Fruity and Floral Twofer

Welcome

I decided to take up the  Twofer challenge this month, with the theme of Fruity - I am only just scraping in .... 

I used a pear image from an old Stampin' Up set Infinite Goodness.

Both cards took a life of their own - I started white embossing the pears on kraft coloured paper   - they would not fit on the card the way I had planned...

Plan B was to trim them out and line them up on this long thin card

the sentiment was stamped and copper embossed,  the numerals die cut of Champagne glitter paper

I added some colour with Prismacolor pencils to the pears

The ribbon was some that my grand children had salvaged for me, and I added a line of  rhinestones in a soft amber colour to finish the card

The inside was finished with the final snippet of the ribbon.

The pansy card started as I tried to stamp a larger flower with four front petals, and four in behind - it was not working, but suddenly I 'saw' a pansy, so again I went to plan B ... 

This time with googling some pansy images - I discovered that there are all shapes of pansies! Some with large top petals, and some with nearly any  - thankfully.

So with a lot of trial and error and masking, I finally managed to stamp this pansy using the base of the pear stamp!

I kept the card simple and let the pansy take the stage, but did add a butterfly in lemon sparkle card with a couple of gold rhinestones to finish, and masked the pansy and stamped some sublte leaves around it.

The sentiment (Rubadubaboo stamps, a New Zealand firm)  was stamped in the Sweet Plum Memento ink  that the pear/pansy was, and then embossed with clear embossing powder.

The edges sponged with the same ink

The inside was finished with a strip of washi tape. 

Thank you for staying with me for this long!

I am linking this to :

The Twofer Challenge #24 - Fruity

                      

Sort of Steampunk

Welcome

I would like to extend a warm welcome also to Autumn Zenith, who has just joined my followers

Yes, two posts in as many days - it's been wet here today, and I am rejoicing.  

Although we need a lot more rain, I am thankful for the amount we have got today.

This steampunk style card came together very quickly

I was inspired by this background paper provided by Pauline Slater of Creation With TLC , although this was on the facebook group. 

I wanted to keep the background grey, but I only had light grey card, so I swiped the edges with London Fog ink for all the layering.

This engine is from the Dark Room Door stamp set, Steampunk, it is beautifully detailed, and repeat stamps really well (in the Misti) to give a fabulous impression.

The sentiment was also stamped in black ink on the light grey card

I finished the inside with a strip of this wonderful washi tape, which fitted the theme perfectly

I am linking this to:

Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #7 - Anything Goes

The Paper Shelter Challenge #415 - For the Boys

Crafty Creations February Challenge #406 - Anything Goes

Through The Purple Haze Challenge #164 - Anything Goes

Southern Girls Challenge Team Lou - Anything Goes

QKR Stampede Challenge #386 - Anything Goes

Polka Doodles Challenge Week #8 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge #180 -= Anything Goes

The Alphabet Challenge - W - Anything You Wish

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #426 - 247 - Anything Goes
My Corner of the World - Week #26 link up

Spotlight on a Ship

Welcome

Some time ago I welcomed Sue to my blog as a new follower - I have managed to find her blog, only to discover that I have followed her for some time - her work is exquisite.
 Do pop over and visit Sue's blog - you are in for a treat.

I love working with colours that contrast or complement, and this was the reasoning behind the basic colours of this masculine card

I started with the image, which is part of a magazine freebie set - stamped it in Faded Jeans DI twice

then cut out the ship element for a 'spotlight' feature before colouring in the background with various DI's and Prismacolor pencils.  I loved how the tip of the big wave curls into the spotlight image!

I inked all the edges of the images with the Faded Jeans ink before adhering it too the blue die cut.  I offset the main image on the blue to mimic the placement of the spotlight element.

I used an embossed orange panel for the main background, which was also placed in an offset fashion on the blue base.   I added the twine to the top of the embossed panel to hide the fact that the embossing does not go right to the top.  

The sentiment came with the set and was stamped in the same ink

For the inside I created a 'negative' mask and stamped the spotlight area through the hole in 

London Fog ink on the left of the insert.

I am linking this to:

Arty Diva's Challenge #15 - Anything Goes

Water Cooler Wednesday Challenge #259- Anything Goes with a Masculine Twist

The Paper Shelter Challenge #415 - For the Boys

Through the Purple Haze Challenge #164 - Anything Goes

Southern Girls Challenge - Team Lou - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #426 - 427 - Anything Goes

Crafty Creations February Challenge #406 - Anything Goes

Time Out Challenge #155 - Birthday

(I used the words birthday and party for my inspiration)

It Wasn't Me!!

Welcome

One of these days life will slow down a bit and I will be able to blog more than once a week!

Not quite sure when though, the way things are going!

I would like to welcome Susi from Austria as a new follower - she has a wonderful blog here.  I have followed her for some time now, and find her work is inspirational

Love the way this card turned out -  it is for a 10 year old boy
It started with a piece of a masterboard I created last year.  I had fun creating it, but cannot remember which products I used as I made three at the time, and used all sorts of everything as I was having such fun!

The sentiment was a magazine freebie, embossed in white over plain grey paper, and layered over a snippet of white card

I know I used a stencil to get the fleur de lis design just visible above,  the shimmer is from a mica based spray... 

The cat is a Tim Holtz Crazy Cat stamp, stamped onto some plain dark grey paper, and the white painted with acrylic.  It was cut with the matching die.  The spilt milk I drew freehand and tucked it in behind the bottle.

The cats eyes and the bottle were coated with glossy accents.

