happy birthday

 hello crafters!

I'm joining in today with the talented team at the paper players. It's a tic tac toe challenge and I chose to use the centre row: orange, die cut, stencil. Also posting it in the just us girls challenge #746 where it is stencil week.

I began by stencilling the background using Hero Arts Fall Leaves stencil. I used 4 distress oxide colours starting with the lightest and moved the stencil around between stencilling each colour. It gives such an interesting effect with so much dimension. Boots and sentiment are from Gummiapan, leaves from Spellbinders. The little leaves were die cut from ink smooshed card and adhered under the boots.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

   

you're one of a kind

 hello stampers!

I'm joining in today with the team at inkspirational where the challenge asks for us to use a stencil, with an optional twist of using paste. I'll also post it to the justusgirls challenge where they also are challenging us to use a stencil! I wanted to use a new to me die so chose a tree trunk stencil which would coordinate.

The background was ink smooshed with distress oxide inks, let dry then the paste applied through the stencil. I used home made embossing paste which is white, but interestingly, it draws up the colour from the ink underneath making the paste a more subtle shade of the background - perfect! The paste gives so much dimension and interest.

The leaves were die cut from a separate ink smooshed panel, as well as the lizard. I used an offcut from the main panel for the sentiment background. The sentiment was stamped and heat embossed in white.

Love this little lizard! Thanks so much for stopping by.

   

• dies: Poppystamps whittle lizard, Gummiapan oak leaf
• stencil: Gummiapan no. 55
• stamp: Gummiapan sentiment

hugs

 hello crafters!

I'm joining in today with justusgirls challenge #718 which is doing a collaboration with timeout challenge #259, and the theme is 'birds of a feather'. How awesome!

I recently got this little sizzix die of the bird on the branch - such a cutie! The background hexagons were die cut from ink smooshed card, some were embossed. The trees were also cut from the same ink smooshed card as the bird to echo the colours. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

deepest sympathy

 hello crafters!

I'm joining in today with the word challenge #696 over at justusgirls, where the prompt is 'moon'. I just love gazing at the moon - it's so peaceful and comforting, like a dependable friend!

I began by ink blending the background in faded jeans and shaded lilac distress oxides. The moon was a die cut circle, ink smooshed with lost shadow distress oxide, doubled up and outlined with blended lost shadow ink for a haze. A cover of wink of stella gives it a little glitter. The mountains are Sizzix Arctic Bear, one of my favourite sets, and the little clouds from MFT were die cut from ink smooshed card also.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

always be yourself

 hello stampers!

I had some time today on a rainy Sunday afternoon so I made a card for justusgirls challenge #689 where it's CAS week with the theme 'three of something'.

I've had these Gummiapan penguin dies for a little while but hadn't used them before today - so cute! I paired them with some MFT iceberg dies and some salty ocean and tumbled glass distress oxide ink smooshed background card. Sentiment was computer generated. 

I'm also linking this one up to Darnell's fabulous blog, NBUS. Sending hugs Darnell!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

love

 hello stampers!

I find myself with some spare time today so thought I'd craft and enter a couple of challenges. This one is for justusgirls colour challenge and I used the sketch from freshlymadesketches this week.

I began by ink blending pumice stone and tumbled glass distress oxide inks. Then I partially embossed SU woodland embossing folder over the blue half. I used Alexandra Renke dies (new to me and so awesome!) for the film strips, honeybee stamps die for the sentiment, memory box mini intricate butterflies die for the tiny butterflies and Tim Holtz brushstroke butterflies for the larger one. The large butterfly was also clear heat embossed on the purple details. Finished it off with a few dew drop gems.

Since this is my first time using the Alexandra Renke dies I'm also linking this to Darnell's fabulous NBUS blog. Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

just for you

 hello stampers!

I'm joining in with this week at just us girls where the challenge #681 is to make a CAS card with a silhouette. 

The background was watercolored using wilted violet distress oxide ink - all the lovely pinks come out of the purple colour! The leaves and flowers were stamped using Lavinia stamps foliage stamps with chipped sapphire and squeezed lemonade distress oxides with a little unicorn white ink. The moon was shaded with lost shadow distress oxide. The fairy from paper rose was die cut and adhered with foam squares. The sentiment from Honeybee stamps was inked with wilted violet distress oxide, and the panel was finished off with chipped sapphire and black soot inking around the edge, and a few dew drops.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

happy birthday

 hello stampers and happy February!

I wanted to join in with the team at just us girls as it's been a while. They have a CAS challenge this week with the theme 'birthday' - perfect! The paper players also has a sketch theme this week so I used that to lay out my card.

