Flowers, a Tree and some Butterflies

Hi everybody.  Here are the last of the cards I made for last month's TV shows on Hochanda.  This first card features  the F is for... stamp set.  I stamped it on to white card using Versarmark Ink and heat embossed using WOW Platinum Metallic Embossing Powder.  I then coloured the flowers using Distress Inks in Candied Apple and Lucky Clover and cut it using a Crealies Pierced Rectangle Die, and finished by adding the sentiment inking up just the 'abulous' and again using Versamark and the Platinum EP.

I then moved on to the background using some alcohol inks and metallic mixatives in Oregano, Clover and Terra Cotta, plus Pearl and Rose Gold Mixative for some metallic shine.  I finished by adding both to a 7" x 5" white card.

My second card features the Butterfly Mind stamp set and I started with the background using my Brushos - Brilliant Red and Purple.  I put some on to my glass mat, one colour at a time, mixed with some water and dragged the white card through it, drying before adding another layer.  I then stamped the image using Versafine Imperial Purple Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss EP.  I then cut round each of the three butterflies to raise the wings and took the white off the edges of the apertures left after partially cutting the butterflies and round the edges and back of the butterfly wings using Spun Sugar Distress Ink.  I finished by adding two of the sentiments from the set again using the Imperial Purple Ink and Clear Gloss EP.  I then cut a coordinating mat from purple card and layered it on to a white card.

My last  one is an ATHeart using the Harmony Tree set.  I coated the greyboard with some white acrylic paint but you don't have to, you can use the inks straight on to it, and then when dry stamped the tree using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and then heat embossed using WOW Clear Gloss EP.  I coloured the tree and background using some Distress Inks and a waterbrush including Salty Ocean, Ground Espresso and Twisted Citron and Lucky Clover mixed together.  I wasn't sure this would work but it looked OK and then I added some of the words from the two sets of trees again using the Nocturne Ink and the Clear Gloss EP.  Finally I covered the whole thing with Versamark Ink and heat embossed it with the Clear Gloss EP, and then did the whole process again to give a nice shiny finish.

Trees for All Seasons and a Scripted Flower

Hi everybody.  Here are some cards I made for Chocolate Baroque's TV shows on Hochanda last month. This first card features one of these pretty new tree stamps called O is for... using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and then heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I coloured it using my Distress Inks in Twisted Citron and Lucky Clover used together for the leaves, and Brushed Corduroy for the trunks and some Blueprint Sketch with a little of the green and well watered down to soften it, and more of the greens for the foreground grass.  I used a sentiment from the
Remembrance Tree set and split it into two placing one bit at the top and the rest at the bottom, also stamped with the Versafine Clair and heat embossed with the Clear Gloss EP.

I did add an extra tree to the scene placing it to the left and did it such that I didn't have to mask anything.  Doing it in my Misti helped me to work out approimately how much of the tree would be needed to fill the space and I stamped it gradually until I had the tree looking right and filling the space nicely.  This Versafine Clair stays wet longer and allowed me to do all this and still heat emboss it, though I did this as an after thought so the rest of the scene had already been heat embossed.  I finished the topper by die cutting it with a pierced rectangle die.

I then moved on to the background which I die cut with a slightly bigger pierced rectangle.  I then added a border using the numbers from the Small Graph Paper set repeated along the top and bottom, and then added the little tree from the O is for set, stamping and heat embossing with the same black Versafine Clair ink.  I used the two green distress inks also used on the topper blended around the edges and then mounted it all on to a white card raising up the topper using some craft foam for dimension.

My next was made using stamps from across the sets.  I made a background with Brushos in Orange and Brown and whilst it was drying I stamped the new Freedom Flower in Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and the words I inked up with Versafine Habanero which worked pretty well.  I then heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss EP.  I now finished the flower with Scarlet Brusho added with a waterbrush.  I cut it out and stamped over it with the spatter stamp from Butterfly Mind using some Ripe Persimmon DI. 

