U Got This…..

I have a card to share today using lots of bright colours and die cuts:

The base panel is a previously created panel when ink smooshing and mixing some bright colours, then I embossed it with a Stampin Up embossing folder. I splattered this some black acrylic and set it to dry.

I then turned to die cutting all the pieces from the Tim Holtz die set – choosing bright colours – and using more previously created ink smooshed panels from my stock. I also found some black glimmer card which I had used some glimmer polish on so thought that would be ideal for the eyes.

Once all the pieces were die cut, I played with layout and decided to go with the face as you see, sticking down with a combination of 3D foam and glue.

The sentiment is also from Tim Holtz – using the letters which fell out of the metal die – a big ‘U’ instead of the full word as I felt it wouldn’t fit in and look right……

A bright and cheerful encouragement card – I have someone in mind – with a lot of fiddly work – but I like the result.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Cut It Up Challenge – big image or sentiment – include a die cut

CYHTP – embossing folder – option orange and black not taken

Time Out Challenge – cancer awareness/friendship/encouragement

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Allsorts Challenge – add a sentiment

Addicted To Stamps and More – die cuts/stencils

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media

ABC Christmas Challenge – U and V

The new themes for ABC Christmas Challenge are ‘U for Unusual Colours‘ and ‘V for Velvet‘. I chose to go with unusual colours. Here is my card:

The two Hero Arts holly branches were created from a playtime I had in my craft room. I have done this technique before, and love how it turns out every time.

Onto piece of white card, apply PVA glue all over, add tissue paper – wrinkle it as laying it down. Then spray with water and add colour with powder – Brushos for instance. More water to let the colour soread – then leave to dry.

You end up with a very crispy and colour piece of card. I then add gilding wax to pick up all the wrinkles – then put to one side for future use.

As you can see, the top branch is using purples and browns with gold gilding wax, and the second is using different greens with gold gilding wax. You are best adding the gilding wax before die cutting as you may squash some of the texture putting it through your machine.

For the card, I dry embossed a very old Sue Wilson embossing folder, cut a panel for the card base, adhered the branches, and added a foiled sentiment – from another play session with my foiling machine.

I was going for a cleaner look this time – so ne gems – shocker!

I hope you can come and join with your Christmas/festive creations using our themes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

QKR Stampede – anything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

CYHTP – embossing folder – option orange and black not taken

Arty Divas – anything goes

Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge – anything goes Mixed Media

Sparkles Forum Christmas Challenge – Christmas with Holly and/or Ivy

Grateful For All You Do…..

It is my turn to host the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. As we have reached the letter ‘N‘, I chose the theme of ‘Nature’. Here is my card:

Onto w white card panel I splattered gold and black Liquitex acrylic. Whilst that was drying, I stamped, coloured, then die cut the leaf images.

Once I had decided where to put each leaf – and cut/trim accordingly – I attached with 3D foam, then added the foiled sentiment.

The white panel layered with a black panel, some gold facetted gems added – and the card is ready to go to a dear friend.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘nature’ themed creations – I look forward to seeing your creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Shopping Our Stash – leaf/leaves

TTCRD – anything goes

Mix It Up – anything goes – option smooshing

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Creatalicious – anything goes – option for a friend

Crafts Galore – anything goes

Cardz 4 Galz – Forget-Me-Not

The new challenge theme at Cardz 4 Galz has been chosen by Debbie. She wants us to create a card ‘for a cause’. Here is my card:

My mum passed away earlier this year from the effects of Alzheimer’s Dementia, and so I chose to use forget-me-nots for my card, which is the flower associated with this dreadful disease.

I used the die set from The Greetery to create this bunch of flowers. Firstly, I ink smooshed some blue and some green inks onto some Distress Mixed Media card stock – trying to get some variation in the colours – but not too dramatic.

Once die cut, I assembled the flowers – I must have had some patience to do this – but maybe it was that I was inspired by the reason I was doing it – so very fiddly – but it came together quite quickly.

The sentiment is from Pinkfresh Studio, and I realise as I type this that it is very emotional, such a short time since I lost her, and I will always be thinking of her……she is the one who got me into card making in the first place too……

I hope you can come and join us with your creations following our theme. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Creative Fingers Challenge – anything goes

Ally’s Angels Challenge – anything goes

TTCRD – anything goes

Mix It Up Challenge – anything goes – option ink smooshing

Love To Craft Challenge – anything goes

Cherish The Season

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

Onto a slimline card base I added a strip of embossed card layered with some gold.

The holly leaves from hero Arts were die cut from a previously created mixed media panel. This panel was ink smooshed in a dark green, then a stencil laid on top, some grit paste added, and once dry, I gently brushed some gold wax over the top.

Once these were adhered to the card base, I added some gold facetted gems, and the foiled sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations – remember- it’s anything goes Christmas. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks – anything goes

CYHTP – embossing folder – option leaves

Shopping Our Stash – leaf/leaves

Mix It Up Challenge – anything goes – option ink smooshing

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media

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

Happy Birthday

I’m back from my holiday to Turkey – fabulous and sunny – even though I was hit with a heavy cold on my return……I now feel I can get back into the flow of crafting.

It is time for the October challenge at Happy Little Stampers ‘anything goes birthday’. Here is my card:

Onto w white card base I layered a black panel, and added a dry embossed piece for additional interest.

