a 10 year old birthday: I used 'Sandbox' embossed Bazzill with scraps of mulberry paper; inking the edges with ColorBox chalk 'chocolate and blueberries'. I coloured Henry with Whispers marker pens and cut him and my computer-generated text with Nestabilities. The corners are Basic Grey 'archaic' stickers and I pulled apart a piece of string until I felt it was the right look and then threaded through the image, round the brad and back.

Three cards shown today - Must be football season if I can manage a hat trick!
Entering this card for the Stamp something - digital challenge.