Flourishes and Fontiments

Hello everyone!

Happy Bank Holiday if you are in the UK! If you are not, hope you are having a lovely day! Just a quick post to show you a card made with the latest Uniko Studio stamps! I have made this for my Dad's birthday.

The colours are very similar to the post here. I am loving the papers that have come with this release - so you might see a bit more of these! The colours are really lovely - just my cup of tea! Lol! I have used the Fontiments Birthday set, and the lovely Fontiment flourishes as the main focus of my card, rather than an image. 

The border punch is an EK Success one, which I love! Pearl drops on the border and the flourish have been added with pearl pen. The matting cardstock is by Stampin Up! I have made the flourish 'pop' a little by lining areas with Copic N1 Sketch. This just gives a little dimension.

So, have a lovely rest of the day - shame there is no sunshine really, but hey ho, its good for a cuppa and a good film! I'm going out with my dogs for a walk before it rains. Again!

Kx

A Day to Celebrate!

Good Morning! Thanks for coming to visit! Well, today is a day for celebration - it is the 2nd birthday of my nearest joy emporium - The Paperlane! The shop has been open for two years, and I have spent quite a bit of time in there, believe me!!

So, to celebrate the store's birthday, there is a challenge going on! This challenge will run to the 10th May, and the prize is brilliant - a whole £15 gift voucher to spend!! Kicking myself I can't enter! So if you are thinking of joining in, there are three options - join in on the blog post, email your entry if you don't have a blog or drop it into the store if you live close by!

Here is my entry - I have used two sentiments to celebrate the second birthday! The stamp is a new Wild Rose Studio stamp - Bella and Balloons is so cute! I loved using the old Copics on her! She is sweet!

Oh, by the way - I haven't gone all artsy with staging the photos - the cakes were there for my afternoon tea in the garden! Thought I would make the best of the sunshine! Here is a close up of the lovely image.

The sentiments are Hero Arts, and the balloons have been embellished using Glossy Accents and Stickles for a bit of sparkle! There are lots of dots of Viva Pearl Pen all over the card - cannot help using them!

Bonjour Ballet Shoes Tilda!

Hello Everyone! Finally got back to the blog to be able to post something! Have been playing with new colouring tools - and I'm liking them a lot! I have lots that I have coloured - just need to get them stuck on the front of something!

Here is my entry for the CLP Challenge for this month. The sketch is lovely, and was great to work with. This is my Mum's card - I know that she won't see it here! The Tilda I have used is from the new Prince and Princess Collection. Just love this image. She is really sweet. I have coloured her using the new Distress Ink Markers. These are so lovely to use - and much more portable than the refills - now I can tote them around with me!

The colours look slightly out - so wish I photographed this in daylight!! The flowers are a mix of Wild Orchid Crafts and Magnolia. The beautiful papers are Kaisercraft - Bonjour. The crochet trim is Stampin Up! The pearls have been made using a Viva Decor pen in cream.

Thanks for visiting! Will be back soon......unless I can't put those markers down to get a card finished! Lol! Kxx

30 Days!!!!

Hello all! I'm back today with another 'Project Christmas' challenge for Wendy at The Stamp Attic!

This simple project is a quick and easy gift card holder. All of the decoration has been kept really simple to make sure I can reproduce it quickly! This is made from one sheet of  Bazzill French Vanilla 12" x 12" card, so it is so simple to make! The inside card fits snugly inside, with a small pouch to keep the gift card safely tucked in.

The stamps are again the Hero Arts / Sizzix collaboration of stamps and dies. I stamped the images onto the French Vanilla cardstock, then used the dies to cut out the image. I used the fabulous Winter Limited Edition Colours to stamp the images. The trees are 'Iced Spruce' and the snowflakes are 'Festive Berries'. Both of these coordinated perfectly with the colours of the Prima 'North Country' papers. These pads have been popular! The border on the pouch has been edged with a Fiskars border punch, just to give it a bit of decoration.

Here is a close up of the detail. It wasn't until I saw this photo that I realised that the snowflake pattern on the papers closely matched the shape of the snowflake stamp. I love it when a plan comes together!! Lol! The lovely limited edition inks matched the colours of the papers really well too! The mount for the beautiful Cats Life Press sentiment circle has been mounted on a nestie.
Thanks for looking - will be back soon with another project! Kxx

Warm Winter Wishes

Back again! This is the second card that I have made this weekend just for pleasure, so I am going to enter this for a couple of challenges too! I picked up this Nellie Snellen image weeks ago from The Paperlane, and this is the first time that I have been able to ink her up. I just love this image, her outfit is very cute! I am going to enter this card in Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes with the option of something punched. I have punched the snowflake border and used the waste snowflakes as embellishments. I am also going to enter this card into the Secret Crafter Challenge - Anything Goes as long as it Sparkles!

