Hi guys!
I am super excited to be a Guest Designer over at STAMPlorations this month! Woohoo! I won the Stamps and Stitches challenge over there in February, which was prize enough for me, but not only that, I am now the proud owner of some great STAMPlorations stamps AND I got the opportunity to join the super talented Design Team for the challenge this month - did someone say 'humbled'? Oh yeh, that was me! So a great big thank you to Shery and the DT for having me :)
Ok, so the challenge this month is;
So, the challenge is to use stamps and your favourite technique! I think this is a pretty sweet deal and I got off quite lightly here! ;)
For those of you who know me, you'll know my go to techniques are heat embossing, stitching and distress/emboss resist. I have used all three on my card, along with some AWESOME stamps from my winings ;)
For this card I used STAMPlorations Vignette: Retro Mod Shapes and Vignette: Chevron & Arrows. These sets are so versatile I can't wait to get the time to put to paper all the ideas I have floating around my head :) I especially love the Retro Mod Shapes set as they remind me of a doodle I have done for as long as I can remember. Whenever watching the TV or at a loose end, I have always doodled interlinking squares/rectangles of varying sizes and then coloured in the alternating squares. That may be a little difficult to picture so if I think about it I'll post one on here one day and you'll see the full extent of my OCD/crazy! Until then, the interlinking squares on this card should give you some idea of what my doodles look like.
I stitched the two curved lines through the squares to break up the rigidity of all those straight lines and add a sort of flow to the whole thing. A bit of ink blending and heat embossing and I was done! Actually, this card did take some time to make, despite first impressions - I made that square panel twice as I was happy with the first one. Having said that, I've just seen it lying on my desk and it's not as bad today as it was when I made it so maybe it'll crop up on another card in some capacity - who knows :)
As you may notice, this card was based on last week's CAS(E) This Sketch sketch...I couldn't help myself - I loved it! It's too late to enter it, but that's ok ;)
So there you have it, my contribution to a super talented bunch of designers - I hope I didn't let the team down!
I hope you all pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog and get yourself involved...it's too much fun to miss and the inspiration from the team is worth the visit if nothing else :)
Thanks again to Shery for letting me be a part of this, I really appreciate it :)
Thanks for stopping by guys ;)
Supplies
Card: Paper Mill Direct - White
Stamps: STAMPlorations Vignette: Retro Mod Shapes, Vignette: Chevron & Arrows
Ink: Ranger - Perfect Medium; Distress Ink - Broken China
Other: WOW! - Ebony, Opaque Pastel Purple, Earthtone Grape, Opaque Bright White Super Fine e/p;
coloured thread
Hello, back again!
Here is my Mother's Day card for my DOH's Mother, maybe one day my Mother In Law...I'm working on it ladies and gentlemen! ;)
As you can see, it's very similar to the card I made for my Mother, however I went with brighter rainbow colours and a white background this time - I like this one too! ;) I wasn't sure all the colours were going to work, but they work well enough for me, I just hope MIL likes it :)
Here's the sketch again from CAS(E) This Sketch...
Such a stunner!
Thanks for stopping by ;)
Supplies
Card: Paper Mill Direct - White, Black
Stamps: Verve - One Person
Ink: Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other: WOW! - Super Fine Silver e/p; coloured threads
Hello people!
How are we all?! I can only apologise for my prolonged absence...I have been rushed off of my feet!!! What with the new job and then DOH's 50th birthday and all of the other things life throws at you when you'd really rather be doing something else, I feel like my feet haven't touched!! Anyway, that's enough moaning!
I am here today with THREE cards! They will, unfortunately for you guys, be posted on three separate posts as I have made them all using the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch and would like to enter all three ;) Sorry guys, I know it's not really blog etiquette to not post anything for ages and then THREE posts on one night, but that's just how I roll!! ;)
Ok, so the first card I have to share is a card I have made for my Mother to celebrate Mother's Day this coming Sunday...
My Mummy is a big fan of monochrome, which is probably where I get my love for it from...so hopefully she's going to like this :) As I've mentioned before, she's also the one who got me into all this stitching malarky with her beautiful pictures she used to create...the one that sticks in my mind most is a swan that she did, it was stunning. So, this is a little homage to my Mum on Mum's day ;)
I am also going to take this opportunity to apologise for any typo's that may occur in my posts this evening and for the shortness of my posts as I currently have matchsticks holding my eyes open and still have dinner to do! I am so sleepy that I have just knocked red wine over an insert I had just written for my friend's birthday card (that is coming on another post this evening!) so now I have to write it out again...honestly, if brains were dynamite...! ;)
So, here's the gorgeous sketch that has inspired me three times over - I just can't get enough of it!!
