Ring Out Those Bells

Hi everyone.  I have a Christmas card today and it is the Rudolph Days Challenge which runs from the 25th to the end of each month, and this is my card made using this die cut Bell which came with the Crafter's Inspiration Magazine No. 6 which is getting its first outing.  Every time I went to the supermarket I saw this magazine but couldn't decide whether to get it or not, and on the third visit when it was still there on the shelf I knew it had been waiting for me to slip it into my trolley..lol.  I also used the embossing folder from the set and some dies which I have already used on a couple of card from a magazine by John Next Door, and also some papers which came with that magazine which I haven't used before.

I found a snippet of silver mirri and cut the bell, and then I found a snippet of blue and cut it from that too.  The pieces all stayed in it luckily as I wanted it like that but I just added several pieces of the blue over the silver to highlight bits of it. 

I decided to use a round card which I was going to use as the base of my last card but in the end decided against it so thought I would use it here.  I laid the largest circular die I had over the join placing it at the top, and then when cut I cut a small piece off the bottom to make it stand properly  

I got out one sheet of the paper which had strips of the different patterns on it and cut the strips and decided to make a sunburst pattern with them so cut each strip in half and cut diagonally across each of the strips.  I decided to work towards the middle with each strip and found when I got to the last one that the space was a little narrower than the strip so had to overlap this one a bit but it looks OK.  I then found another snippet of a lighter blue card and cut a circular mat with it and embossed it with the leaves and berries EF.  I then cut the leaves from more snippets of white card and added a bit of silver gilding wax to highlight them a bit.  I finished it with the die cut sentiment cut from another snippet of silver card.

I haven't tried the sunburst pattern before but it is a great way of using up papers, and these John Next Door ones are quite pale and are perfect to add a bit of interest without being too much.  

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

I am also entering the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 489 Where we use up our snippets of card and paper etc.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - Anything Goes (congratulations on your 800th challenge).

Merry Little Christmas Challenge - No. 58 Anything Christmas Goes.

Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge - No. 72 Anything Goes.

Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge - Sept. '24 Anything Goes

NBUS Challenge - No. 66 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Join the Party

Hi everyone.  I have a card today for a family member who will be 17 shortly, and I was a bit stumped as to what to make for her, and then I remembered I had some Penny Black stamps which I was lucky enough to win quite a few years ago, and they were on wood but storage of these is difficult so I took them off the wood a year or more ago and they have been forgotten about, and this particular one I have never used.  The stamp has 2010 on it so obviously not one that is around any more, and is called Join the Party.  I decided to frame it using an Altenew Doily Frame stencil which I have had for a while and also has never been used..tut tut!

I cut a square to just under 6" and using a brush and some Salty Ocean Distress Ink I inked up the frame, with the central piece in place, on the piece of white card.  I then stamped the PB image and unfortunately it did overlap the frame just a little top and bottom, but I carried on and coloured it with my Lyra Pencils hoping the colours would be strong enough to cancel out the blue background, and fortunately I think there is a hint of it but not enough to spoil it.  I finished by adding the sentiment using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

I then decided that perhaps it would look more interesting cut into a circular shape before adding it onto the card, so taking a deep breath I very carefully cut around the shape.  I did start with my small decoupage scissors, but realised that it would probably be easier using larger scissors that I could keep moving round the curves to get a better finish, and luckily this worked pretty well.  I finished by using some foam on the back for a bit of dimension.  A simple card really, and just hope she likes it.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Sept. '24 - Hand Coloured Image/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Sept. '24 - Anything Goes/Animal Magic.

Stencil Fun Challenge - Sept. '24 - Anything Goes/Fall Frenzy.

Allsorts Challenge - Week 798 - Something Fishy/Anything Goes.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Make Your Own Background.

Vellum Mix

Hi all.  I have another card using vellum.  I decided to colour and dry and heat emboss it, and another card to join in with the Group of Seven Cardmakers who are focussing on this technique this month.  I also used an embossing folder called Tied Together by Couture Creations, and also a Pinkfresh Studio butterfly stamp and die which came with Creative Stamping magazine quite a while ago but one I have only just got around to using.