The Nellie Snellen image has been coloured with Copic markers, and highlighted here and there with Hero Arts Prisma glitter. The papers are Authentique - Journey. These are not Christmas / winter papers per se, but I thought the colours were so perfect for this image. The image is mounted on a Nestie die, and the snowflake border is punched with a Martha Stewart punch from a few years ago, however, the small snowflakes that the punch makes as waste are such cute embellishments! They are near the seam binding bow, covered in star dust stickles! The lovely sentiment is a Whimsy Stamp letter seal, and there are dots of stickles, smooch pearl and Viva Decor pearl pen dotted liberally about!

Thanks for visiting! Kx

It's Your Day!

Hello All! Thanks for coming to visit. I have been lucky enough to have some time this weekend to play, so I have been able to enter a couple of challenges with some cards that I have made just for fun, rather than for a purpose! I don't get enough time to do this to be honest, and it really annoys me! Lol! I'm going to have to try and do something about that. Avoid housework looks like the best option! I am going to enter this card into the Deep Ocean Challenge Blog - Happy Birthday. I am a little last minute in entering but hey ho! I am also going to enter this card into the Sentimental Sunday - Anything Goes Challenge

This card is made with the gorgeous MME Stella & Rose 'Hazel' 6x6 papers. I love this Magnolia Tilda. Think it is her little boots and balloon. She has been coloured with Copic Markers. The embellishments are seam binding ribbon, a single pearly button with linen thread and some rhinestones to underline the Papertrey Ink sentiment. I love the size of the sentiment, it really is bold! Her boots have a touch of glossy accents, and the sentiment plate has been embellished with Viva Decor Pearl Pen. The ovals were cut using Nestabilities, and the Frilly Square behind are by Go Kreate.

So there you have it! Thanks for visiting! Kx

TPLC03 - Anything But A Card!

Hello Everyone! Welcome to the third TPLC Challenge - Anything But A Card! Thanks for visiting if you have hopped over from The Paperlane Challenge blog, and welcome if you haven't!! Lol!

This challenge was set by DT Klare! I found this challenge a real challenge - I had so many birthday cards to make! Lol! Anyhow, I made a gift tag for a wine bottle, as I needed to say 'Thank You' to my next door neighbour!

I have coloured Molly with copics - this lovely image is from the Summer 2011 collection. The doily and the mat for the sentiment have been made using Nellie Snellen dies. The papers are the completely gorgeous My Minds Eye Stella & Rose - Hattie Collection. These papers are so wonderful - I think I am on my third 6x6 pad!! Lol! I just love the colours!

The detail around the doily has been made with the Hydrangea flower punch from Martha Stewart, with the centre made using the Viva Decor Cream pens.  Hope you like it! Really simple to make - but just says 'Thanks' in a more personal way!

I have got to apologise - I have lost my bit of paper with all my Copic numbers on - if I find it, I'll update the post!

Hope you come and join in - look forward to visiting you!

Kx

TPLC02 - Shades of Sunshine

Hello Everyone! Back so soon! Here is my card for The Paperlane Challenge - TPLC02 Shades of Sunshine. I have got to confess to absolute panic when I got this brief! Lol! I just don't 'do' yellow - which my brain said was the colours I needed!

So, after raking through the DP that sits beside my desk, I found the delicious Echo Park Springtime papers that just work so well with, you guessed it.....Bazzill Kraft cardstock!! Lol! (If anyone wonders why they can't get hold of any of this is because I have got it all!! Love it!!!) Seriously though, Caz stocks this wonderful stuff at The Paperlane.

I have opted to not use a character stamp today, which is unusual for me! I have chosen the lovely flowers from the Summer Fun collection. They are really cute, and look lovely coloured. The layout is really simple as I wanted the colour to be the standout thing on the card, rather that the layout and embellishments.

Here is a close up of the detail of the stamps. The flowers have been stamped and coloured the twice so that they would stand out. The image has been coloured with Copic markers, and the frames are all Nesties! Like I asked in this post yesterday, would you like to see the Copics that have been used for each image? If you think it would be useful, please let me know in the comments....I'm not sure if there might be enough 'out there' if you know what I mean!

The lace effects down the side are both Martha Stewart border punches, which I picked up at The Paperlane. They are really delicate and break up space nicely, with small touches of Viva Decor Pearl Pen, and pearls hand coloured with Copics to match the DP. The sentiment is from Hero Arts, one of a 'go to' set that I have had for a while!

