Wonderful world

Kathy has set the challenge for us at Daring Cardmakers this week - she'd like us to be inspired by the words of the song What a Wonderful World - pop over to the blog to see all the lyrics!

I've done a super-quick scrapling this week with inspiration from the blue sky and green trees mentioned in the song. I inked the trunk in brown and the foliage in green before stamping then added some Distress inks as watercolours - it really was a super-quick process since you can randomly dab in a couple of shades of green and get a lovely tree canopy in full summer leaf!

I die cut the word from the card front as well as a couple of extras from scrap card for an integrated look.

Stamps:
Lovely as a Tree (Stampin' Up)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Ivy, Coffee Bean)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain)

Other:
Hello die (Waltingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)
Zig Clean Colour marker (light blue)
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

ABW!

It's my turn to set the challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week and I'd like to see ABW - anything but white! I've fallen into the habit of using white as my card base so I thought I should challenge myself at least.

Of course, being a last minute minnie it had to be a father's day card. I was in the mood for texture so I decided to emboss rather than stamp this week.

I swiped charcoal grey ink onto the folder before embossing some mid grey cardstock and then rubbed silver ink and two shades of Perfect Pearls over the large shell.

The embossing is deep enough that it's really easy to reseat the piece in exactly the same place on the folder so I swiped the inkpad around the large shell area again and put it back through the Big Shot to redefine the inking after adding the pearl effect.

The die cut word has the same Perfect Pearls and silver ink treatment and the rest of the sentiment is stamped onto the torn vellum strip to finish it off.

Stamps:
Happy Stamp & Cut (Hero Arts)

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

Paper:
Stormy Medium (an ancient Prism papers one!)
Vellum

Other:
M-bossabilities folder by Spellbinder (Shell Beauty)
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Blue Patina and Blue Raspberry)

Here's a close up that shows the depth and detail of the embossing a bit more clearly.

We'd love to have you join us with your ABW creations - just have a look at the lovelies the rest of the team came up with if you're looking for ideas to get you started!

Totally tropical

It's Shabneez's turn to set the challenge this week at Daring Cardmakers and she'd like to see us go tropical - bright colours, clashing patterns, tropical motifs - just right for summer!

It's a quick one layer creation from me using hot colours and a silhouette style hibiscus image in two sizes with a glittery die cut and stamped sentiment and a few tiny gems to finish it off. I think I might have been happier with a darker colour for the “happy” - maybe I’ll try it out and see but I’d run out of time for Friday deadline!

I’ve held out against Distress Oxides until now but I caved and bought a few this week. The orange here is a first play with one of them, I like the way it layered over the pink (which is regular Distress).

Stamps:
Emerging Hibiscus and Emerging Dragonfly (both Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Hero Arts Essential Messages

Paper:
Bristol Board
Green glitter card

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink (Picked Raspberry)
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink (Carved Pumpkin)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Happy Stamp & Cut by Hero Arts
Corner Chomper
Nail art gems

Thanks for stopping by!

Paper roses, paaa-per roses....

Sorry, since seeing Dawn’s challenge for Daring Cardmakers this week I’ve been singing the Osmonds in my head! The challenge is not limited to roses though, Dawn would like to see hand made paper flowers of any kind on our projects - you could use dies, punches, freehand shapes, roll them, sculpt them... just make a paper flower, however it takes your fancy!

I opted for a crepe paper number made with circles - alarmingly the first one I made was back in 2010 using this video tutorial. I ran a pale pink Copic marker round the petal edges for extra definition and then used various bits that were lying around on my desk (background, bird, clock) to make a sort of collage feel card. I didn’t include a sentiment so it’s an all-purpose card.

Stamps:
Bird from Spring Bird and foliage from Bird Paradise (Bloom Art Stamps)
Clock from Time To Stamp (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bamboo mixed media paper by Hannemuhl
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Memento Luxe by Tsukineko (Olive Grove)
Tim Holtx Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Juniper reinker)

Other:
Black fine line marker
Pinflair glue gel

For the flower:
Heavyweight crepe paper 
Spellbinder circle dies (large and small used here - the two smallest dies from the large set and the "in between" one from the small set)
Copic marker
Elmers glue 
Glamour Dust Crystal glitter 
Velvet brad 

Thanks for stopping by, we’d love to see your flower creations if you have time to join us!

Waving goodbye

Svenja has set the challenge for us this week at Daring Cardmakers - she'd like us to take time to say goodbye (retirement, leaving a job, sympathy, flying the nest, bon voyage etc).

