Put a Smile on Your Face

Good morning all.

Today sees the start of a brand new challenge over at Fantasy Stampers.

This time our theme is -

PEACHES and CREAM

Here is my card.

This is my second card as the first got as far as the final mounting on a base card when the ink on the sentiment smudged! When I looked at the front I couls have cried but then looked again and thought, well is there enough stamping on that anyway! So I went with an earlier idea, using this fab stamp from Indigo Blue, Colour Me - Daisy.

I first stamped the image in Memento Canteloupe onto cream linen card and washed the wet ink with water to blend, then overstamped with Tangelo. When dry I cut it out with a stitched square die and added peach Pearly Doodles to the flower center. On a separate square I inked around the edge with Dried Marigold DI and mounted the flower panel on pads the onto a cream card base. The greeting from STAMPlorations was then stamped in Tangelo.

For more inspiration please check out the rest of the DT for some fab inspiration.

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Recipe  - Use something tactile - the Pearly Doodles

Congratulations Tom and BeckyJo

Morning.

Just stopping by to post a card I made for my son to give to a friend of his who has just bought a house with his girlfriend. Tom has been living across the road for more years than I care to think of, his mum used to child mind my son way back and their house is really a second home! Her son's and mine are the best of friends and even go on holiday together.

Anyway, Tom and BeckyJo have finally decided to fly the nest and set up on their own and here is the card I made to celebrate and welcome them to their new home together.

I used some of Shirley's stamps from STAMPlorations for the houses and the layout is the sketch at The Paper Players.

I stamped 3 of the tall houses in black Memento then coloured just the one with Copics. I was wondering what to do with the vertical strip on the sketch when I thought about stamping it with some of the rest of the set, this time in a pale grey.

I added a doodled circle die in white behind the the tall houses and some banners stamped with the greetings. The finished panel was then glued flat onto a Kraft base card.

I'm joining in over at -

      

        My Copics are my go to 

          for crisp colouring

          

George is 60?

Morning all.

Don't you just hate it when you know someone's birthday is coming up and you think it is a big one but it isn't and you find out after you sent the card? Well I think a friend is and I can't check 'cos I left my address book at my son's! Anyway I made a card for him but will not send it until  I'm sure of my dates! I did it once before with my SIL, never lived it down!

Anyroad, here is my card made for this weeks new challenge at Cardz4Guyz.

SHAKER CARDS

I based my layout on this week's Sketch Saturday, the colours are from the Male Room.

I embossed a white piece of linen card with a Cuttlebug EF and used up a scrap of DP from my dwindling stock of LOTV papers, all mounted on a bright blue panel.

To make the shaker element I used a previously die cut oval and cut a smaller one from it, then coloured the outside that was left with a Copic and cut 60 from the center of the smaller one using MFT's larger numbers.

I cut a scalloped oval and used that as the back so that the red sequins and beads would show up. I was going to use a red background but didn't have enough white beads to show up! The top oval was stamped with UNIKO's Classic Numbers greetings before gluing an oval of acetate behind the opening and sticking the cut away parts of the 60 back in place. Using some foam tape and some red sequins and beads, I completed the element.

OK, enough from me, please check out the rest of the DT for more fab inspiration.

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I chose green                                                   

STAMPlorations, a reminder

Good afternoon folks.
The month of July is speeding by so I must remind you all that the July challenge at STAMPlorations is still ongoing. Here is a little reminder card from me.

I've used the theme this time but I suppose it fits the sketch as well now I look at it!

I made this card using stamps from Balloons and Banners, Party Time and Noteworthy to create the gold embossed sentiment and added stars. I stamped in Versamark over a galaxy background made by blending DIs on a die cut panel then spritzing with water to bleach out some 'stars'. I'd made a similar background awhile back and my daughter thought it could stand alone without any additions, so there you are Nich what do you think?
I made the panel lie flat as this card was winging its way over the pond for my bloggy friend Becca's (Damsel of Distress) birthday. She's hosting a birthday bash to celebrate becoming, hush say it quietly, 30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


OK, that's all from me but please check out the rest of our fantastic DT, all the usual Ts and Cs are there as well on the blog.

