Inspirational wishes

It's my final week to be the guest designer for the papertake weekly blog. The time has gone so fast that I think I've forgotten to tell you I got chosen for the GDT spot, lol. The theme for this week is as simple as it gets: anything goes with optional extra lace. I hope you will come play with us this week. Did you know papertake weekly is the best ranked challenge blog? I'm not surprised at all.

With the new year staring I decided on some cleaning in my hobbycorner. I have so many "good-to-have-stuff" that they are litterally falling on the floor and I keep tripping on them. So I really need to get rid of anything I'm not using or haven't used in a while. It was hard though as I like keeping all sorts of stuff - you never know when you're going to need them. I started with the thing I knew I needed and wanted to get rid of: a 3 compartment drawer in heavypaper that I haven't (and I kid you not) opened in TWO YEARS at least! It's taking up space in my bookshelf and contained a bunch of magazing clippings and lower quality cardstock, stuff that I'm not using and probably never will. So out it went and I filled 2 of the drawers with small pieces of one coloured cardstock and the other with patterned paper. So those 2 boxes I had earlier for papers suddenly disappeared and it looks less cluttered already. I will have to do the same thing with my ribbons...























Ok, you probably want to know why I keep rambling on about this. I do have a point, lol. The thing is that among all those papers I haven't seen in 2 years were a few experiments I've done with stamps - my own backgrounds to be exact. I haven't made my own backgrounds since I started blogging and it was fun to see something from my earlier days. One of those backgrounds were so pretty I had to use it straight away: it's the inspirational background you can see in this card. I'm getting really lazy with buying patterned paper that I've forgotten how much fun you can have with stamps. Hopefully this year will let me experiment with that a little bit more.

The card you see here is made using a lili of the valley stamp and as usual she's coloured with promarkers. The patterned papers are all from that forgotten stash and the border is one of my new Martha Stewart punches.

Challenges for this card:


Creative inspirations - something new (I used my new punch and pink copic)
Friday sketchers - sketch
Paper sundaes - something new (the border punch and pink copic is new)
Papertake weekly - anything goes with optional extra lace

Very berry mystical wishes

How wonderful isn't it that the new year has started? I hope you are as excited as I am. Can't wait to see all the new sweetpea releases and what I make with them during 2011. I hope you'll continue stopping by to see what I'm up to. I'm closing in on 200 folloowers and will have a candy when I do, so hopefully it's not long left...

The card I want to show you today is my first sweetpea for 2011. I made it primarly using a 3-part challenge:  colour/sketch/item, and let me tell you, it was a CHALLENGE. The colours were plum, blueberry and beige. Say what?! I've never played with that colourcombo so I started looking through my stash - there are always papers with any combo you're looking for, but not this one. I almost gave up, but stubborn as I am I got intrigued. So I realized I needed to whip up my own set of matching papers. I imidiately thought of this purple glittery one I had been saving. The blue and beige were harder as I don't use those colours much. I came across the dotty one which is the backside of a vintage charleston dancers paper. I also found the light blue with beige swirls and was quite proud at how I managed to match them up together.

The image I used is Ching chou kuik's dark sirene from plate 24 and the sentiment is from plate 46. I've never used her before, but knew she was right for this as soon as I saw her. I think it was the fact that her hair was dark that gives the card that extra "darkness" and leaves it more muted than it would be if I had coloured it blue. She is stamped with black ink and then I went over her hair with midnight blue promarker to make her hair agree more with the patterned papers. The rest of her is also coloured with promarkers. I added some glittereffects with a sakura gelly roll to the image, text and butterfly border. That pen is addictive! To make the white parts more yellow on both the image and sentiments I inked them with a distress ink. The different butterflies are made using Martha Stewart punches and the leaves are made using a quickutz die.

One part of the challenge was to use a recycled item so I made a little decoration from a bottlecap that I hammered on to flatten a bit. then glued on a circle from one of the patterned papers, filled with clear dimensional glue and filled with tiny see-through beads.

Challenges used:

Craftycreations - colour, sketch, recycled item
Creative inspirations - something new (all butterfly punches are new and image never used before)
Moving along with the times - birthday and circles
Simon says stamp - time to celebrate (with optional extra glitter)
Stamp challenges - glitter
Totally paper crafts - time to party

Have a cool yule

Here is my last Christmas card I made in 2010. I didn't have the time to show you so I'll start of the new year with it. I wanted to use a Kraftin' Kimmie stamp for a sassy card for my single fashionista friend. I made her a pair of pink angel earrings (that I totally forgot to photograph, duh) I didn't have any Christmas Kraftin' Kimmies so I improvised using Christmaspapers. I've had the papers a while, but the stamp is brand new. I'm very happy with the colouring and the way I cut the circle around her. Makes it look like she's sitting on the edge.

