Embossing, Freebie, and Gold

Hello – a new challenge is beginning at ABC Christmas Challenge, and this time the letters are – can you guess? – E for Embossing, F for Freebie, G for Gold. The Freebie might be a little confusing, but we want to see anything you received as a free gift – that could be a free digital image, a free stamp from a magazine, a free embossing folder – anything you received that was a free gift. Here is my take on the themes:

I stamped the image in Gina K Amalgam ink, then did some simple Copic colouring, colouring only part of the small images. The hanging heart is added from the same collection of free stamps and actually comes joined to another stamp – but I did some stamp surgery and cut them apart.

I liked how the image looked, I made another card which incorporated all three themes at once:

And this time I changed the hanging heart to the hanging star – just because I could!

I hope you can come and join us in this challenge. The Design Team has come up with some amazing inspiration – I hope you can go and check them out.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Cardmakers – embossing

A Bit More Time To Craft – anything goes

AAA Cards – CAS, max white space – option metallic

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Bunny in the clouds

Hello everyone. I have another card to share, using of my current favourite techniques – of CAS + stamping + Copic colouring. I seem to be going from CAS to ‘chucking’ everything at a project – one or the other other with no in-betweenies:

I began by thinking I wanted the cute little bunny and balloon in the clouds, so I used a couple of previous Clearly Besotted stamps – names on the side-bar. I stamped the bunny, sentiment and balloon, masked off the bunny and balloon, then stamped the rainbow and clouds.

The clouds didn’t come far enough down for me, so I took a black art-liner pen and drew some more – actually a lot more – but I wanted the bunny to be well within the clouds.

Once stamped with Gina K Amalgam ink, I coloured with my Copics, trying to match the colours for one of the challenges below, and doing some simple grey shading on the bunny, no shading and just the four colours on the rainbow, and mixed some of them together on the balloon.

I needed to blend a little on the balloon – the blues and green didn’t really want to mix – but I took my colour-less blender and tried that way – it kinda worked……..I see a metallic balloon now – mutli-coloured!

I die-cut the panel with Simon Says Stamp ‘A7 Thin Frames’ to get the centre panel, then the thin frame was coloured in the green Copic and stuck back down around the panel.

And do you know – the new release from Clearly Besotted landed on my mat whilst I was putting this card together……maybe more playing later today…… :)

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Clean and Simple On Sunday/Friday – Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Granny Apple Green

Daring Cardmakers – people/animal/things that leap – a bunny leaps, doesn’t it?

Inkspirational Challenges – word prompt – LEAP

Crafty Sentiments Designs – anything goes

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – animals

Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge – CAS and favourite technique (stamping, Copic colouring, CAS)

OUR BANNER FOR YOUR blogs
Blog Badge

Hello Little One

Hello once again. I said yesterday I was have a craft-a-thon – well it continues…. Here is a card I made today:

I was inspired to use this Mama Elephant stamp set again – it came to mind straight away for a few challenges.

I stamped the images onto Make-it colour blending card stock with Gina K Amalgam ink, then coloured with Copics, trying to match the colours for one of the challenges.

Looking at the colour again – I have no idea why I coloured the little boy in the pink instead of the blue……….no idea. Oh well…..!! At least he’s got a blue scarf…….. :)

The sentiment is from Heffy Doodle, as is the cloud speech bubble.

Very clean and simple but I think quite effective.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CASolgy – Tall

Just Add Ink – smoky slate, petal pink, soft sea foam

Simply Less Is More – CAS big and small

Colour Crazy Challenge – atg colouring

Snow Buddies Scene

Hello – a craftathon this weekend, and I created this card using supplies from several companies:

I took the photo Inspiration from one of the challenges, found this stamp and die set from Honey Bee as I knew that Snowman would feature strongly on the card – then looked through my stash for images of houses – small houses and scenes, which I could place behind the snowmen.

I found several and decided not to die cut them – just stamp directly onto the panel, in a muted brown – in-keeping with colour palette on the inspiration photo.

