MHK Designs - September Challenge

     A new month means a new challenge at MHK Designs, a photo prompt with fruit and flowers to get you inspired as well as some lovely colours.

    I chose some beautiful flowers from Marvelous and a sentiment from Lovely Ladies to make my card.

    Printing the flowers quite large filled an A6 piece of white card, then I coloured with alcohol markers and used a blue ink pad to colour the edges. The sentiment was die cut and mounted on foam pads, then nestled among the leaves.  A simple card and very flat, just right for dropping a short note to a friend.

     Pop over to MHK Designs blog to see the DT inspiration and read how you could win some digital images just by playing along with the challenge.

Marvelous

Lovely Ladies

       

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Digi Choosday - Anything Goes   (W)

Passion For Promarkers - Make It Digital   (W)

DMC and Cocoa

     A simple recycle project for Altered Eclectics this month, we accept mixed media and recycled projects, anything really as long as it's NOT a card or an ATC.

     Having forced myself to use all that cocoa making chocolate brownies with my courgette mountain, I decided to use the pot for a handy container.
     I have had in my stash of 'usefull bits' some colour charts from DMC threads that I couldn't bear to throw away. Now was the time to use them, much to my family's amazement.
     As luck would have it the cocoa pot is exactly three colour strips tall, I took this as a sign it was clearly time to use them. Each strip was curled slightly before adding the tape in an effort to stop them springing off the pot.

     I used Stix2 Ultra Clear tape as it's very strong, a strip of tape down each side of the colour strip proved to be just enough.
     I chose to offset the stripes on purpose, it was extremely difficult to match them perfectly so this meant I didn't have to worry.
     I thought about putting a small knob on the lid so it was easier to remove, but decided against it in the end, the lid is a soft plastic type material and frequent tugging at the middle may tear it, I don't want to let all that gorgeous chocolaty smell escape!
     I have kept the blue thread strips ready to make another pot, now I have the task of emptying that one too, the things we do for art!
     Please come and join our challenge at Altered Eclectics, we run for the whole month with no theme and very few rules so it really is easy to play along and we would love to see what you've made.

I would like to enter this project on the following challenges:

Eclectic Ellapu - Anything Goes   (M)

Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes   (M)

Not Just Cards - Anything Goes   (M)

Back To School

     The new challenge at The Male Room is 'school colours',  it doesn't have to be school themed, just something masculine showing school colours.

     I have a digi in my stash that I thought would be just right for this challenge. With a few adjustments to the mortar board and gown, so I could add a splash of yellow, it would be just perfect.
     The image was printed out on white card, then I made my adjustments and cut a mask to cover him. Then I secondary stamped some pencils to make a background using a rubber stamp that was pre-loved when I got it and I've had it about six months.
     There was a slight halo around part of him where I didn't get the mask perfectly placed, but that was easily remedied by colouring a small border around the whole image with a very pale grey marker.

     When it came to the mat layers I wanted to have the same shade of yellow, so I used the same marker on a white card mat. You only see the edge so only the edge has to be coloured, I also made the black layer the same way. This method saves having stacks of coloured card, and we all know it's never the right shade, as well as making a perfect colour match possible every time.
     There is no greeting at present, that will be added when it gets used, I'm thinking it might make a great good luck card.
     Please pop over to The Male Room and have a look at all the DT inspiration, come and join us with your masculine creations.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Digi Choosday - Anything Goes   (W)

Retro Rubber - Back To School   (F)

Tuesday Throwdown - Masking   (W)

Always Fun - Back To School   (W)

Dream Valley - Use A Stamp or A Digi    (W)

Simon Says Stamp - Anything School Related   (W)

Use Your Stuff - Back To School/Work   (W)

MHK Designs - Sassy Sayings

     This is the last of this months new releases from MHK Designs and a nice cheeky set it is too.

     I printed the image and sentiment on to white card, then made a mask for the image using the dining room window as a light box and a sticky note.
     I put a stencil over the card and used some Distress ink to colour through it. I rather like the pattern radiating from the image, it reminded me of some old advertising I had seen.
     The edges were darkened with the same ink to bring the eye to the centre image. I trimmed the card and stuck it on to a white card blank so it all sits very flat, just right for sending a short note to a friend.
    You can still pop over to MHK Designs blog to see all the DT inspiration for the whole month's new releases.

Sassy Sayings

MHK Designs - Pet Puns

     Set number four from MHK Designs is a really useful set for animal lovers, this could help with making those masculine cards that sometimes prove to be a challenge.

     I chose to use the fishbowl from Pet Puns as I had someone in mind as soon as I saw this set. It's been printed on white card and coloured with alcohol markers, then die cut with a faux stitch die.
     To bring out the orange of the fish I printed some backing paper from French Country to use as a mat layer.
     Once the layers were all finished and added to the card blank I used some Glossy Accents to make the fish bowl look like glass, it took a while to dry and buckled slightly, but that has settled down now it's completely dry.
     Don't forget there is a chance to win this set or the whole release, you need to go to MHK Designs blog to find out how, while you're there why not make a card for our challenge too.

Pet Puns

French Country

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

2 Crafty Critter Crazies - Anything featuring a Critter   (M)

Digi Choosday - Anything Goes   (F)

Polkadoodles Crafting - Anything Goes   (W)

Drinks at The Male Room

     At The Male Room this fortnight we have a Drinks theme, so you can make anything drink related, as long as it's masculine.

     I have chosen to make a very quick and easy decoupage card with some toppers I was given. I have just cut the foreground out and then put it on foam pads  over the base layer, this means it's still thin enough for standard UK postage.
     The small mat layer is dark red textured paper which I thought went well with the red wine theme in the picture. Mounted on a cream card, white looked too bright and not in keeping with the vintage look.
     There is no greeting on the card as yet, that will be added when I decide what I will use it for.
    If you haven't already looked at the DT inspiration then please pop over and take a look, come and join us at The Male Room, this challenge runs for two weeks.

MHK Designs - Marvelous

     Our third new release at MHK Designs is a collection of marvelous sayings accompanied by a lovely flower, just the words alone make a great card.

     The colour of the saying has been changed in my photo package with a black background added before being printed on gloss photo paper.
     Using a small butterfly die I have cut random flutterings all over the gloss card and backed it with foam pads.
     The backing paper has been changed to turquoise and printed on thick paper. After sticking the background paper to a white card blank the gloss panel has been stuck on top, this allows the cut outs to show off the pattern underneath.
     A very simple card that's still thin enough for standard UK postage, ideal for a little note to cheer up a friend.
   

Marvelous

Damsel In Distress 

      Here is how to get this new set OR the entire release for FREE!  Here's what you'll need to do...  
             1.Comment on the MHKDesigns blog.
             2.Comment on each DT member's blog.
             3.Join our MHKDesigners and Friends Facebook group and comment there.

     Comments will be chosen randomly from all these places after the release is over, and the authors of those comments will be our winners!  So, the best way to win is to comment every day!