Girly Grunge

Welcome again - yes I am on a roll with the card making at the moment.

I saw a card the other day that intrigued me, and the technique was called 

Girly Grunge.

 I am not a great fan of grunge - it seems a bit on the 'dark side' for my taste, so this variation sparked my interest.

I crumpled a piece of paper from an old book I had purpose bought from a charity store, and rubbed my Tea Stain distress ink over it, then tore it to the size I wanted and stained the edges and adhered it.

Some time ago I downloaded this image from Kim's blog (here) where she has a page of steampunk type freebies.  I printed it onto vellum and then clear embossed it.

The butterfly was an interesting one to apply as only the outside was glued together and I had to place the centre rhinestones individually.

The ribbon was 'gathered' onto a strip of glue tape, and the Happy
Birthday sentiment by Hero Arts was embossed in silver onto the torn and sponged violet card. The buttons were adhered with glue dots, and all edges distressed and sponged with violet ink.

I am linking this to:

A Spoonful of Sugar Challenge #162 - Happy Birthday

Anything Goes Challenge Blog #47 - Happy Birthday / Celebration

Sweet Stamps Challenge #27 - Bling it up

Tuesday Throwdown #61 - Birthday

The Crazy Challenge #79 - Embossing

Incy Wincy Designs challenge #106 - Something Old, Something New

(Old the Hero Arts stamp is one of my oldest, the steampunk image, frist time I have used that genre)

KB Cute Monday - challenge #24 - Anything Goes using a digi - the steampunk image

Squigglefly Challenge #11-  Button Blowout

Victorine Originals Challenge#14 - Happy Birthday

Thanks for calling in - may your day be blessed

Patchwork and flowers

Welcome - I am so glad you have called in.

I was inspired by a challenge and some Blog Candy I won recently when designing this card.

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The background oblongs were cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities rectangles, as were the two feature panels.

The background panels were stitched onto a white base using a sewing machine, but the main panels were actually hand stitched on using some variegated mettalic thread.

The edges of the feature rectangles, the white layer and the pink base card were sponged with the same Rouge chalk ink as the sentiment was stamped with.

The feature image is one that I 'won'  as Blog Candy - thank you so much Rebekka. I initially stamped it with Memento Summer Sky and Cottage Ivy, them coloured the image with chalks. The centers of the flowers I dotted using a sparkle lemon pen.

After colouring the image with chalks I gave it a quick flick of hairspray - a cheap and readily available fixative.

The image was mounted on foam dots to give it some dimension, and  some buttons were added to the bottom right of that panel and the top left corner of the card, stitching them so the ends were on top and tied off.

The final detail was a tiny bow in the corner.

I am linking this to:

Birthday Sundaes - Birthday card

Card Cupids - buttons and/or ribbons

Kennys Kraft Girls - Anything goes -summery

Sentimental Sundays - flowers plus a sentiment

Sparkles Forum - One for the Girls

Our Daily Bread Designs Shine The Light challenge -The seamstress/ Sewing

Craft Your Days Away Challenge #26 - Birthday

Paper Creators - Challenge #4 - Say it with Flowers

Thanks for calling by my blog.  May your day be blessed.

Break over!!

The summer (mid-winter for me) break for the Design Team for McMahon Five Design is over and we are all keen to present to you the new releases for this week.

This first image Shipwrecked is a wonderful atmospheric vintage image from McMahon Five Vintage Stamps

I painted the image with Twinkling H2Os after printing it out on watercolour paper giving the whole a rather eerie impression.

I then mounted the image over some distressed, double embossed card.

Here is a close up of the double embossed card. 

After mounting this on a deep blue base card, I then added the white panel and buttons.  This then had the ribbon added before it was mounted onto a white base card.

My second card this week is using an image from Solocosmo Digital Stamps.

I took the baby cupcake image and came up with this card

I made the background of the card by 'blocking' Pearlescent Lavender and Orchid inks direct to white card. (I learnt the technique here)  This gives a subtle sheen to the base.

The image was printed out and painted with Twinkling H2O's, had some pink rhinestones added and was mounted on dimensional foam dots.

The sentiment was stamped in the Orchid ink and mounted over some lace

The very base of the card is pink, and I taped some narrow pink lace to the edges before machine stitching the main panel onto it.

Please visit the rest of the design team (names and links on my sidebar) to see all the other exciting releases from McMahon Five Designs.com this week.

Thank you for visiting - may your day be blessed.

The blogger was blogged

I was sitting writing up the post last night while visiting my daughter. For various reasons she had not had to attend a meeting, so we sat at the dinner table in quiet companionship, both at our computers.  Early in the evening she had taken a photo of both computers set up.

It was not until the end of the evening that I realised that I was starring in her blog entry here.

