Lots of Trees

Hi there.  I needed a masculine birthday card and got out my Stampscape set called Nature Sheet 6 and decided to use this idea of a circle of trees with the sentiment in the centre. 

I made a Brusho background using a Pixie Powder called Midnight Blue, and added some onto my glass mat and sprayed some water to activate it and then laid the card over to pick up the colour, and continued until I had covered the card.  The colour was a bit strong so I sprayed some water onto the card and took up the excess with a piece of kitchen towel which did make it a bit softer so better for a background.  I then stamped the sentiment in the centre using WOW Metallic Silver Embossing Powder and added the trees, first and second generation stamping, around the sentiment using Versafine Olympia Green.  After I was finished I thought the blue could do with being a bit brighter so added some Salty Ocean Distress Ink behind the sentiment, and around the trees, and also decided to add some yellow like a sunny halo around the top of the trees using Mustard Seed DI.  I added this to a 6" square white card.

Unfortunately the photo doesn't show up the sentiment very well, but it is fine in real life.  Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope to see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - Week 711 Anything Goes/Winter Blues.
AAA Birthday Challenge - No. 45 Anything Birthday Goes.
Seize the Birthday Challenge - No. 253 Anything Goes/Winged Things.

Mixed Media Anniversary

Hi everybody.  I have an anniversary card today featuring a fun technique which I used last July called pounced embossing which was for a 40th anniversary card for hubby which is here.  This was actually made previously to that card and for some reason I haven't ever shown it.  I sent it off to someone at the time and then went away on holiday, so forgot all about it until recently I spotted it in my drafts.  I used various embossing powders including a silver glitter, holographic, gold and black and a base of ultra thick clear.  I also used a stamp by Chocolate Baroque which is called Geometric Trading Hearts to put a pattern on it, and also hearts for the background from a set from Woodware Stamps called Heart Collection.

I started by making the heart, basically mixing embossing powders sandwiched between some parchment paper and heated using a quick pouncing movement with the heat tool which mixes the powders and makes a flatish piece for you to work with.  I had a couple of attempts but was happy with my second go and decided to add the stamped pattern using the CB Geometric Heart, and  I shaped the heart using this stamp which I laid over and cut the embossed piece with my scissors before it got too cold and solid.  I then heated the surface and having put some Versamark on to the stamp pressed it down into the heart.  It doesn't take too long to cool and the pattern came out well apart from one side which was a bit flat so I heated just that portion and pressed the edge of the stamp back down and it didn't match up but at least made the pattern continuous.  Using the UTE the heart was quite thick and it didn't make the holes which reheating can do.  The other thing is it is best to use a rubber stamp with the heated powder as acrylic stamps could be ruined by the heat.  I finished by using some Pebeo copper coloured wax which I have had for years and believe it or not was still usable.  Here is a close up so you can see the texture and shine better.

I now turned my attention to the background and stamped the Woodware hearts image around the edge of a piece of white card a little smaller than my 6" square card using WOW Copper Metallic Embossing Powder.  I then added a small group of hearts from the same set stamped in Salty Ocean Distress Ink, second generation, and then ink blended with it around the edges.  I finished by adding the heart and then a sentiment strip across it using WOW Brass Metallic EP.  Unfortunately I had to flatten it as much as possible when putting it on the card and when pressing it I guessed it would probably crack and it did but it stayed together and I fixed it with plenty of double sided tape and as it is a mixed media piece I suppose you could say it adds to it's charm..lol. 

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

I am entering this in the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - January - Favourite Colours ( I do love blue and I think the copper shows it off well)
Crafty Calendar Challenge - January - Add a Sentiment.

My favourite Cards of 2022

Hi everybody.  I do this every year on New Year's Day and have a round up of my favourite cards, and yours too, choosing one from each month of last year, so here they are:

There are two for August because they were in the same post and made with the same image.  I also wanted to add a couple of Christmas cards as I have only chosen one within the twelve, so here they are:

Finally, as I can, here is my favourite card of the year:

Thank you for for taking a look at my blog today, and I would like to wish all of you a very happy, healthy and creative 2023!

Snowy Kisses

Hi there.  This is my final card before I set Christmas aside for a while.  It is the card for my hubby using a Sweet Dixie stamp called Snowy Kisses which I was lucky enough to win earlier in the year, and I saved it with the idea of using it on his card as I thought the kissing snow couple were so sweet, and also an embossing folder called Touch of Winter.  

I started by cutting a piece of white card to fit inside the 7" x 5" folder and I did my usual trick of spritzing it to stretch the fibres before running it through my machine.  I then stamped the image onto this embossed background using my Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and heat embossed using WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  I coloured it using my Inktense Pencils taking the colour from the tip with a waterbrush, and then I attached it to the white 7" x 5" base card.  I did cut the topper down slightly to leave just a small border of white around the edge.  I finished by adding a die cut sentiment cut from mid blue card first backing it with some Stick It adhesive so that it is easy to attach.

