blog candy alert

Debbie has an amazing blog candy up for grabs until 30th April. Even if you're reading this after the deadline still go & visit as her blog is amazing.

As to my own blogs, nothing much happening with challenge cards here as I'm having fun making samples for my first SU party. I've added a few cards to my su blog and to my scal blog.

Breaking news.

I've just made the decision to sign up with Stampin Up to become a demonstrator. It's going to take a couple of weeks to organise, if I'm accepted that is lol. Woohoo can't wait.

Now this blog is already a wee bit chaotic with my stencil work, scal, tutorials and challenge cards so I'm going to start seperating things a bit. I'd already been toying with the idea and have got the addresses ready

This one will be primarily for my challenge cards and anything that doesnt really fit with the other blogs but there's going to be a fair amount of crossover seeing as I like to mix things up.

http://sueplayingwithstampinup.blogspot.com/ is where I'll be keeping everyone up to date with my stampin up creations.

http://sueplayingwithstencils.blogspot.com/ is going to be for my stencil embossing

http://sueplayingwithsurecutsalot.blogspot.com/ is for my cricut & scal work. As and when I get time I will be making more tutorials and putting some of my .svg files for sale.

It's going to be a bit of a job to get the blogs up together properly with plenty of links and pretties so don't expect anything really fancy for a few weeks or so.

Have a nice day everyone, I sure am lol.

Series of mistakes

This was made using a sketch of Charisma Cardz challenge and is a perfect example of why everyone should make charts of copics blended together. It doesn't look too bad at this size but in real life the rv000 use to blend the pinks has developed overnight into what looks like greasy marks instead of nicely shaded colouring. Bildmilarna stamped image with memento ink on bristol board coloured with dress rv000, r85, rv21. Hair e35, e31 & e53, Green flower yg11 yg41 & g21. with y00 & y21 for the centre of the flower. B00 for the trim of the dress.

Mustard yellow white core card embossed with birds & vines bug folder before being sanded back. Paper is from dcwv Blossoms & Butterflies but as I stuck it down I forgot I should have been sticking it to some green card not straight to the white core card.

Mistake 3 is the flower. I used psp & scal to cut the flower in 2 parts before shaping with a large ball tool. The sides of the cutaway layer didnt take the shaping very well and with hindsight it doesnt work, not the shape, size or colour.

Friday sketchers 46

Not too sure about this one, no matter what embellies I added it just didn't work but looked bare without.

Layout is Friday Sketchers, papers from PaperSalon, Gorjuss girl stamp from Sugar Nellie coloured with copics and promarkers.

The mat & layer were designed in PSP then cut with the cricut & scal. Sadly the blade went blunt mid cut and it was the last of my chocolate brown card so I had to finish cutting by hand.

Bit of lace from Ribbonbox, prima flower and a pb sentiment.

No peeking

If your name is Alex or Sara.......

Just a little something to say thankyou to Alex. One of the new gorjuss girls, stamped with memento ink onto bristol board and coloured with polychromo pencils. There are 5 different browns to her hair and the dress is rose carmine. Scalloped mat cut with the cricut.

Papers from a docrafts goodie bag and a couple of my crocheted flowers. I used a 2mm hook and quilters thread, never again!! Talk about squiffy eyes.

This is also for Alex and was cut on the cricut. Tildas tulip stamp and a few of the butterflies from the spring stamp kit. F&C watercolour pencils, rose carmine, light magenta, madder lake, juniper green & chromium green opaque.

It's Saras birthday on Sunday and along with a couple of ladies from the docrafts forum we're off to a Stampin Up demo. I've used my most precious CraftWork Cards papers on her card and she'd better appreciate the sacrifice I made by cutting them!!

A bildmalarna stamped image coloured with f&c watercolour pencils. The bottom corner is a new Anya style stencil dry embossed then cut away.

Pink organza ribbon with some gems and a sentiment that came with the papers.

Back to basics Challenge.

Here we go, Back to Basics Challenge.



I'd like to see cards made without using dedicated card making/scrapbooking supplies. Any technique or style is fine and the deadline is midnight 30th March gmt.



Banned items include, any diecuts, punches or cuttlebug embossed paper, craft cds, printed craft/scrapbooking papers inc 3d decoupage, prima style flowers, fancy brads/eyelets (plain are fine). No ready made toppers or dedicated cardmaking embellies. I'm not going to get all pernicity about it, this is to show just how much we don't need to rely on ready made and expensive.



