Textured holly

Last day of the month and I'm just managing to squeak in with a card for the current challenge at Let's Squash It - emboss/deboss. Jo and Gail want us to use any embossing folder and use both sides of the pattern on our cards.

I cut a full cardfront and then die cut two smaller rectangles from the centre. I ran the big piece through to get the debossed texture, the smallest through to get the emobssed texture and left the skinny one as a frame in between. I've added a tiny bit of colour to a couple of embossed holly leaves and berries, a stamped sentiment strip and made my first Christmas card of the year!

Apologies that the photo's not great, bright sun and snow glare in Northumberland today! Being a last-minute-minnie I can't wait for better conditions, I'm afraid. I hope it's still possible to see the two sides at play!

Supplies:
Moonlit Berries embossing folder (Couture Creattions)
Bristol board
Stitched rectangle dies, A6 size (Paper Rose)
Vintage Christmas Expressions (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Ivy)
Copic markers
Spica glitter pens (red and green)

Early bird

Miri is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week: it's the early bird that catches the worm! She'd like to see birds, worms, sunrises - anything to do with the saying.

Lost Coast Designs are currently asking us to "tweet this" so I'm linking up there too.

I thought I was going to have to miss the DCM challenge this week but I managed to make a super-fast one layer card with a stamp that does a lot of the heavy lifting to make a dramatic impact with very little effort. A little stencilling for a background, a few sequins and a simple stamped sentiment and call it done.

Stamps:
Spring bird (Bloom Art Stamps)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine
Tim Holtz

Other:
Rays stencil (Visible Image)
Sequins
Corner Chomper

 

 

Retro orchids

I’m delighted to be Guest Designer with Retro Rubber for the current challenge. It’s an “anything goes” theme this time around so as long as you use a stamp that’s older than a year, you’re good to go!

I needed a birthday card with a touch of elegance and figured orchids might fit the bill. It’s a good while since the orchid stamps came out to play! 

I stamped with pink ink, wiping most of it off the stem so I still got an impression but it was easier to cover with green pencil. The petals are coloured with white pencil which is opaque enough to lighten the base colour of the paper but still allows the pink “veins” to show through. I’d originally thought I would overstamp after colouring with the white but I liked the soft effect so left it alone.

Stamps:
Orchids (Darkroom Door, I’ve had mine since 2013)
Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us, had mine since 2014)

Paper:
Strathmore Toned Grey 
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Memento Luxe by Tsukineko (Rosebud) 
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen)

Other:
Coloured pencils
Stitched rectangle dies, A6 size (Paper Rose)

If you need an excuse to break out the older stamps - come and join us!

For Ukraine

At Daring Cardmakers this week we’re aiming to fill our little crafting corner with the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag and sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine. The Internet has made the world much smaller, many of us know of crafters or others directly affected by the conflict — there isn't much any of us can do but make a small gesture to show support for the people of Ukraine.

This flower was as close to a sunflower as my stash could offer. I stamped it in a light coloured ink and then coloured with a base layer of Copics with some coloured pencil over the top.

Stamps:
Lin Brown 16 — Flowers (Paper Artsy)
Truly appreciated (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board 

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Sandal)

Other:
Copic markers
Coloured pencils
Corner Chomper

Please do join us if you can

Link in the chain - February

February is such a short month, those couple of days seem to make a disproportionate difference, don't they?! Anyway, we're round to Card Change Challenge reveal day once again!

My card flew across the Pond to Helen in Ohio this time (or maybe it's still flying, Helen hasn't got it yet, I don't think). I only managed one of the options on offer this time - the theme of mushrooms. OK, technically this is a toadstool but I figured I'd be forgiven for the slight mycological liberty!

It's my usuual CCC one layer preference, just with a die cut sentiment rather than a stamped one. The grasses are stamped with two different green inks for a bit of grassy randomness.

I think I'd have put this stancil and stamp together anyway but one of the Visible Image design team beat me to it so a shout out to Eileen Godwin is in order here!

Stamps:
Totally Toadstools (Visible Image)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black and Cottage Ivy)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass) and Oxide (Cracked Pistachio)

Other:
Copic markers
Strobes stencil (Visible Image)
Hello die (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)
Corner Chomper

I recceived a lovely mixed media card from Mia and she added some extra little goodies including  a sweet beaded necklace she made herself - thank you Mia!

There are still a few days to sign up for the March chain if you fancy it - make and send a card, get a hand made card from the next player! Sign up is here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Keep moving...

I managed to get some work done a bit faster than expected today so that meant I was able to get this idea out of my head and onto paper just before the end of the current challenge at Lost Coast Designs where the theme is Steampunk/Vintage.

I thought I was going to have to sit this one out but while trying to get to sleep last night I remembered this emobssing folder and thought it would probably do a lot of the work for me - I made this in about 40 minutes which is incredibly fast for me! Remembering I had an Einstein quote in my stash of stamps meant I didn't faff around trying to make a quote with die cuts or alphabet stamps etc, too!

Einstein was stamped on Kraft card and I thought it would be fun to give him his famous shock of white hair with fairly rough and ready strokes of a white paint pen. He's cut out and stuck on with a bit of gel glue for some lift. The background is the same Kraft card, embossed and then inked with brushes and some gold ink swiped directly from the pad over the high spots.

Stamps:
Einstein (Carmen's Veranda)
Bicycle Life (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)

Paper:
Recycled Kraft board envelope (well known online retailer!)
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo) and Oxide (Evergreen Bough)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Espresso)
Delicata by Tsukineko (Golden Glitz)

Other:
Uber embossing folder (Couture Creations)
White paint pen by Posca
Stitched rectangle dies, A6 size (Paper Rose)
Pinflair gel glue

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

Two hearts

As we’re fast approaching Valentine’s Day, Dawn couldn’t resist giving us a Valentine theme at Daring Cardmakers this week. 

I’ve combined with the current challenge at Lost Coast Designs who are in the pink. I’m not usually good with pink so I’ve tried to keep things clean and simple to help me get over the “prettiness” problem that’s the root of my issues!

Retro Rubber has the theme of love for the current challenge and as I’ve had the Hero Arts heart stamp set since 2014 I’m linking up there, too.

I smooshed a bit of Kitsch Flamingo onto the card base using a piece of acetate then stamped the first heart with Picked Raspberry, masked it and stamped the second heart with the Flamingo ink. As the smooshed ink is diluted with a spritz of water, the stamping has enough extra intensity to show up (I did use the MISTI so I could stamp a couple of times to make sure though).

Stamps:
Untitled Hearts (Hero Arts, retired — I’ve had mine since 2014)
Key Expressions (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukinkeo (Onyx Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Kitsch Flamingo, Picked Raspberry)

Other:
Corner Chomper 

Thanks for stopping by!

    

Link in the chain - January

It's reveal day over at Card Chain Challenge for the first chain of 2022.

Mine went to Pia in Norway this time. From the options on offer I chose the theme of "new" by making a card to toast the new year and used the sketch too. I stuck to my preference of one layer cards for CCC, using masking and adding a bit of drop shadow with markers.

Stamps:
Champagne Celebration (Crafter’s Companion)
Time To Stamp (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

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

Other:
Gansai Tambi watercolours (Starry colours pallette)
Copic markers
Cressida stencil (Memory Box)
Typewriter font alphabet dies (Tim Holtz/Sizzix)

Thanks for stopping by! Sign up for the February chain is open for a few more days if you fancy joining in: here

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!