Experimenting

I thought it would be interesting to experiment with different mediums and techniques using the same stamped image and this is the first one using Inktense pencils and a lovely image from Fantasy Meadow by Chocolate Baroque.  Image was stamped onto smooth watercolour paper with Versafine black and background paper is from Echoes of Italy. I'm not sure when I will get around to all of these experiments  as I must do a few boring things like mowing lawns and weeding in between my 'play' sessions but watch this space.

Forgotten Friday 19

I know I keep saying this, but I just find it hard to believe that it is Friday again already and time for Judith's Forgotten Friday challenge where we use something which has lain neglected and unused.  Well I have to confess that the stamps used on this card were bought in a fit of enthusiasm probably a couple of years ago as I thought they would be really good for men's cards but sadly although I mounted them on cling and filed them away they have never actually been used until now.  I made this card  (with the challenge in mind) on Monday when it rained steadily all day - well it was Bank Holiday!! The background is core-dinations card embossed using a mask, sanded and distressed.  The next layer is some brilliant Kraft card from Papermania which has lines printed like a ledger or notebook and I punched the edge with an EK success punch.  I stamped a few random images on this using some teeny tiny stamps which are from Chocolate Baroque and are so useful for this type of design.  the main image was made up on watercolour paper using stamps from the Vintage Games set by Creative Expressions and a couple of stamps which came as a subscription gift with Craft Stamper many moons ago (Paper Artsy).  The final addition was a dimensional sticker from a set which I bought when I started making cards and thought that everything came ready made to stick on - I've learnt that this isn't the case but I thought it went with this card quite well and I must use up some of the 'stuff' which I have hanging around.

St Luke's Charity challenge 3

The St Luke's challenge  this month is 'come fly with me' - anything which flies and they are aiming to reach a target for online entries so do take a look and see if you can help them.  My card has a fairy which is a Polkadoodles stamp and comes with an optional butterfly stamp designed to be used to turn the girl into a fairy if you so wish (I stamped the wings on some pearlescent vellum).  Background paper is by Artylicious from my stash and the image was coloured with Copics and a touch of pencil here and there.  The flowers  and toadstools were also on the same set of stamps and I added a ribbon bow coloured with Copics to match.  The fairy was mounted onto two Nestability shapes brushed with Distress ink while the die was in place, one of which was embossed using a special touch mask .

Using Up Leftovers

While having one of my fairly regular tidy-ups of the work space I came across the papers I printed out for the Funky Hand challenge this month where we had a recipe to follow.  Rather than store them away in my oddments box which is getting full to overflowing I decided to make another card using the same three background papers.  The base card was cut using a Go Kreate die, using the smaller dies in the set for the layers.  The flowers were stamped onto the papers and cut out, adding buttons and pearls to the centres.  The sentiment was produced on the computer, cut out with a 'Nestie' and popped onto a Cuttlebug diecut flower shape.  Following the recipe I added a ribbon and that's it with another piece of the spotted freebie paper cut out with the Go Kreate die for an insert which I've stuck inside the card.

Take a look at the Funky Hand blog where there are regular postings during the month from the Design Team and you can also pick up the freebie spotted paper

Bah Humbug Challenge 21

The bells, the bells - the challenge at Bah Humbug this week caused me a little problem as I had difficulty finding bells - no stamps, no embellishments so I turned to My Craft Studio and after going through several seasonal CDs I eventually found an image with a bell on it.  I printed an element sheet which provided me with image, background paper and a border which have all been layered up with some red card.  The sentiment was produced on the computer.

Normal service will be resumed - I hope   (Mr Blogger didn't want to upload my picture today).  Will try again later

Well I logged off and on again - more success with the photo this time.

Forgotten Friday 18

For Judith's Forgotten Friday Challenge this week I decided to dig out my Harlequin Butterfly stamps from Elusive Images (now Chocolate Baroque) as I know I've not used them for absolutely ages and there are some brilliant images in the set. Looking through my stamps  makes me realise just how many I seem to have amassed over the years - maybe too many!! I stamped onto heavy watercolour paper and embossed the image so that I could colour the background using Distress Inks - image was stamped twice and the flowers were cut out, painted using DI with a water brush and layered over the original.  Background paper is from Echoes of Italy collection and has been overstamped and sponged.  Stamps used on the background are also from Chocolate Baroque.

For a 60th

I was asked to make a 60th birthday card for a man who makes wine so where else to turn but to the wonderful Wine Buffs CD which has some great images and backing papers.  I cut a strip of the wording from the background paper to make a border along the bottom, added some die cut numbers to one of the wine bottles which I also cut out and hey presto a suitable card!