Card Making

Lots of sneaky kitties

Hello. It’s been almost a week since I last posted, but I have just spent the past three days virtually attending the ‘Crop on the Cape‘ hosted by Jenn Shurkus……….and I am absolutely shattered!

A fabulous two full days, and one evening – all at Eastern Time and I am GMT – so later start – but finished the day at 2am, 1am, and 11pm respectively…….chock-a-block with inspiration, laughs, a little time to create – but all worth it. Learnt so much, and some techniques I’m going to have to have a better try at – but all-in-all a great virtual event.

I was also on Whatsapp with my sister the whole time – she lives in Canada so ET was her time – but it meant we were crafting and getting involved together.

Anyhoo – back to my card. I cleaned and sorted the mess from the weekend – the ‘Craftermath’, as it were – , and decided to do a very CAS card – two cards for the price of one actually:

I started by creating white card base, then die-cut the Simon says Stamp ‘Sneaky Kitties‘ die out of dark blue card. The eyes stayed in the kitties – so I decided to leave them there, adding some tape to the back so they stay in, then cut the strip to a couple of inches and added foam pads to stick down to the card base. The sentiment is also from Simon Says Stamp, stuck down after running it through my Xyron.

The left-over piece of blue card – I used that for the second card. I glued it straight down onto the card base, put the die back in place and dotted where the eyes would be – then used a black gel pen to make them just a little more noticeable. The sentiment is from Mama Elephant.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks – CAS

The Paper Players – CAS Animals

AAA Cards – CAS, along the edge, with a twist of using only die cuts

Scruffy Cat Christmas

Hello there. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started a new challenge for the next couple of weeks. The theme is always anything goes Christmas/festive. Here is my card:

I bought this digital image from Whimsy Stamps quite a while ago, but as with most of the digital images I buy – I forget I have them. I was sorting out my files and folders – cos what else am I going to do to keep busy at the moment – and ‘found’ lots of images I had completely forgotten about…….there will be more of these in the future, I’m afraid. :)

Once printed , and coloured with Copics, I die-cut with MFT wonky rectangles for a little more interest, and then used some patterned card-stock – I forget where from, and found a sentiment stamp from a previous Simon Says Stamp card kit which matched perfectly the colours and the gingham effect.

So this Christmas Scruffy cat turned out to be quite dramatic in the end.

I hope you can come and join us and increase your Christmas stash – I look forward to seeing what you create. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks Challenge – Christmas

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – atg Christmas

Cup Cake Inspirations – Cats

Colour Crazy Challenge – atg colouring

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Bee Happy…..

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has started a new challenge, and having reached the letter ‘Y’ – Dawn has chosen ‘Yellow’ as the theme for the card. Here is my creation:

I really enjoyed creating this card. I recently attended a Jenn Shurkus online class about Distress Inks and Distress Oxides. During that class, we made lots and lots of different background ink smooshing, blending, water-colouring with both, and also used Distress water-color card stock, and also Distress heavystock – which I have never used before. I learnt to dry between each layer, to not think too much about what goes where – and just to play….

That class reminded me how brilliant the Distress products are – and how much fun it was to create a background – and to have an inky mess. Now I just can’t stop myself – any excuse to get inky and messy – loving it!

This yellow layer is using two Distress Inks – and layering at least 5 times…….just two colours of yellow. I was also ‘Jennabled’ to purchase the Ranger Heat Tool – so much better than trying to use my embossing tool – much gentler, less warping.

The honeycomb die was cut from white card stock, and those greeny/browny pieces? Well that was another messy ink layered background also die-cut with the same die, and just adding some of the pieces. The white was too stark on it’s own.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations featuring yellow – I look forward to seeing you there. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Addicted To Stamps – Die cuts or stencils or both – die cuts for me

Crafty Sentiments Designs – anything goes

We Love 2 Create – atg mixed media – (lots of ink smooshing, splattering, watering – inky messing!)

