Mistletoe

Another of the Christmas cards I'll be sending this year made using the church, mistletoe and sentiment stamps from Clarity Stamps.  I've had these stamps for a year or so, the design is by Barbara Gray and was one of the examples in the Clarity Design club October 2012 newsletter which I really loved and wanted to have a go at and I am quite pleased with how they have come out..  

I am entering this card for
 Ladybug Crafts December challenge Christmas/Winter
Stamping Sensations December Challenge free and easy
Artistic Stamper Anything goes

Christmas Owl

This weekend I've made 2 of these little stepper cards for my Grandchildren, one with a pink hat and scalf and one blue.  This really cute little owl stamp is one of the Little Claire's Stamps I found at the last show I went to. The stepper card is a ready bought template from Which Craft in Doncaster.  Its a plain white card and I November Little Claire's designs challenge.  Theme is Christmas.

stenciled the snowflakes on using a mask and some stonewash Aderondack ink.  I am entering this card into the



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We Three Kings

I've been busy making Christmas Cards and this is one of my best efforts (I think) using  Clarity Stamps with the theme We Three Kings. I am entering the Allsorts Challenge for the first time as their theme this month is anything inspired by a Christmas song or carol.

Vintage Christmas

Hi, I thought this would fit with the Ladybug Crafts Christmas/Winter Challenge which I am entering and also Country View Challenge for December Bah, Humbug

Vintage Christmas

I thought I would have a go at making a card for the November Crafts To Challenge You Vintage Christmas theme. The first twist is monochrome so I've gone for a sepia/brown and cream shades.  The background has been created using a snowflake stencil and stained walnut distress ink, I've roughed up the edges and matted onto some brown card.  The topper shows some children who are possibly from the 1940s era dancing round a Christmas tree.

Christmas Sprig

Christmas is suddenly creeping nearer and I must get on with making some Christmas cards so thought I would get in the mood with an early entry for the Clarity Stamp November Challenge, Christmas theme.  I've used the Christmas Sprig stamp and the remountable christmas decoration set.which I bought last year. To make the background I stamped the sprig into the corners using Versamark and then brayered over with Cranberry Aderondack ink.  On a separate piece of smaller card I lightly brayered cranberry and bottle for the background and stamped the sprig with black Archival ink, added some green and red with Promarkers and a bit of sparkle with a gelli pen. I'm quite pleased with the overall effect although the background colour looks deeper in real life but overall I think looks very Christmassy, hope you agree.

Chocolate Orange

Here is my entry for the Indigo Blu November Challenge number 9 with the theme of Chocolate Orange. Items used are the large bubble stamp, vintage photo, tea dye and walnut stain distress inks for the background matted onto some dark brown and lighter shade of brown card.  The verse is stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa and heat embossed with clear powder. The flowers were stamped with Rich Cocoa and Aderondack Ginger and heat embossed and then distress ink applied with a water brush in a mixture of shades including rusty hinge, spiced marmalade, vintage photo and tea dye then covered in glossy accents. Finally I cut some florishes from brown card.

Winter Sport

I'm entering this card  for the Clarity Stamp October Challenge. The theme of the challenge is winter. I used a piece of A5 Clarity coated card and created the sky using a brayer and stonewash Adirondack ink over one of the moon/sun masks (which I bought from the Clarity stand at the Stamp Magic show in Doncaster) and some cotton wool soaked in Versamark ink for wispy clouds. The trees and snowflakes are from a set of small Christmas stamps, the waymarker from the remountable waymarker set, the skiers are from the Sport set and the words from the letterbox kit. I also bought the new set of boxes for the letters at Doncaster. I've just used stonewash and denim for all the stamping. The main picture is matted onto another piece of Clarity card stamped with the snowflake. Finally I drew a border round the scene and background with a China Blue Promarker.

Catching Up

Its been a while since I had time to write anything on my blog but I haven't been idle on the card making front although holidays and tidying up the garden have slowed me down.  Here are a couple of birthday cards I made in September.