Thank you for visiting me here today and although Christmas can be a difficult time for some people,  I hope everyone managed to enjoy it in some way or other.   Hubby and I are always busy before Christmas with various things we belong to, and so when it arrives we are quite happy to relax for a few days.

Anyway, thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.

I am entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 45 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Allsorts Challenge Week 708/9 CAS - Clean and Simple.
Country View Challenges - December - Christmas.
Let's Squash It! Challenge - No. 27 Snowflakes and Stars.  (Sadly this is their last challenge)
Can You Handle The Pressure? Challenge - Anything Goes using an Embossing Folder/Snow.

Snowy Cabin by the Lake

Hi there.  I have a Christmas card for our son in Australia, which I sent him on the 25th November and he received it on the 21st December, which is an improvement on last year as he never received it at all. I love the scene with the trees and cabin, by Stampscape called Nature Sheet 6, and it comes with a few images which you can mix and match.  I just used the cabin being used for the first time, and the larger trees which I used on this card here.

I did some work with Brushos and had some left over in Sea Green mixed with water on my glass mat, so I picked it up on to a piece of card and put it aside.  I suddenly spotted it and decided that it would make a good base to start building a scene.  So I added the cabin image, and then some trees to the foreground on either side of it using Versafine Olympia Green ink.  I then decided to make it night time, so I darkened around the edges using Pine Needles and then Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks using a brush to blend them, and I added some White Brilliance Ink around the cabin and also some Fosselized Amber DI, and then some white gel pen on the roof of the cabin and on the stones in front of it.  I also added some brown to the cabin and some yellow and orange for light coming through the windows using my Inktense Pencils, and then spattered some white gesso which was a partial success but I finished by adding some more dots with the gel pen which could be stars as well as falling snow, and then decided to stop as I'm always afraid of overdoing it and spoiling the effect.  I added it to a 7" x 5" white card and then finished with the sentiment also using the Olympia Ink and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.

I hope that you have an enjoyable Christmas and a happy and creative 2023.  I would like to thank all of you that visit including those that leave me comments as well as those that just take a look from time to time, as it really does make doing this worthwhile, and I hope you will continue to visit throughout the coming year.  

I will see you again soon as I will have one more card to post here before I set Christmas aside for at least a few weeks. 

I am entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 45 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Stamping Sensations Challenge - December - Anything Stamped/Winter Wonderland.
Happy Little Stampers December Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes/Stencil.
Happy Little Stampers December Watercolour Challenge - Anything Goes.

Country View Challenges - December - Christmas.

Christmas Lantern

Hi everyone.  I have another Beccy's Place freebie image called Christmas Lantern, and I also used an embossing folder which was another freebie with a magazine, but can't remember which one as it was a long time ago.

I printed the image in a soft grey colour this time and used my brush markers to colour with a waterbrush to apply them and fussy cut and backed it with some foam.  I found a piece of white card and using the embossing folder then did what I did last time and sprayed it with a little water before sending it through my machine, and it definitely makes the embossing more pronounced.  I then added the sentiment using Versafine Satin Red and heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder before adding the topper to the card.  I decided to add some yellow to give the glow of the lamp around it and using a brush I applied some Fosselized Amber Distress Ink and then adhered the lantern over it.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

Beccy's Place December Challenge - Anything Goes using one of Beccy's images/Bingo Grid.
Sparkles Christmas Challenge - No. 143 Non-Traditional Christmas Colours.
Happy Little Stampers December Watercolour Challenge - Anything Goes.
Happy Little Stampers December Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes/Stencil.
Country View Challenges - December: Christmas.

Fly and Be Free Butterfly

Hi everyone.  A birthday card today using the Creative Individuals stamp Fly and Be Free.  I used Brushos and a bit of added Inktense Pencil and blending with some Distress Inks.

I started with the Brushos in Violet and Sea Green on my glass mat with water and applied to the card using a piece of acrylic as I find this makes them easier to use.  I did each colour separately and dried in between.  I then stamped using Versafine Imperial Purple Ink and added some extra colour on the circles and the butterfly using the Mustard Yellow Inktense Pencil, taking the colour from the tip with the waterbrush.  I also added some white pencil here and there and I used some Clear Wink of Stella on the butterfly wings.  I cut the piece down a bit leaving room for the sentiment to be added at the bottom of the 6" square card, again using the Imperial Purple Ink and heat embossed it with WOW Clear Embossing Powder.   I then blended some Wilted Violet Distress Ink around the edges and also blended a little more on to the wings as I felt they needed to be darkened a bit so that they stood out better.

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

I am entering the following challenges:

We Love Stamping Challenge - December - ' I love.....' (I love stamping and inking and making my own backgrounds).
Stamping Sensations Challenge - December - Anything Stamped/Winter Wonderland.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Add Some Sparkle (Wink of Stella on the butterfly wings).
Allsorts Challenge - Week 706 Anything Goes/Let it Snow.
Crafty Calendar Challenge - December - Anything Goes.
We Love to Create Mixed Media Challenge - No 12 Anything Mixed Media Goes.
Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge - No. 89 Anything Mixed Media Goes.