Hope you like what you see! Look forward to seeing all of your entries!

Back Soon! Kx

Happy Easter! Part Two!

Ah! A bus-like blog post from me today! (None in ages, then 2 in quick succession!! Lol!) Here is a second card that I made this Easter. This has some Forever Friends images on - I don't normally go for these kinds of images, but there was something about those ears that were totally irresistible!!

There are touches of Pearl Pen around the layout, and the border punch used was an older Martha Stewart punch that I came across in my drawer. The sentiment is a Lili of the Valley stamp - I just love circle sentiments! The papers are again Echo Park - Springtime - I can't get enough of these. They are really lovely. The whole image has again been spritzed with Perfect Pearls, to give the whole card  a subtle shimmer. Sadly the light does not show this up! The flowers are a mix of the Hobby House (Cherry Blossoms) and Magnolia (Vintage Tulips). Just love the pretty colours!

I would like to enter this card for a couple of challenges. These are:

My Time to Craft: Challenge - Easter Wishes - The card is 'Happy Easter'

Fussy and Fancy Friday: Challenge - Springtime - The card is Easter themed using 'Springtime' papers

Thanks so much for stopping by and looking! Please leave a comment - makes my day if you do! Kx

Guilt Post No 1!

Hello All! This is a post that is totally inspired by guilt!! I cannot believe that it has been so long since I have posted on my blog! I'm glad that my blog is not an actual person, as I think I would be off it's Christmas card list by now! Lol! Still, the mojo has returned from it's round the world trip,  complete with a suntan - so I am glad to say that normal service should be resumed!

This card I have made for the The PaperLane. This stamp is from a Panduro Tilda set called Seaside. This set is quite different for me - colouring her in was fun - she is on Panduro Seaside papers too. I love her bag with her thermos and towel! Really quite sweet. I have coloured her with Copics.

The frame was from the Panduro set, with a Hero Arts sentiment inside. The frame has been edged with a little bit of sparkly pen, just to make it pop! You can see the shimmer on her dress - the whole card was spritzed with a shimmer spray to make it sparkle - can't help myself adding lots of sparkle! The button is from the En Provence buttons at The PL - if you look below you can see the sparkle and colours that run through the button too.

The little flowers are punched with a Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch, with a small dot of Viva Decor cream pen for the centres.

Right! Off to make a cuppa and then play with the goodies I have picked up today! Thanks for looking!

Kx

Hello out there! It's been a while......

I have no excuse....I was trying to come up with something that was witty....fingers cut off in a freak die cutting incident.....santa delivering me so much stash that it has taken me so long to break free (God, wish that had been true! Lol!); that kind of thing! But I can't. So, I will admit that the mojo went off on holiday, taking with it as a travelling companion my will to resist any form of chocolate. I was even tempted at one point by a minty Aero bar - and I can't stand minty chocolate (and fruity creamy ones too - if anyone is interested!!) Lol!

So, with a pair of larger jeans and a new pair of scissors (the will to craft shop remained ever present!!) I made this card for my friend's 40th birthday - I know it does not say 40th on it! But it was for that special day.

These are NitWit papers that I bought from The PaperLane, a pretty new Magnolia and a Whimsy Sentiment. I quite like the way it all looks together - especially with a spritz of pearl mist to make everything sparkle. The balloon was coloured with Copics (no change there then!!) and then painted with Tattered Angels Glam - it is so sparkly in real life! This was topped off with the Zva Creative crystal flourishes just to top off the sparkles!

I'm entering this card for the special monthly challenge at Just Magnolia as it is 'Anything Goes' with ribbons! Quite proud of myself - have managed to blog and enter a challenge on the same day! Wonders will never cease! Lol!

Thanks so much for visiting! Kx

Papertake Weekly - Sketch 51

Hello! Well, as the festive season is creeping up on me, I thought it was time I got myself sorted and made a few cards for Christmas.

Here is one I made today, using the sketch from Papertake Weekly Challenge - Sketch 51. I really liked working with this sketch. The image is a Stampavie stamp, with a Paula Pascual sentiment. The gorgeous coloured papers are Bo Bunny Winter Joy - these came so close to being papers that I bought just to stroke as I love the colours in these papers so much!

Die cutting has been done with Nellie Snellen dies, and colouring using my trusty Copics! The oval behind the image has been airbrushed to blend in with the main image. The shimmer on the main image has been applied using Tattered Angels 'Glam' which is great to apply to an image like this. A liberal dose of Viva Glitter Liner, and in the words of Gordon Ramsay....Done!

