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Friday, June 30, 2017

Sympathetic Butterflies

Welcome

I don't usually use 'sketches' to start my card making process, but I saw this sketch (designed by Ginny Maxam) in the Christian Cardmakers Women's Fellowship Group on Facebook, and was hooked.


The butterfly panel was a trial with an emboss resist technique, using sprays wiped with a baby wipe over embossing - I was not happy with the results at the time as the colours really faded out, but I immediately thought of this panel when I saw the sketch.  The sprays had mica in them, so there really is a lovely sheen on this.



I found some suitable paper in my DCWV Old World Mat Stack for the base layer, and layered some sparkling mauve ribbon behind the butterfly panel, and over that I layered the  gold embossed sentiment on an hand cut banner.


The hardest part was to work out what to use for the accents, I was very happy to find some co-ordinating buttons in my collection.


I threaded mauve embroidery thread through them, then adhered them with glue dots, and added an extra to the sentiment banner.



I finished the inside with a couple of strips I had trimmed from the butterfly panel.
All the edges of all the layers were sponged with violet ink.

I am linking this to:
(There are three butterflies, three words on the sentiment, and three button in a row)
(I like using ribbon as a layer as it means I don't have to tie a bow, and it adds texture and often sparkle in an unexpected place, as on this card.)

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed
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Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Coffee lovers Hop

Welcome

This card was made as a "oops I missed your birthday" card,  
and also made with the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop in mind.  
I think the sentiment fits the occasion.

The stamps are from one of the major sponsors of the hop, Verve Stamps, and the set is Coffee Helps


I started with the dp, but decided that gray on white with embossed gold dots was a bit blah, so coloured the roses with chalks, and liked the results at the time.


The sentiment was initially stamped onto the dp, but it warped and did not emboss well, so plan B - put it onto plain white card, die cut it and sponge the edges with gold Delicata ink.


I also stamped and embossed the coffee mugs as I went, and coloured them with prismacolor pencils before fussy cutting them.


I laid out the card, was happy how things looked, so wound the bakers twine around the dp, and adhered it to the base, having previously gold embossed the edges of it.

Then I discovered another BIG OOOPS - I had adhered it upside down, so that meant a quick rearrangement of the elements before adhering them over fun foam.  

Some gold sequins in the centre of the flowers on the cups and on the sentiment panel and the card was done - finally 😏, by then I was having second thoughts about the flowers being coloured, but I was not going to start again! 


I finished the inside with a strip of the dp (uncoloured) and a gold bordered ribbon.

I am linking this to:




Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed
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Sunday, June 25, 2017

Flowers Galore

Welcome

I had intended to be back sooner than this, but life has been full of the unexpected this past week... 

Some time ago I printed off a freebie from the Retro Cafe Art site, and this year got to use one of the last motifs on the sheet for a card.


I love this panel, but it is in colours out of my usual range, which is why I suspect it was the last one to be used.


I matched the colours for the layered flowers on the corner, securing the layers with a gold brad, and using some leaf shaped sequins for a touch of greenery.


The sentiment was stamped and gold heat embossed on the dp - a sheet from a DCWV Old World Mat Stack.  
The edges of all the layers were sponged with Tea Die DI.


I used a couple of trimmings of the dp to trim the inside of the card


I am linking this to:
(I took the Anything Goes option)

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed.
And comments you may leave are deeply appreciated.
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Sunday, June 18, 2017

Recipe Challenge

Welcome

At the last class I ran, for one of the projects I challenged those present to make a card using a recipe that I provided - my assumption that they would find this easy was not correct!!  


It was a real challenge to those present, but what they created was amazing. 
 The recipe was to use from the supplies available:
Two patterned papers,
a scripture stamp,
1/4 of a large doily,
Washi tape or ribbon.
Bling was optional...


I selected this stamp from the Our Daily Bread Designs - Grace's Hope Set - I stamped it in Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink , and sponged it with Whisper Rich Plum ink after die cutting and embossing it, before removing the die.


The paper came from a collection I have had for years - I cut it into banner shapes and sponged the edges of it with the Rich Plum ink and also the Sugarloaf Green from Whisper inks, and added matching ribbon and rhinestones. I also sponged the edge of the doily with the Sugarloaf Green ink.


The butterflies were cut with Memory Box dies from pink glitter card, and had clear rhinestones adhered to them, that matched the rhinestones on the corner and top of the banner.


I decorated the inside using some paper lace tape that I sponged with the Sugar Loaf green ink.

I am linking this to:
(This card is for a friend who has just had surgery)
I used ribbon, Die/punch. Sentiment

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed.
Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated.
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Friday, June 16, 2017

Sometimes...

