Lime Love

I had two challenges in mind when I made this card The Paper Players Sketch 288 by Leanne and The Color Throwdown 386.

I started with some free digital papers I had printed out on photo paper yonks ago from Mel's Stampz. She does not seem to be blogging these days but her site is full of wonderful resources. I cut these with a fishtail die MFT Blueprint #24. The cross bar is from MFT Blueprint #2 and the little heart from MFT Blueprint #8. The bird cage  by Memory Box and 'With love' by Spellbinders .

More Sharing the Love at Winnie and Walter

I could not go to sleep last night until I had completed this card inspired by an example on Winnie and Walter's blog by Shay. At 0200 my husband suggested it was bedtime..."just sticking down the sequins says me". I did leave it and go to bed so the sequins were well and truly stuck when I woke up this morning:)

I had cut out a piece of patterned vellum with SSS Coverplate die 'Mighty Bloom'. Before sticking it down I used Distress ink 'Spun Sugar' to make a watercolour wash on my card stock. I masked off and stamped 'Thinking of' from a SSS stamp set called 'Handwritten Borders'. I cut it out and layered it on some hot pink polka dot paper. Next I used the 'You' die from the Papertrey Ink 'Wonderful Words' set and cut it 4 times (I could not decide which colour pink matched best). In the end I layered them one on top of the other with the polka dots on top. I added the sequins which are actually an iridescent sequin on top of a coloured one to soften the brightness to match the vellum better. Voila all done.

Share the Love Week with Winnie and Walter.

Over on Winnie and Walter's blog they are having a Share the Love Week featuring 'Felicity' by Pinkfresh Studio. Looking through the examples by Shay and Heather I was inspired to make a card for some friends who are having their 40th (Ruby) wedding Anniversary next month. The background is a digital print out available in Winnie and Walter's shop under 'Freebies'. Never having used a digital file before I thought I would give it a go.This particular one reminded me of the facets on a gem a'la Heather's card. I sponged it ombre style with Impress dye inks 'Old Rose and Poppy Red' and Distress ink 'Fired Brick'.  The cutaway word Shay used inspired me to use 'Happy Anniversary' from 'The Big, the bold and the Happy' stamp set. The banner is by Taylored Expressions and the flourish unknown. I used gold rub-ons for the initials on the banner and numbers on the flourish.

Morgan's Artworld #6 Anything with Wings

The starting point of this card was the little birds on a wire (Tim Holtz 'Life's Possibilities' set), it was leftover from a previous project as was the small background behind them. I hate to waste anything so I mounted them and then pondered on ideas to complete the card. Rummaging through my vintage stamp collection I found the 'Butterfly and Topiary Tree' by Stamps Happen. I made a background by spraying Dylusions (Cut Grass, Fresh Lime, Lemon Zest and London Blue) inks through stencils by TCW -'Mini Climbing Vine' and 'Mini Climbing Vine Rev'. Then I stamped the image in Brilliance black pigment ink. The image is very delicate and it fades into the background so I needed a focal point and I thought of the Bluebird by PSX which I stamped onto blue paper added a little shading with my Tombow markers on its wings and fussy cut it out. He is attached with some foam tape behind his wings.
I thought this little guy would be perfect for Morgan's Artworld Challenge #6 Anything with Wings.

Shopping our Stash #244 Clocks

While I was cleaning up my desk of all the bits and pieces left over from recent projects I came across this piece with the shell (Design's by Ryn -Spiral Shell) and a circle frame that fitted over it. Only the top of the frame was missing no worries I cut out a tab using MFT Blueprints #24. Then I found the bits out of the film strip from MFT Blueprint #2  now to incorporate them as well. A long thin stitched strip from the same set to hang them on sorted that issue! It was looking more and more like a clock but what to use as hands? Time to dive into my 90 litre storage tub of embellishments and near the bottom (always the way) I found some wooden spindles. A Kaiser Craft clear stamp 'Tic Toc' was perfect as a background so I stamped it in Versamark for a watermark effect.
I knew I had seen a 'Clock" challenge some where and sure enough Shopping Our Stash's weekly challenge SOS #244 - Cuckoo For You - Use Clocks. was it.

Color Thow Down Challenge

A new challenge woohoo, this looks like fun.Totally inspired by the teams efforts at Color Throw Down  #385 I got out my water colour paper and a stencil (Memory Box 'Texture Wave') some dye inks (Impress Teal and Soft Aqua) and gold drawing ink...first effort hit the bin, second effort got turned over and I used the other side before I was happy with the result. Next step to add some depth with a stamp (Designs by Ryn 'Rising Bubbles') in the aqua then the teal...not happy so a a quick spritz with water made it all run and in my mind it got a dreamy look. I wanted an image to centre it all so rummaging through my vintage stamp collection I found 'Bruce' he is from 'Mostly Animals' (now defunct). I so wish I had more of this companies stamps such high quality and such lovable characters. The sentiment is from Hampton Art Stamps-'Sweet Dreams' I gave it a bit of a rubberectomy and removed the sweet.

The Paper Players Challenge #287

The Paper Players challenge this week is 'Clean and Simple with a Spring theme'.

I did some test samples of 'ink blending over heat embossing' for a different card and hate to waste anything so I cut up the sample to make my flower border and umbrella feature. I used 'Spiced Marmalade and Ripe Persimmon' Distress inks and embossed a Kaisercraft stamp 'Hessian' in gold . The border die is Memory Box 'Spring Border' and the umbrella Spellbinders in'spire 'Umbrella Trio'.
The raindrops are an old stamp called 'Drip Drops' by Posh Impressions using Impress dye ink 'Sky Mist'.
The sentiment I printed on my computer and cut it out to fit.
We are hoping for some rain here later in the week as my husband has recently planted a winter crop of vegies. We are going to have purple and orange carrots as well as beetroot and peas.

TE Share the Joy Challenge #27

Over at Taylored Expressions weekly Share the Joy Challenge I chose to use the Tic-Tac-Toe as inspiration.I went with flowers, pink and ribbon.

The layout was inspired by a card I saw on "ilovestamping's"  Flickr site. I have so much pink ribbon and lace in my stash it took me about an hour just to decide what to use and which order to lay it out in! Some friend's and family look and think how simple but have NO idea the time it takes to get the idea out of your head and onto the card stock! I am not whinging I love making cards and I have so many friends who are card makers all around the world who totally get it when you say it took hours to make one card:) The flower die is out of a Spellbinders Celebrations set called 'Just Because'. The little label at the bottom was cut using a MFT Blueprints #8.  I used a Wink of Stella clear glitter brush to add a little sparkle to the flower on the label. A friend is about to become a grandmother for the first time so this card will be perfect for her.

Another MFT Sketch Challenge 272

I realised that I had not used any MFT products in my first attempt at this sketch...oops...you don't have to but it is nice to showcase them. I had another idea come to mind after looking at a video at Papertrey Ink about 'Ink blending over heat embossing'. So I have blended the 2 ideas.

I used Kaiser Craft 'Hessian' clear stamp embossed with gold and blended Distress inks 'Spiced Marmalade' and 'Ripe Persimmon' over it. I used the negative after cutting out a strip with MFT Blueprints #6 in gold card. The bird is of course one of Tim Holtz 'Crazy Birds", just love these little guys. I used a scrap of background paper I had made and found in my stash which is really shimmery in real life. "Stop!! my husband says don't add anything it is perfect the way it is."...LOL It is so hard sometimes to pull back and not over do it. I am lucky to have him take an interest and express an opinion.

MFT Sketch challenge 272

Another good sketch challenge at My Favourite Things this week.

For some reason this bird sitting on a wire jumped into my head when I saw the sketch.

The background was made by spraying Dylusions inks London Blue, Cut Grass and Fresh Lime over some stencils (can't remember what as this is a piece out of my stash...just lucky I had written the names of the inks on the back!) The bird is cut from the same piece of background. He is a Scribbly Bird by Dina Wakley.
Ooo I have just seen a new set of Scribbly birds, small ones...another thing for the ever growing wishlist! The birds on a wire are from Tim Holtz 'Life's Possibilities' set. The sentiment is from a set by Queen's Dresser Drawers. (Stamp Diva was the only place I could find any of these stamps so not sure what their availability is.) A couple of black gems and some black gel pen on the bird's eye to finish him off. He is actually attached with foam tape so pops off the page better in real life.

Pals Paper Arts Sketch challenge 292

Over at Pals Paper Arts there is a challenge by Beth Beard which I thought I would have a go at this afternoon using goodies from my stash again....this could take forever!   

The background was made using Heidi Swapp Color Shine 'Mint Green' Iridescent Spritz. Then I stamped 'Large Nautilus Shell' by Hero Arts in 'Teal' Impress dye ink. The piece was put through a Cuttlebug embossing folder.
Using MFT Blueprints #2 I cut the frame and stitched strip both of which had been stamped with Designs by Ryn 'Sea Bubbles set . The strip I embossed with Stampendous Pearl Lustre EP in 'Alexandrite'. The centre piece is an image by Designs by Ryn 'Spiral Shell' which has also been embossed with the same EP on a background paper I made by smooshing Gelatos with wet fingers which left behind my fingerprints...I plead guilty to getting messy and enjoying it:) The sentiment is from Paper Smooches 'Sentiment Sampler set'.

Another card for the house of Cards March Challenge

This second card is another background out of my stash which has been through a Sizzix embossing folder 'Checkerboard and Cracked set'.  It bought to mind under water to me so I used Designs by Ryn's -'Coral set'. Which I stamped with black Brilliance ink before cutting out the 3 pieces by hand and then sponging with black Impress die ink.  I matted this on black before putting it on a lavender coloured card. The sentiment is by a defunct Australian company called 'Dream Mode'.

House of Cards March Challenge

I found a new challenge today at House of Cards- 'Silhouette'.
 

The background for this card came out of my stash and has been put through a Cuttlebug embossing folder.
The die cut is 'Spring border' by Memory Box. The sentiment is from the 'Gentleman plate 4' by Paper Artsy in their Ink and Dog collection. I stamped it on gold card and embossed it with black EP, then cut it out with a circle punch.

Freshly Made Sketches #228

I saw this sketch and immediately thought of a background piece that I had made ages ago that I was waiting for the right inspiration to use.
 

I spent quite some time trying to fit the curve onto my background but it always came back to looking like a sunrise so I just went with the flow.
The background card stock is black with metallic paints smooshed on it, not sure exactly how I did this but I did put it through a Sizzix embossing folder (Texture Fades Rays and Retro Circles set) which I appear to have put white paint in to emphasize the embossing.
The circles are cut with a nesting set by Photo Continental (sold by Craft Giraffe). The sentiment is from a Penny Black set called 'Hooray'

Fab Friday Challenge 83

This is the sketch at Fab Friday this week.

I first thought no worries I can use that sketch but it became quite a challenge to fit it all on a card! I started with the flower stamp by Alota Stamps which I coloured with a wet brush then sprinkled Brushos on the wet areas. A little moving of the colour with a small paintbrush achieved the look I wanted. The Tim Holtz crazy bird had been waiting to be used for a little while, he had been stamped on some card that was sprayed with Dylusions then die cut and a gold embossed bow tie added. The background was made by spraying some Dylusions on paper then stamping the dots and embossing with white EP. The little banners and the large square were cut using MFT Blueprint #8.
The sentiment is by 'Timeless Images' another stamp company gone to the wall:( Hmm I have just realised the words are rather hard to read on the scanned image...they say "Happy are those who see beauty in hidden spots where others see nothing".

