Entwined Hearts

Hi all.  For this anniversary card I used a set of dies I was lucky enough to win called Entwined Hearts from Sue Wilson's Paper Cuts range for Creative Expressions, and being used here for the first time.  I also used some die cut flowers which were left over from my last card which came with a recent magazine and called Sentimental Ampersand.

I decided to use Peacock Feathers Distress Ink with a snippet of white card, and I blended some of it using a brush and then die cut the uneven outer edge die and used the frame die inside that which cuts into the card.  I then found another snippet of white card and cut the heart into it, again it does not have an edge, but I decided to cut it out, to give me the heart shape within the frame, and then the piece that came from the centre of this piece I ink blended again using the Peacock Feathers DI, and then I used another snippet of white to cut the central smaller heart, again it just cuts into the card, but I did the same with this and cut around it to be placed on top.  I used a 6" square card as the base card, but soon realised that the die cut was not quite square so cut it down so it would fit with just a small border.  I layered the pieces up as you can see and added the peach coloured flowers and a few of the different sized leaves and two leaf sprigs, and finished with a fishtail banner sentiment stamped with the Peacock Feathers Ink and then embossed using WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and attached it below the flowers.

Thank you for joining me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

The Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 478 Where we use up our snippets of card and paper etc.

Allsorts Challenge - Week 777 Balloons/Anything Goes.
Triple B Challenge - April'24 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (use 1, 2 or all 3).
Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - No. 16 Anything Floral Goes.
Dragonfly Dreams Challenge - April'24 Use a Die.
NBUS Challenge - No. 61 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
The Flower Challenge - No. 90 Add Layers.

I am also joining Darnell with her I.D.E.A.S., a challenge she has set herself but has said that anyone can join in.  This is Week 4: Anything Goes.

Floral Ampersand

Hi everyone.  I have a card today featuring some dies by Spellbinders called Sentimental Ampersand, which came with a recent Die Cutting Essentials Magazine, and  I also used a set of dies from Paper Discovery called Slimline Card Builder, and both being used for the first time here.

I started with the topper using the Ampersand and the flowers and leaves which decorate it.  I cut them out using some black card for the ampersand, cut twice and glued together and then heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss EP, and then cut the flowers and leaves and coloured them using Adirondack Peach Bellini for the flowers and Lettuce for the leaves and added them to the Ampersand.  I then cut the background using a square die from the Card Builder set using a piece of white card cut to fit a 6" square base card and cut into this piece of card four times to make a square design and then adhered this to the base card.  I decided to use another layer beneath the floral piece and so I cut a square stitched die from more white card and glued this to the centre of the card raising it up with some foam and then added the topper to this.  I finished with a sentiment cut from black card using another die from the set and added a strip of white card on the back of it to highlight the letters more, and also added some foam on this to raise it to the same level as the topper.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Color Hues Challenge - No. 84 Peach and Green.
Seize the Birthday Challenge - No. 281 Any Colour and Green.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 776 It has to be Spring/Anything Goes.
The Flower Challenge - No. 90 Add Layers.
NBUS Challenge - No. 61 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S., a challenge she has set herself but has said anyone can join in.  This is Week 2 'D' is for Dies/Die Cuts.

T'wit T'woo

Hi everyone.  I have a card today using an Indigoblu owl stamp which I have had for a number of years but is still available, and I also used the latest technique over at Group of Seven Cardmakers which is the eclipse technique using a cover die.  I used a new die set which I bought a while ago and being used for the first time here by Card Making Magic featuring a foliage frame, separate coverplate foliage and a 5" x 7" rectangle die.  I did go to Craft Stash to see if it is still available but it is now out of stock.

For the technique you have to stamp, stencil or use two identical pieces of paper.  As I was using a stamp I cut two pieces of card to 5" x 7" and placed each in turn in my stamp positioner and stamped the image, and then I used the framed foliage die to cut one of them, and then I lined up the die cut piece and adhered it exactly over the the whole image.  I then cut the piece down to fit onto a 5" x 7" card with just a small border.  I stamped the images using Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink and I then used the same ink to stamp a sentiment and heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and cut it into a strip and placed it over the image.  It worked well and I like the look but the foliage die was so difficult to cut, and after sending it through my Big Shot about ten times, twisting and turning it and using different shims including a metal plate it still did not cut entirely through, except around the edges, so I had to use a pair of small decoupage scissors to cut about three quarters of it which did take quite a long time.  I only use Craft Creations 300 gsm card which is of course rather thick, but I do not usually have such a job to die cut with it.  The reason I like this card is that it is the exact match to the cards I use and I do hate it when white card you use for a topper doesn't match the base card.

