Tagged Hydranga

 Welcome

I am very pleased to be able to share this post as a Guest Designer for Crafty Boots Challenge, the theme of the challenge is Butterflies and Bees.

This card started when I was so tired one afternoon that I just sat and 'tidied' some scraps on my desk by punching out butterflies... then the brain kicked in when I saw how many I had, and I thought I could add texture to a flower stamp with a layer of butterflies forming the petals....

The problem was my flower stamp was smaller than I remembered, and the butterflies would have overwhelmed it, so I swiped some Memento Brilliance Ink in Coral over some pink paper, and punched some tiny flowers out instead.

I stamped and fussy cut the image, and then adhered the punched flowers over the bloom, and added pink liquid pearls to the centres. 

 The finished flower was then attached to some bottle green, fine corrugated card that I had swiped with a white ink pad and cut to a tag shape.

The sentiment was stamped in the same pink ink and fussy cut before being added to the tag, and the assorted ribbons were added, secured with a fine silver cord.  I them mounted the completed tag over some silver paper, leaving just a fine edge showing.

I found a couple of die cut butterflies cut from silver sparkle card in my jar,  added some pearls and then assembled all the elements onto a tall-folded purple base.

The finished card sat on my desk for a couple of days, and annoyed me as it seemed unfinished, once I realized why this was so, I tweaked it with a silver doodled edge.

The later photograph was taken under different light, thus the different purple, 

I am linking this to:

Little Claires May Challenge #69 - Butterflies

Stamping Sensations May Challenge - Anything Goes

Penny Black May Challenge - Anything Goes

Eclectic Ellapu May Challenge - Anything Goes

Lacy Sunshine Challenge - Anything Goes

613 Avenue Create Challenge #178 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #232- 233 - Anything Goes

Southern Girls Challenge - Layers

Glitter n Sparkle Challenge #190 - Flower Power

Craft Your Passion Challenge #314 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed

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Trees and a Gold Van Dyke Pattern

Welcome

I needed a masculine card, and in the end used two of my oldest stamps and a NBUS die.

I cut some TH embossed kraft paper, and gold embossed the single tree from the SU set Lovely as a Tree to the left of the paper.

I had in my promise box a trial cut from a (NBUS) Couture Creations Intri-cutz die from the Savvy Backgrounds series, that I tried against the kraft I was using and didn't like it - way to dull to make the most of the die cut, so I applied Gold Delicata ink direct to the paper and loved the result.

I stamped and gold embossed the sentiment, cut around it to form a tag, and stained it with TH Tea Dye DI. to 'age' it , then attached it with some twine.

  

The kraft layer was then attached to a deep red/brown base, which really seemed to make the card come to life.

I am linking this to:

Simply Papercraft Challenge #29 - Anything Goes

Jo's Stamp Shack Fun Day Friday Challenge #140 - Anything Goes

QKRStampede Challenge #193 - Birthdays

Fussy or Fancy Challenge #164 - Use Dies or Punches

Crafting With Friends Challenge #21 - Anything Goes

Art By Miran Challenge #59 - Anything Goes

Crafting In A Beautiful Mess Challenge #3 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #232 - 233 - Anything Goes

Creative Knockouts Challenge #143 - Anything Goes

Mod Squad Challenge - Use it or Lose it

(the die I had for ages before trialing it, then the piece took forever to use...)

Thank you for visiting - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

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Lace Love and Mother of Pearl

Welcome

I decided to try the Faux Mother of Pearl technique, using Liquid Pearls rather than the paint suggested in the tutorial I have linked to.  It didn't turn out quite like the tutorial, in that the texture is different, but that was my doing.  I sponged the paint with Tumbled Glass DI.

The feature panel is the wonderful Love graffiti stamp from Penny Black, 

stamped in Mediterranean Blue.

The sentiment was stamped using a discontinued stamp set.

The lace added to the side of the card was given to me by one of the recipients of the card.

The final details were some silver sequins.

I am linking this to:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #16 - Anything Goes

Artistic Inspirations Challenge #157 - Anything Goes Twist, Add Flowers 

(The lace)

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #113 - Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion Challenge #313 - Anything Goes

Love To Scrap Challenge #78 - Anything Goes

Our Crafty Corner Challenge #9 - Anything Goes

Use Your Stuff Challenge #224 - Get Inky

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #232 - 233 - Anything Goes

Glitter and Sparkle Challenge #189 - Anything Goes

STAMPlorations CASEsplorations May challenge

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated.

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A Very Sad Day

Welcome

It's been a sad day for us as we have had to farewell our sweet cat....

He was quite the character, and even starred in his own post here.

(This was taken in 2006, when he was in his prime)

He came to us at just six weeks old, and left us today aged 16 1/2.

He was dearly loved, by three generations of the family, and the neighbours!!

He often tried to photo-bomb my card photo sessions.

He was quite adept at playing to the camera!!,

and climbing around the pergola frame, and pretending that he could not get down!!

He was adept a begging for treats - he loved chicken - his ambrosia - 

and ice cream.

Too sore to curl up, but he still loved sleeping on the deck, especially if we were out there.

Farewell our sweet, and bossy, friend, our home will be very empty without you.

Simple Thanks

Welcome

I made some thank you cards recently, and I wanted to keep them simple.

So out came the (NBUS) Simon Says Painted Thanks die, and I started by cutting a white and blue rectangle with a stitched rectangle die by Memory Box, cutting the sentiment, and then inserting them in the opposite rectangle.

I then mounted the smaller rectangle onto the largest stitched rectangle die cut in the opposite colour, before being mounted again onto the base, swapping the colour again.

To finish one card I added a strip of patterned card across one layer,

on the other I used metallic butterfly stickers to  finish it.

I am linking this to:

Aud Sentiments Challenge #155 - Anything Goes + Sentiment

A Beautiful Mess Challenge #2 - Anything Goes

Brown Sugar Challenge #199 - Anything Goes

Art By Miran Challenge #58 - Anything Goes

Crafting With Friends Challenge #21 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz Challenge #325 - Anything Goes

Creative Corner Challenges - Clean and Simple

Simply Papercraft Challenge #29 - Anything Goes

Simply Create Too Challenge #109 - Thank You

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #230 - 231 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - May your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

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Water Coloured Heart

Welcome

I may be MIA a bit in the next few days as we are blessed to have family living with us between leaving their rental and moving into their own home!  Life is busy with little people in the house again!

I was asked to make a card for a teacher who was leaving the kindergarten that my grandchildren have attended.  

I started with this piece of background which was made by scrunching up some wax paper and then ironing it onto some shiny card, the wax formed a resist, which I coloured over with ink.  As this was made over a year ago, I cannot tell you which inks I used :-).

(My apologies for the reflection in the photo, but that was the sheen on the card)

I then picked up this heart I had played with using my watercolours , cut it into a square and added a faux stitched border and Best Wishes stamp. 

I added a shadow and two wee hearts to represent the two children from that part of the family who had attended that centre.

These two parts were mounted over a bright pink base, and the rhinestones added in the corner.  The colours used were influenced by the ethnicity of the staff member.

I was pleased with this, as was the recipient.

I am linking this to:

Craft Your Passion Challenge #312 - Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #15 - Anything Goes

Paper Minutes Challenge #435 - Hearts

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #164 - Stitching Faux or Real

Eureka Stamps Challenge #193 - Stitching Faux or Real

Our Crafty Corner Challenge #9 - Anything Goes

Little Tangles Challenge #68 - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination Challenge #86 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge weeks #230-231 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

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Sailing Sympathy

Welcome

I needed a sympathy card in a hurry a few months ago, and this is the result.

I started with the image from STAMPlorations True North Set, and painted it with Twinkling H2O's,

 I watercoloured the background with a broad brush, and added some detailing behind the ship, masked the ship and sprayed with silver glimmer spray.

Stamped and silver embossed the sentiment from ODBD Heartfelt Sympathy set

  

The waves were made by using the reverse side of a scallop cut from Paper Smooches Boarders 2   dies, and the blue card??? paint chips!!!  They make perfect ombre waves.

The edges of the panel were sponged with dark blue ink, and then it was mounted onto dark blue card stock.

I am linking this to:

Cre8tive Hands Friends Challenge #6 - Anything Goes

Digital Delights Monthly Challenge #9 - Anything Goes

DRS Thursday Challenge #226 - Its a Guy Thing

Little Miss Muffet Challenge #137 - Anything Goes

Moving Along With The Times Challenge #20 - Man or Boy

Dare To Be Sassy Challenge #333 - Anything Goes

through The Purple Haze Challenge #101 - Anything Goes

Southern Girls Challenge - Anything Goes

Aud Sentiment Challenge #155 - Anything Goes with a Sentiment

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #230 - 231 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

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Bandannas and Stars

 Welcome

I used this technique for a class I took some time ago, having learnt it on Jennifer McGuire's web site.

It is called Water Colour Lifting with heat embossing.

I started by sponging the water colour paper panel with distress inks - Spiced Marmalade,  Mustard Seed and Tumbled glass from memory - I then stamped a Stampendous stamp, Bandanna Background (appears to be discontinued) , and clear embossed it, before moistening the panel again and removing some of the colour with a paper towel.

That panel was then mounted over a black layer of card that I had scalloped the edge of with a Paper Smooches Borders 2 Die

I stamped the sentiment (from Montarga, a New Zealand Company) onto a black banner shaped snippet,  white embossed it, and then mounted it over a layer of washi tape onto the off white base.

