Bloom

This is my second post today - click here for my Twelve Tags of Christmas With Loll and Friends.

I'm over on the STAMPlorations blog today with a short tutorial on this card.  It's short because I forgot to stop and take photos along the way!

I'm entering this into Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes.

Stamped and Stencilled Flowers

I've been stamping through stencils to create these lovely blue flowers.  If you want to see exactly how I did it, there's a tutorial on the STAMPlorations blog tonight.

I'm entering this into The Paper Players - The Great Outdoors,

and Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes.

Just a reminder that the theme for The Mixed Media Card Challenge this month is BLUE with the option of vase.

Baby Bunting and Some Reminders

Popping in with a card that I was asked to make for a new baby called Rose.  I stamped and coloured the matinee jacket and fussy cut it, then rummaged in my stash for the wire coat hanger.  While rummaging I found the letter discs which have been in my stash forever.  One of my New Year's resolutions is "Don't Hoard It - USE IT!", so I'm using it.

I've used a layer of tissue paper behind the stamped lace panel, and threaded the letters onto cord, finishing off with two lace roses.

I'm entering this into Papertake Weekly Get In Shape (use 3 or more different shapes on your card - square, circle, flower, hanger, jacket)

and Inspiration Emporium Fresh Start.

A few reminders for you:

You've still got a few days left to enter the Mixed Media Card Challenge, where the theme is NEW with an optional element of tissue.

Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge has got a fabulous prize package for the January challenge: Take A Stamp.

There's also a blog hop with 12 chances to win a substrate package AND some original artwork from the design team.

Red Rosebud Congrats

I've been playing with Rosebuds stamps again.  This time, I inked the back of the stamp with Festive Berries and Peeled Paint, spritzed and stamped it onto mixed media paper, then inked the right side of the stamp with Versafine Onyx Black and overstamped, and added some white highlights.  The background text is spun Sugar (I think!) and Shabby Shutters, spritzed and stamped, and some splatters, of course.

At Papertake Weekly, it's Anything Goes

And at Simon Says Monday Challenge, it's Old and New.  My new(ish) stamps are matted onto very old card and garnished with very old ribbon!

I'm over at STAMPlorations tonight with a pile of donuts/doughnuts - calorie-free ;)  Want some?

CityGirl Buys a Christmas Tree

She's back again!  This time she's looking to buy a Christmas Tree, although she doesn't look particularly interested in any of them.  Must be all that dazzling snow putting her off.

I stamped the CityGirl image onto white card, and again onto plaid patterned paper.  I cut out the coat and paper-pieced it onto the image, and fussy cut.  I drew some shoes on her and coloured them with Distress Inks.

I inked up the trees with Distress Inks, spritzed and stamped, then cut a strip of matching plaid to ground the image and added the sentiment from the Holiday Artsy set.

I'm entering this into Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Winter Inspiration

AAA Cards - Plaid Christmas

and Papertake Weekly - Last Christmas Card

Seize The Birthday - Leaves

Click here or scroll down for my STAMPlorations Blog Hop Post.

Welcome to another challenge at Seize The Birthday!  For this challenge our topping is leaves (although you can still play along with any birthday project).

We're having an incredibly mild November in the UK and the colours of the autumn leaves are glorious.  I got the inspiration for the leaf skirt after seeing this creation by Ruth.

I inked up some Trendy Leaves from one of the new STAMPlorations sets, overstamped some of them with the text stamp from Live Love Laugh, fussy cut the leaves and teamed them with Julie Nutting Prima Doll Phoebe (chopped her skirt and legs off).  Sloshed some Distress inks on the bodice, fussy cut her and made the leaf skirt and layered it all onto maroon card.  The sentiment is made up from Sentiments Builders: Thank You and Sentiment Builders: Happy.

I'm entering this into Papertake Weekly - Soooooo Girlie.

Leafy Thanks

When I was a kid I used to love kicking through autumn leaves - wet or dry, didn't matter which.  I still do it when we're out walking the dog.  I also used to chase pigeons in Trafalgar Square.  I'm proud to report that I resisted the urge (just) on my most recent trip to London ;)

Playing along with a few challenges with this card.  I've used the new Trendy Leaves set from STAMPlorations.  I wet a piece of mixed media card, then stamped the leaves using Big & Juicy Spice inkpad and let the colours blend and run.  It must be at least 10 years old but there's still plenty of ink in it, even though there aren't as many different shades as there used to be!

The sentiment is from the latest Winnie & Walter release, Winter Woodland.  The panel is mounted onto chocolate coloured card which has a hint of pearlised sheen to it.

I'm entering it into the following challenges:

The Card Concept, but what style?  They might think it's a bit too grungy for clean and layered, so maybe I'll be shabby chic.

Papertake Weekly Anything Goes

Shopping Our Stash - Leaf Me Alone!