CAS(E) this Sketch #164

I received my weekly email from CAS(E) this Sketch today and could immediately see possibilities.
 
I started rummaging through my stash of ribbons because I was sure I had something that would give me the wavy effects I was looking for. I found the cream coloured bag of lace and ribbon which had this wiggly braid in it then I had a  light bulb moment as I was trying to decide which shades of cream to put together that I could add some peacock blue and make this card for my daughter and SIL who celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary soon. These were the colours and papers I had used on their wedding card!

The lacy border, hearts and arrows were from MFT Blueprints #6 & 8. The sentiment by Elizabeth Craft Designs. 
There are 13 little hearts on the strip across the centre and 5 above to signify the date they were married.
I guess I had better explain this when I give it to them.

Green Love

I found a blog challenge that encourages you to use up your stash Shopping your Stash...something I have been trying to do for sometime now. I constantly find goodies that I had forgotten I had or had just not used in ages. As tempting as it is to buy new stuff all the time I am trying to resist (not always succeeding of course). The challenge this week is St Patrick's Day, Charms or Predominantly Green.
I opted to go Charmingly Green.

 I masked and stamped the Penny Black image 'Pickin' Posies' (which is a rather old stamp) and coloured it using Tombow markers. The frog is by 'Sparkle N Sprinkle' and also coloured with Tombow markers. The background is a water wash of Distress ink 'Tumbled Glass' and 'Stormy Sky'. For the grass I used an All Night Media (think this company has folded) stencil/template 'Summer Fun' and dye ink 'Chartreuse' by Impress. I cut a scalloped edge out of Patterned paper with an MFT die from Blueprints #6. The crown on the frog was clear acetate I coloured the back with Gold Krylon pen. The 'love' metal charm I bought in Europe 15 years ago...maker unknown. A touch of Gold Glitter Wink of Stella brush on the girl's dress and Clear Glitter Wink of Stella on her hair ribbon. 

Stamping Smiles Design Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge 5

I found this challenge when looking at someone elses blog. I had no idea there were so many sites out there where you can enter your cards in challenges. A whole new world has opened up to me and boy is it fun!

      
I chose the Friendship/Gold/Layers option.

The layer with the Penny Black 'Bunny Hop' stamp is embossed with black EP on a piece of freezer paper I smooshed different shades of gold acrylic ink on. The bottom layer I cut the scalloped border using a die from MFT Blueprints #22. The sentiment is from a defunct Australian company The Creative Stamp Collection.
I have found a challenge Retro Rubber Challenge Blog that asks you to use old stamps...well this was just made for me!! I have been stamping since around 1994-5 I honestly can't remember when as it was so long ago! The Bunny Hop stamp is from maybe 1999.

Happy Easter

If I am really quick I can enter this card at Freshly Made Sketches  #227.

The strip down the side is a background I made using different shades of gold acrylic inks on freezer paper and smooshing it around. Then I stamped the Penny Black 'Bunny Hop' and embossed it with white EP. This and the eggs are backed by some orange shimmer card stock. Wish I could remember where I got it from as I have run out and it is a fabulous colour. The eggs are cut from some background paper I made by smooshing Distress inks on a craft mat, spritzing it and laying the paper on top to pick up the ink. This was then stamped and embossed in white EP using a Hero Arts image called 'Raindrop Background'. The oval dies are by Photo Continental (now sold by Craft Giraffe). Happy Easter is a sticker (which was silver before I coloured it with a gold metallic gel pen), as I don't own any Easter stamps. There are tiny diamontes in the middle of the daisy chain which was cut using an Ek Success punch.

 

Share Joy Challenge #26

These cards was made to give to friends in a craft group I attend. We do a little project each month and share what we have been making over the previous month. I am going to enter them in the Taylored Expressions Share Joy challenge for this week.

I was experimenting with making my own backgrounds smooshing Distress inks onto my craft sheet, spritzing with water then placing some paper on top to collect the ink. The first take up was quite bright as I had used Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed and Salty Ocean so I spritzed it again and got a much softer colour combination. When it was dry I used some large background stamps which I embossed with white EP. All were Hero Arts 'Print and Flower Pattern', 'Raindrop Background' and 'Abstract Line Background'. I cut up these papers using a couple of oval dies from a Photo Continental (now called Craft Giraffe) set of nesting dies and a die from MFT Blueprints #2 (oval frame).  The thin stitched edge strip on the horizontal version was also from MFT Blueprints #2. I wanted to showcase the paper with a fairly simple layout and ended up with 3 different designs. 'Happy' was cut out of the same paper using a die from the Sizzix Tim Holtz 'Celebrate' set and for Easter I used the 'Harmony' alphabet die set from Cuttlebug. For the daisy chain on the first card I used an Ek success border punch.
When I looked at these images online there are lots of splots on the cards which aren't there in reality. Seems like my scanner needs a good clean before I do any more scanning!!!

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge

I had some nice words left by Arlene, thank you, on my entry in Die Cut Diva's "Thinking Spring" Challenge and when I followed her bio I ended up at Morgan's ArtWorld and found this fortnight's challenge of "Include a Sentiment".  I had literally just finished making this card when I read her email and found this site and thought well why on earth not join in!

It is quite a simple card but required acquiring some new skills. I used my MISTI to add the lacy stamped border down the right hand side of the card. It took me a bit of thinking to get my head around moving the stamp rather than the paper to achieve what I wanted ( one really should move the paper!) and the alignment was not perfect but I will try again and get it right next time. Strategic placing of the sentiment covers my faux par...LOL All the images are from an Art Journey set called 'Friends'. the lace border and words were stamped in Impress dye ink  'Ultramarine'. I did not have the right colour EP I wanted to stamp the main image so mixed together some purple and blue from my stash.  The contrast strip down the centre is done with Brushos and as this is a piece from my stash I am not sure what colours I used. It is all placed on a cream card.

Embossing folder as a stamp.

In my last post I used a background I had made with an embossing folder and here is another ( I actually could not remember exactly how I made the first one so needed to do it again to refresh the brain!). I used some Impress dye inks in Pansy, Wisteria and Cerulean Blue. The image of the Jester, the word Masquerade and the tiny stars on the banner are from an Amazing Creations set called 'Masquerade'. I used 'Amethyst' Pearl Lustre EP  by Stampendous for 'Masquerade' and PSX black EP for 'Let's Party' and the Jester.
I cut Taylored Expressions 'Party Banner Border' in fun foam as well as the paper to give it some depth.
The Jester and 'Let's Party' from an Art Specially 2014 plate. The little bows are cut from MFT Blueprints #26 set.

Sugar Pea Designs Sketch SPDSS43

For this challenge at Sugar Pea Designs I used a background I had made sometime ago and was just waiting for the right time to use it. I had used the 'Drink Me' embossing folder  by Couture Creations as a stamp. I inked up the inside of the folder with dye ink and spritzed it with water, placed the  paper in folder (close folder) then using my brayer I spread the ink around. Next I carefully opened the folder to reveal the image on the paper. Depending how wet it is you can sometimes get two prints from the same inking! Happy and the balloon are from MFT Blueprints #26 , the fishtail banner is from MFT Blueprints #24 and the back layer was cut using MFT Blueprints #6. After cutting out the balloon I felt it needed some more definition so I edged it with black marker and stuck it to a piece of pink card stock then fussy cut it out. There is a piece of washi tape across the top with a string of flowers cut using an Ek Success punch. The little tiny flowers are from a hand held flower punch (origin unknown).  By masking off the 'happy' and just stamping 'birthday', using a stamp from SSS Handwritten Borders set I achieved the look I wanted.

