Eastern Moments

Hi everybody.  There has not been much posting lately as hubby and I have been away for over a couple of weeks up in Northumberland and I did manage to keep some commenting going, but I do apologise if I missed visiting a few people, and I did post up a couple of cards.  We went there for the first time about eight years ago, and have always wanted to return.  It is a nature lover's paradise, and we did enjoy it but the weather was very changeable with some rather cold winds a lot of the time, so relaxing on the beach or sitting enjoying the view somewhere was not the order of the day...lol, but that is the nature of holidays in the UK and it is quite far north, in fact we did get into Scotland.  We have been back for a few days but I have found it difficult to get myself into gear since but have managed to make this card using a magazine from Hunkydory...Premier Magazine No. 22 Eastern Moments, which I bought whilst away and this is the first time I have used this bamboo and flowers embossing folder and the bird die.  There are also a set of stamps and some papers and toppers which came with it too.  

I decided to make this a monochromatic card using a couple of shades of blue ink so I used a piece of white card and embossed the bamboo background and very lightly ink blended over the top using Salty Ocean Distress Ink.  I decided to just have a strip of it so cut it down a bit to fit this 6" square card.  I then die cut the bird and coloured it with the Salty Ocean DI plus a bit of Chipped Sapphire DI and I also used the same ink on the sentiment and just went round the edges of it with a bit of the Salty Ocean that was left on the brush just to take the whiteness off it.   Just a simple card really just to get me started again. 

Before I go here are a few photos.  Hubby is a keen photographer...there were quite a few to choose from..lol.

 

      Beadnell, where we stayed.

      Dunstanburgh Castle

     Budle Bay.. a favourite spot to see a sunset.

     Bamburgh Castle..late in the day as the sun was setting.

     The causeway to Holy Island.

     Holy Island from St. Mary's Church, the Priory ruin and the Castle.              

Jean Hardy who owns Crafty Individuals who many of you will know, often stays in Bamburgh, and whilst on Holy Island and sitting in a tea shop who should pass by but Jean (or her double) with her partner Malcolm.  I checked on Facebook and she had been staying there for a couple of days at that time so I'm sure it was her..what a coincidence!  Thought I might see her whilst walking around, but sadly not.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 64 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Stripes and/or Checks.
Simply Clean & Simple Challenge - Anything Goes/Use A Heart (congratulations on your 1st Anniversary).
Allsorts Challenge - Week 790 Flowers/Anything Goes.

Triple B Challenge - July '24 Birds, Butterflies and Blooms (use one or all).

Addicted to CAS Challenge - No. 263 Nature.

This month over at Group of Seven Cardmakers they are showcasing the Monochromatic design element, and I am joining in with this card.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S., a challenge she has set for herself but anyone can join in.  This is Week 3: 'E' for Embossing Wet/Dry

Sail Away

Hi everybody.  It's hubby's birthday and I made him a card with a little yacht die bought at The Range a long time ago but never used and having seen a card in this sort of style on Pinterest, which I now can't find at all, I thought that the die would work as a substitute 'A' in the 'Happy'.  I decided to add the background using a stencil by Sweet Dixie called Splash.

                              

I started with a piece of white card cut to fit a 5" x 7" card and ink blended through the stencil with a brush using Salty Ocean Distress Ink.  I decided to add a horizon line..it is there but doesn't really show in the photo, and then darkened the stencilling on the bottom half before adding the white die cut letters which I double layered.  I also double layered the yacht, but before doing so I coloured the hull of the boat using a red alcohol pen.  I finished by adding the 'birthday' stamped with Versafine Majestic Blue Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then added the little birds and some ripples under the hull of the boat using a Docrafts set of permanent markers in a blue which was similar to the ink for the sentiment, and I also added a bit of white gel pen for the tops of the waves.  I also shaded under the letters and the boat with one of my Lyra Pencils and also went over the letters and the boat with a Wink of Stella Clear Pen.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 64 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

Addicted to CAS Challenge - No. 262 Summer.

Stencil Fun Challenge - July '24 Anything Goes/Shades of Blue. 

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. which is a challenge she has set herself but has said that anyone is welcome to join in.  This is Week 2: Dies.

Embossed Heart Anniversary

Hi everyone.  I know this follows hot on the heels of the last which was also an anniversary card but today is our 42nd anniversary so this had to be the day for showing this card which I made for hubby.  I used a Lil'Iinkers heart word die and a Sheena Douglass Texture Embossing Folder called Distress.   I also used my set of Sweet Dixie Heart Dies. 