Mix It Up Challenge – atg mixed media with option inlaid die cut – option not taken

Crafty Creations Challenge – anything goes

Spring Rain at Cardz 4 Galz

Hello. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge, and this time Misti has chosen the theme of ‘Spring Rain‘. So – we want to see your girlie cards with umbrellas, rain boots etc. Here is my card:

I used a digital image from Jan’s Digi Stamps, ‘April Showers’, printed then coloured with Copics. As the rain drops on the umbrellas got lost whilst I was colouring – I really did try to go round them but they were too small – I went back in with a white gel pen to make them stand out more.

I also played a little with the size and placement, also adding the sentiment which comes with the same digital set. That’s something I really love about these digital sets – as well as the images, you get a range of matching/suitable sentiments to use too. Jan also supplies some great video teaching on how to layer, and re-size etc – which I find I have to watch every time…………I just can’t remember from one time to the other.

I decided on a dark blue, then googled which colours work best – saw orange was a good suggestion – so here we are. A blue and orange card. The outer layer is white card-stock coloured with a blue Copic to match the image – something I am finding works really well when layering digital images like this. Both the image and blue layer die cut with a stitched rectangle.

I look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Pink Gem Challenge – anything goes

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Cards Galore Challenge – anything goes

Jan’s Digi Stamps Challenge – anything goes

Christmas Dragon Cuddles

Hello yet again. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge for the next two weeks has started. The theme is always anything goes Christmas or festive. Here is my card:

The image is a digital stamp from Lee Holland – I’m afraid I bought quite a few of these dragons – Christmas and otherwise. I have yet to colour any of them apart from this cute couple. What a lovely image, isn’t it?

I printed it onto some Copic friendly card then coloured with a range of Copics. For the penguin body I did take inspiration from the image being coloured by someone else – I think on Facebook – trying to achieve a fluffy/furry kinda look, and I’m quite pleased how it turned out.

I didn’t find a sentiment which seemed to fit, so I left it without, but I’ll definitely add one to the inside.

I also couldn’t find matching card-stock in my huge collection for the layers underneath the image, so I just coloured each of the green and pink borders with one of the Copics I had used – that way it’s sure to match and co-ordinate.

I hop you can come and join us with your Christmas creations – there’s some amazing inspiration from the rest of the Design Team – I hope have time to check them out. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

A Bit More Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafters Cafe – anything goes

Colour Crazy Challenge – week 9 – anything goes colouring

Crafty Animals Challenge – anything goes with an animal

Love To Craft Challenge – anything goes

You’re Sweet…..

Hi there. Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge has started a new CAS theme. This time we want to see:

Here is my card:

I ended up creating a one layer card, using Simon Says Stamp ‘Sweet Truffles’ which just arrived here and is part of the February 2021 card kit. This kit usually gets to me middle of the month – and usually after I have paid – or opted out of – the next months kit.

I started by stamping the middle chocolate, then masked it and stamped the other two. I used a brown Gina K amalgam ink this time – not so harsh, and perfect for using the chocolatey colours, I think.

I used Copics to colour the images, and the sentiment is from Clearly Besotted, and also stamped in the same brown ink.

There some amazing inspiration from the Design, and all sorts of different takes on the theme – I hope you can come and join us with your creations – don’t forget to follow our theme and keep it CAS. I hope to see you there. xx

Your Time To Make A Splash

Hello – just nipping in to share a CAS card for a couple of challenges. I have been thinking about both of these for quite a few days – and whilst browsing through the CML app came across a couple of Clearly Besotted stamp sets I thought would work perfectly:

I wanted it to look like the dolphin wash diving into a pool of water, so as this needed just a tiny bit of masking, I stamped the dolphin first, masked the little nose off, then stamped the puddle.

The sentiment and little splashes were added, and all coloured with Copics to match the colour challenge.

