Hugs To You

An ex-colleague has just been diagnosed with cancer so I wanted to send her an uplifting card, and hopefully this will do the trick.  I've used the colours scheme from ColourQ (although I don't have the exact shades, so I went for the nearest match):

And I've used the sketch from Paper Smooches SPARKS

Stamps: Paper Smooches Reflections, Sentiment Sampler

Under My Umbrella And A Case Of Being CASEd

I'm playing along with Dynamic Duos which closes in a few hours.  It's Black Tie week and the theme is pink and black with a dessert option of an umbrella.

As there are a couple of "love" challenges around, I thought this Unity Stamp image was perfect.  I stamped it on a small panel and coloured it, then wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it.  I had the die-cut iPhone on my desk so I thought about making it look like a photo taken on an iPhone.  I've been coveting the Skyline stamp by Penny Black ever since I saw this post by Heather T.  It arrived today so I tried it out as a murky city background.  A bit like the weather we've been having all month, but at least we've not had any of the extreme stuff that other parts of the world are getting - no-one ever died from drizzle.  I added the STAMPlorations I ♥ U image in pink for a bit of balance.

So, on to the other challenges.  At City Crafter the challenge is Love Story

At Keep It Simple, the challenge is square

And at Simon Says Wednesday challenge, Simon is starting a monthly workout.  This month it's all about "new".  (New stamp, new iPhone die.)  Love the workout gear, Simon!

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And if you take a look at the new blog on the block, Time Out Challenges, they're introducing their 4th round of challenges which is to CASE a card with your own twist.  DT member Shery has showcased this card of mine.  Pop over to see how she CASEd it with a twist.

my card

They're also having a DT call with the theme Love and Friendship, so I'm throwing my hat into the ring with my umbrella card.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Stencilled Day 4

This is my second post today.  Click here for 12 Tags of 2014.

More stencil homework from the Online Stencilled class.  So the several panels of stencilled dots that I made with the clear embossing paste have now dried.  On one of them I overlaid the chevron stencil and sponged over the top with Canteloupe, Morocco, Rhubarb Stalk and Sweet Plum Memento inks and buffed the spare ink off.  I die cut the Penny Black Bashful die and coloured it with the same inks (plus Bamboo Leaves and Olive Grove), adhered that to a black panel, stamped the sentiment on a bit of trim, and tied some baker's twine around the panel.

I'm entering this into the Simon Says Monday Challenge, Anything Goes with Twine or String

And also into this week's Muse, where the inspiration is provided by this gorgeous card from Marion:

Just in case you're wondering - the chevrons, the flower, the leaves, the sentiment, the angled panel, the gems (or clear stencilled dots in my case).  They're all there, just stretched and re-coloured.

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 - January

I've decided to join in with Tim Holtz' 12 Tags of 2014, and here is my effort for January.  And below is Tim's.  The theme is "time".  I don't have any clock parts so I went for gears for the imagery, but added a clock rub-on and appropriate sentiment.  I sponged the gears with Distress Inks, then decided to paint them with Brushed Pewter Distress Paint and it dried a bit bubbly, but it made the gears look rusted and blistered, so it was a happy accident.

I'm entering it into Simon Says Wednesday Challenge, Anything Goes with Twine or String, and I'll be back in a few with another entry for this challenge.

Stencilled Day 3

Day 3 of Stencilled, and it's about texture and dimension.  I don't have any modelling paste, I just use Polyfilla (or spackle, depending on which part of the world you are in).  I coloured some Polyfilla with gold Adirondack Metallic Acrylic Paint Dabber.  The sheen didn't translate into the paste, but at least the colour did.  I butted two pieces of card side by side and taped the stencil centrally over them, because I only wanted partial coverage.  Anything to cut corners.  I had some paste left over so I stencilled some leaves on more card, but because that's thicker/larger areas, it hadn't dried, so I'll finish them tomorrow.

Once the piece was dry I sprayed it with gold shimmer rain mist thingy stuff, cut a butterfly from gold card and leaves from vellum and stuck it all together and added some pearls.

Here's a closer look.  You can see the gold spray better:

I'm entering this into Divas By Design, a new one to me, and the challenge is Anything Goes.

Stencilled Day 2 (and more of Day 1)

Here's today's homework for Stencilled Day 2.  For my first card I chose Kristina's technique, a quick, easy and non-messy way of using stencils.  I've used the colours from ColourQ's challenge.  The sentiment is stamped in Archival Chocolate although it looks black in the photo.

I'm also entering it into this week's Less Is More, where it's a sketch challenge:

 

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I also had a play with one of the techniques that Julie Ebersole demonstrated, spraying.  I haven't got any spray inks but I've got some very old spray silk paints, so I tried them.  Sort of worked.  This is one attempt:

A few large-ish blotches, but I'm happy with that, I like blotches.  A grungy alternative to sequins.  The birthday die-cut had been lying around on my desk for weeks, so it was high time it made its way onto a card.  I'm entering this one into Seize The Birthday with Toppings (colouring).

In her class, Julie said, "commit to the spray".  Laura said in her class, "Let go".  What happens when you over-commit and you let go is that you can get unexpected results.  But again, I really like it.  The spray paint got behind the stencil so there are very few white stencil marks.  But what I got instead was a lovely solid coloured impression of the stencil amongst the spatter and spray.  I certainly wasn't going to waste it, so I added some butterflies, text and stitching (although the stitching reminds me more of corrugated wood fasteners).

You know, this card fits the current sketch at STAMPlorations.  Tilt your head to one side and you'll see the three blocks and a bit of artistic licence with the strip and the sentiment.  There' still time to play, and there's a prize up for grabs.

