lavenderhousecreations

glitter butterfly

SOS539 – Glitter Me Happy is the current challenge at Shopping our Stash and then Seize the Birthday wants us to use something new. Reminder #297-Use Something New.

I’ve just received some new EF’s and dies from StampinUP so this card works for both challenges. I chose the butterfly 3D folder and the dies that go with it. After embossing the panel I sprayed some sparkle spray and set it to dry. Then I die cut the the butterfly base and embossed it and cut 2 of the top layer, one in white CS and one in the purple glitter paper. I glued these 2 together so there was more stability for the top layer. Using a silver Nuvo glitter pen I went over the bottom layer to get it glittery. I did this twice to ensure good coverage. When it was fully dry I added the purple top layer attaching only under the body section, then I added the black body on top. I stamped the sentiment using an MFT set, but used the die from StampinUP to cut it. Using 2 tiny heart stamps from a YNS set, I stamped them at the end. Initially I tried stamping directly to this strip, but messed it up so I stamped again on scrap and fussy cut one to cover it. I also went around the sentiment strip with the silver glitter pen. It is very subtle so hard to see on the photo. After backing the layers to a silver piece it was all added to a white card front.

My hubby really likes this card and I hope that you do too. Thanks for stopping by, your time is always appreciated.

lavenderhousecreations

postage style layout

It has been some time since I played in this particular challenge, but I liked this mood board and really wanted to try out my new die and stencil so I used the inspiration from there. The Card Concept #213 {Winter Solace}. I liked the colours in the mood board. I’ve never done anything like this before and am not 100% sure I like the result, but as with anything new, it takes time to figure out how things work best. It did give me an opportunity to use some small stamps that I’ve not used much in the past, all from different sets. Some are GKD, another is Kitchen sinks and another is MFT.

I guess I would categorize this as Mixed Media/Clean and Graphic based on the descriptions Card Concept uses. I sponged or brushed some colour through the stencil and when dry I began adding the images using Versamark ink and heat embossing as I went.

As this die and stencil are a U.K. brand (Woodware) they are slightly different to our sizes so I had to cut the panel down a bit to get it to fit onto the card front. I got them on sale at a Canadian online store called Scrap Chicks. It is fun to have a few new things to play with.

Many thanks for stopping by and also for any comments you may leave. I enjoy reading your thoughts. As I didn’t have time to finish this post yesterday I am looking at it with fresh eyes, which means I like it more now than I did.

lavenderhousecreations

special thanks

White-on-White Challenge at Double D and Just Add Ink #734…Something New Blog Hop! are two challenges that inspired this card. The folder is brand new and is by Memory Box, Open Studio and it came with two matching dies. I love white on white and am always fascinated with how different white can look on various card stocks. I started with the embossing and then die cut the two flowers which I also embossed. I added a tiny amount of green to the stems using a pencil. To give them some additional life I added some Versamark and heat embossed some white/glitter powder but the photo doesn’t really pick it up. It is very sparkly on my desk. I added a little more sparkle with some stickles.

Taking another piece of CS I roughed up the edges added some Versamark and heat embossed with the white/glitter powder. This piece was added to a card front and the embossed layer was added using a thick foam tape. The additional flowers were popped up on a thin foam tape. The sentiment and flourish were leftover from a previous project and I thought they worked well for this card so I added them. Finished it with some small Trinity Stamp embellishments. These particular ones pick up any colour around them which makes them an interesting addition.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are enjoying a nice day wherever you are.