I then found a piece of black card and I stamped the plain film strip from Butterfly Mind using Versamark and heat embossed it with WOW Opaque Bright White EP.  I cut the background down to the finished size of 61/2" square and I used some more habanero with the splatter stamp from the same set and just stamped it randomly.  I took the mesh/net square from the Small Graph Paper set and stamped and heat embossed this, again with the black Versafine Clair, and then took the flora definition stamp from F is for and did it twice top and bottom and filled the side in with the chain strip but didn't emboss these.   I then decided to darken the edges of the background with some Salty Ocean DI applied with a blending sponge and a bit more Ripe Persimmon inside that.   I added some more splatters also using Ripe Persimmon, and I finished by adding a sentiment from F is for at the bottom using the Nocturne ink and heat embossed again with the WOW Clear Gloss EP.  I then put the card together as you can see.

This last card for now features another new stamp called Remembrance Tree which I decided to use in a winter scene.  I placed the tree and stamped and embossed it with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink  heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss EP.  I decided to have a nice bright sky so got out my Distress Inks and started with the Wilted Violet, then Salty Ocean and finishing at the horizon with the Chipped Sapphire applied using a waterbrush and the first two colour starting at the top with diagonal strokes and then finishing with the darkest colour along the horizon.  I added very diluted Wilted Violet and Salty Ocean as a shadow under the tree and finished with a sentiment  from Let's Get Festive set of sentiments applying the same Nocturne Ink and then heat embossed again using the Clear Gloss EP.

Finally I added some snow on the branches and snowflakes with a Sigma Gel Pen and mounted it on to a piece of dark blue card before mounting it on to the white base card.

Thank you for joining me today and I hope to see you again soon.  This is an appropriate card to finish with as I want to wish my followers and everyone who visits me here a very:

   MERRY CHRISTMAS
and a
    HAPPY NEW YEAR    

                    

                                                          

Winter Trees

Hi everybody.  This one layer card uses the Impression Obsession stamp Birds on Trees which I have adapted to give it the winter feel by adding some snow on the branches and also some falling snow using a white gel pen.  I used some Distress Inks blended using a blending tool which were a small amount of Salty Ocean in the sky and some Black Soot around the edges, and also added some Ripe Persimmon around the sun which was done with Adirondack Sunshine Yellow.  

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations - Anything Goes.
Artistic Stamper - Christmas is Coming.
Uniko Challenge - No. 56 Christmas.

Glitzy Tree

Hi everyone.  This is a card made using the Studiolight Stamp (No. 394)  and also the freebie Poinsettia Embossing Folder.  I bought a couple of different designs of these recently as I was way behind with my cards and thought these would be quite good for batch making in different colours.

I embossed the poinsettia background on to white card and I then highlighted the embossing and surrrounding area using a copper wax blended on to it using my finger.  I then stamped the tree using Versamark Ink and heat embossed using WOW Green Glitter EP and attached it to a white card.  I added some drops of Red Berry Nuvo drops as baubles to finish it.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.

The Riverbank Swans

Hi everyone.  I have just made this card using stamps from Craft Consortium called The Riverbank.  I bought these a while ago and this is the first time I have used them.  I thought if I made a pair of swans this would be good as an anniversary card, especially as they stay as a couple for life.

I stamped the swans and the lily pads with Versafine Smokey Gray and coloured using my Distress inks and a waterbrush with Hickory Smoke as shading on the swans, and Ripe Persimmon on their beaks, which I also used on the water lily flowers with also Peeled Paint for the leaves.  I then coloured the water and background using Blueprint Sketch, Mermaid Lagoon and Adirondack Sunshine Yellow.  I then added the dragonflies and used more Blueprint Sketch and Mermaid Lagoon to their wings   I finished by adding the sentiment using more of the Smokey Gray ink.

Chocolate Baroque Sneaky Peek

Hi everyone.  Chocolate Baroque will be back on Hochanda again on Tuesday.  Lesley will be joined by Jean of Crafty Individuals and Lesley will as usual be assisting Jean on her shows.  Tune in at 10am and 2pm for Chocolate Baroque, and at 12 noon and 4pm for Crafty Individuals.

