Vintage Christmas

Hi everyone, today I would like to share a card that is my first attempt with a new-to-me technique - stamping a silhouette stamp with Distress Oxide ink and then dragging out the colour with water, and then creating the background by watercolouring (carefully!) around the stamped images with more DOX. This was inspired by one of Tracy Evans’ snippet videos - she used different stamps and colours, but it prompted me to try something very similar with the Christmas baubles.  It’s quite a different approach to my recent card here where I stamped the baubles with VFC and coloured with Zig pens and pastel pencil. 

I cut a 6” x 4” piece of stamping card, then stamped the baubles by dabbing Scorched Timber DOX around the edges. I then drew the colour towards the centre of each bauble and added more watered down DOX with a water brush until I was reasonably happy with the shading. 

I created the background by painting around the baubles using watered down DOX and dragging out the colour, gradually adding more nearest to the baubles. I spattered with water and allowed to dry naturally, then added random background script stamping using Vintage Photo DOX. I then brought into play my new set of  Tracy’s stamps for AALL & Create which I bought last week in the A&C sale - I have wanted those ferny branches for a while! I stamped these at both top and bottom of the panel using Scorched Timber and Vintage Photo DOX, then added some blended DOX around the edges. 

I added some Wink of Stella to highlight the baubles, white Posca accents and spatters, then stamped, cut out and attached the sentiment which as also lightly brushed with blended DOX and topped with white Posca to represent snow. Finally I hand drew the bauble strings with a dark brown fine liner pen, and matted the finished panel onto dark brown and kraft card stock then a 7” x 5” card blank.

Here’s an angled picture to show the shimmer on the baubles.

Stamps: Tracy Evans Boutique Designs TE18 Decorations, TE22 Christmas Wishes, TE11 Background Elements; AALL & Create #806 Fallen Leaves (branches);

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks (Scorched Timber, Vintage Photo); Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Wink of Stella; Posca pen (clear).

Challenges I would like to enter:

12 Months of Christmas #115 - Anything Christmas Goes (7th entry)

ABC Christmas Challenge - U is for Unusual Christmas Colours (4th entry)

Allsorts #803 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Ally’s Angels #87 - Anything Goes - TOP PICK

Creative Moments #263 - Monochrome (2nd entry) - HONOURABLE MENTION & DT FAVOURITE

Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers - Falling for the Holidays {BYSCH} Linky Party (4th  entry)

Dream Valley #324 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Festive Friday (October) - Christmas (3rd entry)

The Holly and Ivy #171 - Anything Christmas Goes (2nd entry)

Inkspirational #327 - Seasonal (3rd entry) - TOP PICK

Krafty Chicks #739 - All Occasions

My Time to Craft #545 - Monochrome (2nd entry)

Peace On Earth #74 - Anything Christmas Goes (2nd entry) - TOP 3

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Christmas - WINNER

Simon Says - Celebrating 20 Years of Distress #SSS20YearsofDistress

Word Art Wednesday #671/672 -  Anything Goes 

I’m really delighted with how this one turned out as I love the soft vintage look of the Distress Oxides, and the time spent watercolouring was really therapeutic! It’s actually my favourite of the cards I have made with these bauble stamps  so far. My enthusiasm for colouring these baubles in various ways means my Christmas card pile is now starting to look a bit more healthy, though there is still some way to go!

Take care and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Patterned Papers

Hi everyone, this week’s challenge at Allsorts is to use patterned paper … something I rarely do nowadays although I have enough to stock a craft store! Given this prompt I decided to look some out and have a little play with it, and the result was a simple (but hopefully effective) card with shadow stamping.

I tore two pieces of patterned paper and attached down the left side of a kraft card blank, then shadow stamped a group of fir trees using first Portobello Versafine Clair, then Brilliance pigment ink in Moonlight White. I grounded the trees with brown Zig pen and white Posca pen, then stamped the sentiment in Portobello and added white Posca “snow” accents. I then died some white Posca snowflakes and that was it - job done! 

Stamps: Lavinia Christmas Tree Group; sentiment - Visible Image Poinsettia Grunge;

Media: Versafine Clair (Portobello); Brilliance Pigment ink (Moonlight White); Posca pen (white);

Paper: LotV Krafty Christmas.

