Something Fishy...

Welcome

I recently tried the 'bubble background' technique (a tutorial can be found here).  It was the challenge for my small NZ Swap Group this month.  

I totally lost my mojo during the month, so I am not sure if my card has even arrived at the recipients as I was so late posting it, and the postal service is not that flash!!.

I did make a sheet of blue bubbles, and one where I I blended in some red with the blue... I used food colouring, and it took me a couple of tries to get the ratios in the recipe correct and get a good result. There will be a few of these backgrounds popping up over the next while... be warned.

This card was made because I totally forgot a birthday... the fish was in an unmarked (A .Express) package, and the sentiments were from an older Sweet'n'Sassy set Birthday Pals - I think it has been discontinued. :(

The compilation of the sentiments were embossed in Brutus Monroe Mermaid Tail ep, as was the fish

Before I stamped the paper, I sprayed some TH Snow Flurries Mica Spray over it, (from last years Christmas Collection) which gave a subtle sparkle

The inside was finished with another fishy, embossed,  sentiment and some blue and silver washi tape.

I am linking this to:

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2244 - Anything Goes

Allsorts 700th Challenge - Lets Celebrate, Any Special Occasion

Polka Doodles Challenge Week #44 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #567 +568 - Anything Goes

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #43 - Anything Goes

Dare 2B Artzy October Challenge - Favourite Colour. Blue!!

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #192 - Anything Goes

The Corrosive Challenge - October - Anything Goes

A Gem of a Challenge Week #22 - Anything Goes

Colour Crazy Challenge Week #43 - Anything Colouring Goes

(I coloured my paper)

A Simple Thanks

Welcome

I have the privilege of welcoming another new follower - Jane Bayliss. 

I wanted a thank you card recently, and this is the result.  

I made it quite CAS as the recipients are not 'fussy' or 'fancy' folk. 

The image is a small Altenew stamp and die set - I have had it several years and think it is now discontinued.  It was stamped on a snippet of card before colouring.

I coloured the images with Alcohol pens (a gift I recently received) and 'detailed' it with my polychromo pencils.  

The sentiment  an oldie but a goodie, was gold embossed on a separate snippet of card.

I die cut both the coloured images and the gold 'shadow' layer that I offset to the main image.

The flowers were mounted on foam dots, either side of the sentiment panel

The background layer was embossed with a very old Swiss Dot EF by Cuttlebug, and all edges were swiped over a gold ink pad. 

The inside panel had a narrow strip of washi added.

I am linking this to:

Polka Doodles Challenge Week #43 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #241 - Anything Goes

Arty Diva's October Challenge - Anything Goes

A Gem of a Challenge Week #22 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #565 + 566 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2243 - Anything Goes

Jan's Digi Stamps October Challenge - Anything Goes

Use Your Stuff Challenge #249 - Use Die cuts

Can You Handle The Pressure - Embossing Dry and Wet

(Twist not used)

Stamping Sensations October Challenge - Autumn Colours

Steampunk Train

Welcome

And a very warm welcome to my newest follower, Alice P, aka ScrAPamondo,  her blog is 

Scrap & C  Do pop over and have a look, her work is amazing.

This card started with the image - I think it was from the Gecko Galz Monthly Steampunk Challenge.

I printed to the size I wanted, and then dipped the image into some Vintage Photo DI that I had wiped  onto my work surface and spritz with water.

The edges were then distressed and brushed with the same ink - I tore the edges in two places, rolled the edges back and tucked an embossed cog under each tear.

this trio of cogs war also bronze embossed and adhered to a corner

I went over the 'steam' elements on the image with silver paint, and also splattered some around the base card Cranberry card stock.

A simple sentiment stamped with Versa Clair Pine Cone ink, and the edges distressed and inked.

The inside panel was also dipped in the watered down ink, and the ink smudged around the edges

most scientifically with my finger!

I am linking this to:

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #42 - Anything Goes

Elliebelles Crafty Wednesday October Challenge - Anything Goes

The Sisterhood of Crafters - One for the Guys

Paper Funday Challenge, October Challenge #46 - Anything Goes

(twist not used)

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #565 + 566 - Anything Goes

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Allies Angels Challenge #63 - Anything Goes

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #104 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2242 - Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers October Birthday Challenge - Anything Birthday Goes

Pussy Cat Love

Welcome

I made this earlier in the month, while singularly lacking in energy and motivation.. the card was for a young girl who was my neighbour for many years

The (Nellie Sneddon) die was sitting on my desk - unused, and as I know the family love cats, that was my starting point, closely followed by the paper, from on an old pad of DP.

I sponged the edges with colours that matched the patterns nearby.  Wink of Stella clear pen was added to the flowers for a wee bit of sparkle

The butterfly was one off a strip of diecut butterflies I was gifted, that I had coloured with some Cosmic Shimmer Lemon Sherbet Lustre Polish, and added some flatback pearls to the body.

For the sentiment I coloured some card by painting on some Lindy's shimmer spray, and then flicked some yellow over it before cutting it with on old S/B die.  I lost the 'dot' of the i, so added a pearl

The cats were coloured with chalks to match their cats, and placed so some of the pattern in the paper grounded them.  this panel was mounted on the bright canary yellow base.

I decorated the inside with a couple of narrow 'trimmings' of the design paper.

The card was very well received.

I am linking this to:

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #192 - Anything Goes

NBUS Challenge #43 Anything Goes using a new product

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge # 2242 - Anything Goes

Dream Valley Challenge #280 - use Pearls or Gems

Ally's Angels October Challenge #63 - Anything Goes

Arty Divas September Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafty Animals Challenge #66 - Anything Goes including an Animal

Make My Monday Challenge #185 - Birthday Wishes

Use Your Stuff Challenge #469 - Die Cuts

Happy Little Stampers October (Dies) Challenge - Anything Goes using Dies

Cats and Pots...

