Cool Cats and Jelly Beans

Welcome

No, this is not a scheduled post - after waiting all day yesterday for surgery I was dropped off the list as two paitents before me took longer than expected... now the wait for a re-booking begins. 
All very character building.

This was a commissioned card, and I had fun playing with the Tim Holtz Mini Crazy Cat set to make it. The set was an unexpected RAK from Shelly  (of My Creative Rumblings), and came with the thinlet dies too - a real bonus.

The jelly beans came from a set of stamps that arrived  with a magazine recently, as was the sentiment.

After stamping and colouring the image, I coated it with Glossy Accents

I also used Glossy Accents on the cats eyes.  The cats were coloured with chalks.

The sentiment was silver embossed before I dry embossed the base layer of card stock - shhh, don't tell but I debossed it instead of embossing.

The numer was die cut using a Couture Creations die and silver glitter card.

I stamped this fellow inside the card to add interest.

I am linking this to:

Addicted To Stamps and More Challenge #276 - Anything Goes

Aud Sentiments Challenge #195 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #359 - Anything Goes

Craty Gals Corner Challenge #157 - Anything Goes

Creative Moments Challenge 3315 - Anything Goes

Crafting With An Attitdue Challenge #35 - Anything Goes

Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #378 - With a Number

Inspiration Destination Challenge #142 - Anything Goes - twist, wet or dry embossing

Little Miss Muffet Challenge #181 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #318 - 319 - Anything Goes

Non-Valentines Red Heart

Welcome

This card was made to celebrate a family engagement.

I started with some silver board, and some vellum, and it grew from there

The heart was diecut, using an un-named set of heart dies, from red sparkle card.

The sentiment was stamped, using a stamp from Montartga, a New Zealand company, and embossed with platimum embossing powder, then trimmed into a double fishtailed banner.  When I mounted it over the heart, I used foam tape under the centre part to keep the banner from sagging.

The bottom of the vellum was torn -  I had to use it that way as I had no more of this design!! 

 I think it gave a nice point of interest 😉

The hearts across the top of the vellum is a fancy ribbon I have had for a long time, I glued it on using wee drops of Glossy Accents, and it very neatly hid the attachment of the vellum to the base.

I decorated the inside of the card with the heart cut out from the centre of the front feature.

I am linking this to:

Dream Valley Challenge #171 - Love

Unicorn Janurary Challenge #28 - Anything Goes

Through The Craftroom Door Challenge - Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #59 - Anything Goes

Ike's World Challenge #104 - New Beginnings

Everybody Art Challenge #147 - Butterflies or hearts

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #4 - Anything Goes

Crafty Sentiments Challenge - New Begiining - baby, love, house etc

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #318-319 - Anything Goes

Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge #281 - Inspiration 

p.s. - I may not be around much for the next week or so as my right arm has an appointment with a surgeon tomorrow. 

Lydia's Florals

Welocme - thank you for visiting.

I would like to welcome two new followers - Karen Letchworth and Sylvia, both of whom make beautiful cards - I encourage you to click their names and visit their blogs - you will be in for a treat.

The other day my granddaughter Lydia visited me on her own for a 'Mama Date', and she was anxious to make a card.

I prepared the base, and she stamped the flowers , quite happily stamping off the edge, as she had a teacher who encouraged her art last year, and had taught her such things.    She then chose to colour them with her crayons.

I stamped the image to go under the aperture, as she did not want to spoil it.  She then coloured that, noting that one flower was a different shape, and colouring it in blue.

I also stamped another couple of flowers from the scrap left when I had cut the aperture, and she coloured them, and I die cut them (with help) and popped them up on foam tape, much to her joy.

 

Later I realised that the aperture was going to leave the cardfront weakened, so I found a snippet of pink card that matched, and cut a frame and adhered it.

Lydia loved her card, and it is going to her teacher on the first day of the new term!!

Her Mama is yet again impressed with her eye for colour and composition, and her colouring skills.

Two of a Kind.....

Welcome

I had intended being back here sooner, but life has been crazy busy, and I have had a houseful of guests for three days. Not that I am complaining, and the gardens are looking good too!

I made this card for a swap in a group I belong to, and the theme for this month was 'floral'.

The recipient is a wonderful cardmaker, and has an awesome CAS style, so I kept my card very CAS.

The image is a Kiwistamping one, coloured with watercolour paints. The edges of the panel were coloured with Cottage Ivy ink, and it was mounted over an embossed panel

The sentiment, also from Kiwistamping, a local (N.Z.) company whose website is down, was heat embossed using Renaissance Red ep.  The edges of the embossed and stamped panels, and the card base, were all edged with Poppy Red ink.

I was running out of inspiration, and needed a second card for a birthday in a hurry, so duplicated the image and layout, changing the colour of the flowers, and painting them with mica paints

And using a vertical birthday greeting from Montarga Stamps (also a N.Z.company)

I enjoyed making both of these cards, and both were well received.

