Snowmen ...

It is only at this time of the year that I make more than one card of the same design ... but as we get nearer to Christmas it becomes a necessity.  Every year I promise myself to start making Christmas cards earlier and every year I get to December and still need cards ... at least I am predictable!  Today I thought I would share these cards, one design different colours:

A simple design that I could use for multiple cards using different stamp sets and backgrounds.  I first created the background using a stencil and distress inks to create a water colour effect,  The Snowmen were all stamped and heat embossed before colouring with Zig Real Brush markers and then fussy cut to provide a focal point.  The Snowmen were adhered to the card base with foam adhesive for added dimension.

I used:

PaperArtsy - JOFY 17 stamp set

Impression Obsessions Cover a Card Snowflakes Stencil

Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Speckled Hen, Salty Ocean

I'm entering the December challenge at Country View Challenges - Anything Christmas.

Stay safe!

Monster Christmas ...

Another week closer ... another Christmas card to add to the pile - still not enough but heading in the right direction.  Today's card is just a bit of fun that hopefully will go down well with the younger members of my family.

You may recognise the monster ... I just masked off the corner of the stamp and added a Santa hat (which I drew by hand on a separate piece of card, coloured and fussy cut).  I created the sentiment from a number of different stamp sets and an alphabet set.  I want to add a little texture in the background so used some texture paste through a snowflake stencil.

I'm entering the challenge at "Less is More"


Enjoy!

Better on a Monday ...

I had a real Monday morning feeling today and didn't want to get up let alone go to work but needless to say I did both!

I have managed to create another card for the "Less is More" challenge - today I've chosen to CASE Anne's card.

This is Anne's card:



I used:

PaperArtsy Eclectica ELB17 by Lin Brown
Distress Inks - Ripe Persimmon, Scattered Straw, Salty Ocean and Pine Needles.

This is a new stamp set and a bit of a change in style for me.  As it is new and I've never used it before I'm going to enter my blog friend Darnell's NBUS Challenge 4 - if you've never visited Darnell's blog you really should.  Her posts are full of fun and her cards are wonderful, she has a kind heart and generous spirit.



Enjoy!

Hectic Sunday ...

I wish weekends were longer!  I seem to run out of time to do all the things I would like to do ... it seems with a blink of an eye I fly from Friday evening to Sunday without really drawing breath!!  I always start the weekend with long list of things I would like to do interspersed with stuff that I have to do!  I only wish that I could do more of the things I choose to do rather than the things that need doing!  Less of the waffle and onto the positives!

To start the day I was up and creating very early!  I woke with an idea of a card for this week's "Less is More" challenge.  This week we're asked to CASE one of the Design Team cards - I find CASEing designs a difficult task as I'm always concerned that all I will do is the copy bit and not add my twist.  I had a couple ideas for the challenge but only time to make one card today and this is it!

I was inspired by Chrissie's card:



The similarity is limited really but the image and colour inspired me to create a simple card. I wanted to include some words but didn't have a small enough stamp - so thought I would just go with the image alone and lots and lots of white space.  I think it lacks quite alot so I will be finding time tomorrow to create another card more worthy of being linked to Chrissie's beautiful card.

I used:

STAMplorations Blossom Overture Stamp set
Distress Inks - Festive Berries and Crushed Olive

I ran out of time to have another try today as I spent the rest of the day at a workshop  at The Stamp Attic trying some new techniques (new to me) creating a "piece of art" under the guidance of Lin Brown using stamps designed by Lin and other products from PaperArtsy. It was brilliant!!  Great fun, very messy with a group of lovely ladies and an excellent teacher. I'll be getting the paints out again and having another go.  This is what I created (not my usual CAS style),  it's not quite finished but I'm reasonably happy with it.

Enjoy!

Anything but a card ...

Well, that's Christmas done and dusted for another year!  New Year is looming - resolutions to be made and the past year to reflect on!

My post this evening is a little different as it does not involve a card although I have used many of the techniques I use when card making.  This is the Christmas present I made for my crafty mum, she chose the pen holder at a crafting event at Doncaster Dome and suggested I buy it and decorate it for her Christmas present.

I painted the whole thing with Chalk paint from PaperArtsy and used a crackle glaze between the base layer (Dolly Mix pink) and the top layer (Chalk).  I stamped the JoFY flowers on to tissue paper and coloured them with Inktense pencils I then adhered them using Matte Multi Medium - this was a technique that I had never used before.  I used beeswax to seal the paint and to protect the surface.  I'm pleased with how it turned out and my mum was delighted with it - in the same way that all mum's are delighted with gifts their children make!

I'm going to enter the December challenge on the PaperArtsy blog.  Gabby Price showcased the technique of stamping and painting on tissue paper on the PaperArtsy blog.

I used the following:

Mdf pen holder - by MDFMan
PaperArtsy Paints -Dolly Mix, Chalk and Crackle Glaze
JoFY Stamps
Derwent Inktense Pencils
Ranger Multi Medium Matte

Enjoy!

Flowers and Newsprint ...

A quick post this evening to share a card for this week's "Less is More" challange - it's recipe week you need to include newsprint on your card whilst keeping it clean and simple.

I used the following:

Creative Expressions Newsprint stamp
Eclectica from PaperArtsy EEV10 stamp set by Ellen Vargo
Distress Inks - spiced marmalade, picked raspberry, seedless preserves, peeled paint, pine needles, mustard seed.
Versafine - Smokey Grey

Enjoy!

Summer colours ...

Sunglasses might be needed for looking at some elements of this post!  If I had to describe my style of cardmaking I would probably choose Clean and Simple (CAS) as my approach tends to be minimalist - a little stamping, some colouring and very often monchrome.  This card is anything but, I have used nearly every product that I own (including some I don't remember buying!!)  I have to admit to being in awe of the mixed media artists that I follow and dream of being able to create an Art Journal. 

I think that one problem I have is that I don't always have the patience to wait for things to dry ... something that I now realise is essential when working with mixed media.  I thought if I worked on two projects at the same time as one was drying I could add to the other and this is how I end up with this:

To me this reflects the colour of summer

JOFY flowers combined from different sets

I've been working on this card since the new challenge at "The Mixed Media Card Challenge" was announced on the 1st August - the theme is Summer, the first thoughts I had were of summer meadows and clean clear colours.

When I started I did not have much of an idea as to the final design so I just kind of let it evolve. My understanding of mixed media (apart from the obvious of using a variety of techniques and products) is to build up layers of interest, dimension and texture - this card certainly has a lot of layers some of which are not obvious!

I started with a piece of cream cardstock and base coated it with gesso, then added stamped pieces of tissue, followed by layers of colour using gelatos (funnily enough I thought this was Italian Ice Cream) plus a touch of distress inks.  As the background began to build I needed to find images to act as the focal point - JOFY stamps seemed to provide the answer.  I added some detail to the background using texture paste through some stencils before spritzing with some shimmer mist.  I stamped and heat embossed the two large 'flowers' on the background and also on a spare piece of card.  The smaller flower heads were stamped onto some scraps of watercoloured card as was the sentiment.  Finally out came the glue and the whole thing was assembled!!

If you have made it this far - thank you for reading!  I have experienced a number of problems along the way but not enough to put me off trying again and no doubt again!  Any hints and suggestions you would care to make by way of a comment would be really appreciated.

Here are most of the items  I used:

Faber Castell Gelatos
Distress Inks
Cosmic Shimmer Vintage Mist
Versamark
The Crafters Workshop Stencil - Mini Chickenwire reversed
PaperArtsy - JOFY Stamp Sets 09 and 11
Gesso

Enjoy!

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!

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!