I've had some new little seaside dies from Gummiapan for a little while so thought I'd try them out! I ink smooshed a couple of panels of card with different colours of distress oxide inks, then die cut the seahorses from one, the crab from another and the shells and sentiment from a third. The net was die cut from white card then adhered to a circle die cut from the last inked card panel. The crab and seahorses were adhered with foam squares. Sentiment was stacked 3 times. Love those seahorses' curly tails! 

Many thanks to Chrissie Stokes for the inspiration for this card! Since this was the first time using these dies, I'm also linking up my card to Darnell's fabulous blog, NBUS! Thanks so much for stopping by!

  

warm wishes

 hello fellow stampers!

I'm joining in today with a couple of challenges that I haven't played for a little while. I'm ready to get back into the swing of regular crafting if for nothing else than to regain my sanity after the xmas madness!

The talented team at justusgirls have a colour challenge this week and the sketch challenge is from the awesome ladies at freshlymadesketches, so combining the two works a treat.

I ink blended the background using blueprint sketch, chipped sapphire and black soot distress oxide inks then cut the rectangle shape. Another panel was ink blended with just tumbled glass and the Gorgecraft trees die cut from this card, the smallest tree adhered with foam squares. The little Gummiapan snowman was die cut and a tiny length of cotton was wrapped around him for a scarf. The sentiment from MFT Cool Day was stamped on an ink blended panel then cut to size, adhered with foam squares, with the snowman adhered to the piece. How funny that the snowman and sentiment on their own represent the sketch!

I must say it's ironic sending 'warm wishes' atm as it's 33oC here today but they are such gorgeous winter colours! Thanks so much for stopping by!

     

christmas tag

 hello stampers!

I'm joining in today with the team at justusgirls where they are having #656 wild card week and have asked for a holiday gift tag.  I usually need about a gazillion of these each year so any chance to create one is a bonus for me!

I die cut the tag using Recollections tags die set from inked card. I think it has 3 different distress oxide blues watered and swirled onto the card.  Dies are from Gummiapan: merry christmas circle, thin pine trees and the centre star of a snowflake die. The star was die cut from silver card to match the silver in the tag ribbon, the second tree was mounted on tiny foam squares.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

merry christmas

 hello crafters!

I'm joining in with the justusgirls challenge #653 this week where the theme is CAS. My favourite type of card, how could I not?

I began by die cutting the Gummiapan merry christmas circle. Then I cut out an inner circle using Hero Arts Infinity Circle dies. More larger and smaller circles were die cut with the circle edges stacked up 4 high then topped with acetate then topped with the merry Christmas circle. 

I used Kaisercraft mountains embossing folder with a swipe of weathered wood distress oxide ink then cut out the smaller circle to form the interior background scene.

The little tree from the Sizzix arctic bear die set was cut several times from inked card as well as the little house, and also some arrows from paper rose arrows die set. I love how the tree and house seem to float!

Another one to add to my christmas stash. Thanks so much for stopping by!

**Thanks to the lovely team at JUGS for choosing my card as the weekly winner. I'm thrilled!

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!

 

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!

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!

hey succa

 hello again stampers!

I thought I'd play along with the talented team at justusgirls challenge #620 colour week. I felt the colours lent themselves to a masculine card and who doesn't need more of those?

The background was ink blended using Darkroom Door Brick Wall stencil and distress oxide vintage photo ink. The succulents were stamped using Hero Arts Floral Succulent stamp & cut set and watercolored (!) using Altenew Teal Cave and distress oxide vintage photo inks. They were die cut and popped up on foam squares over 3 die cut rectangles using Paper Rose stitched rectangles die, cut from orange card. The sentiment was stamped in vintage photo using Altenew Ornamental Bliss and the little sentiment from the Succulent stamp set stamped in teal. A scrap of vintage photo blended card was adhered under the sentiment. The panel was mounted on a white card base.

Thanks for stopping by!

snowflake wishes

 hello there crafty stampers!

Among my new year's resolutions this year was to start a new blog with a new name, and post at least twice weekly. Doesn't sound too hard does it? I have had so much fun over the last 12 months creating cards, entering challenges and generally getting inky fingers, so I thought I would try and step it up a notch. 

Today I have a lovely card for the just us girls challenge #615

They are the most beautiful colours and even though here it's mid summer and 28o outside, I couldn't resist channelling some snowflakes!

Some white pigment ink was splattered over a black card panel. Then I used Hero Arts Color Layering Snowflake stamps and die set as well as the Hero Arts Large Snowflakes and Swirls die. The snowflakes were stamped in pale blue and 1 was heat embossed in silver. These were all arranged on the panel with foam squares to look like snowflake flurries! The sentiment from the same set was stamped on white scrap and adhered to the panel with foam squares, and the design was finished off with some sparkly rhinestones.

Thanks for stopping by!