Before I go I would like to welcome a new follower called Marjolijn whose blog you will find here and thank you very much for becoming a follower.  

Thank you for visiting me here today and I will see you again soon.  Our son is visiting us from Australia for just a couple of weeks and it will be wonderful to see him especially as it was only planned yesterday and he arrives on Sunday, so I apologise if I don't get to visit as much and there may not be very much activity here. 

I am entering the following challenges:

Triple B Challenge - April '24 Anything Goes/Mood Board using Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (one, two or all three elements).
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Happy Birthday.
NBUS Challenge - No. 61 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Allsorts Challenge - Week 755 For the love of Animals/Anything Goes.

I am also joining Darnell with her I.D.E.A.S., a challenge she has set herself but she has invited anyone who wants to join her.  This is April Week 1 - I is for Ink/Colour Mediums.

Robin Amid the Holly

Hi all.  A Christmas card to show today, and this is a little robin which came free with a magazine more than a year ago and was called Spirit of Winter, and which I stamped and coloured with my pencils.   The holly and berries was a stamp from Creative Stamping Magazine Issue 127 called Merry and Bright, and the pine branches were cut out of an old Memory Box die called Pine Needle Border.  I also used a Sara Davies embossing folder called Entwined Holly.  

I saw this slightly different card topper shape on Pinterest, and on one card it was a loose shaped piece just attached at the top of the card, and then on another it was as I have done, actually glued to the card.  I embossed the Entwined Holly onto a snippet of white card and cut the shape and then using another snippet of silver mirri I stuck them together and attached to the 7" x 5" card.  I then stamped the holly and berries twice onto a snippet of white card using Versamark and heat embossed with WOW Metallic Silver Embossing Powder and coloured with my Lyra Pencils.  I already had the little robin stamped in Versafine Vintage Sepia on a snippet of Kraft card and also coloured with the pencils.  I added the sentiment onto the white base card again using the Metallic Silver EP, and I think I must have overheated the embossing as it bubbled a bit, but I actually thought that added some texture so I left it as is.  I then glued the robin and holly and berries onto the edge of the card shape using Pinflair Glue Gel to give them some shape, and I used some Glossy Accents on the berries.

Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Rudolph Days March Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes.
Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 476 Where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.
The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - No. 159 Anything Christmas Goes.
Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge - No. 60 Anything Christmas Goes.
ABC Christmas Challenge - E, F and G - I have used 'E' is for Embossing.
Merry Little Christmas Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes.
Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes Embossing/Birds.

I am also entering Darnell's I.D.E.A.S., a challenge she has set herself but she has said that anyone is welcome to join her.  This is Week 4: 'A' is for Anything Goes.

Japanese Dreams

Hi everybody.  I got out an older set of stamps and an embossing folder which came with Creative Stamping Magazine Issue 104   I decided to use the folder and also the Koi carp stamp from the set which is being used for the first tine here.

The theme over at Color Hues is blue and cream so I decided to use these colours, and I found a snippet of cream card which I used for the embossed background, but obviously with all the added ink it isn't visible.  I inked up the EF in Salty Ocean Distress Ink on the smooth side, spritzed with water and then ran it through my machine, and I then got out some Blueprint Sketch DI, and with a brush highlighted the raised parts and then after cutting it down a bit I also darkened the edges.  I then used another snippet on which I stamped the fish and heat embossed it used WOW Metallic Gold Rich Embossing Powder, and I then watercoloured it using a waterbrush and the Salty Ocean DI just giving it some soft colour..a bit of poetic licence here as I don't think there are actually any blue carp, but was sticking to my blue and cream theme.  I then fussy cut it out.  I finished the card by mounting the background on a piece of blue cardstock and added it to a 7' x 5" which card which I did cut down a bit as the scale of the card didn't look quite right.   I also added the cream and gold embossed sentiment which I stamped onto another snippet of cream card using an Xcut die from a set of Tags and Bookplates.  I also backed the fish with some foam tape for a bit of dimension.  

Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am also entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 60 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Color Hues Challenge - No. 83 Cream and Blue.

We Love Stamping March Challenge - Feminine/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations March Challenge - Spring/Anything Goes.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 772 Feathers and/or Fur/Anything Goes.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. Challenge, one she has set for herself but she has said that anyone who would like to can join in, and this is Week 3 E for Embossing (Folders).

