Wish I Was Here

Hi everyone.  With all the terrible weather we have been having here in recent weeks I thought I would cheer myself up with something sunny and bright and this month's theme over at the Group of Cardmakers is Layered Scene Cards.  I used a new set of Spellbinders dies bought in the recent sale and called Summertime Vacay, and also I used another new die bought from Temu with a bold sun and some seagulls and I made a stencil of it to make the background of this shadow box card.  I cut the front aperture using a square die.  I ink blended the background using some brushes.

This card is quite easy to make and I made it the right size to fit into a 6" envelope.  It isn't quite square as I made it a bit taller to give myself room to make the proportions of the scene better.  Unfortunately I had to take a photo later in the day with a daylight lamp and there are rather a lot of shadows.  You can make this to any size you like and the two pieces front and back were cut from an A4 piece of card, and you just make two embossed lines and mine are spaced 1/2" apart, and make a mountain and then a valley fold and I used a square die to make the aperture in the front piece.  I made the background using Adirondack Sunshine Yellow and an orange which I think was Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink, and Salty Ocean DI for the sky and a mix of Stormy Sky and Salty Ocean DI's for the sea.  The shadows on the water were made with Blueprint Sketch DI.  The die is a cut into the card one with the sun and the shadows over the water and the the birds all in one die.  I cut it into a piece of card and cut the birds off flush with the edges of the sun and I masked off the water line and added the sun.   I then used the waste piece with the pieces of bird placed back in to complete the circle shape and taped them in place so that this would mask the sun so I could add the background sky, and then I masked above the water line so I could add the sea, and finally using my home made stencil I added in the darker shadows beneath the sun.  It worked better than I thought as I wasn't sure it would be any good but luckily it worked a treat.

I then die cut the pieces for the deck chair and parasol using snippets of white and red card and used some Hickory Smoke DI to shade different parts of both items, but not sure that it shows in the photo.  I also cut the piece of sand which also comes with the set using another snippet of white card and coloured with the Sunshine Yellow and also added some darker bits using Brushed Corduroy and Tea Dye DI's.  Before adding the front piece I added the background and made it just a very little bit smaller than the width to the first folds, and then I stuck the front side bars to the back.  I added the piece of sand onto the front of the card and placed the parasol and deck chair fixing them to the bottom and the very narrow edge of the aperture, and then I cut another of the background dies from white card and totally cut the birds out.  I shaded them with a bit of pencil and added an eye to the two larger ones, and fixed them in place.  Stupidly I should have added the sentiment to the front before putting it together but I managed to get it to lay flat in my stamp positioner and I stamped it using Versafine Majestic Blue Ink.  

I hope you will check out the Group of Cardmakers post as there are a few different ideas for layered cards with some links to several beautifully made examples, and then some sketches with measurements and also some brilliant cards from the rest of the team.  There is also a linky at the bottom of the post and we would love you to add any cards you make using this technique for us all to see and enjoy.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 524 Where we use our snippets of paper and card etc.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 841 For Boys or Men/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

A Cut Above Challenge - Anything Goes with a Die Cut.

Creative Creases Challenge - No. 111 Anything Goes with a Fun Fold.

NBUS Challenge - No. 82 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Cute Owl

Hi to everyone, and a very Happy New Year to you all.  I have another card using this months Group of Cardmakers technique which is Acrylic Painting on Coloured Cardstock.  I used kraft card again but this time I used this sweet little owl which is a stamp from the Textures rang by Lou Collins, but I'm pretty sure since the end of Craft Stash it won't be available anywhere now.  My previous card using this technique is here with flowers for a feminine card and this will be for an upcoming male birthday. I used a mix of acrylic paints with some metallic and some ordinary acrylic paints.  If you don't have acrylic paints then try using some Posca or similar Paint Pens which will work too.

