A sketch challenge and a new stamp set seemed destined to be partners so using my new (sale purchase) Hero Arts Bubble bath set I created my card. Starting with the stamping of the 3 images I then coloured them with a mix of gel pens and Inktense pencils adding small amount of Nuvo Crystal glaze to bubbles, water and bottles. While waiting for it all to dry I added the background paper to the card front. DSP all from StampinUp, and then I die cut the images using a scalloped circle set from Sizzix. I messed up the larger image, as paper slipped during cutting. I really didn’t want to start again so I used one of the smaller circles to cover up the poorly cut part and added a hand cut sentiment to the right to cover up the rest. Mental note to myself is to buy some oval dies as I don’t have any decent ones. As well I shall see if I can get the matching dies to this stamp set.

Some of my new supplies arrived yesterday and today so I decided to play with them. My hubby is pleased my Birthday gifts arrived and that I’m happy with them and I am pleased as well, but also because some sale purchases arrived and I now have new stuff to fool around with. I used a new Sissix Tim Holtz folder on the card front to give it texture and then I stamped the white layer with a new Woodware set Little Festive Branch for the garland and sentiment. Using red, blue glitter and gel pens as my main colours I coloured in the garland and hanging images. I wanted it to fit all three challenges and managed to make it work. Added the gingham bow at the top and went around the card edges with a black pen I then added it to the card front. I’m almost out of black CS and paper so doing it with a pen helps me to keep some handy until the order arrives. I chose to keep this card simple but have some ideas for the future using the same stamp that maybe more elaborate.

The challenge at Anything Goes embossing has a twist with wings and I chose to use a butterfly leftover from a previous project that used velvet paper in two colours of purple which I also embossed using a dot folder. The darker purple doesn’t show the dots on the photo unfortunately. The main panel used a folder from Spellbinders called Carved Tile. I had done it a while ago and wasn’t happy with the embossing at the time so it sat on my desk until I decided whether I wanted to use it. In the end I decided to swipe Mustard Seed and Fossilized Amber inks over it and decided it was not a disaster. I added some pops of colour dots in the debossed circles of the design. I backed the panel with a black piece and added the sentiment underneath the butterfly. Sentiment is from a new set just acquired from MayMay Made It called Tiny Faces and I used a sparkle pen over the words with a tiny gem for the dot on the i. The card turned out better than I expected and I’m quite pleased with it even though the embossing wasn’t quite as defined as I had wished.

When I saw this folded card on Pinterest (Here) I knew I wanted to try and fortunately the maker had posted instructions on her blog. It is actually very easy to do and in my mind has a great visual impact once finished. I followed the instructions and added my own slant to her idea making it a seaside type card so that it works for the challenge at Double D. The PP is from StampinUp and made me think of the seaside even though it is more a springtime design so I used it for my card. The stamp on top left is an old GKD set mixed with a couple from Inspired by Stamping. The bottom right corner is also from Inspired by Stamping with a few starfish from another GKD set and the die cuts are from Newtons Nook. The graphic is an unbranded die that I cut in yellow and in green to ground the other images. I coloured with Inktense pencils. I chose not to mat my corners so I could keep the thickness at a minimum and adhered directly to the folded sections. I’m happy with how it turned out. Have a great day everyone.

Just recently, I’ve been concentrating on making some items for a fairy garden I am building in the wooded portion of our garden. In between waiting for the glue to dry or just for a change of pace, I played a little with one or two card ideas. I had some black and white PP sitting around and I wondered what it would look like if I die cut different patterns with the frame set I have from Recollections. I adhered each frame as you see it, to a white card front and it waited on my desk for further embellishment. I really liked how each pattern and the die cut made for an interesting look but wasn’t sure how I would finish the card. Then I saw the challenge mood board for a Christmas card and how it was all in black and white with a pop of green here and there and a lightbulb went off in my head. So here is the finished result. The snowman is from a GKD set that was a limited edition sold through SSS and the sentiment is from a Divinity Designs set. He was coloured with Prisma pencils, using Gamsol, and I added a bit of sparkle as well as 2 heart fallouts to his scarf. Pearls from my stash and you would think I had ESP or something because who would know that a challenge would come up with black and white as a theme. I’m beyond thrilled that I had something almost ready for this challenge just by chance. Hope you like it and thanks for looking.

