All the same ...

... or just my style?  This is a question I've wasted a great deal of time trying to answer!  Please don't get me wrong ... I am mostly happy with the cards that I create ... but they seem to all be a little similar - nothing new or inspiring, just OK.  I'm lacking either in ideas or resources or possibly a bit of both!  After much procrastination I decided to go for it and just create a card that I am comfortable with - this is the result:

The flowers were white heat embossed onto vellum before colouring with Zig Clean Colour Real Brush markers and then fuzzy cut to create three elements.  I die cut a square and a frame from matching card and spread some modelling paste through a stencil to add texture and interest.  I popped the frame up on some foam tape before adhering it all together and adding a sentiment.

I used:

STAMPlorations Bloom Sketches

                           Floral Bliss

The Crafters Workshop Stencil Mini Rustic Paint

ZIG Clean colour Real Brush Markers

DecoArt Modeling Paste

I'm going to enter the following challenges:

TIME OUT Challenge #55

'Celebrations with optional twist of die cutting/fussy cutting'

CAS MIXUP April Challenge
 

STAMPlorations
 

STAMPlorations Never-ending Anything Goes Challenge.

Enjoy!

Sunshine ...

Good evening!!  Passing through to share a card ... it doesn't look exactly as I had imagined it would but that's not that unusual!!

The card is based around a mono-print created using acrylic paints, some homemade stencils and a gelli printing plate.  I love messing around with paints and stencils.  My idea was to create a tag to reflect the sunshine, to add some stripes to reflect the rainbow and some droplets of rain ... as you can see that is exactly what I did I'm just not sure that it has gone together very well.

I like all of the parts I'm just not sure about the whole!!

I used:

Gelli Arts Gel Press

Acrylic Paints

DecoArts Modeling Paste

Lawn Cuts Stitched Tag

Distress Inks

STAMPlorations Droplet Stencil

STAMPlorations Typografia Encouragement Stamp Set.

I'm entering the following challenge:

Mixed Media Card Challenge

I'm also going to link up to:

STAMPlorations Flash Stencil Project Link Party

and as I used STAMPlorations stamps and stencil I'm also going to link to their Never ending Anything Goes Challenge.

Enjoy!

Colouring the negative ...

Snow in April ... why?  There are many things I can live without and snow in April is one of them!  Thankfully it hasn't settled in Oxfordshire and now the sun is shining and the sky is beautiful blue.

Today's card is inspired by this week's challenge at "Less is More" - the theme is 'take three stamps'.

I used the following:
Uniko Fun Flowers
Simon Says Stamp Handwritten Borders
Versafine Onyx Black Ink
DecoArt Fluid Acrylics Quinacridone Magenta

I'm entering the following challenges:

"Less is More" #272 Take Three Stamps.
STAMPlorations Theme and Sketch Challenge

Penny Black and More April challenge Birthdays

Enjoy!

Mixed media CAS ...

A quick post this evening to share this card ...

I'm still struggling with lighting issues for my photographs!

The panel was created by stencilling the flower on to a piece of cardstock that was printed using acrylics on a gel plate - this was the second print from the plate hence the subtle colouring and texture.  I die cut the panel using a stitched rectangle die and die cut a smaller section to stamp the sentiment on.  Underneath the flower I applied some modelling paste through a stencil to add some additional texture and interest. The flower stencil and sentiment stamp are from STAMPlorations.

I'm entering the following challenges:

CAS Mix UP April Challenge:

I've used two stencils, stamped the sentiment, used acrylic paints and texture paste.

AAA Cards Anything Goes

STAMPlorations Never ending Anything Goes Challenge

Enjoy!

Geometric Delight ...

The Easter holiday is over and it is back to work (with a bump!) tomorrow so if things return to normal I may get more cards made!!  I've been distracted this week with family visiting last weekend along with the need to make pompoms the rest of the week - the reason for the pompoms will become clear...

The main event of the week though was an amazing day out on Tuesday with my lovely daughter - we spent the day wandering around Greenwich in beautiful sunshine and in the evening went to see Adele in concert!! It was absolutely amazing - what a show!

Less chat and on to action .. the reason for this post ... a card.

A clean and simple one layer card.  I really don't have a great deal to say about it as it is just a bit of stamping and not a great deal else.  The exciting point about this card is that it is made using two stamps sets that I was able to buy thanks to Darnell's NBUS challenge - Random.org chose me as a winner! Thanks Darnell.

I was inspired by the challenge at "Less is More" #271 - it is One Layer Week and the theme is Geometric Shapes or Patterns.

I mentioned earlier my obsession with making pompoms - I started this project to use up oddments of wool and finished up having to buy some wool of the right colour!!  This is the completed project ... a rug!

Finally, thank you to Shery and the design team at STAMPlorations for choosing my card as a winner for the March CAS Anything Goes challenge - I'm honoured.  This is the card:

Enjoy!

Time Out ... Guest Designer!!

Exciting times ... win a challenge and be asked to Guest Design for a future challenge!  No hesitation from me this time in saying yes to Sandie, at TIME OUT Challenges, when I was invited to design for this week's challenge.  However, I really need to learn to wait until I know what the theme is before jumping in ... anyway here goes!

This week is an 'Inspired by words' challenge and the words are:

'A woman is like a teabag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water'  by Eleanor Roosevelt

I decided to go with an encouraging quote as the focal point for my card to encourage strength and belief:

I've been using my gel plate to create background papers and die cut a section from one of my prints to create this panel and also die cut the butterfly from the same paper.

Now it's your turn to take TIME OUT and join the challenge ... you need to get your skates on as this week the challenge is only for one week ... so no time for procrastinating but enough time to create!

Enjoy!

Happy pink birthday ...

A quick post ... just a card:

A clean and simple card - I masked the square and stamped and heat embossed the chrysanthemum in white before water colouring with zig clean colour real brush markers.  I then cut the panel using a square stitched die, cut multiple 'happy' words which were stacked and adhered to each other before stamping 'birthday' at the bottom of the panel.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More #187

STAMPlorations Anything Goes CAS Challenge

Enjoy!