Simply Create Too - Thanksgiving/Thank You

AAA Cards - Play With Watercolours

Twice The Tag

I'm playing along with Tag You're It where the inspiration comes from Leigh Penner with this delightful pair of tags:

For the tag on the left, I inked the Scenery: Classic Diagonal Creative Screening with Distress Inks and applied it to the tag, then added splatters (of course!) and spritzed with diluted Brushed Pewter Distress Paint, then added the die-cut sentiment (Simon Says Stamp).

For the tag on the right, I sponged Distress Inks through Scenery: V for CheVrons Creative Screening and added the die-cut sentiment.  A rummage through my stash produced some co-ordinating fibres.

I'm also entering this into Simon Says Wednesday - Anything Goes

Inspiration Emporium - Happy Holidays

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

And Pan Pastel UK - Add Bling (brushed pewter spritz, tiny gems, glitzy fibres)

Seize The Birthday - Sweet Treats

(I'm multi-tasking today, posting a few cards because I'm running out of time to get them all in!)

Sweet treat anyone?  Low no calorie?  Yup, thought so :)  It's time for a new challenge at Seize The Birthday, and this time the toppings option is Sweet Treats.  What does that bring to mind?  Cake, ice cream, macarons, chocolate, all of the above?

I used an old Stampendous stamp, Tiers of Treats, and drew a matching scribbly border.  The sentiment is from Ladybug Crafts, It's Only Words.  I added some glossy accents to the strawberries and cherries, which doesn't show up on the photo above, but you can see better on this close-up.

If you don't have a sweet tooth, you can still play along, as long as it's a birthday project.  Pop on over to the Seize The birthday blog to see the sweet treats that the rest of the Design Team have lined up for you, and join in the fun.

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Here's a leftovers card.  When I was stamping my dragonfly for my 12 Tags of 2014, I stamped an extra one just in case.  So I added some alcohol inks to the back, cut it out and added it to a base panel.

I had made the base panel way back in the Online Card Class Stencilled class and it's been sitting around since then.  I had mixed gold paint in with the Polyfilla and pasted through the leaf cluster stencil, then sprayed gold glimmer mist over the panel.  And there it sat, waiting patiently to be used.  So this week I sponged some Distress Inks over the panel (the gold glimmer mist still shines through, although you can't see in this photo).  I stapled some of the cutout acetate to the top of the card panel.

I'm entering this into The Paper Players - Happy Fall Y'all

and Inspiration Emporium - Fall Is In The Air

and The Male Room - Autumn/Fall

and Mixed Media Mojo - Fall/Autumn and Embossing Paste

(and a quick reminder for you that the Mixed Media Card Challenge for September is Autumn - check it out.)

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My third card is for Papertake Weekly - Repeat Repeat (I've repeated the text stamp for my background)

and for Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Create Your Own Background

I used STAMPlorations Vignette: Christmas Block for the background and Holiday Sketches: Christmas Bells.  And another reminder that the STAMPlorations blog hop is still on.  Click here to hop.)

STAMPlorations September Challenge - Stamps and Markers

Welcome to the new challenge at STAMPlorations.  This month we want you to use stamps and markers.  Remember those half-price Sharpies that fell into my supermarket trolley and therefore didn't count as a craft spend?  I've actually been using them more than I thought I would.

Here's a simple card that's easy to mass produce.  You could stamp out a whole sheet full of poinsettias and colour them in while you're watching telly.  Then all you need to do is fussy cut them, and add some gold Stickles to the centre.  Stamp your sentiment on the card, then draw a wobbly border with a black Sharpie. I wouldn't normally draw such a thick line, but it's just the right weight to go with the font on the sentiment. Pop the poinsettia on foam dots, overhanging the border slightly.  By not adding any embellishments (or splatters!!!) the bold colours on the poinsettia really stand out.  Less is definitely more in this case.

The stamps are part of the new release - if you're quick you can get them at 25% off.  And if you're a Stamp Club member, you get a further 15% off - how's that for a bargain?

Pop on over to the STAMPlorations blog to see what the design team and our guest designer, Cris G., have created for your inspiration.  Don't forget, if you enter all three challenges this month, apart from chances of winning the challenge, you're in with a chance of a random prize.

I'm entering my card into Simon Says Monday Challenge - bold,

and Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes.

Wraparound Village

Did you see this card by Michele of I Card Everyone?  I loved the quirky wraparound village and the hidden message dancing over the rooftops, and I had to CASE it.  I used my little houses stamp, masking and repeating across the front and back of the card and coloured them with Sharpies.  The sentiments are from STAMPlorations Sentiment Builders: Christmas and New Year.  I joined the words up with black pen dots.

I'm entering this into Simon Says Monday Challenge - Bold

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

and Allsorts - Early Christmas Makes

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I've got another Christmas card with a tutorial over at STAMPlorations if you fancy taking a look.  Here's a sneak peek.