Floral Frame Hello

Hello again. A summery hello card to share with you today:

For this card I used the new Pinkfresh Studio stamp, die, and stencil set called ‘Sunlit Garden‘. I stamped the image with a brown to give a softer outline, then used all of the layering stencils to colour it in, adding some darker shading to the base of some of the flowers. This was then die cut and set aside.

For the background, I ink blended a white panel very lightly with blue, than used a Spellbinders embossing folder ‘Cloud Nine’, and attached that panel to the card base.

For the inked image, I die cut another two panels and layered together for more stability and then glued down.

The sentiment was stamped in a brown ink – another Pinkfresh Studio stamp set – die cut and layered three times, then glued into the centre of the opening.

The final touch was to add some iridescent sequins:

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CYHTPembossing folder, option of purple not taken

Crafting From The Art anything goes

Beautiful Blossomsflorals/flowers

Crafters Café – anything goes, option of blooms taken

Tic Tac Toetop right to bottom left diagonal – summer colours – die cut – layers

Happy Summer

Hello again. More play time in my craft room, this time to create a card with fruity goodness and a summer feel to it:

I used the Honey Bee Stamps die set called ‘Lovely Layers: Strawberries‘ and die cut all of the images from white card stock. I then ink blended each of the die cuts in the appropriate colour, using Pinkfresh Studio inks. The die cuts were then layered as required, then arranged as I thought they would look good together. I also added some white gel pen to the strawberry ‘pips’ to make them stand out a little more.

Then to decide on a way to ground the bunch of strawberries, and I used a Spellbinders/Susan Tierney die set ‘Gathering Basket‘ and die cut it out of light brown card stock, the ink blended some darker brown onto it.

The sentiment is using The Greetery ‘Summer Silly Straw‘ die cutting out of white card stock, then chopping off the straw bottom to leave the two words, and ink blending with green. I also die cut this a couple more times and glued together, to add more stability to the words.

Then I found that an A2 card base would not be big enough to get everything on, so I used a 5×7 inch card base.

The background needed something – I ink blended a white panel, then ran that panel through with a Spellbinders embossing folder ‘Cloud Nine‘, and attached to the card base.

The strawberries and basket were adhered with 3D foam, then the two words were attached.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafting Happinessanything goes, option of summer taken

Cupcake Inspirationsanything goes

Make My Mondayblend 2 or 3 colours

FarmQuest Challenge fruit garden or orchard

Floral Hello

Hello there. After a little break from crafting – my mojo seems to have run away – I have a card to share for the new challenge at The Alphabet Challenge. Helen is hosting and has chosen the theme of:

E is for Embossing – wet or dry

Here is my card:

I chose to go with the option of dry embossing, and used a Spellbinders embossing folder for the background panel.

The florals are from Elle’s Studio, a stamp and die set from a a 2022 virtual event.

The florals were stamped with Pinkfresh Studio inks, then die cut, as was the sentiment.

The oval was die cut, I think it is a Pinkfresh Studio nesting die set, then the florals arranged, the sentiment added, and a few gems for further interest – for the centre of the flowers, and some smaller ones around the sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your creations using dry or heat embossing. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Triple B birds and/or butterflies and/or blooms

Aud Sentimentsembossing wet or dry and/or flowers and a sentiment

Die Cut Divas anything goes with die cuts

Crafters Caféanything goes, optional blooms

For Someone Special

Hello everyone. I am pleased to have been asked to be a special Party Guest for the new challenge at Ellibelle’s Corner Garden Party, after being selected in the Top 3 for one of her challenges with this card here.

The theme for the new challenge is – anything in or from the garden. Here is my card:

I must have been in a really fiddly and faffy mood to create this, as the butterfly – from A Pocket Full Of Happiness – takes a lot of die cutting in different colours, and then inlaying each itty bitty piece…….

I started by cutting the base outline, then the butterfly out of white card stock a couple of times, and glued it together.

