Card Chain Callenge - May

It's reveal day at Card Chain Challenge where this month 30 participants sent and received hand made cards. Mine went to Karolina this time.

From the options on offer I chose the theme of men in hats and the product and technique options of stencil and scoring, sticking to my usual CCC aesthetic of one layer.

I masked the gent on the stamped image but not the background so the stencilling goes over that bit of the image and the rays come directly out of his head. There's a charcoal pencil drop shadow going on and some silver gel pen on the corner swirls in the image.

Stamps:
Dashing Gents (Darkroom Door)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board

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

Other:
Strobes stencil (Visible Image)
Silver gel pen
Corner Chomper
Scor It

Thanks for stopping by!

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!

Card chain challenge — March

It’s reveal day at Card Chain Challenge — 35 cardmakers signed up to make a card and send it off to the next link in the chain this time! Mine went to Viv so it didn’t have too far to travel.

From the options on offer I chose the sketch and the technique option of block and string stamping. I wanted to stick with the circular elements of the sketch so I actually used a cotton reel as my block and wrapped string through the hole to make a sort of sunburst pattern. A bit of extra inking through a circular aperture in my trusty piece of acetate accentuated the pattern. Gnomie is stamped and masked before adding the background elements. 

I thought green and orange would be good colours for spring and it was only afterwards it made me think of carrots (for the Easter bunny?).

Stamps:
Pointy hat gnome (Lost Coast Designs)
Say It Loud (Waltingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:

Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide by Ranger (Cracked Pistachio)

Other:
Copic markers
String wrapped round a cotton reel
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

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. 

Link in the chain - August

It's reveal day again at Card Chain Challenge. Mine has gone to Daja this time.

From the options on offer I chose the colours, the sketch, the theme of fruit and the product option of stencilling.

It’s my usual one layer aesthetic for CCC, simple stamping with a layering stamp set and a bit of masking, a stencilled background and my trademark rounded corner.

Stamps:
Lemon Blossom (The Greetery)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Bundled Sage, Mowed Lawn, Spiced Marmalade)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Sunset Orange)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
Strobes stencil (Visible Image)
Corner Chomper 

Thanks for stopping by! There are still a few days to sign up for the next Chain, all the details are here. 

Link in the chain — July

Another month gone so once again we’re round to reveal day for the Card Chain Challenge. Mine went to Brenda this time.

From the options on offer I chose the themes of fish and circles. This is not the card I set out to make but all my crafting mojo seems to have left the building so I just had to go with whatever happened. 

Background is smooshed Distress inks with the weed and bubbles stamped with Distress Oxide over the top. I used a pen cap to stamp some slightly larger “bubbles” as well. Some are filled in with white pen and have Stickles for sparkle. Extra sparkle comes from some silver thread looped behind the fish which is left uncoloured to contrast with the background and has some scrap card behind it to raise it just slightly.

Stamps:
Under the Sea (Darkroom Door)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol Board

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (various blues)
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink by Ranger (Blueprint Sketch, Twisted Citron)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Silver thread
Stickles (Frosted Lace)
White paint pen by Posca
Corner Chomper

There are still a few days to sign up for the next chain if you fancy it - make one card and send it, receive a lovely handmade card for yourself. Thanks for stopping by!

Link in the chain - June

It’s reveal day once again at Card Chain Challenge, my how the months fly by! I had the pleasure of being the filling in a sandwich of new players this month.

My card has gone to Alice who is not only a new player but, much to Gail’s excitement, ticks off a new country for CCC — Finland. Welcome Alice!

From this month’s options I chose the sketch and the colour palette and stuck with my usual one layer aesthetic for CCC, using another of the bargain Katzelkraft stamps I got a while back. I thought the cat looked like she might be about to spring a surprise so the sentiment seemed an appropriate one to go with the image! 

I used a fineliner to extend the line of the stamped image and make a “curtain” that goes all the way to top and bottom of the card. The circles are inked through apertures in my trusty piece of acetate and have doodled edges and white pen highlights. A bit of Copic colouring, a rounded corner and call it done.

Stamps:
Les Gros Chat 09 (Katzelkraft)
Joy (Carabelle Studio)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Cranberry)
Memento Luxe by Tsukineko (Rosebud)

Other:
Copic markers
Black fineliner
White paint pen by Posca
Corner Chomper

There are still a few days to sign up for the next chain if you fancy it — just make and send one card, get a lovely handmade card just for you, spread some crafty love around the globe!