Challenges for this card:

7 kids college fund - anything goes
CES challenges - anything goes
Crafty catz - your fav challenge ( I chose #57 spots and stripes)
Creative craft  - anything goes
I love promarkers - anything goes
Promarker challenge - anything goes
Sketch and stash - sketch #27 turned upside down

Supplies:
Stamp: Kraftin Kimmie, can be bought at: stamp and create
Colour: promarkers
Papers: dovecraft
Other: distress ink, silver pen for the edges, nestabilities for the circles and cornerrounder punch.

January blogcandy/giveaways

Erika 4:th

Paul 5:th

Astrid 8:th

Astrid 10:th

Mandy 13:th

Bev 14:th

Kristy 16:th

Jacque - 23:rd

Susan - 24:th

Brenda - 25:th

Nicole 25:th

Really reasonable ribbon - 25:th

Bec - 26:th

Jane 26:th

Aussie Loz - 29:th

Debbi - 30:th

Zoe 30:th

Marianne 31:st

Thank you fairy much

I'm so happy that the time for making Christmascards is over. I love Christmas, but I've been making a card a day for two weeks now and I'm exhausted, lol.
For today's card I'd like to show you a thank you card I made - the theme for this week's papertake weekly challenge. I'm sure you have people to thank after the Christmas season and that you will join us this week. The great thing about thank-you cards is that there is no theme you have to follow - everything is allowed.

I have used one of ching chou kuik's latest images called purple hearts from sweetpea stamps. She is coloured with promarkers and shimmery drychalks for hair and background. I used a Martha Stewart butterfly punch on the background paper, then cut out a rectangle on the top of the card's fold. I was so proud of myself for coming up with this idea. Don't think I've seen it anywhere else before, so remember where you saw it first ;)

I added some extra sparkle around the image and on some of the butterflies with a sakura clear gelly roll. I love the shimmer it gives. The text is handwritten and I'm very happy with it (especially concidering I wrote it 4am)

I just love the airy spring-like feel of this card. Can't wait to make more! Woohoo, spring is here (well, almost)


The challenges for this one are:

Christmas blog - thank you
I love promarkers - anything goes
In a sweetpea dream - anything goes
Magical monday - thank you
papertake weekly - thank you
Passion for promarkers - anything goes
Simon says stamp - anything goes
sketch saturday - sketch
Sweetpea stampers - anything goes

Merry Christmas my blogfriends

I want to thank you and wish you all a continued wonderful Christmas. I'm very thankful for all of you who come by and visit, leave comments and become followers. I can't believe I have 187 followers to this date and I haven't even forced the last 80 of you, lol.

I have big plans for my blog next year - going on 3 years now. I'll get a candy together when I reach 200 followers so keep on signing up. I'm also planning to have more tutorials, some sewing ones where I will need a testaudience. AND I will finally like to launch my new blog "crafters guide".

No cards today, but I want to show you a pair of earrings I made for myself. Who said a grey Christmas isn't beautiful? I really like that the earrings look like exclusive ornaments.

Hope you're having a fabulous time and will stop by soon again.

PS. If you're tired of all the Christmasfood and would like a caloriefree candy, then Samantha has a surprise candy for you. Just show her something you made for Christmas that's not a card and link a pic up to her blog.

A couple's Merry Christmas

Here is my second to last Christmascard of the year. I made it especially for my friend and his wife. The image is a Rachelle Ann Miller from Stampavie and papers are from last year's Basic Grey collection called Wassail. I didn't have much time to work on this card so I decided to focus on the image and colouring. I chose the papers first and then my promarkers to match. The border is made with a Martha Stewart punch. I bought my first ones and got them in the mail the other day. It's funny because this was the one I thought I would use the least. I got a bunch of other cute ones with flowers, bunnies and cupcakes, but this was the only "neutral" one. Now that I've used it I like it a lot just because it's so versatile. I actually think it's perfect for Christmas as it almost looks like a mistletoe.

I used these challenges for this card:

ABC - keep it simple
Crafts and me  - anything goes
Create 4 fun - sketch (that I turned upside down)
Promarker challenge - anything goes
Rainbow lady's - your fav past challenge (I chose #131, vintage delight)
Sarah Hurley - last minute Christmas cheer
Simon says stamp and show - yesteryear
Stampavie and more - red

Secret sweetpea bloghop

This post will stay on top until december 20:th. Please scroll down for newer posts.

Today in Sweden we are celebrating Lucia and as it happens, as a secret Christmas gift to Lynette, (owner of Sweet Pea Stamps) the design team are throwing this blog hop! We are so glad you have decided to join in the fun - today you will find many beautiful creations made by the Sweet Pea Stamps design team.
As our gift to you, our wonderful followers, visitors and Sweet Pea Stamps customers, one lucky person will win the ching chou kuik Fantasy Art collection Red Riding Hood sheet of stamps (Plate #65). Just leave comments along the way.

