Paint Your Dreams

Hi everyone, today I would like to share a set of ATC's I made with various AALL & Create stamps, including one set from Tracy Evans' April release, and another older set of paintbrushes etc. which I bought recently in a sale as I thought it could work for ATC's, and hadn't used until now.  The general colour scheme of this set is inspired by Tracy's current challenge in her FB group - monochromatic with a pop of colour.

My starting point was  the run off from some brayering of grey Distress Oxides for a previous monochrome card here. I stamped the background stamp in grey, then cut the card into four pieces each 3.25" x 2.25". I stamped and heat embossed a variety of paintbrushes and tubes onto separate card, then coloured the metal + paint tubes with silver acrylic paint and the handles with black Promarker. I fussy cut the pieces and arranged them over the cards until I was happy, then attached. I created my streaks and spatters of paint using pink Posca pen, then stamped and cut out my sentiments and attached. I matted each piece onto standard ATC size black card stock, then finished by applying Glossy accents  to the pink painted areas. 

Here's a closeup of each individual ATC.

ATC1

ATC2

ATC3

ATC4

Stamps: AALL & Create #909 Garden Notes (background), #340 Paint Your Dreams (image and wording), #906 Art Notes and #531 Textured Florals (wording);

Media:  Tim Holtz Distress oxide inks ( Hickory Smoke, Lost Shadow); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist, Charming Pink); acrylic paint (silver); Promarker (black); Posca pen (pink); Glossy Accents.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Crafting From the Heart #1 - Anything Goes (no cards)

Crafty Catz #634 - Anything Goes

Creative Artiste #92 - Anything Mixed Media Goes - TOP 3

Let's Craft and Create #194 - Anything Goes with option Pink and Grey (2nd entry)

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2216 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Monday) - Make Your Mark (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes

Use Your Stuff #482 - Layers

We Love 2 Create Mixed Media #3 2023 - Anything Mixed Media Goes

Word Art Wednesday #593/594 - Anything Goes

I think I'm having a bit of an ATC frenzy at the moment ... I just love setting up the swaps, packaging my ATC's with a nice handmade card for the recipient, and receiving happy mail to put in my album!

That's all for today - take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

More Midnight Magic

Hi everyone, today is the last day of April’s Lavinia Creative Challenge, so I am sharing a card that I made yesterday with that plus a few other challenges in mind (entered into that challenge without the sentiment).  I decided to try for the first time making a Lavinia scene with water and reflections … something I have been meaning to try for sometime but never got round to. Here’s the result.

I started by sponging 2 blue Distress Inks onto a square of stamping card for water and sky, using a circle mask for the moon - I don’t often use DI’s but decided I didn’t want the chalky look of Distress Oxides for this project. I then used a straight paper mask and hill mask with blended Distress Oxide to create my hills and reflection of them, them stamped my focal fairy using Versafine Clair. I stamped the reflection of my large trees using my gel press, then stamped the large trees. I stamped the owl, a few further trees using a mixture of 1st and 2nd generation stamping in dark blue, and their reflections using the gel press, then I used DI and a water brush to paint ripples in the water. I stamped some flowers and rushes in the bottom corner, then  highlighted the whole scene with Sakura Stardust pens and coloured the moon with my  Spectrum Noir sparkle pen.  I edged the card with black marker pen and matted onto a black border and my card base.

Here's the obligatory angled picture to show that this is another VERY sparkly card!

I did struggle bit with creating water and reflections  … I’m not sure that my colouring media are entirely suitable, and I also tried creating a reflection using my brayer but I didn’t get on very well with that so turned to stamping onto my gel press. I wouldn’t say my reflection is by any means perfect, but I did my best and I’m not too displeased with it for my first attempt. 

Stamps: Lavinia Tree Goddess Luna, Forest Scene, Tree Scene, Wild Summer Flowers, Silhouette Foliage Set, Grass, Brodwin and Maylin; sentiment - AALL & Create #340 Paint Your Dreams;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Chipped Sapphire, Faded Jeans, Dusty Concord); Distress Oxide inks (Black Soot, Hickory Smoke, Stormy Sky); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Twilight); Sakura Stardust pens (clear, blue); Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen (clear).