First a card I made for my husband's 65th birthday.  He is a keen photographer and loves taking photos in our garden of any wildlife. Butterflies were a favorite this summer so I used a photo he was particularly proud of for the central image on his birthday card.  For the background I used the foliage, birds, cat and squirrel stamps from the Clarity bird table set and the letter box kit. I was very pleased with the finished card.

 Secondly a card for my grandson's 6th birthday.  He is Super Hero mad so when I found this spider man image at a show I had to use it to build a card around.  The background is made using shades of blue and a brick wall stamp which looks very effective.  My grandson was impressed and says I am the best card maker ever, and I'm happy with that even if he is biased!!!

Cats on the prowl

I spent an enjoyable few days playing with gilding flakes recently.  I've had a number of pots for quite a while and never really got to grips with using them so I set myself up on the dining room table and tried out various ideas some of which worked and some didn't work so well but how do you know until you try?  For this card I created a background using the Clarity Stamp small sprig stamp (one of the stamps I got with my prize money) glue and gilding flakes and I'm quite pleased with end result which I then matted onto black card.  I then stamped the Clarity Stamp wrought iron cat stamp onto black card using glue and gilding flakes again and some small gems for their eyes.  I cut out three individual cats and placed them onto the background card with pinflair so they are slightly raised.  The thank you Clarity club stamp is gold embossed onto a black background to finish off the card.  The overall effect is best seen with the light catching it to show the shine on the gilding flakes and I hope the photo does it justice.  I am entering this card for the August Clarity Stamp Challenge Animals theme.

Meadow Cottage Bears

This is a card similar to the one I made for my Granddaughter's first birthday last year. I usually make at least 2 and usually 3 versions of the same card with slight differences and then decide which one I want to give.  The card is made using a Meadow Cottage Bears digi stamp coloured with promarkers and matted onto silver mirri card.  For the background I embossed a lattice design onto some centura pearl card brushed with Spun Sugar Distress Ink and matted onto silver mirri card and then onto some white card shaded with Spun Sugar round the edges.  I placed white satin ribbon and around the lattice background.  The base card is an 8 x 8 white scalloped card with pink pearl pva glue dots around the edge.  I am entering this card for the Crafters Companion Blog Challenge for August, Animals are everywhere.
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1920s lady

The main image for this card is stamped in Wow Gold Embossing Powder and coloured with gold and honeysuckle Promarkers.  The topper was then mounted onto a spellbinder die and the edges have been coloured with Aderondack Peach Bellini.  I've used some black card matted onto gold mirri card and cut the trellis in gold mirri card using a die and some gold ribbon across the middle hides the join.  The flourish was cut from black and gold mirri card and I 've made the flowers from some circular cut card.  I am entering this card into the Crafts to Challenge You Twist 2.  Not entirely sure of the decade but I would guess 1920s and unfortunately the photo doesn't do justice to the card it looks better in real life.

Donkeys on the Beach

This card has given me a chance to practice some techniques, and I admit its probably the 4th version/ attempt to get something I felt was worth submitting for the July Clarity Stamp Challenge Oh I do like to be beside the sea theme.  I used the Clarity silk card and masked a border on all 4 sides stamping the Bunnies into the border then masking when dry.  I brayered Aderondack Stonewash and Denim for the sky after using cotton wool soaked in Versamark to make some wispy clouds.  For the sea I used Aderondack Pool and darkened with some of the leftover denim, running the brayer over some scrunched up paper to get texture for the water. For the sand I made a wavy template and brayered Mustard Seed Distress ink onto the card and then added some shading with Aderondack Peach Bellini, Tea Dye Distress ink for the sand dunes and meadow for the grasses from the Bunnies Set and the top of the Cow Parsley Clarity club stamp.  The flocks of flying birds are hand drawn with as black pen, the boat is hand drawn as demonstrated by Barbara in the April 2013 Create and Craft show (after several tries on scrap paper).  I've added some glitter around the shoreline for shingle and stamped the donkeys from the Countryside set onto the beach and finally the thank you stamp which was the last Clarity Club stamp. I drew a border around the picture and used the thick end of a Gold Promarker to edge the card and then matted onto some turquoise card.

