Seize The Birthday - Travel

Hellooo!  Welcome to another Seize The Birthday Challenge, with an optional topping of Travel.  Ive used this fab image from Tim Holtz, stamped in Versafine Onyx Black onto a smooshed background. The sentiment is from Swedish House and the chevrons are from STAMPlorations.

Pop on over to the Seize The Birthday blog for some more fabulous inspiration from the rest of the design team, and from our surprise party guest, Marianne, and play along.

I'm entering this into Shopping Our Stash - Use The Smooshing Technique.

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

Watercolour Butterfly

I'm doing the Online Card Class - Stretch Your Stamps 2.  We've already had a full week and this is the first piece of homework I've come up with so far.  This is inspired by Melanie Deasy's no-line colouring technique.

I've used one of Susan's colour schemes from One Layer Simplicity Challenge #8, Shades of Summer:

I stamped the butterfly image (Uniko Studio) in Antique Linen then swooshed some Distress Inks onto an acrylic block and used them as watercolours.  The challenge at Shopping Our Stash is Splish Splash - use some form of wet medium on your card (yes please!!).

And I'm entering it into Uniko Studio Challenge Anything Goes.

I'm off to splash and splash some more!

Rosebud Bouquet

It's a new challenge at Seize The Birthday, and this time we'd like you to use twine and/or string.  I've used another stamp that I've made from a three-part set (I've also done a vase and a small bow to go with the bouquet).  The background is a leftover from my resist stamping for Craft Stamper, and the sentiment is from Marion Emberson Designs.

I'm entering this into Shopping Our Stash - Can't Put It Down (Or Away).  I could fill that challenge all on my own between what I can't put down (my stampmaker, although I've run out of supplies now, so it's having a rest), and what never gets put away (most things!) - and I bet I'm not the only one, hmmm?

I'm also playing along with Keep It Simple - Take A Bow.

So come and join us at Seize The Birthday - if you don't want to use string or twine, you can still play anything goes (as long as it's a birthday card).

Musical Anniversary

I was asked to make an anniversary card, and the inspiration came from this photo at Fusion:

I die-cut the hearts from a piece of card that had got the embossing/spritz treatment.  I don't think I've got any music background stamps but guess what, I've got a (NBUS) music embossing folder, so I made a background panel by swooshing Distress Inks, spritzing and this time embossing.  The banner is from the new Winnie & Walter release, The Big The Bold and Extras, and the words are from The Big, The Bold and The Happy.

I'm also entering this into Shopping Our Stash where it's their three-year anniversary, so the theme is birthday or anniversary cards.

Happy Retirement

I've dug out some really old stamps for this card.  The image is part of a stamp by Annette Allen Watkins, and the sentiment is a PSX stamp, but they are my go-to stamps for retirements.  I made the potting shed wall by scoring card and swooshing it with Old Paper and Black Soot Distress Inks, and stamped the sentiment over the planks afterwards.  I'm entering it into the following challenges:

The Male Room - a retirement card

Less Is More - something made from metal - I've used a brad and some wire.

Shopping our Stash - heavy metal (anything metallic)

And CASology - Paint.  "Where's the paint?",  I hear you ask.  On the potting shed wall, waiting for a new coat.

And the picture isn't straight on the wall because, well, it's a fella's shed ;)

City of Love

I'm playing along with a few challenges with this card.  Firstly, I've based the design on Vicki's card at Muse. Can you see the connection?  Dots, lacy circle, layering.  Admittedly, all slightly re-arranged.

I've used the colour scheme from ColourQ:

At the Card Concept, the challenge is monochromatic pink.  This week I think I'm shabby chic.  Or am I freestyle collage?  Classy and elegant?  Anyway, I'm in.

At Shopping Our Stash, I'm going for another chorus of Love Me Tender (all together now).

And at Simon Says Monday Challenge, it's Love Notes.

The Eiffel Tower is a Tim Holtz die cut, sponged with Tattered Rose and oversamped with a Tim Holtz grungy grid stamp in Versafine Smoky Grey (also used on the card base).  The pink panel is an extra from the Online Stencilled class, using clear embossing paste.  I sponged Tatttered Rose and Worn Lipstick over the panel, overstamped the diamond collage in Smoky Grey, then buffed the colour off the dots.  The enamelled letter has been in my stash for years.  I gathered a few more bits and threw them on - the thread is frayed off my cotton canvas stash.

Love and Marriage

I'm playing along with CASology, where the cue word is AND.  The challenge is being sponsored this week by STAMPlorations, and as I'm on the STAMPlorations design team, I thought I'd use my STAMPlorations stamps.

I drew a pencil circle on the card, using the inside of a tape roll as a guide, then stamped a pentagon stamp from the Patchwork Frenzy: Graphic Pentagons around the outside of the circle using Tattered Rose Distress ink, keeping the same point facing out.  I don't normally practice on scrap paper, I just dive straight in, but I've got to admit to having a couple of trial runs with this one to make sure I didn't end up with a half-pentagon at the end.  The couple and the sentiment are from Vignette: Ever After.

I'm also playing at Shopping Our Stash where the challenge is Love Me Tender (all sing along now).

I'm playing at One Layer Simplicity Challenge where the theme is "Can You Repeat That",

And at Simon Says Monday Challenge where the theme is Love Notes.