gems

Super Proud Of You

Hello again. It is my turn to host at the new challenge for The Alphabet Challenge. We have reached the letter ‘M‘, and I have chosen the theme of:

M is for Motivational

Here is my card:

This is an inlay die set from the recent Concord & 9th ‘Summer Camp’ called ‘Goodness & Grace‘.

To start, I die cut the inlay panel several times in light blue, green, and a red/orange tone card – I can’t remember which colours specifically….

I then die cut it again in a champagne card for the frame.

The leaves and floral pieces were then ink blended to create some dimension, using a lightly darker colour.

As I wanted to give the leaves some dimension, I wanted a colour behind them that would peek out when you looked from the side, so I die cut a darker blue panel.

The dark blue panel was adhered to a white card base, then I added the light blue background, then the champagne frame pieces.

The leaves and petals were adhered with glue just at the tips, after curling each slightly.

The sentiment from Gina K Designs was stamped, die cut with a Hero Arts circle nesting die, then the same champagne card cut out of a slightly larger circle.

The final touch was to add soem gems.

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

Have A Sweet Birthday

Hello there. The inspiration for this card came from the current challenge at Time Out. They have list of 6 word prompts, and you have to use at least two of them. I chose to use ‘baking‘ & ‘gingham’ to create this card:

I searched through my CML app as I knew I had some Lawn Fawn products from a few years ago to do with baking, and as I store each company in alphabetical order (OCD much?!) I wanted their names to be find them quicker.

The sets I used were ‘Baked With Love’, ‘A Creature Was Stirring‘ and ‘Sprinkled With Joy‘. The images were stamped with Versafine Clair Nocturne, dried off completely, then coloured with Copics. I didn’t have matching dies for two of the sets, so I grabbed my Scan-n-cut – the first time in absolutely ages – and cut all the images out.

I wasn’t sure what the scene was going to consist of initially, but I knew I wanted to use the gingham patterned paper from Lawn Fawn as the walls, and cut a strip of the heart border for the floor.

The kitchen units were created by using a piece of white card stock as the base for them, then cutting out some stitched rectangles.

The papers were adhered, then the white backing to the units, then the oven, then the unit doors. Thank fully, I used a 5×7 inch card base, and they all fit well.

Then it was time to play with the coloured images, placing them with little pieces of 3D foam and/or glue, creating the scene.

The sentiment was stamped, cut down into a dtrip, then each end made into a fishtail.

The final step was to add some green gems from Pinkfresh Studio for the kitchen unit doors.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Time Out – pick 2 – gingham & baking

Cut It Up – more than one die cut

Sparkles Forum – your favourite technique – die cutting

Love Those Pretty Papers – use patterned papers

Celebrating You

Hi – once again here with a card created using the Pinkfresh Studio ‘Pretty Blooms‘ washi suite – so many ways to use these products:

The background was created using a ‘Scalloped Grid’ cover plate die, and adhered directly onto a white card base.

The two floral sprays were attached with 3D foam, the sentiment gold heat embossed and added with more 3D foam, them this time pink gems from Spellbinders were my final touch.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crafting From The Art – anything goes

Beautiful Blossoms – anything goes with florals

Heart’s Quest Pretty In Pink – mainly pink, option of pink washi taken

Love To Craft – anything goes

You’re Amazing

Hello again. Another card created using the Pinkfresh Studio ‘Pretty Blooms’ suite and the washi tape:

The background for this card was created using the Pinkfresh Studio letterpress plate ‘diagonal plaid‘ and a Pinkfresh Studio green ink, onto a Spellbinders cotton card panel. I then splattered with black acrylic paint and when dry, cut down slightly then glued onto a card base.

The shaped label was also a Pinkfresh Studio die set, attached with 3D foam, the two washi floral elements also added with 3D foam.

The sentiment was gold heat embossed, again added with 3D foam – and my usual final addition was some gold gems.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – create your own background

A Cut Above – anything goes with die cuts

Crafts Galore – anything goes

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Mix It Up – anything goes, option of embossing taken (heat embossing)

Beyond Happy For You

Hello there. I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in my exercise game on MetaQuest and also in the craft room – playing, just playing, as we have had to say goodbye to another of our cats. He was 20 years of age, and time just got away from us. That will be three cats in 6 months we have lost……to say we are heartbroken is putting it pretty mildly. Hence – the need to switch my mind to other things.

I have been spending some time with Pinkfresh Studio washi tape from the ‘Pretty Blooms’ collection. I created a couple of panels of the washi, die cut them, and made three cards – to begin with. Here is the first card:

Taking inspiration from the current challenge at Tic Tac Toe, I created a background wood grain effect by swiping a light and slightly darker grey across the panel. I learned this from Gina K on one – if not several – of her videos.

This panel was cut down slightly and adhered to an A2 card base.

One of the floral washi bunches was added with 3D foam, then the sentiment, stamped and gold heat embossed, die cut, then added to the bottom corner.

The final touch – as per usual – was to add some Spellbinders gems.

A simple card – for me – with the bunch of florals being the centre of attention.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Tic Tac Toe – top left to bottom right diagonal – woodgrain/free/die cut

Addicted To Stamps & More – make your mark (ink swiped background)

Triple B – birds and/or butterflies and/or blooms

Ellibelle’s Corner Garden Party – anything in or from the garden

Beautiful Blossoms – anything goes with florals

Pink Peony Thanks

There is a brand new challenge starting from Heart’s Quest, and to show my support for the new challenge and the Design Team, I have created a card for it. The name of the challenge is ‘Heart’s Quest Pretty In Pink’ and the theme is to use mainly pink, with an optional pink washi/decorative tape for this month.