Layered Roses

Hi all.  I decided it was about time to use some of my much neglected papers, and I got out an Altenew Layered Roses Die set which I got free with a magazine many years ago and which I am sure I have never used..tut! tut!  I also used a new corner die which I got in the Black Friday sale and this is its first outing and is called Bamboo Corner Trellis, a Paper Discovery die set.  There is a bamboo die, but this is the second in the set which has a more generic trellis look.  You can cut both designs out as well as just cutting them into the card, and there are a couple of sentiments too.  

I got out a couple of sets of papers, the first a Craft Consortium pad called Grunge Light and an old one by Chocolate Baroque which I used for just the orange coloured rose, and I was able to cut the pieces for the purple and pink flowers and the leaves from the Craft Consortium pad as there are lots of sheets where there are a good variety of colours and tones.  I decided to also cut a white base layer to make the flowers and leaves sturdier.  I also cut a piece of blue from the Craft Consortium pack to go behind the trellis.

I cut a piece of white card to about 5.75", just slightly wider than the trellis die and cut that adding the blue paper behind it, and I then put all the pieces together and added the flowers and leaves over the trellis.  I did add a piece of foam to the back of the first yellow/orange flower but decided not to do the same to the other two as I could see that it would make them rather thickly layered for posting.  I finished by die cutting the sentiment from a piece of gold glitter card which was a label which came on a parcel and which I thought was too pretty to waste.  I had already cut a butterfly from it, used on this card here, and I just managed to cut the sentiment from the rest.  

Thank you for dropping by today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 60 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 771 Use Yellow/Anything Goes.
Triple B Challenge - March - Anything Goes/Mood Board, using one, two or all three elements.
The Flower Challenge - No. 89 Make a Square Card.
Seize the Birthday Challenge - No. 279 Coordinating Card Tag Combo/Anything Goes.

 

 

 

 

 

I am also joining in with Darnells I.D.E.A.S., a challenge she has set for herself but which she has invited anyone to join in with March Week 2: D is for Die/Die Cuts.

Take Flight

Hi everyone.  Whilst I had my stencils out I decided to make a card using a couple of stencils from sets I bought a few years ago at The Range and by Craft Sensations, both 6" square.  The first is a flight of butterflies, and the other a pattern of leaves.  I also very luckily won a set of stamps by Sheena Douglass called True Colours which has a couple of different butterflies and a few sentiments, and one of these is being used for the first time here, together with a sentiment from the set.  I also used a stitched square die set bought from The Works, again a few years ago, and one I use a lot.

Using a snippet of white card I started the background by stencilling the leaves using two green Distress Inks - Mowed Lawn and Peeled Paint.  I kept the coverage light using a brush and then I removed that stencil and laid the butterfly stencil down and started with Mermaid Lagoon DI and then darkened it with Peacock Feathers DI to make the butterflies stand out over the leaves.  I then went back to using the leaves and added some more of each of the greens in areas where there were no butterflies.  When I was happy I die cut the background with the largest stitched square die and I also added the 'Take Flight' words using Versafine Olympia Green Ink and then heat embossed with the WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder..I must admit that it is so dark it looks like black.  I finished the background by blending some of each of the greens around the edges to darken them.

I then stamped one of the butterflies onto a snippet of white card using the Peeled Paint DI and then heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss EP.  I decided to colour it with my recently acquired alcohol pens using shades of turquoise, but I did give it a green body, and at the end I went over the edges, including the antennae, using a black micron pen as I felt they would be better darker to stand out against the background.  I added the background and butterfly onto a white card,  just slightly smaller than 6" square.  I am trying to use up some scalloped edge cards which I have had for ages and I prefer a straight edge so I have been cutting the scalloped edge off which of course makes them smaller.

Before I go I would like to introduce a new follower called Barb whose blog you will find here and thank you for becoming my latest follower.

Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Color Hues Challenge - No. 82 Turquoise and Green.
NBUS Challenge - No. 60 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 475 Where we use our snippets of paper and card etc.
We Love Stamping Challenge - March Feminine.
Triple B Challenge - March - Birds-Blooms and Butterflies ( using at least one of the three).

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S., a challenge which she has set for herself, but she has said that anyone is welcome to join in.  This is Week 1 - Ink/Colour Medium.  

Masked Stencilling - Group of Seven Cardmakers

Hi everybody.  I am privileged to have been asked to be a Guest Designer over at the Group of Seven for this month and the technique this time is Masked Stencilling.  I cut a heart shape for the mask using a die from a set by Sweet Dixie, and a couple of different heart stencils from a set which came from The Range a few years ago and made by Craft Sensations.

