Be Happy!

Shabneez is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week — she’d like to see something featuring the word happy. I did have plans to make something with “happy” being a more prominent feature but things didn’t pan out that way.

This was made for a young lady who is very maths and science oriented (hence choice of background stamp) and whose favourite colour is purple. She’s not a girly girl so I thought this t-shirt might make a good base for her card.

I stamped the shirt, stencilled the swirl design and added just a bit of shading with a couple of Copics then cut it out. I masked the edges of the card with low tack tape, stamped the background and doodled a border. Die cut numbers and a stamped sentiment finish it off and the shirt is stuck on with gel glue to lift it slightly off the background.

Stamps:
Nothing to Wear (Visible Image)
Sentiment from Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)
Numbers border (Kaisercraft)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide by Ranger (Wilted Violet)

Other:
Time Tunnel stencil (Visible Image)
Tim Holtz Alphanumeric dies (Sizzix) 
Copic markers
Fineline marker
Corner Chomper 

Thanks for stopping by!

Changing seasons

Our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week is being set by Dawn and she’d like to see something influenced by the changing seasons.

I’ve opted for the obvious autumnal feel and also combined with the current challenges at Let’s Squash It (emboss two thirds of your card) and Die Cut Divas (autumn). 

On my daily walk up the lane I pass lots of interesting dry stone walling, some of it a little tumbledown, some of it mossy or supporting brambles as well as keeping the cows and sheep where they should be! I haven’t used this folder for ages and I thought it would be nicely rustic with the autumn leaves. I added a bit of ink to the folder before embossing to accentuate the lines.  

Unusually for me, there’s no stamping (other than the sentiment). 

Stamps:
Sentiment from Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
Kraft

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

Other:
Dry stone wall embossing folder  (Crafter’s Companion) 
Pan pastels
Leaves dies (Impression Obsession)
Corner Chomper 
Nail art gems

Words of comfort

At Daring Cardmakers this week, we’re reflecting on the UK’s national sense of loss and mourning as we say farewell to Queen Elizabeth II. We’d like to see cards offering comfort for those experiencing loss or a difficult time in their lives.

I tend to opt for simplicity when I make sympathy cards and this is no exception, just simple stamping, inking and a tiny bit of pattern added with a stencil.  

Stamps:
Nature I (Indigo Blu)
Sentiment from Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

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

Other:
Cressida Stencil (Memory Box)
Corner Chomper 

Thanks for stopping by.  

Into the woods

Miri is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week — she’d like to see woods and forests represented in some way. I decided to combine with the current challenge at Lost Coast where the team would like to see at least three stamps being used on our cards. 

I stamped the trees background directly onto the card base and brushed on a little ink in blue shades, stamped and cut out the owl and tucked him behind a die cut frame (black card dusted with Perfect Pearls in autumn shades). I coloured the card outside the frame with a black marker and added oak leaves cut from a larger stamped image. I was aiming for foreground with leaves then owl, background with bare trees but I can’t quite convince myself the oak leaves look right — maybe it will grow on me!

Sorry the photo looks a bit washed out, it was the best I could manage on a particularly dreary morning here in Northumberand. Hopefully any owls around here have good shelter - apparently they're not waterproof!

Stamps:
Trees backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Oak branch (Beeswax Stamps)
Twit Twoo (Indigo Blu)

Paper:
Bristol board
Black

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate, Graphite Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass, Peacock Feathers)

Other:
Stitched square frame die (Paper Rose)
Copic markers
Perfect Pearls by Ranger (Heirloom Gold, Bronze, Copper)
Black Fineliner

September elements and link in the chain

A two-in-one post today since the second of the month (reveal day at Card Chain Challenge) coincides with the first Friday (our “elemental” challenge at Daring Cardmakers). 

Miri has chosen our DCM mood board for September — as ever, just chose at least three elements to kickstart your project. I chose the surface rings on the puddle, the autumn leaves and a circle. I used Pan Pastels to colour the die cut leaves and added the framing for the circle as an afterthought so it’s drawn on with a fineliner and a Copic marker. The dots are my trusty tomato paste tube and a few tiny nail art gems.

Just realised Die Cut Divas have an autumn theme this time around so I’m linking this card up there, too. 

Stamps:
Sentiment from Say It All (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Vintage Sepia)

Other:
Retro circles embossing folder  (Tim Holtz/Sizzix) 
Pan pastels
Circles dies (Spellbinder)
Leaves dies (Impression Obsession)
Stitched rectangles A6 size (Paper Rose)
Tomato paste tube
Nail art gems

My Card Chain Challenge card went to Pat in Texas this time. From the options on offer I chose the theme of fruit and flowers and gave this lovely lemon set its first outing (I have blogged another card with it already but this one was made and sent before that was made). It’s almost my usual one layer card for CCC, just the little blossom is die cut and added over the base layer. 

There’s still time to sign up for the September chain if you fancy it, details here.

Stamps:
Lemon Blossom (The Greetery, plus matching dies)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Various yellow, green and pink inks (I failed to keep note!)

Other:
Copic marker
Nail art gems
Corner Chomper

In the long run

It’s my turn to set the challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week — as Monday is a bank holiday here in the UK that means it’s a long weekend so I thought we could be inspired by the idea of “long” things. Have a look at the blog to see what my teamies were inspired to make. 

Giraffes have the longest necks in the animal kingdom and this stamp always makes me smile so I decided to go that way. I think I’ve had the stamp set since about 2008. 

I wouldn’t normally list my Scor-It in the supplies list (I use it pretty much every time I make a card to score the fold) but I used it to make the decorative framing for the inked strip so I thought it should at least make it onto the cast list! It adds a little something extra to a one layer card, I think, but keeps it flat and embellishment-free!

