Stamps By Me

Gold and Blue birthday

Hi there. I have another floral card to share to day, but as I still had some black card-stock out from the card posted yesterday, I decided to keep going with the black and gold theme – but also added a few shades of blue.

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I stamped a Stamps By Me floral stamp onto water-colour card, and heat embossed in gold. Using my Zigs, and very little water, I coloured as you see, keeping the colours vibrant. The gold embossing resisted the colouring, and it also let me know the main places for the darker shades of blue.

I then used the matching die – one solid die, so quite difficult to place over the image centrally – maybe I;ll die cut first next time, or even emboss around first……hmmm – I think a little playing is coming on….. and then stuck this down onto some black card.

The frame is die cut using two sizes of Sue Wilson’s stitched rectangles. The sentiment is heat embossed in gold, and is from MFT.

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20180717_145924I tried to get some shine coming through in the photographs, but it has been quite dull here, even though warm.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Watercooler Challenges – masculine

Allsorts Challenge – flowers

Inkspirational – birthday

 

Just add a ‘T’….

Hello again. I have been using one of my products bought at the Doncaster show last weekend. I say one product……..there will be more coming up!

This is from a stamp and die set from Stamps By Me:

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A completely different card to my most recent colourful cards – I think I channeled my monochrome inner-self.

The big letter ‘T’ is die cut, then heat embossed using Creative Expressions detail gold embossing powder. I then separately die cut and stamped the leaves, then yet another layer for the flower.

These sets are made so the flowers and leaves can be stamped and added to the letter separately, probably in floral colours……..but I stuck with black and gold.

I then took a piece of black card and embossed with a folder I haven’t seen for years – until I found it when sorting my craft stash out. It looks like a distressed stripey thingy background, and actually brings to mind the Altenew die and stamps.

Another black piece of card, and I stamped around the edge using a Tonic Nuvo clear embossing pad. I needed some more Ranger Perfect Medium, but thought I would buy this Tonic Nuvo pad. I am liking it – very juicy!

Once I had stamped around the edge of the card, I used the same gold embossing powder – to keep all the gold the same colour – so that I could use it as a layer.

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I also found some black foam dimensionals too – no idea where I got those – so from the side it doesn’t look too white and glaring with the layers.

I shall be entering the current challenge at Just Add Ink with the theme ‘add a ‘T”……do you think this ‘T’ is big and obvious enough?!

 

A single rose

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Hello all. I had a few days last week where my mojo left me, but then I had a delivery from Create and Craft of the latest Stamps By Me release – stamps and dies. So – my mojo arrived back – and boy did it arrive back……I created 5 – yes, 5!! – cards yesterday, and this is one of them. I didn’t want to overload the blog, so I will be posting the rest over the next few days.

They were all created taking inspiration from current challenges, and I started this card using the colours from Hand Stamped Sentiments, with the theme being Natures Beauty from Try It On Tuesday – which certainly matched all the new stamps and dies which arrived.

I began by using my Tim Holtz glass mat yet again, laying down some blue from Catherine Pooler (my Stampin Up Soft Sky has seen better days!), adding a spritz of water, and running some water-colour card through it.

Whilst that was drying, I stamped the rose, and water-coloured it with Flirty Flamingo and Lemon Lime Twist, letting one layer dry, before adding a second layer for some darker areas on the flower and rose.

After the blue background was dry, I stamped the main rose image, which has some drawings and circles with it, then added the die cut rose on top. A sentiment from the same stamp set, stuck onto a white base card, and some black Nuvo drops, and the card was done.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Hand Stamped Sentiments – Flirty Flamingo, Soft Sky, Lemon Lime Twist

Try It On Tuesday – Natures Beauty

QKR Stampede – anything goes

Believe CASE card

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Hi everyone. I have a card – with additional variation on the theme later in the posting – for the current challenges at Simple Less Is More and CASology.

I used a layering stamp set from Just Rite for the flowers, along with a little masking, and Altenew inks. I must say that I watched a You tube video last week – can’t remember who from – and they said to let the ink dry between layers to achieve a crisper effect. I tried this – and it works! I do love when a plan comes together.

The sentiment is from Stamps By Me and heat embossed in silver detail powder. I chose this sentiment to go with the CASology challenge, but also because I like the way the word kinda fades out at the top. Even though it is bold, it also doesn’t seem to cover much of the main image.

Some Tonic Nuvo drops were added for interest, and then this piece attached to a white base card.

