Oak leaves

I was lucky enough to be chosen as a favourite at the Retro Rubber Challenge a while back and so I'm joining them as a guest designer on the current challenge which has just gone live here.

The idea at RR is to show some love to stamps that are at least a year old so it's a great chance to look back over your stash for toys you might have ignored for a while!

It's a tic-tac-toe challenge this time, see the end of this post or visit the Retro Rubber blog for the grid if you'd like to play along! I chose the middle column of the grid: sparkle-leaves-heat embossing.

I embossed the sentiment with a detail white powder and then smooshed on some ink using a piece of acetate. The oak branch stamp has acorns on it which means it always seems to be an autumnal kind of image but I thought that if I coloured the leaves green and only used part of the image it would be more suited to spring and summer. The sparkle comes courtesy of my "go to" embellishment when I want just a touch of glitz: nail art gems.

Stamps:
Oak Branch (Beeswax Stamps - I've had mine since 2012)
Say It All (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board

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

Other:
Detail white embossing powder
Copic markers
White paint pen by Posca
Fine frames die by Altenew
Nail art gems
Pinflair glue gel
Corner Chomper

Here's the tic-tac-toe grid, why not head over and play?!

Thanks for stopping by!

Recycle it

The lovely Svenja is setting our challenge this week at Daring Cardmakers and she'd like us to do a bit of recycling. It could be a failed project that you've given a makeover to turn it into something fabulous or it could be bits and pieces you rescue from the recyle bin and put to good crafty use.

I used three bits of "recylcing" here: a magazine page to make a print using a gel plate, my sentiment word is cut from a piece of tomato paste tube and I used a "stencil" that is actually a piece of plastic that came on a computer keyboard as a protector while in transit.

If you have a gel plate and haven't played with the magazine transfer technique it's a fun thing to do - this video is a good introduction if you want to have a play! Premium weight copy paper seems to make a good surface to pull prints and it's not expensive so it doesn't feel too awful if something doesn't work!

I used a white pencil to add some gentle highlighting and a charcoal pencil for some grounding shadows.

This is for a friend with whom we enjoy the odd wine tasting!

Supplies:
Page from Decanter magazine
Gelli plate
Acrylic paints (black, yellow green, turquoise)
White pencil
Charcoal pencil
Happy Stamp n Cut (Hero Arts)
Tomato paste tube
Keyboard “stencil”
Tim Holtz Distress ink (Mowed Grass) 
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Black Copic marker
Corner chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

Stitch it

Shabneez is setting this week’s challenge over st Daring Cardmakers and she’d like to see some stitching - hand or machine, real or faux, a little or a lot!

I needed a card for a friend’s daughter who’s turning 13. I dithered over whether unicorns might be too “young” but decided this realistic one would be OK (yes, I know it’s not really possible to have a realistic unicorn, I suppose I mean in the sense of not cutesy cartoonish!). I’ve added a little bit of stitching with silver thread to attach the banner element of the sentiment, stitched the embellishments into place and added a faux stiched border with a tracing wheel and a silver gel pen.

The background piece is from a stash I made a while back with a shaving foam technique.

Stamps:
Believe in Unicorns (Visible Image)
Happy Stamp n Cut (Hero Arts - die is also in the set)

Paper:
Bristol board
Copy paper
Silver glitter

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Delicata by Tsukineko (Silvery Shimmer)
Distress reinkers (for the shaving foam background)

Other:
Detail white embossing powder
Confetti die (Mama Elephant)
Silver thread
Tracing wheel
Silver gel pen

Thanks for stopping by!

Mad March hare

It’s my turn to set the challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week and I’d like you to be inspired by the phrase “mad March hare”. Take a look at the DCM blog for some suggestions and to see what my lovely teamies made of it.

I found some fabulous downloadable colouring pages in this Etsy shop that’s run by a tattoo artist who has a beautiful illustration style - she has several animals and birds that would be perfect for the adult colouring craze and I think they’d be good for the kids too, maybe a family colouring session?!

I spent some happy time with my Copics and then just cropped the image to the size of the card front and added a simple die cut sentiment. I added some two-way glue to the moon with a Quickie glue pen and used metal flakes over it once tacky then added some more sketchy lines with a silver gel pen (that don't show up well on the photo, I'm afraid, maybe because the metal leaf is so reflective). The flower centres are dots of gold 3D paint.

I remember hearing a documentary about hares on Radio 4 that used Maddy Prior singing The Fabled Hare in its soundtrack. The final verse says

"I'm a symbol of endurance
Running through the mists of time"

I really hope that's true, hares are such magnificent creatures and with the recent news that a strain of myxomatosis has crossed from rabbits to hares, their future might not be quite so assured. 

Supplies:
Hare colouring page
Copic markers
Gold gel pen
Silver gel pen
Quickie glue pen
Mega Flake by Indigo Blu (Sheffield Steel)
Gold 3D paint
Corner Chomper

Thanks for stopping by!

Link in the chain - February

It's time for the reveal of the Card Chain Challenge for February! As usual we had lots of options to play with - I chose the theme of birds and the colours (honey, raspberry,  strawberry). My card has gone to Gail who does a fabulous job each month as part of the team who keep us all organised!

I inked up my circular Gel Press Petite rather like a big stamp (I will get round to using it some other way soon!) and then sponged extra ink over the impression to blend a bit more. I thought the colour combination was quite reminiscent of a sunset.

