One for my boy!

Hi there, and welcome!

How do you feel about card challenges?  When I first discovered craft blogs, I was amazed that people would actually spend time thinking up challenges, and even more amazed that crafters would actually create something, and enter it into a challenge........I thought that it would almost crush any original creativity that a crafter might have..........how wrong could I have been?!

I entered my first challenge on 23rd December, last year, with a birthday card I made for one of my sons-in-law.....it was actually only the second card that I had ever posted, having started my blog in October....it didn't win anything, but I remember the excitement as I waited for the winner to be posted........and I still feel  that same excitement....yep....every time, lol.

But, winning a prize, lovely as that is, is only incidental to what I now view as part of my creative process........I soon discovered that there are many more benefits to entering challenges that I wouldn't have thought of, at the outset.

For instance, I've found that I love sketch challenges!  It sometimes almost feels like cheatin', but I admit to being a bit of a ditherer........and so much time is now saved if I have a cute sketch to follow, either "as is", or.....if I'm feelin' up to it......swizzin' it around to better suit what I have in mind....so many possibilities open up when a sketch is laid out on my desk!

And what about colour challenges?  I now know exactly what my favourite colour combos are, but I've also discovered that colours I've maybe shied away from, in the past, can actually be very pleasing to the eye, when they are put together with fabby combinations........which, as another added bonus, has also helped when putting fabrics together for my quilts!!!  How good is that?

As for challenges that start with a particular theme.....well, the sky is the limit!

So many colours, themes, styles, layouts.......and the result?

The result is that I have a good idea, in advance, of what cards I plan to make next....which, in turn, means that I usually am  on time with all the different kinds of celebration cards that I need........and with my huge family, and lots of lovely friends, there is not a week goes by that I don't need to put together a card of some sort.....sooooooooooo.......

Bring on the challenges!

Which brings me to this one...........a birthday card for our youngest, Jonathan, who will turn 23 on 12th April..........

Of course, being a bloke, he dislikes "fussy" cards, so this is really clean and simple........two pieces of docrafts paper, layered on top of a third one, then a thin strip of toning blue paper, with faux stitching..........

The image is coloured with....yep....Promarkers, and more faux stitches.  The circles were hand-cut  so might look a tad wonky, lol......

Black Card Candi.......Jonathan will probably think even these are "fussy" :D..........

but he'll like the grunged "Dude", 'cos he's........well, a dude, lol.......

And why d'ya think I chose this footie image?

Heres a coupla clues.......born and raised in Manchester.........favourite colour red............loves to bawl at the telly when a certain game is being played...........

"Come on, yooooo Re-eds!"

Did I hear Manchester United?

Challenges:

totallypapercrafts.blogspot.com

One for the boys

papertakeweekly.blogspot.com

Anything goes

Hugs,

Anne-Marie x