Word Play

It's my turn to set the challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week. We're playing with the letters FEB as we wave goodbye to the month - use something beginning with each of those letters on your card.

I've combined with the current challenge at Let's Squash It which wants us to use green and an insect with our embossing folders. I think that bit's self-explanatory and I was lucky enough to win this lovely folder a couple of challenges back so I thought it would be appropriate to use it here. My FEB elements are Frame (and Flowers), Embossing folder (and Enamel Accents) and Bee.

I brayered a couple of green inks onto my folder before embossing and added Enamel Accents and fine glitter on the flower heads before stamping the bee, colouring with a white paint pen then restamping and adding a touch of colour with Copics. 

I've left it with no sentiment as an all-purpose kind of card.

Stamps:
Queen Bee (Crafty Secrets, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukinko (Graphite Black)
Distress Oxide (Cracked Pistachio, Evergreen Bough)

Other:
Stitched Frame dies (Paper Rose)
Ball Flower embossing folder (Hobby Solution)
White pain pen (Posca)
Copic markers
White Enamel Accents (Ranger)
Glamour Dust glitter by Deco Art (Crystal)
MISTI

Link in the chain - November

It’s reveal day at Card Chain Challenge - mine went over the Pond to Jutta in Canada this time so once again, light and flat for airmailing was a good idea. 

From the options on offer this time I chose the colour palette (frost, blush and silver - pretty but not the easiest to pick up on camera) and two of the themes in that I combined an ungulate animal (that’s one with hooves if, like me, you’d never come across that word!) and stars. I also managed the product option of glitter to give the reindeer a little snowy drift to stand in.

Stamps:
Stars from Hello Baby Vol 1 (Darkroom Door)
Sentiment from an old Cornish Heritage Farms set

Paper:
Bristol board
Black

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Spun Sugar, Tumbled Glass)
Delicata by Tsukineko (Silvery Shimmer)

Other:
Corner Chomper
Reindeer Family dies (Paper Rose)
Star Framelits (Sizzix)
Crystal Glamour Dust (DecoArt)

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are keeping well.

Dictionary day

It's my turn to set the challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week and as today is World Dictionary Day and I need very little excuse to celebrate words I thought we could focus on them today - a dictionary definition, book or dictionary page, or make words the focal point of your project.

After a couple of false starts (why your own challenges are always hardest is one of life's mysteries up there with single sock syndrome) I came up with the idea of combining with another challenge to help kickstart and made this.

Retro Rubber has a tic tac toe challenge and I used that to give me the extra push. I chose a diagonal of rhinestones/pearls/dots, die cut/punch and metallics. The whole card front is die cut with a stitched rectangle, the sentiment is cut with another (modified to make it a shade longer to suit the stamp).

This background is designed as a texture plate for use with a gel plate, polymer clay etc but I could see no reason it couldn't be used as a regular stamp and indeed it worked just fine! I stamped on black cardstock and used metallic Perfect Pearls in a couple of autumnal shades before doodling some details with copper and gold gel pens and adding dots of gold dimensional paint to finish.

Stamps:
Sarah's Choice (Indigo Blu - had mine since 2011)
Texture Plate 3 (Art by Marlene line at Studio Light - around April 2019 I think)

Paper:
Black
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Perfect Gold, Copper)
Gel pens (gold and copper)
Dimensional paint by Dylon (gold)
Stitched Rectangle dies A6 size (Paper Rose Studio)

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are keeping safe and well.

Link in the chain - August (and July!)

It's reveal time again over at Card Chain Challenge. My card this month went to Kath so it didn't have too far to travel.

From the options on offer, I chose the themes of summer and friendship. Summer seemed like the perfect excuse to revist this sweet image. I thought simple pencil colouring might work (although not so well for the photograph, it turns out!) and used the Toned Grey paper again as a nice neutral, slightly sandy base.

