Month: September 2020

Poinsettia Christmas Tree

Hello. A new challenge has begun at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas‘, Here is my card:

I decided gto go CAS with this card as I think the poinsettia tree can stand on it’s own.

This is a stamp set from Stampin Up, two layers – one for the leaves, and one for the flowers – such a cute image when stamped, I think……there is also a little tree trunk to add to the bottom of it.

CAS and one layer card – well – maybe I’m getting the hang of these now! Finally!

I used the Concord & 9th ink cubes – very vibrant colours in this set – I’m glad I managed to get them when they first arrived here in the UK – I seem to be using them a lot!

I can’t remember where the sentiment came from – I’ve tidied my desk since then 🙂

I hope you can come and join us. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

12 Months Of Christmas Challenge – Christmas and a sentiment

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Crimbo Crackers – anything goes Christmas

AAA Cards – CAS one layer card option of coffee – not taken

SPREAD THE MERRY LITTLE LOVE AND GRAB A BADGE!

Please feel free to copy to your sidebar

Let’s Hang Out…..

Hello there. A new challenge is beginning at The Alphabet Challenge. We have reached the letter ‘M’ and Meg has chosen the theme of anything beginning with the letter ‘M’ – here is my card:

I think my ‘M’ is quite obvious – using these Clearly Besotted Monkeys on my slimline card.

The monkeys themselves were stamped with Gina K amalgam ink, then coloured with Copics. I knew I wanted a three window slimline card – so I could get as many og these little monkeys in at once, and then turned to thinking about the background of those circles.

I thought about ink blending, then remembered this scene stamp – also from Clearly Besotted, so I stamped it twice, then coloured with Copics, then die-cutting with a stitched circle in a different area of each scene I had stamped for some variety behind each monkey.

The third circle is using a branch from the same stamp set so I could have the monkey swinging from it, again coloured with Copics.

The sentiment is from the same stamp set – using some stamp surgery to cut it apart – something I actually don’t have a problem with – though the first few times I did that I was a little nervous – not any more!

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘M’ themed creations, and I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Calendar Challenge – anything goes

Crafters Castle Challenge – anything goes

Creative Fingers Challenge – anything goes

Colour Crazy Challenge – anything goes colouring

Cardz 4 Galz One Layer

Hello there everyone. A new challenge is beginning at Cardz 4 Galz. Dawn S. has chosen the theme – One Layer Card.…… Here is my card:

I went very CAS here only using a couple of stamps. The flower border is from Clearly Besotted, stamped using Gina K amalgam ink, then coloured with Copics. The sentiment is from the same stamp set.

As this is one layer, I used the thicker Neenah card-stock so it would stand on it’s own. I have found in the past that I don’t like using Copics on this card, but as these images were quite small, and didn’t need much blending – I am pleased with how it turned out.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘one layer cards’ – whether you go CAS or ‘full-on’ – I hope to see you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Daisy Chain Challenge – CAS

Aud Sentiments – anything goes with a sentiment

Colour Crazy Challenge – anything goes with colouring

AAA cards Challenge – CAS up to one third with option woodland animals

Layered Faux Stained Glass Flower

Hello there. I hope you are all well.

I have been trying out a new technique – well, I tried it once 18 months ago and liked the effect – so I thought I’d give it a go again…..forgetting how much work and waiting time has to go into this technique.

Here is my card:

This card took me a couple of days – mainly because of the waiting time, but also because I wasn’t quite sure where I was going with it…..

I knew I wanted to do the faux stained glass technique using this die from Pink Fresh Studio, but this time I cut the die out if white card stock several times, stuck two layers onto a piece of grey card, inlaid the flower and leaf cut-outs – yep – that was challenging to find the right ones for the right spaces….then coloured the petals with cool grey Copics and a couple of green Copics.

Then I added glossy accents to the flower petals only – waited until the next day for that to dry – then added a black die cut as a frame on the top.

Phew – this took a lot of fiddling, I must say……

So – the grey behind the flowers and leaves is the base layer, then a couple of frames of white, inlaid white pieces, Copic colouring, glossy accents, then a black layer……..I think you can see the different layers and the shine from the glossy accents on these last two pictures.

The sentiment was added as you see and there we have it.

I think it may well be another 18 months before I do this again……

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – grey, Kraft, Green, White

Lil Red Wagon – nature – flora or fauna

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – no stamps

Time Out Challenge – Adventurous

Twofer Trees

Hi there. I’ve been trying some new techniques in my craft room, but have also had time to create a couple of CAS cards for the current challenge at Twofer Card Challenge. These are my cards:

The aim of the game at Twofer is to create two different designs for two different occasions using the same stamps/dies and/or stencils. The current challenge prompt is ‘TREES’.

I used one of the trees from Altenew ‘Moments In Time‘ stamp set. The first is stamping with tree to create and edge or border, and adding a stamped and die cut ‘awesome‘ from Altenew ‘Super Script‘ in the same colour card stock.

The second card is using the same tree with a sentiment added – clean and simple and one layer.

The tree images on both cards were stamped using Concord & 9th ink, and the banner for the turquoise card is also Concord & 9th card stock.

Even though these now look quite simple – it took me ages to actually plan what colours to use, and where to stamp the images – absolutely ages. It takes me longer for these kinds of cards than ones with more images and layers……………..

So – these two cards for the current challenge at Twofer.

