Hats and Inky

Hello. It’s time for the new challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge. Carol is hosting this time round and having reached the letters ‘H’ and ‘I’ the themes are:

H is for Hats

I is for Inky

Here is my card for both themes:

I started with the background, as I knew I would need drying time for this – something I am a little too impatient for usually.

I applied some crackle paste through the Tim Holtz stencil in the middle of the panel – not straight, very haphazard – and set that aside to dry. I left it until the following day, then took out my Mica sprays – and just sprayed, added water, sprayed again, moved it around, added some drops of water – you know how it goes……then let that dry…..

I then used some Tim Holtz die sets for the foliage, which were die cut from a couple of previously created ink smooshing panels, with the berries die cut from Spellbinders red glitter foam.

I used a Lawn Fawn die and silver glitter foam for the large sentiment, backed with a layer of white card stock for some stability.

I wanted to add a Christmas hat so Tim Holtz to the rescue again with one of his die sets – and red and white glitter foam from Spellbinders.

This background is really shimmery in real life – difficult to capture in a photo – but I think you can make out some shimmer and shine.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations following one or both of our two themes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Addicted To Stamps and Moredie cuts and stencils

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge anything goes Christmas

Creative Fingersanything goes

Craft Rocket layer it up

Creative Artiste Mixed Media anything goes mixed media

Windows of Blue

Hello again. I have created a card I would like to share with you:

I was inspired by the blue and the window/shutters of the Inspired By challenge, and used the arch window die from The Greetery. I wanted the window pane section to be separate from the arch itself, so I first die cut the arch using a Simon Says Stamp arch die set, then die cut the window panes inside that. I then die cut the panes again in a lighter blue and pieced them back in. All the card stock is from Concord & 9th.

The background was created using a Spellbinders stencil and ink blending the two Distress Inks you see in the photo, keeping the darker blue towards the bottom.

Once this was adhered to the card base, I added the window with 3D foam, die cut the flowers, and added them for a pop of colour.

The flowers and sentiment strip are both from Spellbinders.

I also added some glittery gems from Pinkfresh Studio to the centre of the smaller cluster of flowers.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Inspired By – photo Inspiration

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Daisy Chain Challenge – no designer paper

The Crafty Addicts – anything goes

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Warm Winter Wishes

Hello once again. I had some messy and inky play yesterday to create this card:

I first created the panel for the mug. I used a Simon Says Stamp snowflake stencil, and through that I put some Altenew paste onto water colour card. Whist that was drying, I took some Distress Heavy Kraft card stock, stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in white, then sprayed with Distress Oxides in two purple colours. Again – this was set aside to dry.

Once the white snowflake panel was dry, I took purple Distress Inks, and ink blended over the top. I wanted the snowflakes to catch the ink, but also to have some purple on the background for an almost grungy look, and to be able to see the pattern from the water colour card itself. I then die cut the mug shape using a Heffy Doodle die set.

The sentiment cup holder was wiped with a dry cloth to try and get the white sentiment back, then die cut. The top of the mug was also using some of the left-over pieces from the die cutting of the mug and the holder piece.

I wanted a snowflake background, so took a Simon Says Stamp embossing folder, and as I didn’t want it stark white, I ink blended the lighter purple Ditress Ink around the edges.

The background panel was glued directly onto the card base, and the mug attached with 3D foam.

I found some purple sequins and dotted them around as you see.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Allsortsanything goes, option to make your own background taken

The Four Seasons Challengeanything goes winter

Give A Crafter A Cookie photo Inspiration

Ally’s Angels – anything goes

Mix It Upanything goes – option to use more than one medium taken

A DL/Slimline card with flowers

Hello everyone. I hope you have enjoyed the past few days in whichever way suited you.

Cardz 4 Galz has started a new challenge, Caz has chosen the theme of ‘A DL/Slimline card with flowers‘. Here is my card:

It wasn’t until one of my DT peeps asked what a DL card that I actually realised I didn’t know. I thought it was slimline, but Caz shared that it is ‘double length’……..you learn something new every day…….

I started with a white card base, and added a stitched gold layer, then added a previously gold stenciled panel. This is one of my favourite Spellbinder stencils, and I also have the glimmer plate as I love that diamond pattern – so versatile.

The florals are from Sue Wilson, an older die set, but I like the almost filigree pattern to them. The centres are the same gold card as the base layer, and I also added a gold gem on top.

Once the flowers were added, attached a gold foiled sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us and follow our theme. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Most Magical Time Of The Year anything goes Christmas or Halloween

Die Cut Divasdie cuts and flowers

Dragonfly DreamsChristmas

Christmas Crafts All Year Roundanything goes Christmas (or 12 of something, or a musical theme)

Triple B birds and/or butterflies and/or blooms

Beautiful Blossomsanything goes flowers/florals

Sunflowers For A friend

Hello again. I have a card to share from a very messy play time:

I first created the background panel by using stencil and grit paste onto water-colour card, so I could set that aside and let it dry.

I then ink smooshed some brown and orange Distress Inks onto different Distress White Heavystock panels and set those aside to dry.

I then found a piece of yellow and green paper, created during a gel plate session using either water-colours or acrylic paint (I can’t remember which), so I used that panel to die cut the flowers, and layered with another white die cut piece of card to add some stability.

Once dry, I die cut the layers from Honey Bee Stamps ‘Lovely Layers Sunflower‘, placing my dies where I wanted to add to get some white areas, solid areas, and some splattering from the ink smooshing.

The brown centres were die cut from some grey ink smooshing, but they were too grey, so I added some ink blending with brown Distress Oxides.