Stamps:
Seaside (Craft Secrets, no longer with us)

Paper:
Toned Grey by Strathmore

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)

Other:
Stitched rectangle dies (Paper Rose Studio)
Coloured pencils

I realised I forgot to blog July's chain card so I'll do that here too, just so I have a record if I check back on my blog! This one went to Helen and I chose the underwater theme, the colours and the sketch (mirror image as my octopus faces right).

I used the MISTI and stamped dark to light so I cold heat emboss the solid layer of the image so the octopus would resist the inking for the background circle - sure beats trying to mask those fiddly tentacles!

Stamps:
Color Layering Octopus (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
I don't remember but Distress and Oxides in Wilted Violet, Milled Lavender, Tumbled Glass and Salty Ocean probably went in there somewhere! I do rememeber the sentiment is Charcoal by Hero Arts.

Other:
Detail embossing powder (clear)
Sequins
Stickles (Frosted Lace)
Stencil (Fibres by Visible Image)
MISTI

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are keeping safe and well. There are still a few days to sign up for the September chain if you fancy making and sending a card and getting one from another chain member. sign up here.

Say cheese!

Miri is setting our challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week and she's given us a "picture perfect" theme, so a camera, picture frame, polaroid layout or a real photo would all fit the bill.

I needed a card for a 50th wedding anniversary - this camera is pretty much exactly what a 1970 one would have looked like and one of the recipients worked in the family’s camera shop so this seemed just right for the job. I added the 50 by hand in the blank part of the image and stamped the anniversary sentiment on a second Polaroid cut out and stuck under the first.

Stamps:
Say Cheese (digi by Dr Digi)
Sentiment from a Waltzingmouse Stamps set (no longer with us)

Paper:
Copy paper (to print digi image)
Bristol board
DCWV textured

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Copic markers
Black fineliner 
Stitched square frames dies (Paper Rose Studio)
Fine Frames circle dies (Altenew)

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are keeping safe and well.

Power of three

It's my turn to set the challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week. As it’s the anniversary of the birth of Alexandre Dumas, I thought we might celebrate The Three Musketeers by featuring threes on our projects this week.

I opted for three circles and three dots of Enamel Accents on a masculine birthday card. I got some toned grey paper for Christmas having seen some lovely pencil colouring done on it and I’m ashamed to say I’ve only just had a first play with it! I’ve opted for more of a simple sketch book look, too.

Embossing adds some textural interest for a limited colour palette. I inked the folder so there’s a bit extra shading going on, too. I still had the pearlescent watercolours out on my desk from last week's card so I spattered some gold on the panel before sticking down the elements.

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

Paper:
Toned grey (Strathmore)
Bristol board 

Ink:
Shadow ink by Hero Arts (Soft Granite)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Smokey Gray)

Other:
Coloured pencils (white and two greys)
Charcoal pencil
Circles dies by Spellbinder
Fine frames circle die by Altenew
Stitched rectangles A6 dies by Paper Rose Studio
Shell Beauty M-Bossabilities by Spellbinder
Metallic gold pen
Metallic gold paint
Enamel Accents by Ranger

Thanks for stopping by, please do continue to take care as we ease out of lockdown and, if you’re in England, don’t forget your mask from today if you’re heading out to the shops!

July's elements

It's the first Friday of a new month so it's time for an "elemental" challenge over at Daring Cardmakers - just choose at least three elements of the inspiration picture to include in your project.

The lovely Svenja provided a fun and quirky mood board for us this month, from which I chose a tentacle, tickets, sequin waste circles (and the implied sequins!) and some of the colours.

I'd been tempted by this tentacle die in the past but seeing Svenja's mood board this month finally made me cave in and get it - it was cheap and it makes me smile!

Stamps:
Ticket Counter (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Sentiment from Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Watercolour
Black
Orange
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Pool and Stream)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Mustard Seed)

Other:
Stitched rectangle dies A6 size (Paper Rose Studio)
Twisting Tentacle die (Memory Box)
Stencil (Memory Box)
Sequins

Here's our inspiration photo this month:

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are keeping safe and well.

December's elements

It’s the first Friday of the month and over at Daring Cardmakers that can only mean one thing - it’s an elemental challenge! Just use at least three elements from the inspiration picture to kickstart your card.

