It's Time to Celebrate

Hi guys

A bit of a late post for me today.  I'm busy tomorrow evening so I wanted to link up my card for the latest challenge at Less is More which this week is a sketch.

I bought the 'Time to Celebrate' stamp set with matching dies from Clearly Besotted last month and hadn't yet inked it up so I had a little play with it tonight.

I chose the clock with the roman numerals for this card and thought metallics would work well with it.  So I stamped the hands of the clock in silver and then stamped two balloons from the Clearly Besotted 'It's Your Birthday' set in gold and bronze before die cutting these with their co-ordinating dies.  A sentiment and some gems finished it off.

Materials used:

• Stamps and Dies: Clearly Besotted - Time to Celebrate and It's Your Birthday
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versa Color - Silver, Gold, Bronze
• Gems from stash

Here is the sketch Chrissie designed for this challenge...

Sorry for such a short post today but I hope to be back over the weekend with more to share with you.  Enjoy the rest of your week.

Bye for now

Citrus Happy Birthday

Hi guys

Just a quick post to share my final card of the day.

I have made this card for this week's Muse challenge, as well as a few more which are detailed below.  This week's Muse is the fab Marion Vagg.

I have taken the colours and layout of Marion's card and here is my take on it...

Have you ever started something and then got halfway through and wished you hadn't?  Well that's how I felt with this one!  I decided to use the linear flower stamp from Uniko Studio's new stamp set, Flower Power #4.  I stamped it in blue ink in a repeated pattern and then coloured it with ProMarkers which took AGES!  I then stamped in between the main blooms with a ditsy flower from Uniko Studio's new stamp set, Background Builders: Vines.  This was then die cut using a square die and matted onto some blue cardstock.  I then stamped the banner sentiment in blue and popped this up on 3D foam.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko Studio - Flower Power #9 and Background Builders: Vines; Clearly Besotted - Mini Basic Banners
• Ink: Memento - Danube Blue and Bamboo Leaves; Versa Color - Cyan
• Dies: Xcut - Nested Squares; Clearly Besotted - Mini Basic Banners

And here is Marion's card which we were to use as inspiration...

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps - Challenge #92 - Make Your Mark
Seize The Birthday - Anything Goes
Sweet Stampin' - No Designer Paper


Thanks so much for your visit, and that really is all I have time for today.  I hope to see you again soon.

Take care

No Stamping and the Revival of an Old Friend!

Hi there

I'm having a lovely crafty day and this is the third card I'm sharing today.  Please scroll down to see my previous posts from earlier today.

I decided to create something a bit different to that which I have been doing of late and grabbed a few old faithfuls that have been in my stash for years.....pearlescent card, a brass stencil and my old friend, the light box!  My poor light box has been in the back of my craft cupboard since the day I discovered embossing folders and purchased my Big Shot.  But there is something very therapeutic about embossing by hand and the results are always great on pearlescent card.

This next pic highlights the shimmer of the pearlescent cardstock...

I used a pearlescent card base I had in my stash then used a second one (so I had a matching panel) to hand emboss the flower and ladybirds by hand through the brass stencil using my light box.  I then cut this out with a flag die and used a slightly larger flag die to cut some lime green pearlescent card.  I used a darker green cardstock to die cut the 'hello'.  Next I created two rows of double score lines across the card base, adhered the die cut word between them and layered up the flags.  I'm not sure I love this card but I certainly enjoyed creating it.

Materials used:

• All pearlescent card stock from stash
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Fishtail Flag Stax; Clearly Besotted - Hello Word Die
• Brass Stencil: Unknown brand
• Tools: Stampin' Up - Simply Scored Scoring Tool; Light box

Challenge entries:

CASology - Week 92 - Garden

Crafty Creations - Challenge #261 - White plus One Other Colour

Papertake Weekly Challenge - White + 1

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Keep it Clean and Simple

Crafty Catz - Challenge #228 - Anything Goes

Thanks as always for visiting.  I've no idea what I'm going to create next but I hope to be back with more later.

Happy Birthday Wishes

Hi guys

As promised, I'm back to share my second card for this morning.  I've managed to combine lots of challenges with this one!

So without further ado, here it is...

I started by cutting a panel of white cardstock slightly smaller than the card base.  I knew I wanted to use ProMarkers to colour my image which is why I didn't stamp directly on the card base as the markers show through onto the inside of the card.

I then used a wooden stamp I've had for years but have never used, and I inked this using Memento ink.  I then coloured in the image with Promarkers.  Next I stamped the sentiment using the same ink as the image.  I chose grey rather than black as I wanted the whole card to have a soft and pretty feel.