I started with the background colour within the heart and decided on a combination of Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers and Twisted Citron.  I applied the ink with a blending brush having first masked off a wavy shape down the right side which I tore myself, and using the same inks to apply the first heart stencil adding the corresponding ink in that portion of the heart.  I then took away the shaped piece and added some more of the three colours down the rest of the right hand portion of the heart, then replaced the mask using the other end of the piece I tore the mask from so that it matched up when placing over the left side.  I then added the second heart stencil again with the corresponding ink colour over each of the three coloured areas of the narrower piece on the right.  I then added some tiny white hearts around the background which I had saved from some previous die cutting, I think it was probably a Sue Wilson die which I have and it has lots of different sized hearts within the large heart but I just used the smaller ones.  It looks a bit like embossing and I think it just adds a bit more interest to the background.  I finished the card by adding a sentiment strip with the anniversary sentiment stamped using Versafine Clair Notcturne ink, and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and backed it with some foam tape for more dimension.  The card is a little less than 6" square.

I hope you go and visit the Group of Seven who are a lovely group of very talented people, and there are lots of links featuring previous techniques to take a look at for even more creative inspiration.  There is also a link at the bottom of the post where you can add any cards you make using the Masked Stencilling technique.    

I am entering the following challenges:

Stencil Fun Challenge - Feb. 24 Anything Goes/Love/Hearts.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 769 Anything Goes/Things That Fly.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Box Full of Hearts

Hi there.  I have an anniversary card today and I saw somewhere on line a design with butterflies escaping from an open box and it gave me the idea for this card but using hearts instead.  I used a new heart design die from Impression Obsession (249-Y) which I got fairly recently, but on this card here I just embossed it, but this time I die cut it and backed it with a piece of patterned card/paper using one of a few freebies I got with an order from Crafty Individuals. 

I started by die cutting two of the heart squares from white card and attached each to the patterned piece of card.  I then decided the dimensions I wanted and cut each down for the lid and box to fit neatly on to my 6" square card base and added a piece of craft foam on each for dimension.  I decided to stamp the sentiment as though that was coming out of the box too, and used Versamark and heat embossed with WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder in the position I wanted and then attached the pieces for the box around it and used some of the larger hearts which came out of the die, coloured using Adirondack Pink Sherbet Ink using a blending brush, and attached each surrounding the sentiment and to fill the space within the box shape.

Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 769 Things That Fly/Anything Goes.
Shopping Our Stash Challenge - No. 516 It's not Easy Being Green.
Double D Challenge - Patterned Paper.
Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - Feb. Anything Goes/Pink.

I am also joining in with Darnell's  I.D.E.A.S., a challenge which she has set for herself but has said that anyone is welcome to join in.  This is Week 4 Anything Goes.

Foliage Star

Hi everyone.  I bought this Xcut embossing folder fairly recently and am using it for the first time, and it's called Foliage Star, and at first I was thinking Christmas, but then I looked at it again and I thought actually it doesn't have anything in the foliage that definitely makes it a seasonal card, and some of the shapes made me think of card embroidery.  Here is an image of it so you can see what it looks like without the embroidery.

The very centre I made into a star piercing a hole in every point  and one in the centre, and then the pieces all around I pierced a hole at the bottom and one on every point.  I then picked out the same shapes going around it alternately in gold and silver.  I think it works and here is the result.

I finished by going over all the rest of the star with a Wink of Stella Clear Pen and I have left it without a sentiment for now.  I think it will probably be a birthday card.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - 10.2.24 - Anything Goes with a Twist of Reds and/or Pinks.
Allsorts Challenge - Pink/Anything Goes.
NBUS Challenge - No. 59 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Let's Craft and Create Challenge No. 204 Anthing Goes/Polka Dots and/or Stripes.
Ally's Angels Challenge - No. 79 Anything Goes.

Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - Feb. 24 Anything Goes/Pink.

Darnell who a lot of you will know has set herself the challenge of putting up a card every Monday following a rotational monthly theme the acronym for which is I.D.E.A.S.  -  Inks/Colour Mediums, Dies/Die Cuts, Embossing Folders and Anything Goes..where there is a fifth week in the month it will be Stencils, and has said that anyone who wants to join in is very welcome, and I am going to do my best to join the party every week.  This uses an embossing folder for Week 3.  

