Pink Cottage Rose

A warm welcome to my visitors again.

I love this image of a Cottage Rose (a retired Layers of Color stamp) and took great delight in using it for this card.

Before I start, I would like to say that the camera has told lies - this card is actually a light purple, and the dark layer is a deep purple - you can just see the purple on the edge of the ribbon.  

The image was coloured using chalks, and partially cut out - I did not use the full image as it is  much larger than I wanted to use. 

The purple layer is mulberry paper with a gold thread through it - I chose to cut it, not tear it this time.

The pink rhinestones are grouped as they are as I was following a sketch, but did not get the card completed in time - again!  The sheer purple ribbon is absolutely stunning on this card, but I suspect you will have to take my word on that!

The butterflies were snaffled off/up-cycled from a card I had been given - I think they are sissix ones.  The rhinestones I added.

A quick photo of the inside - I don't often decorate the inside of my cards. Ironically the purple ink has shown true to colour here!

I am linking this to:

Little Darling Challenge #19 - Spring Colours

Sisterhood of Crafters - Celebrate birthdays

cards And More Challenge #49 - Pimped

Crafty Sentiments - things with wings

Lady Bugs craft Ink TLT Challenge - Anything Goes

sweet stamps Challenge #57 - Think Spring

Thank you for visiting - may your day be blessed

Bookworm and Petal Plucker

So do I have your attention with the title? I find I have to be careful with titles or the spammers have a ball...

My first card today uses an image that I can relate well to - a lass with her nose in a book - a constant for me when I was young.

This image is being released this week by McMahon Vintage under the title of Story Time.  I coloured the image with chalks, a soft mauve, although the camera shows it as blue, and pink.

The image was then mounted on a soft lime green card, which picked up one of the colours from the Prima Fairy Flora  design paper.

This was mounted on a doily cut (with a newly purchased die at a local Craft Fair last week) from a very pale mauve card stock.

The purple chiffon ribbon was some from my stash, and threaded through a buckle that adheres to the card.

The tassel I made from four shades of purple embroidery floss, which was then 'combed' with a needle to separate the strands to give a softer appearance.

The wee butterfly was another recent purchase.

The  second release this week is also from McMahon Vintage and is titled Mary Mary.

Again the image is coloured with chalks, with orange being the predominant colour used, and then mounted on a layer of soft orange card.

The base is a gentle lime green with a very subtle sparkle in it.  I stamped it with an Hero Arts stamp, Ivy Leaves, using Memento Cottage Ivy Ink.  

Where the images crossed, I placed a flower made with two white paper flowers wiped over a Whisper Orange ink pad, and then a Prima Fairy Rose mounted in the centre of those.

The card was finished with some piercing in the top corner.

Thanks for calling by - May your day be blessed.

Orange Butterfly

Greetings - it is nearly two weeks since last I posted - life just seems to have got in the way!!

Today I managed two cards, and I am posting this one as the person it is for does not read my blog so I am 'safe'.

I was inspired by Card Patterns Sketch 110, and this is the result.

The pink paper has a sheen on it, which IRL makes it really pretty.  I punched the border with a Martha Stewart punch, which seemed to set the theme of dotted curves.

The brown dp is some from a 'scrap pack' I was given,  the gold dots are embossed, making it a delight to work with. I am using it sparingly as there is only one small piece.  (Others call it hoarding!!)

The lace across the bottom is some tatting I did years ago and never used.... I threaded some gold ribbon through it for this card.

At one end I threaded a buckle through, and glued a really dimensional button on for a focal point... this came from my button jar which has buttons from both my mother and mother in law.

The butterfly I stamped and embossed with copper embossing powder on pale orange vellum - it is my original butterfly stamp from Kiwi Stamping, and for years has been my 'go to' butterfly stamp.  

I painted a few of the features and body with twinkling H2O's and used dimensional adhesives to mount it onto a spellbinders dotted circle cut from gold paper.  

I am linking this to the following challenges:

Card patterns sketch 110

Aud Sentiments Challenge #26 - Anything Goes

Do You Stack Up Challenge #15 - Scallops

Little Miss Muffet Challenge #7 - Glitter and Shine

Rainbow Ladys Challenge #148 - springtime

Sassy Studio Designs Spring Mix Challenge

Crafts And Me Challenge #30 - Ribbon

Fab n Funky Challenge Challenge #68 - Spotty and dotty

Flutterby Wednesdays #150 - Butterfly, Fairy or Angel

OWH Stars and Stamps - Layers

Thanks for calling by, I love seeing that you have visited.

May you day be blessed.

Another Digital Two for Tuesday GD spot and MMSC# 69

Thank you for calling by - I love to see that you have visited. Today I am able to share some cards that I made for a Guest Designer spot over at Digital Two for Tuesday.  Cora shares the most amazing digital images sourced from old books, dress catalogues and the like.


She sent me the two images that she is sharing today, and this is what I did with them.  This cottage just cried out to be a masculine card, so that is what it became.  

I coloured the image with chalks, sponged the edge lightly with brown ink, and mounted it on a very dark green card. The base card was scored with the Scor-it tool.  I wanted a wee bit more detail, and as I had no brads, I punched some dark brown card with a 3/8" punch, glued them on and then put a drop of dimensional magic glue over them to give some shape and gloss.  What took the longest with this card was actually finalising the colour card to mount it on!