Piles of Presents!

Hello again! Here is the second card this week for the PaperLane - I loved using this stamp. It is part of the new Molly Blooms designs for Christmas. This is 'Pile of Presents'. It has been coloured with Copics, and teamed up with the lovely Dovecraft 'Let it Snow' papers. The ribbons were white - I have coloured them with Copics to match the image. There are liberal doses of Pearl and Gloss Pens by Viva for good measure!! The sentiment is a Craftwork Cards die cut, which has been mounted on the matching papers and cardstock.

The image has been highlighted with Prisma Glitter and Viva Gloss Pens. The papers are glittery too, so that they look really festive!

I loved playing with this image - can't wait for the 23rd October - I will be doing a workshop with Clare of Molly Blooms at the PaperLane. It will be great to be able to play and chat all day long.......and be able to shop downstairs too!!

Thanks for visiting!

Kxx

Time Flies - Been Having Fun!!

Hello All! Including my lovely cyber stalker who emailed me to say I hadn't updated!! Lol! Hope this is ok! Well - apologies for the delay in posting! Have been out and about having fun! Bev and I have recently been on a couple of wanders - which happened to take in the Great Northern Papercrafts Extravaganza,  Sir Stampalot and the hugely extended Stamp Attic - so wanted to make one of the rooms my own!! We had a great time - here is a pic of the lovely hotel gardens that were near our room on the SS and SA trip. If it hadn't have been threatening rain I would have quite happily sat and read for a while!

Which brings me to my second reason for not posting!! Have managed to do a Twlight Marathon, completing all four books in five days! That was totally Bev's fault - she gave me them to read and POW!! Bit addicted (TEAM JACOB!!)!! So my glitter and stamps were put away for a little while.

Finally! Here is the card. This has been created for The PaperLane. I love this Tilda - I have seen her done in really bright colours, and thought that it would be worth trying some lovely muted colours - almost monochrome. She has been coloured with Copics, and the papers are DCWV - La Creme Stack. The lovely flowery paper that is visible is  flocked, so there is a lovely bit of texture. The pearl swirl has been done with my trusty Viva Decor Pearl Pens! The sentiment is Hero Arts.

She is safely in the hands of Caz and Sarah in the shop now - so thought I would post her here. Will be back soon with more!

Thanks so much for visiting! Have a great day!

Kxx

Thanks for your Hospitality - for The Stamp Attic

Hello All!

Here is a third card which I made with my recent DT bundle from The Stamp Attic. This uses just Hero Arts stamps - the flower image is a background cling stamp that has been coloured with Distress Inks - I have watercoloured them again using the ink refills rather than the pads. There are delicate spots of the Viva Decor Glitter, and the Pearl Pen down the sides.

I have used a Woodware punch for the scallop edging around the sentiment, which is also a Hero Arts stamp - this time from their clear collection.

Papers: So Sophie Papers

Cardstock: Bazzill Cardstock
Stamps: Hero CL389 Mi Casa, CG123 Flower Wallpaper
Colouring: Distress Inks, Versafine Onyx Black
Cutting: Woodware Scallop Circle Punch
Embellishments: Viva Decor Pearl Pen – Cream, Viva Décor Glitter Liner

Well, only one more to go of the current bundle - will be posting later this weekend! Hope it is sunny where you are!

Kx

Friends Forever - for The Stamp Attic

Hello Again! Here is the second card in the series that I have recently made from my DT package from The Stamp Attic. I have used the So Sophie Papers, Crescendoh Alice Stamps and Hero Arts sentiment. Again, the image has been coloured with Distress Ink refills, using watercolouring. The Distress Inks worked so well with these papers. I was so pleased with the way that these turned out!  

Papers: So Sophie Papers

Cardstock: Bazzill Cardstock
Stamps: Cresendoh Alice in Wonderland, Hero Arts CL272 All Occasion Messages
Colouring: Distress Inks, Versafine Onyx Black
Embellishments: Bazzill Jewel templates, Viva Decor Holo Iridescent Glitter Liner, Organza Ribbon

Unfortunately, due to the poor photograph, you cannot see all the glitter detail. This was done with a Viva Decor Glitter Liner, making pencil markings using a Bazzill Jewel Template as a guideline. The card sparkles so much in real life! I'm so going to have to go and get a light tent!

I had fun with this really simple layout - I thought that the straight lines of pieces would complement the lovely roundness of Tweedledum and Tweedledee!

Thanks so much for looking!

Kxx

Poinsettias & Tilda

Ah! Back to Christmas! This is a card from my latest splurge in the Craft Hovel! Silly Billy still has traces of glitter all over him...he has turned into a bit of a disco dog! Sparkles lovely first thing in the morning on his morning bounce!!

