Seize The Birthday - Clean and Simple

This is my second post today.  For my new stamp release, The Bee's Knees Winged Things, click here, where you'll see lots more cards I've made with this set.

It's time for a new Seize The Birthday challenge, and the topping is Clean and Simple.  If Clean and Simple isn't your style, you can still play along with any birthday creation.

I created my panel by stamping the large butterfly from my new stamp set, The Bee's Knees Winged Things, then watercoloured using Distress Inks.  The sentiment is from Deepti's set, Balloons and Banners.

If you've seen my earlier post today, you'll see the other half of this panel on another card, along with a few more cards using the stamps.  If you haven't seen it, click here.

So, how about playing along at Seize The Birthday?  Click here for more inspiration from the team, and to join in.  See you in the gallery!

ETA:

I'm adding this to the galleries at City Crafter - Butterfly, My Butterfly

and Timeout - Birthday (minus the optional twist of sponging).

Bird In The Snow

I saw this inspiration photo for City Crafter Challenge, and just had to play along before it closes!

The little bird, top right.  The colours.  Love 'em!  I stamped the bird (Dina Wakley) in grey then sloshed some Distress inks, and added some splatters.  Added a sentiment from Clearly Besotted and matted onto the base card and finished off with some silvery grey knitted ribbon.

And I've just seen it also fits with this week's Merry Monday - blue, white and texture:

Autumn Splendour

A quick post from me before Downton Abbey starts :)

Shades of autumn, going into the following challenges:

Simply Create Too - Autumn Splendour

City Crafter - Fall Has Arrived

Magenta - Autumn

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - No Designer Paper

Autumn Has Landed

As soon as I saw this stamp, and more particularly, the beautiful cards that Heather and Micheline have been creating with it for Penny Black, I had to have it.  This is my first attempt with it, and I'm quite happy with it.  I'm entering it into Inkspirational, which has this photo for inspiration:

I'm also entering it into Simply Create Too, Autumn Splendour:

And City Crafter - Fall Has Arrived:

Dotty Dress Birthday

Quick post from me today.  I've been busy with design team commitments lately, but I managed to find this card in my unposted folder.  I'm playing along with Simon Says Monday Challenge - STAMPtember Use a Stamp and Blog Hop.

It also fits the City Crafter Challenge - In Pieces, which closes in a few hours, so I'd better get a wriggle on!

See you soon!

Seize The Birthday - Embossing

It's time for Seize The Birthday, and today our topping is Embossing of any kind.  I've opted for some pre-embossed card, together with the Chrysler Building birthday cake image (with a candle on the top, of course!) and sentiments from my new set, WorldBirthdayCakes.

Pop on over to the blog for some gorgeous samples from the rest of the Design Team, and link up your birthday creation.  If you don't want to include embossing, you can still make an 'anything goes' birthday creation.

I'm entering my card into Simon Says Monday Challenge, No Ordinary Paper,

and City Crafter Challenge, Masculine Birthday Card

Split Personality Rose

Quickie from me - I'm supposed to be helping DH prep for a dinner party tonight in honour of his birthday tomorrow!  Couldn't resist playing along with a few challenges:

Paper Smooches SPARKS (see the rosebud?):

Fusion (there's no linky tool yet, girls, we're having to link through comments):

City Crafter Roses:

I used the same technique that Dawn demonstrated in Stretch Your Stamps 2.  For me, that is the best example of stretching your stamps and I love the technique.  My rosebud has a split personality because it's actually the tulip stamp from the Bold Blooms set!  Just shows what a bit of squidging and scribbling can do.  The leaves are from Reflections and the stem is from Bold Blooms.  I used a 0.5 pen to scribble.

Ok, playtime over, back to the kitchen to help DH :)

New Home

I've been wanting to make a card for the latest Fusion challenge since I saw their lovely photo inspiration:

I wasn't aiming to follow the sketch, but once I'd stamped my houses and sloshed some Distress Ink watercolour on them, I thought it would look rather nice in the sketch format.

Seeing as I've watercoloured, I'm also entering AAA Cards Challenge - watercolour techniques:

The challenge at City Crafter is Home Is Where the Heart Is

City Crafter #223 - Home Is Where The Heart Is

And I'm also entering Simon Says Work It Wednesday - Blue.

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I'm doing a spotlight feature on iron-off embossing at STAMPlorations today - here's a sneak peek:

Butterfly and Blogger

Got this fabulous butterfly from Uniko Studio Challenge, just as Beverley from Uniko was guest designing at Muse with this card, so I had to play along :)

I stamped the image off the edge, and sloshed and splattered some Distress Inks (Barn Door, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire).  I blatantly stole CASEd the partial frame idea from Cornelia, adding dots every time the lines intersected, to reflect the dots in the butterfly image.  I deliberately left the card flattened out while I splattered so that it would continue onto the back.  The sentiment is from Winnie & Walter The Big, The Bold and The Happy.

I'm playing along with Less Is More, where the theme is Watercolour

One Layer Simplicity, where the theme is I've Been Framed

and City Crafter, where the theme is Red, White and Blue

Anyone else having problems with Blogger feed?  It's decided to only show one post in my reader.  Not one post per blog I follow - ONE. SINGLE. SOLITARY. POST.  Whichever blog post is the most recent.  Apparently it's a bug known to Blogger but there's no sign of a fix yet.  How's a girl to cope?  Until yesterday, I was very happy with getting my posts through Blogger, but I can't cope without you all, so I'm now stalking you by Bloglovin until normal service is resumed at Blogger - if ever!

Watch The Birdie(s)

Hello again, sorry to bother you so soon, but I've got more cards to post to several challenges.  This first one is using the colours (loosely) from ColourQ although my red isn't quite so pink IRL.  I blame the photographer.

I played with Gelatos (more successfully this time) and a waterbrush, which equals painting in my book, so I'm entering it into Simon Says Monday Challenge Paint It.  Simon Says Wednesday Challenge is Stencil It, so I'm in there too.

And the City Crafters Challenge is all about birds:

I made another similar card for my dad for Father's Day, which I'm glad to say he liked, and which I'm entering into The Male Room: