Tuesday 29 April 2014

Happiness ...

Tonight I am childishly excited and honoured that one of my cards has been awarded a 'Top Three Winner' on the CAS - Colours and Sketches blog.  The theme for the challenge was a colour one and you needed to use black and two shades of grey - you can see my card that they thought was a winner here.  Thank you.

It's funny really that tonight I have been working on a grunge style card and it was a grunge style card that was a winner!  I like the idea of grunge but my style is more clean and simple and I find it difficult to get my head around this apparent conflict.  This week at  Addicted to CAS the theme is Grunge whilst bearing in mind the need to produce a clean and simple card - the embodiment of my conflict!

So here is the card I will be entering into the challenge:


The sentiment has been white embossed and then the background water coloured using distress inks

The sentiment has been set on dimensional adhesive

I used the following:

Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Tea Dye, Spiced Marmalade and Mustard Seed
Versamark
Stampendous White Embossing Powder
Stampin Up Gorgeous Grunge stamp set
Kaisercraft Clear Stamp - Way of Life

Enjoy!

Monday 28 April 2014

Flower circle ...

A quick post this evening.  This is another card based on this week's sketch at "Less is More".



I used the following:

Derwent Inktense pencils
Woodware Stamp Set Square Garden

I am entering this into these challenges:

"Less is More" Sketch Challenge
Addicted to Stamps and More - Make Your Mark
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Keep It Clean and Simple

Enjoy!

Sunday 27 April 2014

Gardener's delight ...

Well not quite gardener's delight but certainly a flower inspired card.  I've decided that I am developing (what some might say is) an unhealthy obsession with masterboards - I absolutely love the act of creating them.  I find it relaxing just to be able to sit and colour with Inktense pencils (another obsession!).  I'm even finding it easier to cut them up!

Today's card takes a section from my newest masterboard created with JoFY stamps from PaperArtsy.  I've taken the sketch from Sketch Saturday and turned it on its' head to come up with this.




This is the masterboard that I used sections from:



I used the following;

PaperArsty Stamps: JOFY 09 and JOFY 24
Derwent Inktense Pencils
Distress Ink Seedless Preserves

I'm entering two challenges:

Sketch Saturday


CASology


Enjoy!

Saturday 26 April 2014

Always be ...

It's a real April day today - sunshine and showers (actually sunshine and downpours!!).  You know the kind of day when it's washing out on the line, washing in, washing out on the line, washing in and eventually the weather wins and the washing stays in!

I struggled to get going this morning - I'd planned to spend the day crafting but just didn't know how to start.  I've dabbled with a couple of new techniques to see if they will work for me.  I think I need to practice some more before trying them on an actual project but a lot of messy fun to get me started.

I returned to a tried and tested technique to produce a card for this week's challenge at "Less is More" it is sketch week.  This is my first attempt - I thought I would try a single layer card.





I used the following:
Distress Inks - Fired Brick, Salty Ocean, Seedless Preserves, Festive Berries,  Weathered Wood
Simon Says Stamp - 'Be' Stamp Set
Clearly Besotted - 'Pretty Petals Plus'
Versafine Onyx Black ink

This is the sketch:


Just popped back as I found that the challenge on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is Clean and Simple this week - so thought I would enter here too.

Enjoy!

Tuesday 22 April 2014

Black and two greys ...

This is my 100th post!!  I guess that it should be something outstanding or earth shattering but I'm afraid not, it's just another card based episode in my crafting life!

It was back to work today after the Easter break - so it's back to crafting in the evening and at weekends.  I did have an idea for a card developing in my mind over lunch so decided to give it a go this evening.  What do you think:


These cog dies seem to be my go to resource for masculine cards!!
These are not brilliant photographs - I used two shades of grey plus black.  I need to sort out my set up for taking photographs and/or replace my camera - maybe I'll wander around the internet to see if there are tutorials or blogs about good photography!

I will be entering this card into the following challenges:

CAS - Colours and Sketches


TIME OUT Challenges - Happy Birthday with the optional twist of masculine card.

Enjoy!

Monday 21 April 2014

Smiling Monday ...

Lots to smile about today!  It's Monday but no work as it's a Bank Holiday.  I've been gardening and managed to clear the patio of most of the weeds.  The sun is shining.  I've created a card which I will enter into a couple of challenges.  The biggest smile was when I found that one of my cards had been chosen as a Top Pick on the STAMPlorations blog - it was the first time I had entered a challenge on this blog and I'm honoured to have been chosen.   You can see the card that was chosen here.  Do take the time to visit STAMPlorations blog they produce a great range of stamps as well as running challenges.

