Card-io stamps

Cardz 4 Galz ‘Snow time’

Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge, and the theme chosen by Caz is ‘It’s Snow Time’. Here is my card:

I went completely outside my comfort zone to have a go at this technique. I have been seeing it for years – tried it a couple of times – but this time I wanted to try and get it done correctly. I am pleased with the result – but it did take a lot of planning, and masking, and decisions!

I began with a piece of Bristol Smooth card stock, then placed the Card-io Bauble stencil onto it. I stamped the little scene at the top with Distress Oxide ‘Weathered Wood‘, then placed the fence and animals where I thought they could sit.

I then tore some paper and ink blended the same Distress Ink to create some hills underneath the animals. I added some of the same DI around the edge of the bauble – then also decided to add some Lawn Fawn Prisma Glitter – well – why wouldn’t you?

Most of the cards like this are created using a black ink, but I wanted a more muted silhouette – and I think it works.

I hope you can come and join us for this challenge – I look forward to seeing your creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

MMM Challenge – cute Christmas

Avenue 613 Challenge – atg

Clean and Simple on Friday – CAS Winter

Creative Fingers – atg

New Challenge Blog
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For your blog

Daffodils For Mum

Hello there. I hope you are doing well. Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge, and the theme this time has been chosen by our esteemed leader – Caz – as ‘Mother’s Day (UK) or a card for a special lady‘. Here is my card:

Mother’s Day in the UK is 14th March this year, which is why I chose this theme. Mum’s birthday is also in March – but that card is already made.

Mum has always liked daffodils, they are her favourite flower – that yellow sunshine in the spring.

I used Altenew ‘Build-a-flower Daffodil’, Altenew inks, and layered them onto a wood grain effect piece of embossed card, once cut using the matching dies.

I went with the traditional daffodil colours – yellow with darker orange centres, and added a stamped and fussy-cut basket from Card-io stamps to ground them in. The sentiment is from a Catherine Pooler stamp set.

I hope you can join us with our chosen theme this time round – I look forward to seeing your creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

The Unicorn Challenge – use flowers

Addicted To Stamps – any occasion

Creative Fingers Challenge – anything goes

Grab Our Badge!

Summer Fun…..

Hell again. There is a new challenge starting st Cardz4Galz, and the theme this time is – Summer Fun…….. I am sure that inspires lots of thoughts and ideas, and there are some great ideas from the Design Team.

I went with a calm and peaceful day, tree swing, chilling atmosphere:

I had forgotten how beautiful the Card-io range of stamps are, until I went to the Doncaster craft show the other weekend and saw their stall. They always have some fabulous samples – of which I have failed to emulate – but came up with this idea for this current challenge. I have linked to one of their pages here – for the uninitiated……….. 🙂

I first stamped the tree branch, swing, birds, and cat in black, then took another vine stamp and used three of the Altenew inks, using second and third generation stamping too, to create a frame.

There were also some grass stamps there – so I stamped them too…..

I was toying with the idea of ink-blending some colour in the background, or putting a scene in the background – but I like how CAS this is……I may have play with their stamps some more………..

I hope you can join us and show us your ‘Summer Fun’ creations, and I look forward to seeing you in our gallery………. 🙂 🙂

Stamping and colouring

Hi there. I have another ‘home’ day today. The snow yesterday settled but now looks like it’s virtually all gone – gotta love the English climate – and so I have been trying techniques that I haven’t really tried before.

I produce three cards, the first of which is this one for the current Time Out Challenge and CAS Colours and Sketches Challenge,

 

I used a Uniko stamp set for the corners – a lovely background builder stamp set (‘Vines’) with lots and lots of little, in fact tiny, stamps, to fill in small areas. Even this small set packs a punch as they are also 2 or 3 step images too…..The sentiment is from MFT – ‘Big Birthday Wishes‘, and all done using Catherine Pooler and Altenew inks.

The second card is using a cute – very unlike me – stamp set from Clearly Besotted. It is a recent purchase for me, but I just loved the 5 different little creatures on it. The set is called ‘A Bug’s Life’, and comes with a matching die set.

I coloured these with my Crafters Companion ‘Colorista’ alcohol pen set I have had for ages. I have tried these before, tried blending them, but it didn’t really work. I mentioned yesterday having a ‘Eureka’ moment – it is because I’m not using the correct card. I used Crafters Companion Neenah Classic Crest – blends like a dream.  (I really, really should listen to all that good advice on the experts who post their videos on YouTube!!!)

I couldn’t stop stamping and colouring, which is why there is a selection of cards. The ‘cute as a bug‘ sentiment from the same stamp set, but the ‘don’t bug me’ sentiment is from a Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi stamp set. One of these cards will be used in the current CASology Challenge – cue word ‘Bug’.