I have a whole stack of 300 gsm white card for base cards. I use this as it doesn’t take inks well, it doesn’t like blending inks, and it doesn’t like being coloured with anything! So, white sturdy base cards for quite a while!

Here is a version with some Clearly Besotted stamps:

I got carried away with the blue and silver combination…..

Challenges I will be entering:

Less Is More – CASE the card

CASology – Believe

 

3 cards

Hello there everyone. I have had a lot of opportunity to craft in the past 24 hours, and I have three cards to share with you today. I could post some tomorrow – but I have my bestie coming round for take-away, drink, and movie – so I am sure I have made the right choice in not posting tomorrow!!

This first card is inspired by the current CASology challenge

Week 294 - Start[1]

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It took me a little while to think of things. I was thinking cars, jobs, baby, weddings, then I remembered the most recent Catherine Pooler Stamp of Approval, and a paper aeroplane in there……..
I took some water-colour card and used 2 colours of Distress Oxides to blend together at the bottom, using a piece of paper to maintain a fairly straight and clean edge, then spritzed with water. My idea of the water was for it to look like clouds…..
The sentiment, dots and plane are from the same collection, and stamped in Versafine black onyx.
This second card was inspired by Time Out Challenges and 4 Crafty Chicks (flowers):
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I took the colours of the flowers and vase stand. The Altenew layered plaid cover plate A and B were cut out and stuck together, and after putting onto a base card, I used some black splatters – I felt the urge for a little mess!
The yellow flowers are from Altenew ‘Amazing You‘, and I stamped the outline in a darker yellow from one of their ink sets, embossed with clear embossing powder, then water-coloured with a Zig yellow and an orange.
After die-cutting them I arranged in a huddle, using 3D glue gel – helps me to position – and added the sentiment from the same stamp set.
I then decided to add some Tonic Nuvo black drops extra to the splatters – I thought the white background card was a little plain!
This third card is inspired by the current challenge at The Library Challenge, and Just Us Girls:
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I took the cover of the book and used the black, white, and red – some grey leaves for artistic license – and stamped some flowers from a Stamps By Me set I have had for a while.
I used Catherine Pooler ‘Rockin Red‘ (I must get the ink re-fill next time I order anything) and embossed with clear embossing powder. Some masking – which doesn’t scare me now, even when I don’t have the matching dies – and then thought about how to make a curvy black side.
I turned to my Avery Elle ‘Snow Caps’ dies and used one of the curves twice.
The sentiment is also from Stamps By Me, and I was looking for a bold sentiment to join the Just Us Girls challenge, and heat embossed in white – like the title of the book.
Thank you for your perseverance, and I hope to be back with you soon. 🙂

3 colours sketch

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Hi everyone. I have a card inspired by a sketch challenge and a colour challenge today. I turned to my stash from Stamps By Me and then thought about the colours and layout. I knew I had some long stamps I could use, so I took the Stampin Up ‘Old Olive’ and stamped the long strip twice, even though it looks like one stamp……

I then took some card in Calypso Coral and Rich Razzleberry and used one of the Stamps By Me dies to cut this leafy image several times, with double-sided sticky sheet on the back to make it easier.

As you can see, I off-set the two die cuts as I thought one of each colour looked a little plain. I then layered it onto a base card with the Calypso Coral behind it, and took a sentiment and stamped in Rich Razzleberry.

Stamps By Me has some lovely sentiment stamps, and I have several of them. A lot of them are quite large, and would be great for the centre-point of a card – maybe I’ll turn to that next. I’ll how the mojo takes me.

Challenges I shall be entering:

CAS Colours and Sketches – Calypso Coral, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive

Freshly Made Sketches – sketch

 

Toulouse background

Hello again. I have made variations of colours with this card layout, using a couple of recent purchases.

The card was inspired by the current challenge from Inspired By All The Little Things, using their photo inspiration.

I used the Memory Box ‘Toulouse Background‘ die, which I think matches the florals in the photograph, and I cut it out of a range of water-coloured card I had been using my Brushos and Distress Oxides on. I must say my fingers were definitely multi-coloured once I had finished playing!

The floral die was stuck down onto the Altenew ‘Water-colour Stripes Cover Die’ which I kept white for a more subtle background to the floral image. I initially stuck it down with Crafters Companion spray adhesive – again I am disappointed in that spray. The floral image came away from the background yet again, so much so that I could peel it away and run it through my Xyron machine for a more permanent adhesive. I think I’ll call into my local Crafters Companion shop to see if I am doing anything wrong!