Christmas Cardinals

Hello there. A new challenge is beginning at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge – the theme is – as always – anything goes as long as it’s Christmas or festive related. Here is my card:

I decided to use a pre-coloured image from Jan’s Digis. I don’t think I’ve used a pre-coloured image before, and it took a lot of research to enable me to manipulate the images, background and sentiment – layering them, bringing some to the front, some to the back, then getting mixed up in what the heck I was doing!

It must have took me longer to do all that than if I’d coloured the image myself – but I like what I managed to achieve here.

The sentiment is also from Jan’s digis, and I decided to add a blue background – again using ‘Word’ manipulation – but leaving the bottom open – just like snow.

It definitely took me more than 2 hours, but once I had printed and die-cut the rectangle – I was away.

I added some coloured layers as you see – and I also added some glitter pen to the snow, and created some glittery snow drifts on the bottom.

I hope doing things like this gets easier…………

I was going to leave the card at that, but I felt it needed a little more, so I used Stampin Up ‘Poinsettia Petals‘ to add a poinsettia and some leaves, then some clear Stickles to the centre. The ink must not have been dry, so the stickles took on the red colour – quite liking that effect.

Anyhoo – I hope you can come and join us. I’m looking forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Trimmies Craft Challenge – Christmas

12 Months of Christmas Challenge – Christmas and a sentiment

Jan’s Digi’s Challenge – anything goes

Watercooler Challenge – occasions

Make My Monday Challenge – Christmas

Alphabet Challenge ‘L’ for Ladybird

Hello there. It’s my time to host The Alphabet Challenge. We have reached the letter ‘L’ and I chose ‘Ladybird’Ladybugs‘ for the theme. Here is my card:

I may have been late to the ‘slimline’ party – but I’m certainly having a good time now I’ve arrived!

When I chose the theme for this letter, I knew I wanted to use my Stampin Up ‘Little Ladybug’ stamp and die set again, and the slimline card is the perfect way to showcase ALL the ladybugs in this set – as well as the little flowers, grass and leaves – so much space to use.

After stamping with Gina K amalgam ink, colouring with Copics, then die-cutting I turned to sorting out what shapes I would use on the slimline card. This die from Pink Fresh Studio I chose because of the scalloping around each circle – three little scenes I could create.

I used Concord & 9th card stock to die cut the flowers, leaves, stems and grass, then treated each little circle as it’s own scene – as you see here.

I also added some gems to the flowers and around the sentiment, just an excuse to add a little bling.

I hope you can come and join us in our ‘Ladybird/Ladybug’ theme. I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Double D Challenge – lots of colour

Aud Sentiments Challenge – anything goes with a sentiment

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Moving Along With The Times – create a scene

Simply Ellibelle Challenge – things with wings

May your Day Be As bright As You

Hello there. A new challenge has begun at Cardz 4 Galz – and this time we want to see your buttons and/or bows. Here is my card:

I seem to have gone a little bit ‘girly’ here – but I’m liking the colour combination, if I do say so myself!

I first die-cut the pink spotty bow from Clearly Besotted pattenred paper, using the Spellbindwers die set, but keeping the bow solid and not using the lattice layer. I put the layers together with a pink and glittery brad from my stash.

The teal paper is cut from Stampin Up paper, and the stripe using the same Clearly Besotted paper.

The shape behind the bow is from a Sue Wilson collection, using only two of the 7 dies from that set – not too intricate behind the bow, and layered with 3D foam pads to the card base.

The sentiment is from Craft Box UK (I think) a page of strip sentiments, cut to fit.

I hope you can come and join us and show us your buttons and/or bow creations. The Design Team has some great makes to share – and quite a varied collection. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

A Bit More Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper Challenge – anything goes with patterned papers

Arty Divas – anything goes

Sapphire Dahlia

Hello once again. I hope you are all well.

I have a monochrome one layer card to share today:

The current challenge at CASology is ‘September’. So – having a September birthday, and being a Virgo – I was wondering what to make for this challenge.

I knew the birth stone was a sapphire, I Googled the flower – an Aster or a Dahlia – so I searched the Color My Life app – and hey presto – this Concord & 9th stamp and die set appeared.

This is a turnabout stamp set – and the die is actually a turnabout die too – but when I tried the die out – I failed. Not once, not twice – but three times. So – rethink………..

I usually don’t have any luck with turnabout stamp sets either – despite using the ‘jig’ – but recently one card went well – so I braced myself and tried again…and I like the result.

The colours used are based on the darkest blue being ‘Sapphire‘ from Altenew ‘Glacier Caves‘ ink cube set – so I used all four of those blue colours for the turnabout.

The sentiment is also from that same stamp set, and as I could fit it onto the card – I went with the sapphire blue again.

So – Dahlia and Sapphire are both homage to the cue ‘September’…..

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CASology – September

Krafty Chicks – stamp act

Yellow and Green

Hi there. I have a card to share which took a lot of die-cutting – a lot!

What can I say – when you’re in the die-cutting mood – you just go for it, don’t you? The colour scheme is from a new challenge called ‘Color Hues’, and to use tones of green and yellow.

I used quite a few Sizzix Thinlits die sets, and the Concord & 9th card-stock, as well as other card from my stash.

I think there are three greens………and two yellows…….but I may be wrong – I just kept cutting!

The flowers are also Concord & 9th, the circle frame is from MFT, and the sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp – talk about a mish-mash of companies!