I started with a piece of kraft card about 51/2"square and stamped the owl just above the centre of it in order to leave space for the sentiment, stamping it quite lightly with Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink, so I could see where to add the paints within the lines of the owl.  I then added the metallic gold and copper shading around it.  When it was perfectly dry I put the card back into my stamp positioner and restamped it but decided to use Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.  I finished by cutting it with a square stitched die, and I added a thin gold layer and also added the sentiment using Nocturne Ink heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder before adding it onto a white 6" square card.

Thank you for visiting me here today and if you haven't seen it you can visit the Group of Cardmakers recent blog post which you will find here, and if you make a card using this technique you can add it to the link provided at the bottom of the post, as we would all love to see what you make.

I am entering this card into the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Jan. '26 Something New/Anything Goes

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Something Beginning with 'B'/Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 840 Winter Animals/Anything Goes.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 508 Birthdays.

Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - Jan. '26 Anything Goes/Use Something New.

Triple B Challenge - Jan. '26 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (using one, two or all three).

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 81 Winter Birthday. 

I am also adding this to the Group of Cardmakers post.

Group of Cardmakers - Acrylic Painting on Coloured Cardstock

Hi everyone, and here we are with the last post of 2025 and with a new year of fun creating to come!  This month the Group of Cardmakers are looking at Acrylic Painting on Coloured Card where you stamp, then completely cover the image with a single colour, or more if you fancy, using acrylic paints then re-stamp the outlines, and you do need to have a stamp positioner to do this.  I was lucky enough to win this lovely lily stamp as well as a cute dormouse one, both fronm Stamp Addicts, over at Allsorts and so these lilies are getting their first outing.  I also used a set of Royal and Langnickel acrylic paints and two dies from a set of Torn Edge Nestables from Creative Craft Products which I have had for a while, and are discontinued now I think.

I started with a piece of kraft card about 7" x 6" as I wasn't sure whether to go for a square or rectangle shape, and so I placed the image roughly in the middle.  I stamped it with Versafine Vintage Sepia and then using a set of Royal and Langnickel acrylic paints bought from a local store some time ago, I used a red, orange and a darker red to colour the flowers, and then a light and mid green for the stems and leaves.  I did use a small brush but still managed to go over the edges a bit in several places, but dampened the tip of a pokey tool and scraped carefully which removed most of it.  After it was dry I re-stamped it using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink which worked well.  It is best to try to keep the layer of paint as smooth as you can so that you get a good re-inked image.  

To finish the card I decided to make it square so I used the two Torn Edge dies to cut the kraft and the added black matted layer, and I then added the sentiment again using the Nocturne ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and then layered it up on the 6" square card.

I did go for a more dramatic look using black for the matted layer and I'm not sure if it works or not..perhaps you can let me know what you think.  I hope you give this technique a try and there is a video you can look at on the Group of Cardmakers post and if you do make a card there is a Linky where we can all enjoy the different ways to use this technique.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Dec. '25 Red and Green/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Dec. 25 Fantasy/Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No.839 Create A Scene/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Add A Sentiment.

Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - Anything Florals Goes/Optional Mood Board No. 36.

Triple B Challenge - Dec. '25 Using one, two or all three of Birds, Butterflies or Blooms.

NBUS Challenge - No. 81 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Beary Christmas

Hi everybody.  I am a bit late for Christmas with this one but it was a rather last minute...a card for hubby made on Christmas Eve..I was very behind, and I used this Pink Ink stamp which I've had for a while but have only just used here.

 

I started by stamping the polar bear using Versafine Smokey Gray ink onto a piece of white card and then cut it out as I wanted to added it over the top of the background.  I then coloured it with my Distress Inks and a water brush using Festive Berries, Scattered Straw Dried Marigold and Hickory Smoke, and not having much mojo as I think I am all Christmased out, I used the same colours as on the packing as a red Santa hat is the traditional colour, and I also used a black Micron Pen and a white Posca Pen.  I then  started on the background using a piece of white card cut to fit an 8" x 6" card..the stamp is large, about 6" x 51/2".  I smooshed Blueprint Sketch and Salty Ocean DI's over it and then I cut the white snow/ice and decided on the shape and depth and added this to the background, and then onto the card.  I added the bear and stamped the two sentiments top and bottom in opposite corners using the Salty Ocean DI, and also added just a little shading with a pencil beneath the skate.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I would like to say a bit thank you to all who visit and leave lovely comments which is always appreciated and I hope that you have been having a good Christmas and I send you all my good wishes for 2026.

