Bee Nice

Hi all.  Bees are nice and very necessary for pollination and of course the yummy honey they produce.  I have lots of papers which I had with a magazine quite a while ago and had not been used, and I have seen this fragmented card technique a lot lately so thought I would combine the two.  The magazine was the first in a series called Diary of an Edwardian Lady and also has quite a few stamps, a few dies and an embossing folder, and it hasn't been used very often, in fact the little added bees were having their first flight...lol.

I started with the papers choosing two different ones from the pack which I thought went together well, and I decided on a 6" square card and the central piece a hexagon for a slightly different look, cut from a snippet of green card.  I have seen several versions on Pinterest using a hexagon and just a single piece for the background, and this card by Di on her blog here using snippets in two different patterns, for which she used a die, made me decide to try a version from scratch, and thought that by placing the hexagon on the piece of card and laying down the strips temporarily I would be able to take the edge of one of the papers and mark the shape with a pencil, adding a bit on for safety.  This is basically what I did but I didn't want the different pieces to overlap one another so there was a lot of extra pencilling and cutting to get the shapes butted up but still covered by the green 1/4" strips..these were snippets too.  After finally cutting all the pieces I put the card together, and I decided to add a second green hexagon over the top from another snippet of green card, and before placing it I added the sentiment heat embossing it with WOW Metallic Gold Embossing Powder.  I then decided to stamp and cut out two of the little bees to embellish it and I also used snippets of white card for this.  I stamped them with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and coloured them with my alcohol pens ( you should use Memento with alcohol pens but as this was minimal colouring it was OK) and added some Clear Wink of Stella Pen on the wings for a bit of sparkle.   I then added a little foam square on the back of each to give them a bit of dimension.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the challenge but can see the worth of buying a die to do this as it was very time consuming and I nearly gave up several times, but having spent a lot of time on it I was determined to finish it.  I think that if I could make templates for the shapes for this card with the hexagon in the middle so that it simplified the marking and cutting it would be easier, but for a different shape and position of the centre, and a rectangle not a square, it would mean starting from scratch again and frankly life is too short for it to be worth the effort.  The only way I would do another from scratch is if it was just one piece of patterned paper with the shaped centre and added strips over the top. 

I am entering the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No, 491 Where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.  (All the green card and some white for the little bees were snippets).

Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge - Oct. '24 Anything Goes/Halloween Colours/Papers.

Allsorts Challenge - Week 802 Anything Goes/Magical, Myths and/or Legend.

NBUS Challenge - No. 67 Where we us 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 2: D = Dies. (Just the hexagon shape in the centre, actually doubled up so cut twice).

Turtley Terrific

Hi everybody.  This is a card for a terrific couple Chris and Marianne who have just completed a journey around the globe which has taken more than four years in a small motorhome which they call Trudy, and whose adventures we have been following via there Youtube channel.  Since their return they have had various meet ups so that anyone who has been following them and would like to meet them in person could do so, and they were having one not that far away from where we live so we thought it would be lovely to meet them. 

This card with a turtle is significant in that not long after they set off from Ironbridge in Shropshire the pandemic struck and they were in Turkey for more than a year until things began to open up again and they were able to continue their expedition.  They did a lot of travelling round Turkey in that time and they met a lady who with her son was trying to protect the turtles that nested on a local beach.  She had given up her job and every day went up and down the beach picking up rubbish, marking the nests and putting up signs and was trying to alert the locals to the plight of the turtles as unfortunately some locals and tourists were driving their cars right onto the beach and lots of the nests were damaged and the baby turtles were being killed, as well as the mother turtles as they laid their eggs at night, and also the loggerhead turtles are considered to be vulnerable and the green turtles endangered, so they need all the help they can get.  Chris and Marianne decided to set up a charity funding page to help raise money to set this lady up with an observation centre on the beach, so she could invite the local children along to teach them about the turtles and also general conservation of the beach area including plants which grow there, and they have now raised more than £40,000 which is amazing and the local authorities have got on board with it and no driving on the beach is now allowed.

I stamped the Pink Ink turtle using Versafine Smokey Gray Ink and coloured with a few Distress Inks including Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Spiced Marmalade and Peeled Paint.  I then cut it out, and turned my attention to the background.  I used Salty Ocean, Blueprint Sketch, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo, Crushed Olive and Mustard Seed applied with blending brushes.  I also used my finger and dabbed some water on it, along the bottom and then some bits further up to remove some ink then applied a bit more of the green and brown and blue over it and also added some first and second generation stamped underwater foliage using the green, and coloured some but not all of it.  I finally used a fan brush to make a few smaller white marks, more at the top of the piece to give the impression of light shining through the water.  I finished by adding it to a 7" square card and then added the turtle using Glue Gel.  

