Monday 17 June 2024

I Spy With My Little Eye Challenge #16


Hi everyone, here we are with a new I Spy With My Little Eye... challenge over at Ellibelle's Corner.  Thanks so much to everyone who joined in last time … please do check over on Ellie’s blog to see if you are one of our top picks. 

I have chosen the challenge theme this month, and it is

I Spy With My Little Eye 

*** Something Blooming Lovely **

We are two days earlier than usual this month, and that is due to our exciting news … We are partnering with Double Trouble Challenge #169.


That means that if you enter the Double Trouble challenge between 17 and 30 June using their main theme of long and skinny card (aka slimline), you get an extra entry in their prize draw if you also use flowers. Additionally, if you enter a floral card into the I Spy Challenge that is also long and skinny, you also get another entry into the Double Trouble prize draw.  

However for the I Spy Challenge it is completely optional to make a slimline card - anything floral will be welcome. Please do pop over to Ellie's blog to see her fab creation and link up your entries here.

This month we have Diane joining us as our guest designer - so please click on her name to visit her blog and see her fabulous floral creation. 

Here is my card for the challenge - as we are partnering with Double Trouble I have made a DL card. This is a size of card I only make very occasionally so I had to put my thinking cap on regarding a suitable floral stamp … this is what I came up with.


I cut a piece of white card 20cm x 9cm and created a smooshed background with Elements inks applied with acetate. I then stamped the floral spray and coloured it with Zig pens, highlighted with Wink of Stella. I blackened the flower centres with a fineliner pen and added some white gel pen highlights, then added some background stamping in grey and soft random stencilling with Elements ink. I added some white Posca spatters then when dry added a stamped sentiment and matted onto a black border and a DL card blank.

Stamps: AALL & Create #278 Passion Flower, #457 Background Voices, #533 Bring On the Sentiments;
Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Confetti, Sundance, Russet Orange); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Morning Mist); Kuretake Zig Clean Colour watercolour pens; Wink of Stella; Posca pen (White);
Tools: Darkroom Door stencil - Diamonds.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Beautiful Blossoms #18 - Anything Floral Goes with optional Mood Board
(I was inspired by the colours)


Double Trouble #169 - Long and Skinny
Dream Valley #318 - Summer Colours
Festive Fridays (June) - Flowers (2nd entry)
Path of Positivity #122 - Anything Goes Positive (2nd entry)
{PIN}spirational #314 - Flowers (3rd entry)
Simon Says (Wednesday) - Bright & Cheerful
(I was inspired by the bright pink flowers)


We Love 2 Create #5 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)
We Love Stamping (June) - Fabulous Florals (3rd entry)
Word Art Wednesday #651/652 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

The I Spy Challenge will end on the Sunday before the next challenge starts at 23:59 US Central Time - so this time that is Sunday July 14th, and the next challenge will begin on Wednesday July 17th.

Take care, and thanks for visiting.
Hugs,

Sunday 9 June 2024

Sending Sunshine


Hi everyone, this month’s Visible Image ATC swap on FB has a theme of How Does Your Garden Grow?, so I thought it was high time I break out my VI sunflower stamp set to make a cheerful summery floral card. It’s not exactly in keeping with the weather we’ve been having here, but I live in hope! As always, I made an ATC and co-ordinating card using only Visible Image stamps, stencils and/or dies.


Firstly the card:


I cut a 5 1/2 inch square of white card and used my gel press to make a background circle by brayering two colours of Elements ink, adding some droplets of watered down Elements then taking a print. I stamped the sunflower for positioning, then masked the circle and added 2nd generation background text stamping in blue. I stamped the sunflower again onto a separate snippet of card, coloured it with Zig pens, fussy cut out and attached, then added further stamped spatters. I stamped the sentiment onto another snippet, cut out and attached, then matted the finished panel onto a black border (another snippet!) and a 6” square card blank. Finally I added some white Posca dots to the flower centre and finished with Glossy Accents.

Stamps: Visible Image Sunflower Grunge, Sketched Tulips (background text), Christmas Robin (addional spatters); Golden Daffodils (sentiment);
Media: Lavinia Elements inks; Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Blue Belle); Kuretake Zig Clean Colour watercolour pens; Posca pen (white); Glossy Accents;
Tools: Lavinia Roland gel press.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Allsorts #784 - Flowers Galore
Beautiful Blossoms #17 - Anything Floral Goes (5th entry) - TOP 5
Crafts Galore Encore #124 - Anything Goes
Four Seasons (June) - Anything Goes Summer
Love to Craft #80 Anything Goes
Path of Positivity #122 - Anything Goes Positive - TOP 5
{PIN}spirational #314 - Flowers (2nd entry)
Triple B (June) - Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms
We Love 2 Create #5 - Anything Goes
We Love Stamping (June) - Fabulous Florals (2nd entry)
Word Art Wednesday #651/652 - Anything Goes

Secondly, the ATC.


 I made the background for this by using the “run off” from my brayer for the gel press, which I rolled onto a spare snippet of card. The background and sunflower stamping were the same as the card, and the wording from the same stamp set as the flower. This ATC was made entirely from snippets!! 

Stamps and media as per card above.

Challenges I would like to enter: 

Love to Scrap #167 - Anything Goes
Make My Monday #227 - B is for Blooms (2nd entry)
Outlawz (June) - Anything Goes In a Card Free Zone
Snippets Playground #482Use Snippets
Time Out #265 - There Are Always Flowers For Those Who Want To See Them


Take care, and thanks for visiting.
Hugs,
 

Monday 3 June 2024

Shadow Blooms


Hi everyone, last week I made a couple of Christmas cards to try out the “shadow stamping” technique, and I enjoyed it so much I just kept going and made a set of 3 ATC’s as well. I had hoped to have something different to show you before posting these, but somehow the last week has just run away from me, so here they are!

Unsurprisingly I have called this series “Shadow Blooms”.


I cut 3 pieces of kraft card each 3.25” x 2.25” and stencilled the background with Lavinia “Red Brick” stencil and Distress Ink. I shadow stamped a flower onto each card using first Versafine Clair in Portobello followed by Brilliance Moonlight White, then added a stamped dragonfly or butterfly (coloured with Sakura Stardust pen) and some mini red stamped hearts. I blended darker Distress Oxide round the edges to add depth, and added silver Posca spatters. I stamped the sentiments onto separate card, cut out and blended with DOX to remove the stark whiteness before attaching, and finally edged each card in silver and matted onto dark brown card stock.

Here are some closeups.

ATC1
ATC2
ATC3

Here is an angled pic to show the gleam of the Moonlight white ink and silver spatters.


Stamps: Unity Stamps Insightful Meadows; Lavinia Fairy Bugs; AALL & Create #533 Bring On the Sentiments; Tracy Evans Boutique Deigns TE10 Quirky Birds (sentiment);
Media: Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain); Versafine Clair (Portobello, Tulip Red); Sakura Stardust pen (pink); Posca pens (silver, white);
Tools: Lavinia stencil - Red Brick.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Beautiful Blossoms #17 - Anything Floral Goes (4th entry)
Krafty Chicks #718 - Anything Goes
Make My Monday #227 - B is for Blooms
Sheepski #87 - Anything Goes
Shopping Our Stash #522 - How Does Your Garden Grow?
Simon Says (Wednesday) - Anything Goes (2nd entry)
We Love Stamping (June) - Fabulous Florals
Word Art Wednesday #649/650 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting.
Hugs,