I have some glitter washi tape which I bought quite a while back at The Range and decided to cut the heart word die with this using the dark grey/black colour, so I stuck it to a piece of card and cut the words out and added them to the heart die cut.  I had been having a play with a technique I have used a couple of times before using embossing powders enclosed within a piece of baking parchment and heated up and then using a pouncing motion keeping the heat tool moving over the top of the parchment you get the most lovely swirly pattern.  I used some glitter EPs in red, silver and white and it was quite thin so I put one of the heart dies over the top and followed the shape cutting with some scissors.  Little bits do fall off but it has a fairly good heart shape.  I finished by adding some silver Pebeo wax over the surface texture of the background dry embossing before adding it to a white square card, and then I added the word heart and the heat embossed heart over the top.  I decided not to add any more words on the front as I think that the heart words say it all.    

If you would like more information on the embossed pouncing technique, you will find a video by Marian Emberson here.  Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenge:

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Sports.

Allsorts Challenge - Week 787 Way to Grow/Anything Goes.

Lots of Hearts

Hi everyone.  I have an anniversary card today featuring Creative Expressions Entwined Hearts, and a heart die from the Sue Wilson Heart of Hearts die set, and the little hearts was the smallest die from Sweet Dixie set.  I also used a stencil from a set bought at The Range quite a while ago.

                                    

I started with a piece of card 51/2" square and decided to use three colours for the background stencilling - Distress Inks in Shaded Lilac, Scattered Straw and also an Adirondack ink called Pink Sherbet.  When adding random inks I often pick three places around the card for each colour which is what I did...the third area of Shaded Lilac is under the central heart.  I then cut the piece up into 8 pieces, vertically and  horizontally, and also from corner to corner, and I glued all the pieces down onto another piece of card the same size.  I cut out the very middle of the heart design of the Entwined Hearts which is part of a larger heart, and which just cuts into the card, so I fussy cut it out, a bit fiddly but it worked OK.  I then cut a larger similar shaped heart using a die which came with the Heart of Hearts set and coloured it with the pink ink and added it behind the ornate smaller heart.  I cut the tiny hearts using the smallest die from a set of nested hearts by Sweet Dixie, and I coloured them to match whatever colour was behind them and it worked out quite well with no two colours the same next to each other - alternate pink and yellow, with two opposite corners with the lilac, placing them on the cut lines, and etched a line down the centre of each glueing just the centre of each heart to the card so that it would curve up for more dimension.  Finally I cut a strip of card for the sentiment and placed it across the central heart.  I found the Pink Sherbet was too pale so I used Picked Raspberry DI and heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss 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 787 Way to Grow/anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes (my favourite thing are die cutting and stencils.

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

 

Sunflower and Honey Bees

Hi everyone.  I have a card today made using a Chocolate Baroque stamp set called Honey Bee and this is the first time I have used it although I have had it for quite a while.  The card is for someone who is very fond of sunflowers and so I thought this would be appropriate, albeit it has the honey bees on it, and I also decided to use the honeycomb as a background.

                                         

I stamped the sunflower onto a piece of white card and stamped it using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and watercoloured it with Distress Inks in Mustard Seed and Spiced Marmalade for the petals and I used some on the bees too, and I coloured the centre with some Black Soot, but thought that it would look better in a brown so then went over it with Brushed Corduroy.  I then cut it out leaving a small white margin around the edges which made it easier to cut around the bee.  I then stamped the background honeycomb twice using Vintage Photo DI and added some Brushed Corduroy DI to fill it in.  I also went over the bees on the honeycomb using a fine Black Micron Pen to darken then up and then added the Mustard Seed on the stripes and a bit of shading on the wings with a pencil before adding some Clear Wink of Stella to them. As an afterthought I also added a touch of Spiced Marmalade to the yellow stripes.  I finished with the sentiment stamped with the Nocturne Ink and heat embossed using WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder and I ink blended around the honeycomb background with some Tumbled Glass DI.  