Here is my card:

When I saw that the theme was pink – not my usual choice of the main colour – I thought of peonies. I searched through my CML app with that tag, and decided to use the Honey Bee Stamps ‘Lovely Layers: Peony‘ die set.

I started by die cutting all the floral layers in Concord & 9th card stock, then ink blending a darker pink in strategic areas. To make sure this ink blending was in the areas which would be seen, I placed the next upper layer on top, saw what would be seen, then ink blended. I did this trough all the layers.

The leaves and stems were die cut from a green card also form C9, and then ink blended also with a slightly darker green.

The layers were glued together, then I added some white acrylic splatter and set aside to dry.

I used a 5×7 inch card base – large enough to place all the elements rather than an A2 – and created the background white panel by using a Spellbinders embossing folder onto which I had pressed some green ink, creating this distressed looking basket weave pattern.

The central pink panel was cut to 5×7, but I used Pinkfresh Studio ‘Slim Edgers‘ die to create the stitch and pattern. This piece was then run through with the same Spellbinders embossing folder, and a white pigment ink pad over the top to catch the basket weave detail.

Once the inks and splatters were dry I attached each of the layers, adding the flowers with 3D foam, then gluing down and tucking in the leaves, foliage, and buds.

The final touches was a gold foiled sentiment then some Pinkfresh Studio ombre gems.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Heart’s Quest Pretty In Pink – mainly pink

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of cloud day not taken

Craft Rocket – use dies

Triple B – Birds and/or butterflies and/or blooms

Ellibelle’s Corner Garden Party – anything in or from the garden

Beautiful Blossoms – anything goes with florals

Take Joy In The Little Things

Hello. A late posting today as hubby and I have been out and about in the cooler weather. We visited a maize Maze near Ashbourne in Derbyshire. There’s quite a bit to do for the little ones – of which we certainly are not – but walking amongst the sunflowers and wildflowers as well as working our way through the maize maze took almost a couple of hours – with an ice cream at the end…..

This card was created yesterday, and fitted our little sojourn today:

For the foliage and the butterflies I used a stamp, die and stencil set from Pinkfresh Studio ‘Fluttering Butterflies‘. I also have the washi which goes with the die set but used the other products this time round.

I stamped, ink blended then die cut the images. I did the foliage twice as I wanted plenty on this card.

The background panel was created using a grey card stock, then a Spellbinders embossing folder. I chose a darker colour to enable the colours of the foliage and butterflies to stand out more.

I ran a white circle die cut through with the grey panel and the embossing folder, to keep the pattern aligned – though I ended up covering most of the outside of the circle.

The circle was attached with 3D foam, then the foliage arranged by tucking underneath. I did have to cut some down, but managed to get them as full as I wanted.

Before adding the butterflies, I added the sentiment. This is a pre-printed sentiment, received as part of a virtual event I think, then the butterflies arranged around that. I did have to double-up small pieces of foam tape as my butterflies were half on, and half off the white circle, but this wasn’t hard to do.

The final step was to add some ombre glitter gems.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CYHTP – embossing folder with option of ‘tie it up’ not taken

Ellibelle’s Corner I Spy – something with wings

Tic Tac Toe – upper right to bottom left diagonal – insects/gems/free

Triple B – birds and/or butterflies and/or blooms

Jolly Holiday at 52 CCT

Hello everyone. I was lucky enough to be the winner for previous challenge at 52 CCT, and as such took them up on their offer to be Guest Design team member.

They have started a new challenge, and it’s a colour challenge – as long as you create a Christmas card using these colours (some neutrals are allowed) – you are good to go:

Here is my card:

I used a stamp, die and stencil set from Pinkfresh Studio called ‘Berry Branch‘, stamping the image in a brown ink for a softer outline, then used the layering colouring stencils, then the matching dies.

The two inks I used you can see in the picture, making the first layer a lighter touch, and the second layer a darker touch of ink blending for the two colours.

The background panel was embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder and attached to a card base.

I stamped the sentiment – from the same suite – in a dark brown ink, then die cut that piece and added a dark brown layer behind using a smaller Pinkfresh Studio ‘Fancy Labels Frames’ die set.

I did snip the branch a little so I could paly with the layout, and attached all the elements using 3D foam.

I couldn’t decide whether to use silver or gold gems, so I thought an ombre mix of the two would work. These are also from Pinkfresh Studio and some of my most used gems.

I hope you can come join the challenge, and I look forward to seeing what Christmas cards you create using these colours. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

The Card Concept – summer by the sea or Christmas in July

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 Sentiments – embossing wet or dry and/or flowers and a sentiment

Die Cut Divas – anything goes with die cuts

Crafters Café – anything goes, optional blooms

D is for Double

Hello there. The Alphabet Challenge has reached the letter ‘D’, and Melanie has chosen the theme of:

D is for Double – include 2 of the same thing

Here is my card, which has two flowers on it:

These flowers are from an Altenew die set called ‘Butterfly Ranunculus‘. I used a blue card stock to cut the petals, and added some darker blue ink blending to the middle of each layer. These were easy to put together due to the #keyhole system’ which Altenew uses. The stems were die cut, and placed to one side whilst I decided what I wanted to put on the background to show case these gorgeous flowers.

I decided to go with a cream textured card stock, placing one layer as the back panel on a card base, then die cut the stitched oval in the same card stock.

The oval was glued to the back panel, and the flowers arranged to my liking, added with 3D foam.

The silver foiled sentiment added, then some small black gems for added interest, and to bring in the black of the sentiment strip.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Allsorts – anything goes in the garden

Give A Crafter A Cookie – in the garden

Triple B – birds and/or butterflies and/or blooms

Die Cut Divas – die cuts and/or dry embossing