Bold Blooms

Good evening all,

Today I would like to share a card and co-ordinating ATC I made. I really wanted to make a card where I coloured with Promarkers so I could enter again into this week's Passion for Markers special 13th Birthday challenge - which meant it also needed to incorporate spots and/or stripes. I wasn't feeling massively inspired for some reason, but I had a play around and this is what I came up with.

First - a card ...

I cut a square of stamping card, and stamped my main flower image which I coloured with Promarkers and Flexmarkers and highlighted with white gel pen. I then masked the flower and sponged a two-colour background with Distress Oxides ink, then placed a stencil on top and sponged around the flower with black DO. I then removed the mask and did a little background 2nd generation stamping with my Lavinia wording stamp, and created some white spots in the corners with texture paste through another stencil. When everything was dry I cut out my image panel with a stitched square die, matted it onto a slightly larger stitched square, and matted again onto my base card which I had also cut into the stitched square shape. I added a sentiment and job done!

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the finished result ... it was my first time using texture paste and I smudged it a bit (I could just say it looks "rustic" - that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!). Also I think my honeycomb stencilling which was meant to make the flower "pop" has ended up looking a bit over done ... but hey, it's done now and it's all a learning process!!

Stamps: Woodware "Bold Blooms"; Lavinia "Keeping the Faith"; sentiment - Uniko "Simply Said Blocks II";

Media: Flower - Promarkers and Flexmarkers; background - Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Peacock Feathers, Twisted Citron, Black Soot); Memento ink; Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Warm Breeze); Tim Holtz Distress Texture paste (matte); Sakura white gel pen; 

Tools: Darkroom Door stencil - Honeycomb; Crafters Companions stencil; stitched square dies from Amazon.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Addicted to Stamps and More #430 - Die Cuts and/or Stencils (2nd entry)

Alphabet Challenge - D is for Die Cuts

Colour Crazy Craft Challenge #21 2022 - Anything Goes With Colouring

Crafter's Cafe #285 - Spots and/or Stripes (2nd entry)

Dream Valley #271 - Summer Colours

Krafty Chicks #613 - All Occasions (2nd entry)

Mixed Media Lovers #13 - Anything Mixed Media (2nd entry) - TOP 3

NBUS #38 - Use Your Never Before Used Schtuff  (4th entry)

(I have never used texture paste before)

Passion For Markers #642 - Special Anniversary Challenge - Spots and/or Stripes

As mentioned above, I also made a co-ordinating ATC in parallel.

The Woodware stamps are a 2-stamp set; and for the ATC I used the smaller one which just fit! My method was exactly the same as for the card, except that I used a different stencil to create smaller white dots, and a different sentiment. I rounded the corners of the finished panel and matted onto standard ATC size black linen cardstock.

Stamps: Woodware "Bold Blooms"; Lavinia "Keeping the Faith"; sentiment - Woodware "Blooming";

Media: Flower - Promarkers and Flexmarkers; background - Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Peacock Feathers, Twisted Citron, Black Soot); Memento ink; Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Warm Breeze); Tim Holtz Distress Texture Paste (matte); Sakura white gel pen; 

Tools: Darkroom Door stencil - Honeycomb; Tim Holtz stencil - Dot Fade; X-Cut corner rounder punch.

Challenges I would like to enter: 

A Gem of a Challenge #11 2022 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Crafty Catz #597 - Anything Goes

Creative Crafters #52 - Anything Goes - TOP 3

Path of Positivity #101 - Anything Positive Goes (3rd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes (4th entry)

Snippets Playground #429 - Anything Goes With Snippets

(my little piece of stamping card and mat were both snippets!!)

Taylormadecards4u (May) - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Use Your Stuff #449 - Anything Goes

That's all for today - hope you're all keeping well and enjoying your day. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #678

Hi everyone,

It's Saturday so it's time for another weekly Allsorts Challenge. Thanks so much to everyone who entered our special 13th birthday challenge last week and made it such a success .. it was great seeing all your entries.