Link in the chain — May

It’s time for this month's reveal at Card Chain Challenge. There were 32 players and my card went to Joanne in California this time.

From the options on offer I chose the theme of hats, the colours and (sort of) the sketch. Owen’s hat was originally going to be on a wobble but I couldn’t make it look right so in the end it just got some cardstock scraps underneath so it’s a little bit raised. Heat embossing for the gold of the colour scheme made it perfect for adding some watercolour as the raised lines make little “cells” to contain the colour. 

Stamps:
Owen the Owl (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board 

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Versamark by Tsukineko
Hero Arts Shadow ink (Soft Granite)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass)

Other:
Watercolour paints (Winsor & Newton)
Strobes stencil (Visible Image)
Gold detail embossing powder

There are still a few days to sign up for June’s chain if you fancy spreading some crafty joy around the planet. 

Link in the chain — April

It’s reveal day at Card Chain Challenge once again! There were 28 links in the chain this time and my card has gone to Imke in Germany.

From the options on offer, I chose the sketch, the colour palette (charcoal, lime, bumblebee) and the theme of umbrellas. 

That’s Crafty had a sale recently as they’re on the move and there were lots of lovely Katzelkraft stamps at bargain prices. I may have treated myself to a few! This chap with his umbrella seemed perfect for this month’s theme. 

It’s my usual one layer card for CCC. My original intention was for rather less grey but I managed some fairly significant smudges in areas that were going to be white so I just rolled with it and added more ink! He looks as though he might be emerging into a rather gloomy April day to brighten things up with his umbrella!

I used skinny strips of low tack tape to mask off the lines from the sketch while I added ink and then drew in some yellow, deliberately trying not to fill in all the white so there’s a bit of a “halo” round the colour. There’s a gold gel pen line along the bottom of each as well, just for some glitz! A rounded corner, doodled border and some dimensional paint dots finish it off. 

Stamps:
Les Gros Chat 03 (Katzelkraft)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol board 

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Shadow ink by Hero Arts (Charcoal)

Other:
Copic makers
Gold gel pen
Fine liner
Pearl pen by Viva Decor (Anthracite)
Corner Chomper

There are still a few days to sign up for the next chain if you fancy spreading some crafty smiles around the planet. 

Link in the chain — March

It’s reveal day once again at Card Chain Challenge. My card has gone to Brenda this time so it didn’t have too far to travel. 

From the options on offer I chose the theme of birds and the colour palette. Of course the product option of stamps was pretty much a given for me! I intended to use proper watercolours but somehow got sidetracked into using Distress inks instead. 

This beautiful bird stamp is one of Maria Kitano’s designs for Crafty Individuals, I don’t use him nearly enough. He makes a lovely robin with some orangey red for breast feathers. I added some leaf shapes to the twiggy bit of the stump — it seems in springtime anything with even a bit of life in it will push out optimistic leaves!

The sentiment is from a very old set but it fell in to my hands while I was looking for something else and this sentiment seemed right — we often associate robins with winter and Christmas time but they’re around and singing loud and clear to herald spring, too!

Stamps:
Perching Bird (Crafty Individuals)
Scene It Sentiments (Hobby Art)

Paper:
Watercolour

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Rustic Wilderness, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door)

Other:
Corner Chomper 

There are still a few days to sign up for the next chain, why not come and join us — it’s a lovely way to spread crafty happiness around the world!

Link in the chain - February

It’s reveal day at Card Chain Challenge. There were 33 players for February and my card has gone to Mia in Greece this time.

From the options on offer I chose the theme (hearts) and product (gauze) ones. I wanted to do something a bit different with my gauze so I used black acrylic paint to stick it to some card, let it dry and then highlighted with some gilding wax. 

I think my Delicata ink pad has started to separate out, or maybe it was the painted surface, either way I couldn’t get the little hearts to show up clearly so I used a gel pen to draw round the inside of the stamped shape.

The butterfly is stamped, coloured and cut out and glued on along with some die cut rings and a sentiment strip.

