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

Thanks for stopping by!

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.

Come fly with me

Svenja is setting today's challenge over at Daring Cardmakers and she’d like us all to take flight. Birds, superheroes, planes, hot air balloons, helicopters... feature anything that flies on your project.

We’re lucky enough to have owls around us - there’s a tawny that we sometimes hear in our back garden although we’ve never actually seen it! Hubby has seen a barn owl at the bottom of the hill and there’s a family of little owls just up the lane. So this lovely owl stamp from a recent release at Crafty Individuals was a no-brainer for hubby’s anniversary card this year!

The berries have a touch of glitter pen on them but it’s otherwise unadorned and just the way he tends to like his cards!

Stamps:
Owl Family (Crafty Individuals)
Sentiment from Putting on the Ritz (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Watercolour

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Tim Holtz Distress ink (Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo, Antique Linen, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door - used as watercolours)
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide (Evergreen Bough)

Other:
MISTI (invaluable for a detailed stamp on a textured paper!)
Spica glitter pen (red)

Thanks for stopping by!

Emboss it

Ruth has set the challnge for us over at Daring Cardmakers this week - she'd like us to use any sort of embossing on our projects.

I decided to heat emboss rather than use a folder, using white powder on a kraft base.

The clear Wink of Stella has made the petals look a bit murky on the photo but it's a pretty effect in real life - a bit of shimmer over very simple shading.

A very simple card, even the embellishing dots are stamped/embossed (there are three sizes of circle stamp in the Hero Arts set) and the tiny ones added with a white pen - light, flat and easy to post!

Stamps
Rose Bloom by Stampendous
Happy Stamp & Cut by Hero Arts

Paper:
Kraft
White

Ink:
Versamark by Tsukninko
Brillance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
Detail white embossing powder
Copic markers
Clear Wink of Stella pen
White  paint pen by Posca
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

Talk to the bees

Enfys is setting the challenge for us at Daring Cardmakers this week and she'd like to see anything to do with bees.

There's so much wonderful folklore surrounding bees in many cultures around the world. They're really important pollinators and our food chain depends on them so the fact they're in danger should worry us all. Any chance to celebrate the bee is a welcome one in my book!

I needed an anniversary card and thought bees might be appropriate - they cooperate to build a thriving home and that's proably what we should all be striving for. I had a piece of background that's been lying on my desk since before Christmas that was made with red and orange toned inks and gold/copper Perfect Pearls. I added some Wild Honey in places for a warm glow and put a die cut piece over the top.

The little bees have just a touch of Copic colouring - they're stamped on the panel and then again on scrap card so I could cut out the wing and body section to stick over the top (meaning they can overlap edges and die cut holes but without having to think about legs and antennae).

Stamps:
Queen Bee (Crafty Secrets, no longer with us)
Sentiment from Putting on the Ritz (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
Bamboo Mixed media paper by Hannemuhl

Ink:
 Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Wild Honey and various reinkers for background)

Other:
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Perfect Gold, Copper)
Copic markers
Mixed Media I dies by Tim Holtz/Sizzix
Square Nestabilities by Spellbinder
Spica glitter pen (clear)

Thanks for stopping by!

Autumn anniversary

This was made for my mum and dad's wedding anniversary. I did the leafy stamping and painting without any particular plan in mind. When I came to trim it to make a card I decided it looked elegant as a tall, slim design with lots of white space so I went with that - it's a DL card.

This stamp is very detailed and the watercolour paper is a bit textured - my newly-acquired MISTI came into its own since I could just re-ink and stamp again to make sure I got a good impression despite the bumpy surface.

I think this image is good for an autumn anniversary without being too in-your-face about things - two acorns carries a suggestion of two people who can grow together.

Stamps:
Oak branch (Beeswax Stamps)
Sentiment from Putting on the Ritz (Waltzingmouse Stamps, retired) 

Paper:
Watercolour

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (various autumn tones, I lost track!)

Other:
Watercolour pencils
MISTI

Thanks for stopping by!

Anniversary leaves

Gosh, I can almost hear the echoes here in my poor neglected blog! I've not done as much crafting recently and I've also managed to make several things without photographing them before sending them on their merry way.

Here's a clean and simple anniversary card that I did remember to photograph! Unusually for me there's almost no stamping (just the sentiment) with die cuts providing the focal element.

I've had this ginko leaf die for ages and have kept failing to use it. It's such a pretty die though that I'm sure it will get used again now that I've broken the duck.

I used some green metallic rub-on to highlight the embossed "veining" on the leaves - hard to see so I've added a detail shot that might show it up better. It's a subtle detail but gives a pretty shimmer.

The dots are "waste" circles from various tag dies, domed out with an embossing stylus so they're like matt versions of enamel dots.

Supplies:
Ginko leaf die by Impression Obsession
"waste" circles from various tag dies
Cressida stencil by Memory Box
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass and Shabby Shutters)
Versafine ink by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Sentiment from Putting on the Ritz set by Waltingmouse Stamps (retired)
Gilding Wax by Creative Expressions (Spring Green)
Corner Chomper
Pinflair glue gel

Thanks for stopping by!