Rain or Shine You Make me Smile.

I found this challenge on The Paper Players and thought this card I made would fit the challenge perfectly.

I used kraft card for the base and stamped 'Drip Drops' by Posh Impressions (now defunct). The bird is one of Tim Holtz 'Crazy Birds' and he was stamped onto some homemade background paper before cutting out with the matching Crazy Bird die. The umbrella is a stamp from the 'Ruby Rainbow' set designed by Dyan Reaveley for Ranger. It was stamped on a page from an old dictionary which I had sprayed with some Dylusions 'London Blue' ink, then fussy cut out. A few pieces of foam tape under the umbrella and birds wing make them stand out from the card. The sentiment is made up of tiny letter stickers and acrylic stickers that I have had in my stash for a long, long time!

Dilemma resolved and 2 new challenges entered.

At Gramma's Room blog I saw this pretty card Marsha had made and she had CAS(E)d it off Pinterest!
I just had to give it a go and my take on it looks like this.

The centre panel is an alcohol ink background from my stash. The 3 panels were embossed using an embossing border made by Cuttlebug called 'With Love'. The flower border (cut from an alcohol ink background ) is 'Cherry Blossom' a deep edge punch from Martha Stewart. The leaves and corner piece are Memory Box dies 'Lorelai Leaf and Honey Blossom Frame'. The material flowers are from my stash (unknown origins). Kaiser Craft yellow pearls were added to the embossed flowers.
I intend to enter this card at One Stitch At A Time #257 Anything Goes with Fancy Borders.
and Crafting With Dragonflies  Challenge #52 Girly Cards .

Dilemma!!!

I have been rummaging through other peoples awesome blogs looking at what they have entered in numerous challenges and have come across SO many ideas I want to try my brain is feeling a little fried! Help I can't decide which one to try first. Thought I had one sorted and then when I was fossicking through my massive folder of backgrounds (don't ask...I just love making different backgrounds and I have 2 large A-Z expanding file carry alls full of different ones!!) I found something that just cried out to be used..ARGHHHH.

OK I can "hear" my daughter saying "settle petal" so time to put on the kettle and take a deep breath.
Just needed to share my dilemma before I get back to my desk and try and work on one project at a time!
Thanks for listening:)

A beary kinda day.

After playing with  Happy Griz by 'Stamps by Judith and Heather' yesterday I looked through my other bear stamps and found one from PSX and Azadi Earles ( both defunct companies) and Inky Antics .
The PSX bear and the Azadi Earles bear have been given the Jennifer McGuire 'Distress ink lifting technique'
On the Azadi Earles bear I added a bit of colour with a Tombow marker to his bow and cheek, then some sparkle with a Wink of Stella Clear glitter brush. The 'With love' is a die from the Spellbinders In'spire Celebration Two set. The little hearts (unknown origin)around the bear are stamped with Versamark . Layered on 4 different patterned papers some with their corners rounded I attached it to cream card stock.

 I highlighted the PSX bears ears and feet with a pink Tombow marker and gave her a little pink bow. Again 4 layers of paper (can you tell I am trying hard to use up my stash of patterned paper?) before attaching to a piece of white card stock. The bear and the next 2 layers were die cut with dies from a set of Multi frame circles by Nellie Snellen.

The Inky Antics bear is stamped on a background I made by inking up a perspex block with Distress inks in 3 different colours (to tell the truth I can't remember which as it was done about a month ago and has been sitting waiting to be used since then though I am pretty sure 'Picked Raspberry' was one of them). Then you spritz the block to let the colours run being careful not to let it get to murky before stamping it on your card stock. With my water brush I added a little yellow Distress ink to the bees on the bears jammies! Picked Raspberry was added to his collar and cuffs and to the bunny's jammies also. A dob of glitter glue on his buttons and the bunny's nose. The layers were cut with MFT dies from the 'Stitched Rectangle STAX'. The saying is by Stamps By Judith and Heather.