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Can't do with out my DIs, so versatile

Water Coloured Altenew Painted Flowers

Morning all.
Just popping by to announce the start of a brand new challenge over at Cardz4Galz.
This week our theme is -

NO PATTERNED PAPER

Here is my card.

My card was influenced by a couple of challenges, over at MUSE, Paper Players and Can You CASe it?. The layout is based on the fab MUSE card by Jenni Murray but the colours are from Can You CASe It?.

The stamped flowers are by Altenew, these Painted Flowers are certainly my go to choice of flowers at the moment, so versatile. Although a three stage stamp, this time I stamped the outline in Versafine Onyx Black then water coloured the blooms with Picked Raspberry and Salty Ocean DI leaving the leaves white, then fussy cut them. The frame is a die by Memory Box, Large Circle Burst and the sentiment from LOTV.

I cut the top layer from some pale grey card in my stash  and slipped a scrap of midnight blue card underneath to show through the die cut and stamped the sentiment on a scrap circle from my bits box. I shaped the flowers before adding then to the bottom right of the frame, job done.

Please check out the rest of the team here and why not join in?

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Musing for ATSM

Good evening all.
Just sharing a card to announce the start of a new challenge at ATSM.
Here is my inspiration card for you.

Holiday doesn't necessarily mean Christmas but I am ploughing ahead with my Christmas makes this year!

My inspiration was the MUSE over at Christmas Visions by Chriss Blagrave.

I was pretty close with my interpretation but substituted gold Inka Wax splatter and embossed greeting for the black of the MUSE, as well as mirroring the layout. This poinsettia stamp is from Penny Black and is one of my faves, the sentiment from HLS and all on linen cardstock. I stamped the blooms with Black Soot DI then water coloured the bracts with a mixture of Festive Berries, Candied Apple and Weathered Wood DI. The tiny yellow flowers were in Mustard Seed DI and a little bit of Glossy Accents gave added dimension.

This week we are sponsored by

Founded in June 2013, California-based STAMPlorations™ is owned and managed by husband-and-wife team, David & Shery Russ. From just a handful of stamps, we now have 100+ stamp designs, 4 stamp designers, our exclusive line of stencils, and 20 amazing crafters spread across 3 teams who constantly produce gorgeous projects featuring our products. Our clear stamps are perfect for creating CAS, one layer, and mixed media cards, and they can be combined to create a variety of paper crafts. All of our stamps are proudly made in the USA. Our clear stamps are made from the finest, non-yellowing photopolymer resin. Through our stamp line, we hope to encourage crafters of all ages and

experience levels to "Stamp with all your ART!" 

Prize: 2 digital images

So for more holiday inspiratio please check out the rest of the DT (here)

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Christmas in July

Cardz4Guyz

Back again on this sunny Tuesday morning, this time with my Cardz4Guyz hat on.
This week we would like to see projects for the men in your life on the theme of -

MAKE US SMILE

I struggled with this one to begin with, then remembered this set from Create a Smile I won last year, called Create a Smile- Big Time.

Love that cute monster with his goofy grin. 

A pretty straight forward make in the end, love the purple / green colourway, scraps from the box and a few die cut circles and mounts along with the Copic coloured monster!

Please check out the rest of the team here and join in.

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Add a Frame                                  L for lots of layers

Gold painted flowers

Morning all.
Two weeks of summer has flown by so it means the start of a new challenge over at Cards und More.
This time we would like to see your projects on the theme of -

EMBOSSING

It can be dry or heat embossing, its up to you!
Here is my interpretation using gold embossing powder and Altenew's 'Painted Flowers'.