I picked up this Tilda last week from The PaperLane, my local 'money DOES buy happiness' shop! I love the poinsettia arrangement that she is holding, and it worked so well with some KaiserCraft Belle Papers, and some Marianne D Poinsettia dies. The sentiment is from a seasonal Hero Arts set from last year.

She has been coloured with Copics, but because the papers were lovely muted colours, when I finished colouring I swept Antique Linen distress ink all over her. This has given the colours a really rich quality to match the papers. The details on Tilda have been picked out with glossy accents, and pearl pen touches around the arrangement - not as much Pearl Pen as I normally use - but I'm sure there will be a card along soon that has more  than enough on it! Lol!

Thanks so much for looking! 

Kxx 

Bring On The Cake!! (For the Stamp Attic)

I promised that I would post something other than Christmas - here is a DT card I made for The Stamp Attic. Wendy kindly sent me some more So Sophie papers by My Minds Eye, and some of the latest stamps that had arrived in the shop - these are Alice in Wonderland stamps by Crescendoh. I combined them with sentiments from Hero Arts, which seemed to match really nicely!

These images are just lovely, and I have coloured the images with Distress Inks - I have watercoloured these on hot press watercolour paper, which meant that I can use the refill inks with a watercolour brush and fill the image. I love the really cute stamps at the sides - these were coloured, sparkled and given a liberal coating of glossy accents!
Not to mention a more than liberal coating of Viva Pearl Pen too - of course! The scallop on the side is made with a Hero Arts scallop border, and the detail picked out with the pearl pen too! I really love the muted tones of these papers. They match the distress ink colours so well.

Papers: So Sophie Papers
Cardstock: Bazzill Cardstock
Stamps: Cresendoh Alice in Wonderland, Hero Arts CL371 Essential Messages, Hero Arts CL288 Scallop Borders
Colouring: Distress Inks, Versafine Onyx Black
Embellishments: Organza Ribbon, Viva Decor Pearl Pen Cream, Bazzill Jewel Templates, Glossy Accents, Hero Prisma Glitter

Thanks so much for looking!

Kxx

Ho! Ho! Ho! (Sorry!)

Hello again! Well, I've finished the Christmas fest at my house this weekend!  Have managed to cover myself in glitter (Stickles bottle explosion - wasn't pretty. Silly Billy dog caught in the crossfire - has had strange looks from the local Labradors!!) Lol!

Well, here is a card I started to make for the PaperPlay challenge - but on the sketch there needs to be a definate slot to the left of the central shape - mine is there - my ribbon goes through it....just that I then decided to cover it up with flowers - so I don't think it meets the criteria. Anyhow, I really enjoyed my playtime!

The papers are by Bo Bunny - these were last years, but needless to say they have not been cut into until this year! I am terrible like that - is it that I don't buy it too soon, or I do things to early? Anyhow - looks nice with the cute Magnolia image again. I will be posting some cards made with images other than Magnolia later in the week! Honest!
She has been coloured with the Stampin Up! refills on hot press watercolour paper, and the stamp is a Hero Arts one from last year!
Mmmm. Thinking about it, perhaps I'm not behind with using what I have - perhaps I just prefer to work with 'vintage' items! Lol!
Thanks SO much for visiting!
Kxxx

Create for Fun Challenge - Week 45

Hello! Back again, just proof that I am continuing with the Christmas theme!

Here is a card I have made for the 'Create for Fun' Challenge this week. There was a fabulous sketch, and it meant that I could reach for some papers that I hardly used last year, so my bank manager would really approve!! Lol!

Again I have reached for my trusted Magnolias - I will post some other stamps on here soon, I promise! The image has been coloured using Stampin Up! refills, using hot press watercolour paper, which is really smooth and lovely to work on. The papers are Dovecraft Christmas Stack (2009).

Yet again I have had a bit of a moment with the Viva Decor pens - this time both the light blue pearl and the glitter liner. I just can't get enough! Bit like me and chocolate really! Lol!

I got to use my lovely Marianne D Snowflakes and new EK Success Swirl Punch on this card. I just love the details on both of these. They are really lovely. I can't remember where I got the charm from, but I thought it would work well with the rest of the snowflakes. The sentiment is a die cut from Craftwork Cards.

Looking at the quality of the photo I have decided I either need to get a light tent. or move to the South of France. I think at present the light tent will be the better option! I'm afraid we are running out of lovely sunny days by the looks!

Well, on that positive note - thanks for looking!

Kx