Stamps:
Antique Engravings and Say It All (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board 

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Delicata by Tsukineko (Golden Glitz)

Other:
Stitched rectangle dies A6 size (Paper Rose)
Copic markers
Fine frames circle die (Altenew)
Acrylic paint
Gauze
Rub n Buff (Gold Leaf)

There’s still time to sign up for the March chain if you fancy it — just make one card and receive one from the next link in the chain, it’s a lovely way to spread a little hand crafted love around the world. 

Link in the chain January

It’s time for the reveal of January’s Card Chain Challenge. There were 25 links in the chain and mine has gone over the Pond to the lovely Linda this time. The cyber “incident” at Royal Mail May have slowed its progress somewhat but it will get there eventually, we hope!

From this month’s options I chose the theme of cocktails, the product option of Distress inks and the colour palette (candyfloss, bubblegum, mulberry) with the addition of green — although I might have been able to argue for a pink citrus slice (pink grapefruit, perhaps?) I couldn’t bring myself to do pink mint leaves! 

It’s a very simple one layer creation, just stamping, colouring and a few tiny gems. The cocktail and background are Distress inks used as watercolours, the leaves and lime slice are Copic coloured. The Seedless Preserves Distress ink gave an impressive range of shades, depending on how dilute it was and using the Misti to stamp the sentiment a couple of times made it extra dark there — I thought it looked nicer in the same shade as the background rather than using black ink.

Stamps:
Cocktail Time (Crafter’s Companion)
Birthday sentiment set (Letter It range from Ranger)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves)

Other:
Copic markers
Nail art gems
Corner Chomper

Link in the chain — December

Happy New Year! It’s reveal day at Card Chain Challenge and having forgotten to sign up for November’s I made sure I was early in the sign up list for December. It’s the month that departs from the usual pattern of sketch/colour palette/theme etc and gives us a tic-tac-toe board to play with. 

 It’s a five by five board and even though I’m usually up for extra challenge I find 25 options a bit too much! So I played the “regular” way and chose the penultimate horizontal line — squares, deer, emboss, splats, Santa. I hope Rudolph counts in the “deer” category!

I used a square card base and embossed with a die for more squares before stamping the image, masking it and using low tack tape to mask off the edges, blending three shades of blue ink and splattering with metallic watercolour. The image is coloured with Copics and then came the scary bit! I thought it should work to do an eclipse style sentiment using an embossing folder rather than cutting out and sticking back the lettering. It was still a bit nerve-wracking putting the carefully coloured card into the folder and squishing it through the Big Shot. It worked pretty well I think, just like a “traditional” eclipse sentiment, it shows more at some angles than others.

All that embossing and masking means I managed to stick to my one layer preference for CCC. It’s gone to Arlene in California, hope she likes it!

Stamps:
Holly Jolly (Penny Johnson/Stampavie)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Salty Ocean, Blueprint Sketch, Chipped Sapphire)

Other:
Stitched square frame dies (Paper Rose)
Copic markers 
Sayings embossing folder (Darice)
Gansai Tambi Starry Colours watercolour paints

Link in the chain — October

It’s reveal day at Card Chain Challenge. Mine went to Imke in Germany this time. 

From the options on offer I chose the colour palette, the theme of mythical beasts and I used a brush when I created the background. It’s my usual one layer creation for CCC and I think the unicorn stamp is bold enough not to need much else. 

 

I brushed ink over a stencil to create the background, stamped the clouds and added some silvery shimmer to them and an ink "shadow" underneath to accentuate them. Oh, I used a second sort of brush for that bit!

 

A rounded corner, doodled border, grounding under the unicorn's hooves and a few dots of Enamel Accents in the centre of the sparkle stamp and call it done.

Stamps:

Believe in Unicorns (Visible Image)

Paper:

Bristol board 

Ink:

Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass, Spun Sugar)

Shadow ink by Hero Arts (Soft Granite)

Delicata by Tsukineko (Silvery Shimmer)

Other:

Strobe stencil (Visible Image)

Corner Chomper
White Enamel Accents by Ranger
Silver gel pen
Black fineliner

Link in the chain - September

It’s reveal day at Card Chain Challenge — mine has gone to Tina in Slovenia this time. 

From the options on offer I followed the sketch and used the theme of something beginning with or containing the letter Z. Pizza seemed like a good fit all round!

It’s my usual one layer card for CCC — I stamped and masked the pizza then masked the edges with low tack tape, cut some very narrow strips of the same tape to divide the area in to four and another strip for the sentiment. I inked the central area then inked more heavily over a stencil to give the pizza some pizzazz! Remove all the masking, add a touch of Copic colouring, stamp a sentiment and call it done. 

