The True Peace

Welcome

I make just one design of Christmas cards most years, and this one is my most unconventionally coloured ones!  If it looks familiar for some reason,  

Drama Queen was inspired by it.

When I first envisioned this card, I did not correctly remember the angel stamp, (an old one by Anita) and it is smaller than I first thought, but still it is the 'right' one for this card.  I simply gold embossed it on the black - I did try adding WoS to the wings, but it didn't really show up, and in fact dulled the embossing. 

The sentiment is from a Layers of Color (discontinued) stamp set.

The accents are lace and thread (gifts from a friend) and the piercing on the edges of the black layer.  The piercing was done with a spoked wheel that was my mothers, and she used it in dressmaking!!

I am linking this to:

Craft Stamper Make it, Take it Challenge for December. Technique - Embossing

Love To Scrap Challenge - Anything Goes and Scramble

Sparkle and Sprinkle December Challenge - Anything Goes

I used embossing powder

Karleigh Sue Challenge #7 - Anything Goes 

twist of non-traditional Christmas Colours

Get Creative Challenge #29 - Holidays

Craft your Passion Challenge # 290 - Anything Goes

Crafting From The Heart Challenge #88 - Anything Goes

Craftin' Desert Divas Christmas Linky Party

Crafty-Dee Bowz December Challenge - Anything Goes with a hand made bow

Artistic Inspiration Challenge #146 - Anything Goes with Twist of Christmas

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #211 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

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Successful Experiments

Welcome

I was more than happy to get out to the studio and play this weekend - I have spent the last few days out there mass producing my Christmas cards!!

I had seen the negative colouring technique recently on Beccy's Place, and hunted out a stamp that I though would work, and gave it a go, and I was happy with the results.

I discovered when I went to die cut this, that all ovals are not created equal, so ended up hand cutting the image, and edging it with a sliver pen.

The sentiment was silver embossed and I used the silver pen to edge the banner too.

I wanted a background stamp to ease the starkness of the card base, and as I went to find one, I came across a price of corrugated card that I had taught background stamping with using acrylic paint, so I gave it a go with ink, hoping the paint would prevent the ink from being absorbed by the card, and it worked, much to my pleasure as it gave a very soft background.

The final details as I put the card together was this piece of (very sparkly) silver ribbon and some sequins.

For a card that started as some play time I was very happy with the end result.

I am linking this to:

Crafty Calendar Challenge. - Sparkle, Bling, Embellish

Stempelsonne Challenge - Anything Goes

Simply Papercrafts Challenge #18 - Anything Goes

Scrappers Delights Challenge #50 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #98 - Anything Goes

Crafting With Friends Challenge #11 - Anything Goes

Craft For The Craic November Challenge - Something Glittery

Art By Miran Challenge # 46 - Anything Goes

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Sparkle and Shine

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #211 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

All comments are moderated, and spam removed.

Three Little Kittens....

Welcome

I love this image from Graphics Fairy, and enjoyed to opportunity to use it for a birthday card for a young lass who loves cats.

I coloured the cats with chalks, and wrote the recipients name on the plaque, then edged it with Stickles for some sparkle.

The birthday greeting is an old Hero Arts one, and I embossed it with silver formed the tag around it, and layered it onto silver card.  It was attached with bakers twine.

This final detail was some lace studded with rhinestone across the base of the card.

I am linking this to:

Aud Sentiments Challenge #145 - Anything Goes with a Sentiment

Chalk n Stock November Challenge - Use Chalk

The image is coloured with chalk

Craft rocket Challenge #4 - Add a Sentiment

Crafting With An Attitude Challenge #9 - Anything Goes

Crafty Girls Creations Challenge #9 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #112 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination Challenge #61 - Anything Goes

Creative Moments Challenge #82 - Anything Goes/Bling it Up

Crafty Gals Challenge #47 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

Drama Queen

Welcome

This card was a commissioned one - I was chatting with my neighbour and described a card that I was making as 'dramatic', as the colours I was using are rather unconventional for the occasion.

Ah she said - it's my friend's birthday later in the month and as she is dramatic, could you make a card like that for her - so I did, and this is the result

The lace and thread was given to me this week by another friend.  I am so blessed as there are many exquisite pieces of lace in the bag, and numerous colours of this thread - all on cones.  Enough to see my card making days out, and I am eyeing some of it for lace making too.

I embossed the sentiment directly to the black card, but stamped and embossed the rose (from Kiwistamping, one of my original stamps) onto a snippet of white card, and coloured it with pencils and fussy cut it before adding it to the card front.

I finished the rose with multiple layers of WoS - the photo below shows the sparkle, but is unfortunately a bit out of focus :-)

The black layer was mounted over a white base, with a vertical line scored down either side of the black panel.