I am entering the following challenges:

Rudolph Days Challenge - Anything Goes (open from 25th to the end of the month).

We Love Stamping Challenge - Dec. '25 Red and Green/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Dec. '25 Fantasy/Anything Goes.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 839 Create a Scene/Anything Goes.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 507 Christmas.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Add A Sentiment.

Christmas Kickstart Challenge - No. 105 If It's Christmasy Link It Up.

Peace On Earth Christmas Challenge - No. 102 Anything Goes.

NBUS Challenge - No. 81 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Snowy Fun

Hi everybody.  I have these fun snowmen today which I spied over at Loll's blog here, so thank you Loll...I just couldn't resist them, and being used for the first time today.

I started with a snippet of white card and used some Distress Ink pads just brushed across the card in several shades of brown..from memory I think they were Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy, and also Ground Espresso which I dragged down using the edge of the pad to make it look like planks.  I then used more snippets of white for the three snowmen and little birds and coloured them using my alcohol pens, and I then found another larger snippet of white for the background sky and used well watered down Salty Ocean DI and added a bit of the brown ink which I still had out to give the sky more the look of a snowy winter's day without it being too dark a background.  I also splattered some white paint for some snow.  I then put the scene together minus the snowmens' noses and mittens and added the snow on the top and bottom of the fence very generously with a white Posca Pen...it does look a bit brown and unfortunately picked up a bit of the brown ink from underneath, and I did try going over it again when dry to try to whiten it but it still looks off-white.  I then added the noses and mittens over the top, before finally adding it onto a 5" x 7" card but cut down about 1/2" to make the proportions better.  I then found another white snippet and cut the sentiment and added it at the top of the scene.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 521 - Where we use our snippets of card or paper etc.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 839 Create a Scene/Anything Goes.

Christmas Kickstart Challenge - No. 105 - If It's Christmassy Link it Up.

NBUS Challenge - No. 81 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Crafty Calendar Challenge - Dec. '25 Winter/Christmas.

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Anything Christmas/Holidays.

Birthday Dahlias

Hi all.  I have a birthday today featuring a fairly recent Lisa Horton Magazine which had some stamps, a stencil and a few dies to cut out some of the stamps with, and also a 3D Embossing Folder used here for the first time, and I added an extra layer to the flower using a die which can be used in it's own right or as a layer to add onto the large flower on the EF.  I also used a set of dies from Crafter's Companion bought a while ago which cuts these rectangular inverted scallops and you then use a die to cut it to whatever size you wish, but I cut it to fit a 5" x 7" card.  These dies are being used for the first time too.

I embossed the EF onto a piece of white card cut to fit the 5" x 7" card and then used my Distress Ink Pads to rub over the raised areas in Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, Crushed Olive and Mowed Lawn using a blending tool.  I die cut the extra small flower which I found didn't quite fit over the centre of the flower and the few petals it included, so I fussy cut it where it didn't match and added it using some silicone glue, and I added the sentiment using Versafine Olympia Green ink heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then put the card together adding first the embossed piece and added the frame having cut the edges of it to fit over this and leave a nice equal sized edge on the base card.  

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 838 New/Anything Goes.

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Card of Thanks.

Gem of a Challenge - No. 12 Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Use Dies.

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday Challenge - Nov '25 Anything Goes.