I chose reindeer, narrow stripes, tag, twine, typewriter style font (it even has the word joy in there), snowflakes and the colour scheme.

The narrow stripes are stamped through a circular aperture, I used a snippet of wrapping paper to cover the bottom of the card and the reindeer is die cut from packaging from a well known online retailer! I added just a bit of Vintage Photo ink round the edges of the die cut - I think it helps bring it to life a bit.

Stamps:
Fine lines backgrounder (CHF, no longer with us)
Sentiment from Merriest Christmas Wishes (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol board
Packaging board envelope
Gift wrap paper

Ink:
Distress ink by Ranger (Fired Brick, Vintage Photo)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Tags dies (Tim Holtz/Sizzix)
White crochet thread
Reindeer Family dies (Paper Rose)
Corner Chomper

Here's our inspiration picture this month, we'd love to have you along if you still have Christmas cards to make!

Thanks for stopping by!

Link in the chain - November

It's reveal day for the final Card Chain Challenge of 2019. My card has gone across the Pond to Jeanne in Minnesota this time and I received a lovely card from Arlene.

From the options on offer I chose the colour scheme of silver, pine and ice blue and the theme of trees. The silver needs the right angle but it really is there, honest!

I used oldie but goodie Lovely As a Tree (a shock retirement from the Stampin' Up catalogue this year) and a sentiment from Hero Arts combined with some Distress inks used as watercolours and a silver gel pen for a simple, unembellished card that's easy to airmail.

Stamps:
Lovely As a Tree (Stampin' Up!)
Truly Appreciated (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Watercolour
Bristol board

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

Other:
A6 Stitched Rectangle dies (Paper Rose)
Silver gel pen

Big thank you to the Card Chain Challenge team for organising the challenges, it’s a lovely thing to take part in with the treat of receiving a hand made card each month. Maybe you’ll join us in 2020? Look out for January’s chain!

Thanks for stopping by!

Link in the chain - September

It's reveal day at Card Chain Challenge - my card has gone to Greta in Oregon this month. I often go with a one layer card if I'm airmailing it but somehow my brain didn't want to go that way this time!

As usual, we had lots of choice - I went with the sketch and the theme of "things with wheels".

Things are starting to feel pretty autumnal so I thought I'd pull out an old set and haul some giant pumpkins! The truck and pumpkins are separate images, I cut a slit along the line of the truckbed with a scalpel and tucked the pumpkins inside.

The green is part of a gel print that was out on my desk, the swirly sky is inked over a stencil and I hand drew the birds and grass tuft to fit the sketch. I did struggle a bit to get the word die to cut right through where the truck is stuck on to the background but got there in the end - I thought an eclipse sentiment would suit this!

Stamps:
Happy Harvest (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
Premium weight copy paper

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

Other:
Stitched frame dies (Paper Rose)
Copic markers
Fibres stencil (Visible Image)
Phrases Set 2 dies (Spellbinder)
Fineliner
Momento marker (Bamboo Leaves)

Thanks for stopping by! There's still time to sign up for the October chain if you fancy it - make and mail one card, get a hand crafted card from somebody else!

I've got your number!

Ruth has set the challenge for us over at Daring Cardmakers this week - she'd like to see numbers on our projects as her son celebrates a significant birthday soon!

I wanted to have a go at a reductive painting technique that featured in a recent challenge at Splitcoast Stampers and thought this might be a good opportunity. I used Tim Holtz alphabet masks that I've had forever and a day over a shaving foam background left over from a play with the oxidised shaving foam technique. A layer of black acrylic paint and there you go - a dramatic background!

The quirky Party Puffin is always fun and he's useful for cards where people don't have specific hobbies or anything to theme things around. I gave him a bit of a "halo" with a white pencil to reduce the risk of him disappearing against the background.

Stamps:
Party Puffin (Crafty Individuals)
Sentiment words from Say It Loud (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
Shaving foam piece done on preimum weight copy paper

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Copic markers
White pencil
Stitched rectangles A6 size dies (Paper Rose)
Black acrylic paint
Pinflair glue gel

Thanks for stopping by!

