Tonic Nuvo drops

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

SPREAD THE MERRY LITTLE LOVE AND GRAB A BADGE!

Be Happy…..

I have a few cards to share today based on the same die set. This was a die set from our Camp Counsellor – Laura Bassen – for from the Concord & 9th Summer Camp a few weeks ago. Each of the six ‘cabins’ has their own Camp Counsellor, and each of the counsellors gifted a die set – and Concord & 9th then allowed us all to order all six of them – therefore I have another 5 to play with!

Their next two day event has just been announced and closes after one week – so if you’re interested, then I suggest you go and take a look…..

Here are my cards:

I made another couple of cards using the same colours – just arranged slightly differently:

The colours I used were for the current challenge at Color Throwdown. I also added some Tonic Nuvo drops in the challenge colours – I really can’t stop when I start to use them…..

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – red, yellow blue

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – add a sentiment

Thank you for your kindness

Hello once again. I am managing to make some cards – I can start to sit normally with my foot down for short periods – I don’t have to keep it elevated all the time. I am being careful and not doing too much of that, but as I am able to get into my craft room I am so much happier…..

Here is a card I created as a thank you to all the people who sent me ‘get well’ wishes, and flowers, and just keeping in touch with me over the past few weeks:

I made a few of these – the same colours and layout – as I liked how it turned out so much.

I used a dark blue slimline base card, and the die cut elements from the Concord & 9th ‘Eclectic Garden’ stamp and die set. The banner is also from Concord & 9th, as is the sentiment.

I decided to keep the birds single white layer to stand out on the background. I did some that were layered with colour, but I thought this idea was better for these colours.

I used some Tonic Nuvo drops in the centre of the flowers and the end of the shorter banner words.

I’m probably going to play a little more with these birds – different colours etc – but they look so elegant in white, don’t they?

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Inspiration Station Challenge – photo inspiration

Color Throwdown – purple, green, blue

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Cupcake Inspirations – Oh Birdie

2 Crafty Critters Crazies – anything goes with a critter

Crafty Animals – anything goes with an animal

You Are Magical…..

Hello. I have a fun card to share today using some new products:

I recently received this Tim Holtz colorize die set of ‘Rupert’ – I decided to use the colours from the current Color Throwdown challenge to make ‘Rupert’ into ‘Rupert-Tina’!

I started with some card stock from Concord & 9th, Heffy Doodle, and Altenew and played with the layers and colours. The background stamp is from a new set from Heffy Doodle, stamped in brown Gina K amalgam ink – I wasn’t sure if I was going to colour any of it – and the flower that Rupert-Tina is holding is made of a leaf sprig and left-over white flower from a previous make – coloured with Copics.

I did have to watch the YouTube video to see which layer goes where – but it was quite easy. The hardest part was ensuring all those little pieces didn’t have glue squishing out from the side of them – but it all went quite well.

The eyes are Nuvo drops – those little black die-cuts were just a little too fiddly for me.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – layer it

Color Throwdown – Kraft, green, yellow, pink

Aud Sentiments Challenge – anything goes with a sentiment

Crafters Castle – anything goes

Love To Craft Challenge – anything goes

ABC Christmas Challenge – ‘W’ and ‘X’

Hello there. I am hosting the new challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge for the letters ‘W’ and ‘X’. The theme chosen for these letters are ‘Winter Wonderland’ and ‘Xtra Special’.

I have a prize on offer for the winner – chosen by a random generator – so every entry has a chance to win:

Thirsty Brush and Co – stamp and die set – Home For Christmas

You can enter as many times as you like – as long as you follow the winter/Christmas holidays or festivals – and you have followed the theme for the current letters.

Here are my cards:

Both of these cards are a combination of ink-blending, die-cutting and adding glittery stuff, with the second card also including some Copic colouring.

The Winter Wonderland card is utilising the new die set from Tim Holtz – Colorize Holiday Village – but changing the colour of my village to two shades of red instead of brown – I wanted a brighter look to the card. I did have to watch YouTube to figure out what to glue where – and in what order!

