I’ve been debating whether to upload this card for a couple of days as I’m not sure I like it much. Anyway here it is and as the colour fits with the Birthstone image challenge at DD – May’s Birth Flower or Birthstone I am entering it there.

I used an EF from CTMH that I’ve had forever and then highlighted the lines with ink. This was then added to a slightly different shade of green and onto the white card front. The compass and sentiment come from an unbranded set and after it was stamped I coloured it with pencils and some Sakura pens. Using a StampinUP die I cut the frame and added it to the compass piece. I used a gold pen in each of the holes so they show a bit more. The sentiment was stamped and cut up before adding as you see. I didn’t quite get the placement right at the bottom, but it’s handmade so I decided not to worry about it. The bling is from my stash.

Thanks for joining me today, I appreciate you and your time.

Challenge #251 as chosen by Helen, and the theme is Floral Frenzy here at Cardz4galz. For my card I chose a background stamp from MFT that I haven’t used for a while and stamped it using Versamark ink so I could heat emboss with gold. I pulled out some Distress Oxides and using a water pen I added the various colours going in more than once to get the desired depth. When it had all dried I used some Distress Glaze on top with my finger so the colours look brighter. Then I took a pencil in a soft grey and coloured in the background going over it after with a blending pen. I contemplated whether to use grey or blue but decided I preferred the grey as I didn’t want definition, just a softening of the white background.

The sentiments are also from MFT and I built them up a little by cutting in black twice and then in the mirror gold. Initially I was only going to use the black but it was too stark so I added the gold and liked it much better. I cheated a bit with doing the cutting because after the first one (which stayed in the die) I realized that the cut was broad enough to add glue to, carefully of course, and then to add the next piece and cut again. It meant that they stacked perfectly and it was so easy to do it this way. I just needed slightly more pressure to ensure it cut through the layers. On the really thin fancy type style die cuts it wouldn’t work that well because they aren’t broad enough to use glue without getting it all over the die. As I didn’t have an Ampersand stamp, I found one online that would work.

Thanks for stopping by. We look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery and hope you have fun with this challenge. My card will also be entered into the current Word Power challenge.

This is an entry into the current CYHTP challenge: Anything Goes with a Twist of ZOO / JUNGLE ANIMALS (5/25) I saw buddy Gayle’s card and decided I would do one too. I think it is great that we inspire each other.

The image stamp and die are from MFT as is the sentiment and the clouds. The EF is from StampinUP and seems to be my go to folder at the moment. I suspect because it is waiting to be labeled and numbered so I can put it away. Procrastination on tidying up is ongoing. The stitched rectangular frame is from GKD and the sentiment die cut is from Recollections. I added some ink to the rectangle but left it somewhat patchy on purpose as it looks more natural to me. After stamping the image I used watercolour pencils and some Sakura pens. Once dry I die cut and added foam tape before attaching. The addition of clouds was an after thought. The card front is a textured CS.

I just received an early birthday gift from my hubby as he purchased a kit from Spellbinders and the online classes to go with it. The classes start on Friday. The contents are pretty good so I shall have some fun using them. There is another great EF inside the kit that I can hardly wait to use.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.

The current challenge at Seize the Birthday is: Seize the Birthday #306-Use a Frame. This napkin image is one I’ve had for quite some time glued to a piece of CS and set aside because I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with it. Today, I decided to cut it into an oval and then create a gold frame around it.

Yesterday I was working on a card for an upcoming Guest Designer gig and I had the purple scrap pieces left over. They are the same tones of colour as in the napkin so I added the pieces behind the oval shape in a staggered fashion and then set the oval on top. Using another of the scrap purple I stamped the sentiment, from a GKD set, using Versamark and then heat set it in gold. I fussy cut around the bottom to keep it as small as possible and popped it up with some foam tape. The tiny gems are from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by, I do appreciate it and any comments you may leave.

As occasionally happens when crafting cards for a different challenge the idea for this one popped into my mind. If fits the theme of birthday at https://aaacards.blogspot.com/ and because of the EF it also fits into the CYHTP although I didn’t incorporate the twist element with this one.

I used a swiss dots folder that came with my mini We R machine and on two squares of CS, I embossed only a portion. After attaching the bigger square to the card front I then worked on the other layer. Using an alphabet set of dies from First Edition Craft I die cut the letters from scrap CS. These dies create the holes and cut pretty well so not too much poking is required. I used a piece of tape and a T-ruler to help me with placement. Before attaching the letters properly I stamped the Birthday word using part of a stamp from Hampton Arts. My placement could have been a bit lower but I made it work and then attached the other letters. I used some twine from my stash that is similar in tone to the letters and tied it as you see. I didn’t realize that I had ink on my fingers and had smudged a section of the card so the little embellishments from Trinity Stamps were away of fixing that. This layer was popped up on some foam tape. It looks more complicated than it actually is and I like the effectiveness of the the partial embossing on the layers.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you, your time and any comments you may leave for me.

