So square

The lovely Shabneez is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers today. She’d like to see squares — square cards, lots of little squares as design elements, however you feel like incorporating squares!

I couldn’t really get going with anything this week so decided to add a Christmas card to the stash. Jo’s Christmas Kickstart has a green theme this month so I chose to play along there too. 

Santa’s dachshund has put on his best green sweater to deliver his Christmas greetings. He has lovely green trees in the background, too (dog masked before stamping trees). He’s on a square card with an inner square that looks surprisingly dimensional! I drew round a square die with a fineline marker then added some smudged charcoal pencil in the corners. His sweater has some squares in its pattern, too. 

This cute stamp was one of the Katzelkraft bargains I got ages ago but I’ve only just got round to using him — he made my hubby smile when he saw the card waiting to be photographed. There’s a lady in our village who has a dachshund that loves a fuss, Betty (the dog, not her owner!) has the softest ears you’ve ever felt, they’re like very expensive silk velvet!

Stamps:
Chien du Pere de Noel (Katzelkraft)
Lovely As a Tree  (Stampin’ Up)
Sentiment from an ancient set (MSE)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Copic markers
Charcoal pencil
Pearl pen by Viva Decor (Ice White)

Thanks for stopping by!

Spring is in the air!

Nat is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers today and she’d like to see signs of spring! Anything goes that makes you think of spring as we head into a new season with longer days and everything coming to life. 

I’ve gone floral with a lovely magnolia. I’ve never had one but always admire them when I see them in other people’s gardens, they're a very showy sign of spring! I haven’t managed to play at Retro Rubber for a while and this seemed the perfect opportunity as the current theme is spring flowers. 

I stamped with very light ink and did “no line” colouring with pencils on the lovely neutral-toned Strathmore paper. Die cut with a stitched rectangle die and mounted simply with a wide border on a white card with a fineliner run around the edge of the image panel.

Stamps:
Magnolia by Stampendous (I’ve had mine since 2018)
Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
Strathmore Tomed Grey

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Fade Out by Ink On 3

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

Card Chain Challenge — February

I’ve  been absent from the Card Chain for a few months but I’m trying to get back in to the swing of some paper crafting so I signed up for February to give myself a nudge. My card went to the lovely Hilary so it didn’t have too far to travel.

From the options on offer I chose the colours and the theme of flowers and revisited an old Hero Arts stamp, sticking to my usual CCC aesthetic of single layer. 

I stamped and masked then coloured one bloom with pencils and the background ones with grey Copics, added some charcoal pencil drop shadow and a fine border with a marker (drawing round the outside of a die makes it easy). Then of course couldn’t decide on a sentiment, took me ages to find one I liked in the space I had!

This took a lot longer to make than it should have done, I’m definitely out of practise, but it got there in the end. The colouring is richer in real life I think, the shading on the flower really didn’t want to photograph well but time was tight and it needed to go in the post  

Stamps:
Large Striped Flower (Hero Arts)
Sentiment from an old Cornish Heritage Farms set (no long with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Coloured pencils
Copic Markers
Charcoal pencil
Black fineliner
White paint pen by Posca

Thanks for stopping by. The sign up for the March chain is open until the 6th if you fancy making and sending one card, getting a lovely hand made card in return. 

Elements for March

First Friday of the month is always an "elemental" challenge at Daring Cardmakers — choose at least three elements from the inspiration picture to kickstart your project.

This month's picture has a very serene quality. I decided that leant itself to sympathy cards and since they're rarely in my stash and you inevitably don't really feel like making one when you need it, I went that way.

From the inspiration picture I chose some of the colours, the feathers from the dream catchers, the macrame made me think of this embossing folder and I used twine to tie the feathers together. The feathers are gently edged with Vintage Photo ink. 

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

Paper:
Bristol board
Kraft

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Other:
Feathers
Linked circles
Nail art pearls
Crochet thread
Cropadile

Here's our inspiration this week:

Thanks for stoppig by!