Challenges I would like to enter:

Country View Challenges (April) - Things With Wings (4th entry)

Creative Inspirations (April) - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Double D - Things That Fly (3rd entry)

Lavinia Creative Challenge (April) - Magic at Midnight (2nd entry)

My Time to Craft #506 - Fantasy Creatures / Characters

Pammie's Inky Pinkies #2316 - Anything Goes

Simon Says (Monday) - Make Your Mark

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Things With Wings (3rd entry) - WINNER

We Love Stamping (April) - Anything Stamped with option Real Birds or Animals (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #591/592 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

That’s all for today, but I’ll be back soon with some makes using some of the latest Tracy Evans AALl & Create stamps that fell into my online basket last week 🤣🤣 Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Rainbow Wings

Hi everyone, today’s card is a fairly CAS one for me, but one where I’m very pleased with how it turned out using the fabulous Visible Image “Butterfly Ink” stencil which I think really pops! I felt motivated to use it to create a rainbow effect butterfly as I had spotted a couple of rainbow-themed challenges, and I felt that using these bright happy colours would put me in an upbeat mood which indeed it did!

I cut a square of stamping card, and sponged Distress Oxide inks through the stencil to form a rainbow effect. I then stamped the central butterfly, masked it, and stamped my grungy numbers. I then stamped the butterfly again onto separate card, coloured with black Promarker and Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen, then attached to the image. I finished by stamping a sentiment, edging the card with black marker pen, and matting simply onto a black border and my base card.

Stamps: Visible Image VI Minis #1, Where Flowers Bloom; sentiment - Crafter’s Companion Sending Positive Thoughts;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Squeezed Lemonade, Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean, Villainous Potion, Wilted Violet);  Promarker (black);  Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear);

Tools: Visible Image stencil - Butterfly Ink.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Country View Challenge (April) - Things With Wings (3rd entry) - TOP 3

Crazy Is Our Fame, Stencils Are Our Game (April) - Use a Stencil

Creative Moments #244 - Wings and Things (3rd entry)

Day of the Month Card Club #50 - Find a Rainbow Day - WINNER

Double D - Things That Fly (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Monday) - Rainbow - DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Things With Wings  (2nd entry)

Stamping Sensations (April) - Anything Stamped with option CAS (3rd entry)

Triple B (April), Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms (3rd entry) - TOP 3

Try It On Tuesday - Rainbow Colours

Have a great weekend everyone, take care and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Midnight Blues

Hi everyone, today I would like to share a set of ATC’s I made for the monthly swap on UK Stampers’ Forum where this month’s theme is The Blues. My inspiration for this was really twofold … the idea of a springtime bluebell meadow, and this month’s Lavinia Creative Challenge which is Magic at Midnight. I needed three cards for the swap but actually created four (plus a couple of failed attempts!), so I have an extra one to trade separately. 

I created a midnight sky background on various white card snippets by blending several shades of Distress Oxide ink and using small circular masks for the moons. I then stamped the trees in black, and the bluebells in 2 shades of blue Versafine Clair plus Stormy Sky DOX for the faint background flowers. I stamped a bird or bunny in the bottom corner of each ATC, then highlighted everything with my Sakura Stardust pen. Finally I edged each piece with black marker, and matted onto standard ATC size cards cut from a large snippet of dark blue card stock.

Here is an angled picture to show the sparkle …

… and closeups of a couple of the individual ATC's - a bunny and a bird.

Stamps: Lavinia Spring Trees, Bluebell, Bird Collection, Pipin;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Chipped Sapphire, Blueprint Sketch, Stormy Sky, Bkack Soot); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Medieval Blue); Versafine (Majestic Blue); Sakura Stardust pen (clear).

Challenges I would like to enter:

Bunny 

Crafts Galore Encore #110 - Anything Goes

Crafty Animals #71 - Anything Goes With an Animal

Cutie Pie #181 - Bunnies and Blooms

Daisy Chain #73 - Animals

Dream Valley #292 - Our Four Legged Friends

Get Creative #120 - Springtime Blues

Lavinia Creative Challenge (April) - Magic at Midnight

Paper a La Mode (April) - Plant Some Ideas (Not a Card)

Snippets Playground #452 - Use Snippets

Word Art Wednesday #591/592 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Bird

A Gem of a Challenge #8 2023 - Anything Goes

Country View Challenge (April) - Things With Wings (2nd entry)

Creative Crafters #63 - Anything Goes

Creative Moments #244 - Wings and Things (2nd entry)

Double D - Things That Fly

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2315 - Anything Goes

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Things With Wings

Triple B (April) - Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms (2nd entry)

We Love Stamping (April) - Anything Stamped with option Real Birds or Animals

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

I Spy With My Little Eye #2

Hi everyone, it’s the 3rd Wednesday of the month, which means it’s time for a new I Spy … challenge over at my blogging friend Ellie’s blog Ellibelle's Corner. After my stint as Guest Designer for challenge #1 she has asked me to be co-designer - woo hoo and thank you!! 🥰, so here I am again with a sample card. 

