Leaves within Leaves

Hi guys

Today I'd like to share a card I've made based on the current challenge at The Card Concept.  I love the photo inspiration provided so wanted to give it go before the deadline.

One of the stamp sets I used for this card only landed on my doorstep about two hours ago, so that's got to be my quickest use of a new product ever!

So, here's my card followed by the challenge photo, and my card falls into the Clean and Simple category.

I used two linear leaves from the same set, and after stamping the design with the larger leaf I then used a different green ink to stamp the smaller leaf inside.  A sentiment was then stamped before popping the panel up on 3D foam

Materials used:

• Stamps: Paper Smooches - Reflections; Wplus9 - Fresh Cut Florals (sentiment)
• Ink: Versa Color - Split Pea and Bamboo

I would also like to enter this card at the current challenge at Daring Cardmakers where the theme is Clean and Simple.

Thanks for popping by.

Dear Santa

Hi guys

I'm here tonight to share a card I've made this evening for the current challenge at CASology where the cue word is 'letter'.

The idea I had in my head hasn't really translated as I wanted it to, but I thought I'd share my card anyway.

I've had these mini cards and envelopes in my stash for years but have hardly ever used them.  With these in mind I immediately thought of a Dear Santa letter.  I used an embossing marker to write the text, trying to make it look like a child had written it (not too difficult when you can't see where you're writing!!), and then heat embossed this with some red embossing tinsel.  I stamped some silver snowflakes on the card base to add some interest.

Materials used:

• Stamp: Uniko Studio - Stunning Snowflakes
• Ink: Versa Color - Silver
• Embossing Pen: Whispers Embossing Marker
• Embossing Powder: Heat It Up - Embossing Tinsel (Red)
• Cardstock and mini card and envelope from stash

Really quick post tonight as I'm now off to bed.

Bye for now

Addicted to Stamps and More #110

Good morning crafters

Well, it's Wednesday again so there is a new challenge starting over at Addicted to Stamps and More, and this week we have a challenge for you in the form of a...

Photo Inspiration

You may take any element of the photo that inspires you, e.g. the colours, image, theme, etc.

We have a wonderful sponsor this week, QKR Stampede, who are offering a prize of 3 digis to one lucky winner.

Here is my DT card

I cut a strip of woodgrain patterned paper and stamped the bloom and leaf with VersaMark ink and then heat embossed with white powder.  The white powder is actually quite creamy so I opted for a cream card base instead of white.  I mounted the patterned paper onto some dark brown cardstock before adhering to my card base.  I then used the same brown cardstock to stamp the sentiment, again in VersaMark and heat embossed in white.  I then fussy cut this out before attaching with 3D foam.  

I think you can clearly see where my inspiration came from: the woodgrain, the skirt that looks exactly like flower petals and the ballerina's head was my inspiration for the round sentiment.

Materials used:

• Patterned paper: Fancy Pants - Country Boutique
• Cardstock: Bazzill Basics - Premium Cardstock (brown); card base from stash
• Stamps: Stampin' Up - Flower Shop; Uniko Studio - Natures Treasures #1 (leaf); Sentiment stamp - unknown brand
• Ink: VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Stampin' Up - white

My fellow members of the ATSM Design Team have some great projects showing how they were inspired by this week's photo so why not pop over and take a look and have a go at the challenge yourself.

Ok, that's all for now, thanks for visiting and I hope to see you again soon :)

Geometric Congrats

Hi guys

I'm back with a really quick post to share another card I've made to enter a couple of challenges, one which is ending this evening.

On a spare piece of white cardstock I stamped a geometric pattern using the striped diamond in two colours.  I then cut this out with a square die and matted it on some teal coloured cardstock.  I used the same teal cardstock to cut out the congrats.  I really had no clue where I was going with this and I settled on a landscape card and adhered the square panel at an angle.  I then adhered the word die cut straight across this and added a couple of co-ordinating square gemstones to finish.  I'm really not sure what I think about this card, I think it's the angled panel I'm not sure about, but it looked better like this than it did straight.  And geometric is all about angles, right? :)

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Geometric Style
• Ink: Versa Color - Cinnamon and Paprika
• Dies: Clearly Besotted - Congrats Word Die; Xcut - Nested Squares
• Gems: Papermania - Mosaics (Emerald and Jade)

Challenge entries:

Addicted to CAS - Challenge #45 - Geometric

Colour Me - Challenge #34

That's all for today, I'm feeling a bit under the weather this evening so I think an early night is on the cards.

Take care

New Baby

Hi guys

This afternoon I visited Day 1 of my recently purchased class at Online Card Classes.  I've heard really good things about these classes so wanted to have a go.  I chose the Clean & Simple Card Making class, an independent class which I can work through in my own time.  I do hope to participate in an interactive class at some point though :)

I made this card based on one of the clean and simple sketches included in the class...

