Free as a Bird

The image for this card was stamped onto a die cut oval of white card and the flowers were also from the same stamp set.  Everything coloured using pencils and the flowers were fussy cut with scissors.  I found a suitable piece of designer paper amongst some which came as a magazine gift some time ago, a piece of matching ribbon and that's it really.  I do enjoy colouring and strangely also the fussy cutting even though both techniques take time to do.

Stamps - Free as a Bird set by Stampin' Up

Sentiment - from a freebie set of stamps

Colouring - done using Polychromos pencils

Lace Border

I've enjoyed adding a fancy pierced and picot cut border to a parchment card even though it is a precise process which seems to take quite a long time.  I do like the end results and feel they justify the time taken.  The centre design has simply been embossed and coloured from the back using Distress markers.  This is another card without a sentiment because they always come in handy, leaving people to write their own personal greeting or message inside.  Adding words to parchment designs is another technique which requires concentration so that the letters aren't 'back to front' - very easily done.  Also some precision is necessary to keep the letters nicely spaced and in a straight line.

Floral Spray

I started this card by making a background using various distress inks and a stencil, finally over stamping with some text and a crackle stamp.  I saved a piece of the inked background without stamping and cut an oval and also a larger oval in purple.  The floral spray was cut from a snippet of white pearl card and finally a computer sentiment was added.

Background - Distress inks and stamps from a free magazine gift set

Ovals - Tonic die

Floral Spray - die from Tattered Lace

Sentiment - created in Word

More Parchment

I've been enjoying getting back into parchment work and have had a go at building up a design using elements from several plates although quite a bit of concentration is needed.  It is so easy to let the mind wander a little and before you know it some of the lines have crossed into what should be a space or strayed into the border.  Never mind it is all good practice.  This floral design was coloured on the reverse and just the smallest amount of white work done on the dots.

Fun Card

A birthday card today which should raise a smile or two using another of the crazy bird stamps. and some fun word stamps as well.  The background paper was over stamped using a couple of feather stamps.  For some reason the accessory stamps seem to be a bit larger than necessary but I've used a hat and bow tie anyway to add to the bird.  These were stamped, coloured and cut out with scissors.

Bird - Crazy Bird stamp set Tim Holtz

Accessories - stamp set also Tim Holtz

Feathers - stamp from a free set given with a magazine

Words - Word Wit stamp set Stampin' Up

Ovals - dies from Tonic

Challenge #381 Pixie Snippets Playground

The lovely Di has made a super card to showcase the prize on offer for this challenge.  Worth taking a look if you are a fan of Art Deco - it is certainly a set which I would like to own.so I've made my Snippets card to take along to the playground.  I started with with the stamped flowers which were made from snippets of white card quite a while ago - no dies available for these so they were literally 'snipped' using scissors.  Amongst my box of miscellaneous pieces of patterned paper I found a suitable piece of floral paper and trimmed to fit the card but as it was a bit smaller than I like I found a snippet of yellow card slightly larger but which had the middle missing and as it is the bottom layer, of course no-one will know!!  Snippets of white card were used to die cut the fancy bordered piece and the label on which the sentiment is stamped.  Another snippet of matching yellow was used to back the label and finally a snippet of ribbon.  Oh and I nearly forgot the green snippet which was used to die cut the leaves.

Flowers - Greenhouse Garden stamp set Stampin' Up - retired a long time ago

Background - floral paper from Buddly Crafts

Decorative Panel - die from Crafter's Companion

Label Shapes - dies from Creative Expressions, Sue Wilson

Greeting - from a set of free word stamps given as a magazine gift, long time ago

Parchment Card

I can hardly believe that I've done absolutely no parchment work since last year which was when I had cataract operations on both eyes (at different times) and had real trouble seeing properly in the months between the two treatments and until my eyes had settled after the second one.  I abandoned all thoughts of doing that sort of close work and put the things away but  I've decided it was about time I got it all out again. I now realise that I'm almost back to square one and the learning curve has to tackled again - surprised just how much I'm out of the swing.  I persevered and have actually produced a card but lots more practice will be needed before it returns to it being a relaxing and mindful exercise.  Various Groovi plates were used to compose this image.

Thankfully the weather is a bit cooler now thanks mostly to the rain which we've had overnight and this morning.