Without further ado this month’s theme is… 

I Spy With My Little Eye … April Showers or May Flowers

I decided to go with flowers, and to create a bright and vibrant meadow flower scene. This card was actually made to cheer up a close friend and her husband, who were both poorly a couple of weeks ago with Covid  having managed to swerve it for the past 3 years, so I wanted it to be bright and happy colours! I needed it to be in the mail quickly so my photo isn't the best, but here it is.

I stamped my flowers and grasses plus little birds using a variety of colours of Versafine Clair with mostly 1st generation but also some 2nd generation stamping, then coloured the meadow flower heads and highlighted the dandelions and birds with Sakura Stardust pens. I stamped my sentiment, added a teeny heart gem, then edged the panel with black marker pen and matted onto bright  turquoise card stock and my card base. Very simple really, though a bit fiddly with all the different ink colours.

Here’s a closeup of the sparkly flowers.

Stamps: Lavinia Summer Meadow Flowers, Field Grass, Leaf Spray, Fairy Dandelions, Flower Collection, Bird Collection; Sentiment - Crafter’s Companion Sharing Positivity;

Media: Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Charming Pink, Cheerful, Summertime, Bluebell, Verdant, Morning Mist); Sakura Stardust pens (pink, orange, yellow, turquoise, clear).

Challenges I would like to enter:

Beautiful Blossoms #4 - Anything Goes Floral with optional Mood Board

Creative Inspirations (April) - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Creative Moments #244 - Wings and Things

Daring Cardmakers - Bloom and Grow

Paper Dragonfly #16 - April Showers Bring Spring Flowers

Paper Funday #52 - Anything Goes with option Flower Power (2nd entry)

Path of Positivity #111 - Anything Goes Positive (2nd entry) - TOP PICK

Stamping Sensations (April) - Anything Stamped (2nd entry)

Triple B (April) - Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms 

Word Art Wednesday #591/592 - Anything Goes

As mentioned above, the challenge starts on the 3rd Wednesday of each month and will end on the Sunday before the next challenge at 23.59 US Central Time … so that’s Sunday May 14th.

Please do pop over to Ellie's blog to see her fab creations, and link up your April Showers / May flowers makes here.

Take care, and thanks for visiting my blog today.

Hugs,

Sending Easter Sunshine

Hi everyone, Happy Easter! Hope you all have a wonderful day whatever you're doing.

This month's FB ATC swap for Visible Image is on the theme Something Beginning With S, so I immediately thought of spring! There are also extra brownie points for incorporating several "S's" so mine are spring, sunshine, stamping, stencilling, script, sentiment and sparkle (and I also forgot that I had included smooshing!!). I actually made a set of 3 ATC's so I would have a couple of extra ones to trade separately, and here they are.

I created a smooshed background with two colours of green Distress Oxide ink, then stamped some script stamping in green and applied some soft stencilling in grey. I stamped my daffodil images onto separate card and heat embossed, coloured with Posca sparkle pens, then fussy cut and placed on the ATC's. Before attaching them I placed and stamped my sentiment, and also stamped a little "grungy" splat on each one.Finally I edged each ATC with black pen, and matted onto black card stock.

Here is a close up of the one I traded for the VI swap.

Stamps: Visible Image Golden Daffodils, Sketched Tulips;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Hickory Smoke); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Verdant); Posca Sparkle pens (yellow, orange).

Challenges I would like to enter:

Classic Design Challenge #4 2023 - Anything Goes

Creative Inspirations (April) - Anything Goes

Four Seasons (April) - Anything Spring Goes

Little Red Wagon #699 - Spring or Fall?

My Time To Craft #505 - Easter Flowers or Spring Flowers

Path of Positivity #111 - Anything Goes Positive with option Inspired by Literature

(Wordsworth’s famous poem:

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.)

Paper Funday #52 - Anything Goes with option Flower Power

Try It On Tuesday - Hello Spring

Word Art Wednesday #589/590 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

I'm hoping that the weather will be sufficiently spring-like today to get outside for a nice long Easter walk ... will make me feel less guilty about tucking into an Easter egg later!

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs, 

Monochromatic With a Pop of Colour

Hi everyone, today's card was inspired by the current challenge over on Tracy Evans' FB page, where the focal image has to be one of Tracy's gorgeous AALL & Create stamps. Tracy is also posting a series of short tutorial videos called "Snippets" on Youtube which a lot of crafters are following along with. I'm not actually making any snippets as I don't have any of the recent stamps, though I'm planning on getting some in the next couple of weeks. However I have been watching quite a few of the videos which have made me look at using my existing stamps in new ways, and have given me quite  a few ideas for new-to-me techniques ... and I have used several of them in this card. Coincidentally this project is the same colour scheme as my last post, but I don't mind as I really like it!