This week Mervi has chosen the theme and it is

*** Anything but Birthdays ***

After last week's mega prize haul, we are now back to normality ... which means that we have just the 2 great prizes on offer!! They are...

a Paper Boutique 8" x 8" Sunflower paper pad

and

a Tattered Lace Cut 'n' Emboss - Sweetpeas

Here's my card for this week.

Having recently got this adorable Lavinia fairy house stamp in order to make a new home card for my oldest friend, I found I was able to get my money's worth as we also have a new set of neighbours, so I decided to make them feel welcome with a card. It isn't as elaborate as my first card, but I'm still pleased with how it turned out.

As this is a tall image I decided to make a 7*5 card which is very unusual for me. I was inspired by a Lavinia tutorial (which I can't now find) to place my house inside a stencilled oval - I used my Press to Impress oval stencil to place my stamp, then stamped it and coloured with Promarkers and Flexmarkers. I then masked the house and replaced the oval stencil so I could sponge a distress oxide background - grass and sky. I then stamped my various flowers, fairy charm, birds and dragonfly with various colours of Versafine Clair, and dotted some Posca pen flowers around the base of the house. I finished off by matting the image panel and stamping my sentiment, and attaching little house number stickers to the front door.

Stamps: Lavinia Harrietas House, Fairy Charms, Garden Poppy, Bluebells, Silhouette Foliage Set, Birds, Fairy Bugs; sentiment - Woodware;

Media: house - Promarkers and Flexmarkers; background - Tim Holtz Distress oxide inks (Rustic Wilderness, Mowed lawn, Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean); Versfine Clair (Nocturne, Charming Pink, Warm Breeze); Versafine (Majestic Blue); Posca pen (pink); Posca sparkle pens (pale pink, yellow);

Tools: Large oval stencil - Crafts Too Press to Impress.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Addicted to Stamps and More #430 - Die Cuts and/or Stencils

Classic Design Challenge #5 2022 - Anything Goes (5th entry)

Crafty Calendar (May) - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

I ❤️ Promarkers #511 - Anything Goes

Krafty Chicks #613 - All Occasions

Love To Scrap #155 - Anything Goes

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2221 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Passion for Markers #642 - Special Anniversary Challenge - Spots and/or Stripes

(Spotty roof and dotty flowers around base of house)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #545/546 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Insightful Meadows

Good afternoon to you all,

Just a very quick post from me today to share a li'l ATC I made yesterday after I had finished making a card. This one was actually pretty quick, but I'm pleased with how it turned out - I have called it "Insightful Meadows I".

I created a smoosh background using Distress Oxide ink, then sponged more DO around a circle mask to create my moon. I then stamped my flower stamp twice - once in black and once in purple to give a sense of depth, then I background stamped my wording using 2nd generation grey. I highlighted everything with my Sakura stardust pen, added some wisps of mist using a pastel pencil, and attached three iridescent gems before matting onto black linen cardstock.

Stamps: Unity Stamps - Insightful Meadows, Lavinia - Keeping the Faith;

Media: Distress oxide inks (Kitsch Flamingo, Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist); Versafine (Imperial Purple); Sakura sparkle pen (Stardust); pastel pencil (white).

Challenges I would like to enter:

A Gem of a Challenge #11 2022 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

A Tiny Craft #9 - ATC's - Flowers (3rd entry)

ATC's With a Heart - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Double D -  Monochromatic

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2221 - Anything Goes (2nd entry) - HONORARY MENTION

Retro Rubber #183 - Anything Goes With an Old Stamp

(Insightful Meadows is older than I care to remember ... at least 10 years)

Simon Says (Monday) - Not a Card (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #545-546 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Let Your Spirit Take Flight ... and More Sweet Honeysuckle

Hi everyone,

Today is the last day of the Lavinia website monthly challenge ... and I realised much to my horror I hadn't made a single entry!!  I decided to put that right before it was too late, and seeing as this month's theme is "Blossoms Blooming" I made one of my favourite type of Lavinia cards, which is a meadow scene.

