Allsorts Challenge #843

 It's my turn to choose the theme for the Allsorts Challenge this time and I would like to see embossing of some kind featuring on your projects.  Of course there is the usual 'anything goes' option as well.  Prizes this time are from Lisa Horton (full details on the Allsorts blog post.

 For my card I decided to go with dry embossing using an embossing folder which was a magazine gift from quite a few years ago.  I also thought it would be good to combine this with a variation on the eclipse technique as well, using a butterfly die.  I started with a panel of white card slightly smaller than my card blank and die cut the butterfly which I then taped back into the aperture using low tack tape, before running it through my machine using the embossing folder.  The next move was to cut four more butterflies using some scrap card, gluing them all together along with the embossed one.  The white embossed square was backed with a mauve square and the edges of the embossed butterfly sponged lightly with some toning ink before popping it back into the aperture and adding a die cut body.  The final touch was a sentiment and that's it - a clean and simple embossed effect on an eclipse card.

Embossing Folder - magazine gift from some years ago
Butterfly - Sizzix Detailed Butterflies 661182
Butterfly Body - from Craft Addiction UK butterfly die set
Sentiment - produced on the computer using MS Word

Peek-a-Boo

 A card to share today which is a bit of fun using a digital image, manipulated using My Craft Studio.  The idea was inspired by a You Tube video from Susan Hardy and also from a die set which I own.  Unfortunately I'm unable to print on my usual cardstock using my current printer and the lighter weight stock I have is a slightly different shade compared with that which I use for card blanks.  Hopefully the fact that there is some coloured paper between the layers helps to disguise the difference.  I printed the Jellybean image and the 'cake' quote onto an A4 piece of card arranging them so that I could later use a square die to frame the composition.  The sentiment tag and balloon were die cut, also the tiny bow and door handle, all added to complete the card.

Peek-a-Boo - part of a digital download from Craft Addiction UK designed by Louise Dunne
Sentiment Tag - also from CAUK
Balloon and Bow - from a retired Stampin' Up set (Elephants on Parade) I think
Door Handle - from a door die set with dogs, unbranded
Words - composed on the computer

Snippets Playground Challenge # 525

 It seems to be yet another damp and dreary day so I'm off to the Snippets Playground where 'the sun always shines' and my goodness we could certainly do with some brighter (and dryer) days.  Of course I'm taking my homework and will hopefully meet up with friends for a hot chocolate and possibly a cheeky biscuit. The image on this card is a coloured one which I printed using a download of several variations on the same theme and, of necessity, obviously required a whole sheet of A4 to be popped into the printer.  I did, however, print more than one image so I still have the rest ready to use.  Everything else on the card came from my various Snippets collections and the embossed panel was one which I must have made ages ago but happened to tone nicely with the larger Snippet of patterned paper. The pink pearl piece was cut from yet another Snippet as were the various little tags and the teeny flower.  

Patterned Paper - printed from a Buddly Crafts download
Embossed Panel - from the Snippets collection made a long time ago
Tiny Tags - dies from Craft Addiction UK
Main Image - printed from download collection (CAUK) drawn by Louise Dunne (Jellybean)

Allsorts Challenge #842

 The theme for this challenge is **Create your own Background** chosen by Donna and there is the usual option of *Anything Goes*.  Prizes are from Aall & Create (full details and challenge rules can be seen on the Allsorts blog post).  For my Design Team card I started by smooshing two colours of Distress Oxide ink  (Spiced Marmalade and Peacock Feathers)onto a piece of water colour paper and then overstamping in a third colour (Tea Dye)using a border stamp.  This was followed by more stamping using some text stamps and other details using a Fallen Leaves Versafine Claire ink.  I also added some detail using a text stencil.  The flower was die cut from a piece of matching brown card.

Die Cut Flower - Sizzix Wildflower Stems #2
Border Stamp - a very old one which is possibly no longer available
Text and Hares - A & C stamps Tracy Evans Miniatures
Wildflower Word - Tracey Evans Wildflower stamp set
Art Quote and Text Stencil - from Indigo Blu magazine #15 kit

Rudolph Days January

 Time for a Rudolph Days Challenge and for my card I've used a coloured digital image, printed onto white card which I then die cut and backed onto a slightly larger red piece.  The background was printed from a download of papers and added a narrow strip of a toning paper, a die cut snowflake and simple greeting.

Happy Rudolph Days everyone.  Why not take this opportunity to make a card ready for next Christmas?

Backing Papers - download of Christmas Papers from Buddly Crafts
Gnomes - Digital Image from Craft Addiction UK, drawn by Louise Dunne

Another ATC

 I'm back again visiting the Tag-along and ATC Challenge and this time my ATC is based loosely on the theme which is **Love and Romance** although if it doesn't fit I guess it can be another *Anything goes* I tend to forget how much I enjoy making these small pieces of art and they are a great way of using some of the smaller stamps which are often part of a larger set.  I started again with a piece of the printed background card trimmed to the correct size and over stamped with a hint of text and some coffee rings.  The sack of beans and coffee cup were stamped and fussy cut, as were the words I added as a final touch.  After all, who doesn't love coffee time??

