sketch

Fusion Regal Beauty

Hello once again. I have a card to share today which I made over the weekend – a craftathon weekend for me:

The colours and layout are based on the current challenge at the Fusion Card Challenge:

The colours in the photo were greys and a touch of brown, so I used those colours to stamp the flowers from Altenew ‘Regal Beauty‘ and a combination of their grey and browns inks.

I used the sketch layout to arrange the flower and leaves to mimic the semi-circle, using a lot of the leaves and only one flower, once I had cut them out using the matching die set.

The sentiment is from Thirsty Brush and Co, heat embossed on white onto a grey piece of card, and the ends of the sentiment piece cut using the Heffy Doodle ‘More Strips of Ease‘ die set to create the banner look. I always seem to go wonky when I cut those banners free-hand, so this die set and those small triangles are just great for this.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Fusion Card Challenge – sketch and photo

Trimmies Craft Challenge – atg

Arty Divas Challenge – atg

A Perfect Time To Craft – atg

Dies R Us Challenge – birthday including dies

Pink Floral Fantasy

Hello again. I have a card to share with you today which took a little bit more planning than I thought it would:

The flower is Altenew ‘Floral Fantasy‘ – quite a large floral image – and stamped using three of he Altenew pink inks. I used a light grey for the solid leaves.

The sentiment is from Mama Elephant ‘Hilly Hello‘ and die cut as you see.

The planning part of it was the die cut sentiment – I did the first die cut and then looked around for papers I had which matched the pinks, but as I didn’t have any, I made my own background by stamping the solid leaves from the stamp set in the lightest of the pinks I used for the flower, with the added smaller star shape from Altenew ‘Build a Flower Daffodil‘ as I had a few white areas I wanted to fill-in.

I was going to just layer the background, but decided to ‘inlay’ the two layers together, as I knew the flower and leaves would have some dimension using my 3D glue. I didn’t want too much height on the card.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Just Us Girls – use mid, light, and dark tone of one colour

Crazy 4 Challenges – sketch

Crafty Sentiments – anything goes

Well Hello……

Hello once again. I have another card to share today, using a new stamp bought at the Doncaster craft show last week:

I just fell in love with this stamp set – cute and quirky. I chose this stamp as I thought just laying there, finger swirling in the puddle – cute. There are some great sentiments on there too – I am sure you will be seeing them in the future…

The image was stamped with Gina K Amalgam ink and coloured – very basically – with Copics, to match the colour challenge. To follow the sketch challenge, the two outer bands were pieces of card coloured with the same light blue copic, and die cut with Lawn Fawn ‘Stitched Simple Wavy Borders‘.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CAS Colours and Sketches – powder pink, pool party, so saffron

Freshly Made Sketches – sketch

Clean and Simple on Friday – CAS birds

Altenew June Inspiration Challenge – photo Inspiration

Gold Dipped Delicate Clusters

Hello there. I spent some time yesterday starting to put a card together, and completed it this morning:

I stamped out the clusters only from Altenew ‘Delicate Clusters‘ – not the stems – in three shades of blue, and for the fourth layer I used gold embossing powder.

The two leaves are from Tom Holtz ‘Garden Greens‘ die set, where I put some double-sided sticky tape down on some card, then used the same gold embossing powder to create two strips, from which I die-cut the leaves.

The sentiment is also embossed using the same embossing powder, and is from another Altenew stamp set.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches – sketch

Inkspirational – gold dipped

Die-cut divas – flowers and a die cut

Addicted to Stamps – stamping and flowers

Safari time

Hi everyone. I have another card to share today. It was going to be two cards, but I messed up the second card so much – I ended up having stern words with myself and binned it! Just one of those things….and it just kept happening, but I managed to persuade myself this card was alright:

I took a piece of card and masked off the outer two long edges, leaving the centre open, and ink blended three Distress Oxides.

Once that had dried, I took the a mixture of stamps from Hero Arts ‘Safari Huge Thanks‘ and ‘Safari Wild About You‘ and stamped them as you see with Catherine Pooler Midnight ink.

I had to stamp each image a couple of times to get them crisp, but it was worth it – until I came to the sentiment. The last thing on the card, the final thing I had to do…………..and the card moved between the first and second stamping. Despite using my Misti, despite using my magnets in my Misti!!!! It really wasn’t my day……..

It gave two images of the sentiment, so I swore a little, I went downstairs, I made a coffee, I then went back upstairs and stamped again – at least four times – to make the sentiment look as though it had a shadow. It almost looks like it’s hovering there in the air – almost!

Anyhoo – I still like the card, I like the black images against the colours of Distress Oxides. I actually Googled what ‘Hakuna Matata‘ means – and it is ‘no problem‘ or ‘no troubles‘ – well………I have taken that to heart with this card.

So if the sentiment looks hovering and shadowed…….no problem! Hakuna Matata! :) :)

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Case This Sketch – sketch

Stinkin’ Inkers – Use a tree

Dragonfly Dreams – Include an animal

CASology – Africa

A Blog Named Hero – CAS

ChallengeCleanSimple

Ocean Scene

Hello there. I have a card for you today which is CAS – different to my recent cards:

I saw the theme for the current challenge at CASology – Ocean – and knew I had a layering stamp set somewhere, by someone, and it took me a few minutes to remember this was from The Ton – a golf course layering stamp set.