The third card is something I have been thinking about doing for ages, but way out of my comfort zone:

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This is a one layer, stamps and inks only card. The inspiration for one of the current challenges at The Library Challenge. I like the fact that the challenges over-lap. So there is already another challenge gone live, whilst this one is still going….

I used a combination of inks from Catherine Pooler and Altenew. The background is achieved with a dry baby-wipe on my finger, a torn paper edge, and a rub of the ink over that edge. This is a technique from Card-io I have been longing to try for ages – here was the opportunity.

The trees are stamped first, second, and third generation for that misty look going into the background. The grass is from a Card-io stamp set, as are the trees, birds, and the clouds. The sentiment is from Catherine Pooler, which I thought fit the scene, and the subject/topic of the book.

So – three different cards, for three different occasions, but I had fun with them all. 🙂

Christmas and Pines

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Hello everyone. A quick posting for today, as I made some Christmas cards last night. I was inspired by the Paper Players ‘Holiday Pines’ photograph, and hunted out my pine boughs and pine cone stamps.

The pine branches are from Catherine Pooler, and the pine cones are from Card-io/Majestix. I kept the feel quite vintage, and used a Stampin Up green for the branches, first and second generation stamping to create some dimension.

I then waited for the ink to dry, and stamped the pine cones in Ranger Perfect Medium, heat embossed with Creative Expressions gold embossing powder. I used the same embossing powder on the Altenew sentiment. I think I have captured some of the shine on the pine cones, but it really does look much better in ‘real life’.

I was so engrossed in making this card, and liked how it turned out, that I went on to make several of them. I may make some more changing it to silver embossing powder, but I don’t think it’ll turn out as effective – we shall see.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

The Paper Players – photo inspiration Holiday Pines

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Daring Cardmakers – 3 elements – foliage, green, gold

I hope you are taking part in the current Inkspirational challenge with me as Guest Designer – I look forward to seeing you there.

 

 

 

Hold on to each other

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Hello everyone, just one card for today, though I am playing with other cards during the weekend, and I am sure you will be seeing them at some point this week.

This card was quite a simple idea, though it took a little planning – and constant washing of my hands so I didn’t smudge anything!

I used a sentiment stamp from a Sheena Douglass set I have had for years, then a silhouette couple from an Altenew set, and a street light from a Card-io stamp set. Then I spent some time placing them on a card base to see where I wanted them to go. This actually took quite a bit of time, trial and error, in deciding the size and shape of card, too. I went with a 6 inch square card, and stamped just to one side, leaving a lot of open space.

I also added a yellow aura around the streetlight, and took some guidance from a recent craft show I watched from Card-io. I took a dry baby wipe, and some yellow Altenew ink, and first tried it on a scrap piece of paper – just rubbing around in a circle.

Then – I Took the plunge. Yellow aura stamped first – just in case – then used my Misti to stamp the other elements direct to the card base in Versafine Black Onyx. Then left it to dry before I touched it again. It is at this point that I usually pick the card up to have a close look at it – and smudge!

Not this time!

I left it alone for a good 15 minutes…….

I shall be entering this card into the following challenges:

CASology – Cherish

The Card Concept – inspired by the lovey dovey two little birds

Hand Stamped Sentiments – inspired by black and the silhouettes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge – anything goes

 

 

Spitfire

Hello there, everyone. I have been playing with one of the stamps I bought at Doncaster last week. For some reason the spitfire stamp from Stamposaurus appealed to me on the day, and I have no idea why it did. My sister gave me rather a weird and strange look when she saw I had bought it! Then along came some challenges where I immediately thought of using it. How funny is that?

I stamped the image onto water-colour card, using Versafine black onyx, then turned my mind to how to colour the image, and using which of my mediums. I was using the colours from Color Throwdown – green, yellow, red, aqua – and knew I had to mix things up a little.

One of the images I coloured using my Zigs – the one with the lighter green, with red and yellow for the targets, and the other I used my Gansai Tambi water-colours. That all came together quite well, I thought. I had tried using some masking fluid over the plane, to ink blend the background, but the card didn’t like me removing it and then colouring on top of it……….became all bobbly and useless. I really don’t have much luck with that fluid!

For the background, I used a small paint brush to wet around the plane, then dabbed in some Catherine Pooler ‘Aquatini’ ink, which spread very nicely, I must say.

To put the card together, I folded and scored an A4 piece of card, then put the planes at a jaunty angle. One of the planes I coloured the whole of the base with the plane on it, the other I left ‘messy’. One of them I put the card down on the base without trimming, the other I put the card down off-setting it to the base card, then just trimmed around said base card.

I just happened to have a Card-io stamp set called ‘Up, up and away’, and used that for the sentiment. As if by magic, matched completely what I wanted to do.

I shall be entering this onto the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – green, yellow, red, aqua

QKR Stampede – anything goes with twist up, up, an away

Just add ink – photo inspiration

Happy Little Stampers water colour challenge – anything goes optional twist blue