This is a little sneaky peek of my own contribution to the Chocolate Baroque shows.  If you miss them you can always watch using their rewind facility.

Twofer Card Challenge Holiday Greenery

Hi there.  I have an entry for the Twofer Challenge No. 22 this month and am so pleased as the last two or three months I have just run out of time to get cards in but have managed it this time.  There is a twist to the challenge with it being nearly Christmas and as this is the last challenge until the new year Darnell has changed the rules and we can enter two different cards using the theme of Holiday Greenery but for the same occasion if we so wish, and mine are both Christmas cards.  I am woefully behind with mine so any chance to make them is a bonus.  The stamp set I used is by Impression Obsession and called Winter Trees.

I started by stamping the image using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and then heat embossed it using WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I used Salty Ocean Distress Ink and also some Adirondack Sunshine Yellow for the setting sun, applied using my blending tool, and then I used some Pumice Stone on the snow for shadows.  I finished by heat embossing the sentiment using the same black ink, and added a white dry embossed stencil background using a Dutch Doobadoo tree stencil called Birch Trees and also matted the image on to black card to make it pop before adding it to a 7" x 5" white card. 

The second card uses just the line of trees, but I did ink parts of it again to lengthen the tree line.  I started by inking through a mini stencil from Creative Expressions called Stags using Vintage Sepia DI and then heat embossed them with WOW Clear Gloss EP.  I then stamped three of the trees at the right hand side using my Misti and Peeled Paint DI and then added the rest going over the embossed deer, and then added a few more of the most distant trees again to go well beyond the second deer.  I did stamp the bottom edge of the trees again each time with Forest Moss DI to darken and give some shadows.  I then sprayed some water on to the sky and added the blue using more Salty Ocean and Sunshine Yellow at the horizon but this time painting it with a waterbrush, but not sure that it looks like sun low in the sky on this one but it adds some interest I think.

I added some shading under the deer and to either side to look like tracks in the snow using Pumice Stone DI with a little of the blue added in.  I did take a fine black Micron pen and drew a face in on each of the deer, but as it has been glossily embossed it has marked it but very faintly so you get the faintest look of features.  I will be adding a Christmas sentiment on this one at a later date.

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope to see you again soon.

Sea Turtle

Hi there.  Another birthday, a lady this time, and I thought I would christen my Pink Ink Turtle.  This card is also for the CAS Stencil November Challenge the theme of which is Stencil Monoprint, and I've actually managed to enter three out of the four challenges this month which is much better than I have managed over the last few months, and this is the last one before the new year too.  I also used a That Special Touch mask which is a mandala shape and called Mandella.

I started with the stencil monoprint background.  I used Cracked Pistachio and Salty Ocean Distress Inks dotted over the stencil and then spritzed with water before pressing it down on the white card, although to be honest the colours have merged and don't look like two colours.  I always have a piece of kitchen towel handy to mop up any excess water.  I wasn't quite happy with the coverage so I inked and spritzed it again and managed to match it up.

I then stamped the turtle over the background using Versafine Vintage Sepia ink using my Misti as it is a big stamp.  I inked it several times to get good coverage and the I heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then watercoloured it using Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint, Crushed Olive and Spiced Marmalade DI's applying the colour with my waterbrush.  I did first water bleach the blue out as much as possible.

I finished by cutting the topper down just a little and then added the sentiment using the Versafine Vintage Sepia ink and again heat embossed with the Clear Gloss EP before adding it to the 6" square white card.

Some brighter colours might have been better for this feminine version, but it does have the sort of colours that a turtle would normally have but perhaps it is a little darker than I wanted it to be.  Thank you for dropping by today and I hope to see you again soon.

I am also entering the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More - No. 367 Make Your Mark.
Country View November Challenge - Hand Stamped.

Chess Art

Hi everyone.  I love this chess image from Aall and Create and I decided to use it to make a card for the CAS Watercolour November Challenge, and especially as this is the last one until the new year.  I also used a Dutch Doobadoo stencil called Blocks.  The challenge this time is monochromatic and white and black stamping/embossing are also allowed.