lavenderhousecreations

bird-day greetings

Challenge #339 – Winter Frost is the latest challenge at As You See It and this one is a colour challenge. I thought about a design for a couple of days and then sawsomething in the group from GKD, by Karen Hightower, that was set out like this one and I went with that. My colours are as close as I can get with what I have using Distress inks and card stock from different sources. Card base is a darker basic gray with a slate gray background for the rest of the card. Ribbon is from my stash – no idea where I got these and I’ve had them for a long time. Stamp set is from YNS and the EF is another oldie that I have no name for but it definitely is a brand not a knock off. I did the birds and the balloon initially on some scrap CS and heat embossed them so I could add more colour. When they were dry I fussy cut each piece but took off the legs and the string. Then I added foam tape to the bodies and laid them on the top piece temporarily so I could lay out the stamps again. I re-stamped everything in Hickory Smoke and heat embossed for more definition. Then I added them fussy cut pieces on top so the birds now had their legs back as well as the balloon it’s string. I had cut the dry embossed piece to size, added foam tape and then added it to the lighter gray panel. Added the top portion the same way and left a small gap between the two. I wasn’t happy, so I had the idea of adding the ribbon which I liked much more. The sentiment was stamped and heat embossed but this stamp has a slight fault in it at one end and I tried several times to remove it. Nothing worked so in the end I angle cut the strip on both sides. It isn’t perfect, but better than the original. Too bad the company has gone as I would ask them for a replacement stamp if I could. I may try to cut the fault off, but it requires a very steady hand and I’m concerned I may ruin it completely. Overall I’m happy enough with the card that I am posting and entering it.

Thanks for stopping by, your time is appreciated as are any comments you may leave.

lavenderhousecreations

Stencil wonder

Happy New Year everyone! The first challenge of the year, at cardz4galz, is to use stencils. The theme is chosen by Lynda and she will also choose the winners.

I haven’t used stencils anywhere near as much as I probably should, so this challenge is a good one to get me using them. I had this scrap piece of square card and a new stencil from Crafters Companion to use. I also had some new stencil butter from TWC, and decided now was as good a time as any to try it out. The stencil is a multi pattern one so I chose the section I wished to use and when it was completed set it aside to dry. While it was drying I added ink to the die cut butterfly – from MFT – and then used another of the stencil patterns on top. It needed a bit more definition so I added the black body with a glaze pen and some stickles in gold. This was set aside to dry and as the other piece was now dry I went around the edges with a darker blue and a third part of the stencil until I was happy with the coverage. The sentiment is a freebie from Catherine Pooler I think. I inked around it but didn’t like the result much. In the end I used a black glaze pen on the letters and when fully dry cut the sentiment by hand. This I liked much better so I added foam tape and placed it as you see. The butterfly was added and then the entire panel added to a Navy blue card front.

For someone who doesn’t use her stencils much, this card in nothing but stencils and I’ve surprised myself in the process. Thanks Lynda, for helping me to do something outside of my normal comfort zone.

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

I’ve been invited to share this card at https://stencilfun.blogspot.com/ so I have just added it there.

lavenderhousecreations

warmest wishes

Last year I created some background panels by using up some of my scraps. This piece used here is one of those panels. Inkspirational is looking for pretty quilts, so I took a background die and put it through the machine. This particular die (don’t know the brand) has never cut that well, particularly on thicker paper so I decided to use it as a pattern to look as if quilt stitched and I added the center pieces separately. My original thinking was to punch out the pieces and back the panel with another colour, but the poor cutting didn’t allow for that. The whale was stamped and die cut using an older Hero Arts kit and to attach it I die cut the center out of the patterned piece backed the whale with foam tape. I wanted it to look as if it was stitched into the quilt like you see those puffy sections on real quilts so I popped it back in place before attaching it all together onto the card front. I added the splashes and used an incentive stamp set from GKD for the sentiment. This I heat embossed in silver and die cut using some unbranded banner dies.

This will be a nice addition to my masculine card file as I have a few masculine birthdays coming up soon. I also have to make a card for my hubby whose 75th birthday is in early February. Not sure what I shall do yet. Any ideas gratefully received, lol.

Thanks for popping in to take a look. I really appreciate it.

lavenderhousecreations

sweet friend

Color Hues Color Challenge #101 – Red & Kraft As you know I don’t do a lot of stenciling but I’m trying to change that and this is one of my efforts. I took a, gifted to me, homemade puzzle heart stencil, some Kraft CS and Festive Berries ink and added the heart. With the ink still wet I added some clear heat set embossing so it has some shine. Initially I wasn’t quite sure where I was going with this card so I set it aside for a few hours. Then I wondered what it might look like if I added some ribbon and found this shiny twine which I added. It needed more so I pulled out a homemade dotted circle stencil and using a brush and some Vintage photo I added the small circles randomly.

