Fa la la la la

I had a chance to play today with two new stamp sets - the Stampers Anonymous Bird Crazy set from my latest order, plus a lovely Mixed Christmas Sentiments set from Happy Little Stampers - kindly sent to me by Kylie (HLS) as a mystery prize from her recent Blog Hop - competition closed but well worth doing the hop for lots of amazing ideas - click HERE to start Hopping.

As always my camera doesn't really capture the card, but ...

My twisted mind sees the tree shape of the two birds, and the stunned sort of "Oh deer - it's Christmas already" feeling I get at this time of year.








The birds actually sparkle - they are embossed with Artee Christmas Green Glitter powder which has sparks of gold and red with the green. The rest is Versamark with clear embossing powder.


Stay tuned for more birds ...

Virginia's View Challenge

Hazel, from CASology, has introduced me to a new challenge blog - Virginia's View Challenge

The current theme is TEXTURE.

Here is a side-on view showing the texture achieved by using Liquid Applique for the 'snow'. I also ran the trees through my corrugator and the card base through a Swiss Dots embossing folder.

This card will go to Mum to give to one of her many friends at the Association For the Blind.

Thanks Shirley

I had a lovely morning helping a friend start a blog. She (Shirley) thanked me with a gift wrapped in my favorite-coloured tissue with a gift tag.
Shirley's work is beautiful - great colouring usually involved. You can check out her Work-In-Progress Blog HERE.
I couldn't resist using the paper, ribbon and tag for the latest Less is More (Paper Piecing) and CAS(E) this Sketch! challenges:

Here is the sketch:

The flowers are a Rhonna Farrer set (Second Nature)
stamped onto the paper tissue the gift was wrapped in.
The ribbon (cut into the flag) was around the gift, and
Shirley has stamped the wording with Wilted Violet Distress Ink.
I used a clear Gelly roll glitter pen to highlight the centres of the flowers.
I also stamped the flowers in Wilted Violet onto the card base,
and adhered the fussy-cut paper flowers onto them (slightly
off-set).
Note to self - tissue is NOT fun to fussy-cut for paper piecing!!

Emergency birthday card - 10 min!

My son is going to the party of a 13 yr old school class mate tomorrow. He asked me to buy him a card today. Thought I'd chosen well - it cracked me up - but was told it was totally unsuitable!

So - emergency measures - a 10 minute CAS card using my all time favourite embossing folder for boys' birthday cards:

My son approves!

CASology Birthday Tweet

This week's CASology Challenge is NOT in my comfort zone!

My first thought was "I don't do hearts", followed by "I don't think I own any heart stamps or dies". However I was wrong - whilst on a mission hunting for a specific flower stamp, I found ... a HEART! The stamp was a freebie with my Craft Stamper magazine ages ago.

I printed the wording onto white Bazzill card using my computer, stamped the image onto Ranger Specialty Stamping Card and coloured it with Distress Markers - tumbled glass and abandoned coral (plus a bit of black soot where my image was incomplete). I then fussy-cut the image and adhered to the card. I tried it without bling, but had to colour two Couture Creations silver gems with a red alcohol marker. I don't tweet - hope I got the syntax right!

Something on my mind!

I was designing for a group I've been asked to share 6 cards with, at least one card using the Memory Box Poinsettia Ribbon die. Obviously the current "Less is More" Challenge is still on my mind - this is what happened!

In case you haven't looked at the earlier posts relation to the sketch used, here it is:

The doily is a Sizzix /Tim Holtz embossing folder and the wording is from Elizabeth Craft Dies.

Who else remembers this stamp?

More play - from Monday night's Social Capers - in response to "How do I make a shaker card?".

If anyone would like the deer stamp please let me know - it is one I go back to almost every Christmas.

When is a die NOT a die?