I started with some Salty Ocean Distress Ink and laid it down, spritzed with water and dragged the card through it to fairly well cover it.  I then dry embossed the stencil by running it through my die cutting machine.  There are lots of tips on line of the best ways to get a good emboss, and I have chosen one from You Tube for you to look at if  you wish.  It is about 10 minutes long made by MFT which was the most recent one I could find, but you'll get the idea after the first few minutes if you don't want to watch the whole thing, just to say that a lot of the videos suggest using shims, but I found that the result was fine with a rubber/silicone mat.  I then placed the stencil over the raised pattern and blended some Blueprint Sketch over the top to pick up the raised pattern.  In the photo the dimension doesn't show but I think it just adds to the overall look rather than just putting the ink straight on to the card.

I then inked up the chess stamp with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink, my current favourite black ink, and stamped it in my Misti because I knew that I might need to stamp it more than once to get a good impression over the raised pattern.  Luckily it worked well.

I finished by cutting this with a square stitched die and added the sentiment also using my black ink, again stamping using the Misti.  I then heat embossed with the Clear Gloss EP.

Thank you for coming to look at the blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am also entering the following challenges:

The Male Room Challenge No. 124 Hobbies. (Thrilled to be chosen the winner of this challenge)
Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No 367 Make Your Mark.
Country View November Challenge - Hand Stamped.

*I was so pleased to be picked as one of the Outstanding Designs over at CAS Watercolour.

Eclectic Stems

Hi there everyone.  I had a card to make for a lovely friend whose birthday it is so I thought I would get out my Aall and Create Set again which has  several different flowers and some sentiments which is called Eclectic Stems (No. 199). 

I used the large flower which reminds me of a quirky poppy and stamped it twice on to a piece of white card using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and then heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then fussy cut both flowers out and coloured with my Distress Inks using Candied Apple, Ripe Persimmon and Black Soot using a waterbrush.

I then made the background.  I had a piece of card which I had been using some inks on when making some backgrounds but wasn't in love with this particular one, so I turned it over and decided to use the back which had the meerest hint in places of orange which I thought would go with what I was planning.  I then used an embossing folder called Cable Knit by XCut, but I have had it so long I don't think you can get it any more.  I then inked this with some Salty Ocean DI and then added some Wilted Violet and Dusty Concord to break it up a bit and darkened the edges too which makes it pop a bit when added to the card.

I finished by making a sentiment tag from a piece of black card and white heat embossed the sentiment with WOW Opaque Bright White EP, and to this I added a piece of blue baker's twine tied into a bow.

I want to thank you for visiting me and I hope to see you again soon.

Lest We Forget

Hi there.  It is Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, which for those that may not know, is the day in 1918 when the 1st World War ended, and it became the day to remember those who have given their lives in all wars.  Remembrance Sunday, which was yesterday is the official day when they lay wreaths round the Cenotaph in London.

I was hoping to make another card but I'm afraid it didn't happen, so I am showing this one which uses a poppy image by Sheena Douglass called Perfect Poppies which I have shown on here before, but I love it and it does have the perfect sentiment 'Remember'.

CAS Mix Up November Challenge

Hi everybody.  I was determined to get my card in for the CAS Mix Up Challenge this time, especially as it is the last one until the new year.  I needed an anniversary card so combined this with the challenge which this time has asked for the Oxidised Metal technique, plus stamping, plus another technique of your choice.  I actually did dry embossing, heat embossing and die cutting.

I started by die cutting a heart from silver mirri using my die set from Sweet Dixie which I bought at The Range I think, not recently, but I think they are still available.  I then decided to use a 3D embossing folder to give the heart some more interest, so I used a Sheena Douglass one called Trailing Time, also bought a while ago.  I then got out my alcohol inks in Indigo, Watermelon and Stream and dripped these on to the heart adding a little blender to move and soften the colours.  I also sprinkled some WOW Metallic Brass Embossing Powder and then some WOW Clear Gloss EP and heat set it.  In real life it has a lovely shimmer and shine but unfortunately it doesn't show that well here.