The flower from Concord & 9th was stamped and then coloured using the layering stencils, then die cut with the matching dies.

Once adhered to the card with 3D foam, I added the foiled sentiment – using blac to tie in with the black panel.

I resisted adding some gems this time – shocker – and kept it quite simple.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘anything goes birthday’ creations – I look forward to seeing what you create. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – emboss it

Try It On Tuesday – emboss it

CYHTP – embossing folder – option leaves

Creative Fingers – anything goes

Snow and Trees Scene

Hello there. ABC Christmas Challenge has started a new challenge. We have reached the letters ‘S’ and ‘T’, and the themes are ‘S is for Snow’ and ‘T is for Trees’. I decided to combine the two themes in my card:

Onto a white panel, I used the Hero Arts ‘Winter Woods‘ colour layering stamp set. After seeing the inspiration photo from one of the challenges – I thought it was time to give it a go.

I used Distress Oxides to stamp the layering images, following the guidelines on the package, then stamped and die cut the additional trees and the deer.

Before adding those extra elements, I splattered the panel with Liquitex shimmery acrylic gold to add some shine – but couldn’t pick it up on the photos – but it is very shiny.

I cut that panel down with Gina K Designs ‘Master Layouts 01’, then added a black panel, before sticking down to a white card base.

The sentiment is from my stash – a hot foiling session from a few weeks ago.

I’m looking forward to seeing your snow and trees Christmas creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Daring Cardmakers – in the forest

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Inspiration Station Challenge – photo inspiration

We Love Stamping Challenge – stamping

Winter Wonderland Challenge – Christmas and animals

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Shiny Purple Blooms

Hi there. Some play time in my craft room, using new products from the recent Maker Mania #6, and other products I haven’t used as yet:

Whilst working with the Elizabeth Craft Designs blooms from the post yesterday, I also played with this set of dies to create these blooms.

I used some gilding polish on a white card, and die cut the flower layers. Once I had glued them together, I attached the stems from a previously created ink smooshed background.

The flower pot is a set of dies I used a dark Kraft card stock, then slightly inked the long edges to create some dimension.

The border at the bottom looked like the edge of a shelf or garden, is from a Sizzix die – also part of the Maker Mania #6 kit.

I used some 49 and Market card stock on a white 5 x 7 inch card base, and added the elements as you see – and also added some greeny tinged sequins from my stash.

I like to try different ways of creating cards – even though some of them I may not do again – at least I have a go. I think that is the point of the Maker Mania events – a lot of scrapbooking and layouts, as well as mixed media, card making, and more techniques to try. Very varied, and packed with ideas – it’ll take me a while to go through them all, I am sure.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge – anything goes – option not taken

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Creative Fingers Challenge – anything goes

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper Challenge – anything goes with patterned paper

Avenue 613 – anything goes – option leaves

Mix It Up Challenge – anything goes – option smooshing not taken

Love To Craft Challenge – anything goes

Geometric Birthday

Hi there. In between listening to the Maker Mania event happening this weekend, I have been creating a card inspired by a colour theme. Here is my card:

Onto a white card base, I adhered the most open Sizzix geo lattice die – die cut twice and layered – and then die cut that again with Concord & 9th ‘Sprout’ card stock. before removing it all from the die, I placed some ‘press’n’seal’ onto the back of it to keep all the little pieces where they should, then paper-pieced them into the white layers.

I’m glad I was in the right frame of mind to do this finicky job, and even more so when I saw it was coming together nicely.

I then replaced the centre shape – raised on 3D foam – and created my flowers.

These flowers are from Elizabeth Craft designs, and each flower has 6 or 7 layers to them. I die cut each one with a dark blue/navy card stock from my stash, and once they were glued together, I decided to run a dark blue Copic marker along the bottom edge of each piece, to create a little dimension within the flowers themselves.

I played around with their position, added stems from another floral set, and used 3D foam behind each one.

The white centre panel looked a little bare, and without adding gem stones (my current fad) I found some dots from a Concord & 9th virtual event in my stash and added them as you see, as well as stamping and adding the sentiment.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Seize The Birthday – anything goes birthday – option navy and lime green

Colour Hues Challenge – birthday in navy and lime green

Creative Fingers Challenge – anything goes

Dragonfly Dreams – birthday

Sending Warm Hugs

Hello. I’m popping to show you a card made using the colours at the current Color Throwdown challenge:

I wanted to use the Honey Bee Stamps sunflower again – love that die set – and a new Sizzix die received as part of the current Maker Mania #6 that is happening this weekend.

This is my fourth Maker Mania event, and it includes, scrapbooking and layouts – not my thing – but it certainly has many card making hints and tips and techniques – some of which I’ll be exploring. Of course – the event products are fabulous – and this Sizzix die was one of them.

back to the card – I used some Cosmic Shimmer red lustre polish on a white card panel, and after it was dry – very, very quickly – I die cut just one layer of the Sizzix lattice.

I ink smooshed some yellow water-colour inks onto a couple of pieces of Distress Mixed Media Heavystock, and on another I used one of my previously created green ink smooshed panels.

The red lattice was carefully glued to the card base, the flower put together and placed as you see. As the sentiment is in black – I also placed some faceted black gems strategically around the lattice frame. As you know – once I start with gems I have to restrain myself!