I think this type of scene particularly suits DL cards, and they are also ideal for trading three ATC's, but I was hampered as I didn't have any DL envelopes. I put that right last time I was out shopping, so now I'm ready to go.

I cut a panel of white stamping card and created a smoosh background with Distress Oxide inks, then used a circle mask and blended more DO on top to make a sun. I created some grounding using a hill mask and DO, then stamped a variety of flowers + a butterfly using a mix of colours of Versafine Clair and 1st/2nd generation stamping. I coloured my poppies and butterfly with Sakura sparkle pens, and also highlighted the outline of the sun and the flowers. I also added some “wisps” of mist with white pastel pencil, but they are hardly visible on camera. Lastly I stamped my sentiment, then edged the panel with black Promarker and matted it onto teal pearlescent linen cardstock and my card blank.

Stamps: Lavinia Dandelions, Garden Poppy, Group Poppies, Field Grass, Silhouette Foliage Set, Mini Flutter,  Let Your Spirit Take Flight;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Squeezed Lemonade, Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Twilight, Warm Breeze); Sakura sparkle pens (yellow, turquoise); white pastel pencil;

Tools: Lavinia hill and circle masks;

Heart gem from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Colour Crazy #20 2022 - Anything Goes with Colouring (2nd entry)

Crafty Catz #596 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Dare 2B Artzy (May) - Flowers (3rd entry)

Get Creative #111 - Use Flowers (3rd entry)

Path of Positivity #101 - Anything Goes Positive  (2nd entry)

Shopping Our Stash #471 - Make Mine a Tall One

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes

Sparkles #152 - Floral Frenzy (3rd entry)

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Time Out #214 - Word Prompt 

Try It On Tuesday - Butterflies

Word Art Wednesday #545-546 - Anything Goes

I would also like to share today a set of three ATC's I made for the May challenge over in the FB group UK Stampers Forum, where the theme is Sweet Things. I played around with a few ideas involving cupcakes and baking but nothing seemed to come together, so I decided to go with sweet smelling rather than sweet tasting, and  did what I had wanted to do since making my Allsorts DT card for last Saturday... which was to make ATC's in the same style. I have entitled these "Sweet Honeysuckle".

. I cut three pieces of card slightly smaller than standard ATC size, and lightly stencilled them with my brick wall stencil and Distress Oxide ink. I then stamped and heat embossed my honeysuckle and bee, and painted with Posca sparkle pens dabbed down and picked up with a fine paintbrush. I didn't really have a suitable sentiment, so I used my individual alphabet stamps to create the word "sweet", then cut out and matted on top. I edged each panel with black Promarker and then matted onto standard ATC-size pieces of rose gold card stock, before finishing with some pink and gold Posca pen spatter dots. As usual it requires an angled pic to really show the shimmer...

A closer look at each ATC

1/3

2/3

3/3

Stamps: Lavinia Honeysuckle, Bee Mini; sentiment - Hobbycraft mini alphabet;

Media: background - Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink (Spun Sugar); Posca sparkle pens (pale pink, red, orange, green); Versafine Clair (Nocturne); clear embossing powder; Stickles glitter;

Tools: Crafters Companion brick wall stencil from "Life Happens" set. 

Challenges I would like to enter:

A Gem of a Challenge #11 2022 - Anything Goes

A Tiny Craft #9 - ATC's - Flowers (2nd entry)

ATC's With a Heart - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Crafts Galore Encore #99 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Fab 'n' Funky #552 - Anything  But Square

Mixed Media Lovers #13 - Anything Mixed Media

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2221 - Anything Goes

River of Creativity #13 - Not a Card (3rd entry)

Simon Says (Monday) - Not a Card

Worldwide Open Design Team Challenge #5 2022 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Time for a cup of tea and some TV now!! Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Allsorts Challenge #677 - 13th Birthday Challenge

Good morning everyone, and welcome to a very special  Allsorts Challenge. This week we are celebrating the challenge's 13th birthday - woo hoo! So we are having a special celebration with several guest designers and a bumper crop of prizes for a host of lucky winners.