I finished by dry embossing some hearts for the background layer also using a magazine freebie which I got several years ago, and also used one of the sentiments from the same set stamped using Versafine Deep Lagoon Ink, which actually complements the Stream colour on the heart, but again it doesn't show much here.  I then used a heart shaped little stamp I found in my stash to cut the heart around the sentiment and added all this to the square white card.  I used some Pinflair Glue Gel to raise the heart up a little to give it dimension.

I hope I will be forgiven for not using the specific technique suggested on the challenge, but I do not have any re-inkers so I thought the alcohol inks were a good substitute.

The challenge is open until the 24th of the month, so still lots of time to get an entry in.  Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope to see you here again soon.

*I was so pleased to be chosen as one of the Outstanding Designs at CAS Mix Up.

Sneaky Peek of November TV Samples

Hi there.  Just a quick post with a sneaky peek of my samples for the upcoming Chocolate Baroque shows on Hochanda...actually tomorrow at 11am and 3pm, featuring wonderful new stamps and some great demos by Lesley and Judith.

I hope you get a chance to watch, if not you can catch up using their Rewind facility.

Hearts, Flowers and a Butterfly Too

Hi everyone.  I'm back with the last of the samples I made for Chocolate Baroque's shows on Hochanda.  The first card features the beautiful butterfly from the Happy Flower's Day set of stamps.

I started with a Brusho background.  This time instead of sprinkling the powder on to the card and then spritzing, I sprinkled the powders on to my glass mat and spritzed then placed the white card over to pick up the colour.  I then dried and added more of the different colours to get the desired effect.  I used Brilliant Red, Orange and Leaf Green.  I then used the stamp from this set which has a definition of a butterfly, and I stamped this twice in the centre using Versafine Olympia Green, second generation stamping to keep it in the background.  I then stamped all around the edges using the Celebration Bouquet set, just using the top part of the stamp, again using the Olympia Green ink.

I then stamped  the butterfly on to another piece of white card, again with the green ink and heat embossed using WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I coloured it using some more of the Brushos on my glass mat and mixed with a little water and applied with my waterbrush.  I used the same Red and Orange plus Emerald Green and Turquoise.  I then mixed some Gold Mica powder with some water and added it to the eyes and round the edges and also to the body and inner section of the wings.  I thought it made it nice and shimmery.  Before attaching the butterfly to the background I stamped just the body and antennae on to it and heat embossed with the Clear Gloss EP, and then when I cut the butterfly out I cut off the antennae because it is so difficult to cut these out, and then bent the wings up and glued it in place.

Finally I stamped one of the sentiments from the set on to black card using WOW Opaque Bright White EP and cut this into a banner shape.  The sentiment I chose was all in a line and I wanted it to take up less room so I stamped it in two halves masking each half when using the Versamark.  I also placed a pencil mark on to the acrylic block so I could see precisely where the break in the two halves was which made it easier to get it lined up properly.

My next card features the hearts.  I started by stamping the Artist Trading Heart on thick white card and heat embossed it with WOW Black Embossing Powder.  I did several layers and thought I would impress one of the images from the Geometric Trading Hearts set on to it.  After adding about four layers I quicky stamped with Versamark, just the geometric design itself, and then added WOW Silver Metallic EP and heat embossed it.

I then made the background using Scarlet and Purple Brushos, and I heat embossed the lattice design from the same set using WOW Clear Matt EP, and then I blended some Wilted Violet and Barn Door Distress Inks over the top using a blending tool.

I finished the card by stamping two of the arrows from the set with Black Archival Ink heat embossed with the Clear Gloss EP and then fussy cut them out and added them to the bottom of the card, leaving a space for one of the sentiments from the Artist Trading Heart set.  I then added the sentiment within the two arrows and I used the Clear Gloss EP.  I then added the heart to the card using Pinflair Glue Gel to give it a bit of dimension.