The snowmen and other elements in the stamp set were stamped in Gina K Amalgam ink, then coloured with Copics. A fairly simple colouring, mostly two colours, but the shadow on the side of the snowman just the one colours – as was the ‘grounding’ when I had put the card together.

When die cut, I added some white gel pen, and placed everything as you see.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

The Card Concept – photo inspiration

Addicted to Stamps – holiday

Aud Sentiments – atg with a sentiment

Colour Crazy Challenge – atg colouring

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – atg Christmas (also option of vintage)

Please join my Facebook page

CAS Leafy Birthday

Hello there. After my last post which was mixed media – at the start of my journey – I have gone more CAS today.

I used my newly acquired Uniko stash – ordered last week – to create this card, and some Stampin Up inks.

The die cut circle was stamped using a Pinstripe stamp for a background to my floral images.

The leaf images were stamped and then cut out using my Scan-n-cut, and whilst I was there, I cut a dozen more ready for any future makes with this stamp set.

The sentiment is also from the new release from Uniko.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CAS Colours and Sketches – sketch

Color Throwdown – aqua, hot pink, Kraft white

Watercooler Challenges – occasions

Krafty Chicks – occasions

Right Click to Save

X for Xtra Embellishments

Hello. A new challenge has begun at The Alphabet Challenge, and this time we want to see Xtra Embellishments – more than you would normally add.

Well – I took this to a whole new level, and decided to go with a mixed media kinda look – something I have not tried for years and years:

I don’t ‘do’ mixed media, but it is something I want to try, I want to learn, and have even booked a 3 day workshop at Indigo Blu for just having a go and having a play.

I have watched quite a few YouTube videos, but the best for me – by far – are those of ‘Maremi SmallArt’. I love her style of working, her chat, her whole attitude to the mixed media genre. I can hear her now – ‘just do it‘ and ‘why not?’ – so I did………..I went and did it, why not? :)

Here is a link:

https://www.youtube.com/user/MaremiSmallArt/videos

I started off with a piece of card board from a Simon Says Stamp card kit and went from there. Patterned paper on the background, distresssed around the edges with Distress Ink, stenciled some glitter paste in parts of the background and then waited. That’s the hardest part for me!

Whilst waiting, I hunted through my Tim Holtz Bigz dies for some stuff to add – found keys, feathers, butterflies, honeycomb – so I cut them all out with other pieces of cardboard and my trusty Sizzix Big Shot Pro. Then waited – and thought – tried to plan………….then heard Marta – ‘just do it‘.

I used some glitter paste on some of the elements and just stuck then down, just a little planning – I knew I wanted the bright flowers on the left, and more muted on the right…………….

I think I’m hooked…………..maybe next time I’m going all out with white Gesso and colours and metal bits and frames and – and – and…….!

Phew…….I need to calm down – but I am not working for the next 12 days. Hmmm! The products I used are on the side – and it’s a huge list – I think I got them all!

Anyhoo – I hope you can come and join us for this challenge – it has certainly inspired me, and I hope will inspire you too. The challenge welcomes any handcrafted item – so it doesn’t need to be a card (thank goodness!)

I hope to see you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper – atg patterned papers

A Bit More Time To Craft – anything goes

Mixed Media Academy – mixed media celebration (birthday)

Tuesday Taggers – go green or recycle (cardboard box)

More Mixed Media – mixed media option of red

Shoes – Cardz 4 Galz

Hello there. There is anew challenge starting at Cardz 4 Galz and the theme this time is ‘Shoes’. Here is my card:

This card was extremely difficult to photograph – there are so many shiny elements on it………….so I took quite a few to try and capture the different parts as good as I could make it:

I began by die-cutting the Tattered Lace ‘Platform Shoes‘ in shiny red card. These are the kind of shoes I loved to wear – very high, huge platform, and lacy. Unfortunately – age and bunions and knees and hips etc have made wearing these kinds of shoes quite uncomfortable – but I still keep them just in case!

