WMS Flower Show (2)

Claire has posted on the Waltzingmouse Stamps blog to open up the Flower Show for anyone who has played along by CASEing one of the projects made by the talented bunch of designer/bloggers who took part in Friday's blog hop - details here.

For my second project (first one posted yesterday in this post), I was inspired by this beauty which is showcased here on Debbie Olsen's blog.

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm a candidate for "World's Worst CASEer" as things tend to fall apart when I try to base my work on somebody else's project but it was fun to play along.

From Debbie's original I kept the larger size (7"x5"), the stamp set, the zig zag stitching and the basic layout.

I created my own background paper with gesso, acrylic paint and some stamping (a retired CHF backgrounder with a small leaf pattern and the sprig from the WMS Paris Nouveau set). Versafine Smokey Grey ink is perfect for this sort of thing, especially if you blot it before it's fully dried so you get a slightly hazy effect.

As with yesterday's card, I omitted the bulkier embellishments, using a coloured mat around the sentiment panel for that second pop of mauve rather than the bow and stick pins. I used the same Copic marker to colour some white cardstock for the mat so I got a perfect match for the rose colour. I added an intricate die cut under the rose as an echo of Debbie's lacey edging on her sentiment panel. Some some tiny pearls added an extra feminine touch and the centre of the rose has some gold Spica pen for a tiny bit of glimmer.

Stamps:
Roses in Bloom (Walzingmouse Stamps)
Sprig from Paris Nouveau (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Leaves 3 Backgrounder (CHF, retired)
Sentiment from Say It All (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Smooth white

Ink:
Espresso (Adirondack by Ranger)
Smokey Grey (Versafine by Tsukineko)

Other:
Gesso
Acrylic paint
Copic markers
Persian Accents dies by Spellbinder
Nail art pearls
Sewing machine and thread
Tracing wheel
Gold Spica Glitter pen

Thanks for stopping by!

WMS Flower Show

Claire at Waltzingmouse Stamps has had a lovely idea for a blog hop and challenge - the Flower Show. Several well known designers and bloggers have made guest projects focusing on WMS florals for a lovely spring display.

The challenge bit? Just CASE one of the projects and hook it up to the WMS blog tomorrow. I couldn't decide between two projects so I've actually made something for each of them and I thought I'd blog the first one today in case anybody who reads my blog hasn't seen the WMS Flower Show and would like to join in before Claire posts tomorrow.

I loved this project my Emilie Chamel, showcased in her blog post here.

I got this set recently and hadn' got round to inking it up yet so I decided this was a good push in the right direction!

I should probably say that I'm possibly the world's worst CASEer - it usually all goes to pot when I try to base my work on somebody else's! I had fun having a go, though. For my version, I kept Emilie's technique (black pen outlines for a hand-drawn look), placement off the edge of the card and the colour scheme.

I changed the orientation, used a different sentiment and slimmed down the embellishments for an easier-to-post version of the card - I used a velvet brad and some nail art gems in the centres of the purple flowers. Instead of Emilie's ink splatters I've used a scattering of tiny gemstones in colours to match two of the inks in the medallion.

This is a fun set with lots of different elements that you can build up in different ways, I'm sure it will get more outings soon!

Stamps:
Folk Art Medallion and Say It Loud (Waltzingmouse Stamps)

Paper:
Canvas textured white

Ink:
Spanish Moss, Onyx Black (Versafine by Tsukineo)
Cherry Pink, Agean Blue (Versacraft by Tsukineko)
Spring Pansy (Versacolor by Tsukineko)
Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade (Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger)

Other:
Copic Fineliner
Velvet brad
Nail art gems
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by - do check out the Flower Show for some floral goodness and maybe join in the fun if you're inspired along the way (there are prizes, too!).

Yellow circles

Our theme for this month's postcard swap on UK stampers is "mostly yellow with circles on it somewhere". Bicycle wheels are circular so this is where my brain went...

I may have gone a bit overboard with the yellow (my fingers look like I have a heavy nicotine habit!) but nobody can say it's not bright! I did a light-handed job with the Copics since I didn't plan ahead and I'd stamped with Versafine before deciding on my colouring medium but I just about got away with it!

Stamps:
Bike and Basket (Hero Arts cling stamp)
Many Dots (Hero Arts clear stamp set)
Sentiment from Journaling Words 3 (Artistic Stamper)

Ink:
Lemon Drop (Jenni Bowlin ink by Ranger)
Mustard Seed (Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger)
Onyx Black (Versafine by Tsukineko)

Other:
Sequin Waste mask (Tando Creative)
Gesso
Copic markers
Silver gel pen

It's a low-commitment swap (make one card, get one card in return and they're posted "naked" so it's a single ordinary stamp) so why not join us if you fancy some happy mail? All the details are here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tear it up!

Time for a new "Take It, Make It" challenge over on the Craft Stamper blog. This time around we're being inspired by Helen Chilton's Terrific Tearing article which is on page 78 of the May issue. Don't worry if you haven't got hold of it yet, the challenge is open for a couple of months so there's plenty of time to play along.

I immediately had the idea of something bursting out of the card when I saw this technique so I ran with that and made a kids' birthday card with this cute monster and some bright colours. I used a textured white cardstock for just a touch of extra interest on the torn layer and added a simple doodled border as it seemed to fit the character of this little chap!

His eye stalks are raised up on foam pads and his feet are stuck to the card so he does have some movement as if he's coming out of the frame.

Stamps:
Monsters Ink (Technique Tuesday)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts)

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Paper:
DCWV textured white
Smooth white
Orange

Other:
Copic markers
Copic fineliner
Foam pads

There were some great entries for the first challenge - don't forget the winning entry will be published in a future issue of the magazine so if you fancy seeing yourself in print, why not join us?! There's a lovely stamp from sponsors Indigo Blu for the winner as well. All the challenge details are here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tipsy glitter cover girl!

I'm blowing my own trumpet just a little today - I've just got back from a couple of weeks in Italy and find myself a cover girl for the first time!

I have a step-by-step article in the May issue  of Craft Stamper on using glitter and alcohol markers (hence "Tipsy Glitter") and one of the three cards described in the article is featured on the cover. I'm quite excited!

I don't use a lot of glitter in my crafting and this is a good way to make a single colour stretch much further!

Hoping to get  back into some crafting in the next week or so but you know how it is when you've just got back from a holiday and feel you have no idea which way is up!

Stamps you can see on this cover card are
Butterflies from Antique Engravings (Hero Arts)
Sentiment from Truly Appreciated (Hero Arts)

Thanks for stopping by!