Stamps used:  STAMPlorations Patchwork Frenzy: Graphic Pentagons, Vignette Chevron & Arrows

Stencilled Day 1

I've joined the Stencilled class at Online Card Classes, and today's lesson was fabulous!  I've made one card so far, but want to follow all of today's techniques, so I'll be making more stencilled cards over the next few days.

I've based my card on Debby's example - similar colours but different stencil and different theme using supplies that I already have.  Roll on tomorrow!

There's still time to enrol and join in the live classes - well worth it, I can tell you!

Not a Valentine

This was going to be a valentine's card for DH.  In pink.  I was messing with these retro stamps, using pink and green ink.  I'm not really a pink person, so I got bored of that colour combination and decided to go for a more masculine combination of blue and rust.  I stamped the blocks using Broken China and Rusty Hinge Distress inks, then spattered the panel with water and dabbed it away, and spattered both the panel and the base card with the two colours.  When I'd finished the panel, it reminded me of the Hundertwasser toilets in Kawakawa, New Zealand.  Now I can't send a valentine to DH that reminds me of public toilets, can I?  ... can I?

Anyway, I changed the sentiment to just a plain hello.  Still not sure who I would send it to....  For now, I'll enter it into these two challenges:

CAS-ual Fridays

CASology Contrast

Stamps: Vignette Retro Mod Shapes, Vignette Chevron and Arrows

Baby Bunting

I've been playing with some new toys from Simon Says Stamp - I was a lucky random winner so I stocked up on Simon's exclusive dies, and this was one of them.  I was inspired by the sample card by Kristina Werner.

This week's challenge at Less is More is New Baby.

I cut out two versions of the banner and layered the lighter colours on top of the darker colours, then stamped two small stars on the background, and added some Stickles, then added a sentiment in black.  Needless to say, I've done some pink versions as well.

Die: Simon Says Stamp Party Banner Die S117
Sentiment: Waltzingmouse Stamps Say It Loud
Stars: Hero Arts CL139 Birthday Messages

Canvas Flowers

I wanted to join in with the current Fusion challenge after seeing this gorgeous inspiration photo:

I love the paper flowers, the colour scheme and the woodgrain background.  Instead of using the suggested sketch, I used the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch.  Just tilt your head to one side.

I scored a piece of card then swooshed it with Pumice Stone and Black Soot Distress inks to get my weatherboard background.  I cut the flowers from my supply of canvas using the Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers die set.  It cut really cleanly but I scuffed the flowers up a little bit for a bit more dimension.  As I've used dry embossing, I'm entering it into Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, Emboss It.

And I've coloured the boards with ink, so I'm entering it into Seize The Birthday with toppings, colouring.

The stamps are from STAMPlorations Vignette Chevrons and Arrows.

Two iPhones For The Price of One

If only....

This is my second post today.  Click here for my DT card for STAMPlorations Sketch Challenge #4 card.

New toy.  I love my iPhone, so I had to have this stamp by Hero Arts.  Some of the latest iPhones come in bright colours - lime, aqua, hot pink.  So I went with lime for this card.  If you text another mobile phone, your message shows in green, but if you text another iPhone using iMessage, your message shows in blue because it goes over wifi.

I've used the sketch (very loosely!!) from CAS(E) This Sketch:

And because it's a new Hero Arts toy, I can play along at A Blog Named Hero:

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I did another version, this time a blue phone, which is going into the Craft Stamper Make It Take It challenge, ombré technique - ombré on the phone and ombré on the card.

I made hashtag stamps out of foam using the dies from Sizzix Sizzlits Roundabout alphabet and Girls are Weird alphabet, then stuck them onto an acrylic block with Pritt stick.

Hero Arts CL737 LOL

STAMPlorations Sketch Challenge #4

It's time for the second sketch challenge of the month at STAMPlorations, which runs from 20-31 January.  I've twisted a layer, swapped squares for flowers, replaced the straight bar with some wiggly twine, but otherwise I've been very well behaved ;)

I used the Tim Holtz burlap stencil to add some Antique Linen, a touch of Brushed Corduroy and a smidgin of Spiced Marmalade onto a piece of card, then stamped a Tim Holtz image and the STAMPlorations sentiment in black.  I was a lucky recipient of a Tim Holtz prize from the Creative Chemistry 102 class and this stamp was part of the prize.  I stamped the flowers (STAMPlorations Vignette Eclectic Florals) onto white card using Spiced Marmalade, then sponged over them to smudge the ink, cut them out, popped them up and threaded some twine through (caught between two pop dots behind each flower).

Have a look here at what the team have created and come and join us.  And if you incorporate feathers (stamped, real, whatever) into your card for this challenge, you could also enter it into the monthly challenge.  A twofer, yay!

PRIZE

The sketch challenges are sponsored by our sister shop, All About Scrapping. The winner gets to pick 3 DIGITAL products from the shop -- any combination of printable sheets, Photoshop templates, and digital paper packs. The winner will also be invited as a Guest Designer in next month's sketch challenge.

BONUS

If you manage to enter all three of this month's challenges, you could be in with a chance of getting your hands on this extra prize.

Button Flowers

So I had these BIG buttons out on my desk, and I had my STAMPlorations stamps out (I can't put them away!) and I saw this card by Therese for MUSE:

Five in a row, yummy colours - couldn't resist!

I'm also entering it into Simon Says Monday Challenge, Anything Goes.

All stamps are from the STAMPlorations set Vignette: Eclectic Florals