P.S.  We have since been to the get together and found them to be just as lovely a couple as we thought they would be and she loved the card, and kept touching the turtle which has lots dimension with the glue gel used behind it.  Marianne sends out an online weekly newsletter to subscribers, and much to my surprise considering we were only there yesterday, it was included in this week's copy with a lovely thank you.  Their website is called Tread the Globe and they have links to their Facebook, Instagram and Youtube on there.  If anyone would like to see the work done by Seher out in Turkiye here is the link to DEKAFOK and there is a link for donations there too if anyone feels inclined.  

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

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - Oct. '24 Anything Goes/Autumn.
Stamping Sensations Challenge - Oct '24 Anything Goes/Autumn Colours.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 802 Anything Goes/Magical, Myths and/or Legend.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Add Some Texture.

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 with.  This is Week 1: Ink/Colour Mediums.  

Autumn is here

Hi everyone.  A more autumnal card today using a Lavinia stencil called Laurel and using the Stencil Monoprint technique which is the theme of this month's Group of Seven Cardmakers, and also featuring a leaf print which I made using a real leaf.

I started with the background and the stencil monoprint which means that you ink the stencil itself rather than inking through it, which in this case meant the leaves were inked but if inking through the leaves would have been white and the surroundings coloured.  I decided to ink it up with a set of Lyra Aqua Brush Markers and a couple of different greens.  When I had got ink over the whole stencil I spritzed it with water and turned it over onto a piece of white card with a piece of kitchen towel over the top to mop up any leakage from under the sides of the stencil which helps to get a clearer print.  I was happy with the coverage, there were a few areas where it could have done with a bit more water but fine, and I cut it down to fit a 5" x 7" card.  

I then turned my attention to the leaf.  I had collected several leaves when out on a recent walk, and I decided to experiment with inking the leaf to get a print.  The leaf was still green and I wanted a more autumnal look, so I used the same Lyra Pens and used a green, orange and red pen to give the look I wanted.  I then spritzed it and placed it down onto another piece of white card and again put a piece of kitchen towel over it and rubbed it well.  It actually was a better print than I expected but there were some gaps.  I wanted to cut it out so I placed the leaf back down and pencilled around the shape and fussy cut it out and finished by ink blending over the areas where the ink coverage was a bit thin using Mowed Lawn, Ripe Persimmon and Walnut Stain Distress ink applied with a brush, and glued it down over the leaf background cutting it to fit as it was a large leaf.  I finished the card with the sentiment stamped using Versafine Vintage Sepia Ink and placed it over the leaf for a different look, and the background being less busy it shows up better.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Stencil Fun Challenge - Oct. '24 Anything Goes/Halloween.

Allsorts Challenge - Week 801 Falling Leaves/Anything Goes.

Try it on Tuesday Challenge - Autumn Magic.

We Love to Create Challenge - No. 9 Anything Goes.

Seize the Birthday Challenge - No. 292 Celebrate.

I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S., a challenge she has set herself and has said that anyone can join in.  This is Week 5: Stencils.

Cogs Galore

Hi all.  I have a masculine card today using some cogs which I recently bought as they are great for male cards and I didn't have any cog dies at all, and this is their first outing.  I decided to do something a bit mixed media with them and this is the result.

I started with a piece of white card and decided to colour it with Brushos in Sea Green, Moss Green, Orange, Brown and Black, and sprinkled some of each onto a piece of white card and spritzed with water, using some kitchen towel to get rid of any excess water.  I added bits of different colours as well as a sprinkling of gold mica powder which I then spritzed so that it mixed in with the colours and it did give a lovely shimmer to it.  I must admit that it did end up with a mainly golden glow and not much of the other colour was noticeable, but it was a good base to put the die cut cogs onto, which I did, glueing then down in a random pattern. 

Next I got out a set of metallic acrylic paints in gold, silver, bronze and copper and using a brush I painted these onto the cogs including the silver as I had eliminated the silver and decided to put some back..lol, and I also used a green which had the colour of verdigris and also some black for shading round and in some of the spaces in the cogs themselves, and also around the edges of the piece.  I wasn't sure whether the paint would come off so I sealed with some Matt Modge Podge. 