Happy Valentine's Day

Hi everyone.  Here is a Valentine I made for hubby.  I visit Hannelie from Desert Diva blog and she had made this card here, which I thought I could adapt to make a masculine Valentine, so I have CASEd it for my card.  I used a set of hearts from Sweet Dixie which I have had for a long time, bought at The Range, and also a large 'love' die which I got from The Works, also a long time ago when they did do a range of dies of their own at a very reasonable price which I don't think they do anymore.  I also used a Hearts 3D Embossing Folder from Sizzix which I got before Christmas and which is having its first outing.

I started with the horizontal stripes in the background.  I used a snippet of white card and a ruler and one of my new Alcohol markers.  I spaced the lines by eye placing them quite close together.  I have to say when I got to the end they weren't that straight, but I cut it into a rectangle and managed to straighten the edges so they weren't wonky..lol.  I then got out several Pixie Powders in blue, green and a white pearl mixer and using another snippet of white card I sprinkled them over and spritzed with water and finished up with a piece in a blue/green shade with a soft sheen which I thought looked fairly good and I cut a larger heart and five smaller ones from it.   I then used the Hearts EF on the large heart and having a senior moment I debossed it instead of embossing it, and didn't particularly like it, so I cut a further white heart from another snippet of white card and did it again, only to do exactly the same thing...duh!!  This time I decided to get out some Distress Ink in a similar blue which seemed to be Broken China, and I ink blended over the top and actually I preferred the look of the ink blending, so I doubled up the hearts placing this over the original.  To finish I die cut the 'love' die three times from another white snippet and layered it up to add over the centre of the embossed heart, and I added the striped piece to a 5" x 7" card and then added the large heart backed with some foam tape for dimension, and then four of the little Brushoed hearts along the bottom.  I did cut a small piece off the bottom of the card as the proportions didn't look quite right to me.  

I wasn't sure about the look of the card, but hubby thought it was good, so that is the main thing.  Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - Week 767 Hearts/Anything Goes.
NBUS Challenge - No. 59 Where we use up our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 473 Where we use our snippets of card and/or paper etc.

Try it on Tuesday Challenge - Hearts and/or Flowers.
Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Reds and/or Pinks.
The Male Room Challenge - No. 183 Valentine/Use a Heart.
Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge - No. 340 Love.

Stencilling with Alcohol Inks

Hi all.  I wanted to make a card using this month's technique of Alcohol Inks with Gilding Flakes over at Group of Seven Cardmakers, this is not a challenge as such but they have a link where you can add your card, and I decided to use the AI's with a stencil which is a chevron design called Turn Ahead by 'That Special Touch of ' which is being used for the first time, and Ranger AI's in Pool, Stonewashed, Indigo, Butterscotch and Lemonade, and also some WOW Gold Foil and Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Flakes called Autumn Leaves.  The Yupo is Ranger Transparent 5" x 7".  I used a Zig Glue Pen for the fine lines to add the foil on the background, and a Zig Glue Stick with a wide applicator for the gilding flakes on the shadow behind the sentiment, and it is good for spreading the glue across the back of die cuts too.

I have been watching various YouTube videos about using stencils with the alcohol inks, and as I visit Heather Telford and I did find this video really helpful, I have left a link to it here.  I started with a mix of my colours adding them and then diluting and moving them about with Isopropyl Alcohol 99.9% dispensed into a little bottle with a very fine needle like nozzle, using an air blower that I bought a while ago.  I covered the piece and then whilst it was still very wet I laid the stencil over the top and continued to blow the air around, trying to move as much of the ink from under the stencil into the gaps and I even very carefully lifted bits of the stencil up and down to help to move it.  After removing the stencil when it seemed to be more or less dry, I then used a piece of tissue and carefully dabbed up some of the ink that had stayed, and it did remove some of it, but luckily the pattern had come out reasonably clearly and I was very happy with the result.  

I suddenly realised that I had not added the gilding flakes and decided instead to use gold foil which should really go on before the inks dry, although you can use a glue pen, which I did in various places following some of the edges of the pools of ink which inevitably form.  I thought I had a better chance of getting the foil to stick and gilding flakes do seem to go everywhere you don't want them..lol.  The foil did stick but in a rather random way and not quite as I had hoped they would.  I think I was too impatient and it is best to let the glue turn from blue to clear before removing the piece of foil, but nevertheless they did give  a lovely bit of sparkle which doesn't really show up in the photo.