I am linking these to:

Craftaholics R Us Challenge #3 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations Challenge #358 - Anything Goes

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #157 - Anything Goes

Inspiration Destination Challenge #142 - Anything Goes, opt Twist - use Wet or Dry Embossing

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Add A Sentiment

Sunny Day Crafting Challenge #3 - Colour it

The Crafty Adicts Challenge #44 - Anything Goes

A Bit More Time To Craft Challenge #60 - Anything Goes

A Perfect Time To Craft January Challenge - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #318 - 319 - Anything Goes

CAS Silver Rose and Alcohol !!!

Welcome

I recently had a 'play' with my alcohol inks and some yupo paper that I have had on hand longer than I care to remember.... 

 I watched a 'how to' video on Lolls blog  to get myself started, and then just played....

The background I used here is the softer of the two results - the other is rather gaudy, and will be a challenge in itself for me to use it.

With the background on hand the card itself was easy to make.

I chose an area of the background I wanted to use, die cut it with an oval die and stamped and embossed the rose in silver.  As yupo is a 'plastic paper' I had to be careful with the heat embossing.

This panel was layered over a snippet of cream card, die cut to an oval.

The sentiment was also silver embossed 

some Versamark stamped flourishes in the opposite corners, and some 'crystal' rhinestones finished the purple layer, which was mounted over cream cardstock.

I am linking this to:

Just Us Girls Challenge #422 - Word Week - Anything Goes

Crafty Friends Challenge #74 - For a Girl or Lady

Crafter's Castle January Challenge #1 - Anything Goes

A Gem Of A Challenge #210 - Happy Anything...

Stamping Sensations January Challenge - Cold and Frosty colours

heARTfelt Stamping Challenge - Anything Goes with a Stamp

Fashionable Stamping Challenge - Celebrate

Dragonfly Dreams - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Weeks #316 and 317 - Anything Goes

Cupcake Inspiration - I used the colours in the  alcohol ink panel

Tool Board Birthday

Welcome

I do hope your New Year is off to a good start.

This card was made for a birthday last year, but when I uploaded the photos to the computer it packed a hissy-fit and hid them, and it has only been in the last few weeks that I have worked out how to get them from 'there' to where I wanted them filed to be able to edit them.  

At least I did not have to ask my Son in Law, again 😉

I started by cutting the tools out with this die  from Frantic Stamper once in black cardstock, and then again in tan for the 'handles'.

I then placed them on the 'tool board' with a wee tad of glue, and added gold dimensional glue dots to look as though the tools were hanging from nails.

The tool board was then mounted over some grey speckled recycled card that I had swiped, using my finger, with Inca Gold pastes in gold and bronze .  I also swiped the corrugated card with the same pastes, and tore the edges to add to the 'rough' look of the card.

The sentiment was gold embossed directly on the base card of Forest Green, and then painted with a green Twinkling H20 paint.  

The final detail was the snippet of gold glitter card either side of the sentiment.

The recipient, a retired builder, loved the card.

I am linking this to:

Inspiration Destination Challenge #141 - Anything Goes

Scrapy Land Challenge #81 - Anything Goes

Pause Dream enjoy Challenge #1 - Use Die Cuts

Hiding In My Craft Room Challenge #333 - Free Style/Anything Goes

A Perfect Time To Craft January Challenge - Anything Goes

Creatilicious Challenge #130 - Anything Goes - optional wishes

Crafty Girls Challenge #43 - Anything Goes

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #58 - Anything Goes

Unicorn Challenge #28 - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge, Weeks # 316 - 317 - Anything Goes

2017 In Review

Welcome 

 I know I am a wee bit late to be putting this review post up,  but better late than never.

It is always interesting to review your own work, and I find it interesting that some of the cards I was least pleased with, brought the most positive reactions from you, my readers. 

I will link  each card to where it was posted in the month title.

January

I still love the drama the black and white gives  this card.

Feburary

Yes, a CASE of the above card, but I still love the cheerful colours and the cute image

March

I must have been really inspired in March as I had difficulty choosing one to share!

April

Love this card when I made it, and still love it.

May

This was one of two box cards I made last year. 

 The recipient loves it so much she still has it on her mantelpiece

June

The photos never did this card justice, as the shimmer and shine did not show up well.

July

I really enjoyed using this die set, and the CAS card was appreciated by the recipient.

August

This was one of several cards I made using nail polish for the background

September

This is one of several Steampunk style cards I made this past year.

October

This was made for a local (N.Z.) swap group that I am part of - I really enjoyed making this card.

November

This card was made using off cuts !! Waste not want not was what i was brought up with ...

December

The sentiment says is all - Thanks a bunch if you have made it this far.

In retrospect, I see that I am predominantly a CAS card maker...

May your 2018 be filled with pleasure in the small things,

lots of crafty time,

and love those who are near and dear to you - life is fragile.