A is for Adventure

Hello everyone. The Alphabet Challenge has started at the beginning of the alphabet again. Deborah is the host, and has chosen the theme of:

A is for Adventure

Here is my card:

The camper van die set is from Elizabeth Craft Designs, and despite having it for quite a while – I have never used it. I decided this was the time…

All the elements were die cut from patterned paper from Lawn Fawn and odds and ends of metallic and black. I did have to watch the YouTube video on what little piece goes where, and which to add first to all the layers, but I am pleased with how it came out.

I added some vellum behind the windows to give a more realistic look.

The background paper is also from Lawn Fawn, and I had to use a larger card base – a 5 x 7 inches this time – to ensure I could adhere the camper van and all those suitcases – as well as the sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘adventure’ themes projects – the design team has come up with some amazing ideas as inspiration. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Gals Corner – anything goes

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes

Congratulations Duck….

Hello once again. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Helen has chosen the them of ‘Cute Animals’ Here is my card:

I just had to use this cute little duck again, so I die cut the elements and layered them together, leaving a little piece under the wing unglued to add the balloon string.

The balloon was die cut several times to get all the colours to layer.

Once the duck and balloon were sorted, I used an embossing folder to create the background – I wanted a bright and colourful card, and thought the little duck would stand out from this colour.

The sentiment is foiled and added somewhat as a grounding for the duck.

I am from an area in England where we call everyone ‘duck’ – a term of affection – to strangers and friends alike. I believe this is sometimes a little difficult for people to appreciate if you aren’t from the Sheffield/Yorkshire area – but if anyone from England calls you ‘duck’ – then take it as a friendly greeting……xx

I hope you can come and join us with your cute animal themed creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Everybody Art Challenge – farm animals

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of birds taken

Ellibelle’s Corner – something yellow

2 Sisters On The Blog – farm animals

A Flurry Of Snowflake Kisses

Hello there. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started a new ‘anything goes Christmas‘ challenge. Here is my card:

For the background panel I used a piece of Distress Kraft and sprayed with Distress Oxides, splattering a little but liking how the brown Kraft came through in some places.

Whilst that panel was drying, I die cut the snowflakes using Heffy Doodle dies and Concord & 9th glitter card stock, and used the same glitter card stock to die cut the Pinkfresh Studio frame.

I adhered the snowflakes towards the top of the purple panel, die cutting more smaller ones to fill the gaps, and then adhered the frame on top.

I added the foiled sentiment and decided not to add any more bling as the card is very glittery in real life.

I hope you can come and join us – I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks – occasions

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Sparkles Forum Christmas – Christmas and non-traditional colours

Jolly Cow Greetings

Hello. A little crafty fun and playing with the cow dies from Elizabeth Craft Designs:

The theme at ‘Everybody Art Challenge‘ is Farm Animals. I knew I had a cow die and decided to have a play.

I die cut all the layers out of white card stock and coloured them with Copics. I wanted a brown cow with darker brown splotches so this is what I created. The hooves and the splotches are individual die cuts, coloured and glued on. The eyes are small black gems from Spellbinders.

The background is a stripe of sage card stock from Spellbinders, and the middle white panel was a fall-out from a previous die cutting session, dry embossed with an old Darice embossing folder, and adhered with 3D foam.

The flowers were created using dies from the recent Concord & 9th ‘In The Classroom – Spring Edition‘, layered and assembled.

Once I decided on the layout, I attached each piece with a combination of glue and 3D foam squares, then added the previously foiled sentiment.

I may have to play with this cow die a little more, maybe create a whole herd of different coloured cows – maybe even rainbow cows…..hmmm……brain working overtime now….

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Everybody Art Challenge – farm animals

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – emboss it

Lil Red Wagon – animal antics

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Crafty Gals Corner – anything goes

Thanks So Much…..

Hello again. This card was created using the rest of the left-over pieces of the Washi tape from Pinkfresh Studio:

I dry embossed a white panel using a Spellbinders embossing folder, then attached that with glue.

There are two large floral bouquets added with 3D foam to the bottom left and top right corners, then three more floral images attached in the top left corner. The bottom corner was left for the foiled sentiment.

I also added some gold gems around the arrangement.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – emboss it

Crafty Catz – anything goes – option to use an embossing folder taken

Allsorts – anything goes

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of birds not taken

Beautiful Blossoms – flowers

CAS Bouquet

Hello. This time I created a CAS card for several challenges using a left-over piece of the Pinkfresh Studio Washi tape from a couple of days ago when I entered the speed card challenge.

I ink blended some blue in the bottom left corner – only what was left on my blue blending brush, then adhered the bouquet with glue.

