Twofer Card Challenge

Hi there everyone.  The Twofer Card Challenge this month is Circles/Bubbles and the two cards must use the same stamp, stencil and/or die but in a totally different way and for a different occasion.  My common element is a stencilled circle made using a piece of copy paper and a couple of different sized circle dies.

The first card was made using the circles with Distress Inks in Chipped Sapphire and Fossilized Amber and then the flower silhouette which is a Crafty Individuals stamp over the top using Versafine Majestic Blue ink heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and finished with a sentiment using the same ink and embossing powder. 

I am also entering this card into the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations June Challenge  - Make It Colourful.
NBUS Challenge - No. 15 (Never Before Used Schtuff).
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Got The Blues.
Addicted to Stamps and More - No. 394 Clean & Simple.
613 Avenue Create Challenge -No 234 Anything Goes with Optional Twist: Create a Blended Background.  (Lovely to be chosen as one of the Top Rockers)


The second card incorporates the smallest circle and I also used a new stamp which I was lucky enough to win from Lost Coast Designs called Cityscape.  I also used the Santa's sleigh and a sentiment image from a set by Indigoblu called Here Comes Santa, a lovely set which I have had for a long time and doesn't appear to be available from Indigoblu any more though you may find it elsewhere.

I started with a piece of white card just a little smaller than the base card and stamped the Cityscape using my Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and then heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I then die cut the centre panel out and masked with the cut out circle used on the first card and ink blended the background sky using Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink and a little Seedless Preserves over the buildings at the bottom.  I then added the sleigh image using my stamp positioner I stamped it on the outer piece first, and then put the centre panel in place before removing the outer piece and stamped the rest of the image on to it.  I then heat embossed both pieces with the Clear Gloss EP.  I finished by adding the sentiment using Versamark Ink and WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder and added a few white highlights to the buildings and also some stars in the sky, using a gel pen, before putting it all together.

The Twofer Challenge is open for another couple of days so still time to get an entry in.  Thank you for coming to visit today and I hope you'll be back soon.

I am also entering the following challenges with this second card:

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - No. 74 Anything Christmas Goes.
Lost Coast Portal to Creativity - Challenge 101 Background Forward.
Happy Little Stampers June Christmas Challenge (Optional Deck The Halls).

Birds and Flowers

Hi everybody.  I am back today with a floral card made with Crafty Individuals stamp Spring Flower Garden bought recently and used for the first time here, and a square birds and flowers frame die which I  bought some time ago and have only just got around to using, and unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available anywhere now.

I die cut the frame from white card and being quite intricate it did take several goes to get it to cut properly.  I then stamped the flowers on to my base card using Versafine Olympia Green and coloured them with Distress Inks and a waterbrush, also used a bit of blue for the background.  I then stuck down the frame over the top of the flowers using wet glue.  As I had placed the flowers so that the base of the stamp was hidden beneath the frame, some of the flowers were rather hidden by the leaves and flowers on the frame, so I did snip one or two away from the bottom part so that the flowers were much more visible.  I finished by adding white gel pen to the flower centres, and a sentiment banner strip again using the Olympia Green ink, and then heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 15 (Never Before Used Schtuff)  Both the stamp and die.
Happy Little Stampers June Watercolour Challenge - Anything Goes (optional Layers).
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Diecuts & Punches.
Country View Challenges - Summer Fields.
Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday June Challenge - In The Summer Garden.
Crafty Calendar June Challenge - Flowers.

Embossed Vellum Floral Heart

Hi all.  I decided to get going on the CAS Mix Up Card Challenge quicker, and  instead of being late to the party I should be reasonably early this time..lol.  The way the CAS Challenges work has been changed and the Mix Up, Watercolour and Stencil Challenges have been amalgamated into one and will rotate, so this month it is a Mixed Media theme which is embossed vellum plus stamping and at least one other mixed media technique.  Mine has alcohol inked vellum on which I have stamped and heat embossed, and then die cut mats and dry embossed on the background layer.