Group of Cardmakers - Stencilling with Mica Powders

Hi everybody.  I'm back again with this month's technique over at the Group of Cardmakers, and this time it is using Mica Powders with Stencils.  For this card I have used one of a set of mica powders which I bought recently, and a set of stamps, stencils and a die from a recent Indigoblu magazine called Mixed Media Special 10.  I used one of the four stencils that came with it and also a snowflake corner stamp, and a large sentiment die, all being used for the first time.  

I started with the snowflake stencil and with the intention of using a 5" x 7" card I made it just a little bit smaller..in the end I decided to do a 6" square card instead so cut it down.  I had to use the stencil twice as they are quite small stencils, and I chose a light blue mica powder.  The snowflakes on the stencil are fairly small and I had a bit of trouble getting a good coverage with the Versamark Pad that I have, so in the end I used my Versamark Pen and just rather laboriously went over at one to get a good impression.  It did work better and I was fairly pleased with the result.  I brushed on the mica quite carefully so as not to smudge the image, but it did smudge a bit but not too badly.  I did think that these would not work with a spritz of water to set them as I assumed they would not have the binding agent but it did seem to work and when putting the card together and handling the piece quite a lot it didn't seem to transfer onto my hands or the card so that's good.

I continued with the stamping onto the white base card using the corner snowflake stamp and heat embossed it with WOW Metallic Silver Embossing Powder using my stamp positioner by twisting the card to get the same position in each of the corners.  On the second corner I had a bit of a problem in that when I heat embossed I must have overheated the powder and it went dull.  I decided to ink and heat over the top for a second time and it worked well, so on the first and then the subsequent other two corners I did the process twice to match...a bit laborious but it worked.

I then cut a silver mat to place beneath the snowflakes, and I cut the sentiment from the silver too and I put the card together.  I did wish that I had used a darker blue as I think it would have had more impact but never mind it does look quite pretty if a little pale, but not as pale as it looks in the photo..the light was very poor when I took it.

This second card I feel has been more successful and I used darker shades for a more colourful look using a set of stencils from Crafter's Companion called Love Hearts which has three stencils..a background heart covered stencil, a border and a heart filled heart.  I also used a new unbranded set of stemmed hearts and a new sentiment.  Everything on the card is being used for the first time.

I cut a scallop edged heart using a snippet of white card, with a set by Nellie Snellen..absolutely ancient but I still love it, and it was a bit larger than the heart stencil that I used so left a white border.  My first go was not successful leaving the stencil in place when adding the mica powders as when I removed it it was a bit smudgy so obviously there had been some creeping of the powders under the stencil.  I decided to cut away the scalloped edge and turn the heart over.  I also used a ball tool to round the more blunt edges on the reverse.  This time when I had added the Versamark I lift the stencil away all went well.  I decided on this one to add some WOW Clear Gloss EP over the top and heat set it which worked well.. I did use a softer brush to add the powders which helped I think to stop any movement of the Versamark and gave it a crisper look.  I cut the stemmed hearts and the sentiment from snippets of white card and decided to cut an extra white sentiment so I could double it up to give it more substance.  

To finish I used a 5" x 7" white card and I embossed the heart border down the centre of the card and then put the stencil in place and added colour using first Picked Raspberry DI and then to make them a little redder I used Candied Apple DI.  I then fixed the heart with the stemmed hearts attached behind it at an angle over the border stencilling, and then added the sentiment over the bottom of the heart, and to make it stand out more I added some Wink of Stella.

I am entering this anniversary card into the following challenges:

Stencil Fun Challenge - Nov. '25 Anything Goes/Golden Days.

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 520 Where we use up our snippets of paper and card etc.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 837 Focal Sentiment/Anything Goes.

NBUS Challenge - No. 80 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

I do hope you will visit us over at the Group of Cardmakers and we do have Robyn as a guest this time and you will be able to see the beautiful cards made by her and the rest of the team.  We do also have a Linky so if you make any cards you can display them there so we can all enjoy seeing what you've made.  There are also a couple of videos to watch too.  Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.