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.