Tempus Fugit

I love making backgrounds using different techniques so when I come across a new idea I tend to make a stack of them at once. Small problem I then need to use them! When I saw Jennifer McGuire's 'Distress Ink  Lifting' technique I had such fun I did not think about how I was ever going to use all the pieces I made. Well I used one today . 

 This background is done in 'Shaded Lilac' Distress ink and I used Kaiser Craft clear stamp 'Tic toc. 'Happy Griz' from Stamps by Judith and Heather was embossed in black on another background I made using 'Light Brown' Brushos then I fussy cut him out with a bit of a border. The balloon is a die by SSS from the 'Balloons' set. The bow, strings and stars are dies from MFT Blueprints 26 & 24. I coloured these pieces with a Wink of Stella Gold glitter brush. To get the strings and bow exactly where I wanted them I used a hint found in another of Jennifer McGuire's videos by guest presenter Laurie Willison using " Press 'N Seal". 'Tempus Fugit' is a stamp by Mirkwood Designs now being made by Victorine Originals. 

Not sure what occasion I will use this card for. My husband suggested an anniversary card for friends as like us we have quite a few friends celebrating their 40th Wedding Anniversaries this year!! I had thought perhaps for a friend who was celebrating a bit of a milestone birthday this year! We shall see.

Die Cut Divas "Thinking Spring" Challenge

Not sure how I came across this blog....following a link from someone elses no doubt. I have discovered how easy it is to lose many hours wandering from blog to blog enjoying other people's creations.
At Die Cut Divas : All cards/projects must be made using at least one die cut or embossing folder, using any die cut machine, this also includes Cameos and Cricut machines.

I think this card fits the bill.
I have used 3 die cut pieces from MFT Blueprints 22 & 24. The stamped flowers are from Stampin' Up 'Inspired by Nature' set. I inked the stamp up with Distress inks Twisted Citron, Mustard Seed, Picked Raspberry and Salty Ocean then I stamped the image off on a scrap of paper before misting it with water and stamping it again. I was not totally happy with the result so I used a water brush to pick up a little more ink and touched it up a bit where I felt it was too faded looking. Then I added a few dots in pink gel pen round the flowers and some iridescent gems. Still a bit pale but I can't change it now!
The green layers were embossed with  a Couture Creations folder called 'Trellis'. A die cut of thin white foam was adhered to the back of the green embossed circle to give a little depth. I sponged some Twisted Citron round the edge of the patterned paper and attached it all on to white linen card stock. A piece of silk ribbon and coloured metallic thread were tied through the green circle to finish it all off.

Share Joy Challenge 25

An email from Taylored Expressions alerted me to their Share Joy Challenge #25 and as I am in play mode today I thought I would give the sketch a go. Using their products is not obligatory which is just as well as I only have one, though my wishlist is long:)
I will send this card to a friend just because it is nice to share some happiness around.

The centre piece of this card is on Luna Lights paper with Luna Lights paints (things I have been playing with this week after finding them in my stash). I then stenciled  the daisies (Judykins Kite Stencil...Daisymania) on top using Distress inks. This gave a rather subtle look which I liked. The gold bar is a die from MFT Blueprints 2 and the daisy SSS Stitched Daisies set.  Then I added some gold gel pen to highlight the stitching on the daisy. The papers and card stock are from my stash, the purple vertical strip actually has a gold sheen to it.

MFT challenge

The sketch challenge 270 over at My Favourite Things (MFT) this week looked simple and fun and then the Simon Says Stamp(SSS) challenge was 'Touchy Feely' showcasing MFT products...so a double banger!

