Thinking of you today and every day

I have been a bit sidetracked in the craft room of late, but sadly, I was in need of a sympathy card to give to my sister.  Her mother-in-law, who turned 90 in February this year, passed away on Saturday night.

 

 

This is an Altenew stamp & die set - Wild Flora - flowers were stamped with Versafine Onyx Black and heat embossed with Zing Clear embossing powder.  I hand painted the flower & leaves using Altenew Inks.

 

I recently purchased some stencils and blending brushes from Amazon and was keen to have a bit of a play.

 

I made the background using one of the stencils with a blending brush and lightly blended using Altenew Ink in the centre.  When mounting the background onto the matt, I thought it got a little lost, so I ink blended the edges as well, and added a few splatters.  I then stamped the sentiment directly onto the background.  

 

The background & matting were cut using Waffle Flower A6 layer dies and layered onto an A6 300 gsm White Cardbase.  

 

I layered the background onto the purple matting, then layered the purple matting onto the white cardbase.  The flowers were then positioned on the front in a pleasing manner with foam tabs to add dimension.

 

Linking this card with a few challenges

 

TicTacToe #272 (centre column - layers /Free/ Floral/foliage

 

Just Add Ink #754 - Choose Two - DieCut-Flower-Ribbon - I chose DieCut/Flower

 

Just Us Girls #778 - Die Week - Layers - I used several dies to make up multiple layers

 

 

Cut it Up #331 - anything goes (with a die)

 

 

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.

Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Thinking of You | Hello Sunshine | Best Wishes

I can't believe just how fast the year is going ..... here we are in April already!

It's Autumn here in Australia and I think this is my favourite time of the year.  Nice sunny days, blue skies, cool nights - perfect!

 

I have some more cards to share, as part of my CraftMad Swap group.

 

We had to make 2 cards - Card #1 a 'silhouette' card, and Card #2 a fun fold concertina card.

 

Card #1a - Thinking of You

I started by making my own stencil/mask using one of my Spellbinders Oval dies and ink blending a rainbow of colours in a diagonal pattern directly onto the cardbase.  I splashed some water onto the rainbow area, to add some interest, and then dried off with my heat gun.  A selection of silhouette stamps (from Amazon) were stamped in Versafine Onyx pigment ink directly to the cardfront.  I ummd & ahhhd over whether or not to stamp the sentiment and add it as another layer, but decided against it and ended up stamping the sentiment directly to the cardfront as well.

 

A final little touch of bling completed the card.

 

I actually enjoyed how this card came together, I made another one!  I believe it is called a 'two-fer'

 

Card #1b

I followed the same process as the previous card, but this time made my own stencil/mask using one of my Spellbinders Circle dies and ink blending a rainbow of colours from the centre outwards directly onto the cardbase.  I love the way it looks like the glowing sun.  I splashed some water onto the rainbow area, to add some interest, and then dried off with my heat gun.  A selection of silhouette stamps (Creative Place - Islandia) were stamped in Versafine Onyx pigment ink directly to the cardfront.  Sentiment was stamped directly onto the cardfront as well.

 

A final little touch of bling completed the card.

 

I was very pleased with how both of these cards turned out.

 

  

Linking Card #1a with the following challenges:

AAA Cards #287 - Silhouette +1  #1a = Geometric Shapes,  #1b = Landscape

Just us Girls #768 - anything goes Stencil week

 

 

----oooo0oooo----

 

Now onto Card #2 - a fun fold 'concertina' card

 

Well, I think you can guess what I'm going to say next right?   NOT a fun fold at all! 

It took me a while to decide on which 'concertina' card I was going to make, but I settled on one that had quite a few videos on YouTube and several different bloggers seemed to have a lot of fun making it. 

 

Even though I watched several tutorials, who made it look so very easy, I struggled - both with the construction and the end design of the card.

 

I took notes on the various measurements and started to cut - I settled on some double sided DSP that has been in my stash for a while - I think it is Kaszazz - and some co-ordinating 12x12 cardstock.