I was playing today with the Memory Box Poinsettia die. Instead of cutting with it I used it behind a paper layer and embossed it up into the paper using a latex mat.
I left the paper on the die for support then went over the ridges and gently into the hollows with a sponge dauber
and Distress Ink (bundled sage).
Next I used a dauber and Brilliance ink (Galaxy Gold)
to highlight the ridged edges and to gently sponge
 around the edges of the layer.

The gems are from Couture Creations.
The paper is Fab Scraps.

As usual my camera does not do justice to the finished card.
It seems to ignore all the glittery bits and deepen all the dark areas :(

More ...

Another card for the latest Less is More Challenge

The stamp and die used for my card were free with a magazine and are branded Hot Off The Press. I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Distress Ink and Marker in the new wilted violet. I also got to have my first play with a Distress Spritzer - great fun!! The bling is from Couture Creations.





As before - this is the sketch for the challenge

Less is more

My 'boys' are away, giving me lots of play time. The new "Less is More" challenge has just popped up, and my new embossing folder is perfect for it. This has been a great buy - got it yesterday and have already done three different cards and techniques with it.

Sketch Time Week 247 is the challenge link and here is the sketch:

I've turned it sideways and here is my card:

I embossed plain white card in the Dreamweavers folder. Then I embossed the red patterned paper in the folder and trimmed it to the height I wanted, then dusted it with the Stop Static pad. Next I used a brayer to apply Versamark ink to the paper layer (keeping the layer on the folder for support). Then applied Seafoam White powder and heat embossed. The central white panel is edged with barn door Distress Marker.

Today's play time also produced the following, showcasing the two Memory Box dies that I've used (Jumbled Thanks and Happy Hibiscus):

New Embossing Folder

It followed me home, Mum - can I keep it?? I couldn't resist this Dreamweaver embossing folder yesterday - and I think it works for the latest CAS(E) this Sketch #146
The sketch is

To make the following card I inked into the recessed areas of the folder with Festive Berries and Crushed Olive Distress Markers before embossing. I did need to touch up the embossed card after with the same markers. I then went over the holly leaves with a Tim Holtz fine-tip water brush.

I highlighted the wording with a red Atyou Spica pen, and the berries with Christmas Red Stickles.

(I know what you're thinking - "Simple - yeah, right - NOT!"  The simple bit refers to the finished look of the card, not to the process!!!) Here is the finished result - and I wish my son's camera would show glitter better - the berries and words are sparkly!

Happy birthday to a star!

Lots of people ask where I get my ideas from. A good start is to play along with challenges.
This week's Cas(e) this Sketch! challenge #145 tempted me:

I could see this sketch working with the Taylored Expressions 'Think Happy Thoughts' stamps and die set to give the following card:

I sponged Kaleidacolor Berry Blaze inks onto each 'happy' and stamped the wording with Versamark ink onto silver foil-board then heat-embossed with Black Sparkle powder.
It LOOKS clean and simple - I won't tell you how long it took to get it right!

Masculine

I'm busy learning the basics of Clean and Simple cards. This week's Less is More challenge Week 246  is

MASCULINE

Here is my take on it. Trying out the rule-of-thirds - hoping that the number plate (HBD.2U) is noticed by being at one of the intersections of the 'imagined' thirds. Also hoping that the creamy paper counts as 'white space' - I'd love some feedback on design +'s and -'s please.

The die is Rusty Old Ute (Ultimate Crafts), the paper is Webster's Pages Beautiful Chic 'Watermarked'. Letters - Spellbinders.

CASology 'Silly'

I couldn't resist doing a card for the latest CASology challenge:

The card also works for the CAS(E) this Sketch! challenge this week:

Product used was a Penny Black stamp 1249F Reindeer Lights from 1998 (I've been addicted to cardmaking for quite a while!), plus Distress Markers - festive berries, tumbled glass, wild honey, antique linen, brushed corduroy, ripe persimmon, twisted citron - applied either from the nib end or using a Tim Holtz fine tip water brush.
The wording is computer printed and demonstrates my warped sense of humour!

