Hippo birthday?

I've had one of those days where crafty stuff hasn't quite come to fruition because I'm waiting on a couple of things for the "perfect" finishing touch! So I decided to revist the One Layer Wednesday sketch (featured in my last post) for another quick card so that I felt I'd completed something at the craft desk today!

I've done a mirror image of the sketch this time because Heloise Hippo needed to hold the balloon in her raised hand. I drew the string freehand with a Multiliner pen. I did actually stamp and colour her around the fold in the card so there's a bit of interest on the back, too!

Because I used light colours and didn't do a lot of shading (which made it quick) the Copics don't show through to the inside, either. I'll keep this one in reserve for when I need a kids' birthday card in a hurry!

Stamps:
Heloise Hippo (High Hopes)
Balloon from Spring Chicks and More (CHF - retired)
Border from Artsy Banners (Crafty Secrets)
Sentiment from HOTP set

Paper:
Smooth white

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Distress ink by Ranger (Fired Brick)

Other:
Copic markers
Copic multiliner

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a heart

The challenge this week in the Crafty Secrets member forum over at Splitcoaststampers is to "have a heart". I started off with the little heart from the French Mail set stamped in to the banner triangles and built from there. The heart frame was a last minute addition after the card was "finished" but not looking quite complete somehow!

The wording is pulled from the same stamp I used to stamp the base card, I just snipped out the individual words, with"childhood" in red and the rest in Espresso.

A change of pace from the clean and simple projects I seem to have been doing of late!

Stamps:
Artsy Banners and French Mail (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Cryogen White
Deark red
Homemade Image and Journal booklet (Crafty Secrets)

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Satin Red)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)

Other:
Sewing machine and thread
Chipboard heart frame (Crafty Secrets)
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Gold Leaf)
Copic marker (to dull down the part of the picture outside the frame)

Thanks for stopping by!

More than words...

Susan is hosting this week's One Layer Wednesday challenge and she's asked us to use more than one sentiment and NO image stamps on our single layer creations - details are here.

I had fun finding lots of examples of the word love in my stamp sets (some were the single word, some needed selective inking from a longer phrase), then used alpha stamps to spell out LOVE in bigger letters and used selective inking on the word your to stamp YOU in red. It really could have done with being just a fraction further to the right so I added a red dot to extend the visual impact of the word - I think I succeeded in rescuing it!

Embossing the card front with a Nestability provides some definition for the stamped area without creating clutter or breaking the rules for a one layer card!

I think this would make a good masculine Valentine or anniversary card.

Stamps:
My Type alpha stamps (Ma Vinci's Reliquary)
Various CHF and Crafty Secrets sentiments

Paper:
Smooth white

Ink:
Versfine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black, Satin Red)

Other:
Nestabilities by Spellbinder (Large Square)

Thanks for stopping by!

Just for You

I made a second card using the black, white and one other colour scheme set for the recent Inchie Inklings challenge.

This pretty aqua shade is one of my favourites from the original DCWV mat stack and I thought the Retro Circles embossing folder would go well to pick out the little background swirls on the inchie stamp. This is a really quick and simple project - took me longer to sort out the thread in my sewing machine than anything else!

Stamps:
Inkadinkado Inchie Stamps Flowers
Sentiment from a HOTP set

Paper:
smooth white
DCWV

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Tim Holtz Texture Fade folder (Retro Circles)
Sewing machine and thread

Thanks for stopping by - hope you have a lovely weekend!

One layer Wednesday - bare tree

Yes, I know it's Tuesday - I'm six days late rather than a day early! I haven't played in the One Layer Wednesday challenge for a while and thought it was about time I put that right. Jennifer is this week's hostess and she's challenged us to make a one layer card featuring a bare tree.

I found a stamp I forgot I had (me? too many stamp? never!) - I'd tucked it into the case with the Lovely as a Tree set, obviously thinking that any time I reached for the trees in the set, I might consider this one too.

I got some Neocolour II water soluable pastels for Christmas -thanks Mum and Dad!- so I've had my first little play with them here for a swoosh of sunset colour. A stamped sentiment and a few hand drawn details (the birds and the grounding for the tree) finish it off.

Stamps:
Tree by Stamps Away
Sentiment from Journaling set (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Watercolour

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukinko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Neocolour II water soluable pastels by Caran d'Ache
Corner Chomper by We R Memory Keepers
Copic Multinliner

Thanks for stopping by!

Parisian Chic

This week's challenge in the Crafty Secrets member forum over at Splitcoast Stampers is to use some of the new stuff we got for Christmas. The Jamara embossing folder and Tumbled Glass ink were both under the tree for me this year. And although it's not newly acquired, I've never used this particular shape label die from the set so I guess I could count that as new, too!

I combined my two new items by inking the negative of the folder here to get colour in the low bits and leave the raised bits white. I find it works best if you brayer the ink onto the folder (less splotchy than if you tap the pad directly onto the plastic).

Stamps:
Sew Special (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)
Haute Couture (Cornish Heritage Farms - retired)

Ink:
Adirondack by Ranger (Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (Tumbled Glass)

Other:
Cuttlebug embossing folder (Jamara)
Fancy Labels die by Spellbinder
Copic markers
Vintage lace
Flat back pearls
Silk ribbon
Sewing machine and thread
Tracing wheel


We watched the Chanel biopic Coco Before Chanel on DVD last night - maybe that's why Parisian chic came to mind today (not that she'd have approved of the corset, of course!).

Thanks for stopping by!

Little wishes

There's a new challenge over at Inchie Inklings: black and white plus one colour. I like to play along with these when I can and I managed a card for this one today.

It's a very simple design but I liked the idea of using the texture to represent the seeds drifting out from the dandelion clock with the little gems for a touch of fairy dust to help those wishes along!

Stamps:
Inkadinkado Inchie Stamps Flowers

Paper:
Black
White

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Texture Fade Embossing folderCopic marker (to color the mat to match the gems)
Acrylic nail art gems

Thanks for stopping by!

Vintage riches

I'm trying to get back in to a bit of crafting and blogging but being hampered by damaged fingers - ouch! This card took ages and to top it all it's one of those projects that looks so much better in real life and just refuses to photograph well! Never mind, I decided to share anyway so that I could wish you all a Happy New Year!

This week's challenge in the Crafty Secrets member forum at Splitcoaststampers is to use up some leftovers. If you're a regular visitor you may have realised I don't use patterened paper very often so most of the leftovers on this project are things other than paper!

I did sacrifice a 3.5" square of my favourite ever Crafty Secrets paper that I've been carefully hoarding, having tucked it back into the stack after being trimmed off an earlier project. I then restricted myself to things that were lying around on my desk, some made as experiments or intended for other projects and then not used in the end, others just offcuts of trimmings etc (and yes, my desk is very messy - lots to choose from!). Even the dark red cardstock has some trial stamping and embossing on the back of it! I stamped on the biggest flower with the same script stamp as the little plaque to tie it together and used Copic markers to alter the colour of flowers and brads etc where necessary!

Stamps:
Artsy Banners (Clear Art Stamps by Crafty Secrets)

Paper:
Dark red (Paper Mill)
Radiant paper pad (Crafty Secrets)
Scrap mountboard (cut with a Cutlebug square tag die)

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Sewing machine and thread
Crystal chain from broken necklace
Paper flowers (including one coloured with Glimmer Mist)
Cog die cut
Snowflake punchie
Brads
Brass star charm
Silk ribbon

Thanks for stopping by - I hope 2011 brings you big highs, small lows and boundless creativity!