Welcome

I have a friend who has been 'adopted' by two cats - one just appeared, the other the owners moved without it..  recently she posted a photo of one of them lying curled up in a plant pot, regardless of the flowers... this was my starting point for this card! (which she loved!)

I created the background fence by scoring lines to a set point on the card stock, masking below them, then applying ink directly to the card.

I then moved the mask to cover the 'fence' and added some greens to form the lawn.

All except the cat are dies that I some I received in an order from Gummiapan recently, and as they are so tiny, I could cut them from snippets of card!!

The die cuts were coloured with polychromo pencils and with some ink on the light green leaves

The cats  (I think the Memory Box dies are now discontinued) I used chalks on as I am not that confident in colouring them.

The 'shrub' behind the black and white cat is the same die cut as the other plant, (this time cut from dark green card) and dissected before being added the other way up than intended

The sentiment is part of a larger stamp, that I masked, stamped and then embossed with rich green EP, then cut down into two double ended fishtail banners, and mounted on foam

The inside was finished with a floral washi tape.

I am linking this to:

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #440 - Die cuts and or Stencils

Polka Doodles Craft Challenge Week #42 - Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge #698 - Add a Sentiment

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #565 + 566 - Anything Goes

Pammies Inky Pinkies Challenge #2241 - Anything Goes

Colour Crazy Challenge Week #41 - Anything Goes

Alphabet Challenge - N is for Nature

Creative Finger Challenge #240 - Anything Goes

Pixies Snippets Playground Challenge #439 - Use Snippets

Just Add Ink Challenge 625 - Inspiration Photo

I used the flowers

A Floral Fancy Fold

Welcome

Last month for the small N.Z. card swap group I am in, we were challenged to make a Mini Miura card.

I was late making it, but it did get done in September. 

It is a trifold card with a twist, and is supposed to be closed with a belly band - I simply used a sparkly thread, tying a bow under the embossed bee

Here is the card fully opened.  The paper was a part sheet from an old Craft Wise pack called Blossom,  layered over some deep pink metallic paper

I stamped some bees and the sentiment in Memento Ink London Fog

They were freebies from a magazine

I also embossed two of the bees with Platinum EP 

This is a top view of the card opened up

I am linking this to

Polka Doodles Challenge Week #41 - Anything Goes

A Gem of a Challenge Week #21 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2241 - Anything Goes

Allie's Angels Challenge #63 - Anything Goes

Through The Craft Room Door Challenge - Anything Goes

A Place to Start Challenge 202022 - Anything Goes (Opt Twist Circles and Squares)

Jan's Digi Challenge October - Anything Goes

Lil' patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #191 - Anything Goes

The Corrosive Challenge #10 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks#563 + 564 - Anything Goes

Silver and Blue Butterfly

Welcome

This card was made in August, but I have only felt free to share it now as it had to go overseas.. and we all know how slow international mail can be... 

I had fun using some 'new to me' stamps from a de-stash that Michelle Lupton ran on IG .

The butterfly is from Paper Rose studio - Helena Floral Butterfly.

I embossed it in silver on the same card as the base, and fussy cut it after brushing black ink over the outer edges.  This photo doesn't do it justice, but it was hard to get a good shot.

The sentiment was part of a sentiment from Picket Fence  No Need to Tip set

After mounting it on a silver card hexagon, it was placed on foam dots over some flat silver ribbon.  As it had to go through the post, I simply tied a flat knot, rather than a bow.  The front of the card was finished with some silver faux stitching across the top and bottom edges

I stamped the butterfly in blue ink on a white panel in the inside - the blue card was not very heavy, so the white 'inners' gave the card some stability

I am linking this to:

The Alphabet Challenge - N is for Nature

NBUS Challenge #43 - The stamps are 'new to me'

Patties Creations Challenge #199 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #240 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2240 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #563 +564 - Anything Goes

Krafty Chicks Challenge #632 - Stamp Act

Addicted To Stamps And More Challenge # 439- Any Occasion

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Happy Anything

Allsorts Challenge Week #697 - Anything Goes opt Twist - Monochrome

Of Ships and Men...

Welcome

This card was made for a Steampunk fan... I love the die cut that forms the central image on this card

I formed an edge to the card using torn corrugated card that I had taken the covering layer off, then rubbed bronze and blue Inka Gold paint on them - it was a get down and dirty day for my hands!

Here you can see some of the sheen

The background card was some that started as a mop up sheet - it is card I bought from a local printer before he shut down, and it has a fabulous texture to it - there were mica sprays and all sorts on it

Both the cogs (above) and the ship below were painted with ink gold paints, and then embossed by pressing the parts into a Versamark pad, and then sprinkling on the powder - it did not give complete coverage which adds to the texture

The sentiment was one I stamped off while house sitting.  After trimming it to size, and leaving one edge torn, I embossed the edges with copper

I completed the inside with a set of three diecut cogs, embossed in two of the powders I had used on the front of the card, and also I smudged the edges with ink

I am linking this to:

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #40 - Anything Goes

Jan's Digi Stamps October Challenge - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2240 - Anything Goes

LeAnns World 101 Challenge #55 - Anything Goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #191 - Anything Goes

Polka Doodles Challenge Week #40 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #563 + 564 - Anything Goes

The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge - Happy Everything

Elliebelles Crafty Wednesday October Challenge - Anything Goes

Fab'n'Funky Challenge #558 - Embossing wet or dry