I had been watching a Jennifer McGuire video where she showed a way of raising up an image using a strip of card scored with three lines, about a quarter of an inch apart, and then a flat section and three lines the other side, and creased with a mountain fold each side of the centre and then a valley and a mountain on each side which should give you a concertina effect and you just attach the flat area to the back of the image you want to give dimension to, and the very bottom panel of the concertina section on either side to the surface you are attaching it to.  It works well and it just presses flat in an envelope and pops back up when taken out, so I did this to the flower and you can see it sits well proud of the card.  You can of course adapt the size to fit whatever you like.  I would post the link but I think it was part of a video and I can't seem to find it again now.  If I do find it I will add the link in.....further to this Val at Aquarius found me the link to Jennifer McGuire's video, and if you scroll down you will find it in the comments.  The actual style of 'pop up' I used comes at about 15.50 mts.  Thank you Val!

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

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - June '24 Fabulous Florals/Anything Goes.
Stamping Sensations Challenge - June '24 Anything Goes/Mood Board.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - My Favourite Things (sunflowers and bees - I love honey!)
Allsorts Challenge - Week 786 Blooms, Bees and Butterflies.
NBUS Challenge - No. 63 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 that anyone is welcome to join in.  This is Week 4: Anything Goes.

Simply Sweet

Hi everybody.  I have a card today using an embossing folder by Crafter's Companion called Simply Sweet which I got as a prize, and this is it's first outing.   I also used a little bird which came with a die set I also won but quite a while ago and it's a Marianne Creatable die set called Petra's Square with Bird and Nest, and I have used the frame die before but not the little bird.

I started by embossing the folder using a piece of mid blue card and I highlighted the design using a Brilliance Moonlight White Ink by running the pad across the embossing but not pressing down too hard.  It works better I think doing lots of passes up and down and side to side in order to build the colour up without transferring the ink to the background.  I then dried it with my heat tool and cut it down a little as the edges were not very neat, and added it to a 5" x 7"white card.  I then cut the little bird three times and put two of them together and with the third I cut out the wing and the head to add over the top for a bit of dimension.  I coloured the main piece all over and the wing and head separately as I wasn't totally sure I would use the extra pieces, but in the end I decided to do so.  I put it together using a bit of Pinflair Glue gel to attach these pieces.  I finished by stamping the sentiment onto a strip of white card using Versafine Majestic Blue Ink heat embossed using WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and placed it across the card just below the opening of the birdcage and then placed the bird right on the edge of the strip to finish.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

AAA Colourful Challenge - Colourboard No 5.

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 62 Cute.
Triple B Challenge - June'24 Using one or more Birds, Butterflies and Blooms.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Emboss It.

NBUS Challenge - No. 63 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 says anyone can join in.  This is Week 3 'E' for Embossing Powder/Folders.

Peony Border Tri-fold

Hi everyone.  I have a tri-fold card today, the first time I have attempted one and may well be my last..lol.  I say this as I did have quite a few ups and downs with it, but I got there in the end.   I used a set of stamps and dies from Indigoblu which came free with a recent magazine - Mixed Media Box Kit 8 used for the first time here, and I dry embossed using a set of leaf dies bought in a sale at Craft Stash by Cardmaking Magic which unfortunately are not now available.  I watched a video by Jennifer Mcguire and I was taken with the look of the shaped front and you will find the video here.

You need two cards of the same size and mine are 5 3/4" square.  I decided where I was going to stamp the peonies on the front of the card and stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and then coloured the flowers using my alcohol pens.  I used my stamp positioner and decided to reink the stamp using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink which gave it a bit more punch.  I was going to use the corresponding die to partially cut around the outer edge of the flower stamping but I just could not get it to cut using my Sizzix Big Shot Plus machine, and it seemed impossible to get the sandwich right and I tried endless combinations but to no avail.  I think the fact that I had to set the top plate back so that it would only cut the first bit of the die made it more difficult.  I gave up and die cut around the flower with some small decoupage scissors, and to tidy the back of the front panel up as the pens do bleed through the card a bit, I die cut the whole die shape out, this time no problem in cutting it, and added it behind the flowers and it left a bit of a white border around the flowers..there were just a few areas where it wasn't even as I had cut it by hand, so I just tidied it up a bit with my decoupage scissors.  I finished the front by adding a sentiment from the set using the Nocturne Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  The second card is glued together back to front with the first, and on what has become the under layer to the flowers I decided to add some leaves using a die and dry embossing it on the panel.  It is not a square die, actually 5" x 7", and there was a bit of a gap on the inside edge so I decided to cut around the leaves at the edge, and then I added a strip of white card under the leaves to give a nicely finished edge.  I then added a piece of paper as an insert for the sentiment on the base of the card which when closed is hidden behind the leaf layer, and the card was done.  