I am linking this to:

Love To Scrap Challenge #66 - Anything Goes

Incy Wincy Designs - Tic Tac Toe

(Centre column - flowers, free, girly)

Lawnscaping Challenge #118 - In with The Old

(The rose stamp is over 12 years old, the sentiment is similar)

Karleigh Sue Challenge #6 - One for the Girls

Get Creative Challenge #28 - Birthdays

Crafting From The Heart Challenge #87 - Anything Goes

Crafty-dee Bowz November Challenge - Anything Goes With a handmade bow

Bunny Zoe Crafts Nov/Dec Challenge - Sparkle

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #210 - Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion Challenge #289 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

Window Tree

Welcome

First and foremost I would like to welcome my newest followers  

Olga Fink, who blogs at  Creating With Olga, 

and Ginny Maxam of Maxam Made Studio,

and Marie of Algodao Tao Doce.

Please visit these ladies, and be prepared to be impressed. 

This is the second card I taught this month, and it is modeled on a 'make and take' card that I made at a Stamp Expo earlier this year, with a panel of acetate in the centre of the front, and the sentiment stamped behind it.

The tree is one from an older set from Unity Stamps that I gold embossed, then mounted over a red layer.

The paper on the top and bottom was randomly stamped with a group of notes from various (clear) stamp sets clustered together on an acrylic block.

I do not know where the sentiment comes from, but I have had it for years and love using it.  The embossing looks messy in this picture, but it is not - I think there were marks on the acetate that the camera picked up.

When making this card with the Christmas 'feel' to it, I was thinking of friends who have lost a loved one about this time of year, and may not actually be feeling very festive, so it does double duty, as it were.

I am linking this to:

Simply Papercraft Challenge #18 - Anything Goes

Just Us Girls Challenge #320 - Colours - Red, Gold Green

Catch the Bug November Bingo Challenge - No Designer paper, texture, bling

Wags and Whiskers Challenge #166 - Embossing

Stempelsonne Challenge #154 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #98 - Anything Goes

Brown Sugar Challenge #173 - Anything Goes

Art By Miran Challenge #45 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #210 - Anything Goes

Craft Stamper November Challenge - Take a Stamp/Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed.

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated.

Double Embossing and Orange Poppies

Welcome

I loved the double embossing technique so much that I taught it at card class this month.

This time I used a floral embossing folder as the letter press, using Broken China DI, then, as it had bubbled again and was noticeable, I re-did the panel using Memento Blue Danube dye ink.

The second embossing was a diamond folder to give a real contrast to the soft shapes in the letter press.

The poppies were water coloured after stamping, and the sentiment gold embossed beside the image.

The final detail after matting with a soft purple layer were the rhinestones - and I couldn't stop at the accents on the image panel, but added them to the letter-pressed flowers too.

 

I am linking this to:

Lemon Shortbread Challenge - Anything Goes

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #210 - Anything Goes

Fan-Tastic Tuesday Challenge #112 - Use Some Purple

Crafty Sentiments Challenge - Anything Goes

Mod Squad Challenge - Pattern Your Paper

Little Red Wagon Challenge #316 - Technique Card

Inspiration Destination Challenge #60 - Anything Goes

Crafting For All Seasons Challenge #114 - Embossing

Addicted To Stamps Challenge #171 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated

Golden Greetings

Welcome

It's good to be back, and to have my computer working well again.

We had a significant event within the extended family recently - a Golden Wedding Anniversary. (Not ours, we have not got there yet!!)

I have some very old alphabet stamps from All Night Media - I only ever managed to purchase six or seven, but I love them, especially for this type of card.

The sentiment is a composite effort  - the "50 years" was computer generated, printed onto vellum and gold ep applied while the ink was wet - the congratulations was then stamped with Versamark and the powder applied before the whole was heated.

I had fun with water colours and painted the surrounding flowers and leaves of the letter stamps after stamping with Vintage Sepia, and then painting the letters with diluted Inka Gold gold paste. 

The finished letters were mounted on kraft cardstock before being mounted on foam tape over the embossed paper - that I have been hoarding cherishing for some years now.

I am linking this to:

Lacy Susan's Colour Your World Challenge - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #209 - Anything Goes

Use Your Stuff Challenge #200 - Celebrate (plus blog hop)

Scrapbook Stamp Society Challenge #79 - Anything Goes.

(twist not used)

Not Just Cards Challenge #26, November - Anything Goes

Love To Scrap Challenge #66 - Anything Goes

Lawnscaping Challenge - In With The Old

Eureka Stamps Challenge #167 - Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion Challenge #288 - Anything Goes

Crafting From The Heart Challenge #86 - Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting my blog - may your day be blessed

Any comments you may leave are deeply appreciated.