I added some mountains behind the village and an ink blended sky – which actually came about quite by mistake……. I did the ink blending, then used a Lawn Fawn stencil and some glitter paste to try and create some stars – but when I took the stencil up it moved and scraped along the sky. I tried to take the glitter paste up with a spatula – but it just swept the glitter across the sky………my idea of a happy accident. A very glittery sky now, with the distress inks showing some of the stars anyway. Oh yeah!

The Xtra Special card was also ink blending, but with Distress Oxides – two red colours and Wilted Violet along the edges to darken them. I liked the look of the violet so much, I used that as the main colour for my characters. Purple penguin and bird anyone!

I decided to add some white acrylic splatter to the background, and then also added some white gel pen into the areas which I thought looked a little open.

There is some glitter and sparkle on this card too – once I have the stuff out then I’m gonna use ’em! Nuvo drops on all the itsy bitsy tiny tree lights, sparkle pen on the other baubles and the snow on the lodge – oh, and the pompoms on the hats too.

I hope you can come and join us – it’s getting closer to the time when we have to think about what Christmas cards we have and also think about sending them cards out…….I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Winter wonderland card:

Aud Sentiments – anything goes with a sentiment

Christmas 24 Challenge – Christmas Landscape

Merry Little Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Xtra Special Card:

Jingle Belles Rock – Christmas and Creatures

Color Crazy Challenge – week 43 – anything goes colouring

2 Crafty Critter Crazies – anything goes with critters

Crafty Animals Challenge – anything goes with animals

Christmas Cards All Year Round – for or with family or friends

Glittery Snowman cards

Hello yet again. I have some cards to share – variations on the same theme – for the new challenge which has just begun at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge:

I had fun playing with this die set and choosing the colour for the scarf and gloves.

The background is a stencil and glitter paste from a previous play time in my craft room. The green paste is a mix of Altenew embossing paste and one of their ink refills. I varied the base card – white card and Centura Pearl card – which gave the darkest base colour.

The black eyes and buttons are Nuvo drops – the little die cuts these out but they were sooooo fiddly I gave it up as a bad job and went with the Nuvo drops. There were four cards initially – but on the fourth card I put the drops down and added the other elements before letting the drops dry and set…….yep – black stuff everywhere!

I hope you can come and join us in our ‘anything goes as long as it’s Christmas’ challenge – I look forward to seeing you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Fab’N’Funky Challenges – Christmas

Lil Red Wagon – make your background

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – anything goes Christmas

Christmas Craft Creations – Christmas Characters

Crimbo-Crackers – Anything goes Christmas

12 Months of Christmas – Christmas with option shimmer and shine

‘Y’ for Youngster

Hi there. A new challenge has begun at ‘The Alphabet Challenge’ and this time the letter is ‘Y’ – so we want to see your projects for ‘Youngsters‘. Here is my card:

I used a Boogaboo digital image called ‘Clyde Birthday‘, resizing and then printing out onto Make-it Colour Blending card.

I looked through my range of Copics for some colourful and varied colours and came up with what you see, using three of each colour family. Once coloured, I let him dry for a while, then added some glossy accents to the balloon…….

Yes – I know there is glossy accents all over the image – one of my cats came to ‘help’ at just the right/wrong time – and the glossy accents smeared over the dragon head – so instead of reprinting and re-colouring – I smothered the glossy accents over the whole image of Clyde…………….! And I like it!

A photo where I captured more of the glossy-ness:

As this was a colourful card for a youngster, I added some DSP behind in layers – I think they are Stampin Up – and actually the colours matched quite nicely.

Of course – as no-one has staged an intervention to stop me using Tonic Nuvo drops – I added some in the top corner, as I felt it looked a little bare.

The sentiment is from MFT, a clean and block sentiment – a style which I felt suited the card.