Some people are starting to panic thinking if I can't use that what can I use... Any stamp, template or stencil. Plain card, vellum, tissue, crepe paper, wall paper, wrapping paper, sweetie foils are acceptable. Any colouring medium is fine, remember you can use them to make your own decortative papers... Ribbon, buttons, bows, threads, raffia, string, pins, beads & general haberdashery trim is fine.



Now for prize, I'll draw 2 names, 1 from here, the other from the Docraft forum and each person will get a mini tote from All My Memories. I've shown a picture of mine stuffed with my essentials so you can see how sweet they are. Sorry the contents arent included but I will put in a few nice things.

Links direct to your entry please and you must leave a link on your blog to this challenge. For those who don't have blogs you can either email them to me at playingwithpaper at googlemail . com (leave out spaces) or upload them to the docrafts forum. Any questions just email or pm me.

Have fun.

Back to basics winners

The 2 lucky ladies are

Alex from Docrafts, and Larraine via email. If you can pm me your addies and whether you already have polychromo pencils or not please.

Thanks for playing.

Back to basics cards by email

The challenge is now finished, sadly the response here hasnt been as great as it was on the DC forum.

When hubby gets up I'll be asking him to pull a name from the hat and will announce the winners late this morning. Good luck everyone and thanks for playing.

These 2 are from Larraine and I'm really pleased to see a parchment craft card. Parch is how I started cardmaking some 14 years ago and still remains my favourite. Sadly I don't seem to have the time to devote to it often :o(

Jackie E, made this beauty.

This is one from Elke, gorgeous stamped card.

Sketch saturday challenge 44

Finally my mojo seems to be back working on all cylinders thanks to a new stamp and inspiration from Crafty Caz on UKS.

This one is for sketch saturday and I've used my first anya stamp from Funky Kits. Stamped on Bristol board with memento ink, ivory promarker skin. Various combos of rv000, rv02 & bv00 and c3, c5 & c1.

Pink card stamped with a bubble border from HOTP and a few pink gems added. Black stitched band from DCWV All Dressed Up.

Nestie and the back 2 layers of the flower were cut with scal and the cricut, the top 2 are clip punches. Leon Em punch for the leaves.

Friday Sketchers 45

Thanks to the lovely ladies at Funky Kits my new Gorjuss girls arrived just in time for this weeks Friday Sketchers challenge.

Nanas Nursery boys background paper and a couple of pieces from my scrap box. Not sure which they are but I know I've used them somewhere on here before. Nesties, embossed with ivy & birds bug folder.

Stamped on bristol board with memento ink. Promarkers, ivory, blush & cocoa. Copics, g00, bv 02 for tights and bv00 for dress.

Charisma Cards Challenge

This weeks challenge at Charisma Cardz is Favourite Things.

This is using my favourite technique, dry embossing with one of my favourite Marianne Design stencils then areas cutaway and underlayered with 2 shades of cream pearl card.

I pinched tildas tulip from the card below which I wasnt happy with.

Coloured with damium orange, dark cadmium orange, dark chrome yellow and light cadmium red f&c watercolour pencils. Paper by Brenda Pinnick. A few minature gems and a satin bow.

This is the one I didnt like. Background was made for a challenge on Docrafts using adirondack inks swirled onto linen card, over stamped with a craftwork cards flourish stamp in red stazon.

My mojo is on the blink

For the last few days it seems as the my mojo is still about but it's not working right and I havent really been happy with anything I've made.

This one is for the Truly Scrumptious challenge. Their sketch is lovely yet I've managed to make a real dogs dinner of it :o(

DCWV nanas nursery papers again (I love them lol), sage bazzil, pink ribbon and a paper doily that I've cut into.

Tingla is coloured with rv02, r02, r22, c03 copics with meadow green and spice promarkers on bristol board with some stickles on her wings. Papermania red pearls to finish.

Sketch saturday challenge 43

I've taken huge liberties with this weeks Sketch Saturday challenge and I'm none too sure about the finished result.

Papers are from DCWV nanas nursery, boys paper and I've cut them with scal & the cricut.

Tilda is coloured with leaf & juniper green with cadmium orange & deep cobalt green stockings. Hair is burnt umber & walnut. Ribbon wrapped over a square of orange card to create a frame with a few pearls added.

Charisma Cards Challenge

This one's using a sketch from this weeks Charisma Cardz Challenge. Bit orange for my taste but sis will love it.