 

A rectangle using the other side of the DSP was added to a black matt and added to the cardfront.  The large sentiment was stamped and layered twice to add dimension, then added to a square green DSP front panel matted with black.   MFT Adorable Elephants Butterfly and heart stamped and a touch of bling completes the front.

 

Now despite my very careful cutting and layout plan, I still managed to muck it up!  I had intended for the the 'green gingham' to be the inside of the card and the smaller section to use the lighter paper .... oops!

 

Anyway ..... once I had got my valley folds & mountain folds sorted, I struggled to decide what to do with the inside.  I was going to leave an inside panel blank to write a greeting, but there wasn't really enough room to do that, I ended up stamping the inside panels with the cute little hearts and dotted 'flight path' over some cute little daisies.  In the end, I added a white panel on the back of the card for a personal note.

 

Here is a top view of the concertina card.
 

I really struggled with this one ..... an awful lot of wrangling, for not a lot of reward LOL

 

Anyway, I hope my swap partner likes the cards I have made - I will be sitting out the swap for April - I have had my fill of the 'fun fold' cards ................. they are NOT FUN!

 

 

 

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.

Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Cheers - celebrate the New Year

With the Cricket on the TV, I get to spend some time in the craft room ...........
Mr Fixit is happy, I'm happy!

Using my own handmade stencil cut with Spellbinders circle dies, I made my own background by ink blending some random 'bubbles' on 210gsm cardstock, highlighted with white gel pen for the background, which was then trimmed with Waffle Flower A6 layer dies, and added to Green 300gsm cardbase.

 

SugarPea 'Cheers to You' Champagne bottle and glasses stamped in black and clear heat embossed, hand coloured with Copics, then die cut with matching dies, placed strategically on the cardfront with foam squares.  

 

Sentiment 'Cheers' stamped directly onto background in black and clear heat embossed with a final touch of Kindy Glitz added to bubbles for sparkle.

 

Linking with the following Challenges:

Sweet Stampin' Challenge Blog - Something New (celebrate the New Year)

Just Us Girls Challenge #756 - Die Week

My Time To Craft #550 - Something New (celebrate the New Year)

Time Out Challenges #279 - New Beginnings (New Year)

 

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.

Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Let's Celebrate

It is incredibly hot here in Adelaide this week - we have had several days of  between 35C-41C (95F-106F) so we have been inside, with doors and windows/blinds closed.  Mr Fixit has been on his computer researching a new bed for us and I have been in my craft room, having a play.

 

It was quite fun making a card with no specific person in mind .....  this card has been inspired by some of my favourite challenge blogs.

 

 

To make the background, I used a stencil I had made myself with Spellbinders Circles & Acetate, and used a blending brush & inks to make 'bubbles', randomly positioning the stencil.  Each bubble was highlighted with a white gel pen.  Background was then trimmed and placed onto Burgundy cardstock, which was then placed onto a white A6 cardbase.

Using StazOn Ganache (a nice dark brown/black ink, less harsh than black) I stamped the Champagne bottle & glasses on white cardstock and coloured with copics.  Bottle & glasses were die cut 3 times and layered together, then placed on cardfront and highlighted with Kindy Glitz/Stickles, Dimensional Magic & Dew Drops.

 

Sentiment 'Let's celebrate' stamp is from Ultimate Crafts (Magazine)

 

I am quite pleased with how this card came together, it was just so nice to sit and have a play.

 

Top 3 Winner AAA Birthday

 

 

--oo0oo--

 

Linking With the following challenges:

AAA Cards Challenge has asked us to use circles.

 

AAA Birthday Challenge is to use a stencil.

 Just us Girls Challenge has a mood board (I was inspired by some of the colours) 

 

As You Like It Challenge is your 'favourite stencil or freestyle background'   I have started making my own handmade backgrounds of late, and I must say I am enjoying it!

 

ITEMS USED

Stamps/Dies:  Champagne bottle & glasses, Spellbinders Circles, Sentiment

Inks:  Distress Inks, Copics, white gel pen, StazOn Ganache

Tools:  Cuttlebug

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.

Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Thank You

I am the Secretary of a Photography Club and I needed some 'thank you' cards for 2 members who have gone 'above & beyond' in assisting the Committee throughout the year, even though they are not 'on the Committee'.

Card #1 - Handmade background - using ROYGBIV colours & Distress Inks as watercolours, dabbed & sprtized.  Embossed with Darice 'cameras', then raised bits & edges were inked using a Ranger Ink blender.  'thank you' sentiment stamped & die cut three times, layered then mounted onto cardfront.  Cardfront then mounted onto Blue A5 Cardstock - my goto size Cardbase.

Card #2 - Cardfront is a Handmade background - using ROYGBIV colours & Distress Inks; this time with blending brushes to get a softer, more subtle effect.  Embossed with Darice 'cameras', then raised bits & edges were inked using a Ranger Ink blender.  'thank you' sentiment stamped & die cut three times, layered then mounted onto cardfront.  Cardfront then mounted onto Blue A5 Cardstock - my goto size cardbase.

Not sure if these cards really fit the Just Us Girls Challenge, but I will link them anyway - the repetition of the background and the multi layers of sentiment just might count  LOL

I enjoyed making these cards and I am very much looking forward to giving them to the recipients real soon!

Linking with:

As You Like It Challenge:  Fave card base

My Fave card base is the A5 (half of an A4, folded in half)

Can You Handle the Pressure? :  use an embossing folder

Time Out Challenges #222 - Inspired by words "rainbow" 

Just Us Girls Challenge #649 - repetition (background & sentiment)

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Special Delivery

Time for another cardmaking session on a very cold, wet & windy day here in Adelaide.

I had a cutting & pre-stamping session a few weeks ago where I prepared a few elements ready to colour in and make up a card at a later date.

When I saw the current 'Just us Girls' challenge, I new exactly what I was going to do!  Don't you just love it when that happens?

The background was handmade by smooshing & spritzing water reactive inks onto white cardstock, trimmed to suit, then attached to Burgundy cardbase.

Bicycle frame die cut from the most gorgeous pink cardstock, wheel & handle bars from silver and tyre from black.  

Flowers & basket were stamped & heat embossed in black, hand coloured using watercolours then die cut.  The Bicycle frame, basket & the flowers have been attached in different layers with 3d foam.  

Sentiment 'Special Delivery' stamped with Black Staz On and finishing touches of some 'bling gems' added.

This card is going to a special 'crafty' friend ...... just because :)

Linking with the following Challenges:

 

Just us Girls Challenge #634 (photo inspiration - bicycle & flowers)

Alphabet Challenge Blog - D is for DieCuts

Happy Little Stampers WaterColour Challenge - June

Allsorts Challenge #678 - Anything but birthdays

Riding by to say Hello

I was in the mood to play with some new stamps & dies and it felt really good to do something 'pretty' and very 'girly'  LOL.

The following challenge blogs have provided inspiration for my card.

• Happy Little Stampers May Challenge is Anything Goes with Dies 
• Tic Tac Toe challenge (Die Cut/Flowers/Gold) 
• Incy Wincy Designs Challenge is to use a die cut or punch
• Just us Girls challenge is to have some flowers

The background was handmade by swiping & smooshing Purple & Yellow inks plus a touch of Gold (sadly, the shimmer of the gold does not show up very well in this photo).  

Bicycle frame die cut from yellow, wheel & handle bars from silver and tyre from black.  

Flowers & basket were stamped & heat embossed in black, hand coloured using watercolours then die cut.  Both the basket & the flowers have been attached in different layers with 3d foam.  

Sentiment 'Riding by to say hello' stamped with Black Staz On, cardfront then mounted onto Purple card base and a touch of 'bling gems' added.

Linking with the following Challenges:

  

Happy Little Stampers Dies - Anything Goes

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #160 

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge - May 2022 - Use a die or punch

Just us Girls Challenge - #631 - Flowers

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.