And now she has just informed me that I am also starring again today, having been to Playcentre (a New Zealand parent co-operative, parent run, pre-school) this morning, on a second introductory visit.

I loved this morning, as I also took my daughter and her brother to Playcentre, and I love the Playcentre philosophy, and the fact the parent can be present and involved with their child at all sessions.

So for those of you who wish to see the face behind the name, feel free to visit my daughters blog.

Thanks for visiting again today.

May your day be blessed

Pansies and Butterflies

Greetings to you all - I am so pleased you call past and read my blog. Thank you for visiting.

I had fun this past weekend making a card using the new Layers of Color releases, Pansy Corner and Encouragement

The white card base was stenciled with Memento Sky Blue ink using the LOC Belle Brocade art stencil. The edges were also sponged with the same ink.

The pansy corner was stamped twice in mirror fashion, gold embossed, and then painted with water colour paints.  The panel was trimmed and the edges sponged with Bamboo Leaves ink.

The wee butterflies from the LOC Flutterescent set were stamped and gold embossed on bright yellow vellum, trimmed and mounted on foam tape.

The sentiment was stamped in Graphite Black, cut out, embossed and sponged using a Spellbinders floral doily die. this was also mounted using foam dots for added dimension. 

I finished the inside with a sentiment (unknown) and another butterfly.

I am linking this to:

The Cheerful Stamp Pad - challenge #22 - Going around in circles

Craft your Passion - Challenge #69 - Anything Goes

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #50 - flutterbies

Critter Sketch Challenge #76 - Summer Fun - use sunshine yellow

Kaboodle Doodles Challenge #78 - In the Garden

Make My Monday Challenge #9 - Things with Wings

Ooh La La Challenge #85 - Circles

Paper Playtime - Summer

Stamping scrapping Challenge Central - Summer fun

There She goes - Challenge #88 - Celebrate Summer

Thank you for calling in - I trust you enjoyed your visit.

May your day be blessed

Blue Silk Moth

Welcome to you all - I am so glad you call by and visit with me.

I received some new stamps from the Layers of Color new releases this week and I could not wait to go and get them inky, and this is the result!!

I was colour inspired by this photo for the inspiration challenge over at 

Southern Girls Challenge Blog

I mulled it over overnight, and decided to sponge the background with the Tsukineko Kaleidacolor Blue Breeze colours, using the Versamark resist technique. The stamp I used for this is from the Layers of Color Fleur stamp set.

I then stamped the Silk Moth directly onto the card with Tsukineko Brilliance Mediterranean Blue, and embossed using Paua embossing powder.

This is a clear powder with pink and blue highlights in it.

I then stamped the image onto some pale blue velum using versamark ink and the Blue Breeze pad, and again embossed using the paua powder.

I 'fussy cut' it, ready to layer it over the image on the card, and added Ice Blue rhinestones.

I stamped the sentiment from the Artful Endearments stamp set, again using the Blue Breeze inks, lining the letters up over the changes of colour on the pad.

I adhered the cut out butterfly with vellum adhesive and the card was complete.

I am linking this to :

Southern Girls challenge #24

The House That Stamps Built - DCC720 - glitter

Little Red Wagon Challenge #91 - heat embossing

Papercraft Star challenge #55 - Anything Goes

Paper Shelter Challenge #24 - Anything Goes

Pixie Cottage challenge #80 - Emboss it

Scrapbook Sisters Challenge # 55 - Happy Birthday

7Kids College Fund Challenge #26 - Texture

Karen's Doodles #73 - Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp - Anything goes

Little Claires- Monthly Challenge #11 - Things with Wings
4 Crafty chicks - get your bling on
Pixie dust Studio challenge #84 - Monochrome in your favourite colour

Thank you for calling by - may your day be blessed.

Just because....

Welcome once again - it is good to be here and not think of the temperatures outside... 5 oC at the moment and cloud building again - I retreated to the studio this afternoon and made a card that has been brewing since I saw a certain sketch challenge last night.

I stamped the image from the Layer of Color Love Set in Graphite Black on Curious Metallics Cryogen white paper and embossed it with clear detail embossing powder, and cut and embossed it using a classic rectangle Nestablity and layered it on black cardstock.  

A quick trim of lace and ribbon, a bow and an old pearl button, and four rhinestones finished the main panel.

I mounted this on the base of Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card, which made the other (white) paper look cream!  To finish I embossed a line 5mm in from the edge of the cardstock.

I am linking this to :

Simply Less is More Challenge #25 - recipe - a bow and button(s)

Stampin' Sisters In Christ - Use Black and White

Card Patterns Sketch #125

Our creative Corner - All the B's - Black, button., bow and bling

Thank you for calling by - may your day be blessed.