I repeat stamped one of the blooms from the set and then heat embossed them with gold embossing powder. I was originally going to add some colour to the blooms but liked the look of the white and gold. I cut the white panels with an Avery Elle stitched border die and on a small scrap strip, I embossed a gold strip using a Versamark pen and the same gold EP. The sentiment is from a magazine free stamp, also in gold EP. Simples.

For more inspiration please check out the rest of the girls over at the Cards und More challenge.

This week we are sponsored by our very own Elisa.

Why not join in we'd love to see your embossed projects.

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Repetition                                    
                 
    

Art for Art's Sake

Morning all. 

The sun has burnt off most of this mornings mist and the temperature has rocketed.

So it means curtains and blinds closed to keep the heat out, we British are never satisfied!

Anyway, while I was taking refuge from yesterday's heat I had time for a little play in the craft room.

My friend Cornelia sparked an idea with her card for HLS dies at the beginning of the month, then last night I saw my friend Loll's card and she also reminded me of the photo at Inkspiration.

So here is the result.

I'd seen a painting of a city skyline using a loose water colour technique. When I saw Cornelia's card, it reminded me of it and then with Loll's it firmed up my idea.

From a couple of Post its I cut a skyline stencil using my MFT die then attached it with the sticky strip to a piece of  white card, masking the top of the card with some more.

I then washed some plain water in the gaps of my stencil then sprinkled some turquoise Brusho onto the panel, followed by a spray of a mixture of water and Prussian Blue Brusho. Standing it on it's side I let the water dribble down before removing the Post it stencil and letting it dry. 

The sentiments are from Woodware and STAMPlorations.

Thanks for the inspiration Loll and Cornelia!

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Friends Make the Holiday Special

Morning all.

It's time for a new challenge over at Fantasy Stampers.

CLEAN and SIMPLE

 Although the design of a CAS card needs some thing about the end result always pleases me. This is my favourite style, no frills to distract, just the design and finish to shout out.

Here is my card for your inspiration.

The design of this card was based on the MUSE card by Tracy McNeely -

Love those cute characters, but as I still had my Christmas stamps out and saw this NEBUS set from MFT 'Toasty Greetings' with the cute penguins and the snowmen, so thought I would use them.

I made it a OLC as the challenge at One Layer Simplicity is Christmas in July and great for posting!

To start I stamped the characters and fire on a white base, coloured it with Copics, then embossed a stitched frame with a MFT Blueprints set die. The greeting was then added in black and a little Stickles 'Sprinked Sugar' was added to the flames.

Please check out the rest of the DT over at the main blog, then why not get your stamps out and join in, so long as its CAS!

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Your trademark style

GD at Tag you're it!

After last week's busy blogging week, I've been pretty quiet. This was mainly due to my SIL visiting with her husband but I did manage to grab a little crafty time to make this card for the reminder post at Tag You're It!

I was honored to be asked by Tracy to GD for their latest challenge based on this fab tag from Donna Mikasa.

This week I decided to make a CAS card with the CASEd tag, using the following elements, white heat embossed flower, b/w strip, w/c background, black sentiment. The flower is from a Woodware set, 'Doodled Flowers', the foliage from a Uniko set. The colors are from ColourQ and the layout Freshly Made Sketches. The tag is a Poppy Stamps 'Stitched Main Street Tag' and the EF used for the background is Darice, I think. 

It had to be a quick and simple make as we were going to look around The Secret Bunker, a redundant WW2/ Cold War command post. Quite creepy, being deep underground in a concrete bunker with all the old communication equipment and 1960 nuclear warning posters. As a child I don't recollect all the prepare for a hit pamphlets and posters, I suppose I shut it out. It was refurbished in the 70's so my hubby was familiar with all the electronic equipment and we kept loosing him in the display rooms as he relived his Uni days!

OK, that's it from me, but please check out the rest of the DT over at Tag for more fab inspiration.

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