I had forgotten how to stamp and layer this, so I turned to YouTube – and found an amazing video from June 2018 – link HERE – where Effie from The Ton used the waves stamp several times, the technique for not getting any lines whilst mixing and merging the stamps – and basically you ended up with a beach scene. Just keep stamping the waves bottom layer again and again, in different places – and the effect produces a deeper and longer waves layer…..as above……

The initial stamps create the layer you see above with the darker waves, and the waves below that are just using the base stamp over and over again – varying the placement.

My first few attempts I got a few lines where I didn’t wipe the edges enough – but if you check the video out – it really is quite simple once you get the hang of it (she says – laughing – tongue in cheek!!)

Once I had the ocean stamped, I then used the current from the current challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches, die cut a circle – and placed as you see.

I also added some muted grey clouds from that same stamp set – two layer clouds, but in the lightest grey inks from Altenew.

Combining a theme, colours, and sketches really helps me to create a more balanced card. trying to put together colours fazes me sometimes – so many colours – so much choice, and where to stamp and put my die-cuts? That’s why I like to combine challenges.

Sometimes I start with a them, sometimes with the colours, but the sketch challenges certainly help me with the layout.

I shall also be entering this challenge into the current Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge – where the theme is CAS.

Copic Peony

Hello there. I decided to have a go at Copic colouring again for this beautiful stamp set from Uniko – the Pure Florals Peony:

I enjoyed colouring this image so much – strange for me to actually enjoy colouring – so I did another one:

I even managed to grab some fresh air to take the photos – I do miss going outside to photograph my cards. It makes such a difference.

The colours for this image was from the current challenge at Just Us Girls – yellow, purple, teal; the layout is for the current challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches; and Copic colouring to enter the current challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More, where they invite you to ‘make your mark’.

I hope you are having a fabulous day, (perhaps recovering from St Patrick’s Day), but I am waiting for our St George’s Day on 23rd April………..

:) :)

Stitched Blooms

Hi there. I created another card yesterday, and waited for today to try and get some natural light to take the photo – there is plenty of light – but outside is sooooo windy that I daren’t take the card out for the photo.

Here it is anyway:

I used the newly purchased – and restocked at Seven Hills Crafts – MFT ‘Stitched Blooms‘. I have been waiting for these to come back in, and when I received the email to say there were in stock – off I went to order them (and some other stuff) :) :) and I’m not disappointed in them.

I die cut the whole lot out of white card stock, then coloured with my Copics. The colours used were for entry into the current Color Throwdown Challenge – orange, light blue, brown – and the layout is for the current MFT Sketch Challenge.

A clean and simple card, which actually took a lot of preparation – die-cutting, colouring, sticking the flowers together……and yet it looks so simple……I am sure to be crafting over the weekend, so I will catch you at some point, I’m sure.

Swing by anytime….

Hello again. My crafty mojo seems to be with me after a week away on holiday. I have another card to share with you – and this one took a little planing:

I haven’t used this stamp set before, despite having it in my stash for a while, but it came to mind when I was thinking about a few challenges.

I stamped the images you see, and coloured them with Copics. I wanted a vibrant dragon, with matching little people. I then took some Distress Oxides and smooshed a panel, using colours which I felt were vibrant, but also didn’t interfere with the main images.

Using the ‘Tall Triangles‘ Reverse confetti die to cut the white card, I re-inserted one of the cut triangles in the smaller end, so it matches the sketch I am following, and stuck that down onto the inked panel.

I was toying with the idea of the dragon blowing smoke and flames etc – which are included in the stamp set – but I didn’t want him scaring the little people away……just as he is dropping by for a visit.

The sentiment is from Heffy Doodle and I thought matched perfectly, so it meant the dragon was actually a friendly one! What a story I had going on in my mind at the time – thinking about Puff The Magic Dragon – but not the sad part! (Showing my age, now!)

Guess what? I did what I normally do – and try not to – I forgot about the sentiment until I had already put the card together……and stamped it using my Misti just hoping and praying I didn’t mess it up…..I must learn to plan ahead more!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simply Less Is More – sketch

Addicted to CAS – Friends

Crafty Friends Challenge – animals/birds

The Library Craft Challenge – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Altenew Playful Blooms

Here is a bright and sunny card:

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These flowers really are a playful stamping. The outline is quite thick – which I like – and the base and detail layer are quite unusual – they don’t fit neatly into the black outline. No – I didn’t do it wrong – I followed the guide, was a little sceptical – then took the matching dies………and they don’t follow the black outline either.

I must admit, I was wondering what I had done wrong…….but the dies actually match the base stamping layer, not the outline. I am assuming that is the playful part of the stamp name – and the fact the stamps are very solid for each layer.

Or maybe it’s playful because it almost makes you think you did something wrong – then hey – surprise! You actually did it right all along………………

The three coloured strips are ink pad direct to card to match the colours of the flower, and die cut with a wavy border. I didn’t want straight lines as the flowers are quite fun and playful – the lines ought to be too…….

The colours for this card was inspired from the current challenge at Addicted To Stamps and More, and the sketch layout is from the current challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches.