Tag team

Dawn has set our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week. She’d like to see some pretty gift tags, perhaps using up some paper scraps if you have them. 

As a patterned paper denier (I usually experience brain freeze if I try to use it) I went for a different sort of scrap - my tag is made from the thick card on the back of a board-backed envelope - and prettied it up with a stamp.

In travels around the interweb recently I saw some things that reminded me I haven’t used my letter punches for ages (the sort you hit with a hammer to emboss into metal etc) which prompted this tag. I layered so the circle with the lettering doesn’t have the back showing (it can get bumpy!). I added just a touch of brown and white pencil colouring and a few dots of gold gel pen in the very centres of the flowers and gave the edges some depth by brushing with Distress ink.

Stamps:
Soothing Sympathy (Power Poppy, retired I believe)

Paper:
Board-backed envelope

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

Other:
Metal letter punches
Circle dies
Coloured pencils 
Gold gel pen
Ribbon
Crochet thread

Thanks for stopping by!

Squash, shimmer and shine!

I'm not sure where this month has gone but I am managing to play before the deadline for the current challenge at Let's Squash It - any embossing folder plus shimmer and/or shine.

I ended up having a bit of my "patterned paper syndrome" here - I made my embossed piece and then  dithered for ages suffering brain freeze on what to do with it! In the end I decided whimiscal foliage might suit a whimsical image and picked up Pointy Hat Gnome.

I got my shimmer by applying Rub n Buff over my embossed piece using the universal craft tool (my index finger). I did then use a silver gel pen on some of the finer lines to make sure they were properly highlighted. I also coloured a few of the low sections with a Copic marker just a shade or two darker than the cardstock.

Stamps:
Pointy Hat Gnome (Lost Coast Designs)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
DCWV textured
Bristol board
Dark chocolate brown

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Grand Fubu embossing folder (Couture Creations)
Rub n Buff by Amaco (Silver Leaf)
Copic markers
Silver gel pen
Circle frame cut from mirri card with Fine Frames dies (Altenew)
Ultra white embossing powder (Wow!)
Tracing wheel

Thanks for stopping by!

Splish splosh

Svenja has issued our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week - she's sending us splish sploshing around to cool off!

I made a sploshy background and added a fish for good measure on the watery front! The background is just Distress ink smooshed onto a piece of acetate, spritzed with water and dabbled onto the card base. I layered up the colours going from light to dark.

The fish is stuck down with the exception of the two little fins on his underside, I left those free for a tiny bit of dimension.

Stamps:
Under the Sea (Darkroom Door)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Ti Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean, Blueprint Sketch)

Other:
Copic markers
White Enamel Accents by Ranger
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by - hope the weather is manageable for you wherever you are.

Sunglasses weather

Miri's chosen the challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week and it’s a perfect one for the weather we’re having at the moment - feature (sun) glasses on your card!

I’m still revisiting old stamps - this little fella made his debut in 2010! He’s Copic coloured, cut out and popped up over the stencilled background. I gave him a grounding shadow, coated the die cut sentiment in some Enamel Accents for a glossy, dimensional look, rounded one corner and called it done (other than dropping it face down and having to fix the Enamel Accents, that is!). 

Stamps:
Cool Dudes I (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Jenni Bowlin by Ranger (Lemon Drops)

Other:
Copic markers
Strobes stencil (Visible Image)
Phrases dies (Spellbinder)
White enamel accents (Ranger)
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

Gnome for Christmas

There are plenty of Christmas in July challenges around at the moment - as I was lucky enough to win some stamps from Lost Coast in a recent challenge I thought I should try to play along with theirs using part of my prize! Although I haven’t played at Less is More in several years, I still check out the challenge every time so I’m going to link up there too!

I chose Pointy Hat Gnome as one of my prize stamps so I thought I should ink him up sooner rather than later and dress him in festive colours so he could play along. He's decided to go into the lucrative business of Christmas tree sales this year and is looking forward to the smell of fresh pine resin as people saw through the skinny trunk of thier chosen tree!

This is just simple stamping and masking, colouring with a few Copics and some little wiggles of dimensional pearl paint around the base of the sign and below his feet to suggest some snow - light and flat for easy postage!

ETA: just realised I left a strip of tape over the lower portion of the post after inking so if you’re seeing a slightly weird line down his mitten, imagine it gone now! I hand drew that bit of the sign as the original didn’t have a long enough stem so I couldn’t cut a mask from the stamped image for that bit. Funny how a it takes a photo to show up an imperfection sometimes!

Stamps:
Pointy Hat Gnome (Lost Coast Designs)
Bear Hugs and Vintage Winter Signage (both Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukinko (Graphite Black, Pearlescent Chocolate)
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide by Ranger (Cracked Pistachio)

Other:
Copic markers
Pearl pen by Viva Decor (Ice White)
Corner Chomper

 

Link in the chain - June

Time for the June reveal at Card Chain Challenge - mine has gone to LaVon in Illinois this time. 

From the choices on offer this month, I chose the sketch, the colours and the theme of things that fly to put together a clean and simple design. I didn’t quite stick to my one layer principle for CCC cards as I did stamp the ballon separately, cut it out and pop it up on a bit of gel glue. The sentiment got similar treatment. The cloudy sky is created with ink applied with a blending brush over a torn edge. 

Stamps:
Past Times and Essential Messages (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Stonewashed)

Other:
Copic markers
Stitched rectangle dies A6 size (Paper Rose)
Sequins
Pinflair glue gel

There are still a few days to sign up for the next chain if you fancy it

July's elements

It's the first Friday of a new month so of course that means an "elemental" challenge at Daring Cardmakers - just choose at least three elements from the picture to kick start your project.

Kathy has gathered supplies to make a lovely inspiration picture for us this month. From it I picked the Eiffel Tower, a daisy, washi tape, clear domes and the rich teal blue of the ribbon for a little collage of elements on a small card (this is 10.5cm square).

Stamps:
French Mail (Crafty Secrets, no longer with us)
Build a Bouquet (Stampendous)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate, Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink (Peacock Feathers)

Other:
Copic markers

Glossy Accents
Washi tape
Corner Chomper

Here's the inspiration photo Kathy has put together for us this month, what inpsires you here?