Happy Mother's Day ...

It's not the easiest of Mother's Days for any of us this year so stay strong in the knowledge that you are loved by your children and hold on to the thought that when you meet up the hugs will be enormous ... and possibly cause bruises!!

It is not difficult to see who inspired this card:

I used:
PaperArtsy Eclectica EEVIO
Uniko Simply Said
Simon Says Stamp Happy
Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

I'm entering the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More #381


Stamping Sensations March ... Spring Florals

Take care and Stay Safe!

Hey, Chick Take Two ...

Another day of uncertainty and another afternoon of crafting ...

Today's contribution to the great card stash is inspired by this month's Twofer Card Challenge where the theme is Spring Animals.

I used:

Stampin Up: Hey,chick stamp set
Simon Says Stamp Happy stamp set
Lawn Fawn Milo's Alphabet
Distress Inks - Festive Berries, Spiced Marmalade, Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed
Versafine Onyx Black

The challenge details:

Enjoy and Stay Safe!

One idea, two cards ...

I'm busy playing catch up with Christmas card making ... yet again I seem to have left it very late to get enough cards created for friends and family.  At least I've finished working and now have time to create whenever the mood (or the need!) is right ... so yesterday and today I've been creating!!  These cards were created using leftovers:-

I like monochromatic cards ... not sure whether black and white is too harsh for Christmas!

I'm entering the following challenges:
Uniko Challenge  #56


Penny Black and More December Challenge

Stamping Sensations December Challenge

Enjoy!

One Layer Christmas ...

Good evening ... another card for the Christmas stash!!

I stamped and gold heat embossed the baubles, holly and sentiment.  I water coloured the leaves and berries just to give a pop of colour.

I used:

STAMPlorations - Sherry Russ Designs Christmas Baubles

WOW Gold Embossing Powder

Distress Inks - Festive Berries and Pine Needles

I'm entering the following challenges:

"Less is More" #385

Stamping Sensations November Challenge

"Get Ready for Christmas"

Enjoy!

Penguin Choir ...

I am delighted and excited to share this card with you as I'm a guest designer over at Stamping Sensations.  As far as challenges go, this year has not been very successful for me - however in September  I was very lucky to be chosen by the design team at Stamping Sensations as a winner.  I won a voucher from Bee Crafty and was also invited to be Guest Designer for November!!  

The theme for the November challenge is 'Get Ready for Christmas' - 

This involved lots and lots of masking and stamping to create a choir of penguins!!

I used:

Lawn Fawn - Here We Go-A-Waddling
Versafine Onyx Black Ink
Zig Markers

I hope that you will pop along and join in with the challenge.

Enjoy!

Family birthday ...

My daughter is celebrating her 30th birthday today ... this makes me feel very old but then I am twice as old as her!!!

I thought I would pop by this evening and share the card I made for her:

I am entering the following challenges:

"Less is More" #379


Stamping Sensations September Challenge - "I spy with my little eye something beginning with B"

Enjoy!

Black, white and teal ...

I'm back to work later this week ... I'm not sure where the last six weeks have gone but they have whizzed by!  I've done so much but at the same time seem to have done very little ... I've spent a lot of time travelling around the UK leaving me very little time for crafting and my blog.  My blog seems to be very quiet ... very few visitors and very few comments but I guess if I'm not blogging regularly there is no new reason to visit!  I'm hoping to rectify this by finding time to blog more often!

So here we go ... my second post for September and a new card to share:

I created the background using multiple background and sentiment stamps.  Stamped and die cut the bird before adhering it to the card using foam tape for added dimension.  I added the sentiment in black to make it pop from the background.

I used:
STAMPlorations: For the Birds Stamp and matching die set
                            Trendy Birds
Simon Says Stamp: Happy 3x4 stamp set
Versfine Onyx Black
Distress Ink: Peacock Feathers

I'm entering the following challenges:

"Less is More" #379


Stamping Sensations September Challenge
"I spy with my little eye something beginning with B ..."

Enjoy!

Springtime ...

I hope the sun has been shining for you ... it remains dull, wet and overcast in Oxfordshire ... making for a dull and overcast mood!!

I've been creating my own kind of sunshine water colouring and creating ...

... my aim was to reflect Springtime on a card ... no grey insight!

I used:
STAMPlorations - Dee's Artsy Blossom Sprays #1
Distress Inks - Spiced Marmalade, Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Lucky Clover, Abandoned Coral, Twisted Citron

I'm entering the following challenges:

TIME OUT #107


Stamping Sensations April Challenge "One for the Girls"

Seize the Birthday Anything Goes with optional Vibrant Colours

Craft Stamper Magazine April Challenge "Anything Goes"

Enjoy! 

Autumn ...

Evening all ... I hope your weekend has been enjoyable ... I've been busy but found time to create some cards ... this is the first I would like to share with you ...

This week's challenge at "Less is More" is a colour challenge - 'Hot and Spicy'.  As you can see I went for the Autumnal colours.  I began by creating a panel using a stylised leaf stamp to create flowers and then die cut the bubbles from the panel.  Unfortunately I didn't think to take a photograph of the panel before I cut it up ... but this is the panel with the bit missing!!

I'm now wishing that I had tried a different design but there is enough of the panel left to create another card so I might just try something different!!!  I could be back later!

I used:
UNIKO Fun flowers stamp set (just one of the leaves)
Distress Inks - ripe persimmon, abandoned coral, festive berries, spiced marmalade, carved pumpkin and candied apple.
Sizzix - Bright Bubbles die

I'm entering these challenges:

"Less is More" #349


Stamping Sensations - October challenge - Autumn Glory

Enjoy!

