Spot Lighting Father's Day

Welcome - I am so glad to see you visiting again

I have been busy today on two counts - I belong to an online group on Splitcoast Stampers called Stampers Addicts, we occasionally have challenges amongst ourselves, and August's challenge was to use the spotlight technique.

I also needed a Father's Day card for DH for tomorrow. 

(Australia and New Zealand celebrate the day in September)

This is my card for both occasions.

I started by embossing the tan panel with a woodgrain texture and then applying Tea Dye distress ink direct to the raised areas of the paper .

I see an oops - I did not realise the paper had torn in the folder - to prevent that, mist the paper lightly before embossing.

Next I stamped the image in dye inks on white card, and then stamped and gold embossed it on vellum, and punched out two circles from the vellum and layered them over the base for the 'spotlight'.

That panel was then layered onto gold paper, then onto the embossed base.

The sentiment was computer generated and given the same as treatment as the tree panel.  I edged the vellum cut outs with gold pen to give them more definition. 

The embossed panel had some gold brads inserted and then it was mounted onto the cream card base.

Another look at the 'spotlights'.

I am linking this to:

Card Crafters Circle Challenge #90 - For the Boys

Creative fingers Challenge - Anything Goes

Patties Creations Challenge #74 - Anything Goes

Sister Act Card Challenge #22 - Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge #222 - It'a all about the sentiment

Pumpkin Spice Challenge #35 - Anything Goes

Totally Gorjuss Challenge #199 - Texture

Thank you so much for visiting - any comments left are deeply appreciated

May your day be blessed

Cup of Tea (while waiting anybody??)

Welcome.

 I thought I would share this card while I am waiting...

I am only waiting for confirmation of details now 

Well that's what I thought - looks as though they are keeping up the great track record of messing up, and I now don't know where I stand.

Finally - a communication breakthrough - maintenance is now booked in a private hospital for the 17th September.

I was playing with my spellbinder cups dies, and decided to create a stack.

I mounted these on an embossed card which I had rubbed distress ink over.

I then added the hand died seam binding and lace to simulate a table and cloth.

The sentiment was stamped, cut and sponged before being attached with a deep pink ribbon

The final details were the pearls, added after the card was mounted onto a deep pink base.

I am linking this to:

A.R.T. Challenge #12 - Ribbon and Pearls

Aud Sentiments Challenge #88 - Anything sentiment

Delightful Challenges - Make the Cut, die cuts, punches...

Dutch Dare Card Challenge #232 - Birthday Wishes

Happy Campers Challenge #21 - Use a Stamp

In The Pink Challenge #27- Keep It Simple Sweetie

Paper Crafting Journey Challenge - Anything Goes

Seize The Birthday - Anything Goes (Birthday)

Shelly's Images August Challenge - Use your scraps (the cups)

Thank you for visiting - any comments you leave are treasured.

May your day be blessed

Maintenance rescheduled

Yes - I am still here.

I was about to be taken to theatre when I was told there was no anaesthetist available (they had five off, and another went off just before my 'turn').  

I was not happy, but I did get a ride back to my home town as there was another patient to be transferred.

The ambulance driver had a sense of humour, and put the siren and lights on as he drove up our drive 

I wonder what the neighbours thought!!

So I live to blog another day, sooner rather than later.

May your day be blessed.

Mosaics and and paint splats

Welcome.

Thanks for visiting my corner of blog-land again.

This will be my last post for a week or so as the surgeon and I have an appointment tomorrow for some much needed  maintenance....

This is a card I created for someone who loves butterflies.

I decided to use this mosaic technique for a feature panel.

The 'tiles' are scraps randomly cut up, adhered with craft glue and coated with gloss modge podge.

The  panel was mounted over a pink base (don't know what happened to this photograph) which I had splattered with water colour paint flicked off a damp brush. The sentiment was stamped with a slightly lighter distress ink.

The butterfly was cut with a cuttlebug die and embossed - I used a layer of pink card and mounted an embossed vellum layer over it, then added liquid pearls.

I am linking this to:

ABC Challenge #42 - No Flowers

Crafty Bloggers Network Challenge #14 - Favourite Things - butterflies

Created With Love Challenge #55 - Anything Goes

Eureka Weekly Challenge #54 - Be Sentimental

Get Inky Challenge #11 - Bugs

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Dotty (The ink splatters)

Tammy Scrappin' Corner Challenge #77 - Anything Goes

Vintage Stamping Challenge #11 - Wings and Things

Avenue 613 Create Challenge 34 - Anything Goes

HobbyKuts Challenge #13 - Create Your Own Background (the paint splatters)

Thank you for visiting, and any comments left are deeply appreciated.

May your day be blessed.

Red Roses

Welcome - thanks for visiting me again

I started this card by picking up the designer paper that was sitting on my desk and deciding to use it.  After cutting it to size I embossed it with a Spellbinders folder, and the sponged the edges with Spun Sugar distress ink- I liked the way the ink picked up the pattern, so then swiped the ink pad across the whole piece.

The roses were stamped in Espresso ink using some Firecracker Stamps I received in a RAK from Shelly of  My Creative Rumblings recently.  The stems were bent to help form the bunch. After stamping I painted them using Aqua crayons. (This photo is the truest to the colour of the card).

The image was then cut using a spellbinder oval, and sponged with the same ink I used on the edges. The bow was attached with a glue dot, and the die cut mounted over a floral oval die cut in deep red.

To finish the card I stamped the greeting in Espresso and cut and sponged it as I did the main image, and mounted it over a scalloped oval to match the main image.  This was attached over some more of the ribbon I used for the bow. The final detail was the rhinestone flourish.

I am linking this to:

Craft Room Challenge - Something new - the stamps

Crafty Sentiments Challenge - Colourful

LEJ Designs Challenge #67 - Inspired by Nature

Oldie But a Goodie Challenge - Embossing - Old stash - the paper

Paper Take Weekly Challenge - Flower Power

Sweet Stamps Challenge #131 - Anything Goes

Through The Craftroom Door - Anything Goes

Twisted Tuesday Challenge #57- Pink and out doors (The roses grow outside)
Word Art Wednesday Challenge #94 - Anything Goes
Artfull Crafts August Challenge - Colouring

Thank you for visiting - any comments you leave are deeply appreciated.

May your day be blessed

On Your Bike

Welcome - so glad to be here again and know that you visit.

I was inspired by Libby Hickson and her series of posts on the Tour de France, and her general love of bicycles to buy a set of bicycle stamps recently from Hero Arts.  This is my first card using that set.

I know the recipient has ridden a lot, so this image was appropriate.

I stamped the image in black ink, and also the sentiment, and added the dark brown stitched ribbon to look like a road, adhering it under the bike.

The cream card stock was sponged with Desert Sand ink, and the brown with Cocoa ink - both inks are Memento by Tsukineko.

I kept the inside simple, but used the same card stock and sponging inks.

I am linking this to:

Simply Less is More Week 133 - Round and round

Fashionable Stamping Challenge #54 - Clean and Simple

Challenges 4 Everyone #27 - Anything Goes

Artisitc Inspirations Challenge #55 - CAS

Allsorts Challenge week 220 - use your new stash - the stamp set

Thank you so much for visiting - any comments left are treasured

May your day be blessed

Butterfly in the Negative

Welcome back.

I mentioned in my last post that I would show you what I have done with the negative die cut from the butterfly.

Initially I thought I would make a card with the band going across the short side of the card and hastily cut the band of double inked daisy paper, only to then change my mind, so I joined it and inked the join, but to my perfectionist eye it was still too obvious.

I went ahead and made the  card anyway, leaving it very simple, simply to show the class what could be done - the only adornment were some liquid pearls applied to the butterfly body.

I decided this weekend that it was rather severe for a birthday card, so some modifications were made.  Firstly I stamped some small butterflies onto the yellow in Versamark ink.

Subtle, but they softened the look of the card.

Then I wanted ribbon to distract from the join, and ended up making a tag with the sentiment on, and some ribbon hanging from it.  The pearls tied it is with the rest of the card, as well as the colours.

This is the finished card, which I am now happy with

I am linking this to:

My Time To Craft Challenge #231 - Use an Aperture

Pumpkin Spice Challenge #33 - Colours

Sweet Stamping Challenge Blog - Bold and Beautiful

Totally Gorjuss Challenge #197 - Die Cuts and Punches

A Gem of a Challenge #93 - Punch it Out
Pile It On challenge #33 - No Designer Paper
Gingerloft Challenge - Bright Sunshine Yellow
Come And Get It Challenge - Things with Wings
Blessings Ink Amusing Challenge - Birthdays
Avenue 613 Challenge #33 - Anything Goes
Technique Twist Challenge #5 - Emerging Colour

Thank you for visiting - I always appreciate any comments you leave.

May your day be blessed 

Floral Butterfly

Welcome

I taught this card at card class this week - needless to say there was actually a lot of teaching - die cutting and embossing was the first step.

Embossing the white layer and then attaching it correctly, and how to remove it without damaging anything when it's not put on correctly and the tape shows through the window!
The tip is to warm the card with the sticky tape with the heat gun, and it peels off cleanly.

How to cover-up poor embossing (by layering a new panel over the error on the base) - and what washi tape is and how to use it.

How to gain dimension by placing a die cut so it pops up slightly....

Then the really fun part - the 'double inking' or Joseph's Coat Technique, although I varied from the instructions given in the link by randomly sponging the first layer of colour on.

I also taught how to use the negative die cut, but that will be another blog entry as the resulting card is worthy of it's own post.

I am linking this to:

The House That Stamps Built DCChallenge #814 - Things with Wings

Inky Impressions Challenge #121- Anything with Wings

Lady Anne's Challenge #11 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #93 - Anything Goes

Crafting By Design - Anything Goes

Crafts And Me Challenge #139 - Anything Goes
Cuttlebug Mania - Anything Goes/Embossing
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Occasion-ally
Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Top Tip Tuesday Challenge #107 - Embossing

Thank you for visiting - your comments bring much encouragement, and are really appreciated.

May your day be blessed.

Green, Gold and Trees

Welcome. 

It's great to be here again, and I hope you think that too.

This is the third of the sympathy cards that I had to make recently.

I started with the deep green base and after spraying it with a silver glimmer mist, I ran it through the cuttlebug with one of the dies from the boarderabilites sets by Spellbinders. 

The image is an old SU one, Lovely as a Tree, and was stamped using two brown inks and some green.  I also tried running a blending pen over the images to slightly blur the trees, but the pen was a bit dry and it is barely visible. Chalks were then added to give the sky and grass some colour.

The sentiment is an Our Daily Bread one, stamped and silver embossed and cut using a labels die, and attached using silver brads.

When I went to assemble the card the dark brown behind the green was too severe, so I added the layer of golden brown paper and the card 'came to life' as it were.

I am linking this to:

Artistic Inspirations Challenge #54 - Diecuts or punches

Cards For Men Challenge #16 - Heavy Metal - use something metallic (Spray, brads, and silver embossing.

Crafty Boots Challenge - Die Cuts

Scrapbooks and Stamp Society Challenge #14 - Anything Goes

Stamp and Create August Challenge - Glitter (spray)

Crazy Challenge #151 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting - any comments you leave are deeply appreciated.

May your day be blessed.

Whimsical in Pink

Welcome - thanks for calling by again.

I had to make a card for a one year old recently - as I don't actually know the child, I went with a whimsical card - and hope her parents like it!

I started with an offcut of pink card, which made a square card - not my normal to start with.

The ribbons I initially chose were not these, but by the time I had coloured the images, they definitely did not 'fit'!

The images are by (the now defunct) Layers of Color, from the set Rise and Shine.

I coloured them with Prismacolor pencils, but did not blend them - one day I will be brave enough to blend them on a card.

Love the expression on the face of the sun.

After I embossed the sentiment, and attached the ribbons, I then pierced and faux stitched the edges to finish the card.

I am linking this to:

All Sorts Challenge Week #219 - Stitching

Crafty Calendar Challenge - Anything Goes

Di's Digi Design Challenge - Stitching Real or Faux

My Creative Moments  August  Challenge - Childhood
Addicted to Stamps Challenge #61 - Things with wings- the chicken

Great Impressions August Challenge - a Square Card
HobbyCutz Challenge #12 - Card for a Child
The Squirrel and the Fox Challenge # 50 - Whimsical
Word Art Wednesday Challenge #92 - Anything goes

Thank you for visiting - any comments you leave are deeply appreciated.

May your day be blessed.

Classy Lady!!

Welcome

I hope you enjoy your visit.

I needed a card for a young woman who is very fashion conscious, and reached for a set of stamps by Firecracker Designs (now defunct), and chose the image of a woman in a very classy looking wrap.

I chose to use pink, mauve and blue as I do know those are the recipients favoured colours.

I stamped the sentiment and cut it with the #3 die from the floral ovals dies 

by Spellbinders.  This was then mounted on some lace sent to me as a

 RAK from Kary of Papercrafting and Travel.

The image was stamped in a dark gray ink, firstly on white card, and then onto gray and blue vellum, which I paper pieced onto the base. I puffed up the collar and gave it a slightly different look to the main part of the wrap by embossing it with a stylus from the back. 

To give her even more dimension she was popped up on foam dots when mounted on the die cut .

( I do not know why this photo is so discoloured )

To finish the card I got out the Crystal Stickles and emphasised the frills on the skirt, her necklace, and added some dots on the edges of the die cuts.

I am linking this to:

Crafting By design - Anything Goes with twist, Celebrating Women

Crafts and Me Challenge #139 - Anything Goes

Diva's By design - Bingo Centre line Lace, Diecut, and paper piecing

Lady Anne's Challenge #11 - Anything Goes

Little Red Wagon Challenge #197 - Falling to Pieces (Paper Piecing)

Penny's Paper Crafting Challenges # - Dry Embossing (on the collar)

Whimsical Designs - Anything Goes

Loves Rubber Stamps Challenge #64 Anything Goes

Inky Chicks Challenge #10 - Lovely Lace

LEJ Designs Challenge #65 - Lovely Lace

Thank you for visiting - any comments you leave are very much appreciated.

May your day be blessed.

Orange Poppies

Welcome. 

It is always lovely to know you have visited.

I made this for a birthday this week, and was pleased with the outcome, but unfortunately the camera did not pick up the colour of the poppies correctly - they are a lovely soft orange IRL!

The image was stamped onto some encyclopaedia paper (bought for the purpose, second hand) which was then scrunched and distressed with tea dye ink before being coloured with chalks and mounted on the dark brown panel.

I finished the card by mounting the stamped feature onto a white panel with a green bow and the sentiment embossed onto a tag I made.

The final touch were the brown pearls.  

A CAS card for a family member who is not into 'fussy' things.

I am linking this to:

613 Avenue Create Challenge #31 - Anything Goes -twist, with a sentiment

Challenges 4 Everybody #26 - Anything Goes

Creative Inspirations Paint - Anything Goes

Dream Valley Challenge #62 - Summer Days

Fashionable Stamping Challenge #53 - Use Script, book, pages print

One Stitch at a Time Challenge #175 - Summer time (Poppies always make me think of summer)

Pan Pastel Challenge #31- Flowers/floral

Penny Black August Challenge - In the Garden

Ribbon Girl August Challenge - Happy Birthday

Our Creative Corner - Words, Words, Words

My Creative Moments - Word Play Saturday - Birthdays

Thanks for visiting, and all comments you leave are deeply appreciated.

May your day be blessed

Chalk and Vellum Flowers

Welcome. 

I hope you enjoy your visit to my blog today.

I wanted a fairly simple card with flowers on, and this is the result.

It is not quite as dark as it appears in the photograph, but this is the way the camera picked up the colours.  The embossed vellum layer is a light green layered over a forest green base.

For the feature I started with a stamp which is a retired Layers of Color one, shaped to fit into a spellbinders labels die cut.  As I don't have that set of dies, I improvised with the Couture Creations die of similar shape and size.

The panel was mounted on foam dots to give some dimension

The stamp was inked with Versamark ink, and then the impression coloured with chalks, using a cotton bud (Q-Tip). The blue background was chalk applied with my finger. The butterfly is one from a Sizzex Framlets die, and I highlighted the embossing with a silver pen.

The sentiment was embossed in gold, despite it looking copper in this photograph.  The stamp is from The Crafts Meow, and originally the words were on top of one another, but I cut it apart to fit another card, and I think I have used it more like this than the original way.

I am linking this to:

Craftin' Boutique Challenge #1 - Anything Goes

Happy Campers Challenge #20 - Summer

Paper Crafting Journeys - Die Cuts or Punches

Sarah Hurly Chgallenge #83 - Texture and Dimension

Sister Act Challenge #18- Anything Goes

The Sweet Pea Stampers - Embossing - Wet, Dry or both

Cut it Up Challenge #24 - Celebrate Summer

Delicious Doodles Challenge #47 - Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #56 - Anything Goes

Lady Anne's Challenge #10 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting - any comments you leave are deeply appreciated

May your day be blessed.