The card was finished with some confetti stars.

I am linking this to:

Creative Card Crew Challenge #112 - Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion Challenge #311 - Anything Goes

Crafting From The Heart Challenge #111 - Anything Goes

Artistic Inspiration Challenge #156 - Anything Goes

(Twist - use a die cut)

Lost Coast Portal to Creativity Challenge #24 - Anything Goes, 

(with splash of bright or neon colour)

Sparkle and Sprinkle May Challenge - Anything Goes

(using loose glitter, embossing poweder and/or flock)

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Emboss it

Inspiration Destination Challenge #85 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks /#230 - 231 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

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Wax Resist and a Rose

Welcome

I made this card for a friend who has been through a lot recently, and I chose to make the background using the wax paper resist technique.

I was card making when this came out years ago, and did not have much success - I am not sure that this is much better than those attempts - the placement of the sentiment is strategic!!

I used a cuttlebug embossing fold called retro circles, and sponged Barn  Door DI over the resist.

The sentiment is from Our Daily Bread Designs Healing Prayers set, embossed in gold, sponged with Delicata gold ink and cut with a die from the ODBD Filigree Frames set

The flower and flourishes are older spellbinders dies - sponged the edge of the petals with Barn Door DI before layering it and securing it with a brad.

I also 'winked' the flourish and flower with clear WoS

The sentiments I used inside, are from the ODBD  Faith Card Sentiments.  

Some Bakers Twine and sequins finished the card.

I am linking this to:

Bizzy Bec's May Challenge - Anything Goes

Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge #274 - May Flowers

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #228-229 - Anything Goes

Artistic Inspiration Challenge #156 - Anything Goes, twist, use a Die

Lil' patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #33 - Anything Goes

Glitter 'n' Sparkle Challenge #187 - One for the Ladies

Crafting When We Can Challenge #118 - Add Flowers

Come and Get It Challenge #117 - Card for a Woman

Addicted To Stamps Challenge #216 - Only A Sentiment

Avenue 613 Challenge #175 - Anything Goes - twist, My Sentiment Exactly

Thank you for visiting my bog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

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Masculine Grunge

Welcome

Firstly I would like to extend a warm welcome to 

Hippieaud (aka Audrey) of  the 

Peace, Love and Crafting blog who is my newest follower. 

Do pop over and have a look at her wonderful work, I am sure you will be inspired.

I made this card a while ago, and I am not sure if I can remember all that I did, but I will try, on the assumption you want to know.

I started by playing with some watercolour paper - I die cut it with an MB Stitched Rectangle, then used one of their grungy corner dies on opposing corners.

I stamped and embossed the scripture, then after taping the rectangle down, added water and some Lindys Magical powders - from memory I used two colours.  Rather than mix and then spread them on like a paint, I sprinkled them onto the wet paper.  The colours that showed up were interesting to say the least.  What does not show here is the lovely sheen they give.

I decided to mat the coloured paper into a deep forest green base, and sponged the edges of that with Delicata gold ink, and gold embossed the sentiment down one edge,

then hammered in some brown eyelets and added some coarse string on the other end of the card.

I am linking this to:

Cre8tive hands Friends Challenge #6 - Anything Goes

Simply Papercraft Challenge #28 - Anything Goes

Morgan's Art World Challenge #9 - Anything Goes

Jo's Scrap Shack Fun-day Friday Challenge #137 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #108 - Anything Goes

Crafting With Friends Challenge #20 - Anything Goes

Art By Miran Challenge #57 - Anything Goes

A Beautiful Mess Challenge #2 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #228-229 - Anything Goes

STAMPorations May Challenge - Stamps and Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

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Embossed leaves

Welcome 

I was asked to make some more sympathy cards, and this is one of them.

I started with a  piece of cream card stock, and clear embossed some leaves onto it - then the card developed a mind of it's own and took off in another direct than what I had envisioned.

I had ribbon and a doily die cut already to go, but the card said no, just the embossed leave die cut and the sentiment - so that's what it got!!

The leaf was cut with a TH die, dipped onto Versamark and sprinkled with gold ep, heated, and the process repeated.  Love the outcome.

The sentiment was embossed on another scrap of the lemon (handmade paper) and die cut with a MB stitched rectangle.

All edges were sponged with Delicata gold ink.

I am linking this card to:

Artistic Impressions Challenge #155 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge 26 - Anything Goes

Through The Craft Room Door Challenge - Anything goes

Sweet Stamps May Challenge - Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #14 - Anything Goes

Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge #118 - Monochrome

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #228-229 - Anything Goes

One Crazy Stamper May Challenge - Anything Goes

CAS Mix Up May Challenge - Stamping, Heat Embossing, sponging and die cut

Craft Your Passion Challenge #310 - Anything Goes

Thank  you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed.

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated.

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