Fish in the frame

It's Nat's turn to set our challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week and she'd like us to put something or someone in the frame.

My crafty mojo seems to have taken a holiday and even my trick of combining with another challenge didn't really seem to drag it back. I combined with the current challenge at Let's Squash It which has an under water theme. I'm not all that happy with this but thought I'd share it anyway. Maybe it's the lack of white space bothering me. What do you think?

I don't have an embossing folder with a watery theme. I did consider using a woodgrain folder turned sideways and done in blues but in the end plumped for something that would echo the fish scale patterning on the stamped images. There's some shimmer on there courtesy of Perfect Pearls but of course that doesn't really show up on a still photo. The fish are shimmery too (Wink of Stella).

I scored the corners of the die cut frame to get the diagonals, stamped wood texture on there and accentuated the mitres with a few Copic pen strokes.

Stamps:
Under the Sea (Darkroom Door)
Weathered wood (Cornish Heritage Frams, no longer with us)

Paper:
Mixed media
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Copic markers
Wink of Stella pen (clear)
Stitched frame square dies (Paper Rose)
Scales embossing folder (Marianne Designs)
Leaves dies (Sizzix)
Water colour paints
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Turquoise)

Thanks for sopping by!

Think of a number

Over at Daring Cardmakers this week, Kathy is asking us to think of a number - it could be a big number for a birthday or anniversary, a background of numbers, even a number shaped card.

I opted to combine with the current challenge at Lost Coast Designs which is sending us to the Man Cave and made a one layer masculine card - suitable for one of those pesky in-betweeners!

I stamped and masked the T-shirt and then stamped numbers randomly to make a background. A sentiment and star on the shirt and a tiny bit of Copic colouring, some ink brused around the edges of the card and call it done. I don't know about you but I find most of the men (and boys) I send cards to tend to like them plain!

Stamps:
Nothing to Wear (Visible Image)
A&P Numbers (Ma Vinci's Reliquary, no longer with us)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board

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

Other:
Copic markers
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Flying high

Daring Cardmakers is sending us Up, Up and Away this week - Enfys wants us to feature balloons on our cards.

I opted for a hot air balloon rather than the party sort and made a clean and simple birthday card. I stamped the image over the stencilled background and then stamped again on a scrap of card, coloured in the round part of the balloon, cut out and stuck on with a bit of gel glue. I could have just cut out the whole image but I wanted the background to peek through the strings!

Choosing a hot air balloon lets me play along at Lost Coast Designs who want us to fly high for their current challenge - use rubber stamps to feature something that flies.

Stamps:
Old Times (Hero Arts)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Speckled Egg)

Other:
Fibres stencil (Visible Image)
Copic markers
Sequins
Gel glue (Pinflair)
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

The last link of 2021!

It’s time for the reveal of the last Card Chain Challenge of 2021 — Gail and Jo followed the pattern they set last year by giving us a tic-tac-toe board to play with for December but a five by five one this time (so no way was I even thinking about trying for a full house!)  

My card went to the lovely Jo and I played with the right-most vertical line of the board — white, merry, Santa, circle, red. I figured Santa’s hat would be enough of an indication that “Santa woz ’ere”. I somehow got it into my head that I was supposed to have silver as an element as well but that was actually on a completely different line. Never mind, it made the circles nice and festive!

The hat is stamped, coloured and cut out, sentiment and circles are die cut and there’s a doodled frame to finish it all off. 

Stamps:
Ho Ho Ho (Visible Image)
Noel (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
Silver mirror card

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Copic markers
Silver gel pen
Circle Nestabilities
Fine frames die, circle (Altenew)
Washi tape
Gel glue (Pinflair)
Corner Chomper 

Raise a toast

It's the last day of the year and I'm just managing to squeak in with an entry for December's challenge at Let's Squash It!

Gail and Jo gave us free rein this time - any folder, any technique. I went back to May's challenge to find a way to create white space alongside the embossed texture. I did it this time by laying my top plate part way up the folder so I didn't get the full impression. Then I turned the paper and did the same the other end, leaving a clear strip across for stamping the sentiment.I used a score board to create more defined edges for the embossed areas.

This folder is intended as snow but it's always made me think of champagne bubbles so I used some ivory pearlescent paper and teamed it up with champagne flutes to make a card that could toast the New Year.

Stamps:
Champagne Celebration (Crafters Companion)
Birthday (Letter It by Ranger) 

Paper:
Stardream
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Softly Falling embosing folder (Stampin' Up!)
Scor ItCopic markers
Copic Spica glitter pen (gold)
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by - whether you're raising a glass of champagne tonight or celebrating some other way, cheers! Let's hope 2022 is a bit kinder to us all.