I used a sentiment which is from Crafter's Companion which I have had for a while but this is its first outing, and I did incorporate the gilding flakes on the shadow piece behind the white die cut sentiment.  I find they make less mess by using a pair of tweezers to lift pieces of it onto the gluey surface and when the piece has a reasonable amount on it...it doesn't need to be completely covered, you use a scoochy - mine came with Indigoblu gilding flakes a very long time ago - or a soft cloth to burnish them.  Doing it this way made very little mess, and I just placed a piece of paper beneath to catch the little bits which were not worth putting back in the pot.  I added some foam behind the sentiment to give it a bit of dimension, and I cut the words twice to layer them before adding them onto the gilded background and stuck them down using the Zig Glue Stick.  

I'm sure a lot of you will feel life is too short to read all this and a lot will be made clear if you visit Heather's YouTube video, and there are a couple of videos showing how to use the inks and add the gilding flakes over at the Group of Seven Blog.  I think my belief is why make a simple explanation when you can go on about it for ten minutes...lol.  

I am also entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 59 Where we use our Never Before Schtuff. 
Stencil Fun February Challenge - Love/Hearts or Anything Goes.

Darnell who a lot of you will know has set herself the challenge of putting up a card every Monday following a rotational monthly theme the acronym for which is I.D.E.A.S.  -  Inks/Colour Mediums, Dies/Die Cuts, Embossing Folders and Anything Goes..where there is a fifth week in the month it will be Stencils, and has said that anyone who wants to join in is very welcome, and I am going to do my best to join the party every week.  I do have some die cutting on this card which is for Week 2.  

Stack of Books for a Birthday

Hi all.  This is a masculine card for a family member.  I saw a card by Deb Hallett over on YouTube and I was so taken by the look of the pile of books and as I don't have any dies like this I went over to the Globleland site on Amazon and ordered a similar set of dies.  There is a frame of books, a pile and a single book in the set, and I also used an Inkylicious Bubble 2 Stencil which is having its first outing as well as the book die.

I started by die cutting the stack of books twice from pieces of white card, and stuck them together to make them more substantial.  I chose some different colours of Distress Inks and first I watercoloured the book pages using some paler grey and brown tones, and then started with three or four stronger colours of red, light blue, darker blue, green and brown for the covers using a waterbrush to add the colour from my glass mat.  I finished by adding a bit of pencil to sharpen edges and I also added some gold and silver pen to some of the book spines and the two bookmarks hanging out of the books, and made some pencil marks to represent a bit of writing here and there.  I also added the name on one and then happy and birthday on another couple of the books.  I finished by adding a piece of background white card on which I dry embossed the Bubbles 2 Stencil, and then attached the book stack over the top adding some foam tape to the back for dimension and then added the sentiment banner clear embossed with WOW Metallic Gold Embossing Powder.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - Week 766 Bingo Grid/Anything Goes.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.
Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - Feb. 2024 Anything CAS Goes.
NBUS Challenge - No. 59 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
 

Poinsettia Star

Hi all.  I bought this Sue Wilson star die before Christmas which is getting its first outing here, after having been looking for the Aurora Star which was not available anywhere.  The lovely Di Wray enabled me to get this one instead, which is really pretty too and has a couple of edges to cut out the star as well as the pretty central area which will cut into the card, so lots of ways of using it, so that you Di.  I also used a Tim Holtz 3D Texture Fades Quilted Embossing Folder which makes a pretty background.  I very rarely complain about something but this no way gives a 3D effect with deep embossing and the plumped up look of a quilt.  Luckily I got it very reasonably as a Black Friday deal, but had I paid the full price I would not be impressed.  It is a very thick folder which does not work with the Big Shot plates they recommend and I did eventually find a sandwich which worked but the thickness of the actual folder does not translate into deep embossing....right, moaning over...lol.

I cut the star out using the largest stitched die and used the cut into the card die for the pretty central area.  I decided to add a piece of silver behind and decided to use my Versamark and heat embossed with WOW Silver Glitter Embossing Powder and cut it with the slightly smaller die to add behind the ornate white front die cut.  I stuck this together and added a piece of foam to the back to give it a bit more dimension, and also added some Wink of Stella around the outside edge.  I then embossed the Quilt EF and tried highlighting the stitched lines on it with some Pebeo Silver Gilding Wax using a piece of tissue over my finger and rubbing it gently, but as the stitches aren't very raised it did go on the background a bit, but decided it still looked pretty.  I then remembered I have a Sakura Starlight Pen which gives a sparkly finish, and so I when over all the stitches with this and was happier with the look.  I finished this by cutting into a square and added a silver mirri layer behind it.  I placed the quilted layer onto the 6" square card and heat embossed the sentiment below using WOW Silver Metallic EP, and finally added the star to the centre.  