The foiled sentiment was added to overlap the bottom of the bouquet.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

SCS Cards – CAS

Tic Tac Toe – middle row – pastel colours – CAS – flowers

Allsorts – anything goes – option of CAS taken

Cherry Blossom Birthday

Hello there. I have another floral card today, created by using some layering dies from Pinkfresh Studio:

This set consists of layering stencils and dies. All the flowers and leaves are on one stencil with the different layers labeled and segmented. The die is one piece to cut the whole of the images out.

I used some pink and green inks, with grey for the branch. After die cutting the panel, I decided to do another so I had more images to play with and cover the card panel.

The background is a die cut with matt gold layered behind.

Once the flowers were arranged, I snipped any that were hanging over the edge, and added them also into some more open areas.

The sentiment was added – a previously prepared foiled strip.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes

Addicted To Stamps – any occasion

Cut It Up – die cuts and Happy Birthday

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Beautiful Blossoms – flowers

Lots Of Love…..

Hello once again. This card was created as I was totally intrigued by the current challenge at ‘As You See It’. The challenge theme is ‘Spring Flowers – in under 10 minutes’……

So – this was my second attempt at creating a card in under 10 minutes. The first card I was still using the stencil and not even got around to the die cutting part at the end of 10 minutes.

I had a rethink, and decided to go with some Washi tape from Pinkfresh Studio – that would take care of some stamping, colouring and die cutting all in one go – but little did I know that trying to get that Washi down smoothly would take more time than I anticipated.

However, it worked…..Here is my timer:

Just in the nick of time.

A plain white card base, a circle frame I die cut – within that 10 minutes – the Washi die cut pieces attached with glue and some 3D foam squares……the sentiment was also stamped and die cut (2 layers), then glued down…..I can see I’m also typing quickly – I still think I’m on a timer….!

I was going to add some bling – but time was running out and I hadn’t prepared for that….

So -an interesting challenge, which made me realise just how much time it takes to create a card generally – definitely far longer than 10 minutes……

As You See It – Spring Flowers in under 10 minutes

Simply Stenciled Flowers

Hello again. Today was the day of the Concord & 9th ‘In The Classroom – Spring Edition‘ and I watched the videos of the class – but went my own way with the products from the first class. Here is what I created:

For a change, I went for a simple one layer card, and used the colours from the Color Hues Challenge.

The card panel is a cream hammered card – I thought this would give some interesting texture to the ink blending.

Onto that panel, and using each of the four layers of the stencil, I went in with blue inks from Pinkfresh Studio, and tried to concentrate the colour towards the bottom of each image – the petals and the leaves – to create a little more dimension. I used a grey ink for the leaves and stems, also trying to create some shading.

I feel the outcome looks a little like water-colouring, so I didn’t go in with the stamps to match the image. There are outline stamps, and detail stamps for the leaves and flowers – I like the soft look.

I then stamped the sentiment, and added the panel to a card base.

Here is a picture I have darkened to try and show the texture of the hammered cream card:

I’ll be playing with the products from this event over the coming days, and you may see further creations….

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Try It On Tuesday – use a stencil

Lil Red Wagon – florals

Color Hues – cream and blue

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes

Stencil Fun – anything goes with a stencil

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Peony Friend

Hello again. A little messy play to create this card:

The peony was created using the ‘Lovely Layers: Peony‘ from Honey Bee Stamps, and the colour scheme from the current Color Throwdown challenge.

My first job was to die cut each of the layers for the flower, buds, and leaves from water colour card stock. I used Crafters Companion water-colour card, not one I would normally for water-colouring, but for this flower I was going with messy and imperfect.

I used Picked Raspberry Distress Ink, smooshed onto my glass mat, spritz of water, then just dolloped and swiped it onto the die cuts. I tried to keep the lower die cuts darker, and added a little more colour into the back areas I knew were going to come through and be seen.

I did the same with the leaves, a couple of shades of green – only because my first green wasn’t dark enough for me so I went darker – and even messier. I didn’t get full coverage, but that is what I was aiming for – just a dollop and a swipe of colour.

Whilst the die cuts were drying, I used a large panel of white card stock – this card is 5 x 7 inches – and used a Hero Arts layering stencil and some yellow Distress Ink to create the subtle background. I used all three layers, but the same colour.

I wasn’t concerned about getting full coverage with the stencil either – some areas softer than others, and an uneven edge.

Once that stenciled panel was adhered to the card base, I glued all the floral and bud layers – rolling the edges of the leaves round a pen to create more dimension in the leaves – and played around with the layout until I was satisfied.

The sentiment was added – a hot foiled strip – and I added some black enamel dots instead of splatters – and some clear dots onto some of the petals of the peony.

Every now and again I get into a messy playing mood, and just create backgrounds, use paste, and generally get my hands inky. That way I have panels I can use in the future, especially when I want to die cut for backgrounds, or die cut elements to add to a card.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – pink, yellow, green

Try It On Tuesday – use a stencil

Lil red Wagon – florals

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Beautiful Blossoms – flowers