Hello Bee Friend

Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Sue is hosting and has chosen the theme of ‘cute animals or insects’. Here is my card:

I first stamped the images from Simon Says Stamp, then coloured with Copics, and cut them out with the matching die set.

I die cut the Sizzix honeycomb through a card panel, then die cut it again using the outer and detail die in a light Kraft card stock, and layered that on top.

I played with some orange and yellow Distress Inks and smooshing, and placed this behind the honeycomb, then added all to a card base.

I added the coloured bees and the foiled sentiment, and dotted some sequins around and about for more shine.

I hope you can come and join us with your cute animals or insects. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media (Copics, Distress Inks, foiling, stamping)

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media (Copics, Distress Inks, Foiling, Stamping)

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafting Happiness – anything goes

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Messy Play Poinsettia

Hello once again. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started a new challenge – anything goes Christmas/Festive. Here is my card:

I used a few techniques for this image, having a little messy playtime in my craft room.

The background to the poinsettia is from a Distress Oxide ink smooshing session. I seem to have a lot of inky backgrounds from playing around with the inks and oxides which I must try and use at some point….

Onto the ink smooshed background, I stamped the Tim Holtz poinsettia image. This was stamped in embossing ink, then I added pinches of Distress embossing powder onto the image (a technique I’ve wanted to try since seeing Tim Holtz demonstrate it) using a red and a green embossing powder, then heat setting.

I added a gold layer then as I felt the panel was looking quite vintage, I placed onto a Kraft card base.

The foiled sentiment was added as you see.

I hope you can come and join us. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media

Most Magical Time Of The Year – anything goes Halloween or Christmas

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

12 Months Of Christmas – anything goes Christmas – option of stars not taken

Beautiful Blossoms – flowers

A Tweet Note

Here is a card I created using several Spellbinder die sets:

The background is dry embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder, and adhered directly to the card base.

The bird was assembled – the die set is a cardinal but I have used artistic license here – and all the other elements die cut and assembled.

I used Concord & 9th card stock – the bright orange is the good old ‘Marmalade‘ card stock, which they aren’t making any more, but I happen to have a little secret stash. The slightly duller orange is the new ‘Clementine‘ – which is a lovely orange, just not as bright as ‘Marmalade‘…….

The bird house was die cut from Tim Holtz card stock, and I used the rubber mat to enhance the details of the die – then used a sanding block to distress it, making some of the details a little lighter in colour, and giving the appearance of being a little weather-worn.

All the elements adhered with glue or 3D foam, and the foiled sentiment attached at the top.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – green, orange, brown

Cut It Up – die cuts – create a scene

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of stripes not taken

Allsorts – anything goes with a real animal

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Craft Rocket – animals

Triple B – birds and/or butterflies and/or blooms

Sailing By To Say Hi…..

I was inspired to create this very colourful card by a few challenges.

I don’t often use block colours, no ink blending, no ink smooshing – just die cutting……and this card took quite a bit of working out – not as easy as it may look…..

The boat die set is from Heffy Doodle, and is called ‘Boats & Barns’ and – as the name suggest – you can a boat in varying forms, or barns……

I used Heffy Doodle card stock, some Concord & 9th card stock, and die the colourful layers. I wanted a bright and cheerful boat to go on a very blue water.

Once I had decided on the layout of the boat – where to out the funnel, how I wanted the portholes to look etc – I then used MFT stitched waves dies to create the – erm – waves.

Then I had to decide which wave I wanted the boat to be behind – so many decisions with this card…..which wave to use in which color, at what level to have it, is the boat going to be straight or wonky……? Goodness……..

This card was fun to create without getting messy for once – though I do like to get messy…!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Cut It Up – die cuts and create a scene

Farm Quest – boats

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Paper Minutes – no designer paper

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Just Because…..

A little bit of crafty time and this card was created:

I had this bunch of fruit from a Pinkfresh Studio washi tape left over after completing a previous card. The washi tape was placed onto a piece of card and die cut with the matching dies.

The background is a dry embossed hessian design, and a Pinkfresh deco frame added. I played with the frame position a while, before deciding to go with where it is now. You can see it, it doesn’t cover too much of the background up, and the piece of fruit washi doesn’t cover the frame up either – so I placed it centre bottom of the card panel. I like the odd placement.