GORGEOUS!! I now need a stamp like that in my life, it's official! ;)
Thank you for coming back to visit me after my unacceptably long absence, I just hope you stick with me through the rest of my posts!
Love to you all,
Supplies
Card: Paper Mill Direct - Black, White
Stamps: Verve - One Person
Ink: VersaColor - Silver
Other: WOW! - Super Fine Silver e/p; silver thread
Hi guys!
Happy Valentine's Day to you all!! I hope you all have some wonderful plans for this evening - whether that be spending time with those you love or sitting with a glass of wine and a box of chocolates at your desk getting your craft on!! ;)
It's nearly the weekend - whoop! My brother and his partner are coming to visit for belated birthday celebrations - it was my brother's birthday yesterday. Yep, he was nearly a little baby cupid, but instead was born on Friday 13th - you can't win 'em all! ;)
Today I made a card for the Festive Friday challenge and CAS(E) This Sketch. I thought it only fitting as the sketch had a Christmas theme to go with it :) I missed the first Festive Friday challenge of the year, but I am aiming to participate in the rest of them...I could do without the December card rush and it'll keep the spirit of Christmas alive all year long :) The inspiration image for this fortnight is GORGEOUS!!
Ok, less blathering, more pictures...
I got my needle and thread (and patience!) out again for this one. I used the Spellbinders Labels 24 dies to get the nice round shape to these baubles by cutting the 'corners' off and sticking two of them together to make this shape. Not a very good explanation that is it, but I can't think of another way to describe it!?
Do you see what I'm getting at?!
Those little red rhinestones were a Christmas present from my sister and it's the first time I've used them - they're gorgeous! Super sparkly, which is what Christmas is all about as! ;)
Here's the CAS(E) This Sketch sketch...
...and the Festive Friday inspiration...
I really enjoyed making this card as for the first time for a while, it actually went right!! And it went right first time too which makes a nice change...I love it when a plan comes together! Hopefully this shall continue :)
ETA: I have also been made aware of this fabulous challenge over at STAMPlorations - Stamps and Stitches so I am going to enter this card over there too - thanks for the heads up!! ;)
Thanks so much for stopping by ;)
Supplies
Card: Paper Mill Direct - White, Bright Red
Stamps: Penny Black - Crystalline
Ink: VersaColor - Silver
Other: WOW! - Silver Super Fine e/p; thread, rhinestones
Hey guys!
How are we all? Well I hope :) It's half way through the first week back at work and I hope everyone's coping ok?! After Christmas, it's quite nice to get back into a routine I think :) I can't quite believe it's Wednesday already though, that's whoosed by!
I personally am not working this week and so today I decided to be a 'real' housewife and made lemon and poppy seed cakes-yummy! Now, that's not as much of a treat for DOH as it sounds as I'm wheat intolerant so I, obviously, HAD to wheat free cakes! He always complains when I feed him anything he knows to be wheat free, but I have noticed that if I don't mention it then he doesn't realise and it's only when he finds out that his beloved wheat is missing that he turns his nose up! I think sometimes that men are worse than children in that respect! ;) Oh well, if he does decide that he doesn't want to eat them then there will be more for me! He he! :)
I am here to share a card with you today that is for an ex-blogging friend of mine...that is she no longer blogs, not that she's an ex-friend :) It's actually for her baby daughter who will be turning one soon...did someone say broody?! Me?! Absolutely, yes! :) I cannot believe that little Grace is nearly a year old already, it seems like only yesterday Kelly informed me that she was pregnant!
My card was inspired by two things...the Retro Sketches sketch and by this gorgeous card by my sweet blogging pal at Just Me: C. She reminded me that I do actually own patterned papers and that they are there to be used, NOT just hoarded!! Who'd've thunk it?! (No, that's not a typo - I mean thunk!) She's also super lovely and writes a very amusing blog full of beautiful cards...you should check it out :)
I really enjoyed making this card despite that fact that it's very un-me! I don't do so well when it comes to pink and girly, but once I'd chosen the patterned paper it pushed me in the right direction as far as the colour scheme is concerned and I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. I just hope little Grace is too :) (Ok, so I'm more concerned that her mother likes it, being a fellow card maker :))
I couldn't help adding stitching to this card, again! I quite like my little balloons :)
Here's the wee sketch I used...
Thank you for stopping by...I'm off to make sure that the cakes aren't poisonous before I let DOH have one when he gets home! ;) He he!
Supplies
Card: Paper Mill Direct - White, Pink Sorbet, Primrose Yellow; K&Co - Best Of
Stamps: Bo Bunny - Sentiment Stamps
Ink: Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other: WOW! - Ebony e/p; Spellbinders - Circle & Scallop Circle dies; thread; pearls
Howdily doodily peoples!