This is being linked to 
Stamping Sisters In Christ - Depicting Water 
Based on this scripture John 4:10, 13-14 (NIV) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

The next card had a lot more detail in the image and the card itself - The image was coloured with a combination of mediums, but primarily watercolour pencils - I decided to cut into the image with an oval nestibility.  To mount it on the purple scalloped part oval was an simple decision, but when put against the lace that edge was lost, so I eventually added the green layer, trimmed very closely, before the purple.


The detail on the purple was a gold dimensional glue.


The base that the lace, and then the oval was mounted on was a olive/gold paper which I had run through the Cuttlebug fleur-de-lis folder, distressed the edge of and then stitched onto the paler base that had been sponged with a similar coloured Whisper dye ink, Mossy Stone.

The butterflies were part of gift given as a thank you for "cat sitting".   They lacked an elusive 'something', so I sat and scrabbled through all sorts of odds and ends until I came across the green bugle beads  which were glued in place   - they seemed to just pull the whole thing together into a pleasing result.


I am linking this to 
Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #69


Bunny Zoe's Crafts Challenge #3 - Vintage, distressing etc

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #75 - distress it


Thank you for calling by - I treasure your comments.


May you day be blessed.

Butterflies and Birds

Warmest greetings to all who call by - I have enjoyed another Sunday afternoon in the studio and have something to show for it, which I will share here. 

I have also designed my Christmas Card for this year.  I have had the idea for that simmering for a while, and I want to get them started as I have borrowed a Cuttlebug folder to use on them.

Todays card used the sketch challenge at Midnight Madness as a starting point, and I also wanted to incorporate some acetate embossed in the cuttle bug for another challenge.

I found this sketch quite a challenge - as it is supposed to be - but I got there - eventually, with my own interpretation.

The two ribbons are silver chiffon, - the narrow one has some silver threads in the edges. 


I embossed the butterflies from the Layers of Color
Flutterescent Set in silver, and added a wee bit of colour with some twinkling H2O's, which also gave an added  sheen to them.


The 'cut out' butterfly also had some clear rhinestones added to give some dimension to the body.

The acetate is some that was painted with Lumiere paints some time ago, it was run  through the Cuttlebug Birdsong folder to give some added dimension, it was backed  with some kraft coloured card before being mounted on the card as part of the sketch.

The card was finished with the addition of some silver edged lace, half a dozen moulded flowers I was given recently, to which clear rhinestones were added to the centres, and further rhinestones were added to the left side of the ribbon to give the card some balance. 

This card is being linked to the following challenges.

Midnight Madness Sketch challenge #66

and

CuttleBug Inspiration Challenge # 96

Thanks for calling by, and I do appreciate any comments you leave - they make my day.

May your day be blessed.

Butterfly Congratulations

Greetings, and thank you for visiting my humble blog again. 

I managed to get going in the studio again yesterday and made this 'congratulations' card, which is well overdue, for a friend who has walked a half marathon - far far more than I have ever done, and I admire her for her achievement!!


This is an easel card - the second one I have ever made, and I must admit that I am very happy with the way it sits when opened and stood up .


I started by deciding on the base colour, and found some printed vellum that I have had on hand for some time - the print is of hibiscus flowers and as there are a lot of pink tones in it, it does not dominate the card as they are adsorbed into the red.  I tore the bottom of the vellum to add some subtle texture, and stamped and gold embossed the word congratulations in the lower right corner.


The ribbon and lace are of the same pale lemon colour and toned in well - the base that the butterfly is sitting  on is a pale lime/lemon coloured card with a slight sparkle in it.  It was cut using a Spellbinders Classic scalloped oval, which I then sponged the edges of with Memento Pear Tart ink.  This done I decided a wee bit of visual texture was required so  stamped one of the leaves from the acanthus leaves set from Layers of Color inside the oval in Memento Bamboo Shoot green.


The butterfly is another Layers of Color stamp from the Joyful Noise set.  This was stamped and embossed in gold on white card, and then painted using Twinkling H2O paints.  I mounted this on dimensional foam tape, and added a 'flight path' using some Zva crystals.

I wanted the base to echo the card front, so punched the edge of the white liner  with a lacey boarder punch from Fiskars and popped a wee white half pearl in the centre of each repeat, tied a narrow pale lemon ribbon around the base mat and added a bow, and then placed two tiny pearls as 'stoppers' part way up.


I really enjoyed creating this card, and I hope you enjoyed the journey with me.




I am entering this in the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #58


May your day be filled with joy and blessings, and thank you for calling by.

Anniversary Blues

Greetings to you all - I have been too long away from here :-)  I have been busy with the celebrations and entertaining guests, who are still here, but I made time to get into the studio this afternoon and get some cards made.

This was an easy card to make - I started with a mid-blue base, as I know the recipients like blue.  I then took a piece of white card-stock and sponged the edges with Brilliance 'Mediterranean Blue' ink, before stamping the top of the poppy from the Stampin' Up 'Oh So Lovely' set, using Memento Summer Sky ink, stamping several images from one inking of the stamp.


The butterflies from the Stampin' Up set Garden Whimsy had been stamped in white ink (Brilliance 'Moonlight') on a dark blue card-stock some months ago in a doodle moment, so I cut them out and tried them on the white.... they looked great, so after stamping and silver embossing the sentiment, I adhered them into position.  


The sentiment looked a bit lost, so I  sponged it with the darker blue ink,  wiped the ink off the embossing, and presto it could be seen!!


The other corner was finished with the ribbon before mounting the white onto the base.  Three half pearls in each corner added some panache, as did a small white half pearl on each butterfly head.


Thanks for calling by - I won't be back for a few days as we will be out gadding again this weekend, but hopefully early next week I can post again


Thank  you for your support and comments - both are greatly valued.