A Roaring Birthday

Welcome

Meet this card made for a young boy - from many snippets

The background was a failed attempt at a 'fossil stone' technique...

BUT not one to waste things, I used it for this card, brushing over some blue, brown and green inks to soften the 'dotty'  look.

The stamps came from a magazine freebie set a looooong time ago - I trimmed out the stamped words, and mounted it over the same green card as the base, and added where it looked best

The wee critters were also in the set - I coloured them all with my limited supply of AI pens, and added glossy accents on the balloon and eyes and the top of the cake

The 'cave' is a snippet of bronze card with a metallic sparkle in it - I edged the outline with black, and was so pleased with the sense of dimension it gives.

The sparkle at the base was a glitter strip from a packet I was gifted.

The final pieces of the bronze card were layered on opposite corners behind the main panel, before I mounted it on the green base

I used a trimming from the front panel for the inside of the card.

As this was sent in a coloured, rice-paper envelope, so it was not decorated.

I am linking this to:

Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge #463 - Anything Goes using Snippets

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2338 - Anything Goes

Digi Choosday Challenge Week #38 - Anything Goes

Crafting Happiness September Challenge #146 - Anything Goes

The Cutie Pie Challenge #186 - Birthday and/or bears

Jan's Digi Stamps Designs September Challenge - Anything Goes

Make My Monday Challenge #210 - Create Your Own Background

Dragonfly Dreams September Challenge - Happy Birthday

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #214 - Anything Goes

AAA Birthday Challenge Game #53 - Animals

A Trellis, Letterpress and Beads

Welcome

Today's card was made for our wee N.Z swap group - and the challenge this month was a trellis card!

I started by using an embossing folder and the letterpress technique.  I took Memento Tangerine ink to ink the folder and ran the face of the card through the folder, then cut the battens from the bottom part.  I adhered the three cross battens between both layers of the uprights, the very bottom one on the top, and secured the uprights behind the upper portion of the panel

Stamped and gold embossed a flower from an Art By Marlene set on purple card, and bleached out the outer rim of the petals.  Die cut three leaves to add under that before adhering to the front of the card.

The sentiment (a magazine freebie) was gold embossed on a snippet of the purple card and adhered to a horizontal batten.  The butterflies were wee punched ones I had used as masks, and I added three to the card, drawing in a body, head and antenna with a gold pen.

To add some pizzazz to the flower I dribbled on some glue and added some micro beads to the centre

The flowers were stamped on the envelope in Queen For A Day ink by Catherine Pooler. I had inadvertently stamped them on the opposite side of the envelope to normal, but the postage stamp covered the boo boo where the ink didn't stamp... 

I am linking this to:

Polkadoodles Challenge Week #38 - Anything Goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #214 - Anything Goes

The Corrosive Challenge #9 - Anything Goes

A Gem of a Challenge Week #19 - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar September Challenge - Anything Goes

Di's Digi Designs Challenge - Use Three of Anything

I used three butterflies

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #613 + 614 - Anything Goes

Can You handle the Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes, twist of Bees/Beehive

Craty Catz Challenge #651 - Anything Goes Opt - Watercolour Background

Paper Dragonfly Challenge #21 - Anything Flies (AG) or Fall Splendour

A Picture Perfect Flower

Welcome

I decided it was time that my picture perfect flower die had a first outing - it is a Memory Box die, but appears to have been discontinued... red face as it shows how long I have had it...

I started with a monoprint from the back of a stencil, taken after I had been having an afternoon experimenting...

The die was cut from white cardstock and coloured - the edge I used an acrylic gold paint on, the rest was coloured using watercolours.  The flower was layered, and in retrospect, I should have made the bottom layer a darker purple.

The sentiment was a magazine freebie and gold embossed - this was cut into a double ended fishtail banner - I layered it over some gold glitter paper that I had also used to punch the butterflies from.

The inside was decorated with more punched butterflies

The envelope I used some paper punched butterflies, adhered them with removeable  glue tape, and sprayed it with a gold mica paint, then removed the butterflies to give a negative image.

I am linking this to:

Elliebelle's Crafty Wednesday September Challenge #6 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #613 + 614 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2337 - Anything Goes

Digi Choosday Challenge Week #37 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz Challenge #651 - Anything Goes

NBUS Challenge #54 - Anything Goes using new stash

Cardz For Galz Challenge - Use a Stencil, a Sentiment and an Image

DL Art Thankful Thursday Challenge #332 - Anything Goes

The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge - Die Cuts

The Crafty Addicts September Challenge #5 - Anything Goes

That Crazy Cat

Welcome

This started off with a boo boo - I adhered the layer of napkin to the card front on an angle - and I had no time to correct it as I had used a spray glue, and it sticks fast and hard!! 

So I chose to work with what I had... 

The image is from Tim Holtz Crazy Cats set, and I stamped it in a Caramel ink, added ink to an acrylic block and then painted it with a wet brush.

I lost the image a wee bit, so then stamped it again to get some definition back, and it worked!

I also grounded it with some green ink brushed on, and gave it a faint blue sky - both inks were applied before I removed the die

I had to cut it on an angle in the oval, as the next size of oval was too large for the card, so it fitted the background much better like that - it all started to look coordinated...