I put the AIs on my glass mat and added some blending solution and covered a piece of pink Vellum.  The colours were Watermelon, Butterscotch, Lemonade and Flamingo.  When dry I inked the Chocolate Baroque A Heart Full Of Love stamp with Versamark and then heat embossed using WOW Opaque Bright White Embossing Powder.  The embossing powder did take up a bit of the AI colour when I heated but I do quite like that.  I die cut the vellum with a stitched square die.

I then moved on to the background and cut the square with a Tonic Scalloped Edge Die and then dry embossed with an XCut Hearts and Kisses Embossing Folder extending it to cover the square white background.  I finished by putting it together and then stamped and again heat embossed with the Opaque Bright White EP on to a leftover piece of vellum cut into a fishtail banner shape and adhered it to the card.

Thank you for joining me here today and I hope you will visit again. 

I am also entering the following challenges:

Penny Black and More June Challenge - Favourite Stamps.
Stamping Sensations June Challenge - Make it Colourful.
Uniko Challenge - No. 59 Anything Goes + optional twist Bright and Happy.

Pretty Polly

Hi everybody.  Another masculine card today and I thought this digital image would work well, bright and cheery and watercoloured on Bristol Smooth paper using my Distress Inks.

I used Barn Door, Mustard Seed,  Mowed Lawn, Pine Needles, Peacock Feathers, Black Soot, Ground Espresso and Brushed Corduroy applied using a waterbrush.  When I had coloured it I fussy cut it out and then moved on to the background.  This stencil with an all over large leaf design which is one of four in a packet I got from The Range looks a bit like tropical leaves.  I made a monoprint by brayering Mowed Lawn DI on to it, spritzed with water and laid it on to a piece of white card and pressed it down firmly to tranfer the ink.  I did this several time using some Pine Needles ink too.  I then stencilled through it to fill the leaves in with some more of the same colours to give it some light and shade.  I then inked around the edges with both inks.

I finished by adding a sentiment using Versafine Olympia Green and heat set it with Wow Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and added the parrot using some Pinflair Glue Gel to give it dimension.

I am entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Masculine.
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Make Your Own Background.
Seize The Birthday - No. 192 Anything Goes Birthday.
Happy Little Stampers June Watercolour Challenge - Anything Goes (no optional twist).
My Time To Craft - No. 433 Use A Stencil.

May Rudolph Days Challenge

Hi there.  I coloured this digital image of a holly wreath and berries at the same time as the last card on my blog, and so thought this would do nicely for the Rudolph Days Challenge.

I printed it on to Bristol Smooth Watercolour Paper and again coloured with my Staedler Brush Pens using a waterbrush.  I also used some glossy accents over the berries to give shine and a little dimension and then die cut it with a circle die.  I then finished with a sentiment in the centre of the wreath using Versafine Satin Red Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

I decided to do something completely different for me and cut a circular easel card using one of my white cards placing the die a little way over the fold of the card to make the basic shape.  I layered the topper with a snippet of red and then another stitched circle with a green snippet, and added a piece of holly covered dp to the base again cutting with a stitched circle die, using a snippet which I found in amongst the pages.  I put it all together and added a little gem as the stopper for the easel.   The holly dp is off white but not as dark as it appears in the photo.  I don't have many papers and this one with the holly seemed the best to complement the topper. 

I haven't made an easel card for absolutely ages and don't think I have ever made a circular one, but was pleased with the finished result.

The challenge finishes in less than 24 hours time, but for anyone who is a speedy crafter still just about time to enter.    Thanks for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.

I am also entering the following challenges:

Pixie's Crafty Workshop - No. 379 where we use up our snippets of card and paper etc.
Christmas Kickstart Challenge - No. 31 Wreathed in Christmas Smiles.
52 Christmas Card Throwdown - May Technique Challenge - Embossing.
Winter Wonderland Challenge - Your Favourite Colour Combination. 
Christmas Craft Creations May Challenge - Use A Die Cut.

