Blooming yellow ...

Evening everyone!  I hope you have all had a great day ... I've created a card, made endless pieces for my "might come in useful box" and have very inky fingers!

I have had some excitement as well ... my first mixed media card (here) has been highlighted in the first challenge on The Mixed Media Card Challenge blog I am so honoured to be chosen from among some brilliant artists.  If you are into mixed media pop along tomorrow for the next challenge.

Back to today's contribution ... I had an idea ... and I tried and tried to make it work ... this is my final attempt, not quite what I imagined:

I used the sketch and colours for this week's challenge at {CAS} Colours and Sketches as a starting point.  I don't own the Stampin Up colours listed so had to improvise by using Versafine Smokey Gray to stamp the image, Scattered Straw Distress Ink to create a colour wash and to add shadow and finally used some aqua cardstock as a layer for the third colour.  The stamp is from Heartfelt Creations - Blooming Dahlia Precut set.

These are the challenges:

{CAS} Colours and Sketches


Addicted to Stamps - Anything Goes

Enjoy!

Teepee delight ...

A quick post this evening to share a card that I've been thinking about for days ... it's not the most exciting design but it is unusual for me as it  is a shaped card!  The inspiration for the card is the current TIME OUT Challenge you will see from the image below how I was inspired!! Unfortunately because I've procrastinated over the design I am too late to enter the challenge!

This is the photo inspiration for the TIME OUT challenge:


I'm going to enter the challenge at Addicted to Stamps where Anything Goes!

Enjoy!

Back to the Gerbera ...

It seems that whenever I get stuck for ideas out pops my favourite Gerbera stamp set (Uniko Studio).  I'm also obsessed with trying the technique of colouring without lines - I stamped the main image with Spun Sugar distress ink which was almost too pale to see and then coloured it with Inktense pencils (another of my favourites!).

I stamped the image in spun sugar inside the card

Procrastination seems to have been my enemy today, it would seem the more time I have for crafting the less I seem to achieve!  I get easily side-tracked into trying out techniques and wandering around the internet looking for inspiration rather than getting on and doing!  I've decided that tomorrow I am going to start with a stamp set that has not seen the light of day and a colour scheme and go for it.

I'm going to enter two challenges both with the theme of "Anything Goes":

"Less is More"
Uniko Studio

Enjoy!

Pretty in pink ...

I started off today full of determination to create - I had an idea for a card that I thought was really going to work but then reality set in and I couldn't get it down onto card!  So I've put that idea to one side in the hope that I will find a way later on to carry it out.

I have managed to create this:

I wanted to try out the colouring without lines technique (at least I think that's what it's called!) - I'm not sure that I succeeded but I do like the effect of stamping and colouring the image with the same distress ink.  I've also incorporated a little bit of sparkle!  I'm not one for using glitter or shimmer but I've seen so many crafters using the clear Wink of Stella brush pen that I thought I had better give it a go - I only used it on the centre of the flower but it has lifted the image quite effectively.  The problem that I had was getting the shimmer to show in the photograph.

I'm going to enter the following challenges:

"Less is More" - to celebrate Chrissie's birthday the theme is Anything Goes. (Happy Birthday, Chrissie! July is such a good month to be born - it was my birthday this week too!!)

STAMPlorations monthly challenge - with the theme stamps and Glitter (hopefully the touch of shimmer will meet the criteria.

I used:
Distress Ink - Picked Raspberry
Versafine  Onyx Black
STAMPlorations Boxed Blooms and Bold Sentiments
Spellbinders Sentiments Two die set

Enjoy!

Gerbera Grunge ...

I've had a fun afternoon playing with an idea involving my favourite Gerbera stamp (Uniko Studio), embossing powder, Stampin Up's Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and some distress ink. The result is a vibrant card and possibly not what you would expect from me and the Gerbera stamp!

Well you need wait no longer, here it is!

I began by heat embossing the image with black embossing powder and then stamped the image using one of the stamps from the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set.  I cropped the image then layered it onto two pieces of card that I had edged with distress ink to match the image. 

This was the third one that I created but the only one that I have done anything with - I'm not sure about the other ones but thought I would include them in this post so that you can see how the idea developed.

This was white embossed and coloured using a grunge stencil

Two white embossed gerberas coloured with a stamp

I am entering the following challenges:

Uniko Studio - Anything Goes

Craft Stamper Magazine - Take It, Make It Challenge, The Embossing Resist Technique

Enjoy!

Blooming hot ...

Wow it sure is hot and the sun just keeps on shining - it is a bit unusual as it is the school holidays and it usually rains!!  I'm supposed to be decorating during the holidays but unless it cools down I'm not sure how much will get done.  At least it's not too warm for crafting!

Today's efforts have included experimenting with inks and stencils, I now have quite a stash of background pieces for future cards - I'm hoping they might act as a starting point.  I have managed to complete a card.

I used:
Distress Inks - Rusty Hinge, Spiced marmalade, mustard seed, vintage photo
STAMPlorations - Boxed Blooms and Subway Art Builders DARE
XCut square dies.

I used this week's challenge sketch from STAMPlorations


As well as the STAMPlorations challenge I'm also going to enter the challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More - Clean and Simple.

Enjoy!

Singing in the rain ...

Today I've been trying to create rain!!  No, I'm not trying to cool down but trying to create raindrops on a card.  I'm not sure whether I'm happy with the result or whether it really looks like raindrops but it is the best I can do!  The reason for all this creativity ... this week's "Less is More" challenge which is to use a song title to trigger your imagination and the song title is "Singing in the Rain" ... hence the need for raindrops!