The sentiment is from a small Creative Expressions set to which I added the silver scroll that was leftover from a different card. I was satisfied with the end result and in fact, actually like the card. Its always a bonus if I really like something I make as a lot of the time I don’t.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your taking the time.

lavenderhousecreations

starry best wishes

SOS538 – Superstars and 9th Birthday/Anniversary Challenge At Double D is where this creation will be posted. SOS wants stars on a project and DD is celebrating a 9th Birthday bash. The pop up word die is a new one (to me) from Gemini/Crafters Companion. It came as a freebie in my recent kit trial period. Even with the instructions I found it a bit challenging initially and my first attempt isn’t right at all. Rather than waste the PP, I cut around the words where they would normally be folded for the pop up, and added them to the card front. Then I used some previously cut (Hero Arts Infinity dies) stars and painted them with a silver pen. As I needed a few more than I had, I cut them using up silver scraps. I added some glitter here and there on both the background and on the words. Doing this distracts the eyes from a couple of small blotches I accidentally made when I dropped my pen. At the moment my right thumb is refusing to hold a pen properly. It would be funny if it wasn’t so painful. I shall be trying this die again after I’ve watched a couple of tutorials so I can get it right next time.

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

lavenderhousecreations

lacey happy hello

The latest challenge and the first one for 2025 at: Word Power January 2025 Challenge. I’ve not entered much into this challenge, but decided it was time I did so. Between Christmas and new year I had to go to an art store to replace a Sakura pen that had run out. It is something I use a lot so a necessary purchase. Of course I can’t be in an art store without checking out other stuff and I came across this die by Sizzix Tim Holtz that was on sale. Rather than just leave it sitting on my desk, as I sometimes do with new stuff, I decided to try it out immediately so I used some silver CS and this is result. I added it to some shimmer CS so it all looks a bit silvery. Then I found the shadow and matching die from Pink and Main and the second one is from Creative Expressions. I cut both shadows out of black scraps and used silver glitter CS for the actual words. As these words take center stage on this card it fits well into the Word Power challenge.

Although the lace is busy it looks pretty good and the words just fit nicely on top without hiding the background. My goal this year to to use most of my supplies especially some of the new items. I joined a kit club on a trial basis for a local craft store I used to patronize a lot when living on the mainland. They were offering a 3 month supply of kits from Crafters Companion at a very reasonable price. As yet I haven’t done one single project with these kits but I have opened them and I like the included products. I will begin using them pretty soon and we will see what I come up with. I didn’t continue with more than the trial offer, basically because I hadn’t even begun to use the 3 that I now have.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you and your time.

https://wordpowerchallenge.blogspot.com/
lavenderhousecreations

sparkling circles

SSC350 Circlin’ Around is the current challenge at Sunday Stamps. As I’m still using up different scraps sitting around in an effort to clean up my craft room, I decided to use these leftover circles cut with Hero Arts infinity dies. Using Distress Oxide Speckled egg ink I added the colour then I carefully added Versamark ink on top and used Ultra thick embossing powder in several layers, after which I used a glitter EB powder which sank into the glossy layer as it melted, to look as you see it here. I was quite happy with how these looked when done, but I’m wearing the glitter and my floor is also wearing it. I guess that is why I don’t use this system much, lol. On another piece of CS, I sprayed 3 different colours of Mica spray all over it and when dry used some Spellbinders feather dies. These were added to the circles using foam tape and the circles also had foam tape added to the backs to lift them up from the background layer. The PP is from both a paper pad and Crafters Companion, the sentiment is from Kokorosa. In my last post I said YNS, but I had it wrong. Once it was all assembled I quite liked the end result and it is very sparkly and shiny in R.L. Hubby likes it too.

Thanks for stopping by. My day is coming to a close and I shall be preparing a meal soon so this is my last post for today. I took a minute to vacuum my floor, which looks better, but is still glittery in places.

https://sundaystamps.blogspot.com/