Today's card involves acrylic paint, gesso and a stencil to create a paper - similar to the paper I created for my Rainbow card here.  The colours are not as vibrant as a rainbow but are mellow and soothing - I'm hoping it will make the recipient smile!



The layer of gesso defines the flowers and adds texture
I will enter this into the following challenges:

"Less is More" - Makes Me Smile
Addicted to Stamps and More - Anything Goes

Enjoy!

Sunday 20 April 2014

It makes me smile ...

A big  welcome to all of my new followers and hello to all that have been following for a while.  I hope that you are all enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend in spite of the rain that has descended on the UK.  The up side of bad weather is that I can craft without a guilty conscience of not doing the gardening!

So I've been getting messy with paint and trying some new techniques - some worked and some didn't!  I'll be sharing the results with you all over the next few days - the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

This card I created in response to this week's challenge at "Less is More"

"Makes me smile!
It's simply that... something that makes you smile.
 It could be something cute, pretty, humorous, or merely a technique which satisfies you and makes you pleased with your finished article.
SO... lots of scope, but we'd like you to tell us the reason for your choice!"

My family and friends make me happy when I'm with them or thinking of them. To share time with them is very important to me - without this I know there is nothing that would make me smile!   So because of my family and friends there are many things that make me smile - the thought of making someone else smile when I send them a card for no apparent reason, a card just to say "hello, you are  in my thoughts".  

So the challenge set me thinking - what sort of card could I design that would also make me smile.  I decided that the colours of the rainbow combined with flowers would be a good place to start.  Rainbows bring a smile to my face because the sun has to be shining for the rainbow to appear and just who doesn't love to see beautiful flowers!




I created the hexagons by first making a rainbow on a piece of watercolour card using distress inks and loads of water.  I then took a stencil and some gesso to create the flowers (a small masterboard).  It looked like this:


I was pleased with the finished look but knew that I was going to cut it up to create a card so using a hexagon die that is what I did and the rest, as they say, is history!

In addition to the challenge at "Less is More" that inspired my card I will also enter it into challenges at Addicted to Stamps and More where Anything Goes; and Lets Craft and Create: where the criteria is to use Dies and Punches.

Enjoy!

Friday 18 April 2014

Masterboard revisited ...

A quick post today to showcase another card using a piece of the masterboard I created (see here).  I originally created it following the inspiring example produced by Jo Firth Young on the PaperArtsy Blog.  I loved the whole process of creating the masterboard so much that I am currently creating another one - more on this later!!

This is the fourth card that I have created from this original board.



I'm excited to see that this week at PaperArtsy Jo Firth Young is showing creations that she has created from her masterboard and they are so inspiring.  As the challenge is always a response to the week's contributors I thought I would submit this card to the challenge showing how I used my master board.  Check out earlier posts here, here and here to see other cards made from my masterboard.

Enjoy!

Sunday 13 April 2014

Shadow Stamping ...

Now I'm the first to admit that I do love a challenge ... but I think shadow stamping might be a challenge to far!!  

Since the start of 2014 I have been trying to enter the weekly card challenge at "Less is More" each week. This week the challenge is for a One Layer Card (which I love) with the added twist that it should involve Shadow Stamping - a technique that I haven't used before and may never use again.

I tried lots of different stamps, some I stamped twice without re-inking, some I stamped with a lighter shade and then a darker shade but each time it just didn't seem to work.  I had some success when stamping flowers on kraft card using white ink and a colour but as Jen (one of the Less is More Designers) had used this colour combination I really wanted to do something different.  I finally stamped the image twice without re-inking and then coloured the image with inktense pencils using water to blend and create a wash of colour for the shadow.

This is the result:


I added an embossed box to ground the image

I used the following:

Versafine Onyx Black Ink
Dovecraft Eastern Promise Stamp Set
Clearly Besotted Pretty Petals Plus Stamp Set
Derwent Inktense Pencils

Enjoy!

Saturday 12 April 2014

Tulip Bouquet ...

This is my final post for the day - I promise!

I wanted to use a new set of stamps and dies from Clearly Besotted - the set is Pretty Petals Plus and is part of their April Release.  This is what I've created:-

The photograph does not do justice to the colour, sorry


I used the following:

Clearly Besotted - Pretty Petals Plus stamp set and dies.
Stampin Up - Bermuda Bay ink and card

I am going to enter this into the Clearly Besotted Challenge with the theme of Spring!

