Purple Christmas Wreath

Good evening folks.

Just having a quiet time after I took my Daughter and Grandson to the station for their journey home.

We baby sat last night while Nich and Joe went to see Bill Bailey in Manchester. It was lovely to have Ben stay over but it's also good to have some quiet time to myself.

First off I have a little trumpet blowing.

A few month's ago I submitted a card to Craft Stamper Magazine and they wanted to publish it. I was over the moon and it's seemed like years since I sent it off to be photographed but it is now out there in print!

I haven't got my copy yet but my friend Monika spotted it and let me know.

In the same December issue there are 5 other cards from fellow teamies at STAMPlorations. Looks like a bit of a takeover!

Anyway enough trumpet blowing.

Here is a card I made for a few challenges around at the moment.

The wreath is a Woodware stamp that I stamped on the base card before trimming it with buttons and bows, sequins, Stickles and the odd bit of bling. I've made this in various colourways over the years, such a versatile stamp. It also uses some of the buttons my friend Di bought me as a pressie.

I'd like to join in over at:-

Christmas with the optional twist of "use pink and/or purple"

Christmas

Thanks for popping by. :)

Kingfisher inspired

Good morning peeps.

As it's Thursday it's time for another challenge over at Cardz4Galz.

This week our challenge is to create a project with the theme of -

BUTTONS and BOWS

This would seem to need a very girly interpretation, not me at all despite my two pink DT cards of the last two weeks!

Anyway after a bit of a disaster with my first attempt when I had all but finished my DT card I stamped the greeting only to see a little bit of black ink on my white background, arrgh!!!! I had picked a little smudge of it on my little finger! So I was going to try to redo it but in the end I started from scratch and went with this, hope you like it.

As I was browsing yesterday while eating my breakfast I saw the photo challenge over at Creative Inspirations. What a fantastic kingfisher. It reminds me of my Dad who saw one fly past his workshop window in a very industrial part of Sheffield many years ago. A sign to him that the River Don was clean enough again for fish to live in for the kingfisher to catch. Happy days!

Anyway I took inspiration from the colours of the feathers, iridescent green/blue and the orange of his chest and the wood he's perched on. The layout is from the Paper Players this week.

The background was made by stamping SU Hardwood in Frayed Burlap DI and mounted on brown.

The circle was cut from kraft then embossed using a Crafters Companion EF. The flowers were cut using Sizzix thinlets Flower die, then inked with Peacock Feathers, Evergreen Bough and Twisted Citron DI.

Orange buttons were threaded with white linen and tied in bows and stuck as centers on the flowers. A few blue/green buttons were added and a banner cut using a MFT die in brown and a gold stamped and embossed greeting added. The branch of leaves was in my bits box and I inked them with the Frayed Burlap to tone down the green of the original.

OK, that's my interpretation, what will your's be. We'd love it if you joined us. For more inspiration check out the rest of the DT here.

I'd like to join in over at:-

       

Happy Birthday Al

Good morning folks.

Another Tuesday morning, my aren't the days passing quickly, October nearly over!

Anyway it also means a new challenge over at Cardz4Guyz. This week I'm choosing the theme and I want to see your projects that feature -

NUMBERS

So we want to see any project for a male that is to do with numbers, as simple as that!

It could be for a child's birthday, an older gent's birthday, anniversary or even Dec 25th.

Here is my card.

I made this as you can see for my OH's birthday. He's now into the next decade but still likes to play with his toys, hence the blue tractor!

I love this little tractor stamp from Molly Bloom, it appears that Clare Rowland has stopped designing her own stamps, as I've seen nothing new for over a year. :( .

Anyways this little chap on his tractor was stamped masked then coloured with Copics to match the new tractor that has been a godsend as the little grey Fergie is not up to it these days, it's older than the OH.

The 'new' one allows him to move soil and logs around more easily, he even bought a log splitter that goes on the back and works off the hydraulics, so no more log splitting by hand.

The '60' was outlined in pencil using a computer generated outline, on a square base card before cutting away the edges and middles, the raw edges were shaded with Copics to give a 3D effect then some Nitwits DP was stuck to the back to make a little meadow scene. The sentiment is from LOTV and I cut a sun freehand from a scalloped circle diecut before mounting the sentiment.

OK, that's about it for me, check out the rest of the DT's fab inspiration and why not join us this week. I would love to see what you come up with!

I'd like to join in over at:-

Bright or Pastels

I go for brights especially for birthday cards for men, they seem much more appropriate and I prefer them to the grungy male colours!

Anything Goes - option of a sketch (no sketch for me this week)

To a special fiend

Afternoon folks.

I'm a bit at sixes and sevens today as the clock's went back last night and I can't work out what time it really is!

Anyway I'm popping by to post a card for a couple of challenges, having grabbed a little time in the craftroom.

I made this after seeing the challenge at CASology and Less is More. I've had the idea for my CASology entry since I saw the cue word on Wednesday but hadn't had time to play along but then I saw the sketch at LIM and it all came together. I did flip the sketch hope that's OK.