The background on this card started out a few weeks ago when I die cut the background piece using a new unbranded die. It sat in a basket for a while as I didn’t have any ideas on how to use it initially. Then I wondered if I could use it as an ocean themed background so I inked it with some blues and added the green marbled pp behind it. Once again it sat in the basket while I worked on other things. The two challenges I’m linking it to called for blue and green in one and just blue for the other. I decided to see if I could make the card work for both and instead of doing an ocean theme the die cut dots made me think of bubbly and I reached for a Joy Clair drink stamp set. No champagne glasses but a martini seemed a good substitute and this card is the result. I stamped, coloured and fussy cut the elements and added green olives to the bottom of the glasses. I cut a tiny slit in the top part of the glass edge and added the slice of lemon, then I went over the whole glass with Nuvo Crystal glaze to make it look more like glass. to ground the glasses I added a small piece of blue CS underneath the stems and using a leftover blue die cut circle I stamped the words in dark blue. I’m not sure I like the background, although it isn’t terrible, and believe it would be better as part of an ocean related theme. Have a great day and thanks for looking.

This mood board had so many ideas to choose from and essentially combined two of them into my card. Obviously the bear was one and the 2nd was the mailbox. I used a variety of stamps from different sets as well as a Sissix folder. The main stamps are from Unity Stamps (mailbox) and the little bear is a very old stamp by a company I’m not sure is around any longer, Petaluma. The trees and mailbox decor are from some GKD sets and the sentiment is from Kaiser. The mailbox and decor were fussy cut. The bear was also fussy cut and is wearing a hat by Hero Arts and a bow from a Sissix Tim Holtz set. To ground the bear and the mailbox I used a Distress crayon that I smoothed with my finger and then added a bit of water. I coloured with glitter pens, inks and Inktense pencils. Although it doesn’t show I added a small amount of glitter, using a pen, to some of the falling snow here and there. Initially when I started this card I didn’t really have a specific design in mind so I let it evolve as I worked. I quite like the result. Have a great day!

I decided to try a technique recently shown by Gina K. where one embosses each end of the CS leaving a space in the middle. My folder is a leaf pattern but I have no idea which brand it is. As an after thought I swiped a small amount of ink over the raised leaves but as I had already added some elements I had to be very careful. This layer was then added to a black layer to give a slight border. The stamp set used is from GKD and I stupidly forgot I had the dies for this set and fussy cut the bird myself. He was stamped onto mixed media CS and then coloured with Inktense pencils and Sakura Glaze pens. The sentiment is from the same set and is one I am quite fond of so have used a few times. I added some dew drops to a few leaves and some small silver beads to the sentiment section. I quite like the result and shall try this embossing method again soon.

After going through my paper scraps I picked out several different shades of yellow and using a new Spellbinders die set called Be Leave Me, I proceeded to die cut the elements. I paper pieced the flowers to fit the challenge as well as adding the largest element to a black piece. I wanted some contrast between the flowers, leaves and background so I chose a cream yellow for the leaf outline and added it to a yellow green paint swatch. Using a glitter paper pad from Scrapbook.com I found a yellow green that works for the background and I dry embossed it using a brocade folder. I also cut a flourish from the same glitter pad and then added some gold gems for the center of the flowers. As I’m not sure yet of how I will use the card I’ve left off a sentiment and, in fact, may just add something inside rather than on the front.

Thanks for sharing some time with me today.

This card started out as a different idea, but as I messed up the stamping twice I got frustrated and decided to cut out the part that was okay and discard the mess. I had originally intended to stamp all over the black cardstock and then add colour. In the end I only used part of the image and then added metallic watercolours to it, and in reality it looks pretty, but the photograph doesn’t do it justice. Once the paint was dry I fussy cut the piece and popped it up on the yellow layer. That in turn was added to the striped layer and before I added it to the card front I added the yellow ribbon. In retrospect I probably should have dry embossed the yellow layer but so many interruptions today, left me scrambling to finish it and I forgot. The sentiment is from Joy Clair and gems from Trinity stamps. I love these little gems as they change colour in the light but they also pick up colour from the project.

Thanks for looking.