Stamps:
Safari Set I (Tanda stamps, no longer with us)
Sentiment from Polar Bears (MFT)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door)

Other:
Scor-It
Corner Chomper

Come join us!

Cake and candles

I’m combining challenges again today! Shabneez has chosen our theme at Daring Cardmakers and as she has lots of family birthdays to celebrate in August, she’d like to see birthday card ideas featuring candles and/or cake.

Let’s Squash It’s challenge of a shaped card combined with any embossing folder is ongoing so I decided to play again there — the cabinet card shape I made last week was looking very lonely in the challenge gallery until the lovely Robyn joined me on Wednesday but I'm sure Jo and Gail would love to see a few more shaped cards!

I kept the shape really simple this time, using the largest die from a really old Spellbinder set, but it still looks a bit different than your regular straight edges. Wafer thin dies tend not to want to go through two layers of base weight cardstock — I ran the folded base through the machine once which cut the top layer and made a good indentation in the bottom one. You can then flatten it out and use the indentation to reseat the die and place your top plate so it lines up along the fold of the card to make sure you don’t cut more than you intended. I then die cut a full front out of black cardstock, embossed it, dry brushed with metallic acrylic paint and stuck to the card base. 

The cake is stamped, coloured with Copics and fussy cut then stuck on with gel glue with a glittery gold frame to spotlight it. The sentiment is cut with a small rectangle, modified make it longer.

I realised when dry brushing the card front that there is even a cake with candles (top left) in the embossing so it’s double cake all round!

Stamps:
The Cafe (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Sentiment from Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board
Black
Gold glitter

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
Birthday embossing folder (Cuttlebug)
Copic markers
Labels 8 dies (Spellbinder)
Fine frames die, circle (Altenew)
Stitched rectangles A6 size (Paper Rose)
Espresso metallic paint (DecoArt)

Cool citrus

Kathy is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week — it's hot again here in the UK so she'd like to see ways to keep your cool. Check out the blog for ideas from the team!

I'm partial to a citron pressé when on holiday somewhere hot so I decided to go that way —there's something cool and refreshing about sharp citrus flavours mixed with gently fizzy water and a spoonful of sugar. A couple of ice cubes and a sprig of mint make it more sophisticated if you’re that way inclined!

This pretty layering stamp set from The Greetery was on my wish list and hubby bought it for me as a gift now there’s a UK stockist (Seven Hills, if anyone needs to know!). He bought the coordinating dies too (which I confess I probably wouldn’t have done) so I played with both here. The dies definitely made the flower cluster easier!

The shaped card was inspired by the current challenge at Let's Squash It who want us to combine our embossing folders with a card that isn’t square or rectangular. I haven’t used this cabinet card die for ages and thought it might make an attractive frame for an arrangement of lemons. I chose a basketweave folder to be reminiscent of picnic baskets or perhaps shady sun hats! I ran a gold paint pen around the inside of the frame for a bit of definition. Because it’s a steel rule die it’s really easy to cut through a couple of layers — just fold the base then position the fold fractionally inside the left hand cutting edge so it stays intact and you’ll have a perfectly shaped card base.

The Die Cut Divas have a shaped card challenge too so I’m linking up there as well!

Stamps:
Lemon Blossom (plus coordinating dies) (The Greetery)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress by Ranger (Mowed Lawn, Picked Raspberry)
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide by Ranger (Twisted Citron)
Versacraft by Tsukineko (Lemon Yellow)
Jenni Bowlin by Ranger (Lemon Drop)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Sunshine Yellow)
Memento Luxe by Tsukineko (Rose Bud)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
Basketweave folder (Spellbinder)
Tag Trio dies (Spellbinder)
Cabinet Card and Mini Cabinet Card dies (Tim Holtz/Sizzix)
Gold paint pen

Come join the fun!

 

 Die Cut Divas

August's elements

Nat has chosen the mood board for our "elemental" challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week — as ever, just chose at least three elements to feature on your card.

I chose the woodgrain, yellow flower and striped ring. I cut an extra flower head and layered it behind the main die cut, slightly offset, and curved the petals on the front one for a bit more dimension. 

Retro Rubber has an “anything goes” theme for the current challenge so I’m linking up there too. My woodgrain stamp has been well loved since being added to my stash around 2008!

Stamps:
Woodgrain backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Sentiment from Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
Buff

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Antique Linen, Vintage Photo)
Momento Luxe by Tsukineko (Espresso Truffle)

Other:
Wildflower Stems dies (Time Holtz/Sizzix)
Stitched rectangle dies (Paper Rose)
Circles Nestabilities
Gold paint pen
Copic markers

Here’s the inspiration picture for August

Link in the chain - July

It's reveal day at Card Chain Challenge — mine has travelled the short distance to Kath this time.

From the options on offer I only managed the theme of birds but it only takes one to play! I did manage to make my birds summery though as a nod to the season.

Hopefully these gulls are not gearing up to swipe the chips or Cornish pasty of the holiday-makers who are undoubtedly sitting just out of the frame. I considered giving them some soft colour with chalks but in the end decided I liked the crisp contrast of the white gulls and frame with the colourful waves and beach.

The waves are a lovely layering stamp set, you can change the look quite drastically with different ink choices. I coloured the beach area with a couple of watercolour paints, dotted a little white pen for breaking foam and stamped the greeting with sandy colours for that stick-written look!

Stamps:
Layering Waves (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Versacraft (Pale Aqua)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Sandal, Stream)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Salty Ocean)

Other:
Beachfront Seagulls dies (Memory Box)
Watercolour paints by Winsor and Newton
Stitched rectangles A6 size (Paper Rose)
White paint pen by Posca

Thanks for stopping by — there are still a couple of days to sign up for August's chain if you fancy it, details are here.