I found it a bit fiddly to make so I don't think I will be doing this again in a hurry.  Jennifer makes it look like a breeze, but mine felt more of a tornado..stress levels were definitely up...lol.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - June '24 Fabulous Florals/Anything Goes.
Stamping Sensations Challenge - June '24 Mood Board/Anything Goes.
Triple B Challenge- Use one of more of Birds, Butterflies & Blooms.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Bright and Cheerful.
Beautiful Blossoms Challenge - No. 17 Anything Floral Goes/Mood Board.
NBUS Challenge - No. 63 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 invites anyone to join in with.  This is June Week 2: Dies/Die Cuts.

Bokeh Anniversary

Hi everybody.  I have made this anniversary card using this fun technique and one which I haven't used on a card for a very long time.  I was reminded of it by the Group of Seven Cardmakers who have this as their technique this month so I thought I must give it another go.  I have had a really heavy cold and it has left me feeling rather tired and out of sorts and I haven't been feeling like making a card, but needs must as I have an imminent family anniversary.  

I decided to give it a bit of a twist and instead of circles thought I would use hearts as this is an anniversary card, and I started by ink blending the piece of white card using Distress Inks in Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon and Candied Apple and I dried it well with my heat tool before starting the bokeh.  I cut a mask using three sizes of heart from a set by Sweet Dixie and I started with the largest using the only white ink I have which is Brilliance Moonlight White which is a pearlescent type white and probably not the best one for this technique as I found out as I went along.  I started by laying down five of the largest size heart and although the ink was dry, the ink blending tool..the Tim Holtz round one not a brush, lifted the ink a bit and the white became rather discoloured, especially in the areas with yellow.  I carried on using the middle size size heart mask and I could not seem too get any more depth of white  and it was all looking the same with no variation to give depth and distance.  I finished with the small heart and then tried giving some a second coat of ink but it didn't make much difference.  I cut the background to about 51/4" and then I decided to cut two hearts out from the piece for an eclipse look, and  I cut an extra couple of layers of hearts for dimension.  I think my brain is a bit befuddled at the moment and I have to say the way I cut the overlapping hearts was not quite what I intended and instead of one whole and one with a split, it ended up with both cut into..a little annoyed muttering ensued at this point..lol, and I then finished with a gold embossed sentiment cut with a sentiment plate, and I heat embossed using WOW Gold Metallic Rich Embossing Powder.  

I think I need a much brighter denser white ink to make a better job of this, and maybe it would have been better to make a smooshed background as possibly the ink would not have moved and mixed with the white pigment ink to make rather a dirty look of the bokeh, and I think maybe I got carried away with the bokeh not leaving enough of the colour in the background.  Anyhow although not as successful as I would have wished, it is a nice bright and happy anniversary card.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Stencil Fun Challenge - June '24 Anything Goes/Optional: Birthdays.
Heart's Quest Celebrations of Love Challenges - No. 6 June '24 Eng'ments, Weddings and Annivs. 
Make My Monday Challenge  - No. 227 'B' is for... mine is Bokeh technique.
 
I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. which is a challenge she has set herself but has said that anyone can join in if they wish.  This week is June Week 1: I = Inks/Colour Mediums.  

Fantastic Mr. Fox!

Hi all.  A play on words for the title of the post, as I was thrilled with a set of Wildlife stamps I got recently from Craft Stash from their Textures range by Lou Collins, great for male cards and have already used several of the images, and this one is for our son in Australia whose birthday it is today.  Until I checked I wasn't sure that there were foxes there but apparently there are, though haven't seen one when we've visited.  I also used a set of stencils, also bought in their recent £5 sale, and called Layering Mountain Landscape, and I just used a couple of them to make the scene,  This set is the It's Just Paper range by Justine Hovey.

I decided to make this a round card and I luckily do have a large circle die, again another new set, there were some bargains which I couldn't resist..can you believe they just slipped into my basket..lol.  It measures over 5" and I used a 6" square card to cut it taking the circle just beyond the fold placed at the top, and then cut another single circle to put over the top, and also cut a piece off the back so that it stands level.  I then cut a smaller circle from a set of stitched dies and inked using various green Distress Inks. Bundled Sage and Iced Spruce for the background treeline and then Mowed Lawn, and in the foreground Pine Needles for the fir trees and foreground, with just a bit of Pumice Stone for the trunk of one of the trees, which ended up behind the fox, and then Tumbled Glass for the sky.  I then turned my attention to the fox and using a piece of white card and my stamp positioner I stamped it starting with the Pumice Stone DI and then added some Carved Pumpkin DI in various places to be build up the red tones and then I used a set of Lyra Graduate Pencils to build up more light and shade, and I cut it out and added the sentiment using Versafine Vintage Sepia, and then put it together.  