I used the same stamp using the 'off the page' technique, in London Fog ink, to decorate the inside

I am linking this to:
Penny Black and More February Challenge - Animals, Birds and Butterflies
Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2007 - Anything Goes
Make My Monday Challenge #116 - Critters
Jan's Digi Stamps Challenge #8 - Anything Goes
Incy Wincy Designs Challenge - Anything Goes
Ike's World Challenge #129 - N is for Naughty or Nice
Cutie Pie Challenge #144 - Cute and Cuddly Animals
Crafting Happiness Challenge #36 - Anything goes/Food or Drink
Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #7 - Anything Goes
Always Fun Challenge #150 - Animals

A Place to Start February Challenge - Masculine card or project

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #426-427 - Anything Goes

Channeling Seth Apter...

Welcome 

Two posts in three days - quite astonishing at the moment. With needing to garden during the day (before it gets too hot) and then water said gardens in the evening I am constantly running out of time for indoorish things, apart from card making!

I would also like to welcome my newest follower, Shirley-Ann Barber, of Stamping For Joy She lives 'across the Ditch' from me in Australia - I hope you have not been affected by the fires Shirley-Ann.

This is my DT card for the Word Art Wednesday Challenge starting today, and our sponsor is the wonderful Seth Apter, who is giving two $25 vouchers to his store to two winners!! 

I started this card with this wonderful coffee circle die. I understand it was a Seth Apter one, unfortunately now unavailable.

It was cut twice from Kraft card, and sponged with espresso ink.

I then created the background by sponging/brushing more espresso ink around the edges of the cream cardstock I had chosen to work with, and had distressed the edges of,  to give a really grungy look.  I layered the die cut(s) over a piece of old dictionary paper I had on my desk... 

I  then picked up a piece of corrugated card (also lingering on my desk) and stripped off one surface to give a textural background panel to the scripture (Available as a freebie at Word Art Wednesday)

The scripture panel was also sponged with the espresso ink, and distressed around the edges.  I was liking the look, but there was something missing, and I spotted some stamps I bought from China about a year ages ago, so I inked one up, held it in my fingers, and did some selective stamping in the background, often using a second and third generation impressions to give some more variation

To finish the inside I distressed and sponged the edges of the panel, and stamped the gauze like stamp again, on a block this time, along one edge.  

I loved how this turned out, as grungy is not my normal make!!

I am linking this to:

A Place to Start February Challenge - Make a Masculine card or project
Crafting Happiness Challenge #38 - Anything Goes (Option, Pink)
Double Trouble Challenge #49 - Again and Again
(I have repeat used the stamp, and the die was cut twice to get the length required)
Jan's Digi Challenge #7 - Anything Goes
Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2006 - Anything Goes
Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #125 - Anything Goes
Corrosive Challenge #2 - 2020 - Anything Goes
We Love 2 Create Challenge #2 - Anything Mixed Media Goes
Digi Chooseday Challenge Week #6 - Anything Goes
Crafty Calendar February Challenge - Use Die Cuts and/or Punches

Gauze, Gems and a Butterfly

Welcome

I would like to welcome my latest follower Nastya Deutsch, 

who has a blog on beauty, fashion and lifestyle. 

This card was made for an elderly Aunt.  

I love how it came together and am very happy with the result

The butterfly is a die cut that has sat on my desk for a very long time, and I sponged it with DOX Peacock Feathers and Picked Raspberry

 

I added it to some gauze, and then to the pretty paper - it looks like draped silk

The greeting was stamped and gold embossed and them mounted on the layers of card that I have used to mount the main panel on.   A few rhinestones and I called it finished. 

The inside was finished with some washi tape down one side. 

I am linking this to:

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #235 - Anything Goes

Crafty Calendar February Challenge - Use Die Cuts or Punches

Crafter's Castle February Challenge #26 - Anything Goes

A Gem of a Challenge Week #3 - Anything Goes

We Love 2 Create challenge #2 - Anything Goes Mixed Media

Corrosive Challenge #2 for 2020 - Anything Goes

Penny Black Allsorts February Challenge - Animals, Birds and Butterflies

'Lil patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #125 - Anything Goes

Angies Digital Stamps Challenge #39 - Anything Goes Opt Twist of Love

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #424 and 425 - Anything Goes

North Salt hobby Club Challenge #180 - To The Woman (Feminine)

Happy Little Stampers February Challenge - Anything Goes With Dies

Sympathy with Lilies

Welcome

I would like to start my post by welcoming my newest follower, Susan Hogan - Susan if you have a blog, please let me know so I can visit you, and return the compliment.

I don't often make sympathy cards "in advance" as I prefer to tailor them to the recipients, but I did make three the other week as I needed one, and just kept going.

I started with the light blue cardstock for a base, and added the dark grey and black floral paper from a Rosie's pad called Forever - and then decided that it was too dark, and stalled

I stamped the sentiment (a magazine freebie) using Broken China D I, and cut it with a S/B Floral Oval die, sponging some more ink onto it both before and after I removed the die.

Inspiration struck about that time, and I added a layer of blue vellum over the paper and was happy with the much softer background.!!

The card was finished with some blue ribbon from my stash, and a Prima Hibiscus flower and three white lilies, again from my stash.

The inside of the card was finished with some pale blue sparkle tape

I am linking this to:
Aud Sentiments Challenge #243 - Anything Goes with a Sentiment
As You Like It -Warm or Cool Colours 
(I love blues, especially the lighter ones which are regarded as cool colours)
QKR Stampede Challenge #383 - Anything Goes
Polka Doodles Challenge Week #5 - Anything Goes
Creative Fingers Challenge #178 - Anything Goes
Crafty Catz Challenge #491 - Anything Goes - Twist Favourite Colour
(Blue has been my favourite colour since childhood)
Brown Sugar January challenge #297 - Anything Goes
Crafter's Castle February Challenge #26 - Anything Goes
A Gem of a Challenge Week #3 - Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday Challenge Weeks #424 and #425 - Anything Goes