Wonderful Day

My niece will soon be 13 and I'm never quite sure what sort of cards to make for this age group, she's not a child, not quite a young woman. It was a toss up between sassy teen or cute and I've gone for cute, so I hope she likes it!

Image - 'Hedgehogs carrying Gift' (coloured with Promarkers) and sentiment - Penny Black
Papers free with a magazine
Doily coloured to match with Promarkers
Everything else from stash

Challenges:
'Case-It' Challenge - Penny Black Saturday
'Oh So Cute' - Penny Black & More @ Allsorts
'Four-Legged Friends' - Crafter's Companion
'Buttons & Bows' - Dutch Dare
Use Pastel Colours - The Craft Garden

Top 5 at Passion for Promarkers!

I will hopefully have a card to post tomorrow, this is just a quick post to, well, blow my own trumpet I suppose, is that being a bit vain? It's just that I found out that I made the Top 5 at Passion for Promarkers and I'm so excited! This is the first time that I have received an award and to say I'm chuffed is an understatement! When I started blogging the first challenge I entered was at PFP and it has remained one of my favourite challenge blogs ever since and I'm thrilled to have been picked. A big thank you to the team at PFP and also to all the people who work on challenge blogs, sharing their work and tips and who give us a chance to show off our projects, win goodies, receive awards and make new friends.

Windy Day

I've used another LOTV image on this card, it's of a very cute bunny getting swept about in the wind, very apt for today! I got the idea for the layout from Bev's All the Things I Love Blog. The theme at Allsorts this week is 'Colour Bingo' and it includes an option of Pink and Green (with Ribbon or Lace) which is one of my favourite colour combinations. I have used my promarkers and was particularly pleased that I had recently invested in some ultra fine nibs as some of the image was quite fiddly. Now all I need is a nib for every pen so that I don't have to keep swapping them about!

Image - 'Umbrella Bunny' - LOTV coloured with Promarkers
Sentiment - Docrafts
Insert cut using Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels
Leaves cut using Marianne Design die
Swirls cut using Sizzix Sizzlits die
Border cut using Martha Stewart 'Layered Arches' punch
Flowers - recycled from a birthday card (waste not, want not)
Rose buds - Wild Orchid Crafts
Everything else from stash

Challenges:
'Whatever the Weather' - PFP
'Anything Goes' - Anything Goes
'Springtime' - I Love Promarkers
'Ribbons, Buttons & Bows' - Lili's Little Fairies
'Oh So Cute' - Penny Black & More at Allsorts
'Four Legged Friends' - Crafter's Companion
'Swirls & Pearls' - CES

Springing Easter Bunny

I have got my polychromos pencils out for this card after being inspired by a tutorial by Moni. I am a very impatient crafter, once I have seen a technique, I want to be able to achieve the same effect immediately and to the same high standard and I have been very disappointed in the past! However, I have realised that practice is the answer and that 'Rome wasn't built in a day'. Moni's tutorial was an eye-opener, the way that each area may have to be gone over several times to build up the colour intensity suddenly made sense, so a big thank you to Moni and all the other crafty bloggers out there who so generously share their talents and tips.

Image - 'Spring bunny with Eggs' - LOTV, coloured with polychromos pencils and sansodor oil
Sentiment written in my own fair(?) hand as I have no Easter sentiments or stamps (mmm, I'll have to remedy that!)
Yellow card - Papermania Capsule Collection
Roses - Wild Orchid Crafts
Frame cut with Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Rectangles die and circles with their Classic and Scalloped Circles dies
Everything else from stash

Challenges:
'Easter' - CYDA
Photo Inspiration - Allsorts
'Anything Goes' - Anything Goes
'Oh So Cute' - Penny Black at Allsorts
'Four Legged Friends' - Crafter's Companion