If anyone has the TH Quilted EF and has achieved better results, perhaps you could let me know what you did.  It is still pretty but isn't quite what I had imagined it would look like.  

Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Rudolph Days Challenge - January 2024 - Anything Christmas Goes.  This is the last challenge post as Maureen has sadly decided it is time for her to give it up.  I know we all appreciate all the hard work you have put into running the challenge and I hope that you and Al will have many happy years in your new home.

ABC Christmas Challenge - 'A' is for Anything Christmas/"B" is for Berries.
The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - No. 155 Anything Christmas Goes.
Merry Little Christmas Challenge - No. 54 Anything Christmas Goes.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Add Some Texture.
NBUS Challenge - No. 58 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Little Wren on a Branch

Hi everyone.  I have another cloudy sky background using the same colours as on my last card here.  I used an offcut of white card just to test out the three colours of ink before I used it on my card, and as it was a success I thought I would use it with this pretty little bird, branch and leaves which was also part of the Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady Magazine and kit which I got recently and being used for the first time here.  I also used a new set of Deco Time Twinmarkers which have a brush nib and a felt tip.  I found them at a great price at The Range, and there are 99 colours and a colourless blender, so lots of colours to get good blends.  I am not sure how long they will last as they worked out at approximately 30p per pen but I did not want to spend a lot of money as this is something for me to practice on as alcohol pens are something that I have never used to any great extent, but having seen a couple of people I follow on YouTube using them very successfully I was tempted to give them a try.  

I decided to tear the edges of the piece and ink them before adhering onto a DL card.  I then die cut two of the birds, and four of the branches so I could double them up, and then a few of the leaves to add.  I thought the little bird looked like a wren so did the colours in shades of brown, and brown and three or four greens and a yellow on the branches and leaves.  I was pleased with the results, and added the bird and leafy branches to the cloudy sky background and finished with a sentiment from the same set using Versamark and heat embossed with WOW Metallic Gold Rich Embossing Powder.

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

The Group of Seven Cardmakers put a post up once a month using a different technique and this month it is 'Torn Edge' and I am adding this card into their gallery.

I am also entering the following challenges

Allsorts Challenge - Week 765 Anything but Square/Anything Goes.

Triple B Challenge - January 2024 Birds, Blossoms and Butterflies (using any one or all).

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - Birthday/Anniversary - Happy 1st Birthday to them.
Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - January 2024 Anything Goes/Winter.
Addicted to CAS Challenge - No. 250 Sky.
NBUS Challenge - No. 58 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Wild Flowers in Copper and Green

Hi everybody.  I have another experimental card today using an embossing folder and a little bee stamp (both being used for the first time) which came as part of the kit with a magazine called A Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady which also has quite a few more stamps and a few dies together with some pretty papers and toppers.

I found a piece of white card and spritzed it with some water before I put it in the embossing folder and ran it through my machine.  I then used an anti static pad over it before adding the Versamark on the embossed flowers and added WOW Metallic Copper Embossing Powder.  It wasn't perfect and I had to get rid of quite a lot of stray powder which I admit did take time to do, and I then heat embossed it.  There were areas where the powder had not stuck sufficiently so I used the Versamark Pen to fill in the gaps, and added more powder and heated these areas, and did this several times until I was happy with it.  There were some stray bits but I thought that when I had added some colour it would be OK.  I then added a bit of background colour using three green Distress Inks - Lucky Clover, Twisted Citron and Cracked Pistachio.  I decided to use the starch again as it works equally as well as water, and I think that the card doesn't warp as much and the starch makes it more viscous so it stays put better.  I tore my own cloud mask by just pencilling a rough shape and tearing it with my fingers which gives it a more random look than using scissors, and started adding clouds moving top to bottom with just Lucky Clover for the clouds and I then added some Twisted Citron over the top in places, and finished with Cracked Pistachio at the bottom, and the Lucky Clover round the edges.  I then added the little bee, again heat embossed with the Copper EP, and added a little colour to it using a pencil with a similar coppery colour.  I decided to mount it onto a piece of white card  a little longer than the embossed piece and placed the sentiment at the bottom of this with the Copper EP.  Finally I put it together on a  5" x 7" card, and added some foam tape to the back of this layer for dimension.

Thank you for  dropping by today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Color Hues Challenge - No. 79 Copper and Green. 

We Love Stamping Challenge - January - Something New/Anything Goes.
Stamping Sensations Challenge - January - Anything Goes/Mood Board.