Initially I was going to just adhere the panel centrally to the card base but I chose to add some more colour by using some patterned paper on the card base and then adhered the white panel in line with the bottom corner.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Wooden Stamp by Great Impressions (ref G366); Stampin' Up - Petite Pairs
• Ink: Memento - London Fog
• ProMarkers: Tulip Yellow, Powder Blue, Mint Green, Bluebell and Orchid
• Patterned Paper: Dovecraft - Back to Basics IV Designer Paper Pack

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

CASology - Week 92 - Garden

The Shabby Tea Room - Week #215 - Pastel Goodness (use pastels, flowers and polka dots)

Craft Your Passion - Challenge 210 - Pretty Pastels

Addicted to Stamps - Challenge #92 - Make Your Mark

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Keep it Clean and Simple

Charisma Cardz - Challenge #9 - Purple and Blue

Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz - Challenge #228 - Anything Goes

Right, I'm off to link up this little lot.  I will no doubt be back with more later today, I'm not feeling particularly great today so I think I'll stay in my comfies and make some more later.

Have a lovely Sunday x

Home Sweet Home

Hi there

Firstly I'd like to give a warm welcome to my newest follower, Sarah.  Thanks so much for showing an interest in my blog, I hope I can provide you with some inspiration.

Onto my first card for today, and this is for a challenge I've been wanting to enter all week.  This is for the latest challenge at CASology where this week's cue word is 'Garden'.

I have no New Home cards in my stock so I decided to start there.  I used two stamps from a set I've had for a long time but I've only previously used one of the sentiments.  I cut a panel of white cardstock slightly smaller than the card base and stamped the fence and sold sign image first using Memento ink.  I then stamped the grass image using Versa Color ink and finally stamped the sentiment below.  The fence and sign were then coloured in with ProMarkers.  I used some 3D foam strips to adhere the panel to the base card and that was it...simple!

Materials used:

• Stamps: Woodware - Home Sweet Home
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versa Color - Green
• ProMarkers: Tan and Cinnamon
• Cardstock from stash

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps - Challenge #92 - Make Your Mark

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Keep it Clean and Simple

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - No Designer Paper

I've also made another card for the CASology challenge so I'll be back in a mo with my next entry :)

Color Throwdown #289 - Guest Star Stamper

Hi there

Today I'm delighted to share the news that I was recently lucky enough to be Featured Stamper at the Color Throwdown Challenge and have therefore been invited to be Guest Star Stamper for their latest challenge! How could I say no?!  The Design Team are so talented so I'm absolutely thrilled to get the chance to feature in this week's challenge alongside them.

Here is the beautiful colour palette for the latest challenge:

I was excited when I saw these colours as I was dying to ink up a new stamp set I recently purchased from Uniko Studio and these colours are perfect for a floral themed card.  I don't have any Stampin' Up inks in my stash so I used the closest shades I had and came up with this.

I do have some Stampin' Up Designer Series Paper in my stash, albeit now retired, but as its Perfect Plum I decided to use some and adhered a strip along the bottom edge of my landscape card.  Next I cut a panel of white cardstock and began stamping.  This new stamp set from Uniko Studio, Background Builders: Vines, has so many options and a lot of two-step stamping.  The combinations are endless and I only used a small selection of stamps from the set.  Next I stamped a central sentiment before mounting the white panel onto some green cardstock, which was then adhered to the base card.

Materials used:

• Patterned Paper: Stampin' Up - Designer Series Paper: Subtles (retired)
• Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Premium Cardstock (green); white cardstock from stash
• Stamps: Uniko Studio - Background Builders: Vines, and Flower Power #2
• Ink: Versa Color - Grape, Petal Pink and Olive; Versafine - Onyx Black

I would also like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Stampin' for the Weekend - Your Favourite Stamp (after one use this has got to be my new favourite set!)

Moving Along with the Times - A Card containing the word 'Happy'

Less is More - Week 168 - Theme 'Makes Me Smile' (this new stamp set!)

I would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to Tammy and the girls at the Color Throwdown for letting me join them this week.  Why not pop over there for some inspiration from this fab Design Team and have a go at the challenge yourself.

Thanks for visiting today, I hope to see you again soon :)

A Little Note

Hi guys

I'm back to share a card I've made to combine a few different challenges.

I started by stamping the notepad image.  I stamped this off onto some scrap paper first as I wanted it to be faint.  I then cut this out using a rectangular die.  The stamp does include impressions for the holes but on this occasion I chose to punch these out.  I then chose some patterned paper and cut this out using the same rectangular die.  Next I stamped the flower and sentiment image before colouring in with ProMarkers, choosing colours to co-ordinate with the paper.  I then added a metal button brad through the top hole before laying up and adhering the rectangles.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Just a Note; Pink Petticoat - free stamps with a publication
• Ink: Versa Color - Sky Gray; Memento - Tuxedo Black
• Patterned Paper: Pebbles - Sunny Side
• Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Classic Rectangles Large
• Coloured with ProMarkers
• Brad from stash
• Single hole puncher

Challenge entries:

CASology - Week 91 - Note

Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #91 - Anything Goes

Keep It Simple - Challenge #38 - Bright Sparks

Crafty Catz - Challenge #227 - B is for... (in this case B is for brights, button and brad)

Retro Sketches - Sketch #111

Thanks for popping by, folks.  I hope you are all having a lovely Easter Sunday whatever you're up to.

Hope to see you again soon.