Textured holly

Last day of the month and I'm just managing to squeak in with a card for the current challenge at Let's Squash It - emboss/deboss. Jo and Gail want us to use any embossing folder and use both sides of the pattern on our cards.

I cut a full cardfront and then die cut two smaller rectangles from the centre. I ran the big piece through to get the debossed texture, the smallest through to get the emobssed texture and left the skinny one as a frame in between. I've added a tiny bit of colour to a couple of embossed holly leaves and berries, a stamped sentiment strip and made my first Christmas card of the year!

Apologies that the photo's not great, bright sun and snow glare in Northumberland today! Being a last-minute-minnie I can't wait for better conditions, I'm afraid. I hope it's still possible to see the two sides at play!

Supplies:
Moonlit Berries embossing folder (Couture Creattions)
Bristol board
Stitched rectangle dies, A6 size (Paper Rose)
Vintage Christmas Expressions (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Ivy)
Copic markers
Spica glitter pens (red and green)

Early bird

Miri is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week: it's the early bird that catches the worm! She'd like to see birds, worms, sunrises - anything to do with the saying.

Lost Coast Designs are currently asking us to "tweet this" so I'm linking up there too.

I thought I was going to have to miss the DCM challenge this week but I managed to make a super-fast one layer card with a stamp that does a lot of the heavy lifting to make a dramatic impact with very little effort. A little stencilling for a background, a few sequins and a simple stamped sentiment and call it done.

Stamps:
Spring bird (Bloom Art Stamps)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine
Tim Holtz

Other:
Rays stencil (Visible Image)
Sequins
Corner Chomper

 

 

Retro orchids

I’m delighted to be Guest Designer with Retro Rubber for the current challenge. It’s an “anything goes” theme this time around so as long as you use a stamp that’s older than a year, you’re good to go!

I needed a birthday card with a touch of elegance and figured orchids might fit the bill. It’s a good while since the orchid stamps came out to play! 

I stamped with pink ink, wiping most of it off the stem so I still got an impression but it was easier to cover with green pencil. The petals are coloured with white pencil which is opaque enough to lighten the base colour of the paper but still allows the pink “veins” to show through. I’d originally thought I would overstamp after colouring with the white but I liked the soft effect so left it alone.

Stamps:
Orchids (Darkroom Door, I’ve had mine since 2013)
Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us, had mine since 2014)

Paper:
Strathmore Toned Grey 
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Memento Luxe by Tsukineko (Rosebud) 
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)

Other:
Coloured pencils
Stitched rectangle dies, A6 size (Paper Rose)

If you need an excuse to break out the older stamps - come and join us!

For Ukraine

At Daring Cardmakers this week we’re aiming to fill our little crafting corner with the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag and sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine. The Internet has made the world much smaller, many of us know of crafters or others directly affected by the conflict — there isn't much any of us can do but make a small gesture to show support for the people of Ukraine.

This flower was as close to a sunflower as my stash could offer. I stamped it in a light coloured ink and then coloured with a base layer of Copics with some coloured pencil over the top.

Stamps:
Lin Brown 16 — Flowers (Paper Artsy)
Truly appreciated (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board 

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Sandal)

Other:
Copic markers
Coloured pencils
Corner Chomper

Please do join us if you can

Link in the chain - February

February is such a short month, those couple of days seem to make a disproportionate difference, don't they?! Anyway, we're round to Card Change Challenge reveal day once again!

My card flew across the Pond to Helen in Ohio this time (or maybe it's still flying, Helen hasn't got it yet, I don't think). I only managed one of the options on offer this time - the theme of mushrooms. OK, technically this is a toadstool but I figured I'd be forgiven for the slight mycological liberty!

It's my usuual CCC one layer preference, just with a die cut sentiment rather than a stamped one. The grasses are stamped with two different green inks for a bit of grassy randomness.

I think I'd have put this stancil and stamp together anyway but one of the Visible Image design team beat me to it so a shout out to Eileen Godwin is in order here!

Stamps:
Totally Toadstools (Visible Image)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black and Cottage Ivy)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass) and Oxide (Cracked Pistachio)

Other:
Copic markers
Strobes stencil (Visible Image)
Hello die (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)
Corner Chomper

I recceived a lovely mixed media card from Mia and she added some extra little goodies including  a sweet beaded necklace she made herself - thank you Mia!

There are still a few days to sign up for the March chain if you fancy it - make and send a card, get a hand made card from the next player! Sign up is here.

Thanks for stopping by!