Before the ‘accident’ with the glossy accents, I was going to add some white gel pen lines to the image – but that obviously couldn’t happen now…..maybe next time. I found colouring this image quite a joy – and I usually find colouring a chore on larger images……

this kind of card isn’t my usual style – I don’t make cards for the children/youngsters, but I really, really enjoyed putting this card together – maybe another string to my bow?

I hope you can come and join us for this challenge, and I hope to see you in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Catch the Bug Challenge – anything goes

Allsorts Challenge – anything with wings

Watercooler Challenge – occasions

Inkspirational – animals – real or magical

Digi Choosday – anything goes

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Happy Holidays

Hello there. There is a new challenge starting at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. The theme is – anything goes Christmas.

Here is my card:

I didn’t have much time to prepare this card, so I am pleased it came together quite quickly.

I began by stamping the branch image from a freebie stamp set several times onto a piece of Make It Colour Blending Card, and coloured the small leaves with three green Copics. The sentiment is from the same stamp set.

I was going to add it to the card base as it was, but decided it looked a little too plain, so I added the red strip down the side, and then went ahead and added some Tonic Nuvo drops – and added more of them, then more of them. I really, really, really, need to know when to stop adding those……….but I do like the little bit of added dimension and colour they give.

I hope you can come and join us in our challenge, and I look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks – must have stamping

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge – atg Christmas with option of vintage

Crafty Creations – anything goes

Be a Unicorn

Hello there. I have a cute card to share today using a new die from Waffle Flower:

I knew I wanted to play with this die as soon as it arrived, and took the opportunity to use the current colours at Color Throwdown.

I die cut the unicorn, then added some Spectrum Noir purple sparkle as you see. Whilst that purple was drying, I turned to the background.

I used Distress Oxide ‘Mowed Lawn‘ and blended using my blending brushes, adding some Gansai Tambi green sparkle splatters – it’s all about the sparkle on this card.

I created a frame in grey card stock by using some rectangle dies and adhered this to the green layer. The sentiment is stamped using grey ink, placed as you see, and the unicorn sat on top of the sentiment strip.

I did take some warm grey Copics and tried to add some shading to the edge of the unicorn – not sure I like it, might have been better left alone – but there we are.

I glued the unicorn to the green layer, making sure the arms and the wings were free, and added some Tonic Nuvo drops in ‘mercury‘ for the eyes and nostrils, slotting the purple glittery present in the hands.

I think I’ll be playing with this die some more, using perhaps rainbow colours – of course the glittery rainbow colours, and I’m sure you’ll be seeing that here.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – violet/purple, green, grey

Time Out Challenges – inspired by words (Birthday and sparkle like confetti)

Crafty Calendar Challenge – use die cuts/punches

AAA Birthday – birthday and cute

Black and Blingy Birthday

Hello there. I am hosting the new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz, and I chose the theme of ‘Black and Blingy‘. I am sure there are some ideas rolling around in your head to be able to join us in this challenge.

Here is my card:

I knew I wanted some black foliage, and turned to a Tattered Lace die – A Little Bit Ditsy – and die cut this out of black glimmer card stock from Stampin Up.

That in itself was a challenge! Getting all those little details to come out of that card – slowly, slowly peeling it out – it took some doing. despite using my Gemini Junior, and cutting it s few times – I almost gave up!

I’m glad I persevered – and even cut two of them!

The butterfly is from Spellbinders, and I took the decision to add some pink glittery card underneath the black butterfly – I like the pop of colour.

The sentiment is from a Sue Wilson set which started out as ‘Happy Birthday to You’ – but I trimmed it down as you see.

All the card – except the base card – is glimmer card from Stampin Up – no stamping on this card at all – just die cuts.

Sticking items onto glimmer card is also a challenge – so once I had used some glue I turned again to me Tonic Nuvo drops and added some black dots strategically – to enable to some added dimension, but also to act as glue to keep those flourishes down on the card.

I hope you can come and join us – I can’t wait to see your take on the black and bling theme. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges – something that flies

The Paper Girls – birthday

Happy Little Stampers dies challenge– anything goes with dies

Watercooler Challenge – occasions