For those that have relations in Australia you will know that the postal system is quite slow and a card this time of year can take up to three weeks to arrive and at Christmastime a bit longer.  I posted it on the 2nd May and to my amazement it actually arrived within a week which has never happened before, and more than likely won't happen again..lol.  Thank you for joining me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 62 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 782 Anything Goes/Blast for the Past.
Stencil Fun Challenge - May'24 Anything Goes/Girly.
Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 469 Any Occasion.
AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 61 CAS (Clean and Simple).

Elegant Writer Scene Take 2

Hi all.  I have another scenic card made using the Elegant Writer Pen...the last one is here.  I used a tree and sentiment from the Textures Wildlife stamp set and a stag from the It's Just Paper set of Animal Silhouettes, both sets used on the card linked above, but these particular images have not seen any ink before.  This photo highlights what I have said about mixed media paper as it looks cream against the white card base, although in real life it doesn't look as off-white as it does here in the photo.

I decided this time to use some Canson Mixed Media paper and also as seen on one of the videos I have watched I used the pen to ink the tree stamp and then spritzed it with some water.  I think maybe I went a bit mad with the water and I blotted it with a piece of kitchen towel, and as there was quite a lot of ink on the towel it did leaves some areas of blue over other areas of the card, not totally intended but I liked the effect, so I dabbed a bit more on too.  As the outline of the tree had somewhat disappeared I re-inked the stamp with the pen and put the outline back, and then just filled in areas of the leaves on the tree with a waterbrush taking ink from scribbled ink on my glass mat.  I then extended the grass at the bottom of the tree with the pen and added some more of the ink there too.  To finish the scene I added the silhouette stag and the sentiment using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and also added some shading beneath the stag to ground it, and then used the edge of a piece of card to make a line on all four sides to frame it using an alcohol marker pen, not a perfectly even line but I decided to go with it.  It does break up the edge of the card as it makes the disparity in whiteness a little less obvious I think..I know I am far too fussy...lol.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challlenge - No 62 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 61 CAS (Clean and Simple).
Allsorts Challenge - Week 782 Anything Goes/Blast for the Past.
We Love Stamping Challenge - Vintage/Anything Goes.
Seize the Birthday Challenge - No. 284 Use Metallics/Anything Goes.

Group of Seven Cardmakers - not a challenge but they have a link so am sending this along.
Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. - a challenge she has set herself but invites anyone to join in with and this is: 
Week 4: 'A' for Anything Goes.

Lots of Leaves

Hi everybody.  My card today is a mix of leaves using a Made to Surprise Embossing Folder called Leafy Background, and a set of stamps, dies and stencils from Globleland featuring Ginkgo Leaves, which are being used for the first time here.  

For the background I decided to use a piece of green textured card with the Leafy Background EF and then very carefully went over the raised parts with a Brilliance Moonlight White inkpad which highlighted it well.  I then die cut a jig to use with the Ginkgo leaf stamps cutting all the dies on white card to be kept for future use.  I then placed the cut out piece in my stamp positioner and placed the stamps within the shape for accurate positioning and placed the corresponding die cut shapes back into the holes and then inked and stamped each using Versafine Olympia Green Ink and stamped several times to get good coverage (to be honest it is a very dark green so looks like black).  I then heat embossed each with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then used the stencil which has just the leaf shapes for each of the stamps and ink blended with a brush using Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint and Crushed Olive Distress Inks.  I then decided to add a bit of Pine Needles to help the tones of green harmonise better. 

I decided to take the background a step further so got out a XCut Hexagon die set and picked one out of about 2" across the flat edges, and started in the centre and worked outwards die cutting each as close to each other as possible, and using some white card to glue them to I built up the piece which finished up about 4" square.  I probably flattened the embossing a bit as it was an afterthought to die cut. To finish I added a snippet of black card behind it and added the leaves and stamped a banner sentiment onto another piece of white card using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and  heat embossed with the Clear Gloss EP.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 62 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.  Happy 11th Blogaversary too Darnell..it's difficult to believe the challenge has been going that long!
We Love Stamping Challenge - May '24 Vintage/Anything Goes.
Stamping Sensations Challenge - May '24 Mood Board/Anything Goes.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 782 Anything Goes/Blast for the Past.