Here are the other cards I made along the same theme:

The sentiments are all from Stamps By Me, using Versafine black onyx. The variations in the cards and the die cut-out are my me removing part of the frame just to see what effect it gives. I do like to snip my die-cuts occasionally.

Even though this looks quite a simple card to put together, it did take some faffing around with the glue, and re-gluing – annoying! Gotta love the Xyron!

 

CAS die cuts

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Good morning everyone. I have had a couple of hours this morning before I do my hospital run today, so I took inspiration from several challenges for this card.

I used the layout from the current sketch at CAS Colours and Sketches, used dry embossing for the tag for the challenges at Less Is More, and used only die cuts for the current challenge at AAA cards.

The black stripes were a challenge initially, but I remembered I had a vertical Stripes plate die from Reverse Confetti. I cut that out from black card, and used the cut-out stripes – usually the waste – to lay down on the card.

I then took a tag die from Stamps By Me, and after cutting it out, I embossed it with a Sue Wilson folder called ‘Twinkle Twinkle’, and stuck down the sentiment from the same tag die set, die cut with a piece of double-sided sticky sheet.

The three hearts are from a Catherine Pooler Stamp of Approval set.

A short posting today, but I hope you like it.

 

Hearty Love

Hi everyone. I’ve been splattering…..and have had to restrain myself from going too far. I made several cards this evening, a variety on a theme, and just couldn’t resist using a new splattering tool from Stamps By Me.

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I’ve had this little thing for a little while now, and it’s only when I was making this card that I remembered it. It makes it so easy to splatter colours – as you can see.

 

 

 

I used water-colour card and stamped the Stamps By Me heart in Versafine black onyx, then heat embossed with clear. I took my Spectrum Noir markers – not used them for absolutely ages – and coloured using just the one red colour. I then took some colours of inks, put them on an acrylic block, sprayed with water, grabbed by splatter tool thingy – and off I went!

I really like the look of this, and I even think it remains quite clean and simple – probably, anyway!

Then I turned to a Stamps By Me die for the sentiment, cut it out four times using black card, stacked them up, and added to the card. Here comes the boo boo! I then die cut the square…..yep….you guessed it! The layers of die cut sentiment spread out, came away from each other and made a right old mess!

Can you imagine? What a silly billy! But – I managed to remove all of the layers of the sentiment except one, so I then die cut them all again – another four times – and layered them on top of each other……gosh. I think I managed to save the day. My advice? Do NOT die cut anything once you have added stacked layers!!!!

I shall be entering the following challenges:

CAS on Sunday – CAS markers or pens

Just Add Ink – Romance

Just Us Girls – Love

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge – Love is in the air

Aud Sentiments Challenge – valentine or love sentiment

 

 

Masculine?

20171231_120701Hi there. I’ve managed to sneak some card making into today – whilst hubby out golfing! I concentrated on stamping instead of die-cutting, using a couple of Stamps By Me sets, and Altenew inks.

This is a one layer card, and meant to be more masculine. I stamped the ‘Watercolour Flower’ in Versafine black onyx, and heat embossed in clear. I then used the smaller ‘blotch’ in the stamp set to cover the individual flowers, and even the same blotch to cover the leaves. I was going for a rough and rugged look, not necessarily water-coloured, but definitely outside the lines.

I then stamped the larger blotch, once in brown and then again – on the top – in the green. I did this basically as the first stamp didn’t really cover well – a large solid stamp, so I went back in the with same green I had used on the flowers. I like how the big blotch turned out, actually, and I think it brings the card together.

The sentiment is from Stamps By Me – a big and bold sentiment – required for such a large card.

The inks were from Altenew, using a combination from their green and their brown colours, working and toning well, and not being careful about the placement of the blotches on the flowers. I used a couple of the brown colours, but only one green colour.

The hardest part? Placement. Does anyone else agree that is difficult? When you are filling a card, it is a little easier, but when I’m trying to leave a lot of space – well – those stamps are placed everywhere before I make a decision. Sometimes I don’t make a decision, and make several cards with the same kinda layout, different sized cards, even different colours – as I did yesterday.

I hope you all have a fabulous evening, and I hope to see and hear from you next year! 🙂

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Altenew December challenge – using challenge from August 2017 as inspiration

Stamplorations – December CAS challenge

Watercooler challenges – anything goes masculine