Welcome 

This card was a 'for fun' card - not made for any particular reason...


I was in the studio and I had a few spare minutes, so I took a gray card base and glued the strips of trimmed paper to it - shh, I left the centre of the base empty (all in the name of thrift, of course)!!


I stamped the centre panel with a NBUS Sweet 'N' Sassy stamp, and discovered that the ink pad that I was using 'collapsed' - it was a sponge pad as I was using pigment ink, but it just went flat - most annoying as it was nice and juicy still .


After die cutting the sentiment panel (M/B Stitched Rectangle) and sponging it, I mounted it on foam,


added some bling, 


and another strip of offcut on the inside and called it done!

I am linking this to:
(I used a Memory Box Stitched Rectangle Die)

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed
Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated.
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Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Golden Anniversary

Welcome

This is another of  'those cards' that just did not do what I wanted it to do... so here it is in it's final, very modified state!


I started by smooshing alcohol inks "a la Loll" and ended up with a nice sheet of colour - tried heat embossing it on a scrap - it worked, but what I really wanted to emboss did not work at all!!


I chopped it down to a piece that I could use, and partially stamped some script in Staz On ink 


This was mounted behind a window in the card base, and then the gold die cuts glued on top.  Although I have used one intact and one dismembered and re-arranged die cut here, I even managed to cut a third 'spray' from the wrong side... 


The sentiment was gold embossed on vellum, and layered over some more of the background layer, before adding gold sequins to finish the card.
(p.s. I am seriously considering sponging gold Delicata ink around the edges...)

I am linking this to:

(Both the sentiment stamp and the partially stamped word stamp are well over 5 years old.)

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog, may your day be blessed.
Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated.
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Sunday, June 11, 2017

Hexagons and a Rose

Welcome

This card came together in relatively quick time, although it is nothing like what I had intended to make!!  but that's o.k. as I am happy with the end result.


After I concluded that what I had planned was not going to 'work' I changed directions, tore a piece of scrap paper and placed it over the card base, then sprayed with a Purple Twilight Adirondack Color 
Wash, a silver shimmer spray and Wild Berries Smooch Spritz.


This gave an amazing, shimmery background, over which I glued two layers of the hexagon border die cut from Frantic Stamper, cut from a scrap of light mauve card, and sprayed with just the silver shimmer mist.


I then stamped and silver embossed the rose, (on a wee cut-off) painted that with mica based water colour paint - just a cheap set that is un-named, and fussy cut it before gluing it over the border die cuts.!


The finishing detail was to silver emboss the sentiment on a mid purple card, which I cut to a banner shape, and mounted it over a dark purple layer.

I am linking this to:

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed.
Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated.
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Monday, June 5, 2017

I Didn't Forget...

Welcome

This card was made for a family member who's birthday I really did not forget, but it occurred right at the time we were busy with the funeral and such things...  I think she may excuse it's late arrival.


I started with a card from a Prima Journaling pad, trimming off the top corners to make a tag. I mounted it offset onto a small piece of dark card, and sponged the other edges with ink. 


Before it was layered onto the base  I stapled two pieces of organza ribbon onto it.


I computer generated and printed the start of the sentiment onto a pale green vellum and gold embossed it, and attached to to the base with vellum tape.


The balance of the sentiment I printed inside the card.
The finishing touches were the green rhinestones.

The last few days I have found very hard, so please excuse me if I have not visited you recently.

I am linking this to:
(Butterflies travel)

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed
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Thursday, June 1, 2017

Pussy Cats - again...

Welcome 
(My card is below the first two photos)

I would like to introduce to you my new companion - Tinker.  So named as he is a really mischievous young fellow - about 5 months old.  


Quite timid as yet, he is a rescue kitten who has not been well socialised, but very vocal. He was constantly 'talking' as I took the photos!!


In addition to that, I have recently made a birthday card for another cat lover in the family.


The cat image is an old Hero Arts one.  I stamped in black and clear embossed the image, masked it and a background area, and then sprayed the background with a chalk ink.  Before removing the masks, I also stencilled a background using a Stamplorations Confetti Circles Stencil and Delicata Golden Glitz ink.
The floor boards were drawn using a fine micron pen, and the image and floor coloured with chalks, and the bow with a glitter pen.



The sentiment was white embossed on black card, and trimmed out to form a banner.  


After much plotting and secrecy, the recipient has (literally) just been surprised with a grey and white (sort of tabby) cat for their birthday.!!
It is a very special breed, La Perm, that does not cause an allergic reaction for one of the family members.

I am linking this to:


Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed
Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated
All comments are moderated and spam deleted.