This week's challenge theme is fairly obvious and is

*** Anything For A Birthday ***

Our main prize is a bundle of Sizzix and Paper Boutique coloured card, DP's and Scrapbook kit. 

We also have 13 prizes (1 for each year of our birthday ... did you see what we did there??) of a stamp or stamp set - each one will be a surprise but they are from an assortment of well known brands.

Last but by no means least, Ruth Hamilton Design is offering one lucky winner 3 digi images of their choice from her store.

So … 15 prizes in total !! 😀 I'm sure you'll agree this is a bumper crop ... but you have to be in it to win it, so let everything else wait and get in your craft room !!

So without further ado .... here's my card for this week.

One of my friends very kindly gifted me a Lavinia Stamps voucher for my birthday, and the stamps I chose include,d the beautiful “Honeysuckle” and the cute little bee. I definitely wanted to use them for this challenge, and to give an impression of the honeysuckle climbing against a wall. I was also raring to try out my new Posca sparkle pens which were a birthday gift from another friend, so this card really does incorporate all things birthday !!

I cut a piece of white stamping card and lightly stencilled with a brick wall stencil and Distress Oxide in random patches. I then stamped and heat embossed my honeysuckle several times, then painted with Posca sparkle pens which I tapped onto a piece of spare card then picked up with a fine paintbrush …. I really loved the shimmery look this creates, and even mixed two colours to obtain a more golden green for the leaves.   I stamped and heat embossed my sentiment which was a mixture of words from two different co-ordinating Uniko sets - I think the font compliments the lines of the honeysuckle really well. I then stamped and embossed a couple of bees which I also coloured with Posca sparkle pen, with holographic glitter on the wings. I matted the panel onto black and then pearlescent rose gold cardstock and attached to my 7*5 card base, and finished off with some sparkly pink and golden orange Posca spatter.

Stamps: Lavinia Honeysuckle, Bee Mini; sentiment - Uniko;

Media: background - Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink (Spun Sugar); Posca sparkle pens (pale pink, deep pink, orange, green) from a set of 8; Versafine Clair (Nocturne); clear embossing powder; holographic glitter;

Tools: Crafters Companion brick wall stencil from “Life Happens” set.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Card Concept #175 - May Flowers

(I was inspired by the colours/flowers in the mood board)

Colour Crazy #20 2022 - Anything Goes with Colouring

Craft Rocket #92 - Birthdays

Crafty Catz #596 - Anything Goes

Creations In Pink #46 - Anything Goes In Mainly Pink

Dare 2B Artzy (May) - Flowers (2nd entry)

Get Creative #111 - Use Flowers (2nd entry)

Happy Little Stampers: Stencils (May) - Anything Goes with a stencil (2nd entry)

Inkspirational - Use Something Gifted or Free

Make My Monday #174 - Springtime

Moving Along With the Times #142 - Birthday

NBUS #38 - Use Your Never Before Used Schtuff (3rd entry)

(All the stamps and Posca pens)

Sheepski #62 - For the Girlz (3rd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Layer It Up

Sisterhood of Crafters - Think Pink (2nd entry)

Sparkles #152 - Floral Frenzy (2nd entry)

Stamping Sensations (May) - Anything Stamped with option Floral and Fauna (3rd entry)

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Use Your Stuff #448 - Use a Touch of Gold

We Love Stamping (May) - For a Lady (3rd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #543-544 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Hope you can join us this week, and I look forward to seeing your entries. Don't forget to visit the challenge blog to see more fab inspiration from the rest of the team, including our guest designers who have joined us specially for this

 celebration. Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Dot Fade Florals

Hi there,

I managed to fit in a bit more playtime with some more of my birthday stash, so I'd like to share what I made with a beautiful  new set of mini silhouette flowers by Woodware, and a Tim Holtz stencil.  I had my eye on this Woodware floral set for a while, and was further encouraged by seeing some lovely makes by the very talented Kathy on her blog, so I popped it in my birthday basket!!

First, a card ...

