Cherry Blossom

Good morning all. It's time for a brand new challenge over at ATSM.

This week its

CAS (Clean and Simple)

Here is my inspiration card for you. Please accept my apologies for the photo as when I took it, it was too sunny and the silver elements were either too shiny or too indistinct, this was the best one I got.

Here is a quick reminder of what a CAS card should include.

My inspiration for this card are the forthcoming nuptials of one my son's oldest friends. He started playgroup with him and he went on his stag do at the weekend, 32 years later!

When I saw the photo inspiration at the Card Concept I knew it had to be cherry blossom for a spring wedding.These are made using assorted elements from Altenew's Vintage Flowers that were still on my desk after an earlier card and  I did think of a blue background but my white ink wasn't playing so the stamping looked washed out! Also AAA's theme is Perfect Day and what's a more perfect day than cherry blossom on a sunny wedding day?

After inking the branch with Espresso Truffle Memento ink, I rubbed some of it off with a baby wipe to create some texture before stamping on a white card panel. The blossom was stamped in Angel Pink and Rose Bud, 1st and 2nd generation!

The sentiment comprises my fave Congrats die cut in silver and a sentiment strip made up of a silver peel off greeting. The ladies at Less is More want us to bring something back, I have absolutely bucket loads of  peel-offs which were in the pile to be scraped but I rescued some for this card. Now come on admit you have some of those once staple items in your stash at the back of the cupboard. 

A few sequins complete.

So what will you be inspired by, check out the rest of the fab team's inspiration here then join in.

Joining in over at:-

Bringing peel-offs back!

       

Spring wedding and cherry blossom

Happy Birthday to a Book Lover

Morning all.

Over at Cardz4Guyz we have a brand new challenge for you, celebrating -

WORLD BOOK DAY

We in the UK had this a while ago but the rest of the world appear to celebrate it tomorrow!

Anyway whatever the day we should all celebrate books and reading so here is my card for your inspiration.

This little chap was printed out then the frame was cut around him using a rectangle die, his feet remain on the outside of the frame. I coloured him using Copics and finished cutting him out. 

The background was stamped with a Happy Birthday background stamp from Hero Arts, I think, the stamp is very old and the packet long since disappeared. Because the background panel suggests birthday I didn't feel the need to add another birthday sentiment.

For more book themed inspiration check out the rest of the DT here.

Joining in over at:-

Use die cuts

Fave colouring medium

It has to be Copics, just love the control you get with them and they blend fabulously and the colours are so clean looking. I just get lost in the process and time just slips by!

Altenew's April inspiration

Afternoon folks.

Just popping by to share a card I started a couple of days ago but just got around to finishing this aft.

These gorgeous roses have sat in my stash for over a year and this is the first time they've really been used. They come from Altenew's Vintage Flowers set. Last week I saw a video by Jennifer McGuire on what she calls 'Spotlight Stamp Layering'. I was intrigued enough to have a play but although she makes it look so easy, it took quite a few attempts to get a result I was happy with. The first was more like her examples but I didn't like the effect I got, so tried again, a couple of inky bloopers and finally I ended up with this, I do love a OLC, so good for posting. 

I started by cutting my tag base card by using a CC tag card die, another purchase not so used until now, and then thought long and hard about the position of my sentiment and focal bloom after all the mishaps!

The sentiment is made up from an Altenew freebie from a mag and part of one from Amazing You, stamped in Memento Grape Jelly. In the video, Jennifer suggests that this is done last but I found it easier to do it first, then stamped the rose base with a deep pinky purple ink, Memento Lilac Posies. The next layers consisted of Sweet Plum and Grape Jelly. My leaves, from the same Vintage Flowers set were stamped in Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves and Northern Pine. For the background blooms I used 2nd generation Lilac Posies and New Sprout Memento.

Although it took awhile to get there, I'm quite pleased with the end result and I'm sure subsequent cards would be so much easier!

I'm linking up over at:-

    

One for the Girls

AG

CASEing Aileen

Hi and welcome to a post to announce the start of a brand new challenge over at ATSM.
This week it is the turn of :-

MAKE YOUR MARK

So no pre coloured images or wholly die cut creations, you must use some form of handmade mark.
Here is my inspiration using a Copic coloured image.

Over at Less is More they are asking us to CASE a card and this was my take on it.

I used my STAMPloration Blooming Buds flowers and masked and stamped them into a bouquet on a die cut panel. I used Copics to colour them before adding the silver die cut greeting (Cuttlebug) and the HLS sentiment, stamped and embossed with white EP on black. The finished panel was then attached to a linen effect base card.

For more inspiration check out the rest of the fab DT here.

I'm joining in over at :-

 


Masking


I love these cosmos style blooms, so easy to colour and they make a great bouquet with the different shaped flowers. Cosmos are my go to flower to fill up my borders in the summer. Love their dancing heads and soft feathery foliage.

Vintage car trio

Morning all.
They say that one swallow does not a summer make but what about 2? Sunday afternoon I spied a bird flying over the house roof as I came back with the dog after a walk. Whilst trying to decide what it was we were buzzed by another, this time there was no debate, only the swallows do that around here, then land on the gutter twittering away. So nice to see them after what seems to have been a very long winter!
Any road, its time for a brand new challenge at Cardz4Guyz where our new theme is -

TRAVEL and/or TRANSPORT

Here is my card using a LOTV stamp triple.