This background has been in my stash since around this time last year when I spent some time using up the leftover strips of CS. I now have another box to play with, but in the meantime decided to use this one as my 2nd entry into the challenge at As You See It. With such a strong background I wasn’t sure what to add then had the idea of creating something that is similar to a design on a cabinet we have. After cutting my squares, I made a small rectangular hole in the centre and used navy strips to fill it kind of like weaving. These were popped up on some foam tape before adding to the rest. The sentiment is a GKD one that was in my stash of previously stamped sentiments. Apart from the squares, which weren’t difficult but were fiddly, this was a very easy card to put together.

My hubby likes it, and I’m not unhappy with it myself. My previous entry was all about spots and this one is all stripes so I’ve met the challenge in 2 different ways, which was fun to do. Personally I prefer this card.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your time and any comments you may leave.

A while back I began a colour challenge CAS card that I ended up not liking much. I set the panel aside thinking that I would eventually find a way to use it and today did just that. I can’t say I really like it now, however this is a much better result than the original. The stamp set is an unbranded one and I used 3 images from the set. I added more to what I had already stamped and decided it was decent enough for adding to the current challenge at As You See It, Challenge #348 – Spots or Stripes. As often happens it will likely grow on me. That said, I shall probably end up making another one for this challenge if I have the time.

I have several panels started but not finished because I don’t like them, so it will be interesting to see if I can redeem them at a later date.

Thanks for stopping by, your time, and any comments are always appreciated. It is a holiday weekend here, but it is rather windy and cool outside at the moment.

The current challenge at https://doubletroublechallenge.blogspot.com/ is a raffle, kind of like a recipe challenge. Anyway I chose the ticket that is for a masculine card or Father’s Day. In our case we no longer having living parents so unless I am commissioned to make a Father’s Day card, I no longer do them.

To make this one, I included the twist of using some Kraft CS, firstly using an ancient background stamp that gives a textured look. I have had it so long that I have no idea of the brand. Using Vintage Photo ink I stamped over the Kraft. Then when it was dry I pulled out a folder by Tim Holtz called Bricked and dry embossed it. I like the look this gave. I backed the layer with some gold paper to give a border and attached to the Cocoa card front. The copper piece was leftover in my scrap box. The motorbike image and the sentiment, are from Darkroom Door rubber stamps. I stamped in black and heat set in clear, then fussy cut before backing it with foam tape. The twine was a small strand left from the other day and I attached it as you see before adding the layer to the rest. After adding the sentiment I used some small sticker stars from my stash to finish the card.

Thanks for joining me today, I appreciate you, any comments and your time.

Lynda has chosen ‘things with wings – real or fantasy as the theme for our current challenge at Cardz4Galz and I decided to use this stamp from Rabbit Hole Designs because it amuses me. This is me when I first get up, haha. Perhaps an Ostrich doesn’t fly, but it does have wings.

After stamping the image I spent some time colouring it using some inks and pencils then I fussy cut around it keeping my fingers crossed I wouldn’t lose the loose feathers. I added foam tape to the back and set it aside while I figured out the rest of the card. I took some cream CS and cut a layer to go behind the coffee background paper and added them to the Cocoa card front. Then I used a smaller Infinity Oval die from Hero Arts and an embossing folder over it. I used the debossed side and attached the ostrich to it before gluing it in place. Another small cream strip for the heat embossed sentiment and I decided the card was done. I’m debating whether to add embellishments, but for now am leaving well enough alone. My hubby chuckled with this one and agrees that without my morning coffee, I’m a bit like this.

Thanks for stopping by. We hope to see your creations in our gallery and hope that you have fun making your own versions.

As you See It had some website issues and I couldn’t access it at all for quite a while. As it is one of my favourite sites I kept checking and yesterday discovered it was fine. Then the challenge was did I have enough time to create? Hopefully I’m getting this in just under the deadline wire. I pulled out this StampinUP set that was gifted to me, did a small search for some ideas and found something Here that I CASE’d to get my own version. I had to fussy cut it all as I don’t have the dies that match unfortunately. The recipe called for Animals, Texture or embossing, die, Colour and Twine. I used a StampinUP folder and then sponged some colour over it. After I had stamped and coloured my images, using Prisma pencils, they were fussy cut and added as you see. The circle is a die cut from a Hero Arts infinity set and I heat embossed the sentiment and a leaf outline before punching a small hole. I threaded some ribbon and some twine through the hole and tied them and then it was added using a piece of foam tape to the corner.

Considering my time constraints I’m quite pleased with myself that I managed to create this and to achieve a not bad result – lol.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you and your time. Now I’m off to finish laundry and put together a meal.