Card Swap - May

The theme for my CraftMad card swap for the month of May was

Embossed Background + Sketch

we were to make two cards, one following the theme and one following both the theme and the sketch.

 

Card# 1 embossed background
For this card, I cheated a bit and utilised some older backgrounds I had made previously and some old embellishments.

 

Backgrounds were ink smooshed/splotched, cut into sections and then run through the Cuttlebug using several different embossing folders.  Inks were then sponged over the 'raised bits' to define the pattern.

 

Card #2 - embossed background + sketch

I quite liked this sketch :)  After stamping the flower image and heat embossing it in black, I coloured the flowers and then diecut using a big square, then layered onto a black square.  

 

When it came time to do the background, I couldn't decide which embossing folder to use, as I thought they were all 'too busy', but then I thought about doing a 'heat embossed' background .......  I stamped some corner flourishes I have had for 'ages' using Versamark Embossing Ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I then did a bit of ink blending around the outer edges, leaving it lighter in the middle.

I die cut a tag and stamped 'happy birthday', added gold twine then positioned on top of flowers.

A finishing touch with the addition of 3 black gems.

The As You Like it Challenge asks for our favourite embossing method ..... I love both, but I do like the different ways that 'Heat' embossing can be used.

 

Items Used

Stamps – Couture Creations Flower (I think), Ultimate Crafts Border stamps
Inks - Versamark, Altenew
Dies - Spellbinders Dies – Nesting Squares, Tags
Cardstock - 200 gsm white, 200 gsm black, 300gsm white (cardbase)
Tools - Cuttlebug, Blending Brush, Heat Tool
Extras - Glue, double sided tape, 3D foam tabs, Gems

Linking with the following Challenges:

As you like it Challenges – Fave: embossing

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

Here is another card using my new set of flower dies ......

 

 

Background was handmade using the 'ink splatter/splotch' technique.

 

'Thinking of you' sentiment cut twice and layered together for dimension.

 

The coneflower layers were diecut from spare offcuts (snippets) of white cardstock (I always knew those smaller pieces would come in handy), then ink blended using Altenew inks.

 

My selection of colours may have been influenced by the photo in the Beautiful Blossoms Mood board!

 

A very simple layout, which for me anyway, makes the flower shine :) 

 

Linking with the following challenges:

Addicted to CAS:  #258 - Flower

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge #17 - Anything goes 

Cut it Up Challenge #304 send me flowers

Snippets Playground Challenge #480 

The Flower Challenge #91 - Colour your flower

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.

Card Swap - April

The theme for my CraftMad card swap for the month of April was

Black & White + Sketch

we were to make two cards, one following the theme and one following both the theme and the sketch.

So here are my cards - which I was late in making and late in sending:

Card #1 - Following Theme

I have been playing with a new die set I got from Amazon ..... a coneflower (built with several layers)  It's a cheapie version of Honey Bee Stamps, Lovely Layers Coneflower.   I would have loved to be able to buy the original brand version, but here in Australia with our lousy exchange rate at the moment, the conversion from USDollars is just too much.  So for now, I go with the Amazon copies.

 

Onto how I made the card ....... I die cut all the layers of the coneflower out and used a blending brush to colour in with black ink.  As I knew I was going to ink blend all the layers, they were cut out from the various off-cuts of white cardstock I have lying around.  Layers were coloured with slightly different intensities of black, then layered together with glue.  Leaves were ink blended and positioned accordingly.  White background layer was run through Cuttlebug using Provo Craft 'Swiss Dots' embossing folder  (this was one of my very first embossing folders ever bought back in 2008, and is often a 'go to' background) . Sentiment 'hello' was die cut several times from black and layered to provide dimension.

 

 

The embossed background was added to a black cardbase, then the flower and sentiment were positioned accordingly. 

 

Linking with the following challenges:

Addicted to CAS - #258 - Flower

Cut It Up Challenge #303 - Add a sentiment

Snippets Playground Challenge #480

Card #2 - Following Theme + Sketch

I played with some cardstock/papers from my stash for this one!  The black & white papers I have had 'forever' along with the black & white mulberry paper flowers.

 

I stamped & die cute the sentiment 'thank you' using black ink and added another layer to add dimension.

The card was laid our following the sketch - the black diagonal border being added with foam dots to add interest.  A final touch of bling with a gem in the centre of the flower. 

 

I have finally put my cards in the mail - they sat completed for quite some time before I got out to the Post Box - my bad!

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.

CardSwap - March - TicTacToe + Sketch

Time for my March Swap Cards for CraftMad - this time using a sketch + TicTacToe.

Card 1 - sketch + TicTacToe

For my first card, I started following the sketch, but as I played with it, the more I started following the TicTacToe as well.  In the end, I went with bottom row - neutral/ribbon/patterned paper.

First up, I stamped, coloured in and die cut some cats from the Uniquely Creative Purrfect stamp set, then placed them on some vellum circles cut with Spellbinders Circle dies.

Patterned paper was placed on the left side and white cardstock embossed with Dots using my Cuttlebug placed on the right side - a ribbon was used to cover up the join.  Vellum circles were then added to cardfront using double-sided tape.  To finish, cardfront edges were inked slightly to emphasis the edges, then added to the cardbase.

 

Linking this card with:

Allsorts Challenge #772 - Feathers or Fur

Shopping Our Stash #517 - Round and Round

Critter Crazy Challenge #84 - Anything Goes

Card 2

I played with some new stamps (new for me).  I recently received a prize in the mail from Christina of Flowers,Ribbons and Pearls.  Each Friday Christina has a giveaway for her followers and I was lucky enough to win in January and by February, the magazine & stamps were in my hot little hands!

 

Thank you so much Christina, and for the little extras in the package too!  you are most generous!

 

I was itching to have a play with these stamps - I usually struggle with cards for males and I think these stamps will really help with the creativity.

Following the sketch layout, I cut 3 circles and stamped them with some of the text/elements in StazOn ink.  I then used the 'road map' stamp and stamped that on some DP, then trimmed to size.  The 'tyre tracks' were stamped, then circles placed to follow the sketch layout.

The TicTacToe elements followed for this card were middle row:   masculine/die cut/ink.

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.