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A Very Merry Moose

Hello there. Another month, and another challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge. A chance to work with us every month and have a batch of Christmas cards by the end of the year – and – of course – to have fun.

This month, Carol is hosting, and the theme is ‘E’ for Embellishments, ‘F’ for Fabric, and ‘G’ for Glitz. Here is my take on the letters – actually incorporating all of them in one card:

and a couple of different angles:

I sued the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Merry Moose die set, just adding some gold shiny card for the details on the moose. The moose itself is cut out of a faux leather look paper/card. I have a roll here and never used it – so I thought the moose would be a good start.

The background circles are from Sue Wilson, the circular tree cut-out is from Dawn Bibby, and the trees from the same Merry Moose die set stuck on top of the Dawn Bibby trees for added interest – with the glitter card for the background and the snow detail on the trees.

The sentiment if from Clearly Besotted, stamped and heat embossed.

So – I have the glitter card for the ‘G’ for Glitz, the ‘F’ for Fabric is the faux leather the moose is cut out of, and the ‘E’ for Embellishments, is the star on the moose’s neck collar (no idea what that is called….is it a harness??!!)

I actually can’t remember the background paper – who made it, nor how long I have had it – but I think it suited the vintage kinda style I was looking for to make the Moose a home winter wonderland…..

Feel free to join us this month, sticking to our challenge theme letters, please, and check-out the other members of the Design Team – again some varied and amazing work done for this challenge.

I hope to see you over there soon. :)

Christmas Blessings

Hello there. I have some exciting news – I have been accepted as part of the Design Team for The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge, beginning today. This is my first posting for that challenge, and each challenge will be for two weeks, with an ‘anything goes’ Christmas theme.

Here is my card:

And two other views to get the shimmer, shine, and glitz on the green and brown:

I wanted to create a card using some of my older stash so – obviously for me – I turned to my Sue Wilson die collection. I have accrued many of her dies over the years, and always seem to use the same sets – in completely different ways to previously.

I used a stash of Tonic card for each element, coming from one of the Tonic Craft Kits, which also included the sequins you see, as if there isn’t enough glitz going on!

I hope you will be able to join us, and I look forward to seeing what you create. And for something extra, I wanted to talk a little about die-cutting machines…………

I always struggled a little getting my machines to cut out the very intricate dies, having to go through several times – back and forth, back and forth – I am sure you know what I mean.

This time I used the Gemini Junior die cutting machine…..and…..just once. They went through once and die cut the intricate floral spray and sentiment. Just. The. Once. One time! Really? I hear you say – yes – really!!

Now, I have been a fan if my Sizzix Big Shot Express for years. It always did most of what I wanted, but now? The Gemini Junior is definitely the one to go to for anything intricate. Sorry…….but it just means I do have both of them out now. Oh well – a hardship indeed.

Of course, for my larger projects, I still have my Big Shot Pro, the larger circles and rectangle frames, this is definitely the machine for me, but the smaller projects will be a mixture of my Gemini Junior and Big Shot Express now…………..

What machines do you use? It would be so interesting to compare, don’t you think?



A second jump for joy..!

A very quick posting today, to add a card put together for a couple of challenges:

Looking through some of the challenges I enter, and am inspired by, I came across the colours for the MFT colour Challenge – Teal, Wisteria, Cream, Apple, and the the theme for the current challenge at CASology – ‘Bounce’.

I know I used this little sheep yesterday, but having just received the Neat and Tangled ‘Jump For Joy‘ stamp and die set from Seven Hills Crafts – this little trampoline was just begging to be used! So – instead of the little images in that stamp set, I coloured my little sheep with the wisteria shades of Copics……..just because I could………used the other challenge colours as you see………and there we have it.

A bouncing sheep – trampolining – but not looking quite sure that they are enjoying it……. I just realised the look on it’s face…….I may have to change that to a grin – just a little.

I hope to catch you again very soon – :)

Jump For Joy

Hi there. Another card to share with you today, based on the current colours at Color Throwdown – coral red, blue, green, Kraft:

I used the MFT ‘Over The Moon For You’ stamp and die set, stamping the images and colouring in the challenge colours – with an added grey neutral for the sheep.

