A Dragonfly Finally Flies

Welcome

And a very warm welcome to my latest follower, Fiona from Mumsey's Ramblings

Fiona does not make cards, but I did enjoy reading her blog when I found it recently - and an added bonus - she only lives about 20 minutes away from me!

This card is the result of three sources of inspiration and a challenge!

The monthly (New Zealand)  swap group challenge was to use the technique shown in 

Natasha Foote's video here   I have used the technique before here 

The technique os to use your white scraps and cut strips, either straight or lace edged, and stack them three deep as the background - and just add one pop of colour

The layout with the vertical raised strips was inspired by

  Marta Debika (A Drop of Sunshine) on You Tube

I had just received a bundle of background dies from a very generous giveaway on Instagram, so I took a liberty and embossed the base.

My pop of colour was to layer two pink ribbons and cinch them in the centre before adding a VERY old dragonfly embellishment that I cannot recall when or where I bought ...

I stamped the sentiment (another oldie) in Memento Angel Pink ink and Versamark ink and clear embossed it before cutting out the tag shape

The inside was finished with a strip of embossed white card, edged with pink ink, as was the envelope.

My swap partner liked the card

I am linking this to:

Polka Doodles Challenge Week #29 - Anything Goes

Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge #485 - Anything Goes using snippets

Pammie's inky Pinkies Challenge #2429 - Anything Goes

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #29 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #657 + 658 - Anything Goes

A Place to Start July Challenge - Anything Goes

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Add a Sentiment

'Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #234 - Anything Goes

We Love 2 Create Challenge #6 - Anything Goes using mixed media

Allsorts Challenge #790 - Anything Goes opt used

Yellow Tulips for a Birthday

Welcome

Thank you for visiting my blog - blogs seem to be rapidly going 'out of fashion', with noticeably fewer folks either blogging or visiting, so I do appreciate you calling in.

This card started by the recipient admiring the stamped image on another card I had on hand..

I started with with a mica sprayed panel - it looks like it may have been a Lindy's spray, Hydrangea blue.  The tulip stamp is a very old one from Kiwistamping (now defunct) 

I  used it embossed as the focal point, and also stamped it randomly in Versamark Ink on the background and brushed pearl Perfect Pearls over it - it can just been seen on the top right corner

After stamping and silver embossing the image, it was watercoloured and diecut using an old Spellbinders Die, and the edges were brushed with Memento Danube Blue ink before removing the die 

The greeting was originally cut in white card some years ago when I was house sitting and had free access to my friends supplies... I painted it silver to fit with the embossing.

The focal panel was mounted onto a deep blue base with some silver card under two opposing corners, and some blue and white organza ribbons tied together across the base.

The inside was decorated with an offcut of the sprayed panel.

The envelope was stamped with the main image, again using Memento Danube Blue ink

I am linking this to:

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #24 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #657 +548 - Anything Goes

Ally's Angels Challenge #84 - Anything Goes

Creative Inspiration Challenge #16 - Anything Goes

pattie's Creations Design July Challenge - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2428 - Anything Goes

Cards 4 Galz Challenge #229 - Shades of Blue

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Lots of Layers

Elliebelles Crafty Wednesday June- July Challenge - Anything Goes

Everybody Art Challenge #561 - We Love Stamping

Super Boy

Welcome

This card was made for a pre-schooler earlier in the year - hopefully I can remember most of what I used on it...

I started with a 'mop up' piece of card, and from the sheen on it, I must have been using a mica based spray...

The embossing was all done with a glitter silver embossing powder, and stamps were from  STAMPlorations set called Super Hero

The image was stamped on a snippet of white cardstock, his clothes were coloured with markers, and his cape coloured with a silver Wink of Stella pen.  This was then fussy cut before adhering

The skyline stamp is in the set, and I stamped it twice, altering the height of the stamping to deceive the eye and make it look like just the one stamp right across the base of the panel.  Memento Tuxedo Black was used, multiple times, and then the 'windows' were coloured with a silver pen.

The two stars from the set were embossed on white and silver pen used between the two outlines, the centres painted with the silver WoS., and a wee silver 'confetti' star was added to the centres of the stamped stars, and also randomly around the card

The sentiment was a magazine freebie stamped and silver embossed on black card, then trimmed out before adhering. 