I was going to leave it in one piece but decided to cut it into three and to make the dimensions easier to calculate I ended up cutting a little off the outside edges and cut it into three pieces, each 1.25", though the last piece does look a smidgen less.  I then placed it onto a piece of black card which measures 4.25" square, and I decided to add a couple of gold cogs over the gaps placing them towards the top and bottom, and I finished with a gold die cut sentiment. 

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - Week 800 Anything Goes.

Seize the Birthday Challenge - No. 292 Celebrate/Anything Goes.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

We Love to Create Mixed Media Challenge - No. 9 Anything Mixed Media Goes.

NBUS Challenge - No. 67 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.

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.

French Braid and Foliage

Hi everyone.  Whilst browsing on the computer I saw a set of dies by Spellbinders which I thought would be great to use up all those scraps of paper that we all have..one called French Braid and the other Hexagon and there are two dies for each.  I think they actually came out about a year ago and were a series of dies with a quilting theme.  I found a set of these and they were much reduced from the original price, so that sealed the deal..lol.   I also used a Crafters Companion 3D Poinsettia Embossing Folder and some leftover pieces of holly and a poinsettia from my last Christmas card, and some other bits of die cut foliage I found in a pot, as well as some ancient Christmas paper snippets.

I began with the background and I used the Poinsettia EF and cut it to fit a 5" x 7" card.  I then die cut the French Braid Die from the snippets of Christmas paper, two different designs, holly and a green tartan, and then cut the squares down the centre of the die from gold mirri card.  Finally I cut the whole thing from a snippet of white card to get the die frame, and finally cut the back plate layer from another snippet of gold card.  When I had assembled that I added the die cut poinsettia and bits of foliage which I had coloured with my alcohol pens as a centrepiece, and added the 'joy' which I received from a lovely blogger tucked in a card at Christmas and which had been sitting in a pot waiting to be used.  It was white so I heat embossed it with WOW Metallic Gold Rich Embossing Powder, doing a couple of layers to build it up a bit, also added a bit of gloss and sparkle with some clear Wink of Stella.  Actually after I had added it I noticed the gold mirri was a much brighter colour than the embossing powder, and actually I had debated using a Metallic Brass EP which does have a slightly redder gold tint, but I won't try to change it now.  

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Rudolph Days Challenge - Aug. 24 Anything Christmas Goes.

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 487 Where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.

Allsorts Challenge - Week 796 Getting Sentimental/Anything Goes.

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - No. 168 Anything Christmas Goes.

52 Christmas Card Throwdown Challenge - Aug. Technique - Embossing.

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes Embossing/Leaves.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge - Aug. 24 - Anything Goes/Summertime.

NBUS Challenge - No. 65 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 can join in.  This is Week 4: Anything Goes. 

Terry Toucan

Hi there.  I was lucky enough to win this Aall & Create stamp set No. 563 Follow Your Own Path over at Stamping Sensations and this is its first outing.  I also used some Brushos and Distress Inks.  I find it difficult to find interesting post titles, and the name of the set to me doesn't seem to go with it terribly well, so I decided to give him a name and Terry just popped into my head, so that is my name for this funny little chap.

I decided to do a DL card and I cut a mat just a little smaller then the card and got out a couple of Brushos, haven't used them much lately, and chose Sea Green and Orange, and added them trying to keep the colour in different areas of the background, and then added water to spread them out, blotting to keep the colours from mixing too much as inevitably that leads to a 'muddy' look, not nice...lol.  I then added some of the words stamps using Distress Inks in similar tones to the Brusho colours, and chose Lucky Clover, Ripe Persimmon and Spiced Marmalade using first, second and in some areas third generation stamping, and then also one of the hearts in several places.

There are a couple of large bird images and the one I thought I would use was this Toucan and the chevron shaped accompanying images with some postmarks, numbers and words.  I decided to stamp them with Versafine Nocturne Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and then I cut them out.  I coloured them with the same three DI colours as I used on the background using a waterbrush, and the Toucan is obviously a bit of a fantasy bird as not normally this colour..orange beak, yes, but let's just call it artistic licence.  

I put it together and finished with a sentiment again stamped and embossed with the Nocturne Ink and Clear Gloss EP.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Aug. '24 Anything Goes/Out in the Garden.
We Love Stamping Challenge - Aug. "24 Anything Goes/Focal Sentiment or Quote.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 795 Delightful Animals/Anything Goes.

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 64 Critters.

