Golden Birthday

Welcome

How can it be just over half a century since my daughter was born??

I helped celebrate her birthday with joy, and a slight sense of disbelief.

and a golden card...

The colour is richer than the photos show... the technique I used is one I saw on Natasha Footes channel here

I created the background using a stencil made by cutting a piece of manila folder with a 'Flat oval die' by Scrapbook.com, and sponged it using Delicata Golden Glitz ink which has a lovely shimmer to it.

The embossed sprig was a new one from a combined  stencil and stamps pack by Tim Holtz

The digits were cut using an old numerical die set, and I used a snippet of low sheen gold paper

The sentiment was stamped using a freebie magazine set of sentiment by Rare Earth, and embossed in WOW metallic Gold ep.  You can see the shimmer of the ink in the above photo.

The 'splatter' was made using the 'controlled splatter'  technique demonstrated in the video above

I used gold dotted washi tape on both the inside of the card and the envelope.

I am linking this to:

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Monochrome

Pammies Inky Pinkies Challenge #2523 - Anything Goes

Paper Funday's June Challenge #77 - Anything Goes with twist of embossing - heat or dry

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #702 + 703 - Anything Goes

Gamer Boy

Welcome

It's been way longer than I intended ... the trip to Australia was a wonderful time, and life has been hectic since I returned - I'm not sure if time is going faster, or I am going slower, these past few years, but I seem to be getting more and more behinder!

I was recently asked to make some cards for a friend.  This one was for a youngster who loves his computer games.  

I had no computer images as such, so some free clipart was searched for and found!

I printed out the images and then trimmed them out... 

The background paper is some I saved from a stamping magazine years ago...

The sentiment, placed in the centre of the gaming console, was stamped, using a magazine freebie by Rare Earth Stamps, scanned and sized to fit.  Once adhered, I put a layer of Glossy Accents over it

One of the pixelated images did not fit on the outside so was adhered to the left of the inside if the card

And a strip of the patterned paper decorated the bottom of the other side. 

The recipient loved the card.

I am linking this to:

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #702 + 703 - Anything Goes

Pammie's inky pinkies Challenge #2523 - Anything Goes

A Place to Start June Challenge - Anything Goes Opt Re-cycle

Mixed Media Steampunk Wolf

Welcome

No, I have not got lost in the Outback of Australia, it's more that I have been totally unmotivated since arriving home over a week ago.... and also beguiled by good books.

This was made for a steampunk fan, and my starting point was the image, by Gecko Galz. A freebie that was published for one of their challenges - they are a most generous group.

 

The background was made with scraps - I am not sure how I made the speckled background, it's been on my desk for waaaay to long, and IRL has a most gorgeous sparkle to it... the side panel was corrugated card with one smooth layer torn off, and bronze and gold pastes applied

The sentiment was embossed with bronze ep

A close up of the image

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

I am linking this to: 

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge 2521 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #700 + 701 - Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge #824 - Anything Goes

3 Shades of Green

  Welcome

I am on holiday, and posting from my phone, so hopefully everything looks OK...

I would like to extended a warm welcome to two new followers - KatieL and Pam. I am sure Pam has blog at Pam's Pearl's, but have been unable to link ti it, or find if Katie has one. I am finding myself technologically challenged with some of the latest changes... and working on my phone.

I made this card for my local (NZ) swap.  It uses a technique by Natasha Foote... sorry, I can't link to the You Tube video

 

I ruled up the back ground of my tiles, rounded the corners all over the design, the filled in the shapes using three shades of green markers

After many shuffles of the resulting tiles and sentiment die cut I arrived st this layout, then added the stripes cut from the same card as the green layer, assembled all the layers, then added the rhinestones.

The inside and envelope were decorated with washi tape and a layer of the dark green card.

I will not link to any challenges... but rather end here while I am doing ok.

Multiple A's

Welcome

The local swap group I am had, for the April Challenge, the letter A!

I have lots of A’s on this card, some the complements of DGD’s vivid imagination, so here goes….

An Accurate image of an Aluminium (coloured) Aeroplane, gaining Altitude against an Azure sky amongst Airy Clouds, layered on an Apple green card base…. 

I think I may have managed a few A’s there!

The background is brushed with Catherine Pooler Something Blue ink,

The stamp (now discontinued, (by Kiwistamping)  was silver embossed on white card, coloured with a silver pen, then fussy cut.. 

The greeting I layered up using blue mirror card over white, is an old Ellen Hudson die, the clouds, are an old Whimsy die set - both sets are discontinued

I was definitely stash busting on this card!

I am linking this to:

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2516 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #696 + 697 - Anything Goes

'Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #252 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #299 - Anything Goes

A Trio of Cats

Welcome

I recently made a card for my three year old Great Grandson, and what better than to use a trio of diecuts.  These are unmarked, and I have had them unused in my stash for longer than I care to remember....