Autumn anniversary

My mum and dad celebrated their wedding anniversary last week. This clean and simple, one layer design seemed appropriate for an autumn anniversary - red and golden yellow colour palette and a harvest image (which, since it's two stalks, also seemed a good symbol for two people in a marriage).

This design is easy to achieve with a bit of low tack tape to mask off the strip - just sponge on some inks, remove the tape and stamp the image.

Stamps:
Thankful Silhouettes by Stamper Anonymous/Tim Holtz
Sentiment from Putting on the Ritz by Waltzingmouse Stamps

Paper: smooth white

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Fired Brick)
Brilliance Graphite Black by Tsukineko

Other: Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

Anniversary olives

It was our wedding anniversary at the weekend. I chose to focus on something hubby loves (olives) rather than a lovely-dovey theme when I sat down to make a card. I hunted for an anniversary sentiment that would look right and in the end I opted for this quote - not an obviously anniversary-related one but I think it's a nice thought to celebrate a marriage.

The Mixed Media Challenge at Splitcoast this week is MariLynn's "smash" technique. I used Memento
markers in three shades of green and although I think the Pear Tart has come out as the dominant one, the fact there's a mix lends some subtlety and depth to the background. I was aiming for a sort of abstract foliage feel!

I stamped the image with grey ink and coloured with a mixture of Copics and coloured pencils. I gave each olive a tiny highlight with a Posca pen.

Stamps:
Olive Branch by Serendipity Stamps
Sentiment by CHF (retired)

Ink:
Soft Granite by Hero Arts
Brilliance Graphite Black by Tsukineko

Other:
Memento markers - New Sprout, Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves
Copic markers
Prismacolor and Colour Soft pencils
Fineline black marker
White Posca paint pen

Thanks for stopping by!

Experimental hearts

I had a little play with various bits and pieces today. This week's MixAbility challenge at Splitcoast Stampers calls for the use of hearts (here) and the Pan Pastels challenge blog has another anything goes week with the option to join the DT in using fabric on your project (details here).

Very little stamping on here and more die cuts than I'd usually use! I started with two primitive hearts cut from mount board and lettering to spell the word LOVE (I cut the word twice and stacked the layers for a bit extra depth since Spellbinder dies don't cut thick materials). Then I covered the lot with double sided tape sheet and put fine-weave cotton fabric over it. I ran it through my Big shot with an embossing mat to make sure everything was stuck down well. I'd have liked a few more wrinkles in the fabric but never mind, the texture is still interesting!

Then I went to town with Pan Pastels and a charcoal pencil. The only stamping is some Hero Arts brush strokes stamped in the corners in Versamark and rubbed over with more pastel for slightly more intense colour. I left the edges of the fabric deliberately a bit frayed before sticking it to a card base.

I used my finger to apply the white Pan Pastel over the lettering as it seemed to give me most control.

What I learned - Mod Podge doesn't take Pan Pastel very well (I originally Mod Podged the fabric rather than using sheet adhesive); I love the look of fabric over die cuts; you need to make sure there's a support under the overhang of the second die cut to bring it to the same level as the other one before running it through the Big Shot. I'm also extremely pleased with my new fixative - it's a natural substance (based on casein, the protein found in milk and apparently the fixative preferred by Degas!) and it's in a pump bottle so there's no solvent smell or hazard if you're spraying indoors.

Materials:
Mount board offcuts
White cardstock
White cotton fabric
Primitive Hearts Bigz die by Sizzix
Spellbinders Font One dies
Pan Pastels (Turquoise, Permanent Red, Permanent Red Shade, White)
Charcoal Pencil
Brush Strokes stamps by Hero Arts
Versamark ink
SpectraFix Degas fixative spray

Thanks for stopping by!

She sells sea shells...

It's my 15th wedding anniversary today. It's only just occured to me that I could have looked at the gifts associated with it for inspiration for DH's card. It seems to be crystal (not easy for a masculine card) or, if you're modern and American, watches! I guess I could have done something with that but the thought came after the card was made - never mind!

I went clean and simple with these lovely detailed shell images. I stamped them on kraft card so they have a different look than if they'd been stamped on white. Even when you colour with an opaque medium like pencils the base colour does make a difference, I find.

A bit of torn kraftcore provides a splash of colour and I've sanded the torn edges for a more natural feel - reminiscent of weather-worn paint on beach houses, perhaps. I used scraps of cardstock to raise a couple of the shells just very slightly from the card as I stuck them down. A simple stamped sentiment and one rounded corner finish it off.

Stamps:
Antique Engravings by Hero Arts
Sentiment from Script Essential Expressions (Cornish Heritage Farms)

Paper:
Smooth white
Kraft
Tim Holtz Kraft Core

Ink:
Espresso Adirondack by Ranger
Vintage Sepia Versafine by Tsukineko

Other:
Prismacolor and Lyra pencils
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

Love is the key

I needed to make an anniversary card so I took advantage of Splitcoast Stampers' Featured Stamper challenge yesterday to give me a kick start. The featured Stamer was Teri Anderson, a very creative stamper and sweet lady to boot! Teri has lots of great inspiration in her Splitcoast gallery and I chose this card as my starting point.