Thank you so much Lynette for choosing me for your designteam. I've been on from the start and have watched sweetpea grow over this past year. I feel so lucky as Lyntte is a wonderful and understanding person. She let me stay on the team when I was very sick and couldn't live up to my commitments. I really believe that staying on the team kept me sane. I was my anchor and I'll be eternally greatful to you for that Lynette. Big hugs to you and I look forward to making even more wonderful projects in the next year if you'll have me.

Each comment you leave will earn you an entry - so the more comments the better the chances! The drawing will take place on 12/20/2010.  Below you will find the list of stops - if you joined us somewhere along the way don't worry as it is a circular hop. Thanks again and Happy Holidays!

Sweet Pea Stamps
Alexandra Lundgren
Angela Sowell
Christine Riley
Connie Piotter
Holley Barnhart
Jennifer Willis
Katarina Maserak (you are here)
Kym Kreates
Randi Wall
Traci Porter

Now for my project. I have made a card and a matching flower to put on a gift. The stamp is called poinsetta fairy from plate 60, drawn by ching chou kuik. I really love the "airy" feeling of this stamp - wind in her hair, flowers all around - such a sweet Christmas image. I immidiately thoought of this stamp together with the papers when I came across them in my stash. All three of them (even the striped stripe) is from imaginisce. The line ins called snowy jo and I got them last year at a sale. It's like they are made for this image.

The fairy is coloured with my promarkers and cut out using a nestie shape. I cut along the lines of two of the flowers in the patterned paper making an insert for the image. I didn't want to overwhealm the beautiful fairy or the green patterned paper so I left the layout simple using a sketch from cardpatterns. I love how the card has a Christmas-feel to it even though it is full of flowers. The flower theme is perfect for this week's theme at sewmanychallenges and cute card thursday.Who said flowers aren't for Christmas?

The flower:
Although it doesn't show I used three stamps from plate 17 for the flower. I cut out a couple of circles using my scalloped nestabilities from copying paper. I then stamped in different distressinks and moistened the paper with a minimister. After that I scrunched them up, opened them and dried a little with a heatingtool. While still being a bit moist I put a brad through the middle and arranged them as shown with the smallest circle in the middle. Finally the flower is set to dry completely and as a final step I added some distress ink and stickles on the edges. The leaves are cut out by hand. The flower measures about 3" (7,5cm)

Hope you're enjoying yourself and all the wonderful creations made by the very talented sweetpeas. Make sure to leave a comment for your chance to win a whole sheet of free stamps. And as always, make sure to stop by the sweetpea blog. There is always a great deal going on and tons of inspiration. Why not wish for a giftcard for Christmas? Right now there's a great offer:

Buy $25 gift card get $30

Buy $50 gift card get $65

Buy $75 get $100

And finally Lynette is looking for a new design team member. If you love sweetpea stamps and would like to be a part of our team, contact Lynette at sweetpeastampsDT@gmail.com and she will get back to you with the requirements.

Thanks for stopping by and have fun hopping.

Sparkly swirly Christmas shopping

Second post for today - I'm trying to finish all the Christmascards I have started. Still have a couple of coloured images that are matched with different patterned papers.

This card is a delight in bright shades and glitter. I wanted the main paper to stand out and for the card to sparkle. I used glitterglue and sakura clear gelly roll to add shine to the "fur", trees and swirls. The image I used is from llili of the valley - a candy I won earlier this year - coloured with promarkers. I also added the swirls to the image's edges. Otherwise I think the card is quite simple and speaks for itself.

Challenges used:

Cute card thursday - one for the kids
Lili of the valley - sketch
Promarker - anything goes
Stamptacular sunday - TREEmendous
Totally gorjuss - for someone special

Swirly snowman

Today I have a little different card for you. Blue isn't really one of my fav colours to work with, but I really wanted to join in some challenges so I made it anyway. And it isn't really a challenge if you're just using what you're comfortable with, right?

The image I have used is from a Darcie D's set. I love how the snowman blows an air of snow. Actually there is a butterfly at the end of the whirl, but I cut it off since I wanted it to look like he's blowing a big snowflake. I coloured him a little with two blue promarkers and with white twinkling h2os. The swirl and snowflake from the patterned paper is coloured with a sakura clear gelly roll pen. The leafy background paper is vellum and it's only attached in the corners. I added the crystals to cover up the glue splotches shining through.

Challenges I've used:


All sorts - anything goes
Paper sundaes - cut it out
Promarker - anything goes
Simon says stamp - blue, white and silver
Sketchy colors - blue, white, silver and sketch