I glued the white die cuts on a deep blue panel, then onto the orange base

Happy Birthday was embossed in white.  It is from the Uniko Floral Vines stamp set.

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And the digit was die cut three times and stacked - my digits are an old, very well used set of dies!

I decorated the inside with a stip of bright blue sparkly sticky tape, that I also attached to the outside of the envelope. 

I am linking this to:

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #694 +695 - Anything Goes

Pammies Inky Pinkies Challenge #2515 - Anything Goes

N.B.U.S Challenge #73 - Anything Goes

(NBUS was the trio of cat dies)

 

White with a Pop of Colour

Welcome

No I have not fallen off the edge of the world - 

First I lost my USB stick with my photos on,

Then I just plum got busy... culminating with a long weekend away with friends...

This card was created as an exchange in a card swap here Down Under, and the challenge set was

White, with a Pop of Colour

 I think I might have overdone the colour a bit, but the recipient loves it.

I was really pleased with the result

The 'smile' is an old M.B. die, and the daisies are  John Next Door (NBUS) die I have had for some time and only just used.

The paper is from a rainbow sheet of paper that I have had for longer than I care to remember, from the days when I bought patterned paper by the sheet when I found it, then came the pads.... 

I trimmed both the inside of the card and the envelope with the scraps.

I also forgot to take the photos until after I had written in the card and on the envelope, hence the pieces of paper covering parts of them. 

I am linking this to:

Darnell's NBUS Challenge #73

Elliebelles Crafty Wednesday April Challenge - Anything Goes

Elliebelles Garden Party Challenge #1 - Anything From a Garden

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Wekks #692 + 693 - Anything Goes

Interactive Butterfly Card

Welcome

I first started a new post on the 20th of last month - then lost my USB stick with all my card photos on...

I made and posted this just last weekend, and it was delivered on Monday - I think the local posting box I use had superpowers!!

This card was made for a swap group I am in, and the challenge was to make an interactive card

For some reason I dislike making interactive cards, but a challenge needs to be taken!!

I discovered this technique on a You Tube video here by an S.U. Demo, Trevis.

The butterfly panel rotates as the cover is opened and sits above the inner panel

It's actually quite a simple make, and the video was very clear

My biggest problem was trying to get the butterfly image done - initially I tried it on another piece of the patterned paper - but it was cheap (and nasty) paper that absorbed the medium I used to stamp 

I was going to foil the image using this technique by Natasha Foote,

But after numerous failed attempts, I gave up and stamped the image on pale green card, embossed it with sparkly gold ep, and added some purple using a ball point pen, and was finally satisfied with it

The hello was an old Avery Elle die - I cut it in gold paper, which was too close in tone to the patterned paper, so I layered it up over orange card!

A few Champagne rhinestones finished the card with a wee bit of sparkle.

I am linking this to:

We Love Stamping March Challenge - Spring or AG

A Gem of a Challenge #3 - Anything Goes

EllieBelles Crafty Wednesday Challenge for March - Anything Goes

Digi Chooseday Challenge #2 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #698 + 690 - Anything Goes

Flowers for a Friend

Welcome

I needed a birthday card in a hurry, and chose to use this Katy  Sue printed sheet of images

They are pop-out images, with no white edges, which gives a stunning result.

I chose this pansy image as my friend loves pansies!

They decoupage beautifully - it's a bit fiddly, but well worth the effort. 

The only thing I added to the image was some light penciling under the vase to form a shadow to 'ground' the image.

I embossed the sentiment, a very old clear stamp, with glitter gold embossing.  

The white panel was inked with yellow around the edges

The inside panel has a strip of yellow washi tape, some of which was also added to the envelope.

I am linking this to:

A Gem of a Challenge Challenge 2 Week 2 - Anything Goes

Dragonfly Dreams February Challenge - CAS

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge 248 - Anything Goes

Sabbatical Over, and a Double Birthday Celebration

Welcome

It's been a long sabbatical, but I am finally back - the intentions have been there - I just haven't made it to the computer.  

There has been gardening, as it is summer here, and lacemaking and initially, just relaxing, or as the grandies would say, chillaxing... 

My posts are going to be shorter, with fewer challenges entered - well that is the theory

The double birthday is for this card, made for a family member, and Uniko's 13th birthday bash!

I used the Uniko Bauhaus Blocks set, stamped with black ink and embossed.

The minimal colouring was done with watercolour paints

The black stripe is part of a sparkly adhesive

I ruled stripes of differing widths on the inside, inspired by the stripes on the middle block.

I did the same on the envelope.

I am linking this to:

Uniko's 13th Birthday Linky

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge # 2502 - Anything Goes

Polka Doodles Challenge #2 Week 4 - Anything Goes