Can you believe it...I have posted three days in a row now! Woohoo! I'm hoping to keep it up, but I'm more realistic than to think life won't throw something at me that will get in the way of daily blogging - doh!! Ah well, make hay while the sun shines and all that :)
I'm back with another thank you card and using the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch again too actually! This card is also inspired by the challenge over at WOW! Embossing Powder this month which is 'Fabric'. I'm lucky, my brother's hobby is tailoring...yep, you guessed it, I get all the off cuts! He he :) He has recently set up a Pinterest board actually, if you fancy having a snoop then go for it, he's very good and there's quite an amusing photo of him looking mischievous! :)
Here is what I came up with...
I took three different fabric off cuts and wrapped them around pieces of card...my OCD's will not allow too many frayed edges, I just couldn't cope with that! I then adhered them to the white panel and added some stitching in silver. The lines of stitching look a bit skewiff in this picture, they're not in real life...my OCD's would not allow that either!! I heat embossed this lovely thank you sentiment in WOW! Primary Indigo powder. I actually overheated it a bit in the middle (I burnt it!!) and it kinda went a slightly pinky colour but I like it - two tone embossing :) Some pearls and mats and I was done...that makes it sound like it was a quick card but alas no! I am just glad to be back crafting :)
The challenges:
Thank you for stopping by, as always ;)
Supplies
Card: Paper Mill Direct - White, Lilac
Stamps: Flourishes - With Gratitude
Ink: VersaColor - Violet
Other: WOW! - Indigo e/p; pearls; fabric remnants; silver thread
Hey guys!
I'm here with another Christmas card...big surprise there huh?!
I have made this card as a second entry into CAS-ual Fridays, an interpretation of the sketch at CAS(E) this sketch (you'll see what I mean hopefully!) an entry into the 'Transparent' challenge at Addicted To CAS AND, last but by no means least, the challenge over at WOW! Embossing Powder this month is 'Stars and Stripes'! Phew!
ETA: It has been pointed out to me that this card may also qualify for the criteria over at the Merry Monday challenge which is Blue, White and Silver. I am hoping my little pop of gold doesn't count me out, I'll pop it in to this challenge anyway and we'll soon find out I suppose! Thank you!
Here is my card...
and a little close up for ya...
Now...I realise that this may not be exactly what the guys over at Addicted To CAS meant when they chose 'transparent' as the cue card and I'm almost certain this is completely different to what the WOW! guys had in mind too...but bear with me a moment and I'll try to explain my logic!
I was going to make these banners using acetate - that's about as transparent as it gets, right?! But, then I thought of winter and frosty windows and so I decided on vellum to portray that...with me?! And for WOW! I was thinking that snowflakes are like winters' stars and these banners are my stripes! If these links are a little too tenuous then I do apologise, but that's where my little brain took me when I was thinking about the inspirations!
I swapped the speech bubbles in the CAS(E) this sketch sketch for the banners...I think that's quite obvious! As is the stitching for the CAS-ual Fridays challenge ;)
I really wish that I'd used gold for the central banner because there's less contrast between the white and silver snowflakes than I was anticipating, but I just didn't have the time to re-do it so it is what it is! I'm hoping it's one of those things that only pedantic arty people like us will notice and that the recipient of this card will never even consider that fact! ;)
Now that I have my needle and threads out I have an idea for another stitched card using the Muse inspiration, I just hope it turns out how I'm imagining! ;)
Challenges:
Thank you so much for dropping in ;)
Supplies
Card: Paper Mill Direct - White, Navy; Vellum
Stamps: Penny Black - Crystalline; Wild Rose Studios - Let It Snow
Ink: Ranger - Perfect Medium
Other: WOW! - Bright White Opaque, Silver Super Fine, White Twinkle, Metallic Gold Rich e/p; thread
Howdily doodily people!
I hope all is well with everyone and you're enjoying the start of the new week! I am currently having a delayed weekend as we ended up working Saturday and Sunday so we've decided that we're going to have Monday and Tuesday off. It's just as well actually because we popped out last night for a 'few drinks' to celebrate our friends' birthday and I don't know about anyone else, but it has occurred to me that I just can't do these things any more without paying for it dearly the following day! Oh well, it was a lovely evening and like I say, no work today!
So, what better way to spend my pyjama day than at my desk!? It was a no brainer really!
A few days ago I saw somewhere that it's only 70-something days until Christmas and I was like...what!?!?!?! As of today it is 71 days until the big day - I cannot believe how quickly this year has just zoomed by! I think time has crept on my darling mother too as she called me today in a panic as she realised that my birthday was coming up sooner than she thought! To be perfectly honest, I'd forgotten too! I'm half hoping that if I don't have this birthday then the biggie next year can't happen because I won't be another year older! ;)
Luckily, I'm on a kinda Christmas roll here in my little craft space (which is handy given the number of cards I need to make, not only for myself but for other people! Jack darling, your 30 cards are ready and waiting for you to collect!)