Summer Sizzler

I think the colours on this card certainly sizzle just like the weather over the last few weeks which we have enjoyed here so I am entering it for the Country View Crafts Challenge Summer Sizzler.  For the card I've used some hot citrus colours. I die cut the trellis and coloured with Mustard Seed Distress ink.  The main image was printed from a CD by Jane Shaskey.  I don't own many craft CDs or do much CD crafting but find I go back to this one for numerous occasions both for male and female cards.

Dies and Die Cuts

For this card I've used a Sheena Douglas stamp for the main image together with a steamer and yachts all from the same set of stamps which I remember buying after watching Sheena demonstrate them on Create and Craft some time ago.  The main image was coloured with Promarkers, for the background sea I used Momento Pool and for the sky Aderondack Stone Wash using a brush to apply the colour. The dies I've used are some of my favourites. The main image has been matted onto the largest of the Spellbinder Decorative Labels Eight die, the latest addition to my collection. I then used a Spellbinder decorate edge die for the base of the background card. I am entering this into the Crafters Companion July Blog Challenge

Baby girl

This is a card I've made for a couple whose wedding we went to last year as they have just recently had a baby girl.  I've used a Lilly of the Valley stamp and sentiment which I bought at the Summer Crafting Show in Doncaster recently. The stamp has been coloured with promarkers and then I've incorporated it into the aperture of a Marianne Die with a deep pink mirri card backing.  This has then been matted onto some pinkn Dottie Card from Annamariedesigns, another purchase from the Summer Crafting Show, and some more of the pink mirri card behind and then finally I've used a white card with a scalloped edge.  I cut the swirls in mirri card and the flowers in various colours of the Dottie Card.I love all the dies I've used for this card, the central one is so versatile and I've used these flowers and swirls on a number of cards I've made recently as they are just the right size. I'm entering this card into the following blog challenges:

LOTV July Challenge Pretty in pink
Paula Holifield Crafts Die-ing for it challenge
Ladybug Crafts July Challenge - your favourite die

Lemon and Lavender

I bought the flitter glue starter kit some time ago and decided to have a go with it after watching Kay demonstrate this again last Saturday at the Indigoblu opening of their new shop.  I bought one or two stamps there and thought they would be ideal for the fussy and fancy challenge theme of Lemon and Lavender.  I made a background by brushing Mustard Seed and Milled Lavender distress inks onto white card and then stamped the bubbles background in the same colours.  I cut a spellbinder die and stamped Juliet in flitter glue and heat embossed with Wow persian indigo embossing glitter and brushed round the edge of the die with Milled Lavender. I then cut some swirls from mirri and plain purple card and some flowers from white card and coloured in various yellow tones with Promarkers.   I'm quite pleased with my first attempt at using flitter glue and with the finished card which I'm going to give to my daughter for her birthday next week. I am also entering it just in time I hope for the fussy and fancy challenge which finishes at midnight tonight.

1940s

Here is a card I've made for a friend's birthday later this month using a Debbi Moore topper and background papers. The flowers are die cut from some gold mirri card.  I'm entering this card into the Crafts Too Challenge You challenge twist 1 for July choose a decade.  I'm not totally sure of the decade this picture comes from but am going for 1940s as it reminds me of photos of my mother in that decade.

Don't be Square

This is a card my mother in law asked me to make recently for her niece's 50th birthday.  I used an image from my favorite CD by Jane Shasky, From the heart of the garden, which I had to buy after seeing Joanna Sheen demonstrate on Create and Craft. I've rounded off the corners of the topper and matted onto a Spellbinder die I'd just acquired.  I used a floral embossing folder to emboss the white background and matted this onto the turquoise card which I had used for the spellbinder die and sentiment.  I found some ribbon which matched the colour scheme to finish off.  I am entering this into the Joanna Sheen Challenge Don't Be Square.

