More Baubles

I posted a similar card a few days ago that had Christmas baubles on it, and got a few comments about the word "baubles", which doesn't seem to be used across the Pond. Heather T (an ex-pat Aussie living in Canada, who is the Queen of Sponging and Masking) had also commented on her blog about the amusement caused by her use of the word. So my question is, what on earth do you call them if you don't call them baubles? Ornaments? (They're the things that collect dust on your mantlepiece or shelf.  All right then, MY mantlepiece or shelf.)  Er, do you say mantlepiece?

This bauble is from Penny Black, as is the sentiment.  The colour scheme is from The Play Date Cafe's current challenge:

I'll also make this my third entry to Simon Says Anything Goes before it closes.

Indulge

The cue-word for this week's CASology challenge is:

Here's a shoe with a difference!  I can't wear heels that high now, but this is certainly a good alternative use for them.

I'm also entering it into the Simon Says Anything Goes challenge.

ANYTHING GOES :-)

The shoe stamp is by ZH205 Indulge from Stampendous Scrumptious Shoes collection.

Presents For You

I had a Christmas card in mind when I started this, but then I thought why wait till Christmas for a present? So I used a more anytime sentiment.  Well, half a sentiment because I chopped up another stamp.

The colour scheme is from the current challenge at colourQ:

Now my Rich Razzleberry looks a little more rich and razzle than berry, but it's the nearest I could get, and it dried lighter than it went on, a bit like wall paint.

The challenge at Simon Says is: 

ANYTHING GOES :-)

The present stamp is from Penny Black, and the sentiment is from Simply Said by Paper Smooches.

Two-tone Baubles

One Layer Wednesday is being hosted by Karen this week, and the theme is:

create a card using a MASKING TECHNIQUE

This card had a double dose of masking.  I stamped the central bauble, then masked it while I stamped the outer baubles (although the left-hand bauble is pretty much clear of the central one - slight problem with hand-eye coordination there).

Then I used a negative mask so that the central bauble was exposed and everything else covered, and sponged it with Bundled Sage distress ink.  I then did the same to the left-hand bauble.  For the right-hand bauble, I replaced the original mask to cover the central bauble, then arranged the negative mask in place and sponged what was left showing.  The cord is drawn on with the same marker I used to colour the stamp.

The challenge at Dynamic Duos this week is

And the challenge at Simon Says is Anything Goes.

The bauble stamp is Penny Black 2794F and Joy is from Hero Arts LL039 Holiday Word Borders

Celebration Cake

I made this card for the DeNami Anything Goes Challenge, which closes in a few hours.... The requirement is to use at least one DeNami stamp.  I'm using this sketch challenge (getting brave!) from The Paper Players:

It also meets the current Less is More Take 3 Challenges:

Week 1: pink, black and white

Week 25: ribbon

Week 82: 3-2-1 (3 ribbon, 2 cake layers, 1 flower)

Birthday Denim

The challenge at CR84FN is to use this colour palette:

I do have some jeans and pocket stamps, but I also had this lovely sheet of denim paper, and found a set of alphabet brads.  Because there was only one of each letter, I could only do "birthday" so I decided to make it like a label, and added some stitching.  The "happy" was made with a Sizzix Doodle with Dazzle alphabet, but I cut all the stars off the bottom of the letters.

I couldn't get a decent photo showing the relief on all the brads at once, so I took photos from different angles to show the detail.

Here's a close-up of the detail.

Autumn Leaves

The challenge at One Layer Wednesday this week has been set by Heather, Queen of Sponging.  Her style is unmistakable, and the cards she makes are just, WOW!  And now she's challenged us to take up the sponge and create our own sponged masterpieces.  Hmmm.

The challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is

CFC71 Create a Clean And Simple project inspired by autumn

So I've used autumn colours for my sponged card.  This was my first attempt but I decided that everything was a little too high on the card, although it doesn't look as bad on the photo.  All stamps for both cards are Hero Arts.

Birthday Banners

The challenge at The Paper Players is to make a CAS project featuring banners.

The challenge at Runway Inspired Challenge is to create a project from this inspiration photo:

I paired the colours of the outfits and the runway and made them into banners using a Sizzix tag die set.    Some of the banners are textured, and some of them are shiny.  Because the smaller tag die has a hole in it, I threaded some knitted ribbon through to mimic the shoelaces.  I added some diamond bling to lead the eye from the banner row to the birthday row, because they didn't look like they belonged with each other.

Sentiment and brackets are Woodware FRCL069 Large & Small Greetings.

Have a Happy Birthday

I'm thrilled to say that the kraft tags I made for the Penny Black Holiday Tag Challenge were a winner! Just had to share that.

But back to today.  The challenge at Lawnscaping is to use text in your project.