For this final card I used the lattice heart from the Geometric Trading Hearts set stamped on to glossy card.   I started by making the background using Salty Ocean and Worn Lipstick Distress Oxide Inks.  I laid each colour down on to my glass mat separately and spritzed and picked up the ink on the card, then dried and repeated with the other colour.  I then added the lattice heart to the background using Versamark and heat embossed it with WOW Metallic Silver Embossing Powder.  I then added one of the sentiments from the Artist Trading Heart set and stamped it using Versafine Deep Lagoon Ink and heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then die cut it with a square scallop die and mounted it on to a piece of pink glitter card and added it to a white base card.

Thank you for coming to visit me today and I'll see you again soon.

Coneflower

Hi everybody.  This is a very quick birthday card I made for a friend who had her birthday recently.  This is one of a couple of different coneflowers on a set by Aall and Create - #199 Eclectic Stems.  The stamps they produce are always that bit different, and this is one of two sets of their stamps I bought a little while ago and this is the first card using them.  I also bought a pad of papers recently too which have that inky look made by Craft Consortium  Grunge - Light Tones and you can stamp and watercolour on them very well.  I used one of the pink ones on the bottom row to the left.

I stamped all the images using Versafine Olympia Green ink and then coloured the flowers with Distress Inks using Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves, Lucky Clover, Mermaid Lagoon and Brushed Corduroy.  I used a Dutch Doobadoo stencil Geometric Tiles to add a bit more interest to the background and also added some more Seedless Preserves DI around the edges and and in towards the middle just to darken it a bit.

Thank you for dropping by today and I hope to see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Penny Black and More: October - Pretty in Pink.
Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes (no candles on mine).
Watercooler Wednesday - No.244 All About Occasions.
Just Add Ink - #480 Add a "Technique".

Floral Delights

Hi everyone.  Here are some cards which I made for Chocolate Baroque's TV shows last month.  These are new stamps again and the first is a Brusho Background and a pretty bouquet of flowers called Celebration Bouquet.

I started with Dark Brown Brusho which I sprinkled around the outside of the card and spritzed with gold mica infused water to give it some extra glimmer.  I then added a little orange and I mopped up a lot of water from the centre so it was a little lighter.  I then decided to go for more of a dramatic look and added more Distress Inks using a blending tool and darkened the edges with Walnut Stain, then a bit of Ripe Persimmon and finally the centre with some Scattered Straw.  I then stamped the flowers using Versafine and heat embossed using WOW Metallic Brass Embossing Powder.  I then bleached the colour from the flowers and leaves to give some contrast against the now very dark background.  I finished by adding a sentiment from the same set to a strip of white card stamping it with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder and blending some of the Walnut Stain and Ripe Persimmon ink around the edges before adding it across the corner of the card.   This did end up being a bit darker than I had at first intended but I think it makes a good contrast with the metallic finish of the pretty bouquet.

My next card features the pretty Magnolia flower from Happy Flower's Day.  I stamped the image four times over a piece of white card using Versafine Olympia Green Ink and colour the flowers using Spun Sugar, Forest Moss, Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn Distress Inks.  I found a strip of light green vellum and using my Misti I placed the strip over the background floral images, anchoring it in various places with repositionable tape, and then tucked a piece of copy paper underneath so that when I stamped off the edges it would not get on to the stamped background.  I stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with WOW Opaque Bright White Embossing Powder.  I worked my way round the parchment strip embossing with the White EP.  Maybe there was a quicker and easier way to do it but it worked fairly well and only one of the four images was not quite stamped in the right place, but good enough not to do it for a second time and luckily that was hidden by the sentiment plate.    I creased the top of the parchment so that it could be stuck on the back before glueing the background layer in place on the white base card.

I die cut two layers for the sentiment which came with the same set of stamps and I cut the green layer with the smaller die to inset the white piece into it.   I then stamped it with the sentiment using the Olympia Green Ink and then heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss EP.

I then made the one more large flower and two smaller buds stamping them on to white card and coloured them using the same Versafine and Distress Inks.  I then put the card together and attached the largest behind the inset layer of the sentiment, and the other two behind the whole thing mainly because the large flower was inclined to hang off the edge of the card so I needed to bring it in a little.

