Altenew inks

One layer card

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Hi there. Despite going out this morning to a craft show in Doncaster – no, I didn’t really buy much! – I have had some time to craft.

I was inspired by the one layer card theme from Simply Less Is More, and the colours from Pinspirational.

I struggle with one layer cards. I like layers I can play around with, and I don’t really like masking – probably because I don’t always succeed with the masking. I still persevere, though, and watch numerous hints and tips on YouTube.

I either cut the mask too big, so there is white space between the flower and leaves, or I cut it too small, and the inks overlap – yep, despite having the matching dies as well. Who knew?

This flower is a recent purchase from Seven Hills Crafts, and I couldn’t wait to start stamping with it. I actually didn’t realise until I started, that there is actually seven layers to this flower. Seven – I repeat – seven!! The main flower image is four layers, and the layers I have stamped in blue are another three layers. Thank goodness for my Altenew inks…..!

There isn’t an outline layer for this flower, but I think it isn’t always necessary anyway, and gives a more muted look to the flower.

The green inks are – obviously – Altenew also, but the sentiment is from a Stamps By Me stamps set. I really like the sentiments that Toni puts on her stamp sets, as they are very versatile. The fonts are great, and stamp very well.

I’ll be opening up my purchases from today, and having a go with them later, so I am sure you will get to see what I purchased this morning.

The challenges I will be entering with this card:

Less Is More – one layer card, thinking of you

Pinspirational – photo inspiration

Green background

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Hi there. I seem to be on somewhat of a roll at the moment. I had some time after work today, and was inspired to make this card. I took the photo inspiration from Inkspirational to create my own background, using some leaf and greenery stamps from MFT. The leaves are from two stamp sets – Exquisite Ocean and Sketchy Flowers, and stamped in two of the Altenew green inks.

I wanted to create a fullness in the card, with some dimension using the different greens, and I think I managed to do that.

Once I had stamped the whole card, I die cut the centre using a Sue Wilson oval die from a Christmas set, and a slightly larger oval from the same set in an almost olive green. I didn’t try to match the green completely, but also didn’t want to have a bright green. This green card was just sitting there when I looked through my stash.

The sentiment is also from MFT – a freebie from Seven Hills Crafts a while ago, and I turn to this stamp set all the time.

I’m sorry for the photo, but it is taken inside, and trying to capture this in the evening of a grey and murky day – despite using a lamp – wasn’t easy…..

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Inkspirational – photo inspiration

Tuesday Throwdown – create your own background

Watercooler Wednesday Challenges – anything goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

a couple of pictures of the stamp sets:

 

 

It’s been playtime….

Hello there. It’s been a few days since I last posted. It’s been Bank Holiday weekend here, and I took mum and dad to visit family in Bristol at the last minute. No crafting time when down there, so I have taken to my craft room today and created three very different cards, for different challenges.

This first card is for the current challenge at CAS on Sunday, and CASology:

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The theme for CAS on Sunday is CAS birthday card, and the theme for CASology is ‘squiggle’. SO, out came my new Catherine Pooler Stamp of Approval box, my Catherine Pooler inks, and this is what I created.

The second card is for the current Just Add Ink challenge:

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This was for the photo challenge, and I took the colours of teal and red/pink to create this card. I used the Altenew Doodled Lace Cover die, cut it out of white, then cut it again out of the teal, and again out of the pink. I then took my scissors and snipped parts of the coloured die cuts, and stuck them down onto the white die cut.

The background is a teal coloured Centura Pearl, and the sentiment is from an MFT stamp set.

The third card:

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was inspired from the current challenges at Just Us Girls – photo inspiration, and Aud Sentiments – summer and a sentiment. I know the stamp is called Spring Daisy – but I still think it’s summer when they are around……..

I stamped the outline of the flowers in a pink colour, and the inside in yellow, whereas the leaves I reversed it, and stamped outline in green, and the inner parts of them in the pink colour. I wanted some more difference between the flowers and the background. I also stamped one of the smaller images in the background for an added ‘something’…….erm…….you can’t really tell I stamped them upside down, can you?! (Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything)

After a long weekend, I am back at work tomorrow, maybe some later days, but I will try and find time to do some crafting.