Steam Punk

Steam Punk is completely different to anything I've done before but I had some stamps that I thought might be on the right lines so thought I'd have a go and get some practice with embossing and inking techniques. I used script, cogs and clock stamps for the background and vintage photo, antique linen and walnut stain distress inks to both stamp the images add shading to the edges.  I stamped and embossed the globe, cogs and clocks some with clear embossing powder and some with gold.  The globe is matted onto a piece of Old World matt stack card which I embossed in the grand calibre with a circles embossing folder and tore the edges.  Finally I attached the 3 clock faces with some string. This was a whole Saturday afternoon job, hope this first attempt at Steam Punk fits the bill for the Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge

Summer

This is my summer themed card. I started by brushing Mustard Seed Distress ink and Adirondack Pool into the center of a piece of white card and Adirondack Raspberry around the edges.  I stamped the Indigo Blu flourish stamp with Adirondack Wild Plum ink around the edges of the card and placed one of the Indigo Blu sentiments stamped into the middle.  I stamped out a few of the Indigo Blu blazing poppy stamp onto separate cards, cut out the individual flower heads and coloured them with a mixture of promarkers and cosmic shimmer powers mixed with water and used some glossy accents in the centres.  I then attached the flowers with pinflair glue.  Unfortunately the full effect of the cosmic shimmer doesn't show up on the photo. The butterfly is a die cut in silver and purple mirri.  Finally I matted onto silver mirri card and a white card with scalloped edges. I am entering this card for the Indigo Blu Challenge 5 Summer competition and Country View Crafts Challenge Summer Sizzler Competition.

Use A Sentiment

This is a card I made using LOTV wedding stamp coloured with promarkers and LOTV sentiment stamp.  I cut out a circle from the front of a square card, stamped the wedding couple onto a circular piece of white card and matted this onto a fancy edged circle and then onto a lilac background.  I then added some flowers and die cut flourishes onto the front of the card.

I am entering this card for the LOTV June Challenge its all about the sentiment.

http://ideastoinspire.blogspot.co.uk/p/challenge.html

Summer

This card has been made with Sheena Douglas stamps which I bought at least a year ago.  I stamped onto Neenah card and coloured the hills and children on the jetty with promarkers.  I used Adirondack inks and a brush for the sky and water and decoupaged the little boat and used some glossy accents on the sales to make them stand out.  I would like to enter this card for the Summer Challenge athttp://www.crafterscompanion.co.uk/blog/crafterscompetition/2013/06/01/june-challenge-summer/

Cards for Men

Cards for Men - I've been too busy in the garden and making cards to put anything on my blog for the last couple of weeks but here is a card I made for my Dad for his 89th birthday the other week.  I used one of the A1 Pilkington Transport Stamps for the topper, coloured in with pro markers.  For the background I used an embossing folder to emboss the circle pattern onto some card I found in my draw.  I used the Clarity word stamps for the Dad word and embellished with some string.

I'd like to enter this card for the following challenges:
Joanna Sheen Fathers Day/Male Challenge
Ladybug June Challenge for the Men in your Life
Little Claire's Monthly Challenge Male Theme

Clarity Stamp Challenge - Guest Designer

I was so lucky to have won the Clarity Stamp Challenge in May and so pleased to be asked to design a card  for the June theme of Mr and Mrs.  I decided to make a wedding card using the wrought iron heart stamp which was one of the design club monthly stamps last year. I’ve used an 8 x 8 scalloped card blank and stamped the heart stamp randomly around a smaller piece of card with versamark, brushed over with milled lavender to get a resist effect and matted onto silver mirri.  I stamped the hearts twice onto Theuva card, embossed one in gold and one in silver and coloured in pinks and lilacs with promarkers.  I cut out the hearts and mounted onto a square of white and Miri card then mounted onto the card with silicone glue for a slightly raised effect.  I used the wedding word stamp with Versamark and silver embossed. Overall I am quite pleased with the finished card.

For my Daughters birthday

A card I made for my daughter's birthday today which I couldn't publish before for obvious reasons.  I saw the shoe stamp demo'd by Chloe on C&C and knew it was the stamp I needed for this birthday card.  I used some lilac and purple card and embossed the front of the shoe with silver Wow embossing powder and glittered the flower.  I used pearls and lilac gem embellishments.