Tilda is coloured with rose carmine & light green with dark naples ochre, burnt ochre and van dyke brown hair. The flowers are cadmium orange, dark cadmium orange and dark chrome yellow f&c watercolour pencils.

DCWV nanas nursery, girls, paper with nothing more than a cuttlebug border folder, some ribbon & 3 gem butterflies.

Only just made it

in time for this weeks Sketch Saturday.

Nanas nursery, girl, papers with some green paper from a mini deco book. Crafts Too, grass border punch, my own nested shape cut with scal & the cricut.

Tilda is coloured with rose carmine and leaf green with dark naples ochre, brown ochre & van dyke brown hair. The tulips are dark chrome yellow, cadmium orange & dark cadmium orange, juniper green leaves. Forever flowers blossoms & a pb sentiment.

why I dont use freebie papers

This is for friday sketchers and will be stripped down and recycled within a few hours. A classic example of why I don't use magazine papers. Sketch is fab, love the flower and tilda is sweet but this freebie paper just hasnt taken the bookbinding or stick glue very well and looks dirty.

Tilda is coloured with light magenta, violet, burnt umber, walnut, phtalo blue with middle purple pink and juniper for the tulips. Forever flowers blossom and Leone Em leaf sprays. The nested shape is my own and cut with scal & the cricut.

Back to basics for Friday Sketchers

Here's my back to basics card using a sketch from Friday Sketchers challenge.

Roses paper is the back of a white linen scrap. Bright yellow adirondack ink brushed on with a large soft stencil brush, roses (rose madder) & bees (damson plum) from the stamp club stamped in Nick Bantock inks. Then the same rose madder applied with a water brush to the rose petals. I deliberately used a water based adirondack for the base colour so the pink & yellow would merge together. The marbly background for Tilda is made

with the same inks as before but stippled & swirled on to more scrap linen card.

3 crocheted flowers (tassle silk on a 2.5mm hook) with haberdashery trim gem centres.

Tilda on water colour paper, rose carmine for her dress, alizarin crimson roses, naples ochre yellow with brunt umber for her hair and earth green yellowish boots using f&c pencils.
A hero arts swirl in a lilac fresco chalk ink pad in 2 corners and a pink organza bow.

Thought it might take longer to make seeing as I was having to make the papers but in truth I saved time as I wasnt hmming & hahhing over which papers would work together.

If you've come here from a link please check out the main page to see the challenge I have running.

Colour charts

I spent a bit of money at the NEC yesterday buying my first copic ciaos, oops lol and decided I wanted a colour chart so here we go.

Admittedly I havent played with them yet other than to mark off the colours I have but I'm happy enough with the quality of the ciaos. Maybe when I have to buy sketch to get the colour I want I might change my mind but seeing as I have so many artist grade pencils I can't really justify the extra cost.

First pic is for Ciaos then I made another for the more expensive sketch pens.

And lastly one for promarkers. These were the first I bought and although I liked them enough to want to get copics (wanted more lighter shades than seem available for promarkers) I think I prefer the copics. Promarkers have more of a hard old fashioned felt tip style nib whereas the ciaos have a springy brush nib. As to actual results I can't see there's any difference and will mix & match as needed.

Copic pen blog candy alert

Charmed Cards have an amzing set of copics up for grabs as blog candy. But you can't enter cuz I want 'em, ok you can enter really ;o) lol.

Back to basics Challenge.

I've been making cards for over 13 years now and since the start there's been massive changes in techniques & styles but the biggest change is the variety of stash. Thankfully gone are the days when asking for a punch would get you a black eye, a 3dable bit of wrapping paper was really exciting and you had to eat mint areos to get some green foil. With the advent of the tv shopping channels cardmaking started to become more accessable with more & more kits being produced. Often now we see forums filled with complaints or questions about whether preprinted, precut, just stick together is true card craft.

Blogland is slightly different with many tending to be scrapbook style charachter stamping, vintage or Tim Holtz' whacky art yet we still see magazines filled with stick together projects and little of real techniques, so I decided to see who'd be up for a back to basics challenge on the Docrafts forum. Several people think it's going to be fun going back to basics so I'm going to spend the weekend ironing out the details via a trip to the NEC and will post the challenge here and there on Monday with some nice goodies up for grabs. Be warned though... no preprinted craft papers or diecutters will be allowed!!!!!!!!!