The next thing to do was stick everything down – I had forgotten what to use to glue things down onto the grit paste. My normal wet glue didn’t work, and I couldn’t find my gel medium – I must have a few containers stored ‘safely’ somewhere – so I used glossy accents….that seemed to have done the trick.

I then added the foiled sentiment and some gold facetted gems, stuck down with a drop of glossy accents.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challengestencil fun

FarmQuest Challengesunflowers

My Time To Craft In The Garden

We Love 2 Createanything goes mixed media

Ellibelle’s Corneranything goes

Die Cut Divaslayered die cuts or layer die cuts

Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge anything goes mixed media – use at least three mediums

Sending A Note

The new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz has started, Caz has chosen the theme of ‘Leaves’. Here is my card:

This card was created using Gina K Designs Poly-Glaze stencil-mates foiling sheets. I followed the YouTube video, used a laminator and some green Decofoil I had from goodness knows when, then used the matching stencil to colour in the foiled leaves, with a yellow and a light orange to create some depth.

I have a couple of the poly glaze sheets for different stencils, and when I get my laminator out again, I’ll probably do batch foiling with different coloured Decofoil to them ready for future quick cards.

I also used Gina K Designs Master Layouts to die cut the black panel, then the leaf panel, adding a previously foiled sentiment and some goldy/orangey sequins.

I hope you can come and join us with your ‘leaves’ creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Lil Patch of Crafty Friendsanything goes

Challenge Up Your Life anything goes

Crafting Happiness anything goes

Love To Craftanything goes

Mix It Up – anything goes – option make your own background

Christmas Penguins

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has started the new ‘anything goes Christmas’ challenge. Here is my card:

I used a slimline card base and die cut the Mama Elephant frame. The inner part was ink blended with Distress Oxides, and some glitter paste was added through a stencil and then out to one side to dry.

The penguin and igloo images from a Time 4 Tea Designs were stamped, coloured with Copics, then die cut with the matching dies.

I also created a silver glitter card strip using a stitched wavy die – and even though it wasn’t long enough for this card, I cut the strip first, then die cut twice to get the wavy stitching at the top.

The ink blended panel was now dry, so all the elements were added with either glue or 3D foam.

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

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Creative Fingersanything goes

Shopping Our Stash any wild animal

Crafty Animalsanything goes with an animal

Creative Artiste Mixed Media challenge anything goes mixed media (Copics, ink, paste)

We Love 2 Createanything goes mixed media (Copics, ink, paste)

Die Cut Divas anything goes with die cuts

Hope Your Birthday Is On Point…

Hello once again. The Alphabet Challenge has reached the letter ‘H’ and Billie has chosen the theme of ‘H is for Humour’. Here is my card:

I decided to use a Tim Holtz die set to create the cactus, and Concord & 9th card stock in various shades of pink. I made the flowers more colourful for some contrast.

The background was created using a Clearly Besotted stencil and Lost Shadow Distress Oxide.

This was attached to a grey slimline card base, and the cactus attached with 3D foam.

I found some pink heart embellishments in my stash and added them around the heat embossed sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your humorous creations. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

MMM Challengebirthday

Addicted To Stamps and Moredie cuts and/or stencils

A Perfect Time To Craftanything goes

Crafting Happinessanything goes

Ally’s Angelsanything goes

Mix It Up Challengeanything goes – option of aperture not taken

Hello Friend Tag

Hello. A slightly different direction from my usual makes. This time I have turned my hand to a tag……

I used the products from the most recent ‘Let’s Stamp Together’ from Scrapbook and Cards Today. This time round it was Spellbinders. Even though I haven’t done the actual class yet, I have been playing with the products.

The tag was created from a stencil and glitter paste onto some light green card stock, then die cut using an MFT tag die. After running it through the die cutting machine, the glitter paste was more debossed than embossed, which I thought was a different look.

The flower stem was die cut from a light brown card stock, the flowers were die cut, then stitched. Before I adhered the flowers, I die cut some leaves which came with the set and stitched them, but they didn’t match the leaves on the stem, so I die cut the stem again, and just snipped the leaves off to add to the brown branch.

I then added the flowers, some faceted gold gems for the centre of the flowers, then added this to the tag.

Some green sequins for even more interest and dimension, and a previously foiled sentiment.

The ribbon was added after punching and adding the eyelet. I don’t have pink or light green ribbon, so I used this dark green ribbon. I have a stash of this ‘wrinkled’ ribbon, I forget where from now, and think that the tattered edges and wrinkles make for an interesting addition.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Cut It Updie cuts and make a tag

Mix It Upanything goes option embossing

The Crafty Addictsanything goes

Ally’s Angelsanything goes

Hello Friend

A change in craftiness with this card – I wanted some messy crafting:

I started by creating the background panel. This is a Spellbinders stencil from a recent class, and I masked off the centre oval shape, then ink blended the two Distress Inks that you see. I added some brown around the edges for some darker contrast.

I then ink smooshed a couple of card panel – Distress Mixed Media Heavystock – with darker browns on one panel, and lighter browns on another. Once they were dry I used the Tim Holtz ‘Merry Moose‘ die, as I haven’t used him for quite a while. I wanted to enter a challenge where the theme was ‘deer’ – and then had to Google if a moose was a deer or something quite different – thankfully, a moose is part of the deer family – phew!

A simple white foiled sentiment to complete the card.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

FarmQuest deer

Just Us Girlshello

2 Crafty Critter Craziesanything goes with a critter

Crafty Animalsanything goes with an animal

Here Is A Place To Startanything goes