A Little Birdie...

...told me.  Actually two little birdies chatting together on this quick birthday card using up various scraps of card and paper just lying around.  The birds were stamped onto watercolour paper and coloured using water based pens before being cut into an oval shape.  A second, larger oval was die cut to match the odd piece of card which had been coloured with Pixie Powders - this in turn was layered onto some matching paper which was a magazine freebie.  The sentiments were stamped onto the 'Pixie' layer and all stamping was made so much easier by using the Misti positioning gizmo.

I felt I needed a break from the stitching efforts of the past couple of weeks and a bit of stamping and colouring just did the trick.  I knew that if I didn't immediately put the birds onto a card they would join the other 'stuff' just loitering around waiting to be used!!

Birds - Crazy Birds Tim Holtz
Ovals - Tonic dies
Wording - free stamps from a magazine gift from way back

Pixie Snippets #334

Time to visit the Pixie Snippets Playground again and there is a lovely card to see which Di has made using the current prize on offer.  The card features a fox and rabbit gazing at a starry sky - there is the usual detailed explanation of how it was made including some of the finer details which make all the difference to the finished card.

My Snippets contribution this time around features fabrics from my stash - left overs from several different projects and yes, you've guessed, I have a fabric mountain as well as the card/paper one!!  It has been a bit like a sweat shop here this last week or two trying to finish off some quilts -  UFO's which have been lying around for longer than I care to admit, just waiting to be layered up, quilted and finished off.  It is actually quite satisfying seeing these completed at long last.

I don't think I  need any more quilts for the moment but another thing which I really enjoy is making bags in various sizes and styles and yesterday I had a go using a pattern which I bought at the Exeter Quilt Show back in the Spring.  I quite often work without using patterns when making bags, sort of making them up to suit available materials. Rummaging around amongst my fabrics I found some toning fabrics to make the 'Quilt-as-you-Go' panels for the front and back of this bag with sufficient to make a matching lining with six pockets inside. There is a triangular flap with a magnetic clasp and this echoes the triangle which is at the top centre of each panel. I must say there was quite a bit of work involved in getting this completed so I might just have to keep it to add to my own bag collection although I suppose having followed the pattern once it should come easier another time.

Get Well

I've done a bit of stamping and colouring and one of the images has been used on this bright Get Well card.  An odd piece of background paper has been used and I found some scraps of coloured card to match before cutting shapes using a set of dies which I've had from the very early days of die cutting - needless to say they've not been used in ages but I thought the wonky shapes suited this card (good job I have a good memory as to what is in my stash!!).  The wording was composed on the computer using three different fonts, printed and die cut into a banner to complete this fairly simple card.

Image - Tim Holtz Crazy cats and dogs
Shapes - Wonky squares die from Spellbinders
Sentiment - composed on the computer, printed and cut out with Sue Wilson banner die

Snippets Challenge #333

I'm taking this card along to the Snippets Playground this week and if you pop along for a visit you will see a great card which Di has made to inspire us and of course to showcase the prize which will go to the lucky winner in the draw.  I've used various snippets of card left over from some of my inky play sessions using Pixie Powders and probably some Distress inks as well (I should make notes really when I play, but always forget).  The larger square piece was embossed while some stamping was done onto the narrow strip and the circle.  The dragonflies were punched from some other scraps at some point and were living in a 'scraps pot' on my desk..  The main background was an odd piece of paper which I thought went well colourwise.  The floral images were built up using a selection of small stamps from a set called Stamp Soup - great fun to use for fantasy floral effects.

Embossed Panel - Sue Wilson embossing folder
Sentiment - from a magazine freebie set of stamps
Floral images - Stamp Soup stamps Polkadoodle

More Flowers

When I was digging out the stamp set I used yesterday I came across another of my once favourite sets, also wood mounted and also double stamped images so here is a card using some of the flowers which I stamped and fussy cut with scissors.  The background is a piece of card embossed using one of the all occasions EF's in my stash and I die cut some leaves along with banners and sentiment circles to complete yet another floral birthday card.  I have to say that floral cards are usually much quicker to make these days using die cut flowers but I quite enjoy a bit of fiddly and leisurely cutting out for a change.

Background - 'that' embossing folder which came free with a magazine
Flowers - Greenhouse Garden stamp set Stampin' Up (discontinued)
Sentiment - download from Netty's Cards
Banners - dies by Sizzix for Stampin' Up
Leaves - Sizzix leaves die set
Circles - SU punches and stitched circle die

A Rose is a Rose

Yesterday I spotted a card posted by my friend Anne and she had used some flowers stamped with this set (discontinued) from Stampin' Up.  Now at one time this was one of my favourite stamp sets and was well used but seeing the card reminded me that I'd probably not inked any of these particular ones for maybe a few years - how bad is that??  I decided to challenge myself to use up a die cut shape which has been lying around amongst my many 'saved to use later' collections and set about stamping some of the roses, buds and leaves in colours to tone with it.  The rose set is one which has to be double stamped to get the effect and of course all images have to be cut out using scissors (no thoughts of matching dies around when these were issued).  They are wood-mounted stamps too so no chance of using the Misti for lining them up although I did use a Stampamajig (another item not used for ages). I stamped a sentiment and die cut a larger shape to back the 'found one' before running this through an embossing folder which I'd inked for the letterpress effect.  Finally I found a piece of suitable paper for backing and assembled my card.  A real 'blast from the past' I'd say but I did enjoy making it.

Background - Vintage Shabby paper by Tim Holtz
Die Cut Shapes - Sue Wilson dies
Embossing Folder - Embosalicious roses design inked before using
Sentiment - Stampin' Up wood-mounted stamp
Roses - discontinued SU set A Rose is a Rose, cut out using scissors
Inks used - Distress Oxide Picked Raspberry and Aged Mahogany also Mowed Lawn for leaves

Anniversary Cats

I had a smallish scrap of watercolour paper which had been coloured using various Pixie Powders and it was just enough to die cut a circle and a banner.  Next I found some pink card which matched nicely and from this I die cut the wording, a larger circle and then punched a small heart.  A scrap of black came into play for the entwined cats.  The pretty background paper was from a selection which came with a magazine some time ago.  Luckily this was separate from the actual magazine so it is of reasonable weight - such a shame that some magazines only give away papers within the pages and the paper just doesn't come up to standard really for using on cards.  This fairly quick anniversary card will fill a gap in my box of 'ready to send' cards and has used up a bit more of my scrap mountain!

Background - paper given free with magazine
Heart - punch from Stampin' Up
Circles - Sizzix dies stitched circles
Banner - Sue Wilson die
Words - Crafter's Companion dies
Cats - unbranded die