A Gem of a Challenge Week #14 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #282 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz Challenge #676 - Anything Goes - twist, make it cute

Polka Doodles Challenge Week #28 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #655 + 656 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2428 - Anything Goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #233 - Anything Goes

Time Out Challenge #267- Seeing Stars

D.L. Art July Challenge - Anything Goes

We Love Stamping July Challenge - Anything Goes Opt used

Game Control Birthday

Welcome

I had a card to make for a grandson who loves his computer games... but I had no stamps and no ideas, until I searched online and found a black and white representation of a game controller...

So out came the design paper, a very old Stampin' Up pad, and I mounted it over some bright green card, then sized, printed onto white card, coloured and fussy cut the controller.  It is not like his own, but big sister said it was ok. 

I cut up, and glued gold paper 'squares' to the background to represent pixels, and heat embossed the sentiment onto some kraft card, trimmed it down and rounded the corners before mounting it

The inside of the card was decorated with a strip of the paper, with a strip of gold over the top of it.

It was a very well received card.

I am linking this to:

Patti's Creations Challenge #220 - Anything Goes

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #27 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2427 - Anything Goes

Creative Moments Challenge #260 - Anything Goes (Sketch not used)

 Polka Doodles Challenge Week #27 - Anything Goes

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #233 - Anything Goes

Crafting Happiness Challenge #182 - Birthdays

Crafty Calendar July Challenge - Add a Sentiment

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks # 655 + 656 - Anything Goes

Elliebelles Crafty Wednesday Challenge (June and July) - Anything Goes

Steampunk-esque Birthday

Welcome

Warning : This is a photo heavy post - I  will (try to) keep the words brief.... 

A belated birthday card made for a steampunk loving friend.

I started with this pink and green painted background which I had embossed in white.  I then 'got stuck' and it has languished for a couple of years in my background box.

The embossing was done through a this circular stencil, made and available in New Zealand

I added over the background some ephemera from a 3/4 Designs pack (since discontinued)

Most are paper prints trimmed out

The balloon is a chipboard piece that I triple embossed in copper ep, then added some paper ephemera to the basket

The bow was made from a strand of deconstructed string, so is quite frizzy, and then I added clear rhinestones dropping down to the sentiment which was embossed on vellum

The inner sentiment gave the birthday greeting, again embossed using copper ep.

I am linking this to:

Paper Funday Challenge #67 - Anything Goes

Digi Chooseday Week #26 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #655 + 656 - Anything Goes

Creative Inspirations July Challenge - Anything Goes

Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge #106 - Anything Goes

(Includes embossing, stenciling, watercolour, string, gems)

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2426 - Anything Goes

Craty Catz Challenge #675 - Anything Goes opt with Embellishments

Polka Doodles Challenge Week #27 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #281 - Anything Goes

Pattie's Creations Challenge #220 - Anything Goes

Spinner Flower Card

Welcome

The challenge for last month in our small New Zealand swap group was to make a spinner card.

I watched a video, and though I had it sussed, but did not make the card for a few days, and in the end 'fluffed' the fold, so it is simply a tent style card... 

I started with a smooshed background (again, I have a fair few of them!!)  and a piece of white card that I coloured the edges of with the direct to paper technique using Memento Angel Pink before layering it onto the white base.

I lined the two pieces up to cut the centre oval and then cut the scalloped border, using a scalloped oval die, then cutting the centre out.  The oval cut from the background was then cut again using a smaller oval die, and the  flower die cut and assembled - again the two lighter pink layers were cut from a snippet of  card I coloured with the same pink ink.

The back of the spinner element was where I put the greeting, stamped with some very old clear stamps using the Angel Pink ink.  I used some very fine, iridescent metallic sewing thread sandwiched between the layers to form the 'spinner' mechanism..

I embossed a smaller piece of card for the flap to cover the written message - it's an old embossing folder, then I ended up attaching it debossed side up!  Thankfully it looks O.K.

