Perfectly CAS September challenge #31

 hello lovely stampers!

It's time again for the Perfectly CAS challenge and this month the theme is: halloween. And as always, we want you to use only up to 1/3 of your card front.

I don't really have any halloween things mainly because we don't really celebrate it here. But I managed to source these little scary pumpkin dies from MFT and then found a couple of really old stamps for the sentiment and spiders. So *phew* we can make something with that!

I marked off the lower third of the card front and stamped little spiders randomly over the area.

The pumpkins were die cut from some distress oxide inked background - I love the grungy orange colours! Then the same dies were cut from black card. The pumpkins were popped up on foam squares on the black pumpkins for a shadowy look.

The tombstone was made from a partially die cut circle, and stamped. Then I used some sponge daubers with various colours of grey and green to make it look old and dirty. Again a black shadowy shape was slipped behind it.

We'd love to see your spooky scary halloween designs in our gallery - just remember to limit your design to 1/3 of the card front. Thanks so much for looking!

• dies: MFT Jack o lanterns, Hero Arts infinity circles
• inks: memento tuxedo black, weathered wood, bundled sage, carved pumpkin, candied apple, pumice stone distress oxides

Perfectly CAS June challenge #28

 hello there crafters!

It's time for the next challenge at Perfectly CAS and for this month the theme is: one quarter. 

This means we want you to make a card that has just 1/4 of the card panel covered, with 3/4 as blank space. Sounds easy, doesn't it?

I decided to use a square card base - something different for me, but I guess I reasoned using 1/4 should be easier on a square shape 😉. To begin I calculated 1/4 of my 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inch card base. I cut out this size which was 2 3/4 in square, from white card. This square I scored in 1/8 inch lines then splattered with black ink diagonally through the centre. Another square the same size was stamped with background writing and was die cut to get a picture frame effect. Then I embossed it with a subtle design. This was popped up on thin foam to allow some room for the leaf sprays. 

Some ink smooshed card was die cut with leaf sprays and adhered in one corner, under the frame. The 'happy' was die cut from black card and adhered towards the top, and the 'birthday' word was stamped, trimmed and edged in black, then adhered with foam to sit over the frame.

All of the components sit within the 2 3/4 inch square which is perfect because it keeps it all inside 1/4 of the card base.

Thanks so much for stopping by - we can't wait to see your creations in our gallery!

• stamps: kaisercraft script, altenew sentiment strips
• dies: hero arts infinity squares, mft in focus florals, mft fab foliage, newtons nook holiday greetings
• inks: salvaged patina distress oxide, memento tuxedo black, versafine clair nocturne
• embossing: SU subtle 3D embossing folder

coffee

 hello crafty stampers!

I've had a bit of fun today with the latest addicted to cas challenge where the code word is: stripes

I began by stamping and die cutting the bear and ice floe using MFT Cool Day stamp set and coordinating die set. The ice floe I gently coloured the edges and adhered it to the card panel.  I coloured the bear's sweater and hat with stripes using textas, his coffee mug with dots and gently shaded his fur, then popped him up with foam squares. The sentiment is a Tim Holtz Small Talk sticker. 

I just love this bear - his facial expression is priceless! And so versatile 😁

Thanks so much for stopping by!

for you

 hello stampers!

I am playing along with the talented team at CAS colours and sketches this week where they have a colour challenge #470.

I wanted to use a new embossing folder from Sizzix along with some Tim Holtz distress foundry wax in Sterling silver. Totally new to me and I found it pretty amazing! I began by embossing a small card piece with Sizzix 3D texture fades embossing folder Mini Foundry. Then I added some foundry wax in Sterling to make it look industrial. The foundry wax is highlighted by heat embossing. It really brings out the texture and adds a lot of shine!

I used MFT In Focus Florals and MFT Fab Foliage die sets to die cut some leaf sprays from some card roughly inked up with 2 colours from Altenew Cerulean Skies ink cubes. The flowers also got a little coating of foundry wax for the silver look. I used MFT Bitty Banner Alpha die set for the sentiment.

I'm also linking this card with Darnell's NBUS blog as the embossing folder and foundry wax are new. So happy to see you're back in the swing of things, Darnell!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

      

thank you

 hello lovely stampers!

I have been trying out a new to me technique I learnt from Chris Stokes on my cards lately and thought I'd change it up a little for this card made for the card concept challenge #175. The talented team chose such a gorgeous pic for inspiration!

The inspiration pic reminded me of some scraps of glossy paper I had left from a previous project. Aren't the soft and romantic colours just to die for? I was inspired by the colours, the rose, the circle shapes and the twine to make my cas card.

I die cut a circle from the paper using Hero Arts Infinity Circles, and then fussy cut a couple of the central rose. The circle was adhered to the card base so that the main rose was in the exact centre of the card panel, then I adhered one of the roses to the circle so it peeked out the side. The final rose was adhered to scrap card and I die cut the leaf sprays using MFT In Focus Florals die set.  The die cuts were adhered (perfectly) in place over the rose. The sentiment was stamped using SU Loyal Leaves with 2 colours of distress oxide ink. To finish, some linen twine and a few dew drops were added.

