Create a Scene

The challenge this week at Make My Monday is to CREATE A SCENE and for this one I first made the background by again using the masking technique spotted in the current Craft Stamper.  The mask was first swiped with blue ink and lightly spritzed with water before pressing the card onto the wet ink. The technique in the mag uses the same colour ink to sponge through the mask once the first layer is dry which works very well, but this time I tried another colour.  The scene was created using a Spellbinder die for the ornate fence; Memory box dies for the tree and birds; Sizzix dies for the leaves and acorns using a page from an old book.  There was a little stamping of feathery grasses behind the fence.  The leaves on the tree were swiped with Versamark and embossed using Distress powder to give them a crunchy autumnal appearance.  I'm undecided at the moment about adding a sentiment to this card so will leave it for the time being until I have an actual recipient in mind.

There is a challenge over at Country View Crafts running for a month and the theme is LAYERS so I'm adding my card to their blog as well.

The Next ICAD

I popped my second  ICAD into the post yesterday for my other swap partner.  For this one I again used Distress stains and inks for the background with texture paste applied through a mask - finally adding a little overstamping.  The postcards were downloaded from the internet so I was able to reduce them in size to fit this small format. I used stamps to make a couple of word strips similar to the chit chat stickers, added a birdcage charm and some die cut tiny birds and that's it, my other ICAD to share with you as promised in this post where you can find more details and the link if you don't know what an ICAD is.

House of Cards Challenge

It is the fourth and final week of this month's sketch challenge at House of Cards and the style this time is vintage/shabby.  Now I know it is fine to change the orientation of a sketch from vertical to horizontal but I've gone way 'off piste' today and put mine on the skew so I hope that is also acceptable.  Background is a piece of Tim Holtz Kraft Resist card, sponged with Distress ink - I  added some cut and embossed cogs with the addition of a little ink and Treasure gold.  The postcard was made using a stamp from Chocolate Baroque on a scrap of watercolour paper.  The penny farthing was cut with a Memory Box die and popped onto a Sizzix (Stampin' Up) die shape.  The tattered banner was from a Tim Holtz Sizzix strip die and two little metal charms were added to comply with details the sketch layout.  I wonder what HOC will come up with for the September theme - always interesting to see how others interpret these suggestions.

House of Cards Challenge

As there are five Mondays in July the choice of style for the challenge at House of Cards has been left to us so in my 'using it up' mode I went ahead and made a card with some of the bits and pieces I had left in the colour scheme for July - wrong!!  That should teach me not to make a challenge card until the post has actually been publlished with full details!! We've been given a photograph as inspiration for this final free choice week so I had to get my thinking cap on to make something else.  The link to the photograph is somewhat tenuous because I've just used the colour of the wallpaper for the flowers on this classic style card.  During my sort out of the working space I came across a page of stamped and embossed flowers which needed colouring so I used a Sakura stardust pen and then cut them out, adding some coppery leaves (Memory Box die).  The background paper was left from a sheet I printed to use yesterday and the die cut strip and embossed panel were from the 'bits' box. A computer sentiment on punched and die cut shapes completes this card.

Here is the photo

and here is my card

House Mouse in the Rain

I'm sure this House Mouse is enjoying his cool shower - just the thing while the weather is so hot.  Matching backing paper was used and the image was cut out using a label die from Stampin' Up (Sizzix framelit) with a largerone in a similar colour with pricking detail using a matching template.  This was then popped onto an embossed Top Note die shape and finished off with a Marianne corner, greeting and some flowers with Memory Box die cut leaves. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and take care in the extreme heat.

Green and Yellow - take 2

I had an idea for another card suitable for the Make My Monday colour challenge when I came across this background paper on a Docrafts CD. I simply added a digital sponged effect around the outside before printing it off to the correct size for the card.  The greeting was also printed from the CD and cut out with Spellbinder dies.  The fence is a Spellbinder die, larger bird a Marianne die and the tiny birds were a Memory Box die. The flowers were from a pack which I think came from a Docrafts goody bag some time ago and I just added a bit of glitter to the tree withusing a quickie glue pen. The little leaves were a Memory box die also.

Make My Monday Challenge

I can hardly believe just how long it has taken me this morning to make a card - the elements here (and others) have been shuffled around so many times they must be dizzy!!  The challenge at Make My Monday is to use ribbon and buttons and I decided straight away to use the Memory Box die cut tree and some tiny Papermania buttons but it was the rest of it which seemed to cause me problems.  Eventually I settled on Nestabilities and some die cut corners combined with punched ones and a piece of spotty paper from my oddments box.  All I can say is that it is a good job I'm not paid piece work - come to think of it I'm not paid full stop!! I do this for fun.

Two Birds with One Stone

No - not literally, I wouldn hurl stones at the two birds here (or any other birds for that matter)!! This week the challenge on Make My Monday is to 'add a charm' and as I also have two Quintiles to make on a Valentine theme for the Chocolate Baroque February swap I've managed to combine the two themes on this one.  The background is a beautiful love letters download from CB printed onto gold lustre paper; the heart is a CB stamp which I embossed and then coloured with twinkling H2Os; the 'love' word is one of their stamps also.  The bow was cut from some of the left over backing paper using a die-namics die; birdcage charm was from my stash and the little lovebirds were cut using a Memory Box die.  Do take a look at the MMM challenge blog to see what their design team have offered us for inspiration. I'm now working on another Valentine themed quintile so that I can pop them both in the post to meet the deadline.