The next steps was to gather colourful pieces of card for each flower, and the wings of the butterfly and set-to die cutting. Each colour was inlaid back into the butterfly, and then glossy accents applied to create a stained glass effect.

When that was dry, I added a top layer of the die cut butterfly, this time cut out of a blush card stock and laid that on top. This also covered any of the over-flowing glossy accents.

I wasn’t happy with those tiny areas on the edge of the butterfly wing, so I added small pink gems to each and every one of them – I told you I must have been in a fiddly and faffy mood.

I wanted a bold background for the butterfly, so used some Concord & 9th card stock, trimmed it a little smaller than the card base, and used a Spellbinders embossing folder.

The butterfly was glued down, and then the foiled sentiment added.

I hope you can come and join us at Ellibelle’s Corner for her Garden Party. I hope to see you in the gallery. xx

White Flowers

I was working on this card yesterday, and managed to finish it today, following the inspiration photo at Beautiful Blossoms:

Here is the inspiration photo I worked with:

The first thing I did was to search my CML app for flowers/florals. As you can imagine, literally hundreds came up. I narrowed the search to dies only, and as I knew that The Greetery had quite a few, I narrowed the search for that manufacturer only.

Taking several die sets, I used water-colour card and die cut the stems and then the flowers. The stems I coloured in my Zigs – quite roughly – then added some very light grey to the centre of each flower.

There were some wooden looking stems, so I used a dark brown for those.

Once I had a collection of coloured and layered elements, I used some other dies from The Greetery – the capsule series – to create the scalloped blue layer to bring in the blue of the vase in the inspiration photo, then added a frame which I also embossed using one of their embossing folder.

This frame was attached with thin strips of 3D foam, more towards the outside of the frame, as I knew I wanted to tuck some of the elements behind and under it.

The elements were arranged and attached with a mixture of 3D foam pieces – some very tiny – and other parts with glue.

I was thinking of adding a sentiment, but decided against it – I will put something together for the inside instead.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Beautiful Blossomsanything goes with flowers – inspiration photo

Ally’s Angelsanything goes

Give A Crafter A Cookiein the garden

Die Cut Divasdies cuts and/or dry embossing – both were added

Floral Birthday

Hello there. I have a card to share inspired by the current challenge at Festive Friday:

This floral strip is an off-cut from a previous card I ink blended, using a Kristina Werner layering stencil set (Aubrey Blooms). I thought these florals looked too good to be thrown away, so came up with this layout.

I took a white panel and ran it through my machine with a Spellbinders embossing folder. I then aligned the floral strip with that panel, and ran that through too.

I then took a sentiment die from a Simon Hurley/Spellbinders set. Usually the letters would fall out – but they stayed in – so I stuck them in more securely at the back with sticky tape, then added another sentiment banner die.

This was then adhered to the card, and three green gems from Concord & 9th added to complete the requirements of the challenge.

Festive Friday – 3 items from list – ink blending + epoxy embellishment + birthday sentiment

Speedy Tulips

Hi there. I decided to have a go at the current challenge at As You See It. This time, it is a speed challenge – make a card within 10 minutes, and the theme is ‘tulips, or other spring bulbs‘.

This is the second attempt at this challenge, as my first attempt – I dropped a die into my machine, my glue was blocked – and I hadn’t figures out where each die cut piece went – so the time went over, hence the second attempt:

I used an older Sizzix die set, then all the Concord & 9th card stock I wanted to use for the flower and the leaves, got out my Spellbinders embossing folder and a white panel, my card base, and the sentiment die from Time 4 Tea Designs.

Off we go. The panel was embossed first and taped to the card base.

The layers for the flowers and leaves were die cut – several pieces through at once – then the sentiment with it’s shadow. That took over 6 minutes…..

I then assembled all the layers with glue, stuck them down onto the panel, added the sentiment – done – phew!