Triple B Challenge - Aug. '24 Using one or more Birds, Butterflies and Blooms.
NBUS Challenge - No. 65 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 she has said that anyone can join in with it.  This week the theme is Embossing/Wet or Dry.

A Slice of Pie

Hi everybody.  I saw a Spellbinders Serve A Slice die used somewhere on Pinterest recently, and as I hadn't seen it before although it has been out for a while, I found it at a reduced price and I thought it would be something a bit different for a masculine card, or prettied up feminine too and I certainly don't have anything like this already in my stash, and this is its first outing.  I also used a Sweet Poppy stencil called Plaid Back Plate and an Xcut oval die.

I started by cutting it from white card and I did use most of the pieces in the set to make this cherry pie.  I used alcohol pens and made the crust and latticed top first, it ended up looking quite dark...been in the oven a bit too long...lol.  I then did the filling with a couple of colours but decided to take some of the ink away with the blender to give a bit more variation of tone and this is how it ended up.  I finished the top with the cream and highlighted it a little as cream is not dead white, but it does look a bit orange.  The colour I used was called raw silk but I think a soft yellow would have been better, but did use the blender over it which bleached out some of the rather peachy colour, and I finished with the cherry which I used some gloss over.

I then tackled the background.  I decided to use the stencil with some Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink and made a 'V' shape fading it out at the edges, a bit like a cloth hanging over the edge of a table..it does look rather pale in the photo but is deeper colour in real life, and then I cut and added the sentiment using the same ink but heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I also added the oval die cut as a plate for the pie, and I originally added some Blueprint Sketch around the edges, but decided to strengthen the look with a blue alcohol pen in a similar colour which I think looks OK.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Stencil Fun Challenge - Aug. '24 Anything Goes/Summertime.

Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - Aug. '24 Anything Goes/Off Centre.

Addicted to CAS Challenge - No. 265 Blended.

Allsorts Challenge - Weeks 793/4 Anything Goes/Summer Days.

NBUS Challenge - No. 65 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 with.  This is Week 2: Dies.

Season's Greetings with Flowers and Holly

Hi all.  So far this year I have made no Christmas cards, so I thought that maybe it was time to start.  To give myself a kick start I saw this John Next Door Box Kit Magazine No. 10 with an embossing folder, stamps, dies and papers and thought it looked as though there were quite a lot of possibilities for interesting cards, so true to form it dropped in my basket..lol.  I used the embossing folder, one of the stamps and several of the dies and all on their first use.

 

I started by embossing the holly and berries folder which is 5" square onto white card, and then inked up the design with Mowed Lawn Distress Ink using a blending brush.  I then inked all the berries using a Cardinal Red alcohol pen.  I didn't want to get too much ink on the background and thought the holly leaves needed more colour so I used my coloured pencils in a couple of different greens and went over each of the leaves and the stems which gave a stronger look to it, and I finished by adding some Mowed Lawn around the edges.   

I then moved on to the sentiment for which I cut the two oval dies which come with the set, and added the holly frame and one of the sentiments which are made to fit the smaller oval, and inked it with Versafine Satin Red Ink heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then cut the flowers..the die comes with a large and two smaller flowers on the one die, but I just used the smaller ones cutting twice as the middle flower is double layered, and then coloured them with three of the reds that I have in my set of alcohol ink pens including the Cardinal Red I used on the berries, and a couple of darker colours to add depth.  I then added the little yellow gems using three on each of the flowers.  I also cut one of the stems of holly which is double ended with berries in the middle, but I just cut the berries away and this made two pieces.  I also used another leaf stem and cut this three times.  I coloured the holly with a mid green and the other leaves with a lighter brighter green alcohol pen for a bit of variation.  I didn't add any dimension with foam tape because I was afraid that it would be far to thick to get in an envelope..as it is I think it will just about pass the postal slot test.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 486 Where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.  I used snippets of white card for the two oval mats, the flowers and the leaves. 
NBUS Challenge - No. 65 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - No. 166 Anything Christmas Goes.
Peace on Earth Challenge - No. 69 Anything Christmas Goes.
Merry Little Christmas Challenge - No. 57 Anything Christmas Goes.

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

I am also entering Darnell's I.D.E.A.S., a challenge she has set herself but has said anyone can join in.  This is August Week 1: Ink/Color Mediums.

On the Riverbank

Hi everyone.  I have a masculine card today featuring a cute frog from a set of stamps from Craft Consortium called The Riverbank, hence the title of the post.  It also has a swan which I have used in the past, but there are two frogs which have never seen ink, so am using one of these for this card.  I am also using a stencil from That Special Touch range called Orbit.. and I thought it had the look of ripples on the water spreading outwards. 