Thanks so much for spending some time with me today!

Perfectly CAS May challenge #27

 hello crafty stampers and welcome to another perfectly cas challenge! 

This month we have the theme: Distress. Our talented team have put together some beautiful cards and we can't wait to see what you create! Just remember to use no more than 1/3 of the card space for our challenge. 

I began with a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 in card base and rather then using the 3x3 grid, I calculated 1/3 of the area - about 7 6/8 in. I chose a Paper Rose Stitched Rectangle die which is approx 1 7/8 x 4 inches which is just a little smaller than 1/3 of the card panel. Perfect!

I began with some ink blending using a honeycomb stencil then splattered it with water for some texture. This was die cut with the rectangle die and the edges distressed with some scissors. I stamped the foliage with distress oxide ink and die cut them with the coordinating die set. The sentiment was stamped, trimmed and popped up on foam for dimension.

As a note, 1/3 of a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 in card base is also:

circle = 3 1/8 in diameter

square = 2 6/8 in sides

Thanks so much for spending some time with me today - we can't wait to see your card in our gallery!

Till next time, take care x

• ink: peacock feathers, mustard seed, carved pumpkin distress oxide
• stencil: Darkroom Door honeycomb
• stamp: MFT flower silhouettes, SU Loyal Leaves (sentiment)
• die: MFT flower silhouettes, Paper Rose stitched rectangles

hello

 hello stampers!

I have been inspired lately by the cas cards of Shayne Eddie and Chris Stokes and have been trying out some of their techniques on my cards recently. This weeks cas colours and sketches challenge #469 provided the perfect opportunity to practise some more.

I began by die cutting a square from a panel I had from a previous project where I used the leftover ink on the stencil, sprayed it and smooshed it onto a card. This gives such wonderful, soft forms and gentle colours. The seahorse was stamped in my Misti 3 times - onto scrap card, onto the inked square and onto the card panel. The scrap card was die cut with the coral shape.

The edges of the square were inked then it was adhered in place over the seahorse, the die cut was popped up on thin foam squares to allow the shape to sit up over the twine, with the other die cut tucked under the twine. The sentiment was stamped in a coordinating colour and the panel was finished with a few droplets.

I do love this Chris Stokes eclipse technique where the die cut is stamped and laid in place - it gives such interest and dimension!

Thanks so much for spending some time with me today! 

• stencil: paper rose small drops
• stamps: darkroom door under the sea, altenew ornamental bliss
• dies: mft flower silhouettes, hero arts infinity squares
• inks: tumbled glass, blueprint sketch, shaded lilac distress oxides

hello

 hello crafty stampers!

I'm playing along with the talented team at cas colours and sketches #468 colour challenge.

I was inspired by a die cut overlay technique shown recently by Chris Stokes and thought I'd try it. The technique involves multiple copies of layered stamping then die cutting select parts for an overlay effect. 

The die cut butterfly is popped up on teeny tiny foam bits. The die cut hearts are adhered to the card for a more subtle effect.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

• stamps: altenew beautiful day, altenew ornamental bliss (sentiment)
• inks: tea dye, abandoned coral, vintage photo distress oxides
• dies: paper rose amaya butterfly, mft cool day

be you

 hello lovely stampers!

I've just scraped in to the latest challenge for the color throwdown and how could I not join in with the current challenge for just us girls where they have an inspiration photo this week from fabulous Cecile. 

I used a Craftgiraffe Stones stencil with distress oxide inks to blend the background. The words were selected from Altenew Sentiment Strips, stamped then die cut using Paper Rose Arrows die set and MFT Petite Clouds die set. They were cut 3 times and stacked, then edged with a black sharpie.  The heart from MFT Cool Day was stamped with memento tuxedo black. Doodles were drawn using the black sharpie and a white gelly roll pen.

Isn't it funny how the colours matched up for both challenges - pure serendipity!

Thanks for stopping by today!

 

happy birthday

 hello lovely stampers!

I had some free time today so am playing along with the cas colours and sketches sketch challenge #465.

I began by stamping Darkroom Door Woodgrain texture stamp with dye ink in my MISTI several times. The leaf stem was die cut using MFT In Focus Florals from ink blended card. The flowers were die cut from the same set but a different die from ink smooshed card, then trimmed from the die to keep just the flowers. The sentiment is from Paper Rose Tiny Forest stamp set.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

forgot

 hello snarky stampers!

I'm thrilled to have been chosen as the sisterhood's Queen of Snark with this card! Queen gets to enjoy the absolute privilege of being guest designer for the next challenge.  Woo hoo! The theme for this challenge is L is for Layers.

I began by creating 3 base layers for my card: stencilled chipped sapphire distress oxide using Paper Rose Striped stencil, stamped the fish with peacock feathers distress oxide using Darkroom Door Under the Sea stamp set, and stencilled tumbled glass distress oxide using Paper Rose Small Drops. These panels were then cut to size and arranged on the card base. I die cut using Paper Rose Arrows die set from ink blended card many many arrows and arranged them onto a fourth layer, then trimmed and mounted that onto an ink blended card for the fifth layer.

