Starter For Ten

Hi everyone, today I’d like to share a simple card using some new supplies I got with the latest Indigo Blu Mixed Media kit crafting magazine - I don’t normally buy craft magazines but I just fancied this one for a change. I also made this card relatively simple as I had the idea of entering it into a “speed” challenge - to make a card (excluding time to plan and gather supplies to hand) in 10 minutes or less … sadly that didn’t quite work out as not only could I not manage to complete it in less than 10 minutes despite forensic planning and gathering of supplies beforehand, but also I discovered the said challenge does not allow entry with many other challenges - never mind! Here’s the result anyway.

I die cut a stitched square of white card, a silver mirror card test tube outline, pink glitter card flowers, green glitter card leaf spray and a shadow sentiment - all from a variety of snippets. I blended  Charted Mariner and Kitsch Flamingo distress Oxides through the Indigo Blu stencil on the left hand side of the stitched square, then stuck down my test tube die cut. I coloured inside the die cut with blue Wink of Stella and clear Spectrum Noir sparkle pens, then trimmed and stuck down my die cut flowers and leaves. I glued together my shadow sentiment die cuts and attached, blended more pink DOX round the edges, then attached to a card blank.

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxides inks (Charted Mariner, Kitsch Flamingo); Wink of Stella (blue); Spectrum noir sparkle pen (pink);

Tools: Hunky Dory Moonstone Duo- Stitched Squares die; Indigo Blu test tube and flower dies (part of magazine kit); Indigo Blu script stencil (same kit); Simon Says Stamp - Script Thanks die.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Addicted to Stamps and More #494 - Any Occasion

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

A Cut Above (June) - Anything Goes with a Die Cut

Fab ‘n’ Funky #618 - Use Your Die Cuts

Just Us Girls #778 - Die Week

Love to Craft #86 - Anything Goes

Love to Scrap #175 - Anything Goes

NBUS #75 - Use Your Never-Before-Used Schtuff

(Test tube and floral dies, script stencil)

Snippets Playground #507 - Use Snippets

(Everything apart from the card blank is a snippet)

Word Art Wednesday #702/703 - Anything Goes

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

Hugs,

June Is Bustin’ Out All Over!

Hi everyone. As regular visitors to my blog will know, I have been decorating a 2025 Lavinia calendar. I started back in October last year, creating the pages out of order as the mood took me, and by the end of the year I had only completed 5 pages! Since then I have been completing the pages as and when, but today was the first time I arrived at the start of a month with the page not yet done … so I had to sit down this afternoon and get a wriggle on! The illustration for June is of Bumble and Hum, so I based my page around that … and here it is! 

Please excuse the poor picture - the direction of the late afternoon light is all wrong but I want to post today … maybe I’ll update the photo tomorrow!

I cut a piece of stamping card 19.5cm x 14.5cm and created a background by blending Elements inks with a brush. I then built up my floral scene, using a variety of colours of Versafine Clair and lots of masking when inking to enable me to stamp the flower heads and stems in different colours. I added Bumble and Hum hovering above, and coloured them with Sakura Stardust pens. I coloured the group poppies with Stardust pen and the tips of the Wild Summer Flowers with white Posca pen, and added white Posca highlights to the poppies and other flowers. I added some white heat embossed dandelions last so they would come to the fore, then stamped my sentiment and  added a couple of stamped dragonflies. Finally I edged the finished piece with blue marker pen and attached to my calendar page.

Here is an angled picture to show the sparkle.

Stamps: Lavinia Bumble and Hum, Wild Summer Flower, Garden Poppy, Group Poppies, Dandelions, Fairy Dandelions, Lavender, Field Grass, Fairy Bugs, Let Your Spirit Take Flight;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Blue Atoll, Green Parrot, Pine); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Strawberry, Lilac Bloom, Arctic,Shady Lane, Avocado, Blue Belle); Versamark; WOW Opaque superfine embossing powder; Sakura Stardust pens (yellow, orange, red, clear); Posca pen (white).

Challenges I would like to enter:

As You Like It - Favourite Type of Embossing (and why)

(I love heat embossing as it really makes images pop!)

Beautiful Blossoms #29 - Anything Floral Goes (4th entry)

Creative Inspirations (May) - The Great Outdoors (2nd entry) - TOP 3

DL.Art (June) - Anything Goes

Dream Valley #337 - Hand Coloured Image (2nd entry)

Ellibelle’s Garden Party #3 - Anything In or From a Garden (3rd entry)

Fab ‘n’ Funky #617 - Add a Sentiment (2nd entry)

FarmQuest General Store #28 - Anything Farm or Country Goes (2nd entry)

Krafty Chicks #770 - Anything Goes (2nd entry) - TOP PICK

Lavinia Creative Challenge (June) - Flower Festival

Outlawz Anything Goes In a Card Free Zone (May) - Anything but a Card

Path of Positivity #131 - Anything Goes Positive (3rd entry)

{PIN}spirational #326 - Summer Sky

Simon Says (Monday) - Emboss It (2nd entry)

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

Sisterhood of Crafters - Flowers (3rd entry)

Try It On Tuesday - Things With Wings

Word Art Wednesday #700/701 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

I’ve only got 3 more months of the calendar to complete now (July, September and November) … though it probably won’t be long before the 2026 calendar is published! I think I’ll have to try to get a bit more organised with that one!

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,