Stamps:
Discover Italy: Food/Menu (Scrapberry)
Say It All (Hero Arts, retired) 

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger  (Peacock Feathers)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
Copic markers
Strobe stencil (Visible Image)

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

Link in the chain - July

It's reveal day at Card Chain Challenge — mine has travelled the short distance to Kath this time.

From the options on offer I only managed the theme of birds but it only takes one to play! I did manage to make my birds summery though as a nod to the season.

Hopefully these gulls are not gearing up to swipe the chips or Cornish pasty of the holiday-makers who are undoubtedly sitting just out of the frame. I considered giving them some soft colour with chalks but in the end decided I liked the crisp contrast of the white gulls and frame with the colourful waves and beach.

The waves are a lovely layering stamp set, you can change the look quite drastically with different ink choices. I coloured the beach area with a couple of watercolour paints, dotted a little white pen for breaking foam and stamped the greeting with sandy colours for that stick-written look!

Stamps:
Layering Waves (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Versacraft (Pale Aqua)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Sandal, Stream)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Salty Ocean)

Other:
Beachfront Seagulls dies (Memory Box)
Watercolour paints by Winsor and Newton
Stitched rectangles A6 size (Paper Rose)
White paint pen by Posca

Thanks for stopping by — there are still a couple of days to sign up for August's chain if you fancy it, details are here.

Link in the chain - June (and May!)

It's reveal day at Card Chain Challenge — mine is still en route to Lou I think, mail to Australia is being very slow at the moment, apparently! 

From the options on offer I chose the themes of fluffy and friendship. This little guy was the fluffiest thing I could think of in my stash! 

It’s my usual one layer card for CCC, just stamps, ink and some Enamel Accents for a finishing touch. I used my trusty piece of acetate that has various sized circles die cut from it to add the backdrop for the chick. 

Stamps:
Farm Chicks (Crafty Secrets, no longer with us)
Sentiment from Layering Octopus (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Hero Arts Shadow ink (Soft Granite)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean)

Other:
Copic markers
Enamel Accents

I realised I forgot to blog last month’s so I’ll do that now. It went to the lovely Jo and from the options on offer I chose the theme of desert and the colour scheme of pineapple, peach, terracotta. I sort of regretted that choice after I’d mentally committed to it since I didn’t really have ink colours that matched and ended up doing lots of blending with various inks to get somewhere close! My memory has probably failed on exactly what went in there but never mind, I’m sure nobody really cares!

Stamps:
Way Out West and Back in the Saddle (both Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Sandal, Mountain Rose, Rust)
Jenni Bowlin dye ink by Ranger (Lemon Drop)

Thanks for stopping by!

Link in the chain — April

It’s reveal day at Card Chain Challenge — mine went over the Pond to Linda G this time. 

From the options on offer I chose the sketch (mirror image because my stamp faces right) and the theme of “wild” as it gave me the chance to use this lovely leopard stamp that hasn’t had an outing for quite a while. He’s from the Saturday Evening Post line that Cornish Heritage Farms had and is based on a cover from 1931. 

The sentiment in the sketch really is there, I chose to do an eclipse one and the leopard’s spots do an excellent camouflage job on it!

Stamps:
Leopard Profile (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

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

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

There are still a few days to sign up for the May chain if you fancy it - you just need to make and send one card, get a lovely handmade card from the next person in the chain! Sign up is here.

Link in the chain — March

Ooops, I missed reveal day at Card Chain Challenge - meant to post this yesterday! From the options for March I chose the theme of farm and the colour palette and made a one layer card that went to Marga in Spain. 

Bossy the Cow was one of the very first stamps I owned. I just checked back and she’ll have been in my collection 15 years come September! I’m not sure she’s ever been a brown and white cow before though. I stamped her with Coffee Bean ink and then coloured her eyes and hooves with a black fine liner.  She has a bit of grass to stand on, a touch of Copic colouring, a sentiment and my usual rounded corner and that’s about it. 

Stamps:
Bossy the Cow (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Totally Toadstools (Visible Image)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Coffee Bean, Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress inj by Ranger (Mowed Lawn)

Other:
Copic markers
Black fine liner
Corner Chomper