I started with a piece of quite heavy weight vellum and I coloured it with my alcohol pens using a coral pink and a mid blue.  I scribbled on the vellum and moved the ink around with some alcohol and then I embossed it with the Tied Together EF.  I read somewhere that adding a piece of copy paper under the vellum helps to stop it cracking.  This one I used is an ordinary folder so less likely to crack the vellum, but I did put a piece of paper in with it anyway.  I decided that perhaps the ink did not show up well enough on the back of the vellum so once again used the two pens and some more alcohol and I think because of the embossing it did stick to it more and was brighter.  I couldn't make up my mind whether to use the other side, but in the end decided to go for the side with the embossing which has a whiter look.  

I then die cut the butterfly using a piece of white card and stamped the front layer on another piece of vellum and heat embossed it with WOW Opaque Bright White Embossing Powder.  I was going to leave it all white but felt that the whole card could do with a bit more colour so used the coral coloured pen to colour the under layer and added some pink gems down the body of the butterfly.  I thought maybe this made the butterfly too bright, but it is toned down by the vellum top layer so OK I think.  Finally I cut a piece of white card to fit the 6" square card and cut a circle aperture and placed the vellum beneath it, and finished the card with a sentiment using Faded Jeans Distress Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss EP.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Sept. 24 Hand Coloured Image/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Sept. 24 Anything Goes/Animal Magic.

Allsorts Challenge - Week 797 Autumn Colours/Anything Goes.

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 65 Background Focus.

Triple B Challenge - Sept. 24 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (any one, two or all three).

Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - Anything Goes/Signs of Fall.

NBUS Challenge - No. 66 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.DE.A.S., a challenge she has set herself but has said anyone can join in with.  This is Week 2: Dies.  

Owl Amongst the Autumn Leaves

Hi everybody.  I decided to get out this Craft Stash Text(ures) Spring Awakening Wildlife set of stamps and used the little owl which was the only image of the three not to have been inked, and also used a heat embossed vellum background to join in with Group of Seven Cardmakers who are focussing on embossing on vellum this month.  I am also using a set of leaf stamps from Chocolate Baroque called Nature 1, and also a leaf die which is part of the John Next Door Christmas Premium Magazine No. 10 which I have used already on a couple of recent cards. 

I started with a leaf stamp from the Chocolate Baroque set and cut a piece of fairly heavy weight vellum to fit inside this rectangular aperture which is 4.25" by 2.75", and the card is 7" x 5".  I also cut a piece of white card a little smaller than the base card and cut the above rectangle, taken from the remainder of a piece of A4 card which I used for the last couple of cards I've made.   I embossed the large leaf branch stamp several times over the front of the vellum using WOW Metallic Brass Embossing Powder, and then using two of the smaller stamps and my stamp positioner I inked up the stamps several times with several colours to fit the autumn theme including Lucky Clover, Candied Apple, Abandoned Coral, Carved Pumpkin and Ground Espresso, and heat embossed these as I went along using WOW Clear Gloss EP.  I then blended some of the Carved Pumpkin ink over the top of this to take the whiteness off the vellum.  As you can see, when I came to add the vellum behind the window I thought the embossing on the front was a bit overwhelming and so I turned it the other way round and liked it much better and that is how I placed it.   

I then found a snippet of white card and stamped the owl with Versafine Vintage Sepia and heat embossed with the Clear Gloss EP.  I then added a little colour to it with my alcohol pens in a couple of brown shades.  I die cut the leaves from another small snippet of white card and decided to make them green, but then added some more orange and browns to them to make them look as though they were beginning to change colour, again using alcohol pens.  I added the sentiment also using the Vintage Sepia ink clear heat embossed.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Sept. '24 Hand Coloured Image/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Sept.'24 Animal Magic/Anything Goes.

Snippets Playground Challenge - Where we use up our snippets of card and paper etc. 

Allsorts Challenge - Week 797 Autumn Colours/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Stamp It.
Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 476 Make Your Mark.

Try It On Tuesday Challenge - Make it Colourful.

NBUS Challenge - No. 66 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S., a challenge which she has set herself but says anyone can join in with.  This is September Week 1: Ink/Colour Mediums.