Turquoise, Amethyst & Ruby fish for a 'Jewel Colours' Challenge

I have 20+ Make&Takes to prep, as well as next week's class of six sets of 4 cards for Concordia Craft group to do ... so I'm playing with a challenge!!

Week #244 Colour - Jewel Colours






Here is my card - Turquoise, Amethyst and Ruby fish :)

The Taylored Expressions 'Oh Carp' was stamped with Versamark ink and heat-embossed with Black Sparkle powder. Fish coloured with Distress inks (mermaid lagoon, wilted violet, festive berries) using a water brush. Crystal sequins coloured with an alcohol marker. Embossing folder Sizzix Waves and Bubbles. The fish are actually sparkly - Atyou Spica clear glitter pen.

CAS Christmas

I'm loving the CAS challenges at the moment - it gives me a chance to get my Christmas cards started!
This is for CAS(E) this sketch challenge #143

I have used a Memory Box die (Free Hand Merry Christmas)
for the wording and a selectively embossed parts of a
Cuttlebug snowflake border.
The ink is Distress Ink Tumbled Glass,
with a psychedelic embossing powder for the sparkle.
 My camera has a problem showing sparkle - the small clip to the right gives a better idea than the full card shown below.

Another CAS card - 'Science'

I'm really enjoying creating Clean And Simple (CAS) cards at the moment - stay tuned for an upcoming class in this style of card.

The following card was created with the above two CAS challenges in mind. You can visit the CAS.ology challenge by clicking HERE. To visit the CAS(E) this sketch challenge click HERE.

I offer the science part as entomology!
The stamps used are from Stamp-It ( Western Australia) and the ink is Kaleidacolor 'Berry Blaze'. The sparkle was added using a clear Atyou Spica pen.
Update 13/10/2015 -

   :)

Clean and Simple

CASology has a challenge of circles this week - this is my first time for a CAS challenge. I had already made this card today, and purely by coincidence it covers two of the 'design defined' techniques - using a dry embossed background for interest (my new doily embossing folder) and using a little sparkle to 'pop' the main features (my new clear glitter Gelly Roll pen).

Product used:

Memory Box Poinsettia Ribbon and Sizzix Texture Fades embossing folder. Also Sakura Gelly Roll Clear Glitter pen and Spellbinders Holiday Sentiments.

Let me know if you are interested in any of the above.

Mojo Monday Ute - or do as I say, not as I do!

Card below created for this week's Mojo Monday. I decided I needed a pink sparkly ute - surely no-one 'grown up' would own such a thing!
Unless you are totally masochistic, do NOT make your own sparkly pink card by using Sticky Embossing powder and pink glitter, then die-cut it.
If you ARE totally masochistic, eucalyptus oil on a toothbrush removes MOST of the goop from your die :)

Here is the end result:

This was the sketch for the challenge:

Mini Accordion Album

I have just made a cute mini book from the new Couture Creations Hearts Ease papers - one sheet, three cuts and some folding creates the centre and one more sheet does the covers and lots of pull-out bits to pop into pockets inside.

These were the papers used, here is the album:

 I will be teaching this at the next Social Capers get-together on the last Monday night of this month. Phone the shop on 9448 4470 to book a kit if you'd like to join us.

CC HeartsEase

After teaching two cards from one of the new Couture Creations Hearts Ease papers I had three panels left over. We sent our class students home with a bonus kit for this card. It is copied from the CC magazine but I have added depth to my card by cutting around the flourish edges to recess the central panel and the area with the Kaisercraft large pearl brad. I will admit that the cutting took a while but the final effect is worth it! I have also lightly 'grunged' around the outer edges with Dusty Concord Distress Ink and edged all other cut edges with a Forest Moss Distress Marker.

The foliage is from a Couture Creations Vintage Branch die. The back pansy has a single thickness of Magic Mount, the front has double mount. The pansies were cut from another of the left-over panels.