Glossy Accents

Heart Hugs

Hello. I had some time to create in my craft room today using some products from the recent Simon Says Stamp ‘Sending Love‘ virtual class event. Even though I don’t see myself as a particularly romantic person, the products were inspiring. Here is my creation:

I first started by using the layering heart stencil. There are four layers to this stencil, and I used Pinkfresh Studio inks in tones of pink. This panel was then die cut using the ‘postage edge’ die set – part of the kit – and a larger layer of red to mat behind it.

These two layers were attached to a white A2 card base, the red glued directly down, and the heart panel raised using some craft foam.

I then stamped the ‘HUGS’ in black Gina K Amalgam ink, then coloured with three red Copic markers, creating a gradient darker at the bottom and lighter at the top. This word was then die cut, and I also added three more die cut layers to make this a little more sturdy.

The word was then glued down, and I added some glossy accents on top to make it all shiny…

I also raided my stash as I knew I had some little heart embellishments, and added some light pink hearts around and about in the open spaces:

This actually turned out to be a mixed media project at the end, which surprises me as it is quite simple – but yet effective.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Addicted To Stamps & More – dies cuts and/or stencils – both were used

Inkspirational – red and pink

Christmas (or not) bingo – column G – red, free, die cuts

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

We Love To Create – anything goes mixed media – Copics, dye inks, pigment ink, glossy accents

Colorful Options – mood board

Stencil Fun – anything goes with stencils, option to use pink and red taken

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media – Copics, dye inks, pigment ink, glossy accents

Stained Glass Bird

Hello again. The Alphabet Challenge has reached the letter ‘B’, and Debbie has chosen the theme of ‘Birds’. Here is my card:

This cute little bird is a die and stencil set from Simon Says Stamp. I ink blended the bird areas, masking off some parts so there was no contamination between the areas, adding some darker shading to some of the areas. I then die cut the white stained glass portion several times, adhering all but one of them to the ink blended image.

I then went in with some glossy accents, let that dry, then added the final white layer. I then added a black gem for the eye.

The background panel was created using an embossing folder from Spellbinders, using their sage green card stock and cut down slightly so there would be a white border on the card base.

The scalloped circle was cut, and dry embossed with another embossing folder.

The floral images are from Concord & 9th, stamped then die cut, and I made sure I made a lot of them in similar colours to the bird, so I could put as many down as I wanted.

I then added the bird, and slotted the floral images all over the bottom of the circle, adding some gold gems in the centre of the flowers and some around the edge of the circle.

A foiled sentiment to complete the card.

I hope you can come and join us with your projects incorporating a bird/birds. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Ellibelle’s Corner – anything goes

CYHTP – embossing folder – option of weather not taken

Tic Tac Toe – stencil, die cut, critter

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media (ink, foiling, glossy accents)

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media (ink, foiling, glossy accents)

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

Stencil Fun – use a stencil – option spring/flowers taken

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – stencil it

Elephant Birthday

At The Alphabet Challenge, we have reached the letter ‘Z‘. Deborah has chosen the theme of ‘Z is for Zoology‘. We want to see your projects featuring animals Here are my cards:

I decided to make the background grey and have the elephants in colour. A flip-around really.

The background is dry embossed using a Spellbinders embossing folder.

The elephants were stamped using the ‘Color Layering Elephant’ from Hero Arts, in tones of the colours you see. Once stamped, they were die cut and set to one side.

The balloon background panel is from My Favourite Things, and inverted. I have seen most projects with the balloons coming up from the bottom, but I wanted mine to come from the top.

Once that balloon panel was cut, I used some Copics which matched each elephant, coloured some pieces of card, then used a balloon die to cut them out, gluing them to the white balloons on the background panel.

