More flowers ...

Another sunny day, another card to share:

I'm entering the following challenges:

Inkspirational #165


CAS Colours & Sketches #280


Enjoy!

Saturday fun ...

Good evening ... I've had a lazy day crafting and creating ... some success and some best not talked about!!

First up I created a card using the sketch from CAS Colours and Sketches and the photo inspiration from TIME OUT Challenges:

This card began with a print I created using stamps, acrylic paint and my gelli printing plate ... this is the print:

I selected a small area and die cut a rectangle, I also die cut a piece of vellum the same size and stamped and heat embossed the sentiment.

The details of the two challenges are:

CAS Colour and Sketches #273


TIME OUT Challenge #110 Photo Inspiration



Enjoy!

Happy 60th ...

It's a holiday weekend in the UK and the weather is very British ... wet, cold and dreary ... a good excuse to spend the day crafting!! 

I'm trying to design some 60th birthday cards ... I seem to know a lot of people that are turning 60 this year in fact most of the people I went to school with!!

This is the first card:

The background strip was taken from a print created using acrylic paints, stencils and a gelli plate.  Printing using a gelli plate has become a real obsession ... I find it very relaxing and I never know what the final print will look like ... at least I've started to use the prints creatively!  

I was inspired by this week's challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches:



Enjoy!

Snow Day Fun ...

Snow, snow, snow ... is the only topic of conversation around the UK at the moment ... it seems to have brought the country to a virtual standstill ... but there is always an upside ... our school is closed so I get a three day weekend!!  So I have spent the day crafting ... making cards, making books and even creating an art journal page!!!

It seemed only right to share some of my hard work with you this evening ...

I was inspired by the sketch at CAS Colours & Sketches #261

... and by the current challenge at TIME OUT Challenges #104

 

A bold sentiment heat embossed on vellum and adhered to a vibrant panel created on my gelli printing plate. Both elements have been adhered to the card base with foam tape for added dimension.

Enjoy!

Lots of words ...

Good evening ... I'm still on the hunt for the elusive ideal Christmas card ... this is today's contribution:

I like a card that is all about the words!!  I first stamped and heat embossed with clear embossing powder the red 'Happy Christmas' then stamped the rest of the words with distress inks.  I trimmed the panel, added a fishtail and then adhered it to the card base with foam tape for added dimension.  This might just be the design I use for the balance of my cards as it is relatively simple to create.

I used:

UNIKO - Festive Sentiments, Pure Florals: Poinsettia

Distress Inks - Festive Berries, Pine Needles and Peeled Paint

I'm entering the following challenges:

"Less is More" #357

Uniko Challenge #44

Penny Black and More - December CAS

CAS Colours and Sketches #251

Enjoy!

Three trees ...

Another day of sorting, cleaning, tidying and finished off with trip to the rubbish tip with a car load of stuff ... how do we accumulate so much!!  I have spent the afternoon being creative (after tidying my craft table ... why is it always covered in stuff!).  This is one of the cards:

I used a scrap of card that I had cleaned my brayer on and die cut three panels before stamping the trees ... my idea was to show the life of the tree as Autumn passes and the leaves fall.  The panels were adhered using foam adhesive to add dimension.

I used:
Stampin Up - Totally Trees
Simon Says Stamp - Handwritten Borders

I'm entering the following challenges:
CAS Colour and Sketches



Stamping Sensations - August Challenge, Anything Goes

Enjoy!

In the pink ...

I have some exciting news to share with you ... I have been chosen to join the Guest Design Team over at STAMPlorations!!  I cannot describe how delighted and excited I am and to think I very nearly didn't put myself forward when Shery put out the design team call.  Right up until the point that I sent the email I dithered - should I, shouldn't I - but I did and I'm so pleased to have been selected I only hope that I manage to fulfil the role and inspire you to join in the challenges.  I'm joining from October through to December!

I'd like to share a card with you that features some of the beautiful stamps from STAMPlorations - it is a very special card as I created it for my lovely daughter's birthday. This is the card:

I used:

STAMPlorations - Born to Roam (for the sentiment)
                           - Floral Bliss
Distress Inks - Piked Raspberry and Wilted Violet
Sizzix Heart Die
WOW Clear Embossing Powder
Golden Molding Paste

I'm entering the following challenges:
STAMPlorations




And more exciting news - the design team over at CAS Colour and Sketches have selected one of my cards as a weekly winner.  Thank you so much I an delighted and honoured!  This is the card:


Enjoy!

Autumn Leaves ...

Another card ... two in one day!  Well actually this is the third card I've made today but I can't share the other one just yet.

I was inspired by the current challenges at TIME OUT and CAS Colours and Sketches - details of both are below.

I used:
STAMPlorations Trendy Leaves and Bloom Sketches
Distress Inks - Carved Pumpkin, Fired Brick, Scattered Straw and Crushed Olive.

A simple one layer card.

TIME OUT Challenge #65 - Inspired by words:

“Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year.”

CAS Colours and Sketches #190 As you can see I flipped the sketch.


STAMPlorations Never-ending Anything Goes Challenge


Enjoy!

Floral Water colour ...

Today I put my new skill of procrastination to one side and decided to try out a couple of new techniques I've seen on You Tube.  The first technique is loose water colouring an image first stamped using a light distress inks and when the image is dry stamping the image again using black ink.  The technique was demonstrated by Carolyn Peeler for the Ellen Hutson's classroom - the image she created is amazing, although not as good I am quite pleased with my first attempt!

I used:
STAMPlorations - The Birds and the Blooms
Versafine Onyx Black
Distress Inks - Squeezed Lemonade, Carved Pumpkin and Crushed Olive
Sizzix Tim Holtz Mixed Media Dies

I am entering the following challenges:

CAS Colours and Sketches #188 - it's simply ages since I entered this challenge but the sketch inspired me to have a go.


STAMPlorations August CAS Challenge:


STAMPlorations Never Ending Anything Goes Challenge


Enjoy!

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!

Border flowers ...

I spent a great amount of time last week moaning about colour challenges and yet I seem to be strangely attracted to them!  On reflection I think my problem was more to do with the colour pink than anything else.  So here is today's card based on two colour challenges and a sketch challenge.

The sentiment is heat embossed on velum.

I used the following
Distress Ink - Mustard Seed
Stampin Up Ink - Coastal Cabana and Lucky Limeade
Versamark Ink
Stampendous White Detail Embossing Powder
Simon Says Stamp -  Handwritten Borders
V&A Stamps sets based on Patchwork Quilts housed in the museum.

I will enter the following challenges:
"Less is More" - the colour of your bedroom (I've used the colours of my bed linen)
CAS Colours and Sketches - colour challenge, daffodil delight, tempting turquoise and wild wasabi
CAS(E) this Sketch


STAMPlorations June Challenge - stamps and borders

Enjoy!

Floral Hexagons ...

It's the weekend!! It's also the start of the half term holiday - a week off work for me.  An opportunity for me to craft when I want and for as long as I want, in between catching up with housework!

This is the third card I've made this week using hexagons in one form or another.

The hexagons have been die cut into the top layer

The stamped images are on the card base

I used the following:

JoFY Stamp - JM34
Clearly Besotted sentiment
Derwent Inktense Pencils
Hexagon die

I'm going to enter these challenges:

CASology - Flowers

CAS - Colour and Sketches


Enjoy!