Be Happy!

Shabneez is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week — she’d like to see something featuring the word happy. I did have plans to make something with “happy” being a more prominent feature but things didn’t pan out that way.

This was made for a young lady who is very maths and science oriented (hence choice of background stamp) and whose favourite colour is purple. She’s not a girly girl so I thought this t-shirt might make a good base for her card.

I stamped the shirt, stencilled the swirl design and added just a bit of shading with a couple of Copics then cut it out. I masked the edges of the card with low tack tape, stamped the background and doodled a border. Die cut numbers and a stamped sentiment finish it off and the shirt is stuck on with gel glue to lift it slightly off the background.

Stamps:
Nothing to Wear (Visible Image)
Sentiment from Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)
Numbers border (Kaisercraft)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide by Ranger (Wilted Violet)

Other:
Time Tunnel stencil (Visible Image)
Tim Holtz Alphanumeric dies (Sizzix) 
Copic markers
Fineline marker
Corner Chomper 

Thanks for stopping by!

Changing seasons

Our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week is being set by Dawn and she’d like to see something influenced by the changing seasons.

I’ve opted for the obvious autumnal feel and also combined with the current challenges at Let’s Squash It (emboss two thirds of your card) and Die Cut Divas (autumn). 

On my daily walk up the lane I pass lots of interesting dry stone walling, some of it a little tumbledown, some of it mossy or supporting brambles as well as keeping the cows and sheep where they should be! I haven’t used this folder for ages and I thought it would be nicely rustic with the autumn leaves. I added a bit of ink to the folder before embossing to accentuate the lines.  

Unusually for me, there’s no stamping (other than the sentiment). 

Stamps:
Sentiment from Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
Kraft

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

Other:
Dry stone wall embossing folder  (Crafter’s Companion) 
Pan pastels
Leaves dies (Impression Obsession)
Corner Chomper 
Nail art gems

Words of comfort

At Daring Cardmakers this week, we’re reflecting on the UK’s national sense of loss and mourning as we say farewell to Queen Elizabeth II. We’d like to see cards offering comfort for those experiencing loss or a difficult time in their lives.

I tend to opt for simplicity when I make sympathy cards and this is no exception, just simple stamping, inking and a tiny bit of pattern added with a stencil.  

Stamps:
Nature I (Indigo Blu)
Sentiment from Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass, Bundled Sage)

Other:
Cressida Stencil (Memory Box)
Corner Chomper 

Thanks for stopping by.  

Into the woods

Miri is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week — she’d like to see woods and forests represented in some way. I decided to combine with the current challenge at Lost Coast where the team would like to see at least three stamps being used on our cards. 

I stamped the trees background directly onto the card base and brushed on a little ink in blue shades, stamped and cut out the owl and tucked him behind a die cut frame (black card dusted with Perfect Pearls in autumn shades). I coloured the card outside the frame with a black marker and added oak leaves cut from a larger stamped image. I was aiming for foreground with leaves then owl, background with bare trees but I can’t quite convince myself the oak leaves look right — maybe it will grow on me!

Sorry the photo looks a bit washed out, it was the best I could manage on a particularly dreary morning here in Northumberand. Hopefully any owls around here have good shelter - apparently they're not waterproof!

Stamps:
Trees backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Oak branch (Beeswax Stamps)
Twit Twoo (Indigo Blu)

Paper:
Bristol board
Black

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

Other:
Stitched square frame die (Paper Rose)
Copic markers
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Heirloom Gold, Bronze, Copper)
Black Fineliner

September elements and link in the chain

A two-in-one post today since the second of the month (reveal day at Card Chain Challenge) coincides with the first Friday (our “elemental” challenge at Daring Cardmakers). 

Miri has chosen our DCM mood board for September — as ever, just chose at least three elements to kickstart your project. I chose the surface rings on the puddle, the autumn leaves and a circle. I used Pan Pastels to colour the die cut leaves and added the framing for the circle as an afterthought so it’s drawn on with a fineliner and a Copic marker. The dots are my trusty tomato paste tube and a few tiny nail art gems.

Just realised Die Cut Divas have an autumn theme this time around so I’m linking this card up there, too. 

Stamps:
Sentiment from Say It All (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Vintage Sepia)

Other:
Retro circles embossing folder  (Tim Holtz/Sizzix) 
Pan pastels
Circles dies (Spellbinder)
Leaves dies (Impression Obsession)
Stitched rectangles A6 size (Paper Rose)
Tomato paste tube
Nail art gems

My Card Chain Challenge card went to Pat in Texas this time. From the options on offer I chose the theme of fruit and flowers and gave this lovely lemon set its first outing (I have blogged another card with it already but this one was made and sent before that was made). It’s almost my usual one layer card for CCC, just the little blossom is die cut and added over the base layer. 

There’s still time to sign up for the September chain if you fancy it, details here.

Stamps:
Lemon Blossom (The Greetery, plus matching dies)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Various yellow, green and pink inks (I failed to keep note!)

Other:
Copic marker
Nail art gems
Corner Chomper