The Distress Oxide blue background using the ink blending technique – not too dark, just a hint of the sky. The green hillock was a piece of card coloured using the emerald green Copic, then die cut from the matching die set.

The coral red component was for colouring the little flowers, and Kraft for the fence and background card.

No sunshine here today to take the picture, but at least it was day-light!

I shall also be entering this card into the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, with the theme of ‘anything goes’.

Have a good one, and I’ll see you again soon. :) Lynda

Colourful City Scapes

Hi there. Another card for you today – totally outside my comfort zone:

I received this stamp set from the sale of stash Justine Hovey was having. Concord and 9th City Scapes. Not a stamp and die set I had really thought of, as I struggle with scenes, and still find them very difficult to layer and get right.

When I saw the colours for the current Color Throwdown Challenge, I decided that now was the time to use this set………..and to create a card with a more masculine feel with these colours.

I used Distress Oxide in three purple colours for the background – no water splatters this time.

The main stamps were heat embossed in grey as I knew I wanted a distressed water-colour effect for the buildings – using Altenew water-colour pan set for the grey colour, and the rusty hinge Distress Oxide for the – well – rust colour in the house windows.

The sentiment is cobbled together from a couple of stamp sets, and heat embossed in white, on the grey die cut tree layer. I didn’t stamp the trees – I just drew a black line within the images with a black gel pen.

My difficulty was the layers – were to place them, how to place them, how to stick them down – all took a whole load of thinking and sorting out – some die-cuts were put to one side for another day………..kinda!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – rust, purple, grey, white

Daring Cardmakers – card for a male

QKR Stampede – anything goes

The Male Room Challenge – anything goes for a male with a twist of no designer papers

Find Beauty in the Simple Things

Hello again. Another session in my craft room today. I have one card I am still working on, and this card:

We’ve had some sun here in the UK for the past few days – quite warm during those sunny spells – and I managed to take a photo where I prefer to – in the sun in the back garden.

This card is using a stamp set from Uniko – currently having free world-wide shipping on orders over £30!! Wow!! (I believe that ends at 8am GMT 25/02/19) Seeing that offer, gave me the idea to use one of Bev’s stamps for this card.

The colour scheme is for the current challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches – Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron and Daffodil Delight; the layout is for the current challenge at AAA Cards – CAS one corner with optional twist of ‘music‘ – obviously not following the optional twist – and Addicted to Stamps and More, who are looking for a CAS card.

Now – back to try and finish my other card, currently drying following some water-colouring…………. :)

Wild animals and orange flower

Hi there. I have a couple of cards to share with you today. The first is inspired by the current challenge at The Rainbow Card Challenge – I am more than stoked that I was the winner for the first challenge :) – with the theme this time being orange:

I used the orange range of inks from Altenew and their ‘Japanese Mum‘ stamp and die set. The green inks are also Altenew, and I am a fan and firm believer in their first green inks release,using them virtually 99% of the time.

The background die is from MFT, the ‘Star Grid Cover Up‘ using some orange card from my stock, and matted and layered as you see. I haven’t added a sentiment………I couldn’t actually think of one or find one that I could put onto this card, without spoiling the look of it…..so I’m going to put a little verse and words on the inside – when I find some I like!

This second card is inspired from the current theme at Cardz 4 Guyz with their current theme being ‘wild animals’:

Well, actually, I made two cards:

As you can see – some wild animals having a group hug – which is what this Waffle Flower stamp set is called – ‘Group Hug‘. They may not look particularly wild to you and me – but I think they will fit into the theme nicely.

I added the hat and sun-glasses to the first image, so a little more masculine slant.

And – you may ask – why orange again? Well – I had just completed the first card above, and had the card stock out, and went a little ‘wild’ with the colours for the animals, and felt these backgrounds suited quite well. Vibrant and colourful – kinda what I was after.

I haven’t put a sentiment on this second card either……working on that one!

I enjoyed colouring this image – to a certain degree. I don’t find colouring particularly relaxing, I don’t enjoy spending oodles of time doing it. I get to a certain stage, then I find I am rushing to get it finished, then I make mistakes which I can’t correct, then get disheartened, then frustrated……….sheesh……walk away from the colouring, Lynda! Walk away!