Using MFT Cool Day I die cut the ice bergs, inked the edges and the details, then stamped and die cut the ice floe. The bear was stamped using Colorado Craft Company Sweater Bears stamp set and fussy cut. These were all mounted on foam squares. The sentiment from Tim Holtz small talk stickers was adhered onto ink blended card and mounted on foam squares. Whew!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

donut

 hello crafty stampers!

I'm playing along with the paper players challenge for this week PP585 where the theme is 'laughter is the best medicine'.

I'm always one for a witty line and couldn't resist this challenge. I toned down the snark and made a very sweet card (get the pun there?) lol

I began by masking off a section of the card panel and ink blending with dye ink, then used Paper Rose Stripes stencil to ink blend the top part. Using the donut stamp from Stampabilities Trendsetter stamp set and scraps of coloured card, I stamped many donuts in coordinating ink colours. They were die cut using Hero Arts Circle Infinity die set and the centre punched out. The mug was paper pieced using MFT Cool Day stamp and matching die, some ink blended for a shadow, and popped up on foam squares. The sentiment from Tim Holtz small talk stickers was adhered to a pink card scrap. Lastly some white gelly roll pen was used for the shine on the donuts and mug.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

life is tweet

 hello again stampers!

I'm playing along today with justusgirls challenge #625 where it's photo week for inspiration.

I began using MFT Radiating Rays stencil with mustard seed distress oxide ink.  A scrap of white card was stencilled using MFT Rolling Clouds and a birdhouse from Paper Rose Bird Houses die set was cut from it. The birdie was also cut using the same die set. The MFT In Focus Florals die was die cut 3 times and stacked, then watercolored. The sentiment is from Stampendous Tweet Birdie stamp set.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

feel better

 hello crafty stampers!

I just love the colours for the current challenge at color throwdown #685. They actually made me think of autumn rather than spring but I guess that's what makes life interesting!

I wanted to show the changing of the seasons with orange to signify autumn, bare limbs for winter, green for spring leaf and summer for flowered greenery. I'm sure trees feel much better when they're looking their glorious best 😉

I used MFT Tall Trees die cut with kraft and coloured card for the trees, the flowers being orange sparkly gems. The sentiment is from Altenew Sentiment Strips.

Thanks for stopping by today!

happy birthday

 hello crafty stampers!

Just a sweet little card today for the justusgirls challenge #624 where they have colour week.

The ivory card base was chosen and a scrap of Kraft was cut into a curve with my rotary cutter and adhered. The trees were die cut using MFT Tall Trees die set, sponged with bundled sage distress oxide and mounted under and over the Kraft shape. The birds from Paper Rose Bird Houses die set were die cut from rose pink card, 1 adhered and 1 with a tiny foam square. The flowers were die cut using MFT Cool Day die set from white and the pink card. The sentiment was stamped using Paper Rose Tiny Forest stamp set with bundled sage distress oxide and heat embossed with clear for some shine.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

hugs

 hello crafty stampers!

I'm joining in today with the aaacards challenge for game 210 with a lovely card featuring my favourite colour.

The theme is a sketch and a silhouette. 

I wanted to use a new stamp set from MFT Flower Silhouettes and chose this tall slender stamp. I used MFT Circles stencil to ink the circle design with Altenew Dew Drops which gives a lovely soft aqua tone. The sentiment is from Paper Rose Hugs Fine Script die set, cut from matching ink blended card and also black card slightly offset to create a shadow effect. Lastly some wink of stella was applied to the sentiment for shine.

Since this is the first time using this lovely MFT flower silhouettes stamp set, I'm also entering this card in Darnell's NBUS blog.  Hope you're doing well, Darnell! sending hugs ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

I sits

 hello crafty stampers!

I'm playing along with aaacards who have a great theme this fortnight:

Who can resist an opportunity to feature their favourite animal?

I starred my cat (of course) and a cushion stamped using MFT BB Cool Cat and watercolored, fussy cut, popped up on foam squares and highlighted by a tiny blend of distress oxide ink in the background. The sentiment is from iCrafter Purrfect Birthday stamp set.

Thanks for spending a bit of your day with me!

tomorrow

 hello crafty stampers!

I'm playing along with the lovely sisters at snarky stampers where the theme this fortnight is Q is for Quirky. I'm taking my colour cue from the ever-fashionable Edna!

The background is ink blended with distress oxide inks, then the edges blended in a darker blue shade and subtle little snowflakes stamped around the top. The bears are stamped using Colorado Craft Company Sweater Bears stamp set, fussy cut and mounted on foam squares and the ice block is stamped from MFT Cool Day on ink blended card and fussy cut. The sentiment is a Tim Holtz Small Talk sticker, edged in ink and mounted on foam squares. The card panel is mounted on a dark blue card base.

Thanks for stopping by!