I took a piece of Yupo paper and some alcohol inks to try and create a dramatic background, and a piece of black card which had some shine and glimmer to it, and adhered as you see.

The sentiment is from Jan’s Digi’s and comes with a set of images with a ballerina and ballet slippers – but I thought it suited this card just as well. I played with the sentiment size a little, printed it onto white copy paper, stuck it onto a piece of card, them used a Sue Wilson die set to die cut then ‘deboss’ around the sentiment.

The sentiment panel was looking a little plain, so I used the Tattered Lace ‘A Little Bit Ditsy‘ die with some red and black card for a little more interest.

That same day I made this card, I received a Stampin Up delivery which included the sequins in red and black and clear – so I used a few of those flower sequins around and about – one must know how to stop sometimes, doesn’t one? :)

I hope you can come and join us this time. I am sure there are some stamps and dies out there which would be suitable – I look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Jan’s Digis – anything goes

Crafting Happiness – anything goes – option of flowers

Crafty Creations – anything goes

Crafty Sentiments – anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Christmas Joy Wreath

Hello there. A new challenge has begun at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. The theme is – anything goes Christmas. Here is my card:

I used a whole bunch of Sue Wilson die sets for this card, which involved a lot of die cutting. I changed my mind several times during the process of making it.

The base is 8 inch square, with a layer of dark green mirri card and rose gold mirri card. I ‘gutted’ the hidden parts of these pieces and die cut some of the other elements – you can’t let such card go to waste can you?

Once the two base layers were stuck down, I cut a dark green mirri circle and stuck that down with 3D foam as I knew I wanted to layer some of the elements under the edge, so this made it easier.

The trailing ivy die cuts were slotted in underneath the edge of the circle, just to soften the harsh line, and the holly branch die cuts were stuck down around the edge of the circle – but on top of it.

I added some more holly die cuts to the top corners, and some mosaic leaves to the bottom corners – I just couldn’t stop die cutting and using the elements!

The word ‘Joy‘ was die cut, and adhered with very tiny 3D foam which I cut down myself.

It was really, really, difficult to capture the vivid dark green and the rose gold to it’s full beauty but here are a few more photos:

I hope you can come and join us for this challenge, and I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Trimmies Craft Challenge – Christmas

A Bit More Time To Craft – anything goes

Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge – Christmas with option of wings

Christmas at Sweet Stampin – Christmas and feature a sentiment

Just Because Cherry Blossom

Hello there. I have a card to share to day using one stamp and die set:

I wanted a very CAS card and took inspiration from several challenges. The colours were from CAS Colours and Sketches, the layout using the prompt from AAA Cards, and the stamp set using inspiration from the current theme at Die Cut Divas.

The stamp set is Altenew ‘Under The Cherry Blossom Tree, using the branch, then next stamping the flowers, then die cutting. The birds were stamped and then die cut, and added together as you see in the top corner.

I fiddled a little with which corner to add the branch, and then which branch to add the little birds to, but I am pleased with the final placings.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CAS Colours and Sketches – Pear Pizzazz, Grapefruit Grove, Daffodil Delight

AAA Cards – CAS one corner, using older supplies

Die Cut Divas – hearts or flowers with die cuts

Grab our Badge

You Make My Heart Happy

Hello everyone. I have a card to share today which again took a lot of thinking about, and changing my mind and generally trying lots of different layouts:

I used the Altenew ‘Birds of a Feather’ die set for the birds, the branches, and the heart. I initially tried stamping these birds in black, but I couldn’t actually line up the images, and when I did I didn’t get a good enough stamped image – despite using the Misti – so I decided to just use the outline dies for all the images.

The background is again an Altenew stamp set – Wood Pallet Background – and the sentiment is from the same stamp set.

The heart I die cut out of red glimmer card and I drew in the string with a black art liner pen.

It looks quite simple – but it took a few times of me counting to 10 – believe me!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Pinspirational Challenges – photo inspiration

Always Fun Challenges – animals

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes animals

Grab our button
Blog Badge