Flashback Friday

While having a bit of a treacley day, you know not right but not sure what's wrong, but a bit off, I happened across this on my ATSM team mate 'Vicki's' blog. 

Flashback Friday encourages us to look out those long forgotten stamps we all have stashed away in a box that haven't seen the light of day for donkey's years. So in an effort to throw this funny mood off, I went rifling in dark corners and came across a wooden stamp that I probably bought in a bargain bucket many, many years ago. I looked on the side and it said 1999!!!! It looked so clean it could well not have ever been used, just destined to sit in the box of discarded wooden stamps at the back of the cupboard, my never ending NEBUS mountain. I suppose it's the Yorkshire in me that is always on the lookout for a bargain, but it isn't one unless you use it!

Any road up, I decided to create a little something using a couple of challenges and my Brusho w/c inks.

I first stamped the snowflakes and heat embossed in white. Then I sprinkled a few crystals of Brusho onto the panel then spritzed it with a fine spray of water. When it was dry I wiped the ink off the snowflakes and then decided to cut out a halo from the coloured and stamped panel then glued everything flat on to a white basecard. The greeting is SU Sassy Salutations embossed in silver.

I put this photo in to prove the date on the stamp!

'Vicki' included a few of her older cards using her stamp set but my stamp hasn't been used before so there isn't one but I did find one of a couple of snowman cards I made way back, so far back I'm a little ashamed to post it but what the heck!

This was my first foray into photographing cards back in November 2008 so apologies for the quality! I made these in our caravan while Al started to convert the barn.

I shall enter the main card in a few other challenges:-

Merry Monday Christmas Challenge - Photo inspiration use a snowflake

OK, I suppose I ought to get on with tea, Al was going to take me out tonight but don't really feel like getting dolled up so it will be a quiet evening in and an early night.
Thanks for popping around.

Thank You

Morning, here I am back with my second post of the morning.

This time its to announce the new challenge over at Cardz4Guyz. 

As our American friends are preparing for their holidays, this week our theme is -

THANKSGIVING / THANK YOU

So even if you aren't about to celebrate the seasonal holiday then you can also join in.

Here is my DT inspiration.

This is a little bit like the card I made for our CAS challenge a while ago but I used a panel of vertical leaves this time. The background panel was created using Brusho then placed flat on the base card. The top layer was punched using an old leaf punch then stamped with SU woodgrain  and then embossed with clear embossing powder. I know it doesn't show up very well on the photo but it is a very subtle effect even in real life! A SU Sassy Salutations 'Thank You' was stamped in Versamark Vintage Sepia, then it was glued flat on to the Brusho panel. Voila.
Hope you will find the time to join us with your MALE ORIENTED projects this week. For more inspiration check out the rest of the DT over at the main blog.

I shall enter it in the following challenges -

Simply Create Too - Thanksgiving/ thanks

The Male Room - Wood (the woodgrain on the top panel)

Thanks for popping by, come back soon.

Snowflakes at Cards und More

Good morning Peeps.

I hope I find you well. It's double post Tuesday as it's time for a new challenge over at Cards und More. This time we would like to see your projects that have the theme of -

SNOWFLAKES

Hopefully we wont have any around here for a while but they do look good on a Christmas card!

Here is my card for your inspiration.

I'm afraid the Brushos came out again to create the background after I'd stamped the snowflakes with Versamark then heat embossed with white. The snowflakes (newly purchased!) were placed with reference to the sketch over at STAMPlorations. 

There is another tale to tell about these snowflake stamps. As regular readers may remember I couldn't find my stash of snowflake stamps as I'd tidied them up and put them in a safe place, you know one that's so safe you can't find it! Anyway after checking out a couple of retail outlets, I found the perfect set on Amazon and placed my order for next day delivery. When 7pm arrived and still no sign, I checked emails and it was still out for delivery. Anyway I went to bed still without the stamps but on checking my emails in the morning, found one that said they were supposed to arrive Friday afternoon but another said that because they didn't have my name it couldn't be delivered! However as we were off to my daughters for the day I couldn't follow it up, but on Monday a new email said it was out for delivery that morning and sure enough it arrived in the allotted time slot. The driver said when I commented on their none arrival that it was a different driver on the route and he probably couldn't find us! I know we are down a long  rutted country lane but there is a temporary sign at the top pointing down. I think the first driver didn't fancy his vehicle going down the rutted trackway!

Anyway back to the technicalities.

The sentiment was die cut using a very old die, think its Go Create, then triple embossed with silver to make it look like metal. (See technique here)

I mounted it on dark blue then flat onto an A6 base card.

 Check out the rest of the DT to see what they have made and hopefully, if you are inspired join us over at Cards und More for this challenge.

I shall also join in at the following challenges -

Loves Rubberstamps - Cool Colours

Virginia's View 

Thanks for calling by and hopefully see you in an hour for the latest challenge at Cardz4Guyz.

CAS @ATSM

Good evening or is it good day or morning?

I suppose it depends on where you are, LOL.

My the day's are flying by and the shops are filling up with Christmas goodies. Since we moved house this year I must get my Christmas cards done so I can send them a little earlier with the new address in so I took the opportunity of our new challenge over at ATSM to make another.

Here it is -

As the challenge is CAS, I kept it simple and followed the sketch over at Crazy4 for CAS.

The Brushos came out to create the background which I stamped with snowflakes and heat embossed in white when dry. The top panel had 3 circles cut out to match the sketch then embossed with a Cuttlebug 'Snow' folder and then I added the sentiment, a freebie from a mag last year. 

