Challenge 21 - Inside Out

Thank You all for your superb distressed challenge entires, fanastic work, well done all! I'll be back with the winner of The Stampman voucher and our Top 5 before the next challenge when we've finished our rounds!

Thank You to Jill from The Stampman for being our special guest and sponsor and to Claire for being our guest designer.

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CHALLENGE 21 - INSIDE OUT

Our challenge to you this fortnight is to decorate the insides of your cards to give it that extra special touch. There are no rules for the outsides, you can create whatever you like but we'd like to see a pic of the inside decorated. You can keep it simple or make it an extension of the front the choice is yours!

We're sponsored for this challenge by Joanna Sheen who is offering a £10 voucher to spend in her fantastic online shop. New items in include a range of stamps by Jane Netley Mayhew of animals and birds and some very cute House Mouse Decoupage sheets and some super sweet Patchwork Polly stamp sets designed by Jayne Nestorenko.

Also red hot off the press are the brand new Pamela West CD Roms which have just launched which you can see here

Thank You for sponsoring us again Joanna!

Challenge closes at 12 noon GMT on Sunday 30th May,please leave a link to your creation in the blue linky thingy below! Good Luck!

Lets have a look what the team have come up with - Thanks Ladies!

Judie

I used a cream card, cream flowers, bright green leaves which i stained with stinky fingers stains, which I also used to make the background papers and stain the card, the colours I used were Autumn inks in maple and gold and then brought out the colour washing it with firework burst in red. I used some nesties to place the lady from Dimension Fourth Limited "I LIKE", the inside is the part we are concentrating on this weeks gals, so I was a bit lost, but followed through from the front to carry on building up the layers and used another stamp from Dimension Fourth just popped in the corners. Quite enjoyed doing the inside, might become a bit more of a habit now.

Joy

I used a large green card & on the front added the frame with a pink single rose which was in decoupage & which I had purchased from CraftsUPrint, On the inside of the card I added the words Happy Birthday, and put silver corner peel offs, with a set of 7 candles in the middle, and some parcels & a single heart shape above it. - I normally colour the peel offs using watercolour pencils but didn't this time as I like the green of the card coming through the pattern.

Julie

I don't normally decorate the insides of my cards, I normally just print a folded insert with my verse but I must admit it does finish a card off nicely.

I started with a square card, I used background paper from a PM paper pack and cut it to size. The circles I have cut using punches I bought about two years ago and think i have used once. The image is stamped from a Paper Nation stamp and coloured with promarkers. The layers are actually mounted with 3d foam pads however the photo does not show it. I have used glossy accents on the shoes and the flower in her hair. I finished the front off with the word "Love" also cut out of the paper pack and a few little bling jewels.

The inside is decorated with the same papers from the pack, the corners are made from a circle punch which again I have had for years and not used, I have then cut the circle into 4 to make up the corners. Hope you have fun joining in this challenge.

Lisa

Mandy

The brief for the inside out challenge is to decorate the inside of the card as well as the outside. I have to admit this is something I don't normally do as I don't have much time for crafting due to work commitments, but it does make a card seem more finished and special.

The image is a rubber stamp from Wild Rose Studio. I have coloured it in using Promarkers and used paper piecing for the dress and scarf. This card is for my Sister in law's birthday on and I have personalised the hair colouring to match hers. I think this is a great image for doing that.

The inside of the card has been decorated with matching paper, more rubber stamping and a couple of sentiments.
Information on the materials used can be found on my blog.

Toria

The card is created using Papermill Card and Papermania paper. I have used a border punch on the card and have added stickles to the edging. I have also distressed the paper and have added chalk to the edges for colour. I have added gathered lace and created a scene using two magnolia stamps from the magnolia spring club pack. The images have been coloured with a combination of Derwent Inktense pencils, Copic’s and Chalks. To the corner I have added flowers from Wild orchid crafts. For the inside, I used the same technique on the paper and have also added a border to one side. One of the panels is raised slightly on sticky pads, so the matching bookmark can hang from it. The frog image is also from the magnolia spring club pack and has been coloured with Derwent inktense pencils.

Vix

I have used the same papers inside and out which are Stampin Up - Tea & Crumpets. The band across the front and the panel on the inside I used a Martha Stewart doily lace punch on white card sprayed with glimmer mist which I thought matched the bottom of Tildas dress very well. The writing panel on the inside I have distressed with worn lipstick distress ink ) and I've also glimmer misted all the flowers on the front. Tilda is coloured with promarkers and I was originally going to do the wings & dress with a glue pen and glamour dust but it was all sparkly and I kinda carried on lol!

I think adding a matching inside really gives a card a very special touch and look forward to seeing your creations :)

Now I shall hand you over to our Special Guest Designer - Susie Sugar from Die Cut Dreams!Susie has been a regular player in our challenges and she has such a lovely style along with her business selling custom die cuts among other items. Susie says this...

"Hi, my name is Susie. I'm in my early 40's, Mum to 2 lovely teenage sons Reid & Woody and wife to my best friend Garry. I have been crafting since 2005 when the bug bit me. I now run my own design die cut business called Die Cut Dreams ( http://www.diecutdreams.com/ ). I love most types of paper crafting, and often wonder what I did with all my time before I started crafting and blogging ...... There just isn't enough hours in the day as I'm totally addicted to all things crafty and couldn't imagine life without craft and my blog"

SPECIAL GUEST DESIGNER - SUSIE SUGAR - DIE CUT DREAMS

And our questions for Susie...

1. You have a business selling die cuts, which are your favourites and what other materials/products do you love using?

Yes my Shop is called Die cut Dreams , my favourite die cuts at the moment are mat & Layering shapes I have my own designs and love using them for stamping on.

2. What are your achievements and future plans?

I had 2 pieces of work pubilshed in the first 2 editions of the Magnolia ink magazine Future plans ; I have nothing much on the cards at the moment as we like to spend most of the summer down on the beach (which is only 2 min's away from my home) I do have some more shape die designs in the pipeline.

3. What are the last 3 items you bought and why?

24 metres of Prima lace ....why? Coz I love it to bits !! Lol!

2 sets of Stempelglade Stamps

Spellbinders Butterfly dies

4. What do you enjoy most from blogging and its community?

From Blogging its self I'm amazed at how much I have learnt since I started blogging nearlly 2 years agoAnd from the blogging community I have made so many friends, the craft world is full of so many warm hearted people.

5. Your top 3 tips!

1. I always like to lay my planned card out first ones I see it laid out then I think glue !!! Lol I have made so many mistakes by gluing before thinking and I must say none of them were "happy mistakes" lol

2.I always use EZmount foam on my unmounted rubber stamps , you always get a better stamped impression than if you just use the bare rubber slapped onto the acrylic block, its worth the little extra cost.

3. Ok this ones not just for craft its for life in general and its what my dear old nan used to say to me and its always been good for me so I decided to share it with you, I can see her now as she used to say "Susie what ever you give in life or to life ....you will always get back...it may not be from the same person or source but if you give you will always be rich in some way" and I know it may sound daft but I think she was right !!

Thank You Susie!