Coffee Cup and Sack - stamps from an unbranded set (Amazon)
Coffee Time Stamp - from the same set
Love Word - from my collection of sentiment stamps, mainly from magazine gifts over years
Background stamping - Random stamps from my collection
Background card - from Aall & Create Spectrum Splash

Tag-along and ATC Challenge

 I've made a quick 'anything goes' ATC for the current Tag-along and ATC. Challenge.  I started by trimming a snippet of printed card to slightly smaller than the ATC size and stamped and embossed the cat and words.  This was then mounted onto a black ATC 2.5 by 3.5 inches and called it finished.  Not much more to say about this one - I did say in was quick ☺️.  A great prize on offer which will be handy for the winner to use in future challenges.

Card -  Spectrum Splash designed by Autour De Mwa for Aall & Create (a recent prize win)
Stamps - from Funky Fossil What Meow? set

Snippets Challenge #524

 Time to dodge the rain and dash off to the Playground for the current challenge where, as you may know, we are encouraged to use our Snippets in creative ways.  I started by making making my square card blank from a new piece of A4 white card which always leaves me with a very useful strip to use for die cutting or stamping onto for sentiments and the like.  I found a square of white in my Snippets collection which was slightly smaller than the (just under 6") square card and this was dry embossed before adhering in in place.  I was a lucky winner of  one of the bumper Christmas prizes recently and I've used some of the dies to make this card before I pack them away ready for the end of the year.  I die cut the wording and shadow using Snippets in shades of blue, followed by quite a selection of small, coloured Snippets to build up the two snowmen.  I then decided to cut two slatted circles in white  with blue patterned paper backgrounds to use as baubles to carry the snowmen, adding die cut stars at the top of each.  These dies were certainly handy for using up quite a few Snippets.

Embossing Folder - Unbranded snowflakes/stars (from Amazon)
Slatted Circles - from Craft Addiction UK
Stars - from a set of 'Punched Hole' protector dies unbranded (Amazon)
Snowmen - Die set by X-cut
Sentiment - dies from Creative Expressions (Lisa Horton)

 

Allsorts Challenge # 840

The theme for this Allsorts challenge has been chosen by Ellie and is  one which many of us seem to find a bit difficult at times **For Boys or Men** and there is the usual *Anything goes* option.  Prizes are from Sweet Poppy (more details in the Allsorts blog post) .

For my DT card I've made one which I think would be suitable for a man, starting with a piece of designer paper onto which I stamped and heat embossed the blueprint-style drawing of a steam locomotive.   I then added a little random stamping for added interest as well as using a stencil to apply some texture paste.  Having considered a few options I decided to add the stamped words rather than the usual birthday sentiment.  I actually stamped these twice because when I looked at them the first time I thought I'd mis-stamped them and it wasn't until I did a second stamping I realised that they were deliberately a bit blurred, presumably for effect 😉. 

Designer Paper - Sentimentally Yours Urban Textures (Phill Martin)
Locomotive - stamp from Creative Expressions Vintage Treasures (many years old)
Words - Visible Image Cheshire Cat Stamp set (current)
Stencil - Visible Image, Off the Grid (also current)
Background Overstamping - unbranded Text Stamp (Amazon) 

Snippets Playground # 523

 Time to visit the Snippets Playground to hand in  my homework for the current challenge and I've chosen to make a card featuring dragonflies.  I found a snippet of white card which, with a little trimming was just the right size to fit my card blank.  Next I had a rummage amongst my collection of inky and embossed snippets where luckily I came across a nice embossed piece and some inky background left over from a 'play' session and used this to die cut the dragonflies.  I also added a touch of sparkle to the wings using a Wink of Stella pen.  The sentiment was produced on the computer to complete this CAS card.

Embossing - EF I've had for a long time (not marked so no idea of the make, sorry)
Dragonflies - die set from Craft Addiction UK
Sentiment - produced using Microsoft Word

Allsorts Challenge # 840

 The theme for the Allsorts challenge #840 is **Winter Animals** or the usual *anything goes* option is available.  Prizes are from Visible Image and you can see details on the Allsorts blog post.  For my Design Team card this time I'm sharing one of the Christmas cards which I have made in readiness for the end of the year - always good to be a few steps ahead if possible.  I cut a square of white card using a torn edge die and stamped some snowflakes to use as a background for the penguin which was printed using a download and then fussy cut.  The sentiment came with the snowflake stamp set.  I then found a piece of snowflake patterned paper in my oddments box to finish off the card.

Torn edge dies - a set from Amazon unbranded
Snowflakes - stamp set from Crafty Roo (no longer trading)
Penguin - designed and drawn by Louise Dunne, a download from Craft Addiction UK