Behind this card there is a tale. Suffice to say I couldn't find my snowflake stamps. I had them in a drawer then decided to put them somewhere safe earlier this year. So safe in fact, I can't find them!!!!

I shall probably come across them next summer! It's a good excuse for a bit of retail therapy anyway.

The stamped  panel was stuck flat to the card and the embossed top was popped up on pads.

This week we are sponsored by

who are offering 3 digis to the winner, so come on and join in.

If you need extra inspiration please check out the rest of the very talented DT.

I shall also enter the following challenges -

Crazy for CAS - sketch

Allsorts - Christmas

Thanks for stopping by, see you again sometime.

Leaves @Cards und More

Good morning bloggers
Its been a whole month since my last post for Cards und More so it must be a month since we came back from our jollies, The weather here has certainly turned autumnal it chucked it down yesterday and with the wind from the east there was a definite chill in the air.
This time the challenge for you is to create something with the theme of

LEAVES

Well as the drive will testify, there are plenty of those on the ground at the moment but I suppose your project doesn't have to be autumnal in colour so long as there is some stamping and leaves visible.
Here is my card for your inspiration

Yep, you've guessed it, I've got the Brushos out again. Well actually I didn't as there was plenty of card left from my last couple of plays! See here and here.
I used a new die for this wreath Sizzix Holiday Foliage to cut out the oak leaves from the Brusho panel and the berries from red card. I used a beech leaf punch for the green ones.
I stamped some kraft paper with my SU woodgrain stamp in Versamark then heat embossed in clear and mounted it over a panel of Brusho coloured card. I added some vanilla twine and a die cut sentiment from Spellbinders to finish it off before mounting on an off white A6 base.

OK that's about it for the moment, so please check out the rest of the DTs inspiration and join us over at Cards und More.

I shall enter the following challenges -

Time Out Challenges- Case this card

I took inspiration from the colours and the leaves as well as the thank you.

Alphabet Challenge - Round or Rectangle (I did both!)
Clear it Out Challenge - Theme -Thanksgiving  Stash - Twine

See you back here in an hour for another new challenge, bye for now.

Brusho and Muse

Evening all.

It's been another fabulous day here in the Shropshire countryside and a fantastic sunset to finish off.

I can't believe it's almost October and we are still having days in the low 20's. I suppose its a compensation for the awful August we had!

I saw the Muse card at the beginning of the week but it's taken me this long to get my finger out!

I really wanted to take part this week as the guest Muse is my teamie from ATSM, Anita. Her card had an Art Deco feel about it but I went with a Christmasy feel.

and this is Anita's card

You can see that I've basically taken Anita's card as a sketch and gone with a Brusho panel heat embossed with detail white using a Stampendous snowflake stamp.

I really am enjoying playing around with this medium, it gives a real vibrancy to the work.

I tried two ways with this panel, first create then stamp, which gives a really intense effect but I eventually went with emboss first then add the brusho and spritz. It gave a softer look which I could add to if I felt it wasn't dark enough. 

I die cut both sentiment halves, one in white on the vellum the other in silver. Hope the pic comes across OK, the light was going as I took it. Lot's of shadows cast in my usual spot plus mucky windows thanks to hubby's pointing activities!

I shall also enter the following challenges -

CASology - Flutter

ABC Christmas Challenge - S for something festive

OK that's about it, thanks for stopping by!

Holidays @ATSM #113

Morning peeps, it's been a busy few days for me in the craft room after my jollies, getting up to date with all my DT cards. Didn't plan that very well! Anyway it was a good excuse to ignore the dusting and hoovering and hole myself up in my craftroom.

The sweep came yesterday to clean the flues of the range and woodburner in preparation for those chill autumn nights, not that the days are cold as we seem to be in the middle of a very pleasant 'Indian Summer'.

While walking the dog yesterday I picked up a small branch from an oak tree next to the drive, such gorgeous colours, acorns as well. The trees are very colourful at the moment, especially the Field Maples and it was these that inspired my card for the latest challenge at ATSM -

HOLIDAY

OK, I know we don't have a holiday at Thanksgiving like they do in the US but I was in autumnal mode and not very Christmasy! So here is my card.

It was a bit of an experiment combining embossing and the wonderful Brusho. I had forgotten how much fun it was to use and the spectacular effects you can get. (and how messy!)

I first embossed the tree using a Dreamweaver stencil and white embossing paste, then when dry I put the stencil back on and inked the trunk and branches with a Copic pen.

Taking the stencil off again I removed some of the pen with the blending pen to create some hi lights. I then scattered small amounts of Brusho using a dry coarse brush over the tree image, being very careful not to use too much. I then spritzed the surface with water and drew out a few lines to ground the tree with the end of my spritzer. 

When it was dry I added some jute twine, some beech leaves punched from some waste from an other project, a thanks tag and a small button. The panel was then popped up on pads on a co ordinating card base.

This is getting back to my watercolour and pastel roots, I really enjoyed the experimenting and the trip down memory lane!

Now it's over to you, we'd love to see your HOLIDAY inspired projects and if you aren't inspired by my creation pop over to the main site and check out what the rest of the talented DT have made for your inspiration.

This week we are again sponsored by the wonderful

who are giving away 3 digis to the winner.

I shall join in at the following challenges with this card:-

Moving Along with the Times - Texture

Simply Create Too - Fall

Just Us Girls - Watercolour

Okay dokey, that's about it. Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you again soon.