I stamped the heart portion of a Crafty Individuals collage stamp in two different reddish shades, cut them out and arranged them on the card base. The sentiment is stamped directly onto the card and a scored line just anchors the whole thing and stops it being too top heavy. Once again, the Scor It made my job easy in creating a line with a break for the point of the heart as the project is face up on the board so you can see where you're scoring.

Stamps:
Heart from a Crafty Individuals collage stamp
Sentiment from Key Expressions (CHF, retired)

Paper:
Cryogen white

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Craberry and Watermelon)

Other:
Corner Chomper
Scor It

Thanks for stopping by, hope the week is a good one for you!

Elegant anniversary

Anniversary cards always feel a bit tricky to me - you feel you need to get the masculine/feminine balance right somehow when you're sending to a couple! I went for creating my own "designer paper" here by doing some repeat stamping in a tone on tone kind of way with a big, ornate roundel stamp. The ivory and dark red were the couple's wedding colours.

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
So Happy (Rummage bin line)
Ornamental Beauty (Rummage bin line)
The word "happy" from Birthday Centers (Mona Lisa Moments line)

Paper:
Simply linen natural
Dark red (unknown maker)

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen, Vintage Photo)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Flower by Prima Marketing
Flat back pearl
Sewing machine and thread

Thanks for stopping by!

Love birds

Typography is fun, isn't it? I don't know about you but I can spend hours choosing the "perfect" font for a project. I'll find something I like and then something like the shape of the descender on the letter "g" will put me off and I'll go hunting for something else!

This new Scrapblock appealed to my sense of typography as a great design element. I love the mix of fonts and styles (some words are very crisp, others have a weathered or eroded look to them). I teamed it up with the Tree Swallows to make a "love birds" card that could be used for an engagement, anniversary or even a wedding - what do you think?

I thought it would be fun to mix the rustic texture of Distress embossing powder with some dressier elements of lace and pearls. The pearls came in one of my advent packages from my Secret Santa over on the Bubbly Funk Forum - we're having great fun opening a small package each day during advent and we have a slightly larger gift to open on Christmas day. We had a £5 limit on these so the emphasis is on fun rather than big bucks - perfect! So thank you Santa, the pearls were just what I needed for this!

Stamps (Cornish Heritage Farms):
Love Scrapblock (releasing Friday 18th December)
Tree Swallows Silhouette

Paper:
Smooth white

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

Other:
Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powder by Ranger (Walnut Stain)
Copic markers (Brick Beige, Chamois)
Sewing machine and thread
Vintage lace
Flat back pearls

Thanks for stopping by, hope your Christmas preparations are under control (or at least you're at the stage you don't care if they're not!).

Ten Years Ago

This is a project that Sandy has featured on the Heartwarming Vintage blog but I thought I'd tell you a little bit more about it here since I have less to fit in to a post than she does!

We recently celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary and although we don't usually make a big thing of anniversaries, we thought we'd push the boat out a bit since it was a round number. We had a couple of days away in a nice hotel and I thought I'd make something a bit more 'special' than a regular card (as ever, you can click through for a closer view).



When Sandy sent me my lovely Guest Designer package, I looked at the Rosy Wishes set and thought "Eek, what am I going to do with that?" Guess which set I reached for when I sat down to make my first project? Yup, Rosy Wishes! I wanted to use a photograph of me on my wedding day (I joke that it's to remind DH how little I've changed in a decade - lol!) and the spray of roses stamp seemed like a perfect tie-in with my bouquet. I stamped it once and then inked up only the top part of it and stamped again to extend a little further up the side of the chipboard heart. As my bouquet was cream roses and ivy, I coloured the flowers with a cream Prismacolour pencil and just shaded a little with a light beige. I painted the ribbons with a gold pearlescent watercolour.

I sponged a couple of shades of green ink over the heart and then added marble 'veining' with a couple of gel pens. The photo was cut with a Nestability die and I made the mat for it by using the outer edge of the same die as a guide for a scalpel. Ivory silk ribbon provided a touch of luxury for the hanging loop and one of the small shapes from the Frame It set provided a delicate edging pattern.

I've never used cardstock stickers before and I have to say I was impressed. I wanted the holes where the ribbon is threaded through to look a bit more 'finished' so I chose a couple of eyelet stickers - so easy to handle and get properly placed and they're die-cut on the sheet so they're ready to just peel and go, there's no fiddling about trying to punch out holes in appropriate places or anything.

Supplies: Sweet Chips heart album and small die cut frame; Rosy Wishes, Sexy Little Numbers and Frame It Clear Art Stamps; Brass and Cream Hardware Stickers (Heartwarming Vintage); Tim Holtz Distress ink - Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint; Versafine Vintage Sepia; copper, gold and white gel pens; Nestability Classic Oval dies; 1" silk ribbon; Versamark and gold lustre powder; pearlescent watercolour; Prismacolor pencils/OMS/stump

Thanks for your visit today, do let me know what you think if you have a moment to leave me a comment, I do love to hear from my visitors!