The idea for this card has been floating around my brain for a little while now, although not in a lucid form, if you know what I mean?! I had the notion of what I wanted it to look like, but the details evaded me...until I saw the challenge over at CAS-ual Fridays - In Stitches. The little light bulb in my mind 'pinged' and this card finally got it's debut!
You know how sometimes you can have a great idea for a card (well, you think it is anyway!) and then when you actually make it it's a bit of a disappointment and you look at it and think 'meh'?! Well, this card actually turned out just how I imagined it! Whoop whoop! The stitching solved a big problem for me as I was wracking my brain as to how I was going to make little silhouettes of trees without having any silhouette stamps!? I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but sometimes you just need a little nudge, right :)
Now, there's also the Festive Friday challenge going on just now which is to make a project the 'whimsical' in nature. I have no idea if this counts as even remotely whimsical, because if I'm honest I find it difficult to pin down exactly what that means when it comes to cards? (Call me dim, but we all have our flaws!) So, I'm going to enter this into the challenge and wait for the inevitable comment which says, "thanks for entering, but you just don't get it do you?!" !! I'm cool with that, just let me know ;)
I think that's just about enough jabbering for today, I'm off for another cup of peppermint tea to see if I can't fix this hangover inexplicable tiredness! ;)
Thank you so much for stopping by ;)
Supplies
Card: Paper Mill Direct - White
Stamps: Bo Bunny - Sentiment Stamps
Ink: VersaColor - Black; Distress Ink - Broken China
Other: WOW! - Clear Hologram e/p; thread; rhinestones
Hey guys!
How is everyone?! You all had a good weekend I trust? Mine turned out much more eventful than I expected, so that was a nice surprise :)
As the title implies, I am here with a card for the awesome sketch by N@Ali over at CASE(E) this sketch. As soon as I saw it I knew EXACTLY what I was going to do. I had planned to get it done over the weekend, but as I said, I ended up being much busier than anticipated and ran out of time. I thought I'd check out the CAS(E) this sketch blog this morning and someone else has already submitted a card that was almost identical to my idea, so I had to come up with something else! My card is along the same sort of lines as my original idea...just slightly tweaked and much more labour intensive!
Here's the fabulous sketch...
..and here's my little card...
Originally I had intended to make the rainbow striped out of strips of coloured card...but that's been done! (I'm so last week!!) Instead, I thought I'd measure and pierce a billion holes and sew some little zigzags of rainbow goodness! As I had used stitching for the vertical stripes, I decided to pop a little black banner up on foam tape and make it sparkly for the horizontal element.
As I started to do the sewing on this card, I realised that I didn't have any orange thread and the green thread I had was kinda dreary and not really the right colour green. So...I dyed some white thread with Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink for the orange (obviously!) and VersaColor green pigment ink for the green. I am a SMIDGE impatient, so waiting for the thread to 'dry' was not fun...not fun! Worth it to not smear ink all over the card though :)
PS - I would like to apologise to any of those who may have been offended by my use of the word 'diddling' the other day - it was pointed out to me that it indeed does mean something different to you guys on the other side of the pond! Over here, it just means 'how are you doing'! Note to self: DO NOT use colloquialisms on my blog - it's international!! Sorry guys :(
Thanks for stopping by ;)
Supplies
Card: Paper Mill Direct - White, Black
Stamps: Verve - Hope Blooms
Ink: SU! - Black; VersaColor - Green; Distress Ink - Spiced Marmalade
Other: Thread; rhinestones
Hey guys!
I hope everyone is well :) I have been making the most of the two sunny days we've had here by spending some time in the garden and getting it ready to plant our veg! That has eaten into my crafting time a little, but not too much. I have made another card for the challenge over at The Paper Players this week;
This card is on it's way to a friend of mine who I haven't seen in an unacceptably long while! :( I really must make an effort to go and visit her :) In the meantime, I hope she likes her birthday card;
Like me, my friend is not a 'girly girl', therefore I have made her a more graphic card with just a hint of 'girlyness' in the lilac sentiment and a few purple pearls :)
This card may have been a little labour intensive, but it was really satisfying! I can see some more of these being made in different colours :)
Thanks for stopping by ;)
Supplies
Card: Paper Mill Direct - White, Black
Stamps: Verve - Hope Blooms
Ink: VersaColor - Violet
Other: Spellbinders - Classic Circles (as templates); Papermania - Clear e/p; Thread - black, white,
pewter; pearls