First I created a gel plate background using Distress Oxide inks applied direct to the  gel plate with scrunched up cling film to create lines. I very rarely use my gel press as for some reason I don't seem to get on with it very well, but I was quite pleased with how this background turned out and also made a couple more "mop ups" which will appear at some future time.  I then did some background stamping in grey using parts of a larger stamp, then stamped my main flower in black. I stamped a circle from a different stamp onto separate white card, coloured lightly with Cosmic Shimmer watercolour paint, then fussy cut and attached to the corner. I also stamped the flower again onto separate card and heat embossed, coloured with Cosmic Shimmer watercolour paint and Distress Watercolor Pencil (Stem), fussy cut and attached to the card.  I stamped the leaf again in black, cut out and attached the letters from the word "Nature" to give a bit of dimension, then stamped part of a sentiment from a separate set in black and pink, cut up and attached. Finally I stamped a little birdie (the only thing that is not by Tracy on this project) and added some Posca pen spatter and Sakura Stardust pen highlights to the bird and leaf, then edged the finished panel with black marker pen and matted onto pink card stock.

I'm loving the shimmer of my long neglected Cosmic Shimmer watercolours.

Stamps: AALL & Create #531 Textured Florals, #449 Through the Meadows, #340 Paint Your Dreams; Lavinia Bird Collection;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink (Lost Shadow, Hickory Smoke, Black Soot); Distress Watercolor Pencils Set 1 (Black Soot); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist, Charming Pink);  Cosmic Shimmer watercolour paint (Ruby Sparkle); Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Posca pen (white).

Challenges I would like to enter:

Flower Challenge #79 - Focus on Background Stamping

Let's Craft and Create #194 - Anything Goes with option Pink & Grey - TOP 3

Make My Monday #197 - P Is For ... (Pink, Posca)

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2313 - Anything Goes

Simon Says (Monday) - Add Texture

(stamp is called Textured Florals, and I have used heat embossing)

Stamping Sensations (April) - Anything Stamped

Word Art Wednesday #589/590 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

That's all from me for now. Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Time Flies

Hi there, today I would like to share the results of my latest play with the new release Lavinia stamps … another pair of ATC’s which I have called (unsurprisingly) “Time Flies”.

I love making ATC’s to use up my snippets of white stamping card, and I was able to use quite a few for these, including for the ATC base, the fussy cut clocks and even the teeny roses!

First I created a soft brick background using my new Lavinia stencil, first using Hickory Smoke and then delicately edging with Black Soot Distress Oxides. I cut the panel down into pieces 3.25 * 2.25 inches ..there were originally enough for 6 ATC’s, but four got discarded along the way!! Anyhoo .. I stamped the clock on each ATC, then stamped again on separate card and heat embossed, then coloured with a mixture of pink Distress Oxides, silver acrylic paint and pink Sakura Stardust pen.  I stamped the wings, then background stamped words and textured edges using 2nd generation stamping, and cogs using first generation stamping with one of them heat embossed in silver.  I fussy cut my separate clocks, edged with black marker pen and attached on top of the base image.  I stamped and heat embossed a selection of roses on separate card, coloured with Distress Watercolor Pencil and Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen, then fussy cut and attached.  I stamped, cut out and applied my sentiment, then spattered everything with white Posca pen.  When dry I matted onto standard sized ATC black card stock, cut from one of my last remaining snippets … I use black linen card stock a lot for matting, but it seems to have disappeared from Hobbycraft in recent months - oh no!!

Here's a close up of one of them.

Stamps: Lavinia Tock, Angel Wings Small, Cog Set 2, Cog Set 3, Steampunk Script, Texture 2, Rose Set, Time Flies;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Hickory Smoke, Black soot, Kitsch Flamingo, Picked Raspberry); Distress Watercolor Pencils Set 1 (Picked Raspberry); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist, Charming Pink); Versamark; clear and silver embossing powders; acrylic paint (silver); Sakura Stardust pens (pink, clear); Spectrum Noir Sparkle pen (clear); Posca pen (white);

Tools: Lavinia stencil - Red Brick.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Country View Challenges (April) - Things With Wings

Crafts Galore Encore #110 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz #631 - Anything Goes

Creations In Pink #56 - Anything Goes in Mainly Pink

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2313 - Anything Goes

Simon Says (Monday) - Add Texture

(I have used Lavinia "Texture" stamp, and have the texture of heat embossing)

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

Snippets Playground #451 - Use Snippets

We Love 2 Create #3 2023 - Anything Mixed Media Goes (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #589/590 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

That’s all from me for today.  Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,