Through the trees

The challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week has a focus on trees - one tree, a whole forest, Christmassy or not - up to you!

It's white-out conditions in the birch forest - it's lucky that gnomes have a good sense of direction! This one is standing in a sparkly snowdrift (not sure how well that shows up on the photo) and peeping round a tree trunk to say a seasonal hello.

The card front is embossed and I used a craft knife to cut slits either side of one of the trunks so that I could slot in the little fussy cut gnome behind the trunk.

Lost Coast Designs have a gnome theme for their currect challenge so I'm linking up there too, all the challenge details are here.

Stamps:
Pointy Hat Gnome (Lost Coast Designs)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Woodland embossing folder (Stampin' Up)
Copic markers
Pearl pen by Viva Decor (Ice White)
Glamour Dust by Deco Art (Crystal)
Hello die (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Thanks for stopping by!

Link in the chain - November

It's reveal day at Card Chain Challenge. Mine has gone over the Pond to Greta this time. 

I intended to use the sketch but I did it from memory rather than actually looking at it as I created so it’s an approximation! I also used the themes of polar animals and snowflakes. I think you can just about see the silvery stamped snowflakes on the right hand side of the card, they show up better at some angles than others. 

I used an oval die to cut an aperture to ink my central “frame” for the penguins and doodled round it with a gel pen just to add some extra definition. The sentiment is a die cut but other than that it’s a single layer card again, my usual preference for Card Chain Challenge cards!

Stamps:
Bundled Penguins (Stampendous)
Flurries (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
Black

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass)
Delicata by Tsukineko (Silvery Shimmer)

Other:
Copic markers
Pearl pen by Viva Decor (Ice White)
Glamour dust by DecoArt (Crystal)
Hello die (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)
Oval Nesatbilities (Spellbinder)
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

Show us your stockings!

The latest challenge in Daring Cardmakers' run up to Christmas is to show us your stockings - if you don't feel like making festive projects, perhaps you'll go for fishnets instead!

I made a few tiny tags - just enough room to write names of recipient and giver.

Alongside the traditional stockings here there are a few pale blue snowflakes - it's looking like we'll be getting some of those for real later today if the forecast is to be believed!

Lost Coast Designs has “it’s a wrap” as the current theme so I’m playing there too (tags, bags, wrapping paper, boxes etc - basically stamp something gift-related that’s not a card)  

Stamps:
Stocking from a magazine freebie set (Making Cards, I think)
Flurries (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)
Vintage Christmas Expressions (Cornish Hreitage Farms, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

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

Other:
Fiskars squeeze punch
Crop-a-Dile
Crochet cotton

Thanks for stopping by!

Link in the chain - Octobter

It's reveal day at Card Chain Challenge. Mine has gone over the Pond to Linda this time.

From the options on offer for October I chose the colour palette (ruby, amber, sapphire) and the theme of shoes. Those things combined in my head to make a Wizard of Oz vibe so yellow brick road it had to be! That meant my usual one layer creations for CCC fell by the wayside as I wanted to use this brickwork embossing folder. 

The shoes have some glitter pen on them for a bit of glamour and the tiny nail art gems add a bit extra in that department. 

Stamps:
Wizard of Oz (Crafty Secrets, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
DCWV

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Wild Honey)

Other:
Copic markers
Circle Nestabilities by Spellbinder
Brickwork 3D embossing folder (Tim Holtz/Sizzix)
Nail art gems
Spica glitter pen (red)

Thanks for stopping by! There are still a few days to sign up for the November chain if you fancy it, all the details here

Uh oh... here comes trouble

The end of the month is almost upon us so Dawn is asking us to be inspired by all things Hallowe'en for this week's challenge at Daring Cardmakers. If you don't want to make something spooky, you might choose something like the colours usually associated with Hallowe'en to inspire an autumn or even Christmas card.

As Lost Coast Designs is nearing the end of their annual 31 Days of Hallowe'en celebration, I thought I'd play along there as well so I've used Frankenstein and gone with a black and white theme since the classic film is B&W.

It’s a one layer card with just simple stamping and masking and minimal supplies here but I think it's got impact - what do you think?

Stamps:
Frankenstein (Carmen's Veranda)
Sentiment from Little Monsters (Technique Tuesday, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board

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

Other:
Copic markers (Cool Grey 1, 3 & 5)
Shattered stencil (Tom Holtz)
Black fineliner
Corner Chomper

Come play…if you dare!