I started by cutting a mat to fit a 5" x 7" card and masked off the edge of the water and covered the bottom half with Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass, and then added the stencilling using Broken China DI, both applied with a blending brush.  I decided at this point to add the sentiment to the right and beneath the masked edge using Versafine Deep Lagoon Ink, but as it is a much darker tone of blue I placed it in my stamp positioner and stamped it off on a spare piece of card before stamping onto the background, and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then moved on to the letters cut from white and double layered to give them more substance.  I coloured these with more Broken China adding a heavier layer at the bottom of the letters for an ombre look.  Lastly I stamped the frog and the lily pads twice each (two larger and two smaller) using Versafine Smokey Gray Ink and heat embossed with the Clear Gloss EP...I doubled up the frog, leaving the lily pads with just one layer.  I then coloured these with my alcohol pens.  

It is a similar layout and idea to this previous card here with the image as part of the sentiment, but this time it is not part of the word but just with two of the letters each side of it to make up the word 'Best'.  I'm saying this as my hubby looked at it and said 'Oh, it says 'Beast', and when I said  of course not he said the frog was roughly the shape of an 'A', which frankly had not crossed my mind.  I did counter with the fact that I have never seen a sentiment used with the word 'beast' in it, but I suppose I could start a new trend..lol. 

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes/Pink Fresh Studio.

Allsorts Challenge - Week 791/2 Season's Delights/Anything Goes.

We Love Stamping Challenge - Aug. '24 Focal Sentiment or Quote/Anything Goes.

Stamping Sensations Challenge - Aug. '24 Anything Goes/Summer in the Garden.

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 473 Birthdays.

AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 64 Critters.

NBUS Challenge - No. 65 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 5: Stencils.

Red and Green Ginkgo

Hi all.  There is a colour based challenge which I haven't entered lately called Color Hues, and this time the colours are red and green so I decided to base my card around this, and I ended up using my Globleland Ginkgo set of stamps, dies and stencil, and also a couple of different sets of stamps from fairly recent magazines..Creative Stamping No. 133 Typography and Indigoblu Mixed Media No. 8 using also one of the stencils.

I started by stamping the Ginkgo leaves onto a snippet of white card using Lucky Clover Distress Ink and using my stamp positioner.  I then decided the colour would be better a bit darker so used Forest Moss DI over the top and then with the stencil placed over it I added Lucky Clover DI blend through it for the leaves themselves.    I die cut them and I must admit I didn't quite get the die in the right place so tidied it up with my decoupage scissors.  I found another snippet of white card which I thought would fit nicely onto a 5" x 7" card and using a piece of copy paper I made a stencil using two of the ginkgo leaf shapes from the dies and I ink blended through it onto the card using Candied Apple DI but I wasn't happy with it so I sprayed over it with some water and wiped it which left just a very faint outline and I changed tack and decided to use a splatter stencil which came with the Indigoblu magazine, and also changed the colour to Adirondack Cranberry Ink.  I then found a slightly darker Color Box ink called Roussillon from a set bought eons ago and used a stamp from the Indigoblu set with numbers..well I managed to add two sets of the numbers which luckily was all I wanted but the stamp sponge just disintegrated and when I looked at the rest of the stack they were all much the same so in the bin they went.  Back to the Cranberry Ink and I added another couple of stamps from the Typography set..the definition of a flower, and another small type script which I decided to use over the top of a couple of the copy paper leaf cut outs and I added them onto the background.  

Putting the card together I thought a piece of vellum would be good sandwiched between the background and the leaves and I also die cut a rectangle from another snippet of white card to mount the background and topper onto using a Crealies Pierced Rectangle die.   I finished with another white snippet for the sentiment strip stamped using the Cranberry Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder. 

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

I am also entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - July '24 Sun, Sea and Sand/Anything Goes.
Stamping Sensations Challenge - July'24 Anything Goes/Christmas in July.
Simon Says Monday Challenge - Add A Sentiment.

Allsorts Challenge - No. 791/2 Season's Delights.

Try it on Tuesday Challenge - In the Garden. 

Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 485 Where we use our snippets of card and paper etc.

NBUS Challenge - No. 64 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff (the stencil and background stamps have not been used before).

I'm also playing along with Darnells I.D.E.A.S., a challenge she has set herself but invites anyone to join in.  This is Week 4: 'A' = Anything Goes.

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.