Three trees ...

Another day of sorting, cleaning, tidying and finished off with trip to the rubbish tip with a car load of stuff ... how do we accumulate so much!!  I have spent the afternoon being creative (after tidying my craft table ... why is it always covered in stuff!).  This is one of the cards:

I used a scrap of card that I had cleaned my brayer on and die cut three panels before stamping the trees ... my idea was to show the life of the tree as Autumn passes and the leaves fall.  The panels were adhered using foam adhesive to add dimension.

I used:
Stampin Up - Totally Trees
Simon Says Stamp - Handwritten Borders

I'm entering the following challenges:
CAS Colour and Sketches



Stamping Sensations - August Challenge, Anything Goes

Enjoy!

Pastel ...

That's another week that has whizzed by and a new month begins ... it's hard to believe that a quarter of the year has gone and there are still New Year resolutions that I haven't even made a start on!!!  The upside is that Spring is here in the UK ... blue skies, sunshine and flowers blooming in the garden ... just what the doctor ordered!

A new month brings round the colour challenge at "Less is More" and this week it is ... Pastels!  This is a stretch for me ... so here goes:

Soft and gentle!  I began by stamping and heat embossing some of the images on a scrap of card.  I then stamped the images onto a panel of card using a mix of distress inks.  I die cut the embossed images and popped a couple onto the stamped image just to add some dimension.  I heat embossed the sentiment onto some vellum and added that to the panel.

Do you have problems deciding how and where to add a sentiment?  I always have problems deciding what to do so a lot of the time I just don't add one!!  Now I'm quite happy to create a card without a sentiment but sometimes wonder if that means my card looks unfinished.  Should I start with the sentiment and work out where it needs to go and then place the focal image? How do you decide what colour ink to use for your sentiment?  Which sentiment should you use?  What about the type face? ... questions but no answers!  Maybe I should just shut up about it!

I used:

Clearly Besotted - Simply Quilled Stamp set and matching dies
Distress Inks - Spun Sugar, Squeezed Lemonade and Dried Marigold
WOW White embossing Powder

I'm entering the following challenges:

"Less is More" #322


Stamping Sensations - April Challenge, Anything Goes

March ended on a high note for me ... I was Top Pick for the CAS Mix Up Card  Challenge. Thank you to the Team for choosing my card ... I always get childishly excited when I am chosen as a challenge winner ... thank you, it means a lot.  This is the card:



I'm off to do the ironing now ...

Enjoy!

All About Christmas Part 2 ...

When time is short I need to get creative with the time and resources available ... these two cards are made using the rest of the panel that I created for my earlier card.  Rather than creating another card of the same design I realised by cutting the panel smaller I could create two cards!

Here they are:

Full details of how I created the panel and the resources I used can be found in my earlier post from today.  This time I matted the panel onto some black card and heat embossed the sentiment on black card.

I'm entering the following challenges:

UNIKO November challenge

AAA Cards


Stamping Sensations - December Challenge Floral Fancies

Enjoy!

Another Poinsettia ...

My first post today was all about a Christmas card that is easy to replicate ... this card is lovely but takes more time to create ... I used Zig markers to water colour the image which takes time:

I used:
UNIKO Pure Florals: Poinsettia
Creative Expressions Happy Christmas die
Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers
Versafine Onyx Black Ink

I'm entering the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations November Challenge - Anything Christmas

Happy Little Stampers


Enjoy!

Floral Border ...

We've had rain today ... so I just had to spend the day crafting!!  This is one of the cards that I completed.

I created the floral border by stamping the flowers in distress inks and then heat embossing with clear embossing powder, masking each one in between stamping.  I then masked the flowers and used a script stamp to add background colour.  The panel has been adhered to a piece of cream hessian using dimensional adhesive before adding it to the card base and adding a simple sentiment.

I used:
STAMPlorations - Floral Bliss and Mixed Media Elements
Clear Embossing Powder
Distress Inks - Festive Berries, Candied Apple, Abandoned Coral, Ripe Persimmon, Carved Pumpkin and Peeled Paint

I am entering the following challenges:
Penny Black and More - August Challenge, Anything Goes with a stamp
Stamping Sensations - August Challenge, Anything Goes
STAMPloratons


Enjoy!

Two cards, one stamp set ...

I've been trying out my newest stamp set this morning. I'd planned on only making one card but stamped and heat embossed spares - I always need spares for when I make the inevitable mistake!!  Today must have been a good day as no mistakes were made so I had enough images for two cards!!

The first:

I stamped and heat embossed the flowers with gold before lightly water colouring with distress inks.  Then die cut the images and adhered them with foam squares to add dimension.

I'm going to enter these challenges:

TIME OUT Challenge #57 - this week the challenge is to be inspired by words - "May all your weeds be wild flowers" - in may case both of my cards are wild flowers!

AAA Card Challenge #65 - it's AAA Cards 2nd Birthday!! Congratulations - my card is not designed for a two year old but for the designers of the challenge!!

My second card uses the same elements as the first but has a different orientation.

I used:

Stampin Up - Flowering Fields

Simon Says Stamp - Handwritten borders

Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry and Shaded Lilac

WOW Gold Embossing Powder

Versamark Ink

Lawn Cuts Stitched Rectangles

I'm entering the following challenges:

Penny Black and More - May challenge "Anything Goes"

Stamping Sensations - May challenge "Anything Goes"

Enjoy!