It's eyes were highlighted with some glossy accents

The sentiment was stamped in the same Caramel ink and cut into a fish tail banner, the panel was edged with the same ink, and the main panel adhered to a kraft coloured base.

Some bronze coloured washi tape for the inside

And some stamping on the envelope, and it was finished!

I am linking this to:

Digi Choosday Challenge Week #37 - Anything Goes 

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2337 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #613 + 614 - Anything Goes

Addicted To Stamps and More Challenge #454 - Any Occasion

Everybody-Art-Challenge #524 - Use Stamps

Elliebelle's Crafty Wednesday September Challenge #6 - Anything Goes

Jan's Digi Stamps September Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafting Happiness September Challenge #146 - Anything Goes

AAA Birthday Challenge Game #53 - Animals

Try Stamping on Tuesdays Challenge #625 - Used the Inspiration

Both image and sentiment are old stamps

A Trio of Trees

Welcome

I also extend a very warm welcome to my newest follower - Pam Tiedtke who runs the challenge Pammie's Inky Pinkies, and also has a personal blog here.

This card is for the mid-month DT reminder for the 

We Love Stamping Challenge - Anything Goes, with the option of Trees or Leaves.

I started by cutting the oval into the embossed top layer, then stamping the trees using masking and second generation stamping to give some dimension, stamping approximately where the oval would sit.

I added the brown to the tree trunks by hand after stamping, thought it looked a bit stark, so then stamped  some grasses at the base in versamark ink, sponged on some white ink on the top and drew some birds in with a fine liner pen - about the extent of my drawing talent...

The sentiment was gold embossed onto some kraft card that matches the base, and hand trimmed into a fishtail banner before being  mounted with foam dots

The inside was finished with some sage green Washi tape.

I am linking this to:

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #36 - Anything Goes

PolkaDoodles Challenge Week #37 - Anything Goes

Dragonfly Dreams September Challenge - Happy Birthday

Allsorts Challenge #746 - Anything Goes with Masculine Option

A Gem of a Challenge Week #19 - Anything Goes

Elliebelle's Crafty Wednesday September Challenge - Anything Goes

LeAnn's World 101 September Challenge - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2337 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #613 + 614 - Anything Goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #214 - Anything Goes

Pond Sympathy

Welcome

That nasty bug landed me in hospital for the week last week, and it must have left me muddled as I have just prepared a blog post with the wrong card...

This card was made for the September challenge at We Love Stamping, where the theme is anything goes, with an option of trees or leaves - I have chosen trees...  

I do like to have some sympathy cards 'on hand', and this is made for that stash

The stamp is from Divinity Designs, it is an old set, that I regularly use.

The image was stamped with London Fog ink and coloured with watercolour pencils

This is the second card that I made using the 'double' spotlight technique - the other card is here

The sentiment was silver embossed, and that panel mounted on a soft blue card

A piece of washi tape finished the inside

I am linking this to:

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #611 + 612 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2336 - Anything Goes

613 Avenue Create September Challenge - Anything Goes

Lil' patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #213 - Anything Goes

Corrosive Challenge #9 - Sept 23 - Anything Goes

A Gem of a Challenge Week #18 - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar September Challenge - Anything Goes

Di's Digi Stamps Challenge - Die Cuts or Punches

polka Doodles Challenge Week #36 - Anything Goes

Patties Creations Challenge - Anything (Coloured )Goes

AWOL - and why

Welcome

And a special welcome to Barb Finnical, my newest follower.

Thank you all for your well wishes... the virus/bug has laid me low, and had me in hospital since Sunday , much to my disgust, and no sign of release yet

I am not even interested in having my computer
brought in - I am writing this on my phone, hence the different layout.

I will be back, just not sure when...

Stylised Sunflowers

Welcome

I had intended being back here again, but life, including a virus, intervened...

I made this card from items on my desk... not that it reduced the pile by much

The card background is a an Altenew stencil that I had been 'playing' with, using Catherine Pooler Twilight ink.  It was a bit stark, so to soften it, I brushed over some memento London Fog ink

The image is a digi image that I had printed out months ago - with no notes to say where it was from,  I suspect it was from Graphic Fairy, but no certainty.

I initially coloured it with AI pens, but my range is very limited, so I added shading with pencils

Once it was coloured I cut it using a Sizzex stitched oval die, then before I removed the die, I brushed over some blue and green inks, using the inks that were on the brushes

The sentiment (a magazine freebie) was stamped and embossed with Brutus Monroe Mermaid Tail ep.

The image panel was mounted over some silver sparkle paper, with a silver ribbon at the base of it.

This panel was then mounted to the left and top of the blue base card as I had also done to the oval

I hunted out a NBUS sunflower stamp from a local firm that has closed, and stamped that in 

London Fog ink on both the inside and the envelope.

I am linking this to:

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2334 - Anything Goes

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #34 - Anything Goes

Patties Creations Challenge #210 - Anything Goes using a hand coloured image

Crafting Happiness Challenge #146 - Anything Goes

Simply Create Too Challenge #194 - Use Stamps

Challenge Up Your Life Challenge #162 - Anything Goes

Di's Digi Designs Challenge - Use a Digi Element 

Double D Challenge - Sunflowers

Krafty Chicks Challenge # 679 - Anything Goes

Addicted To Stamps Challenge #453 - Birthdays