I made the zombie by sticking two googly eyes from my stash on the base card then tearing strips of copy paper to look like bandages then sticking them down, torn edges showing. I curled back the strips around the eyes to let them poke through.

The sentiment was the tricky bit but using a LOTV sentiment I stamped 'To a Special F' then masked off that section plus the r and stamped iend' = Fiend! The Happy Birthday is from the same set. Very quick once it came together.

So I'm linking up to the challenges at :-

   

Thanks for stopping by. :)

Cute Christmas

Morning all, hope I find you well.

As it's Saturday it means a new challenge over at Fantasy Stampers.

This fortnight we would like to see your projects that feature :-

ANIMAL ANTICS

For my card I went with a CAS Christmas card using this cute stamp that has been unused in my stash for about 4 years, it came free with Quick Cards magazine. 

I decided to do some paper piecing on this after I'd coloured the doggies, using scraps of Christmas paper. Once I'd started I kind of regretted that decision as the pieces were so small, teeny tiny if you count the collar on the scottie dog! Any way I carried on and the end result looks OK.

The rest of the image iI used Copics then added some chunky white embossing powder for the snow and the Santa hat. White PVA and a sprinkling of ultra fine glitter completes the snowy ground.

For the frame I used a Sizzix Ornate labels#2 but after cutting away the center I drew around the outside edge then cut out freehand. The red layer was cut freehand again after I'd gone around the die with a dark red Copic on red card using the chisel end.This gave me a line to cut out, I then glued the two frames together and mounted the frame on pads.

OK, now it's your turn. Check out the rest of the DT for more inspiration and join us. Don't forget we need to see some good old traditional stamping on your projects, no digital images are allowed.

I'd like to join in over at:-

     

                                            Travel/Transport                                        

         

                                   Thanks for stopping by. :)               

Pink Again

Good morning, good morning, good morning. I hope I find you well.

It's time for a new challenge over at Cardz4Galz. This week Amy has chosen the theme of -

Clean and Simple

Just down my alley! So without further ado here is my card.

I was inspired by a card made by my lovely friend Loll (Stamping with Loll), you can see it here.

I loved the squiggle in the center of the aperture and tried to work out how she did it, then read she use a cutting programme! So I improvised with a squiggle die cut by Tim Holtz as I don't own a Silhouette, stamped the leaves from SU's Summer Silhouettes in Weathered Wood DI and fussy cut them, the flower was one I had discarded from another project but coloured with Copics in the perfect colour (STAMPlorations Dee's Artsy Impressions Blooming Buds) and a little silver Stickles. 

The paler pink pearly background (sorry it doesn't really show up in the photo) was also inspired by Loll and was made by smooshing Inka Gold platinum wax with Picked Raspberry DI spritzed with water, see Loll's technique here. I made 3 panels using this technique, the first two were used for my DT inspiration last week here.

That's about it for the moment. Check out the rest of the DT's inspiration and why not join in.

I'm joining in over at:-

    

Across the middle colouring/spritzing/die cut

Musing at ATSM

Hi and welcome to a scheduled post to announce the start of a new challenge over at Addicted to Stamps. This week our challenge is to -

MAKE YOUR MARK

So anything that makes a mark, from stitching to paint.

This challenge is so open ended that I needed a focus, as I always have too many ideas. Anyway this week's Muse is my ATSM teamie, Anita ( Neet and Crafty) so I thought I would use her Muse card as inspiration. Here is my card

 and this is her fab card that inspired me.

Isn't it gorgeous? When I saw the polka dot DP I thought about some 12 x 12 I bought recently that would work really well for this challenge. It's a sort of dark bluey grey and sets off the pink flowers to a tee. The flowers were stamped using a set by Stampin Up that my friend Di lent me while she's off on her jollies, called Painted Petals.

I stamped the flowers with DI in two shades of pink spritzed with a fine mist of water, then some leaves in bright green then over stamped in a darker green. I then went in with a water brush and blended the petals of the flowers but kept the leaves as stamped, just adding a few strokes with a green marker to create stems. The over stamping of the leaves gives them a  subtle depth and the detail using the pen just completes the bouquet before fussy cutting. The top panel was cut using a circle die and was laid flat over the DP panel. The sentiment comes with the set and I stamped it in the same DI as the dark flowers but I masked off the you and replaced it with a black die cut.

So come on down and join us. This week we are sponsored by

who are offering a prize to the Top Addict of 7 digis.

For more inspiration check out the rest of the ATSM team.

I'm joining in over at:-

        

colouring, spritzing, die cutting                                                           

Wizard

Good morning all.

Another Tuesday means another new challenge over at Cardz4Guyz.

This week we would like to see your masculine projects on the theme of -

I PUT A SPELL ON YOU

I had just the right image for this, it was a Digi I won last year sometime from Digital Delights, he's called Wizard Bertie.

I didn't want to make another Halloween card so I made a birthday card, using a digitally created sentiment. After printing out the image I used Copics to colour then I followed the sketch at Sketch Saturday using some left over paper from a previous card. A very simple design, that once I had decided on the layout was quite quick to make. The Copics I used were chosen to match the DPs used as it always gives a more harmonious card design.