Once the frame was attached, I added 3D foam to parts of the fruit bunch, attached, and added some sequins which I thought matched the colours.

A previously foiled sentiment to complete the card.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Daring Cardmakers – use some sort of tape – washi tape (Pinkfresh Studio)

Hand Stamped Sentiments – photo inspiration

CYHTP – embossing folder with option of stripes

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Ellibelle’s corner – anything goes

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes – option trees and/or leaves

Paper Funday – anything goes – option the great outdoors

Leafy Birthday

I decided to put one of my gel plate backgrounds to use with this card:

The background was created using acrylic paints and a leaf stencil, onto which I also sprayed some Distress mica stain, add some dribbles of water, held the paper up to allow some drippage, and then let it dry.

I notice the mica stain seemed to resist the acrylic paint, so you can still see some leaves in the background.

The leaves are from a new Tim Holtz set, and the yellow parts are from an ink smooshing session, and that panel used to die cut the base leaves.

I decided to use red for the inner leave detail to really make them pop.

The sentiment is a foiled strip.

I am glad I was able to photograph the shimmer and shine of the distress mica stains.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – happy birthday

Color Throwdown – red, yellow, green, white

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media

Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge – anything goes mixed media

Crafting Happiness – anything goes

AAA Birthday challenge – anything goes birthday

Here Is A Place To Start – anything goes – option trees and/or leaves taken

Go Wild, Party Animal

Hello. It is my time time host at The Alphabet Challenge. We have reached the letter ‘J’, and I chose the theme of ‘Jungle Animals’. Here is my card:

The background panel was dry embossed with a Spellbinders embossing folder, and cut down slightly smaller than the A2 card base.

I stamped the scene from a Clearly Besotted, and coloured with Copics. Once coloured, I cut that down with a stitched rectangles, and adhered to the dry embossed panel.

I stamped the critters from Heffy Doodle, coloured them with Copics, and die cut them with the matching die set. I decided to stamp and colour more leaves so it looked like they were playing in the undergrowth, and attached the elements with a mixture of 3D foam and wet glue.

The sentiment was stamped and placed as you see.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘Jungle Animals’ themed creations. xx

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – Happy Birthday

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

AAA Birthday – anything goes birthday

Pinspirational – birthday and animals

Here Is A place To Start – anything goes – option trees and/or leaves

Strawberry Thanks

Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge. Caz has chosen the theme of ‘A Summer Day’. Here is my card:

Strawberries suggest to me a summer day, which is why I used this die set from Spellbinders. I only seem to eat them when it is bright and sunny – very much missing in the UK at the moment – though I understand there is some sun and warm e=weather due to us this coming week…..

The back panel was dry embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder and adhered to the card base.

I then die cut all the elements from the die set from Concord & 9th card stock, stuck all the layers together, and arranged onto the back panel with 3D foam.

The sentiments is a foiled strip – also from Spellbinders – and some gold sequins were dotted around the main image for added interest.

I hope you can come and join us with your summer themed projects. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Ellibelle’s Corner: I spy – a sweet treat or warm and sunny colours

Love To Craft – anything goes

Mis It Up – anything goes – option of aperture not taken

The Four Seasons Challenge – summer

The Crafty Addicts – anything goes

Christmas Robins

The ABC Christmas Challenge has reached the letters ‘P, Q, R‘, and the Christmas themes this time round are:

P for presents, Q for Quick, and R for Robins’.

Here is my card:

I first stamped all the images from the Hero Arts stamp set, then coloured them with Copics. I then die cut them with the matching die set.

The background is a layer of gold card stock, a layer of blue card stock, then a previously created snowflake background – a tone-on-tone blue.

Once they were layered and attached to the card base, I attached the bird house and the birds as you see.

I added some chunky glitter, and a Pinkfresh Studio foiled sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas/festive creations following one or more of our themes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

Craft Rocket – animals

Crafts Galore – anything goes

12 Months Of Christmas – anything goes Christmas – option of stars not taken

Christmas Florals

Hello again. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started a new challenge. As always, the theme is ‘anything goes Christmas’. Here is my card:

For the main images, I used an older Concord & 9th stamp set, and heat embossed in gold. I then Distress pencils to colour the image, and added some gold marker to the berries for more detail.