I attached the elephant, stamped and attached the sentiment, then added glossy accents to the balloons.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

We Love 2 Create – anything goes mixed media (die inks, Copics, glossy accents)

Creative Artiste Mixed Media – anything goes mixed media (die inks, Copics, glossy accents)

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Crafty Gals Corner – anything goes

Shiny Holly Wreath

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started another ‘anything goes Christmas/Festive’ challenge. Here is my card:

This holly wreath and berries is another die bought from the Charlie and Paulchen company based in Germany. I die cut the wreath in white, then again in green, and the berries in shiny red card stock.

The panel on the card base is embossed using a 3D embossing folder from Simon Says Stamp, with the white wreath adhered, then the green wreath on top and off-set.

Once I had added the red berries, I added glossy accents to the green holly leaves for extra shine.

I hope you can come and join us with your festive/Christmas makes – I look forward to seeing your creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks – Christmas

CYHTP – anything goes with an embossing folder (twist of Easter not taken)

Cards Galore – anything goes

12 Months Of Christmas – anything goes Christmas (gift box option not taken)

Christmas Crafts All Year Round – Christmas with red and green and circles and/or ribbon (wreath circle)

Mice Baking and Tree Decorating

Hello there. Cardz 4 Galz has started another challenge. The theme chosen by Shell is for you to create a card with Christmas Animals. Here is my card:

I used mainly Lawn Fawn products for this slimline card. The base and three heart cut-outs are from one die set, and the hearts backed by Lawn Fawn patterned paper.

The images were stamped, coloured with Copics, then die cut, and arranged as you see. Some glossy accents added to the tree baubles and holly berries, and glitter added to the pudding and gingerbread house.

I really like how this turned out – putting all the images together to create three scenes, which actually work together to create one large scene too.

I hope you can come and join us in this challenge.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge – wings and/or tails

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Daring Cardmakers –trim the tree

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

Lemon Shortbread – anything goes

Colour Crazy Challenge – anything goes colouring – week 49

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafting Happiness – anything goes

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ABC Challenge – W and X

Hello there. It’s my turn to host the challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge. Having reached the letters ‘W’ and ‘X’ – the Christmas themes we want to see are ‘W for Whimsical‘ – think playful, quaint, amusing – and ‘X’ for Xerox – multiple stamping, multiple images – whatever you think fits with the theme.

Here are my cards:

Whimsical

Xerox

On the first card, I used a Clearly besotted stencil – Trimmed Trees – and inked each different tree with s different colour – masking off the one next to it on the stencil – but also overlapping each tree to create the row of what I think are quite whimsical trees.

I then used a Tim Holtz sentiment stamp, then used a Zig glue pen over all the colours and added some glitter.

For the second card, I stamped one image from the Pretty Pink Posh stamp set multiple times on a Kraft card base with ‘wheat’ ink from Concord & 9th, to create a tone-on-tone look. I then used another of the the images from the same stamp set, coloured them with Copics, die cut them out, and placed them as you see. I also added some glossy accents to the leaves and berries.

The sentiment is from a Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous stamp set, which I stamped, used a stitched rectangle to cut it out, then distressed the edges with the same ‘wheat’ ink to enable it to stand out a little more.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Whimsical card:

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – atg Christmas

Cards Galore Challenge – atg

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – atg Christmas

Xerox Card:

Just Us Girls Challenge – Leaves

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – atg

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – any holiday occasion

Love To Craft Challenge – atg

SPREAD THE MERRY LITTLE LOVE AND GRAB A BADGE!

Shiny Holly Leaves

After another playtime in my craft room, I have a card to share:

I have no idea why the card doesn’t look white on that photo, and no idea how to correct it, but here are some other photos:

I actually went up to my craft room to get messy – ink smooshing etc – but then I changed my mind as this circular holly image was there drying from the previous day – so I decided to create a card using this first.

The image was stamped, coloured with Copics, die cut – then glossy accents added for some shine. This was then added to a small circle.

I used Heffy Doodle red card stock as the base, and added the white layer after dry embossing with a Sue Wilson embossing folder – one of my favourites and one of my oldest.