September elements

It's the first Friday of the month so of course that means an "elemental" challenge over at Daring Cardmakers. Ruth has chosen our inspiration this month - as ever, just choose at least three elements (colour scheme counts as one element) to kick start your project.


From the inspiration picture I chose a bird in a party hat, a balloon, circles and pastel colours.

I'm playing at Retro Rubber as well where the current challenge is a sketch. I've rotated it 180 degrees. It was not until I uploaded the picture that I realised I'd stuck the square in the wrong place really - it should have been low down for the rotated sketch! I hope the challenge police will go lightly on me, sketches are out of my confort zone!

I used my trusty piece of acetate with various sized circles die cut in it and brushed on inks for a pastel dotty background.

Stamps:
Owen the Owl (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us -  Owen is at least 10 years old!)
Balloon from Happy Today (Hero Arts, I've had the set at least five years, I think it's retired)
Sentimenet from Mini Memories (Crafty Secrets, no longer with us - set is copyright 2007)

Paper:
Bristol board
Scrap of smooth black

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Versamark by Tsukineko 
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass, Spun Sugar)

Other:
Copic markers
Stitched frames dies (Paper Rose)
Detail white embossing powder
Crochet thread
Pinflair glue gel
Corner Chomper

Here's our inspiration if you would like to play along, we'd love to see you over at Daring Cardmakers!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Lost Coast Christmas

Visiting Jo's blog a few days back I noticed a link to the Lost Coast/Carmen's Veranda challenge which reminded me I haven't played with my Loast Coast Bubble Border stamp in an absolute age.

This is Challenge #81 and while there's no requirement to use Lost Coast or Carmen's Veranda stamps that's the way I roll!


I've been making Christmas cards recently so that I hopefully have a few on hand before the festivities themselves so that's the way my mind went.

I used detail gold powder to heat emboss the border and sentiment on a die cut black rectangle and then filled in some of the circles with Perfect Pearls mixed with some water. I also used clear Wink of Stella on a few and added some Glossy Accents - it has incredible galaxy-like depth in real life! Tiny nail art gems were the perfect size for a bit extra twinkle on a few circles, too.

Stamps:
Bubble Border (Lost Coast)
Sentiment from Compliments of the Season (Claire Brennan at Gina K)

Paper:
Bristol board
Smooth black

Ink:
Versamark by Tsukineko

Ohter:
Detail embossing powder (gold)
Prfect Pearls by Ranger (Copper, Gold, Pearl)
Clear Wink of Stella pen
Glossy Accents by Ranger
Nail art gems
Stitched r3ectangle dies A6 size (Paper Rose)

Thanks for stopping by!

July Elements

It's the first Friday of the month so that means it's an "elemental" challenge over at Daring Cardmakers. Dawn has chosen our inspiration picture and as ever, you just need to choose at least three elements from it to kickstart your project (if you choose the colour palette that counts as one element).

I chose five rectangles, raspberries and gingham for a clean and simple birthday card. How perfectly does that sentiment stamp fit the die cut rectangle?! It doesn't take much to have me grinning from ear to ear, does it?

The die set this one came from also had me grinning - I finally found a set of rectangles that's actually proportioned for A6 cards - hooray! Given that everywhere except north America uses ISO standard paper sizes, you wouldn't think it would be a problem but the standard seems to be very much based on US letter paper sizes. OK, I had to go to an Australian company for these but still...

Of course typical me, the first use of the die set is not one where I'm using the dies in the same orientation as the card and I used the smallest one so the relationship may not be obvious!

Stamps:
Sun Ripened (Stampin Up!, retired)
Sentiment from Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Stitched Rectangle Dies A6 size (Paper Rose)
Copic markers
Copic Spica glitter pen (red)
Gingham ribbon
Corner Chomper

Here's the summery inspiration picture if you'd like to play along and didn't arrive here via the DCM blog.

Thanks for stopping by!