Enjoy!

Faux Stamps Revised ...

My first attempt at this card was not a great success (see here) I didn't really like the placement of the letters!  I was just going to leave it as a card that didn't really work but it just bugged me and so I started again and created another one.  This time, as you will see, I've positioned the letters centrally on each of the stamps - I'm now pleased with it!



I am going to enter this into the same two challenges - CAS(E) this Sketch and TIME OUT Challenges.  I do hope this is acceptable as although it is a different card it is the same design just executed better!!

Enjoy!

Guest Designer ...

This is a very special post for me as it is the very first time that I have been asked to be a guest designer for a blog challenge!  In March one of my cards was chosen by Inkspirational as a 'top pick' for the Challenge Number 53 - colour.  I was delighted and then somewhat surprised when I was asked to be a guest designer for a future challenge - my first thought was that they must have confused me with someone else!  After dithering around a bit I decided to go for it.

The challenge this time is a sketch.  I created three cards to offer a choice, in case they didn't like the first one.  Here they are in the order I created them:



I have lots of designer paper that I seem to buy because it is so pretty but never seem to use - I thought I should at least try to use some of it!



I need to try to create more masculine cards hence the decision to create this one - I do need to move away from grunge/steam punk for my male cards but not this time!

And finally,



Thank you Inkspirational (Marina) for inviting me to be Guest Designer!

Enjoy!

Friday 11 April 2014

Faux Stamps ...

The sun is shining I've pottered in the garden this morning, been craft shopping this afternoon and I've created a card!!  It's amazing what I have time to do when I'm not at work- the only sad part is that we've reached the end of the first week of the Easter Break and I still have so much that I want to do!

Today's card is based on the sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch.  I've been thinking about creating a card like this for sometime but I wasn't sure whether it would work.  I'm quite happy with it but think on reflection that it would work better if the letters were positioned in the same place on each of the "stamps" but you never know unless you try.  What do you think?



I've created the stamps from an old map and the letters are die cut using an alphabet set from Tattered Lace.

This card also fits the TIME OUT Challenge of creating a Birthday Card and as it's a male card it also meets the twist to the challenge.

Enjoy!

Thursday 10 April 2014

Dahlia Delight ...

Another day, another card.  Whenever I get a new stamp (or borrow a stamp from my Mum!) I always seem to need to create more than one card!  In this card I have used the same stamp as yesterday's card but I have created a different look.  I've used the sketch from this month's Sketch Challenge at STAMPlorations  - this is a new challenge for me but I couldn't resist it.




I've used vellum for the sentiment and some pearls to hide the glue holding the vellum to the card - these are products that I don't normally use but I quite like the look.

The colour of the flower means that I can enter this card into this week's colour challenge at "Less is More"

Enjoy!

PS.  Just popped back to add details of another challenge that I could enter this card - it's another new one to me - TIME OUT Challenges this is their third challenge and the theme is Birthday with the optional twist of a male birthday card.  Thanks for the heads up Sandie!

Wednesday 9 April 2014

Spring Delight ...

I've just returned from visiting family in my favourite county - Lincolnshire!  Being away has meant that I have not been able to post on my blog internet access at my Mum's is not that reliable.  I need to work out how to schedule posts for when I'm not around.

I spent time planning and chatting about future craft projects with my mum and coming up with lots of ideas - I just hope I can remember what they all were. We spent last Saturday in the company of around 70 other avid crafters at a Dabble Day run by Blyth Craft Studio - this was a great day and an opportunity to try out some new techniques and revisit old ones too.

Today I have created a card for this week's challenge at "Less is More", the challenge is to use Turquoise.  This is the card:



I used the following:

Stampin Up - Regarding Dahlias
Clearly Besotted - Dandelion Dreams
Derwent Inktense pencils

Enjoy!

Wednesday 2 April 2014

Quick CAS Card ...

April has begun on a high - I've won another challenge!  This time over at The Male Room - this is a challenge blog aimed at creating cards for the men in our life.  If you haven't visited pop along and have a look at all the great cards entered into the challenge.  You can check out the card that I entered here.

Tonight I thought I would put together a quick CAS card for this week's challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More where the challenge is to produce a clean and simple card.  Here's mine:





Enjoy!