The layout of the card was to follow the current Freshly Made Sketches Challenge. I added plain white strips – something I wouldn’t have considered up until a few weeks ago……yep – another virtual craft session!

Sentiment-wise – I think I’ll put something on the inside, more of a verse sentiment, so the front stays clean.

Lantern and Poinsettia

Hello once again. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started a new challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas/Festive’ – here is my card:

During the past year I have taken some online classes with Susan Tierney-Cockburn – moving out of my comfort zone and trying something new. I struggled – and still do – when creating these flowers using her Spellbinders collection of dies – but I keep trying. I am pleased with how this poinsettia turned out….

The only thing I didn’t really feel I got to grips with was the centre – I really messed that up – which is why there is Nuvo drops and some glitter there……..!

I managed to create these flowers and leaves following her YouTube videos, and have even invested in the flower forming tools – I feel they would help as I was using my ball tools when I created this and didn’t quite get the detail and lines and veins of the leaves – you will probably see another variation on this theme….

I didn’t put a candle in the lantern either – and I don’t think it’s missed – maybe another variation for the future…..

The base card was layered with squares using Sue Wilson stitched dies, and one of her embossing folders too to add the holly swirl details in the white background piece.

The lantern was die cut from Tim Holtz metal coloured card stock, then I used some of his embossing powders on it to try and create a more weathered and metallic look.

I am definitely going to create this flower again – maybe in other colours – as I actually quite enjoyed stepping out of my comfort zone.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas/festive creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

My Time To Craft – embossing (I used wet and dry embossing)

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Mix It Up Challenge – anything goes mixed media – option monochrome

Mixed Media Lovers Challenge – anything goes Mixed Media

12 Months of Christmas Challenge – Christmas with option of metallic

Snow Globe Scene

Hi there. A new challenge is beginning at The Alphabet Challenge. We have reached the letter ‘S’ – and we want to see your ‘snow scenes’. Here is my card:

I decided to choose a small snow scene from a Mama Elephant stamp set, and then stamped a snow globe around it.

Coloured with Copics, I then added some clear shimmer the the sky and snow – leaving the house free to see.

I die cut the globe, then added some glossy accents to the banner to give the impression of a metal plaque – hopefully…….

Two layers dry embossed with an embossing folder – I think is Sue Wilson but I’m not exactly sure – then added some extra bling with some sequins.

I hope you can come and join us for our ‘Snow Scene’ theme – I look forward to seeing what you create. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge – Christmas

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Inkspirational – SNOW

Christmas Blog Challenge – anything goes Christmas

TTCRD Challenge – anything goes

Layered Faux Stained Glass Flower

Hello there. I hope you are all well.

I have been trying out a new technique – well, I tried it once 18 months ago and liked the effect – so I thought I’d give it a go again…..forgetting how much work and waiting time has to go into this technique.

Here is my card:

This card took me a couple of days – mainly because of the waiting time, but also because I wasn’t quite sure where I was going with it…..

I knew I wanted to do the faux stained glass technique using this die from Pink Fresh Studio, but this time I cut the die out if white card stock several times, stuck two layers onto a piece of grey card, inlaid the flower and leaf cut-outs – yep – that was challenging to find the right ones for the right spaces….then coloured the petals with cool grey Copics and a couple of green Copics.

Then I added glossy accents to the flower petals only – waited until the next day for that to dry – then added a black die cut as a frame on the top.

Phew – this took a lot of fiddling, I must say……

So – the grey behind the flowers and leaves is the base layer, then a couple of frames of white, inlaid white pieces, Copic colouring, glossy accents, then a black layer……..I think you can see the different layers and the shine from the glossy accents on these last two pictures.

The sentiment was added as you see and there we have it.

I think it may well be another 18 months before I do this again……

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – grey, Kraft, Green, White

Lil Red Wagon – nature – flora or fauna

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – no stamps

Time Out Challenge – Adventurous