The card was finished by adding some clear facetted 'bling'

My swap partner loved the card

I have also added this to the Archi-Scraps challenge on facebook - the theme there this month is to "Put a Hole in It"

I am linking this to:

Crafty Gals Challenge #256 - Fancy Fold or Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #653 + 654 - Anything Goes

A Gem of a Challenge Week#13 - Anything Goes

Digi Chooseday Week #35 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz Challenge #675 - Anything Goes

Polka Doodles Challenge Week #26 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #281 - Anything Goes

Snippet Playground Challenge #483 - Use Snippets

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2426 - Anything Goes

Ally's Angels Challenge #83 - Anything Goes

Peony Sympathy

Welcome

A friend recently lost her husband when he succumbed to cancer after an incredible fight.

This was the card I made for her.

The image and sentiments on the front of the card and envelope are all from Sweet'n'Sassy Stamps 

Peaceful Peonies set

The image was stamped in London Fog and clear embossed, as were the two small sentiments.

The background panel was a 'mop up' sheet with a few gold splats on it as well as the pinks

The flower was watercoloured, using watercolour crayons, then detailed with polychromo pencils

The inner sentiments and image were also stamped in London Fog ink, and the edges brushed with Angel Pink ink

These sentiments came from an unidentified set of stamps sent to me by a friend.

I am linking this to:

Pammie's inky Pinkies Challenge #2425 - Anything Goes

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Fabulous Florals

polka Doodles Challenge Week #25 - Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge #786 - Blooms, Bees and Butterflies

Ally's Angels Challenge #83 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenger Week #653 + 654 - Anything Goes

We Love Stamping June Challenge - Fabulous Florals
Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #232 - Anything Goes

Patties Creations Challenge #219 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #280 - Anything Goes

A Masked Scripture

Welcome

This is my second post as June guest designer for Word Art Wednesday.

I printed the scripture off to the size I wanted it, and then decided to make a tall narrow card, so folded it, ensuring the scripture sat in the centre, and went from there.

(My apologies for the shadow on the photo - I did not realise it was there until I started this post, and it was too late to re-take it, as the photo was taken in daylight)

I used masking fluid to cover the printed scripture, masked the edges of the card, then sprayed it with Kitsch Flamingo Distress spray, and oversprayed that with  Lyndsay's Get a Guy Gold mica spray.

This gave just a slight sparkle to the card front.

Next I placed an old stencil (company is now defunct) over the background, and inked through it with Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink.

Next the big reveal came, and I took off all the masking tape and fluid, and I was pleasantly surprised at the results.

The final detail was to tie a triple bow with a narrow white organza ribbon, and some sparkly pink ribbon that I think is supposed to be used for knitting - it is very old, and I have three colours that have come my way from estates being cleared... 

I am linking this to:

Polkadoodles Challenge Week #24 - Anything Goes

Through the Purple Haze June Challenge #216 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2424 - Anything Goes

A Gem of a Challenge Week #12 - Anything Goes

Ally's Angels Challenge #83 - Anything Goes

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #24 - Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge #785 - Masculine or Anything Goes

Dream Valley Challenge #318 - Summer Colours 

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #232 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #280 - Anything Goes

 

Mid Century Modern Masculine

Welcome

I had a 'play' last week with some stamps and a stencil from Uniko - kindly provided by Bev as a prize last year... then I loved the releases so much I bought the stencil... 

The stencil is the Mod Background Builder, and the stamps are from the Mid Century Modern Frames set

It is quite a simple card, and inspired by how Bev, the owner of Uniko used the stencil recently here for a masculine card, which is what I needed to make...

First I sorted out the general plan for my card, then stamped the sentiment panel using Versafine Clair  Pinecone ink,  clear embossed it, then masked it 

I chose to use three inks on my stencil for an ombre effect.

Memento Cottage Ivy, Bamboos leaves and New Sprout

The dots are simply punch outs from a deep green card.

The card base is kraft card, and the edges of the feature panel were inked in the Bamboo Leaves ink

I repeated the dots on the liner of the card, and the stencilling on the envelope.

I am linking this to:

Allsorts Challenge #785 - Masculine

Crafty Catz Challenge #674 - Anything Goes with Opt (taken) Masculine

Creative Fingers Challenge #280 - Anything Goes

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2423 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #651 +652 - Anything Goes

Aloha Friday Challenge #11 - Masculine

Craft Rocket Challenge #115 - No Designer Paper

Stencil Fun Challenge #11 - Anything Goes Opt (taken) Birthday

Ellieblles Crafty Wednesday Challenge June and July - Anything Goes

I Spy with My Little Eye - Something for Boys or Men