:)

Blue Congratulations

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Hello. I hope everyone has had a good weekend. I have managed to find some mojo, and find some time to craft. The weather has been  brighter, even though it did rain last night, but everything is looking really green and lush at the moment.

I wanted to join the current challenge at Watercooler challenges, with the theme of ‘Occasions’, as I have three – yes three – friends at work who have recently has the news of passing exams/courses as part of our work. Those Masters degrees – hard work, but worth it in the end.

I also took inspiration from Craftaholics R Us, where their theme was to use something blue on the project. So, even though I am using the Altenew ‘Gardenia‘ again – are there blue Gardenia’s? – it looks completely different in this colour to when I have previously used it.

When I was thinking about the design of the card, I actually turned to the current Card Concept Challenge – they have a photo of a big and bold red/orange blossom. So even though my flower is blue, I took their photo as inspiration for the layout, and just used one flower, and the Altenew Gradient Stripes Cover Die. I actually put some of the strips back into the frame – in a different order – as I thought the wider stripes of blue seemed to engulf the flower a little too much.

The sentiment is from another Altenew set, and I added  some Nuvo drops, basically because I haven’t used them for a little while, and I also wanted to break the white up a little more.

:)

Vase of pink flowers

Hello again. Here is a card inspired by the current challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More and Sweet Stampin’:

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a close up of the sentiment:

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I took the inspiration photo fairly literally and stamped a lot of the flowers from Altenew ‘Strength Blooms‘. After using the matching die cuts, a played with the layout a little. As the inspiration photo had some picture frames in the background, I took my MFT ‘Horizontal Collage Cover-Up‘ and just embossed it into the card base in the top right corner – I think you can just make it out. The frames on the photo are also off-set, not central, which is why I did this with the cover-up die.

I then took an MFT ‘wonky stitched square‘ die and cut what I used for the planter. The leaves aren’t actually the leaves that go with this stamp set, and are from the Altenew ‘Ornamental Flower‘ stamp set – so I didn’t use the flowers again – but I did use the leaves!

The sentiment just sang to me, and fit perfectly along the edge of the card. even though the card may look slightly off-set, the sentiment brings it together – do you think so?

I shall be entering the following challenges:
Addicted to Stamps and More – photo inspiration 

Sweet Stampin’ – flowers

 

 

 

 

 

Clean and Simple colours

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Hi there. It’s been an absolutely fabulous Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK – temperatures in the mid to high twenties (centigrade) – very hot for me. I spent some time in my craft room as it is shaded and not too warm, and also because the current CAS Colours and Sketches challenge is coming to an end today.

The colours to use are Soft Sky, Berry Burst, and Sahara Sand. I chose to go the the rose from Uniko, because I have been getting lots and lots of Instagram postings from them for their new release coming very soon – all looks amazing – and it reminded me I have this rose stamp set.

The rose is actually an outline and base stamp set, but I really like this as it is – no inside colour at all on the rose or the leaves. I think it is very effective, and keeps things clean and simple.

I used Berry Burst to stamp my flower outline, then masked it off and stamped the leaves. I had to use an Altenew blue and brown, as I don’t have Soft Sky or Sahara Sand ink pads.

The MFT stitched rectangles cut my layers for me, and the sentiment is from Altenew. I was going for a one layer card – but realised I had cut my flower layer down before I remembered. Hey Ho! Them’s the breaks!

Have a good one, and I’ll hopefully catch you soon. :)

 

Proud and Hooray

Dear all. I have two cards for you today, so I hope you will bear with me.

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Two completely different cards, but I had fun creating the both of them.

The first card is using the Altenew ‘Ornamental Flower‘ again – sorry, but I really, really, like this flower – and created for several challenges. I used an old embossing folder from Tattered Lace for the dotty background, and a Sue Wilson die for the oval. The sentiment is from an Altenew stamp set, and I used this sentiment as I will giving this card to a colleague in the next few days for passing a qualification.

The second card is using the colours from Color Throwdown, and using the stamps, dies and sentiment from the newest Catherine Pooler ‘Stamp Of Approval‘. I picked it up yesterday, and just had to play!