This is actually a card I made during my time on the Splitcoast Stampers Dirty Dozen but this week has gone a bit pear shaped in terms of making anything and I thought the idea of saying farewell as someone sets off on a trip fit the theme so I decided to share this one.

The background is a piece that had been in my scraps pile forever. I thought it made a nice vibrant backdrop for the boots - a bit like a weird landscape and stormy clouds!

I stamped the image on the panel and then again on a scrap of white card, cut it out and popped it up just slightly with some gel glue.

Stamps:
Combat Boots by Deep Red Stamps
Sentiment from Journey set by Crafty Secrets (no longer with us)

Paper:
Hot press watercolour
Smooth white

Ink:
Graphite Black Brilliance by Tsukineko
Tim Holtz Distress reinkers by Ranger (Spiced Marmalade, Dusty Concord)

Other:
Fine line black marker
Pinflair glue gel

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!

Let's talk about the weather

Miri has homed in on a quintissentially English quality for this week's Daring Cardmakers challenge - she'd like us to talk about the weather! Feature anything weather related on your card - sun, rain, snow, wind...

I opted for sunshine and promptly obscured most of the effect of the rays coming out from a central sun by stamping my island over the top! I think the tropical sun is still shining through though!

This is a quick and simple all-occasion card, basically just stamps and ink.

Stamps:
My Island (mine is the original Waltzingmouse Stamps set, the same is now available form Gina K) 

Paper:
Bristol board
DCWV textured white core

Ink:
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Sunshine Yellow, Espresso)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Spiced Marmalade)
Versafine by Tsukinko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Corner Chomper
Pinflair glue gel

Thanks for stopping by!

Blooming birthday!

My mum is celebrating a round number birthday this year - this is the card I managed to make for her after suffering a severe inspiration bypass. I’m kind of happy with it, I just wish it had come about more easily. The important thing though is that Mum liked it!

The flowers are coloured with a mixture of Distress ink, Clean Color markers, Copics, pencil and gel pen. The green dots are stamped with the little circles in the Happy stamp set and I used some textured gold cardstock and sequins for a bit of added glamour.  

Stamps:
Roses in Bloom by Waltzingmouse Stamps (no  longer with us)
Happy Stamp & Cut by Hero Arts (die cut sentiment as well)
Say It All by Hero Arts (because I wanted “birthday” a bit bigger than the Happy set one)

Paper:
Bristol board 
Gold linen textured

Ink:
Memento Luxe by Tsukineko (Rosebud, Pear Tart)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Picked Raspberry, Shabby Shutters)

Other:
Tim Holtz/Sizzix dies (Mixed Media I)
Zig Clean Colour markers (pink and light green)
Magenta coloured pencil
Copic markers
Gold gel pen
Tracing wheel
Sequins
Pinflair glue gel

Thanks for stopping by!

Blue skies

It's Friday so it must be Daring Cardmakers day - Nat is setting our challenge this week and she'd like to see us being inspired by the colour blue. We finally seem to have some blue skies so perhaps those will inspire!

This is not the card I set out to make - that one ended up in the circular file in the craft room. This clean and simple affair makes use of a scrap of background from another project and an elegant silhouette of spring blossom.

The background piece is just reinkers dribbled onto wet watercolour paper with a bit of white acrylic paint sponged through circles once dry for a sort of bokeh effect.

Stamps:
Spring Bird by Bloom Art Stamps
Say It All by Hero Arts (retired)

Paper:
Bristol board
Watercolour

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Various Distress reinkers

Other:
White acrylic paint
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by, have a lovely weekend!

April elements

It's the first Friday of another new month and Kathy is setting our "elemental" challenge over at Daring Cardmakers - just choose at least three elements from the inspiration picture to kickstart your project.

I chose the colours, an embossed white feather, overlapping rectangles of different sizes, gold accents (some metal dots, some doodled gel pen) and a white script style sentiment.

The smaller rectangles are made with an acrylic block tapped onto a blue ink pad and spritzed with water before pressing it onto the card base.

Stamps:
My Island (mine is the original Waltzingmouse Stamps set, the same is now available from Gina K)
Happy Stamp & Cut by Hero Arts (die cut sentiment as well)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Shadow Ink by Hero Arts (Mint Julep)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Chipped Sapphire)

Other:
Tom Holtz/Sizzix Feather duo die/folder
Circles punched from tomato paste tube metal
Gold gel pen
Pinflair glue gel
Corner Chomper

Here's the inspiration picture - we'd love to have you play along!

Thanks for stopping by!