Brighter Days

For today's card I've used stamps from four different Stampin' Up sets to make this summery scene.  I started with a wash of colour using distress inks on watercolour paper; over-stamping some detail for the sea and sand before adding some birds and grasses.  The girl and balloons were stamped and cut out - the strings were added using a black fine line pen.

Sea, Sand, Birds in Sky - High Tide stamp set Stampin' Up
Birds on Beach and Tall Grasses - Wetlands stamp set SU
Girl and Sentiment - Beautiful You stamp set SU
Balloons - Balloon Celebration stamp set SU
Distress Ink Pads - Scattered Straw and Tumbled Glass

Challenge #331 in the Playground

It seems there is no let up in the heatwave for the moment - unfortunately the heat doesn't really suit me and I don't function particularly well under these conditions.  However I have managed to make a card for the current Playground challenge which as you will see is a Christmas one in readiness for the cooler weather at the end of the year.  It doesn't seem possible that we will no doubt soon be complaining about the cold weather.

You certainly need to visit the Playground this week to see something new and interesting which the clever Di has sourced to show us and of course as usual there is no need to guess what the prize will be for one lucky participant.

I found a suitable piece of seasonal background paper, then used snippets of various colours to die cut the wreath and the decorations.  Using the wreath as a guide I stamped the wording into the centre of the background using the Misti which certainly helps me to keep things straight.  The wreath was then stuck into place and the various flowers and leaves were arranged around.  I have to say that die cutting all these really tiny elements was a bit of a faff as the dies are all individual and so tiny (mostly the size of my little finger nail or smaller) and of course I will have to be really careful not to lose any of them.  Luckily I had a snippet of magnetic sheet which was just the right size to fit into the packet so all dies are now safely packed away until I need them again.

Background - paper from Craftwork Cards
Die set - Pretty Wreath from Sizzix

Card for a Male

Coming up with something different for a card to send my brother each year always requires some thought - just what to make which isn't football or drinking??  I'd not realised quite how far we are into July until today so this one had to be made quite quickly and I've resorted to some papers with graphics and some stamped and die cut feathers, simply adding some raffia.  I used a text background, followed by two die cut circles, one in kraft card and one in a different text paper.  The feathers were stamped and die cut and a simple greeting added.  Just about time to show it on here before I dash off to the postbox.

Graphics papers - Prima Marketing
Feathers - Stamp set with matching dies, Four Feathers from Stampin' Up
Greeting - Tim Holtz, Sizzix

Pixie Snippets Challenge #330

It is another bright and sunny Sunday morning here and time to visit the Playground for another challenge.  It does sound churlish to complain about the heat but I would actually prefer slightly cooler temperatures - when I get hot sitting still I'm afraid it's too much for me but maybe Parsnip will have the paddling pool out!!

I was lucky enough recently to win the  Snippets prize so that's what I've used in the main for my card this week together with some 'sequins' die cut using a prize won quite a while ago.  Every fortnight the lovely Di makes a card using the current prize for our inspiration and of course to show us what we could own if our name comes up in the Random Number draw.  This time there is a super get well card featuring a poorly pooch using just one of the themed stamps in the set and of course we all need to wish someone well now and then don't we.  Why don't you raid your snippets and visit the playground with a picture of what you make to be in with a chance.

Anyway for my card I found a fairly large snippet of text patterned paper and chose suitable colours of Distress ink to sponge onto one of the resist cards which were part of my win - details below.  I then found a snippet of black card to cut out a phrase from the other part of the prize which was a set of word dies - again details below.  I cut a square from the inked card, added the words which I actually cut twice and layered up for strength and a bit of dimension, before popping it onto the background at a jaunty angle.  Finally I die cut some 'sequins' from a scrap of gold card and scattered them randomly.

Resist Square - Everyday Tintables from Concord & 9th
Words - Fabulous Phrases also Concord & 9th
Sequins - dies from Die-namics
Distress Inks - Mustard Seed, Rusty Hinge and Aged Mahogany

Trees - or Are They????

Before putting away my parchment 'stuff' I decided to make a card using yet another of the  Groovi Club plates.  This one is a feather design but as you see they can also double up as trees.  I've  incorporated some picot cutting into this one and the design is layered up onto some decorative backing paper.  Again I've made a frame to help with mounting the parchment and added a simple sentiment stamped on a strip of card. The colouring was done using watercolour pens.

Now I really must do what I intended this morning - tidying away all the parchment bits and pieces...until the next time anyway.

Image - Groovi Design Club Feather plate and landscape/sun and moon plate
Frame - Sue Wilson Noble Pierced frames dies
Sentiment - freebie stamp on punched banner (SU punch)

Groovi New Home

I decided to use the latest Groovi Club plate to make a new home card but with a bit of a difference in that the parchment panel was popped behind a 'brick' layer which of course solves the problem of how to attach parchment to a card.  Glue is a bit of a no-no for parchment and I don't always want to use brads.

The design was traced to fit a certain size circle  with some hills added using another plate, then coloured using pencils.  The brick wall effect was done using an embossing folder after I'd cut out the circle from the piece of kraft card.  I also cut a frame using the same die set.  Once assembled I thought it needed a little something extra so as well as a sentiment I also added a little picket fence, a lucky black cat and a dog.  They do seem to be facing each other out but hopefully they are friends!!

House Design - Groovi Club Plate for June, hills from a basic landscape plate
Brick Panel - Embossing folder from Crafter's Companion
Colouring - Polychromos pencils
Sentiment - downloaded and resized (Netty's Cards)
Dog - X'cut mini die Docraft
Cat - dies from Impression Obsession
Picket Fence - Sizzix die

Rudolph Days for June

Each month there is a challenge to produce Christmas cards from 25th to the end of the month - find details HERE.  There are some great inspiration cards from the design team and considering the Shopping channels seem to be well into Christmas I decided to make a quick card using a stamp which I won a few months ago.  The image was stamped using Versafine and coloured with Distress ink markers scribbled onto a tile and picked up with a wet brush.  Oval dies were used to cut out the image and the card was finished with some leaves and a Bow and Star diecut all of which were in one of the 'pots' on my desk where I keep such things until they come in handy.  I'm afraid I can't remember where the bow and star came from and a quick look amongst my dies didn't unearth the die.  The background paper came from my stack of odd pieces of paper and the sentiment was a download.  A couple of gems were added for mistletoe berries.

Image - House Mouse stamp
Ovals - Tonic nesting ovals dies
Leaves - die from a set given with magazine last Christmas
Bow and Star - die unknown as it was from my oddments cut a long time ago.
Sentiment - download from Netty's Cards