I shall be entering the first card into the following challenges:

Always Fun Challenges – flowers

Freshly Made Sketches – sketch

Watercooler Challenges – anything goes feminine

Just Add Ink – add an ‘O’ (Oval)

The second card will be entered into the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More – balloons/bunting/presents

Color Throwdown – Coral, green, Kraft, White

Seize The Birthday – anything goes birthday

QKR Stampede – anything goes

 

 

 

Brushed Plaid background

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Hi there. One card to share today, and I think it makes quite a striking statement. The inspiration was taken from the current challenge from Just Us Girls – a photo inspiration:

I was immediately struck by the black and white with a pop of colour from the flowers. For the background I stamped my one and only Lil’ Inker Designs stamp – the ‘Brushed Plaid’. I also stamped it in a few more colours to see how it looked, and will be using those in the future for a trial with different coloured flowers.

The Altenew ‘Beautiful Day‘ flower, and some leaves which were extra from previous stamping and die-cutting sessions, and the whole added to a plain white base card.

I did decide to put the flower and leaves onto a die-cut circle, so it stood out more. I tried putting it onto the background itself, but even though the flower is a bright colour, it seemed to get lost a little.

I haven’t been able to do much crafting the past couple of days, but it is a Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK, and I have Friday off too – a four day weekend for me!! Yay!! And…….my Catherine Pooler Stamp of Approval box is waiting for me to pick it up at my local Royal Mail – plus customs and charges, of course! :(

I am sure you will seeing some of creations from that collection……

Different Flowers

Hello again. I have a couple of cards to share with you today.

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The first card is using the Altenew Ranunculus stamp and die set, and stamped using a more teal colour. The leaves I just used the outline and the detail stamps, not the base colour, as I wanted them quite muted.

The layout is for the current challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches, with the circle from  a Stampin Up/Sizzix set. I realised I don’t actually have any larger circle dies – something I must change!

The sentiment is from the same stamp set.

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The second card is using the colours for the current Color Throwdown Challenge, and the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches. I used the MFT ‘More Rustic Flowers‘ but again only using a couple of the layers for the flowers, not all of them.

The greenery is from the same stamp set, with the green dots supposedly being part of a branch in that set, but I used it as you see here. I bent the stems for the flowers in different ways, which is so easy to do with photo-polymer sets.

The sentiment is from the die set for Concord and 9th ‘Painted Rose‘….the rose card from yesterday, in fact, is that stamp set. I die cut the sentiment several times in black card with a double sided sticky sheet on the back, and stuck them together, so it could have a little dimension.

Now – I’m not really sure about this card. It took a little moment or two for me to actually think whether or not to post it. I’m not sure whether it’s the grey background card, or the purple/lilac card – but I’m not sure I like it! Maybe it’s the plain-ness of the background – I just don’t know.

I may try this layout again, with different ways of doing the background, but here it is. In all it’s glory!

 

 

Friends

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Good evening all. My craft room has seen some use today, and I have two cards to share with you today.

The first card was inspiration for the current Double D challenge, with a clean and simple route for the 4 Craft Chicks challenge, and the current Inkspirational challenge was to create a card with a cue word of ‘play’.

The sentiment is from a set I have had for years, from Hampton Art ‘Laugh Out Loud‘ collection. This set has a few sentiments suiting friends, but I particularly liked this one. It certainly suited my bestie and I on occasions over the past 27 years, let me tell you. Actually – I don’t think I will tell you!! :)

I stamped the sentiment and added to the card with 3D glue, so I could arrange my leaves around as you can see. The leaves are actually extras I had from previous cards – I always stamp and cut more than I think I am going to need, just for this reason.

No embellishments, no Nuvo drops or sequins, very little dimension – quite different to my recent postings.

The second card I am posting today:

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This is for the current challenge at Die Cutting Divas – to use a die cut and birthday, and CAS(E) This Sketch for the layout, and Cards In Envy – flat and birthday.

The rose is from Concord and 9th – ‘Painted Rose‘ and comes with a matching couple of dies. It is supposed to give an effect of water-colour and completely fill the outline. I like this effect, and have stamped it in several colours.

The leaves were also stamped and die-cut separately for the top left corner, and also to add a couple more under the rose itself. The set also comes with a little splatter stamp, which I used to add some more interest, as the die cuts off the splatters which are stamped when filling-in the rose.

Tomorrow, I’ll be putting some more cards on show, as I have – again – left it to the last minute to join some challenges. The cards are made, I just didn’t get around to posting them.