Seize the Birthday Challenge - No. 284 Metallics/Anything Goes.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S., a challenge which she has set herself but has said that anyone may join in.  This is May Week Three: Embossing.

Hare in the Landscape

Hi everyone.  I haven't posted anything for a couple of weeks as I have been away to Cornwall.  We went over the bank holiday weekend for a male voice music festival with a choir hubby belongs to and then we finished the week out staying at Mevagissey, and the weather was lovely with only a little rain one morning and then sunny and reasonably warm for the rest of the week, in fact as the week went on it got warmer and warmer which was great.  Since being back I have been slow to get back to anything, but  I have just bought a Speedball Elegant Writer Pen having seen it used for this month's Group of Seven Cardmakers and have also seen some YouTube videos and I thought it looked interesting so decided to give it a try.  I bought one with a fine nib and they have a flat edge as they are calligraphy pens but can be used with water, and the black pen which I bought will split out into blue and pink when the water is added.  It is the first time I have used it and I was reasonably pleased with the result.  I used a set of stamps called Wildlife for the hare and the sentiment which are from the Textures range of stamps by Lou Collins, and also a couple of different sets from the It's Just Paper range - Winter Woods from which I used the trees and grass, and Animal Silhouettes for the birds and two little hares, all of which are being used here for the first time.

I stamped all the images onto a piece of Bristol Smooth 250gsm card using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.  I did add two layers of the grass moving the stamp up in my stamp positioner and reinking just the top half of the grass to thicken it up and make it a bit higher, and then added some of the Elegant Writer Pen over the top around the edges and where there were shaded areas, and moved it around using a water brush.  I also scribbled some on my glass mat and picked it up from there.  I didn't get much of the pink, coming through but couldn't really add lots of water as it does cockle, and it did a bit, but I sprayed the other side with water and that helped to flatten it out.  Next time I will try a watercolour paper.  I like this paper because it is nice and white which is a better match for the cards I use, and generally speaking the watercolour card does not have the same whiteness.  I finished it with a blue mat and coloured a piece of white card round the edges with a couple of my blue alcohol pens one over the top of the other to get what I thought was a good colour to go with it and brighten it up a bit.  

Thank you for coming for a look today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 62 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
We Love Stamping Challenge - May '24 Vintage/Anything Goes.
Stamping Sensations Challenge - May '24 Mood Board/Anything Goes.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 780 Spots and Stripes/Anything Goes.

Typography

Hi everybody.  I have a card for my BIL today using a new Textures Vintage Typewriter die and the set of stamps from the latest Creative Stamping Magazine called Typography and a couple of stencils which came with it from their Textures range by Lou Collins.  There is a vintage and a more modern typewriter stamp in the set which is great, but they had a £5 sale over at Craft Stash recently and I couldn't resist the larger version die cut typewriter which I used here.  I added in the set of books and a sentiment from the stamp set and the letters and numbers using one of the stencils, and all being used for the first time.

I die cut the typewriter twice from white card and glued it together before using some grey alcohol pens to colour it.  I did use the blender to lift some ink for some extra highlights and I also added bits of Black Micron Pen and White Signo Pen, especially on the typewriter keys, and I finished it by adding some WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder over it using Versamark to make it look more like metal.  I then cut a white piece of card to fit a 6" square card and used the stencil on it with three different Distress Inks -  Ripe Persimmon, Salty Ocean and Mowed Lawn and added this onto the card.  I stamped the books twice on a piece of white card using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink heat embossed with Wow Clear Gloss EP.  I decided to colour the books using more of my alcohol pens sticking to shades of the three colours I used on the background, and I fussy cut them and added them to each side so they would appear to be back behind the typewriter.  I finished by adding the piece of white card the die for which is part of the set, and I stamped the sentiment again using the Nocturne Ink and WOW Clear Gloss EP and added this to the typewriter which has a little slot which it fits into, and I then adhered it to the card.  I'm not sure it is very visible but I added a bit of light grey under the books and typewriter to ground them. 

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Stencil Fun Challenge - April -Anything Goes and optional Spring/Flowers.

Allsorts Challenge - Week 778 Use A Stencil.

NBUS Challenge - No. 62 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 61 CAS.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S., a challenge she has set herself but she has invited anyone who wants to join in.  This is Week 5: 'S' = Stencils.

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.