I am adding this card to the Challenge over at Pixie's Crafty Workshop - No. 363 where we use up our snippets of card and paper etc.  I used quite a few with bits of white card for the flowers and sentiment, and the vellum, as well as a piece of dark green card for the sentiment.

My last card for now has the Snakes Head Fritillary flower featured on the same stamp set that I used for the last card.  I made the background using an old plastic card and with Cracked Pistachio, Shaded Lilac and Broken China Distress Inks.  I laid each ink down separately and spritzed with water before adding one colour at a time, drying in between, dragging the ink across the white card, and then using the Broken China I also added some lines using the edge of the card.  I then stamped the central flower, and used a mask before stamping each of the flowers to the left and right of it.  I used Versafine Crimson Red Ink on the flower and Momento Bamboo Leaves for the foliage adding the inks to the stamp.  I then coloured them in using the same green and added Fired Brick Distress Ink to each of the flowers.

I finished by die cutting this using my Crealies Pierced Rectangle dies and added a cobalt blue coloured mat to it.  I stamped the sentiment using Deep Lagoon Versafine Ink and adhered it to a white base card.

I 'm hoping this last card will fit the theme over at The Flower Challenge as they are asking for CAS cards, and they are celebrating their 3rd Birthday, so congratulations on three years of running this super challenge.

Thank you for dropping by today and I hope to see you again soon.

Evening on the Savannah

Hi everyone.  I made this birthday card featuring a Sheena Douglass set of stamps called African Landscape and then stamped the images on to a piece of background paper from a pad by Craft Consortium called Grunge - Light Tones, and the paper I chose is the 2nd from the left with orange and blue in one corner, as I thought this was a good starting point.  I laid down some of the Distress Inks first to give a basic background colour and then stamped the large acacia type tree first in Versafine Onxy Black and some Vintage Sepia on the top of the tree, following by more Vintage Sepia for the three giraffes, and then I added the smaller trees using the same black, one tree stamped three times overlapping with two stamped in second generation ink to add perspective.  

I then used more of the various Distress Inks, Chipped Sapphire, Abandoned Coral, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Vintage Photo and Black Soot, using a blending tool to apply it, to give a darker tone to everything   I also used the side of the pad dragged upwards to give the look of long grass using the Vintage Photo.  Applying more inks to the background did add a bit of ink to the images but I did where possible go round them and I think the overall effect adds some mistiness to the scene so I was happy.

I finished by stamping a sentiment using the Onyx Black and heat embossed using WOW Clear Gloss EP.

I am entering the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations - Trees and/or Leaves and/or Autumn.
Addicted to Stamps and More - Make Your Mark.
Seize the Birthday - No. 176 Anything Goes (No Optional Twist).

The Key to your Heart

Hi there.  Hubby and I are away in Yorkshire for a few days, but I have my laptop and we do have reasonable reception here so I decided to put post something from my drafts to give you all something new to look at.  Several weeks ago I made this quick card to get into the post asap using this harlequin patterned heart with a key from a set by Chocolate Baroque called Punky Hearts.  It is a bit quirky with the metal tie and staples holding it together, but this couple have been married for 20 years or more and are very happy so no broken hearts there, but I thought it was fun and a bit different to the normal style of heart image and this is what I did.

I stamped the heart on to a piece of white card using Momento Teal Zeal ink and heat embossed it using a Papermania Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then cut it out and started on the background.   I used another piece of white card and stamped this group of hearts from the same set using Momento Grape Jelly ink first, second and third generation of the ink.  I also stamped again using Brilliance Starlite Silver ink centre top and bottom.

I finished by blending some more of the Grape Jelly round the edges and then blended some of the Teal Zeal in the centre before adding this to the base card.  I then adhered the heart to the card using some Pinflair Glue Gel to give it a little bit of dimension, and then stamped the sentiment using Versafine Imperial Purple ink.  This is rather risky and I held my breath and hoped it would work and did it by hand instead of getting the Misti out.  How lazy am I, it wouldn't have taken that much longer really..lol, but luckily it was OK...phew!

Thank you for joining me today and I hope to see you again soon.