Allsorts Challenge - Anything Goes/January Blues.
Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - Happy 1st Birthday to them - Birthday/Anniversary.
NBUS Challenge - No. 58 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I am also adding my card to the Group of Seven Cardmakers latest post where they have a monthly technique and if you wish you can add your card using the technique, and this month it is 'Torn Edge'.  I tore my own cloud mask.   

Clockwork Daisies

Hi everybody.  Having seen techniques using embossing folders and heat embossing on YouTube, I decided to give it a go.  I used this Sheena Douglass 3D embossing folder called Clockwork Daisies.  I also used the frame from a Cardmaking Magic set called Fancy Rectangles which is being used for the first time here.  I also used a die cut sentiment by Sue Wilson.  As I haven't mentioned it for a long time, the card I use is Craft UK Premier White 300gsm.

I found a snippet of white card and using starch I sprayed it onto my glass mat and added orange and brown Brusho Powders, and swept the card through it doing it several times to build up the colour.  I think the starch helps to make the paint less runny and it tends to help stop the card warping and also adds a bit of a shine to the finished piece.  I then used the Clockwork Daises EF and decided to deboss it and then I very carefully rubbed the Versamark pad across it just to catch the surface with it and then added WOW Metallic Gold Embossing Powder.  It did leave some powder where I didn't want it and I used a pokey tool to remove some of the stray bits, as it has a nice point you can be more controlled, and then I heat embossed it.  It didn't catch all of the areas, and so  I used the Versamark pen to fill in a few places where it didn't stick enough and heated those areas again.  I used the Fancy Rectangles frame around the piece using a snippet of orange card and added the die cut gold 'Congratulations' along the edge of the frame also cut from a snippet of gold mirri card.  I double layered it to make it stand out more using another snippet of white card.  I mounted it on a 5" x 7" card.

I have added this as I don't think I explained properly that the usual technique with spray starch using Brushos then includes cling film laid over and left until dry and you can get a lovely textural look, but I didn't use the film as I knew I wanted to do the dry and heat embossing so thought any added texture would not really be seen. The dry embossing and then using a sticky ink and embossing powder is really a separate technique.  There are lots of videos online showing both these techniques if you are interested.   

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 471 Celebration Theme.
NBUS Challenge - No. 58 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Beautifiul Blossoms Challenge - No. 13 Anything Goes/Mood Board.
Triple B Challenge - January 2024 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (using any one or all).

Lighthouse Bookmark

Hi all.  I have something different to show today.  I used to do a lot of cross stitch, including some quite big projects, and then I made some cross stitched cards which led me into cardmaking in the first place, but over the last few years I haven't done much of it.  Whilst I was in the supermarket one day in June I saw this bookmark which was the gift with a World of Cross Stitching Magazine, Issue 334 so I bought it to make the bookmark for hubby.  I made him one with a blackwork heart design on, probably about 25 years ago, and I noticed it was beginning to fall apart..I'm surprised it has lasted so long.

I took the kit on holiday in July hoping I might get a lot of it done whilst away, but that didn't quite work out..lol.  I started it but have been just doing a bit occasionally during the evenings.  I do find these days stitching makes my thumb joints ache so consequently have to be more measured with the amount I do at a time, and I did finish the stitching in November but wasn't quite sure how I was going to finish it off, and with lots of other things to get on with before Christmas it was left for a while, but I have finally finished it.  It came with a printed aperture card to put it into, but I wanted it to be more robust, so  I did buy a piece of blue felt to use on the back and eventually decided to do some blanket stitch around the edges in a coordinating blue (luckily I still have quite a few different colours of thread in a box).  Anyway, I have enjoyed doing it and intend to carry on doing some as and when I have the time.

Hubby was very pleased with it and I notice that it is now installed in his latest read.  Thank you for coming to visit me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Ally's Angels Challenge - No. 78 Anything Goes.

Love to Craft Challenge - No. 78 Anything Goes.

My Favourite Cards of 2023

Hi everybody.  I do this every year on New Year's Day and have a round up of my favourite cards, and yours too, choosing one from each month of last year, so here they are.

This last one is an extra from May as there were several which went down really well with everyone that month, and this had the second highest amount of comments, and I love the contrast of the bright orange with the dark grey ink of the chess pieces, and the background was a bit of an experiment too using the gelli plate.

Thank you for for taking a look at my blog today, and I would like to thank you all for your visits which do mean a lot, and I wish all of you a very happy, healthy and creative 2024!