Friday 6 February 2009

Summer flowers

This week on friday sketchers blog the sketch looked like this:



I had decided how my card would look a couple of days ago, but didn't get around to actually making it. After applying for the house mouse challenge DT spot I wanted to work more with the cute mice, so I used one of my favourites:




This card fulfills the requirements for a colour challenge too (green, pink and brown) but I'm not applying to it with this card. I'm not sure how the rules are with the challengeblogs when there is a prize up for grabs, so I don't want to risk getting disqualified :) So this card is only for the friday sketchers blog.

The photo doesn't make the card justice. I'm very fond of green/pinks and the colours look much better IRL. I really need to make myself a lighbox. While bloghopping I found a tip on how to make one. I'll make one and see if it improves my late night photos. It will have to wait though because right now I'm revamping my whole corner. I'm getting a new bookshelf that won't risk collapsing every time I touch it, lol. Wohoo!

Tuesday 3 February 2009

House mouse challenge DT call

The house mouse challenge blog are looking for two design team members. This is such a dreamgig for me, so I have to try out.
As some of you know my new year resolution is to get on a DT and to get published in a magazine. I think it's important to mention that I don't want to get on a DT just for the sake of it, but to join a team where I feel like I can inspire others. I don't apply to companies where I'm not fond of the stamps...

The house mouse stamps have been in my heart since the beginning of my stamping"career", lol. The first yahoogroup I joined was a house mouse, so they have a special place in my heart. It feels like revisiting old friends and I get so much joy out of colouring them, especially now since I found the alcoholmarkers to colour with.

I like doing things differently than everyone else and trying new things. Sometimes it ends up being harder than it has to, lol. I think I have a different way of making my cards sometimes and hopefully it would inspire others that are stuck in a rut.
Here are my favourite three house mouse cards. I have uploaded some "unofficial" ones because I had a hard time deciding. I'm very proud of the idea for the bottom card, so I wanted to show it to you.

Click on the images to get a bigger view.

The background of this card is brayered with a brilliance peacock pad. It's then stamped with a rose background stamp and silverembossed. The mouse is coloured with waterpencils (aquarelle). Text is written on the computer with a fancy alphabet I found on dafont. This is one of my absolute favourite cards ever and I'm still very proud of it, although I made it two or three years ago.



The second card is made for a polkadot challenge. I've used my pantone and promarkers to colour the image. I used different polkadot papers and embellishments to really go for it! I think the text works beautifully with this card. It's a stamp from Impression obsession (C6136 Rest...Relax)



This third card I love because I'm very happy with the colouring and it's one of the first cards where I splurged with different flowers. My "problem" has been that I don't embellish enough, so here I went with both texture and ribbon and flowers AND the bright yellow daffodil. Feels like a milestone, lol.






These cards didn't make my top three, but I still like them for different reasons, mostly because they made me try something new. Here I have made the flower be outside of the oval shape. And it points down to the corner, where I've been thinking if I should have a text. It would draw in the eye more to the text even though the image is in focus. And I'm really proud of the colouring too.


I wanted to add something when the card was done and I think the decorative edge is the icing on the cake. I also added gold glitterglue on the flower to make the card extra festive. My stepdad that got the card thought it was amazing. I was very happy that I decided to send it to him.

Here I have used a technique I came up with (I haven't seen it anywhere else, so I'm taking the credit ;) It's a whiteembossed background, coloured with chalks. I also like the sketch that I came up with and the piece of ribbon with the flower.

Maybe the execution isn't the best, but I love the idea.

Sunday 1 February 2009

A little tweet

One day during the week I got an envelope in the mail that contained a wonderful card and this stampset. It was a blogcandy I had won from Heather. I wasn't sure that it was me that had won it from the start because she wrote on her blog that one of the winners was Katrina (without an A) but since I didn't find any Katrina, just my name in the commentsection I assumed it was me. So I wrote to her explaining that I thought it was me and giving her my address. I didn't hear back from her, but all of a sudden I had this great surprise in my mailbox.

I've been wanting to stamp something with owls for quite a while now, but didn't have any owlstamps (I bought these amazing owl papers a while back though and think they would work superb together. They are in my "too pretty to use" stash, lol. Maybe it's time to give them a randez-vous with a scissor and glue?) In the set is a great saying - a funny one. I don't have any funny ones I noticed when I entered a challenge a while back. I had to do my own text instead. This one is so funny, it says:

Follow your dreams,
except the one where you're
at work in your underwear.

I think this stampset will go up on my list of which stamps to use next. I love it!




Oh, and this is the card where I "stole" the ribbonidea from for my babycard with the bunny (a few posts lower down) It's a great idea. I love the whole card. So simple and stunning! And by simple I mean classic, nothing bad at all! I love pink and black and ah...I just adore this card.

February blog candy

I can't believe we're in february already and I survived january, lol. I really dislike these three months in the beginning of the year, but at least in feb there's Valentines and in march there's my b-day so it makes it a little bit easier.

If you've been around for my january blogcandy list you might have noticed it was loooong. I'm hoping to fill this one up too during feb, so check back. First out:

Fiona has some cardstock, stamped up images and an inkpad in her candy. Ends first week in feb.

Cookie girl has this amazing apron to give away to celebrate Valentine's. The apron is so retro, really makes you think of the fifties (or at least how we young ones think it looked, lol) Very retro and so adorable!