It seems crafting is a school of learning, constantly learning new techniques, and also the psychology of crafting and card-making? Blinking Heck! I think there should be a degree course – at least – at University for studying that phenomenon!

I hope you’re having a good weekend – or middle of the week if you’re reading this later – and I’ll catch you later. HUGS :)

Amazing you…

Hello again. I have a card to share, taking inspiration from a couple of challenges:

I actually have no idea how this card came together! I was sat in my craft room, having just received a delivery from Seven Hills Crafts, holding the Altenew ‘Leafy Garland’ die, wanting to use that die for the card, and trying to decide how to use it.

I cut it out of white card, just to get a feel of it, and this card just kinda happened……

I took the Concord and 9th ‘Blooms Fill-in’ stamp set, and after stamping the background of the stamp in red, I then used ‘Rockin Red’ embossing powder on top to give some shine and glimmer:

I used pink to stamp the inner part of the flowers, not adding any of the extra detail for the images – though there are loads provided with this stamp set. The colours for this challenge are red, white, and pink.

I then cut a white tag, die-cut a smaller tag from the stamped ‘Blooms fill-in‘ piece of card, played with a placement of three of the die-cut leafy garlands – and there we have it.

I decided on a black background because it highlighted the garland die-cuts, so for the sentiment – using a Uniko sentiment – took a piece of black card, and white heat embossed it.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Just Us Girls – red, white, pink

Try It On Tuesday – powders (embossing powder used)

Happy Everything

Hey there. One card to past today – but that doesn’t mean that I won’t have more to share later in the week – they are in the process of being created. This is a card in contrast to the most recent floral, cute cards:

I recently received the Uniko release package – that darned ‘buy it all’ button just got pressed – somehow – someway – not sure how it happened – but I was pleased when they arrived very, very quickly, and took them to my craft table, actually tidying my table and clearing stuff away – just so I could concentrate on these little beauties.

I used the colours from Color Throwdown – dark pink, grey, black, and the current challenge at Daring Cardmakers absolutely fits the bill – letters, words, numbers as the main feature.

Initially, I was thinking floral with these colours, but when I saw these dies, and that one die cuts the word out, and another cuts out the word but slightly larger to get a shadow – I just had to use the word and the colours for this card.

I also used the new Uniko geometric stencil to emboss the white piece of card – I think you can tell (ish) – just for some added detail which wasn’t too intrusive and certainly didn’t take away from the two words.

Embossing a stencil – well, that took a few attempts! I cudda gone to the internet, but I kept putting it through the machine in all ways until it worked. If you ask me which way now – I couldn’t tell you! Something I can never remember, and usually takes me a few attempts – but it works in the end.

I hope you are feeling well today, and I’ll catch you soon. :)

Robots and Bears

Hi again. I have had a crafting marathon today, and made several cards, inspired by several different challenges.

Here is my first card for the current challenge at CASology, with the cue word being ‘wave’:

I used the new stamp and die set from Heffy Doodle called ‘Bots of Love’ stamped, then coloured with Copics, then die cut. The word is die cut from a spare piece of water-colour card I had from a previous card posting, using the Altenew Bold Alphabet dies. Using this spare piece of water-colour card, meant I matched the colour of the robot – an orange robot? I think it works..

This second card is taking inspiration from the current challenge at The Card Concept and the large red cushion, and the colours of red and grey; using the layout from the current sketch at CAS Colours and Sketches; and the cue word or theme from Inkspirational – ‘Text‘:

The background text heart is stamped in a Simon Says Stamp grey ink using the stamp from Concord and 9th ‘Cuddles and Hugs‘ stamp set – I’ve had this for ages, and never really used it that much, but I think it works for the text in the heart, and as a lovey-dovey background.

The bear is from MFT ‘Joyful Heart Bears’ from Stacey Yacula – again, a stamp and die set I’ve had for a while and never used, coloured with Copics. The sentiment is from Uniko, and their latest release.

This third card is using the same stamp set, again coloured with Copics, with the stripey background another Uniko recent release:

This card will be entering the following challenges:

As You See It Challenge – when I think of simple I think of………..’CAS card’

Addicted to Stamps – anything but a square

It seems I’m on a roll here, so I am sure I will be back soon…….. :)