Challenges I would like to enter:

12 Months of Christmas #115 - Anything Christmas Goes (6th entry)

ABC Christmas Challenge - U is for Unusual Christmas Colours (3rd entry)

Addicted to Stamps and More #479 - Any Occasion (3rd entry)

Allsorts #803 - Use Patterned Paper

Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers - Falling for the Holidays {BYSCH} Linky Party (3rd entry)

Creative Moments #263 - Monochrome

Dream Valley #324 - Anything Goes

The Holly and Ivy #171 - Anything Christmas Goes

Inkspirational #327 - Seasonal (2nd entry)

My Time to Craft #545 - Monochrome

Word Art Wednesday #669/670 - Anything Goes (6th entry)

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

Hugs,

In the Moonlit Meadow

Hi everyone, last week I published a meadow scene card using my round gel press and some Lavinia flower stamps (here)  … and I enjoyed it so much and received such kind feedback. (particularly on the Lavinia fans’ FB page) I decided to make another one! This time night has drawn on and the previously sunlit meadow is now bathed in moonlight .. here it is.

I brayered 3 colours of Elements ink onto my gel press, spattered with water then took a print. I created the moon by blending more Elements ink around a small circle mask, then blending Brilliance Moonlight White pearlescent ink inside the circle.I masked outside the inked circle and stamped a variety of flowers and grasses using 1st/2nd generation Twilight and Monarch Versafine Clair, then added highlights with white Posca pen and my clear Sakura Stardust pen.i added a flight of birds in black, and added more sparkle to the moon with my Spectrum Noir sparkle pen. I stamped the sentiment onto separate card and positioned before attaching, to guide me where I should stamp the bird, which I also highlighted with white Posca and white Stabilo All pencil. I added random dots around the circle using silver metallic and purple sparkle Posca pens, plus dots of blue Stickles. Finally I matted the finished piece onto blue card stock and a 6” card blank.

Here is an angled picture to show the sparkle and shine!

Stamps: Lavinia Wild Poppies, Wild Summer Flower, Lavender, Field Grass, Bird Collection, Birds; sentiment - unknown;

Media: Lavinia Elements inks (Dark Denim, Della Blue, Violet Chalk); Versafine Clair (Nocturne, Twilight, Monarch); Brilliance pearlescent ink (Moonlight White); Sakura Stardust pen (clear); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear); Posca pens (white, silver); Posca sparkle pen (purple); Stabilo All pencil (white); Ice Stickles (blue);

Tools: Lavinia Roland gel press, acetate circle masks.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Craft Rocket #114 - Flowers

Krafty Chicks #714 - Stamps (2nd entry)

Lavinia Creative Challenge (May) - Favourite Florals (version without sentiment)

Make My Monday #225 - Florals

Moving Along With the Times #166 - Flowers - TOP 5

Pammie’s Inky Pinkies #2418 - Anything Goes

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

We Love 2 Create #4 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #645/646 - Anything Goes (3rd entry)

Worldwide Crafters and Colourists #16 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Another card .. for the boys

I felt sufficiently inspired yesterday by my first blog post in nearly three years that I decided to do another one …. They’re coming along a bit like buses!!

This is a card I made recently for a friend’s birthday … over the next few weeks I will be posting some cards which are not necessarily brand new but which have never been blogged before .. they are my recent attempts to get back into card making 😀

This is an adorable James the Bear image by  Lili of the Valley, coloured as always with Promarkers, and is a much simpler style as I think befits a masculine card. 

Challenges I’d like to enter:

Alphabet Challenge - F is for furry friends

Crafty Calendar (June) - Anything Goes

Creative Knockouts #406  - Furry friends

Cutie Pie #160 - The bear essentials

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Animal antics

Sweet Stampin’ - Something beginning with B - TOP 3

(bear, beer, Birthday greeting) 

I hope I’m starting to get back into the basics of blogging now, so onward and upward! Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Snow Family

 

Good afternoon everyone - at last the weekend is here again and opportunity for a bit of crafty time. The weather here in Liverpool is absolutely atrocious today with heavy rain, so all the more reason to stay indoors and play with my newest crafty stash.

 

I ordered a couple of the latest lotV Chrimbo stamps recently, and also treated myself to a couple more new Joy Crafts dies in the shape of a couple of snowflakes. I decided to go for a monochrome theme as that fits a couple of challenges at the moment - this is what I made.

 

 

Stamps: LotV "Snow Family" and "Christmas Grungy Sentiments";

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers; liquid pearls on the snowflakes and Stickles on the groud and snow children's hats :-);

Papers: LotV "Krafty Christmas";

Supplies: gems by Papermania; sparkly snow pearls and ribbon from my stash;

Tools: Memory Box "Frostyville Border" die; Joy Crafts "Winter Wishes" snowflake dies.

