Friendship - it's a challenge!

Wow, its September, Happy the little peeps are back to school and life can get back to its usual routine? I know I am!

 

So what does this month have in store?

Well there is a new challenge over on the Spectrum Noir Facebook page, this months theme is:

 

Friendship

 

The design team have been hard at work creating some beautiful cards that you will get to see over the next few weeks and here's mine!
 

 

The image and friendship poem are from Lili of the Valley, and the papers are a My Minds eye 6 x6 paper pad called In Bloom.

 

I just love this little poem, I for one am very lucky and have 5 of the best and most wonderful friends anyone could wish for, and these words make me think of them instantly.

 

I stamped onto Neenah Desert storm paper with brown Memento, and coloured in with my pencils,

the colours are:

Skin: 001, 008, 091

Hair: 001, 004, 006, 085

Dress: 001, 028, 032

Socks: 001, 031, 032

Bear on Drawers: 001, 089

Drawers: 001, 101, 102

Bear hug: 001, 110, 111

Background: 001, 009, 115

Shadows: 102

 

I also coloured the ribbon with a SN Alcohol Marker CR2.

 

Don't forget there is a prize for the winning challenge card so get those pens and pencils out and join in, you can add your card here!

 

I'm going to finish today by dedicating this to my friends, Rita, Teresa, Wendy, Maggie and Rose, I love you all to the moon and back, Mwah xxx

 

Happy Colouring

Nicky x

Autumn Apples

Good day my fine fellow crafters, can you believe its nearly September already? It's certainly feeling autumnal, and so thoughts turn to harvest and harvest festival, traditionally celebrated here in England throughout September, I used to love the service the little ones used to do at primary school,  although I was one of the totally unorganised mothers who scrabbled around the back of the cupboards on the morning to find anything suitable, and in date!!  and then of course sitting in church hoping no-one would notice what produce my lot were traipsing in with!

 

 

So with that in mind, todays card is Harvest Fairy Apple from Mo's digital Pencil. I have coloured him with my Spectrum Noir Pencils.

 

 

Not wanting to quite let go of summer just yet, I have used The Freshly Picked stack of papers

from Die Cuts With a View 

I also used my bunting Epiphany tool from Crafters Companion,( my favourite one!)

 

 

The Spectrum Noir pencil colours are:

 

 skin 023, 009, 005, 091

Hair: 087, 096, 104

Nickers: 056, 058

Wings: 017, 047

Leaves: 056, 050, 058

Apple: 017, 056, 020, 024, 027, 033

 

 

Happy autumn everyone but most of all...

Happy Colouring!

Nicky x

Embossing folders and Spectrum Noir pencils

Have you been over to the Spectrum Noir Blog recently? It's a wonderful source for anyone who loves crafting and colouring in! There are some wonderful tutorials and video guides for just about everything, and if you ever suffer with a crafty block it's a great source of inspiration.



I was having a little wander through there the other day and came across a fabulous tutorial for using your embossing folders and Spectrum Noir by the lovely and talented Christina Griffiths, and in her video she shows you how to use embossing folders with a bit of parchment and Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, so I gots me to thinking...will it work with the blendable pencils???

Well YES, it works fabulously well! The pencils just glide across the surface beautifully.

I used a Vintage Christmas 6 x 6 embossing folder from Crafters Companion 

There are a couple of things you need to know first:

You need clean hands for working with parchment,

Work your colours dark to light, and choose slightly darker colours than you would normally use, and blend as you go

Work on the back of your embossed parchment

and lean on a black piece of card

Colours used: 024, 027 ,033,  099, 017 Ribbon and bow

holly: 047, 058, 050, 052
 

I mounted my parchment onto a piece of white card and attached it with brads, then onto some green and red, I haven't used any embellishments as I wanted a clean and simple look.

 

Anyone receiving a card like this will think you put in hours of beautiful parchment work, but only you will know the truth!

Happy Colouring
Nicky x

Spectrum Noir August Nature/Landscape challenge

 

Just a reminder that this months challenge over on the Spectrum Noir Facebook page is Nature/Landscape,

 

There's a great prize up for grabs too, but you have to be in it to win it!

 



 

Here's a little bit of inspiration for you,

 

 

The image is from Just Inklined

The papers are Pebbles, Family Ties collection

& American Crafts Amy Tangerine  Sketchbook collection

 

 

Spectrum Noir Blendable Pencils used:

Water: 064, 069, 063, 055 plus blending solution

Rocks: 114, 115, 109

Roofs: 109, 111, 097

Greenery: 044, 057, 059, 048, 043, 054

Poppies: 024, 033

Sky: 062 plus blending solution

 

Go on have a go, you never know where that leap of faith will take you !

 You can add your entry by clicking here

 

Happy colouring

Nicky x