I don't have any stamps that immediately fit the theme and my drawing skills (and imagination) are not that great. So I went with the obvious - umbrellas and rain!

Hand drawn water coloured umbrellas

Water coloured raindrops with added musical note topped with glossy accents

I water coloured the umbrellas using distress inks in the colours of the rainbow!

Enjoy!

Finger printing ...

A quick post as it's getting late!

Tonight I gave finger printing another go but instead of creating my own flowers this time I used my finger prints to colour a stamped image - actually I created the finger print first and then stamped the flower image over the top.  This is it:

Apologies for the quality of the photograph

This is the first time that I've hand drawn a border but I felt the design needed something to pull it all together - the additional squiggles are supposed to reflect the detail in the flowers.

I used;
PaperArtsy JOFY Stamp Set 11
Distress Inks - peacock feathers and salty ocean
Versafine Onyx Black ink
and once again my right pointer finger!!

With inky fingers I will enter this into this week's challenge at "Less is More" to adapt a finger print.

Enjoy!

Lilac "Hydrangea" ...

Happy Monday!  It has been a quiet weekend on the creative side but not on the craft buying side!  I've been family visiting in Lincolnshire this weekend which included a trip to Summer Crafting at Doncaster Racecourse - a whole lot of creative goodies all in one place along with hundreds of other crafters!  I managed to buy quite a few goodies which you will see over the next few week.

I spent time on Sunday evening checking out the challenges for the week.  I have to say that the challenge for this week at "Less is More" brought a smile to my face - actually it made me giggle!  As it it the second Saturday of the month it is always a 'One Layer Card' challenge which in my experience involves the odd stray finger print resulting in the need to start again - it is precisely this that made me giggle as the theme for the challenge is to 'Adapt a finger print'!  I spend a great deal of my time trying to keep ink off of my fingers!  

I did have an idea or two but when I checked the early entries most of my ideas were already there, so back to the drawing board!  I decided to go with the floral theme and try an create a Hydrangea.  This is what I came up with:

I'm not happy with the result but I have been determined this year to enter the "Less is More" challenge each week and this week is not going to be the exception!!  I might try again later in the week but I'm not very keen on having inky fingers!

I used:
Distress Inks - Shaded Lilac and Picked Raspberry
Sizzix Circle Framelits
Woodware Sentiment stamp
Pointing finger on my right hand!

Enjoy!

Mixed Media ...

Most of the cards I create are Clean and Simple mainly involving stamping of some sort.  I have, over time, bought lots of "stuff" that I just look at and admire - from designer paper and coloured cardstock, from grunge paste to gelatos .... and the list goes on!  I dream about creating mixed media art but struggle to know where to start!  Tonight I decided to take up the challenge and see if I could create a card using different techniques and materials. 

Shery Russ, owner of STAMPlorations has launched a new challenge blog - The Mixed Media Card Challenge - so this provided me with the motivation to have a go. The challenge is to create a mixed media card with Nature - so here it is:

I seem to have ended up with clean and simple but have used more products to create interest and texture.  I created a stencil using a trellis die and then squidged grunge past through it. Then I die cut some trellis from a piece of card stock that I had previously stencilled using distress inks and water.  I added a strip of card and a piece of ribbon.  I then stamped and watercoloured a beautiful daisy, layered it all together and mounted it on to a 7" by 5" card blank.

I like to enter the Virginia's View Challenge and this month the challenge is to use dies.  I have used a die but it is not the main component so I hope this still meets the criteria.

I used:
STAMPlorations Boxed Blooms stamp set
All Occasions Die - Trellis Trio Part 2
Distress Inks - Seedless Preserves, Salty Ocean, Shaded Lilac, Peacock Feathers, Evergreen Bough and Spun Sugar

Enjoy!

Boxed Bloom too ...

Another quick post for this evening,  I think this stamp set could become another favourite!

This time I've taken the lead from the current sketch challenge at STAMPlorations (with a little bit of tweaking and no sentiment!).

As simple as this card is I cannot tell you how much card I wasted just trying to create it.  I sometimes get an idea in my head and just cannot translate it into real life!

I used:

STAMPlorations Boxed Blooms stamp set
Distress Inks - Mustard seed, Scattered Straw, Vintage Photo and Mowed lawn
Hessian.

This is the challenge sketch:


Enjoy!

Boxed Bloom ...

It has been a slow week for crafting ... lack of time and lack of inspiration have been a problem. Once again I have resorted to trying out different techniques - some have been successful others not but it has been fun trying them out.

Tonight I have managed to complete another card for the challenge at "Less is More" where we are ask to use Earthtone colours.

I used:

STAMPlorations Boxed Blooms Stamp set
Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Pine Needles, Rusty Hiinge, Spiced Marmalade, Tea Dye
Hessian

Enjoy!

July Birthdays ...

July is a busy month in our family for birthdays (including mine!!) fortunately I have quite a stock of suitable cards to cover most of them for once I have been quite organised.  However, my favourite brother* has a special birthday at the end of this week and it has taken some thinking about to come up with an appropriate card.  Having spent most of the week procrastinating over the design I had a bit of a breakthrough yesterday and this is it:

I used:

Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Rusty Hinge, Tea Dye and Spiced Marmalade
Stampin Up - Off the Grid and Gorgeous Grunge.
Scrabble Tiles

This week the "Less is More" challenge is to use Earthtone Colours - as I've used these colours I will enter the challenge.

Enjoy!

* I should come clean - I only have one brother!!