OK, that's a wrap. For more inspiration please check out the rest of the fab DT and why not join in, we'd love to see your interpretation.

I'm joining in over at:-

        

                                                T for Two (I used 2 DPs)

Clean and Simple or Fussy and Fancy

CAS every time for me!

Thanks for calling around, see you back soon. :)

Dilemma

Afternoon folks.

I've got a bit of a dilemma, which card do I post?

The latest challenge over at Less is More is MASCULINE, right down my alley and I got to work last night but finished it off this morning. 

What's the problem you may ask, well I made two versions and I can't decide which I prefer, so I've decided to post both!

I was hunting through my stash of stamps, when I found a glasses stamp that I thought would work well for a blokes card, then I wondered what to use for a sentiment. 

In the end I went with this computer generated eye chart greeting. I added a little bit extra to the usual sentiment to get the right number of letters to the bottom line! The glasses from a tiny DoCrafts set were stamped in black then embossed in clear because when I tried it at first the black embossing powder I had didn't stick to the Versamark stamped image! I added a couple of googly eyes for a bit of fun but I also liked the unadorned specs as well.

Anyway there it is.

I'd like to join in over at:-

          

Theme - Masculine                                             

                      Thanks for stopping by. :)        

Muse #137

Afternoon peeps.

Just a quick post to share a card I started yesterday but didn't finish until just now as I've been over to see my friend Monika and have some crafty time with like minded people. Those three hours went so fast!

Anyroad, I got back in plenty of time to finish it off and get it photographed, here it is -

This week Michele (I card everyone) Ferguson is getting us to hunt through our stash of design papers and join her at Muse and this is her fab inspiration. I loved the repeated typewriters and then the stamped and cut out one. I went with cups!

So I went a hunting through my stash and thought I'd got an idea that would run but sadly it didn't, so just as I was about to give in I found this piece of DP on the back of a calendar, a freebie from a couple of years ago. I had a couple of ideas to go with the paper but I liked these stacked cups which were also a mag freebie! I stamped them on white card then embossed with gold, added a little shadow with Copics and a gold die cut hello (Avery Elle) completes.

Thanks for pushing me Michele!

Favourite Colour Combo

Afternoon all and welcome. 

This is a post to remind you of the ongoing challenge over at STAMPlorations. This month you can choose either our theme of your favourite colour combo or use the sketch. For this post I went with the theme, using purple and green and just a little bit of sparkle.

A really quick card that in reality took me ages, as I couldn't decide on my layout. There were a lot of coloured and cut out flowers that didn't make it onto the final card! In the end I went pretty CAS, just using a strip of sparkly purple card and some purple Stickles on the stamens.
I used one of the blooms from Dee's Artsy Impressions Blooming Buds and some of the foliage stamps coloured with Copics then fussy cut. The frame was cut using Sizzix Ornate Label #2 dies and mounted up on pads. The sentiment is a Happy Birthday sentiment from Woodware plus a phrase from the Noteworthy set.

OK, now the details of this month's challenge.

• You can now link up to 6 entries.
• You can enter a project based on the theme, the sketch, or both.
• Non-STAMPlorations products on projects are OK

Prizes:

• Winner voted by the design team receives a $15 gift certificate or choice of two (2) standard-size (5x7) ARTplorations stencils if there are STAMPlorations products used; if the winning project doesn't have a STAMPlorations product, winner receives a $10 gift certificate or choice of one (1) standard-size (5x7) ARTplorations stencil.
• Top picks voted by the design team each receive a $5 gift certificate or choice of 2 digis
• 1 winner randomly drawn from entries that have STAMPlorations products (stamps and/or stencils) receives a stamp & stencil pack or $10 gift certificate
• Winner and top picks invited to be guest designers in the December Challenge.

So for more inspiration please check out the rest of the DT's inspiration as well as our wonderful GD Ann Chuang. 

I'm also joining in the fun over at:-

     


Glitter and Shine

Thanks for stopping by. :)

Port Sunlight purchase

Morning all. 

It's a bit grey and dismal out there this morning, winter is definitely on the march!

I'd been looking at the latest OLC over at Less is More all week and just hadn't had the time to play with other commitments this week, that was until yesterday afternoon! However by the time I had finished there wasn't enough light for a decent photo. Mind you it's not much better today! So with apologies for the quality of the photo here is my card.

I decided to have a play with one of my purchases from Port Sunlight, a set by Chocolate Baroque called Autumn Edges. I saw part of a demo while I was there using this portion of the set so decided I would have a go. Instead of using colour dusters that they used, I used my blending tool to add the colour. You get a bolder, brighter colour I think and I don't have any of the duster brushes!

I masked the base with some torn Post its then inked with a selection of DIs after stamping the trees.

The greeting is from Wooodware. Simples.

I'd like to join in over at:-

OLC - Autumn

         

                                                                      Warm Autumn Colours  

Thanks for stopping by.  :)