Showers and flowers

It's my turn to set the challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week. As it seems to have been raining for weeks here in the UK and the garden is really getting going for summer I thought we’d focus on showers and/or flowers — bonus brownie points if your card features both!

I made a loose watercolour swoosh in blue and then splattered paint for my shower. The die cut flowers (liberated from their bottle by snipping with scissors) are watercoloured too, I did the little pieces separately and then inlaid them once they were dry. It’s a bit fiddly but quite a nice effect, I think. 

A simple stamped sentiment and my usual rounded corner and call it good to go.

Supplies:
Bouquet die (Concord and 9th)
Watercolours (Winsor & Newton)
Sentiment from Say It All (Hero Arts, retired)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Corner Chomper

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M is for...

Rizwana is setting today's challenge at Daring Cardmakers and we’re focusing on the letter M.

I have Meerkats coloured with Markers on a Masculine card. I picked up these Katzelkraft stamps on eBay a while back (most of them unused), who can resist a cheeky meerkat?!

The recipient plays for a football team who have a red and black strip so I made appropriate “scarf stripes” with markers along the base of the card. The dancing meerkat has a chalk halo because it was a quick and easy way to add some colour there.

Stamps:
Surikats (Katzelkraft)
Celebrate (Letter It line by Ranger)

Paper:
Bristol board 

Ink:
Adirondack by Ranger (Espresso)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Copic markers

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Let's hear it for the boys!

Shabneez is setting our challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week and she'd like to see some ideas for masculine cards.

I’ve gone for a teen boy card. He’s a guitar player (got his Grade 7 a few months back) and likes a bit of classic rock. It’s a one layer card, achieved with masking and reverse masking so the guitar could be stamped as a design on the shirt with ink blending and stencilling for the background. 

Stamps:
Nothing to Wear and Rock Out (Visible Image)
Say It All (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (various blues)
Hero Arts Shadow ink (Charcoal)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Copic markers
Corner Chomper
Play Guitar Stencil (Visible Image)

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Elements for May

It's my turn to set the challenge at Daring Cardmakers and as it’s the first Friday of the month it is, as always, an “elemental” challenge — just chose at least three elements from the inspiration picture to kick start your project.

I chose teal tones (although it looks more blue toned on the photo), the daisy from the packaging, knitted stitch pattern and circles (inspired by the buttons and the circle on the box).

I started by smooshing ink onto the card with a piece of acetate then when it was dry I added circles using a couple of lids as stamps. I have an embossing folder with a nice knit pattern but I didn’t want to emboss the card so I embossed a piece of fun foam and used it as a texture stamp. The die cut daisy has a bit of watercolour added and the head is raised with some scraps of card.

Supplies:
Wildflower Stems 1 dies (Tim Holtz/Sizzix)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Stream)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Sentiment from Putting in the Ritz (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)
Watercolours by Winsor & Newton
Knitted 3D embossing folder (Sizzix)
Corner Chomper

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Card chain challenge — May

It’s reveal day once again at Card Chain Challenge where 32 players made and sent cards for the April challenge. Mine travelled all the way to the southern hemisphere to the lovely Robyn. 

From the options on offer I chose the colour palette and the theme of food and drink. It’s the usual one layer aesthetic for CCC, particularly when I’m airmailing something it seems a good idea to keep it light and flat. The sentiment has doodled edges and drop shadows done with a charcoal pencil to give the illusion of dimension. 

The cups are embossed with silver which gave me some trouble with photography but I hope it’s good enough for you to get the idea. 

Stamps:
Tea Time (Crafters Companion)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Detail silver embossing powder
Copic markers
Charcoal pencil
Black fineliner
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!