 

Holly and Berries

Hi everyone.  I have just about managed to get my entry in for the CAS Christmas Card Challenge the theme of which is Winter Berries.  I used this digi stamp which I thought would be perfect and printed it on some Bristol Smooth watercolour paper.  I am still not completely confident using digital images and last time I used one I printed it in grey and the water affected the outline and faded it in places, so this time I did it in a very pale green so it was a bit like doing no line watercolouring, but then I did feel that made it much more difficult to colour the holly leaves and get the lines which are part of the texture of the leaves, and had to put back the lines and wasn't sure I did a very good job of it, and the bottom left leaf and piece of ribbon was not quite right, but I decided to enter it anyway as I was in fact extremely happy with the berries.  I feel I have been missing challenges which I normally like to enter through lack of mojo, and for me at the moment things work well or it begins to feel as though I have lost my creative skills entirely...lol, and I suppose I have just not been in the right frame of mind recently.  

I coloured it using my Staedler Brush Pens and a bit of added shading using some dry watercolour pencils, and then blended some Tumbled Glass Distress Ink around the edges, and inked the sentiment with Versafine Deep Lagoon Ink before heat embossing it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

The CAS Christmas Challenge is based in Western Canada so although the clock has ticked over into the 25th I have a few hours to the close of the challenge.  Sorry to leave it so late Loll and Bonnie, I just wanted to enter.  Thank you for looking at my blog today and I hope to see you again soon.

I am also entering the following challenges:

ABC Christmas Challenge - J for 'Joy' and K for "King' ( I have 'Joy' as part of the sentiment.
Sparkles Christmas Challenge - No. 112 Add Ribbon, Lace or Twine (mine is a virtual ribbon as part of my digital image - hope this counts).
The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - No. 72 Anything Christmas Goes.
Merry Little Christmas Challenge - No. 22 May Anything Christmas Goes.
Happy Little Stampers May Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes (Optional: Ornaments).

(So pleased and surprised to be chosen as one of the Outstanding Designs at CAS Christmas Challenge)

Born Wild

Hi there.  Another masculine birthday to make for and I decided to use my NBUS stamp from Penny Black, won a good while ago and, shame on me, never inked until now, and called Born Wild, and I am entering my card over at Darnell's NBUS Challenge.  I expect most of you know that NBUS is a phrase coined by our friend Darnell and means 'Never Before Used Schtuff', and I'm sure that most of us have got lots of things in that category..lol.  My mojo is a bit variable at the moment and I wasn't totally happy with it but I needed to get it in the post rather quickly as I had the day wrong in my head.  Every day seems much like the last at the moment and I was a day out..lol.

I used an embossing folder on the bottom section to give the idea of a road.  It's a Sheena Douglass one from the Textures range called Distress.  I used the ink straight from the pad and rubbed it over the embossing with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink and then blended Pumice over the top.  I then stamped the image using Versafine Smokey Gray Ink and watercoloured with my brush pens using a waterbrush.  I also added some ink just below the bike to ground it better, and a bit of blue in the background.   I finished by adding the sentiment using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink, and think it might have been better in grey as the black is a little strong I think.

Before I go I would like to say thank you to Mariann, a new follower to my blog who you will find here.  As well as cards she does some wonderful book folding and takes commissions I think. 

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

I am entering the following challenge:

NBUS Challenge  - No. 14.
Penny Black Saturday May Challenge - Anything Goes/Inspired by a Song (Born To Be Wild)
Penny Black and More May Challenge - Boys and Men.
Happy Little Stamper May Watercolour Challenge - Anything Goes/Emboss (I used dry embossing).
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Animal Fun.
Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge - No. 389 CAS.
Watercooler Wednesday Challenge - No. 271 All About Occasions.