I used the layout from over at CAS(E) this sketch and a scrap from an old road atlas. The stamps were coloured with Copics before being fussy cut and added to the card. The sentiment from HLS completes this quick CAS card.

For more fab inspiration check out the rest of the DT here, then why not prove to yourself that making cards for the men in your life isn't that hard at all.

I'm joining in over at:-

Rubber band stamping

Morning all.

Another Wednesday and another craft class missed. I normally travel with the OH and dog to my son's before heading off to class with my friend but as the decorators are still working on his hall, I couldn't go. Dogs and wet paint would add up to disaster!

Anyway that means I have had a few hours to play on my own and after reading of the latest challenge at CAS Mix up, I was intrigued. Rubber band stamping is the focus this month, not something I'd ever done, except perhaps with the kids. Anyway after watching a few videos I managed to make a panel. I then wanted to incorporate it into a card so using the colours from CAS Colours and sketches, this is what I finished up with. Thanks for the inspiration Loll.

On a panel of white card I drew around my double pierced square die to locate the area to be stamped and added some of the blooms from Altenew's Painted Flowers in a neutral brown before adding colour with Memento inks. I don't have any SU colours so this is the nearest I could get to the challenge colours. 

My rubberband panel was made by putting elastic bands around a spray bottle then inking them with matching green ink and rolling the bottle repeatedly across the paper. Tone on tone gives a really subtle effect that I liked. I wanted to use a brayer but didn't have one so the bottle was a bit of improvisation!. I could also have just used an acrylic block, but I liked the idea of continuous lines. I also only had a few laccy bands!

When the stamping was complete I fussy cut the edge of the blooms and slipped the die in place, keeping the die under the flowers so that they weren't cut. A simple greeting from Uniko complete.

Joining in over at:-

My choice is die cut

You are the best, thanks

Hi, it's time for a brand new challenge over at HLS CAS and here is my card, can you guess our theme for this month?

No, well this month our theme is

To begin with this theme stumped me but then after a rummage through my stash and one failed attempt, I ended up with this. I didn't have any stamps but did have a cover plate chevrons die and a couple of larger strip chevron dies, but eventually went with a homemade chevron. 

On a panel of card I stamped my MFT background flower stamp and embossed with white EP, then using a square die, cut these chevrons and inked them with DI, in Shaded Lilac, Squeezed Lemonade, Salty Ocean and Peacock Feathers. The ink brings out the white EP in an embossed resist effect. The strips were then popped up on pads on a plain white base card and a sentiment strip, Altenew's Extra Special and a die cut thanks from Create a Smile were added. The die cut comprises of a silver outline die cut and a solid background one cut from a scrap of vellum. I used a scrap of fun foam to cut the 's' of the solid die to pop under the thanks to keep it level with the chevrons as I decided to let it hang over the edge.

For more fab CAS inspiration check out the rest of the team here.

Joining in over at:-

 

Say it Big @ STAMPlorations

Hi, welcome to a post to announce the release of a brand new set of stamps from STAMPlorations.

Shery has added to her range of Say it Big sentiment stamps and I'm showcasing a couple today.

My first shows the fab 'Imagine the Possibilities' stamp combined with one of the stamps from Life in Full Colour.

On a piece of watercolour paper I stamped then embossed the row of paint brushes, then added runs of DI mixed with water to create a rainbow effect. I simply added water to make a drip to each of the brush tips then added diluted DI. I tipped the panel vertically so that the ink would run down following the track of the water, I found it easier to do one colour at a time. I wasn't bothered whether the colours ran into one another or not, I quite liked the randomness of the results. 

The sentiment was stamped in black then embossed with a clear EP. The brushes were coloured with Copics, the panel trimmed and attached it to a plain off white base card.

My second card has a totally different look with a bit of no line watercolouring. 

This time I took another panel of  w/c paper and stamped the spray In Bloom Radiant Rose with Tumbled Glass DI. Then using Picked Raspberry DI for the blooms and Mowed Lawn DI for the foliage, I washed in some colour for a no line effect. The white buds had a little touch of Weathered Wood added for shadow. Taking sections one at a time I roughly added clear water around the spray before adding a mixture of Blueprint Sketch and Salty Ocean DIs, allowing the colour to bleed out into the water, mopping excess as I went. When fully dry I stamped the 'You are so Precious' and embossed it with gold EP.

Again our separate monthly challenges are taking a break and combining them all in one month long challenge.

If you want a chance at winning, link up any project you make with the focus on the sentiment to our April Challenge. 

It's the perfect place to show us what you can do with these new stamps as well as the other bold and Typographia stamps. The link up opens up on April 4th and stays open until the end of the month, plenty of time to get your thinking caps on!

 For another chance to win, leave a comment here and on the rest of the designers' blogs for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate.

By the way, all of STAMPlorations stamps and dies, including those in today's post, are 10% off -- no coupon needed...the discount is automatically applied in the shopping cart! You can even snap them up at an extra 20% off if you use any one of the STAMPlorations girls' discount code, which you'll find when you visit their blogs!

I'm joining in over at:-