And the challenge at ColourQ is to use these colours:

I've had this ransom alphabet (Clear Stamps), unused, for a long time. So long, in fact, that the stamps were very attached to the storage sheet and didn't want to part company with it. But I was very careful, and managed not to rip any.  The letters were stamped onto white card and coloured with Tombows, then cut out and stuck onto the main card. Pen lines around the outside edges of the card were drawn with a Staedtler 0.05 Pigment Liner.

Whiteout

I fell in love with this Gorjuss snowman at the weekend, and luckily the challenge at CASology this week is white, so I had the perfect excuse to ink him up.

I wanted to keep the card as white as possible, i.e. without any other colour, so I just used Memento London Fog to ink him up so that the outline wasn't too harsh, then used a very light grey Tombow for the shading.  And you know how every snowflake is different?  Not these, they're all exactly the same, courtesy of a Cuttlebug embossing folder.  The sentiment is one of those dial-a-stamp thingies from EK Success (like those date stamps you used to get in play Post Office sets.  Hmm, wonder if that's where it all started?).

I stamped the snowman onto card and cut him out, embossed the dots leaving a margin at the bottom, then stuck him on at the bottom with double-sided tape (if you look closely you can see the join), and added a pop-dot behind his nose for a bit of extra dimension.

Gorjuss, isn't he?

Tag Time

I had a mad flurry of tag making today for the Penny Black challenge.  By fluke rather than design, some of them fit into other challenge categories.

The challenge at A Blog Named Hero is to incorporate a tag into your project, or just create a tag:

This little set was created on kraft card, stamped with Versafine Onyx Black, and with a bit of Suze Weinberg Pure Glitz Ruby Slippers added.

 The challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is black and white plus one colour.

 And the challenge for Dynamic Duos Black Tie week is:

I made these tags with a nod to Heather T's fabulous masking and sponging technique.

Here's another black/white/ +1 colour combo, but with a bit of gold Stickles added.

This one's been masked and sponged in blocks.

And this one is just black on kraft with a bit of platinum Stickles added.

Looks like I've started on my Christmas makes!

Autumn Leaves

The theme for this week's One Layer Wednesday challenge, hosted by Cheryl, is autumn.

To me, autumn colours are deep reds, rich yellows and limes rather than dull browns, and the colour scheme for this week's ColourQ is the perfect autumn palette:

The leaf stamp is from Rubber Stampede, stamped in Versafine Onyx Black and coloured with Distress Inks, and the sentiment is from Fiskars, stamped in Colorbox Chianti.

Is Silver a Colour?

I hope so, because the challenge at CAS-ual Fridays this week is:

Create a Clean And Simple project that is black and white plus one color of your choice.

The challenge at CASology this week is:

so I think I'm on safer "ground" with that one.  The fireworks stamp is from Art Impressions, stamped with Versafine Black Onyx and finished with Silver Ice Stickles, and the Celebrate stamp is from Fiskars, stamped with Versamark and embossed with silver.

RIC #19

I like doing the Runway Inspired Challenge because there's plenty of scope for interpreting the inspiration photo.  The current challenge is to use this inspiration photo:

I decided to go with ribbon - not what you'd normally associate with menswear!  But it's all grosgrain ribbon, which is slightly more masculine than, say, organza!

I have stamped onto ribbon in the past, but can't claim the credit for the "Let's Celebrate" as it was already on the ribbon when I bought it.  I stamped the circles to represent the spotlit floor using a stamp by Heindesign.

A Day to Celebrate ... A Leibster Award!

I don't often do sketch challenges, but I quite liked this one at Lawnscaping (nice and CAS):

And I saw this card on Loll's blog, which led me to this colour challenge at The Paper Players:

(I'm also a huge fan of Heather Telford's masking and sponging technique, go and check out her blog.)

The stamps on my card are Hero Arts CL127 Dots and Lines, and CL139 Birthday Messages.

Ardyth of Maskerade was kind enough to nominate me for a Leibster award (thanks again, Ardyth!).  If you don't already know about the award, here's the lowdown.

ABOUT THE AWARD

This award was designed to be a blog award in the pay it forward fashion. Once you've been nominated, you award it to blogs that you like that have fewer than 200 followers, to encourage new visitors to visit these new blogs.

RULES FOR ACCEPTANCE

Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog. Post the award onto your blog. Give the award to five bloggers who you appreciate that have fewer than 200 followers. Leave a comment on their blog letting them know that you have given them this awesome award!

PAY IT FORWARD

Here are the five blogs that I'm nominating.  If you haven't visited these blogs before, go and have a look.  Better still, follow them then you won't miss out.

Stamping with Loll

Djkardkreations

The Storyteller

Oh, Smudge!

My Paper Epiphany