I cut a 4" square of stamping card, and created a background with Tim Holtz "Dot Fade" stencil and Distress oxide inks.I then stamped my flowers and bee, which I coloured with blck fineliner, yellow sparkle Posca pen and Sakura stardust pen for the wings. I stamped round the edges of my base card with grungy wording and hearts - all Woodware - and my sentiment; then matted my image panel centrally - job done!!  

Stamps: Woodware "Mini Flower Silhouettes", "Additions", "Blooming"; sentiment - unknown;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, Barn Door); Versafine Clair (Nocturne); black fineliner; Posca sparkle pen (yellow); Sakura Stardust pen;

Tools: Tim Holtz stencil - "Dot Fade".

Once I had got on a roll I decided to create a couple of co-ordinating ATC's, which I entitled "Dot Fade Florals". These largely followed the same method as the card above, except that the background stamping was done with Morning Mist VFC, and I used a different sentiment form the same unknown set.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Card

A Gem of a Challenge #10 2022 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Addicted to Stamps and More #429 - Any Occasion (2nd entry)

Crafter's Cafe #285 - Spots and/or Stripes

Creatalicious #235 - Anything Goes

Dare 2B Artzy (May) - Flowers

Get Creative #111 - Use Flowers

Happy Little Stampers: Stencils (May) - Anything Goes with a stencil

Sheepski #62 - For the Girlz (2nd entry)

Sparkles #152 - Floral Frenzy

Word Art Wednesday #543-544 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

ATC's

A Tiny Craft #9 - ATC’s - Flowers

ATC’s With a Heart - Anything Goes - TOP 3

Classic Design Challenge #5 2022 - Anything Goes (4th entry) - DT FAVOURITE

C.R.A.F.T. #637 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Crafting Happiness #123 - Anything Goes

NBUS #38 - Use Your Never Before Used Schtuff (2nd entry)

(mine is the floral stamps and the stencil)

Path of Positivity #101 - Anything Goes Positive

River of Creativity #13 - Anything but a Card (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Not a Card (2nd entry)

That's me done for today. Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Wings of Change

Good morning everyone,

When I made my card for Allsorts challenge last week, I wasn’t happy with my first attempt at a background panel. Instead of binning it like I usually do I cut it down and used the part I was happy with to make an ATC using some more new birthday goodies, and ended up making two more to go with it. I have called this series “Wings of Change”.

I created a smoosh background with Distress Oxide inks, cut it down to slightly less than standard ATC size and did some 2nd generation background stamping. I used my stunning new Visible Image “Broken Mesh” die to add some interest and texture, and as it is a really big die I cut out portions to use on each ATC. I stamped and heat embossed my words then stamped/ embossed my butterflies which I coloured with Cosmic Shimmer mica paints. I fussy cut the butterflies and attached to the ATC’s and added some teeny heart gems. The panels are matted onto co-ordinating pearlescent purple linen cardstock. 

Here's a closer look at each ATC...

1/3

2/3

3/3

For some reason the photos make the darker butterflies look blue, whereas in real life they are lilac and very shimmery - the angle picture below captures the colour better.

Stamps: Visible Image “Wings of Change” and “Butterfly effect”;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Kitsch Flamingo, Picked Raspberry, Shaded Lilac); Cosmic Shimmer paints (Frosted Mallow, Blue Lilac); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Charming Pink); clear embossing powder;

Tools: Visible Image “Broken Mesh” die.

Challenges I would like to enter:

C.R.A.F.T. #637 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Cut It Up #251 - Any Animal or Insect + a Die Cut

Dragonfly Dreams (May) - Butterflies and/or Flowers (3rd entry)

Dream Valley #270 - Add Embellishments

Incy Wincy (May) - Use a Die Cut or Punch

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2220 - Anything Goes

Pixie's Snippets Playground #428 - Use Snippets

(all the card used for these ATC’s was snippets😀)

River of Creativity #13 - Anything but a Card

Simon Says (Monday) - Add Texture

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Not a Card

I'm starting to build up a bit of a stock of ATC's now, so hopefully it won't be too long before I can start proper trading!!  Take care, and thanks for visiting today.

Hugs,