Afraid to doodle?

Me too! I look at all these wonderful layouts and cards in magazines and online galleries with delicate and intricate doodles and I just think no way!! However, one night when I was blog hopping I came across A House of Colour and it sent me off in a complete change of direction, made me realise that I can doodle and that I've been doodling most of my life - especially in those boring meetings and lectures I have to attend (my meeting notes are always so much more colourful than my neighbours!!) Doodling doesn't have to be flowers, swirls and scrolls. It can be dots, lines and zig zags - in fact anything goes!

Why do I always find inspiration in the middle of the night? It was about 1:00am when I found Adriennes blog and of course I couldn't go to bed I had to get out my pens and card and create!!

Step-By-Step Doodled card

1) Doodle your design on card using a fine tipped permanent pen, I used a CD, glass and my roll of double sided tape to draw the circles in pencil first, then rubbed the pencil lines out after tracing over the top. By using a permanent pen you eliminate the chance of the ink smudging and the felt tips running into the black. When you have finished drawing your design cut it out leaving a border of a couple of millimeters.

2) Add colour using felt tips, paint or coloured pencils

3) Use alphabet rubber stamps to stamp the sentiment. I used PSX pixie stamps and a black stazon inkpad.

4) Cut out each letter and ink around the edges with black chalk ink.

5) Position your letters onto your card and when you are happy with their final placement use glue (I used glossy accents as I seem to use it for everything!) to attach them to the card.

6) Punch a flower shape out of patterned paper.

7) Doodle around the edges of each petal using a fine tipped black marker.

8) Gently curl the edges of each petal between your thumb and finger and use chalk ink to define the edges.

9) Cut your patterned papers to fit your cardstock and attach using your sewing machine in a combination of straight and zig zag stitches.

10) Use foam pads to stick your doodled design onto your card, add the flower and then a

button or doodled centre to the flower.

11) Finish your card by running a black chalk ink pad around the edges of your card.

I hope you find inspiration to pick up your pen and start doodling. Perhaps like me you'll relise that you've always been doodling - just in your own style. There's no stopping me now!!

Love from Andrea xx