Inspired by Literature

I must say I really didn't like the look of the challenge on Make My Monday this week where they are asking us to make something inspired by a literary classic by Jane Austen.  English literature was my absolute least favourite subject at school and although I read a great deal I must confess that  I'm never drawn to any of the 'classics'.  However, as I was working on a card this morning it occurred to me that maybe this 'sit up and beg' bicycle is maybe reminiscent of a gentler era with its slower pace of life so maybe it will fit in with the challenge.  If I have a better idea later in the week I may try again just as long as I don't have to actually read the book!!

 Background paper is from Papermania capsule collection, a Couture Creations embossing folder has been used, the bicycle is a Memory Box die, mounted onto a Nestabilities label.  Sentiment produced on the computer and the bow was cut with a Die-namics die and embossed.

Birds in a Tree

I heard an interesting theory that the wire baskets in craft shops are actually magnetic which of course must be the reason why so many dies seem to jump into mine when I'm 'just looking'. This ornate fence die from Spellbinders did just that earlier in the week when I met up with a couple of fellow crafters for coffee, lunch and a browse around the shop. I think dies and embossing folders are such good value because there are so many ways in which they can be used. I decided to combine the fence with a tree and some little birds (Memory Box dies) on a background of Core-d-inations card which was overstamped with some delicate foliage and simple greeting using stamps from Chocolate Baroque.

Technique Tuesday

I was invited to take part in the Technique Tuesday challenge and there is a tutorial over there for this faux tile technique - follow the link to see it and also the work by their design team.  I used another Elusive Images stamp (now Chocolate Baroque), some Tim Holtz vintage shabby background paper and die cuts using up the other half of the Top Note piece which I cut yesterday and also a lattice Memory Box die. The sentiment was produced on the cojmputer and is layered onto an X-cut tag shape also die cut. I can see lots of potential for this idea and will probably be using it again as I'm sure it can look very different depending upon the stamps used.

For Two challenges

Hopefully I'm catching up with myself a bit but only because I was awake soon after four this morning with no chance of getting back to sleep so I decided to get up, have breakfast and then into the craft room.  Mind you it feels like almost lunch time now (or at least elevenses!!).  I think I'm in time for the Make My Monday challenge which is to use the complimentary colours of  PURPLE AND YELLOW  and because I've used an embossing folder which has lain unused for such a long time and a small dragonfly X-cut punch equally neglected I am putting this card in for Judith's Forgotten Friday challenge as well. Background paper was a piece from my scrap box and of course the die cuts and punched elements used more scraps.  Embossing folder is from Cuttlebug, as is the word die, the large dragonfly was cut with a Sizzix die and Memory Box Tessatina die for a border.. The yellow card is from Coredinations whitewash range and has been sanded and inked with Lemonade Distress ink to bring out the colour.

I'm off now for early elevenses!!

Three Challenges

I'm not sure how I managed it but I seem to have made a card which actually covers three challenges - I'd like to claim that it was intentional but I'll be honest it was totally by chance. In fact I've also covered my own personal challenge to use some of my scraps wherever possible before cutting into any new pieces of card or paper.

Addicted to Stamps - Christmas in July
Forgotten Friday - Use Forgotten or Neglected Stash
Simply Stampin' - A Sketch for Inspiration

I started by digging out the SU stamp set Pines and Poinsettias to make the Christmas in July card and the images had been popped onto the Sizzix Two Tags die in readiness when I realised that I could maybe use this for the SU sketch challenge.  Background paper is from a Papermania pad which I had last Christmas and the ribbon is from a Papermania pack purchased at the same time and not even opened until yesterday - the central border was cut using a Memory Box die (Tessatina) using a scrap of green card.  Of course the fact that none of these items had been used for several months qualifies the card for Judith's challenge.  Do follow the links above to see other projects made for these challenges.

Addicted to Stamps Challenge Week 1

I was introduced to yet another challenge blog, mainly because two of my friends are on the design team - it is called Addicted to Stamps and as well as a weekly card challenge, they are doing a monthly scrapbook one.   If you follow the link you can see what they are all about and maybe join in.  For the first week they have asked us to 'make your mark' - using markers to colour an image being the general idea.  In my trawl through the bits boxes I came across a stray printed digi stamp of Magnum (from Ladybug Crafts) so have coloured him and his friend Lily with Copics and made a cheery get well card. Background paper is from a pad which has lost the cover (had it for ages) and I added a Memory Box diecut border, some corners punched from scraps and a little button from a pack of cat and dog themed ones which I bought some years ago.  The little faux brads in the corners are bits of the 'waste' left over from cutting the border - don't laught Anne!!!  As this card incorporates some neglected items it should also qualify for Judith's Forgotten Friday challenge so two for the price of one this week.

Simply Stampin' challenge week 60

The theme this week at Simply Stampin' is MONOCHROME with a splash of COLOUR.  I used the SU Silhouette Sentiments stamp set to build up the image, stamping just one of the flowers in a bright pink for the splash of colour against the monochrome.  Background paper is from my stash - again a pad which has lost its cover so not sure of the source, a Memory Box die cut, some ribbon and a stamped sentiment complete this card. Do take a look at some of the lovely creations from the design team.

Froggy Get Well

I decided I needed to make something bright and cheery on this very dark and wet morning - been raining steadily since well before I got up. I know we are supposed to need rain but surely not all at once!!

This frog character is from Docrafts Diggity Dog range.  Backing paper is from my stash and I just had to use my first Memory Box die - I've managed to resist buying any of these so far but I must say this one cut beautifully so I may be tempted with more.  Most of them are quite finely detailed and I'd imagined they would be difficult to remove from the die but fortunately this wasn't the case - came out so easily.