Bev has some Valentine candy to offer and an adorable stamp. It ends really soon if it hasn't already, so hurry up.

Stacie is offering a lot of candy and on this post you can get a set of 4 resin pendants of the twilight book covers. These pendants are so beautiful and have been donated by Shadesongs that make them. Don't miss this! ends feb. 1:st.

Wiccababe is celebrating her 36:th birthday by giving away a very generous candy. Happy birthday to you!

Irina is offering a wonderful stampcandy if you answer a couple of questions. Ends monday 2:nd at midnight GMT.

Heather is celebrating her birthday by offering some stamps in her candy. Happy birthday Heather! She will pick a winner on feb 4:th which is her son's birthday.

Steph is celebrating 1000 hits and is offering a wonderful Valentine candy. Congrats on the hits Steph!

Stacie is giving away a reversable pendant from the movie "Twilight". The person who generously donated the candy (and is making the pendants) is Christy Marchand. Make sure to visit her etsy blog to see some more of her fab artwork.

Caryn has two candies on her blog - one for scrappers and one for cardmakers. The best part is that you can enter both if you want :)

Jeanette is offering two stampin' up sets in her candy from the Sale-a-Bration catalogue. If you're a stampin' up fan, then this is the candy for you!

Irina has some fab candy that she has brought back from CHA. Make sure to enter before monday 9:th.

Sarah is giving away two paperpads, stamped images, embellishments, dies, ribbons...What a great candy!

Stacie is giving away Book 6 of The Ranger's Apprentice series. I'd love to win this for my fiancée. He reads so many books every week and this is definately his genre (and a writer he hasn't read yet, woohoo)

Joanne wants to know what your fav pasttime is, other than crafting of course. By answering this question you're entered in Joanne's 10,000 hits blogcandy! Congrats on so many hits Joanne.

Kristen has gotten herself too many things and is offering them as candy! Among the generously offered items there are 2 BG paperstacks, a punch and a set of wonderful stamps, so hurry and join in the draw!

Dawny is offering some really cute candy. She has some great "Smirk" stamps that I've only seen in the UK. Hurry and sign up before the 14:th.

Sharon is sharing the love and will give one winner two Magnolia stamps. She picks the winner on Valentine's day, so make sure to sign up.

Mel has a lot of reasons to celebrate and she is doing so by generously offering us the candy. She's giving away a whole line of rubons, stamps and stickers. She even threw in some ribbons and flowers to match. Ends sunday 15:th.

Bolha from Slovenia is offering some candy that consists of everything you can want in your crafting - from papers to punches. She's offering her candy because of her upcoming birthday and to celebrate her many hits. So pop over and wish her a happy birthday. Ends feb 17:th.

Hannah is offering a great set of matching papers, chipboards and other embellishments. Join in before monday 16:th for a chance of this yummy candy.

Christine has a beautiful set of matching papers and embellishments in her candy. I love the soft green and pink shades - so me! She also has a new scrapbooking retreat web site called scrap retreat house at French Valley. You can read all about it by clicking on the link.

Heather is celebrating 5000 hits with a bang. Her candy will fit any crafter with stamps, inks, embossingfolders and other yummy things that won't ruin your diet, lol. Ends tuesday 17:th when her hubby will draw a winner.

Pink gem designs is giving away four stamps of your choice in their candy. They are doing this as a thank you for closing in on 20,000 hits since their launch on november 7:th 2008! That's quite an achievement. Candy will close when they reach 20,000, so hurry up!

Jessica is giving one lucky winner the chance to win the entire line of oooh la la from Leere Aldrich courtesy of Stampavie! That's TEN stamps in all! Make sure to sign up before thursday 19:th.

Stacie has gotten her hands on a beautiful twilight pendant that she is giving away as blogcandy. The person that donated the necklace is Emily from Sparkle Spunk.

Lyndsey has a great candy, but only for you who live in the UK.

Loretta has some cute wordstamps in her candy and will be adding more to it. Ends soon :)

Maria
has some awesome candy. Not sure when it ends though since she has written friday 21:st, but this friday is the 20:th! I'm hoping she will go by the date because that gives me a chance to be in the draw :)

Alex is actually celebrating 70,000 hits with a candy! Can you believe to have that many hits?! I think I'm up in over 1000, lol. You have until saturday 21:st.

Kaboodle doodles has a yummy candy. I'm especially fond of the swirly chipboards. All you have to do is becaome a follower, link their candy to your blog and leave a comment. That's it!

Karin is giving away a totally new cookie cutter QK alphabet! It's called sugar sweet and is adorable. It's a Swedish blog, so I'm not sure if it's open to everyone. Ends 21:st, evening.

Carlz is celebrating her second annniversary with her hubby and is offering one heck of a candy. Congrats on the anniversary! Ends feb. 28:th.

Steph is celebrating 10,000 hits with a big paper and stamp candy. Hurry and join before sunday 22:nd.

Sarah-Jane has some wonderful wordstamps in her candy that I would love to have. Only for those of you in the UK though :(

Lacey is celebrating 50,000 hits with a candy consisting of images, stamps, flowers, ribbons and more. Check out for yourself.

Jacqui has generously offered two huge candies and even added some more last week. The reason is to celebrate over 50,000 hits and her birthday. Closes feb 24:th.

Nikki is also having a huge candy, but with 5 prizes! She's celebrating her one year of stamping! Check out her blog, you won't believe she's only been stamping for a year.

Good luck!