The one thing I have literally none of in my stash is large background stamps.  So, I masked the centre of this square card base with a post-it note and then used a background builder stamp to create the argyle print all over the card base.  I did struggle to line it up in a few places and where the stamp met the mask there were a few areas that didn't stamp too well so I did my best to re-stamp without messing it up!  Next I took a scrap of white cardstock and inked it up straight from my ink pad so I had a matching colour to punch out the teddy bears.  I stamped the sentiment, adhered the teddy bears on 3D foam and added a couple of pale blue gems to finish.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Background Builders III, A Little Sentimental
• Ink: Versa Color - Baby Blue and Royal Blue
• Punch: Woodware - Teddy Bear
• Gems from stash

Challenge entries:

Simply Create Too - Challenge #68 - Monochromatic Madness
Fab Friday - Challenge #48 - Baby Boy
CAS on Sunday - Rock a Bye Baby


Thanks for popping by, I'm now off to do some of the things around the flat I promised myself I would do at the start of the day. Oops, I'm so easily distracted!!

Bye for now

Natural Wedding

Hi guys

Today, I'd like to share a commission card I've made for a friend.  The big day she wanted the card for isn't until Monday but I'm sure the happy couple don't follow my blog and will be far too busy to see it!  The brief was a fairly modern and simple design using neutral, champagne and gold colours.

I started by using a card base which I've had in my stash for years, and it had an already debossed central square panel.  I die cut a smaller square from some cream hammered cardstock and cut a notch on either side for the jute twine to be tied around, without shifting.  The names and date were computer generated and printed on the same cream cardstock before die cutting with a tag die.  The tag die I used was wider than I wanted so I cut down the edges before attaching with the twine.  Next, using some natural pearlescent cardstock I stamped some dots and a stitched heart with VersaMark before heat embossing in white and then used the corresponding heart die to cut these out.  Next I die cut the 'love' word from gold cardstock and adhered this over the hearts.  Once the cream square panel had been popped up on 3D foam I secured the two tags also with 3D foam to stop them shifting around.  The final touch was to add a few pearls.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Love Hearts and Building Blocks
• Ink: VersaMark
• Dies: Clearly Besotted - Love Hearts, Love Word Die and Tag Along
• Embossing Powder: Stampin' Up - White
• Cardstock, twine and pearls from stash

Challenge entries:

Let's Craft and Create - Challenge #95 - Ribbon or Twine
STAMPlorations - August Challenge - Stamps and Die Cuts
Dream Valley - Challenge #88 - Wedding
Creative Card Crew - Challenge #68 - Embossing
Love to Create - Challenge #129 - Polka Dots & Pearls
Papertake Weekly Challenge - To Die For
The Crafter's Cafe - Challenge #77 - Square Cards only

That's all for now folks.  I hope to have more to share with you before the weekend is over :)  I hope you're enjoying the weekend so far, and looking foward to the bank holiday (those of you in the UK!).

Let It Snow

Hi there

As promised, here's my third and final card for today and this is also my second entry at Less is More where the theme is 'Animal'.

I found this cute teeny tiny kitty in a stamp set which was free with a publication ages ago.  He only measures one centimetre high...awwwww!

This card kind of evolved as I went along.  I stamped this cute little guy on a scrap of white cardstock and coloured him in with ProMarkers.  I knew I wanted to surround him with snow so I masked him off before using a snow stamp which was actually a little addition in a Christmas sentiment set.  I wanted the snow to show up so I used silver pigment ink and then heat embossed with white powder.  I then got the impression that this little chap needed some sort of ledge to lean on so I used a rectangular die to create a window.  I popped the window up on 3D foam on a textured card base and added some Wink of Stella to his hat.

He looks like he's peering through a window from the cold outside, so perhaps the sentiment should read 'Let me in'! :D

I really love how this turned out, I love the tiny pop of colour against all the white and of course, some Christmas sparkle.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Christmas Capers by Adam Pescott; Paula Pascual - Christmas Messages (snow and sentiment)
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versa Color - Silver; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Embossing Powder: Stampin' Up - White
• Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Classic Rectangles Large
• Coloured with ProMarkers
• Wink of Stella

I'd also like to link this card up at the following challenge blogs:

Creative Card Crew - Challenge #68 - Embossing

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Christmas in August

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Anything Goes

And again, just for fun, I'm going to link up at Addicted to Stamps and More where my teamies are hosting the latest CAS challenge.

Phew, ok that's all from me for tonight.  Once I've linked these up I'll be off to my cosy bed!

Nite all :)