Only just though – it was tight:

A couple of errors found whilst speedily gluing – the left hand leaf has the lighter green attached to the back……and I missed off one of the mid pink layers on the tulip – so added it anyway on top……but it still looks pretty, I think.

On a previous speed challenge I did stamping and (bad) colouring, which is why I thought die cutting would be a better way to go……..perhaps not such an intricate one – not realising until I did the first card how many little pieces there were – but I was going to get it done, no matter how many times I had to try…

I shall be entering the following challenges:

As You See Itspeed challenge and tulips or other bulb flowers

Make My Monday say it with flowers

Hang In There – You Can Do It

Hello once again. I am here with a card for the new challenge starting at Cardz 4 Galz. Billie A is hosting, and she has chosen the theme of:

Brown & Green, with twine/ribbon

Here is my card:

I started with die cutting all the layers of the cat (Spellbinders/Bibi Cameron) in Kraft and white – some pink for the ears and tongue, as well as green for the eyes.

Before layering together, I thought about how I could ‘hang’ the cat, so I knew where to place his paws, and found some twine I had in the drawer in my kitchen (who doesn’t?) and grabbed a piece.

Starting with the green background panel, and a Spellbinders embossing folder, I attached the twine to the back, then glued to the card base.

The cat was assembled, then attached with 3D foam, making sure it was over the twine where needed, and where it looked right.

The sentiments were stamped and then die cut to create the banners you see, and attached with 3D foam.

I hope you can come and join us following the theme set by Billie A – I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Allsortsanything goes

CYHTP embossing folder, option of embellishments not taken

Love To Craftanything goes

You Are Amazing

Hello everyone. I’ve had a little break – a few nights in Tenerife with hubby – and then after we returned home, we had to say goodbye to another of our cats, which would be the second in 5 weeks. Needless to say – we are heartbroken and been trying to come to terms with the double loss, so close together. We do still have 2 other cats – one is 10 years of age, the other is 19 years of age – both getting extra cuddles – when they allow it….

I have been crafting but not really had my head right to be able to post anything, but hopefully I can continue.

I start with a card inspired by the current colours at Color Hues:

The colours they provide this time are lime green and violet. I wanted those two colours to stand out, so kept this quite simple – for me, anyway.

I first die cut the flowers from Concord & 9th ‘Handpicked’ die set, just using the smaller florals in this large die set, and lime green card from my stash, and the ‘Grape Soda’ card from Concord & 9th. The flowers were assembled, and set to one side.

The background panel was embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder, and glued to the card base.

The oval frame was created by die cutting a Pinkfresh Studio die set, which was then applied to the embossed panel with thin 3D foam strips.

The flowers were arranged and each of the flowers has a little piece of 3D foam, with glue on the base of the stems.

The sentiment is from Pinkfresh Studio, stamped, then die cut with the matching die, and also layered with 2 more die cuts. To attach this, I had to cut some teeny tiny 3D foam pieces for the part inside the oval, then glue where it was on the oval.

The final touch was to add some Spellbinders gems to the centre of the flowers.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Hues lime green and violet

Aud Sentiments embossing wet or dry and/or flowers, and a sentiment

CYHTPembossing folder, option of embellishments taken

Paper Circles

Hello again. It is time for the new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz, and Johanna has chosen the theme of:

A circle, or anything with circles

Here is my card:

fir this card, I wanted to use some of my patterned paper pieces, and also decided to go with a slimline card base.

I first die cut several circles out of different papers, different sizes, using Hero Arts nesting circle dies. I wasn’t sure which I wanted to sue, so cut quite a few.

I used a cream piece of card for the background, and used a Spellbinders embossing folder, arranging the circles to suit my eye, which did involve a lot of moving around…

The white circle was cut using a Gina K Designs circle tag, and stamped with a heart and small piece of foliage – I can’t remember which stamp set and which company now.

All the circles were die cut again with white card to make them a little thicker, then attached to the card base with 3D foam, strategically placed so I could overlap them.

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