This card is made up of a few layers two of which are backgrounds I have made myself. The first layer was done on glossy photo paper using a Tim Holtz layering stencil 'Chevron THS024' and Distress inks 'Shaded Lilac' and 'Dusty Concord'. I cut it out using a die from MFT Blueprints 24 after I had run it through a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The tag was cut from another die in the MFT Blueprints 24 set and I punched a hole in to top to thread the lilac raffia through. The tag was made on watercolour paper using the Jennifer McGuire technique of Distress ink water colour lifting - embossing variation. The words are from the MFT clear stamp set 'Simply Fab Sayings'. A piece of netting and some fancy ribbon complete the card.

Freshly Made Sketches #226

It was pointed out to me yesterday by an Asian friend that I actually have the 'kanji' or script upside down. When I took a second look I could see this clearly. My humble apologies. I came home, pulled the card apart and have turned the 'kanji' up the right way. Here is the restructured card.

Boy am I having fun finding all these sites with challenges on them. Lots of interesting challenges to get the creative juices flowing. Some are complex some are like this one clean and simple from Freshly Made Sketches.

I had the background in my stash...think it is Distress inks blended then I gold embossed the stamp of Asian calligraphy in gold.  I found some nice washi paper to die cut the bird on the branch, a Marianne design die LR0137 and mat the stamped background. A scallop edge from MFT's Blueprints #8 finished the layout.

CAS(E) this Sketch challenge for March

I came across CAS(E) this Sketch! blog while browsing Joyce Casaldi's blog.
Looking at this week's sketch inspired me to complete a card I had half started but wasn't sure how to complete.

 I love making my own backgrounds and had been experimenting with some old stuff I found in my stash-Luna Lights Paints. I was running out of the special Luna Lights paper so thought I would try some glossy photo paper. I have since discovered that Reynold's freezer paper is the perfect thing to replace Luna Light's paper. {I knew there was a reason I had a big roll of it...LOL} The paint did not spread very well and was a bit blotchy so I sprayed it with Lindy's Stamp Gang spray in a nice avocado green. Next step was to cut it using the dies from Spellbinder's Celebrations set 'Just Because'. The second layer of the flower I stamped on a scrap of solid colour paper. The centres are from the same piece as the first layer. The background peachy card was cut using MFT Blueprint #19 set as was 'Hoi', a stamp from 'Art Specially's' 2013 plate. To finish the card I found some leaf ribbon which suited perfectly.

Cheshire Cat

I have been digging around in my stash and finding things I have not played with for years! Today I found Luna Lights Paints and paper. I created a couple of backgrounds and wanting to use rather than place back in my stash, inspired by my friend Hermine's card, I got thinking about a stencil then a die I had. I discarded the stencil (I will use that for another idea I have)  and used an Impression Obsession die of birch trees DIE079-U . It comes with 2 little birds but I wanted to do something different so I delved into my stamps and found a PSX image of a cat's face. Perfect. Now the Luna Lights paper is high gloss so I chose Stazon black ink to stamp with but when I pressed the stamp down firmly and tried to take it off half the paint came away too. Disaster!! I am thinking I will have to throw this bit out and start again. Then I had another look and I could still see the cat. The die cut trees would mask any nasty bits of missing paint and voila a disappearing Cheshire Cat is created. 'Smile' a stamp from the Fiskars 'Laugh with me Quotes' set was just perfect to finish the card off.
Here is a link to a blog where the lady has experimented  with using Freezer paper instead of Luna Lights paper and different paints and inks in place of Luna Lights paints.
https://techniqueszone.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/freezer-paper-backgrounds/

Make It Monday #241: Ombre Stenciled Backgrounds

Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday challenge intrigued me so I gave it a go.

I sponged the background Ombre style using Distress inks 'Tumbled Glass', 'Shaded Lilac' and 'Dusty Concord'. Then using the same inks I sponged the Memory Box stencil 'Bubbles 88574'. I cut some 'Loopy Rings' by Memory Box and 'happy' by PTI from the 'Wonderful Words' set and the words are from the 'Wonderful Words Additions' stamp set.