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:

The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge - Buttons

Little Red Wagon Challenge #400 - Three of a Kind

(There are three butterflies, three words on the sentiment, and three button in a row)

Southern Girls Challenge #163 - use Ribbon or Twine

Little Miss Muffet Challenge #166 - Anything Goes

Cute Card Thursday Challenge #484 - Anything Goes

Crafty Girls Creations Challenge #37 - Anything Goes

C.R,.A.F.T. Challenge #422 - Add Ribbon and Sparkle 

As You Like It Challenge - Favourite way to add ribbon, and why.

(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.)

4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #357 - Crazy Egg/Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #288-289 - Anything Goes

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog - may your day be blessed

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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:

International Art and Soul Challenge #11 - Flowers

Glitter N Sparkle Challenge #125 - Anything Goes

Fashionable Stamping Challenge #124 - Make it Feminine

heARTfelt Stamping Challenge - Anything Goes + Stamping

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #1726 - Anything goes

Incy Wincy designs Challenge - Sparkle or Shine

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #165 - Anything Goes

Artistic Inspirations Challenge #182 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #288-289 - Anything Goes

Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

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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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:

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper June Challenge - Anything Goes

Norsalten-Hobbyklub Challenge #158 - Embossing

Allsorts Challenge Week #421 - Flower Power

A Gem of a Challenge #197 - Summer Colours

Colour Crazy Challenge Week 25 - Anything Goes

Crafting With Friends Challenge #46 - Anything Goes

Making Memories Crafting Challenge #6 - Anything Goes or Bingo Board

(I took the Anything Goes option)

Morgan's Art World Challenge #12 - Anything Goes

Polka Doodles Challenge #24 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #288-289 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Use Patterned Paper

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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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:

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper June Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafting With Dragonflies Challenge #83 - Make the Sentiment the Main Focus

Hiding in My Craftroom Challenge #305 - Feminine

Crafts Galore Encore June Challenge - Anything Goes

Brown Sugar Challenge #255 - Anything Goes

Crafty Friends Challenge #60 - Friendship

(This card is for a friend who has just had surgery)

Catch The Bug June Challenge - Bingo

I used ribbon, Die/punch. Sentiment

Quirky Crafts Challenge #4 - Things With Wings

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #286-287 - Anything Goes

Southern Girls Challenge #162 -  Stuck on You

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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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:

Digi Stamps4Joy Challenge #137 - Anything Goes with option of add a butterfly

Crafting With An Attitude Challenge #28 - Anything Goes

Crafty Girl's Creations Challenge #37 - Anything Goes

Addicted To Stamps Challenge #246 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #343 - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination Challenge #130 - Anything Goes

Scrapy Land Challenge #67 - Anything Goes using a die cut

(I used a Memory Box Stitched Rectangle Die)

The Sisterhood Of Crafters - Use Your Imagination

The Crafty addicts Challenge # 37 - Anything Goes - Optional Use Die Cuts

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #286-287  Anything Goes

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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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:

Creates and Makes Challenge #12 - Anything Goes (optional Use Yellow)

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week 24 - Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #43 - Anything Goes

Retro Rubber Challenge #64 - Anything Goes

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

Through THe Craft Room Door Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafting From the Heart Challenge #163 - Anything Goes

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge June - Anything Goes

Pam's inky Pinkies Challenge #1724 - Anything Goes

The Paper Nest Dolls Challenge 06 2017 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #286-287  - Anything Goes

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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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:

Crafting With Dragonflies Challenge #82 - Anything Goes

Crazy 4 Challenges #389 - Roses

Dis Digi Designs Challenge - Birthdays

Hiding In My Craft Room Challenge #304 - Super Scrap Saturday

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Monochrome

Colour Crazy Challenge Week #23 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz Challenge #374 - Anything Goes - Optional use Dies or Punches

Creative Fingers Challenge #132 - Anything Goes

Making Memories Crafting Challenge #6 - Anything Goes, optional bingo board

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #286-287 - Anything Goes

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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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:

Crafting With Dragonflies Challenge #82 - Anything Goes

Scrap And Craft Challenge #4 - Anything Goes - optional, use string, twine or ribbon

Scrappers Delight June Challenge #67 - Anything Goes

A Bit More Time To Craft Challenge #45 - Anything Goes

A Perfect Time To Craft Open Challenge #6 - Anything Goes

Crafters Cafe Challenge #174 - Anything Goes, optional twist, Travel

(Butterflies travel)

Creatalicious Challenge #116 - Anything Goes

Delicious Doodles June Challenge - All Creatures Great and Small

Norsalten Hobbyklubb Challenge #158 - Embossing

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #284 - 285 - Anything Goes

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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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:

Show Us Your Pussies Challenge #18 - Anything Goes, twist, Birthdays

Inspiration Destination Challenge #129 - Anything Goes, optional twist not used

Crafty Creations Challenge #342 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Addicted To Stamps Challenge #149 - Animals

Crafting By Design June Challenge - Anything Goes

Creative Moments Challenge #119 - Anything Goes

Southern Girls Challenge #161 - Anything Goes

A Perfect Time To Craft June Challenge - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #284 - 285 - Anything Goes

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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