A CAS card for someone who has recently had promotion, and a little encouragement for them.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CAS On Sunday – CAS – turquoise/teal, orange, white

Perfectly CAS – CAS – one third or less – prompt word ‘SPLASH’

Long Distance Fox Hugs

Hello there. I have a CAS card to share today using masking, water-colouring, ink blending, stamping:

It took me a while, and a lot of thinking, on how to create this card. I knew I wanted to use this stamp set, knew I wanted some ink blending, knew I would need to do some masking – but once I had decided what needed to be stamped and ink blended in which order – off I went.

I’ve tried a ‘gallery’ setting to demonstrate the process – does it work ok?

I first stamped the fox and light images onto Distress Water-color card stock – smooth side – using Gina K Amalgam ink, stamped again and created a mask for the images, Then a circle stencil added from Honey Bee Stamps, lots of masking tape so I didn’t go outside the circle, ink blended Spun Sugar then Picked Raspberry, and removed the masks to reveal the images again. I always love that part – especially when it works!

I dried that with the Ranger Heat Tool – I was ‘Jennabled’ by Jenn Shurkus after doing a few of her online classes. The use of Distress Inks again for colouring, and the use of the heat tool – well worth it. I can’t seem to stop using them. I then used the other two colours of Distress Ink to water-colour the images.

After drying the water-colouring again, I stamped the sentiment which comes in the same stamp set.

I currently like to send ‘just because’ cards, as we haven’t been able to meet our friends for quite a while. I have found that making these kinds of cards helps me to have a reason to create, and also sends just a little bit of love and best wishes.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – Turquoise, rust, pink, megenta

CASology – FOX

Jan’s Digi Stamps challenge – anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Colour Crazy Challenge – anything goes colouring (week 7)

As You Like It Challenge – favourite reason to send a card and why

Diorama Shaker

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has started a new challenge with a new theme. We have reached the letter ‘X’, and Debbie has chosen the theme as ‘Xtra Folds’. Here is my card:

This card took quite a lot of work to put together, but I am pleased with the outcome.

I used a diorama card base, and from the front panel I die cut a floral heart. This die set is from Crafters Companion I have had for absolutely ages, and ‘found’ it when I was once again sorting through some of my stash.

The leaves and flowers are from MFT, some die cut from the same pink floral dotty background card, and some from a light pink card stock from Concord & 9th.

I added some acetate to the back of the floral heart so they would be supported, and at this point I decided to make it into a shaker card – me, making a shaker card…………wonders never cease!

I used another of the layering heart dies form the same set, cut another piece of acetate, used Heffy Doodle foam tape, some pink and clear sparkly thingies, and there we have it – a diorama shaker card.

For the sentiment, I think I’ll add something to the back of the card – or maybe write something special for mum-in-law for Mother’s Day next month.

I hope you can come and join us for our ‘Xtra Folds’ challenge – I look forward to seeing what Xtra folds you create. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Mix It Up Challenge – anything goes with option of fancy fold

Crafty Creations Challenge – anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

The House That Stamps Built – anything goes

Creative Moments Challenge – anything goes

Daffodils For Mum

Hello there. I hope you are doing well. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge, and the theme this time has been chosen by our esteemed leader – Caz – as ‘Mother’s Day (UK) or a card for a special lady‘. Here is my card:

Mother’s Day in the UK is 14th March this year, which is why I chose this theme. Mum’s birthday is also in March – but that card is already made.

Mum has always liked daffodils, they are her favourite flower – that yellow sunshine in the spring.

I used Altenew ‘Build-a-flower Daffodil’, Altenew inks, and layered them onto a wood grain effect piece of embossed card, once cut using the matching dies.

I went with the traditional daffodil colours – yellow with darker orange centres, and added a stamped and fussy-cut basket from Card-io stamps to ground them in. The sentiment is from a Catherine Pooler stamp set.

I hope you can join us with our chosen theme this time round – I look forward to seeing your creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

The Unicorn Challenge – use flowers

Addicted To Stamps – any occasion

Creative Fingers Challenge – anything goes