I added tiny speckles and "twinkles" in faint colour by stamping off on scrap first.

Stamps:
Spring Bird (Bloom Art Stamps)
Believe in Unicorns (Visible Image)

Paper:
Bristol board:

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Wild Honey, Picked Raspberry)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Watermelon)

Other:
Gel Press Petities
Charcoal pencil
Black fineliner
Hello die (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)
Pinflair gel glue

There are a still a few days to sign up if you'd like to be a link in the next chain - make and send one card to the person "up chain", receive a card from the next link!

Marching on...

Hard to believe it's the first day of another new month! Svenja is setting our challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week - it's an "elemental" one as it's the first of the month. Just choose at least three elements from the inspiration photo to kick start your project.

I love the montage of photos Svenja put together from a trip to the Netherlands but for some reason I just couldn't get a card to come together. I decidd to share the best of a bad lot!

I chose black wooden planks, netting and little pops of colour inspired by the floats on the nets.

Stamps:
Wood Grain (Darkroom Door)
Sentiment from Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Brsitol board
Dark blue

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Black Soot)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Square Nestabilities by Sepllbinder
Enamel dots
Gauze

Here's Svenja's lovely picture for inspiration and it's well worth a look at the blog to see what my teamies made of it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh man!

Kathy is setting today's challenge over at Daring Cardmakers - she'd like some inspiration for all the masculine cards she needs to make with the focus on the men, not the boys!

I think my make would work for teens upwards if you have a drummer or music fan in your life.

I used an embossing folder to "stamp" the background and added some shading with a Copic marker. The "happy" is glittery for an extra bit of rockstar glam!

Stamps:
Feel the Beat (Visible Image) 
Happy Stamp & Cut (Hero Arts - both bits of the sentiment)

Paper:
Bristol board
Silver glitter

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Shadow ink by Hero Arts (Soft Granite)
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide by Ranger (Twisted Citron)

Other:
Rays embossing folder (Tim Holtz/Sizzix, retired)
Copic marker
Black fineliner

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas already?

It's Miri's turn to set us a challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week and she's asking us to use candles.

The only candle image I could think of in my stash was in a lovely set which is definitely a Chistmas set and my brain failed to come up with an alternative use for it so it's Christmas in February! Still, making some cards throughout the year is a good thing, reduces the panic come November!

I picked up a scrapling from the pile and made a wee card with just stamps and ink. I did add a tiny bit of shading to the leaves and berries with a couple of markers but that's as exotic as the supply list got!

Stamps:
Bright Season (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)
Woodgrain background (Darkroom Door)
Sentiment pieced together from Festive Foliage (Waltingmouse Stamps, now available at Gina K) and Peace Stamp & Cut (Hero arts)

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black, Olympia Green)
Memento Luxe by Tsukineko (Love Letter)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Sunshine Yellow)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen, Vintage Photo)

Other:
Corner Chomper 
Copic markers

Thanks for stopping by!

Link in the chain - January

The first  Card Chain Challenge for 2019 has its reveal today. My card went to Lucille in Colorado this month and from the options I chose the theme of New Year and the sketch. I started out following the colour scheme of denim, cornflower and white but none of my blue inks were quite right for cornflower so I went with a purple instead.

I painted over the clocks with water to blur them a bit with the idea they’d represent the old year receding behind the new one represented by the big numbers - not quite sure it worked but hey ho! Splattered ink breaks up the white and gives a sort of party feel, I thought! A few iridescent sequins seemed to be called for to finish it off.

Stamps:
A & P Numbers (Ma Vinci’s Reliquary, no longer with us)
Asian Garden Additions (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)
Time to Stamp (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Clocks Plate 6 (Paper Artsy)

Paper:
Bristol board 

Inks:
Versamark by Tsukineko 
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide by Ranger (Blueprint Sketch, Wilted Violet)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)

Other:
Silver detail embossing powder 
Corner Chomper 
Grey Copic markers
Sequins

The Card Chain Challenge has a fun community of international card makers - why not sign up for a few challenges in 2019? You get the fun of sending your card somewhere you know it will be appreciated as well as receiving a lovely card too! There are still a few days left to sign up for February here.

February elements

It's my turn to set the challenge over at Daring Cardmakers this week - it's the first Friday of the month so we're going "Elemental". Just choose at least three elements from the inspiration picture to kickstart your project. Colour palette counts as one choice so if you go with colours, choose at least two other elements as well.

For inspiration this month, I photographed a few things from my craft room and used a chunky sweater as a background for some extra texture - picture at the end of this post if you didn't arrive here from DCM!

I chose three circles, denim texture, pearlescence, lines reminiscent of the rib knit and the turquoise/blues/greys from the colour palette and made a CAS, masculine kind of card. The "washi tape" strip is made with a stamp that is probably intended to be twill but has always made me think of denim when it's stamped in blue.

Stamps:
Pic Nic Patterns (Waltingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)
Fine Lines Backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Happy Samp & Cut (Hero Arts - for the die cut "Happy" as well)

Paper:
Bristol board
Silver pearlescent
Silver glitter

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass, Broken China)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Denim, Sronewashed)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Circle Nestabilites by Spellbinder 
Corner Chomper

Here's our inspiration pic for February:

The team made some lovely things and very varied - why not hop on over for a look! Thanks for stopping by!