Wednesday, 14 May 2014

Thank you too! ...

Still avoiding homework!  A quick card, similar in style to the card I posted yesterday but it is cleaner and brighter and all one layer.

The tag is created by using a die to emboss the shape

I used

Stampin Up - Gorgeous Grunge
Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Spiced Marmalade, Tea Dye

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

"Less is More" - one layer thank you card.

CAS(E) this Sketch!



Enjoy!

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

Thanks ...

When I was studying I used to find lots of things to do when it came to avoiding homework - tidying my desk, doing the washing up, knitting, reading - in fact I would almost do anything to avoid the inevitable.  It would seem that age hasn't changed me one little bit!  This evening I've tidied my craft table, sorted my stamps all in an attempt to avoid my Watercolor Course homework!!!  A bit ridiculous really as there are no deadlines, no exams and no teacher/tutor to tell me off and yet I feel very naughty!  

I have created a card - not using watercolour techniques but the tried and tested technique of stamping!  I think this fits the challenge at "Less is More" for a One Layer Thank You card - although I am a little concerned about the sentiment stickers.



Apologies for the apparent difference in colours between the photographs but I have a new camera and haven't quite mastered it yet.  I embossed a tag into the card using a tag die, masked it and then stamped around the tag before adding alphabet stickers to create the sentiment.

I used the following:

Stampin Up - Off the Grid,  Gorgeous Grunge stamps
Distress Inks - Spiced Marmalade, Vintage Photo, Tea Dye
Dovecraft - White pigment ink
Do Craft Mini Alphabet stickers

Enjoy!

Monday, 12 May 2014

Watercolour Gerbera...

After a weekend away with family it was back to work today!  Back to crafting this evening - I've managed to make two cards, one consigned to the "I'm not happy with it pile" and one that I'm going to share with you.

As I mentioned I'm doing a Watercolor course  (at onlinecardcourses.com)and should be doing homework every evening but life sometime seems to get in the way so I'm busy playing catch-up!  Tonight I've created a card stamping an image to create a watercolor finish and this is it:




I'm going to enter this card into two challenges:

"Less is More" this week the challenge is a 'One Layer Thank You' card.
STAMPlorations - the monthly challenge - Stamps and Flowers

I used the following:

Uniko Studios Stamp Set - Pure Florals: Gerbera
Clearly Besotted - Many Messages
Distress Inks - Spiced Marmalade,  Mustard Seed, Tea Dye

Before finishing I would like to thank the designers at Addicted to CAS they have awarded me CAS Perfectionist for one of my cards for their grunge challenge.  Thank you!  This is the card they liked:












Enjoy!

Saturday, 10 May 2014

Wedding Balloons ...

Today I'm in sunny Lincolnshire (at least I hope it is sunny!) for my nephew's wedding! I've scheduled this post so that I could share with you all the card that I created for the lovely couple.

The bridesmaids are going to have purple in their outfits so this is where I started with my design. I then changed my mind numerous times and tried lots of different ideas - balloons, white on white, floral, graphics and all the way back to balloons!  This is the card that made the cut and by the time you read this will be in the hands of the bride and groom!




I used the following:

Clearly Besotted Stamp set and matching dies - Make a Wish
Memento Ink - Grape Jelly
Card from my stash
Embroidery Thread.

Enjoy!

Edit: Sunday early evening.

I've popped back (after a hectic weekend and lots of driving) to enter my card into the following challenges:

Inkspirational - this week is a photograph for inspiration!



The Card Concept - I would describe my card as Clean and Layered and the criteria is for monochromatic purple!



TIME OUT Challenges - No. 5 'Time Flies, Love Lasts'

Thursday, 8 May 2014

In stitches ...

As well as papercrafts I love working with textiles - cross stitch, embroidery, sewing, knitting and other textile crafts - so I was delighted to read on Virginia's View Challenge that the theme is 'Stitches'.  This was going to be a chance to combine two of my loves and also a new challenge, so off I went to find inspiration card and threads.  Looking through my stash I came across a circle that I had already hand stitched and so a plan came together and this is my card.




I've left the layout very simple just adding a sentiment and popping the circle onto some dimensional adhesive.  All there is to do now is pop over and enter the challenge.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

Flowers ...

A quick second post for this evening - I started this card at the weekend but kind of lost my way with it.  The initial ideas seemed to disappear into the ether and I was left not knowing what to do - a quick wander around some wonderful blogs and ideas started to form.

I've taken the colour scheme from the challenge at Inkspirational of Pink and Green, with the sketch from STAMPlorations bi-weekly sketch challenge and the monthly challenge also at STAMPlorations where the theme is Stamps and Flowers (I'm not sure whether it is acceptable to enter one card into both challenges, apologies if it isn't).

The card
I haven't included a sentiment at this stage and will add one to suit the occasion


I used the following:

Derwent Inktense pencils
JoFY Stamp JM34

This is STAMPlorations sketch:


Enjoy!

Day One, Watercolor course ...

As I mentioned I have joined the Watercolor course at onlinecardcourses.com. I hoping to learn lots of techniques but I'm not very good at doing homework!  Day one and two are about creating watercolour backgrounds - this is my homework based on one of the techniques which I have enjoyed attempting.


The card base is actually dark navy and not the black it looks in this photograph!


I used watercolour paints that I've had for years but never used - they are going to take a bit of mastering especially as the depth of colour changes as the paint dries.  I'm reasonably happy with the finished card but do need to practise more.

Enjoy!