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