 

 

Challenges:

Lili of the Valley (August) - Make It Festive

Crimbo Crackers #48 - It's Snow Business

Divas By Design - Christmas In August

CRAFT #220 - Christmas

Creative Inspirations #227 - Monochromatic

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Monochromatic

Dream Valley #63 - Monochrome

Allsorts #220 - Use Your New Stash

Totally Gorjuss #197 - Die Cuts & Punches

Charisma #32 - Ice Cream Flavours

(coffee and vanilla)

 

That's all for today ... I guess the Chrimbo cardmaking will be starting to ramp up from now on :-)

 

Have a great weekend, whatever the weather's doing.

Hugs,



Ebony & Ivory

 

Hi there ... hope you are all enjoying the fantastic weekend weather we've been having here in the UK.

 

This week I was tempted into buying several new dies, as my local craft shop Edwin Allen had taken delivery of a fab new range of very reasonably priced dies by Joy Crafts. I just couldn't resist them!!

 

Kathy in the craft shop had made a fabulous silhouette card with some of the dies; so when I saw that this week's Cute Card Thursday challenge is Ebony & Ivory, I was up and running!! My silhouette card is very different from the one in the shop as I decided to silhouette my die cut flower against a stamped script background with a foliage die cut into pieces surrounding it .... and it's a rather more CAS card than my usual offerings. Here is the result.

 

Stamps: Penny Black "Letter Background" (1999L) and sentiment from "Salutations" transparent set;

Media: background distressed with Antique Linen distress ink;

Supplies: ivory heart pearls from The Hobby House;

Tools: Joy Crafts Vintage Flourishes dies - Flower/Leaf 2 (central flower) and Flower/Leaf 4 (foliage); Deorative Labels Eight nestabilities; Cheery Lynn "Lace Corners - Deco B".

 

Challenges:

Cute Card Thursday #272 - Ebony & Ivory

Simon Says Stamp & Show - Theme Begininning With "S" (silhouette)

Sparkles #44 - Monochromatic

Penny Black & More At Allsorts (June) - Clean & Simple

Totally Papercrafts #170 - At Least 3 Punches / Dies

Allsorts #210 - In The Garden

Stamping Sensations (June) - Summer Blooms

Crafts & Me #136 - Something Old

(background and sentiment stamps)

Heck Of A Challenge (June) - Bingo

(Pearls / Die-Cuts / Flowers)

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

 

That's all for today :-)

Hugs,

Penny Black Saturday May Challenge - Anything Goes

 

Good morning Penny Black lovers, and welcome to another Penny Black Saturday Monthly Challenge.

 

Thanks as always to everyone who entered last month's sketch challenge - we really enjoyed looking at all your wonderful entries! Don't forget to check the main challenge blog to see if you have won any of our prizes.

 

This month we have the easy-peasiest theme possible, yes it's

 

Anything Goes

 

To be eligible for any of our prizes all you need to do is use a Penny Black image stamp, large sentiment or stickeroo as the main focus of your project .. and this month our prizes are

 

 

 

 

 

 

$20 online store voucher!

 

The DT have been working hard to create some wonderful inspiration cards - here is mine for this month.

 

 

I went in a slightly unusual direction with this card, as I coloured the image with Marvey watercolour markers rather than stamping with black ink and then colouring in with my alcohol markers. I was quite pleased at the time, but then I fell into the classic trap where I just couldn't leave it alone!!

 

When the card was almost complete I decided to add sparkle to the flowers ... normally I do this with a glue pen and glamour dust, but as the card was already assembled I decided to pop some Stickles straight onto the flower centres. I must have been overtired as I completely overlooked the fact that this would make the water-based ink run ... and sure enough that's what happened!!

 

Luckily it is flower centres so I could argue the impressionistic smudging is a "feature" - well it was so late by this time that the card just had to stand, as I definitely had no time to make another one!

 

 

Stamps: Penny Black "fanfare" (3946K);LotV "Everyday Grungy Messages";

Media: Marvey watercolour pens;

Papers: LotV "promises";

Supplies: flowers various, mostly Wild Orchid Crafts; ribbon from The Ribbon Girl; pearls from The Hobby House;

Tools: Martha Stewart "doily lace" PATP punches; Magnolia Doohickey "heart swirl branch".

 

 

Challenges:

Live & Love #11 - 50 Shades of Lilac!

Simon Says - Happy Mail!

Stampin' For The Weekend - Die Cuts &/or Punches

ABC - M is for Make it Sparkle

Southern Girls #68 - You Can Say That Again!

Bearly Mine #84 - Anything Goes

Party Time Tuesdays #118 - Anything Goes

 Fussy & Fancy Friday #88 - Anything Goes

Paper Crafting Journey - Anything Goes

Our Creative Corner - Anything Goes

 

Hope you can join us this moonth - can't wait to see your creations.

 

Don't forget you have still time to enter my Birthday Blog candy of a £20 LotV voucher, which is running until May 11th - go here to enter.

 

Hugs,

Lili's Little Fairies Team B Challenge - Clean & Simple

 

Good afternoon Lili lovers, and welcome to the latest Lili's Little Fairies Challenge. It's another challenge hosted by Team B - thanks to everyone who entered last week's Team A challenge :-)

 

Thanks once again to all our loyal supporters for sticking with us through our recent turmoil - our DT call has produced some fabulous applications and the new DT members are nearly finalised. And although we still don't have any challenge sponsors we are working on it ... so watch this space!!

 

In the meantime back to this week's challenge, and the theme is

 

Clean & Simple

 

So it's time to step away from the multiple flowers, ribbons, bows, lace trims, pearls, gems, butterflies, cheescloth, tulle, charms (phew!!) that we so often enthusiastically cover our cards with, and to leave a little clean space!!

 

The rest of the DT have made some fabulous samples as always - here is my effort.

 

 

This is a birthday card I made for a male friend ... pretty easy to stay focussed on the CAS concept for a man's card !!

 

I also kept the colours fairly clean and simple, as I had been dying to have a go at colouring this stamp in monochrome shades - I just coloured the furry dice to match the paper :-)

 

Stamps: LotV "Mini Bear" and "Everyday Tags";

Media: Promarkers;

Paper: from my stash;

Supplies: pearls by The Hobby House; adhesive stitched ribbon from my stash.

 

 

Challenges:

Stampavie & More #191 - For A Boy

Oldie But A Goodie - Transport

(old items are my ribbon and paper form stash)

Dream Valley #54 - Happy Birthday

Stamp With Fun #206 - Birthday

OSCC #223 - Birthdays

Gem Of A Challenge #74 - Animals

Bearly Mine #181 - Anything Goes

Ready Teddy Go #21 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz #177 - Anything Goes

 Creative Inspirations #209 - Anything Goes

 

Look forward to seeing all your CAS creations.

 

Hugs,

Black and White and 40 All Over!

Hi there ... today I would like to show you the 40th birthday card I made last night for my boss at work. Making men's cards is never easy, but for once I had a very clear idea about what I wanted to make, partly on the basis of challenges I spotted and partly on the basis of the stash I had to hand. So instead of dithering about like I normally do, I just cracked on and made it - here's the result.

Stamps: LotV "Cheers Bear"; Whimsy ticket stamp; See-D birthday sentiment;

Media: Promarkers and Flexmarkers;

Papers: Black Market Paper Society "Ebony & Alabaster";

Supplies: Papermania gems and twine;

Tools: Cuttlebug "Hippie Chick" die cut numbers; Cuttlebug "Swiss Dots" embossing folder.

Challenges:

Lili's Little Fairies - Spots or Stripes

(I have both, both on the image and the papers !! :-)  )

PTW - Free For All Sketch

(I chose Sketch #68 - flipped)

My Time To Craft #186 - Milestone Birthdays

Divas By Design #50 - Let's Celebrate!
Creative Craft - Monochromatic Birthday

Paper Pretties Wednesday #221 - Black + White + 1
Hooked on Crafts #24 - Cards For Men

Incy Wincy - Frogs 'n' Snails 'n' Puppy Dogs' Tails

Top Tip Tuesday #84 - Birthday Gifts

Craft Your Passion #125 - Emboss It

Crafty Pad - Twine

A Gem Of A Challenge #53 - Animals or Teddies (2nd entry)

Crafty Calendar (August) - Teddy Bear Parade + lots of layers (2nd entry)

Simon Says - Anything Goes
Party Time Tuesdays  #83 - Anything Goes

I ♥ Promarkers #132 - Anything Goes
Everybody Art #202 - Anything Goes

Forever Friends Fortnightly #43 - Anything Goes

Ready-Teddy-Go #13 - Anything Goes 

(3rd entry .. yes I really do love teddies lol!!)

That's all for today ... hope to be back soon with some LotV Christmas cards - my new Chrimbo stash of stamps and papers has arrived - yay! :-)

Poppies in Pink

Last week I made my first card with my new Memory Box "Prim Poppy" die; and I'm loving this die so much I decided to use it again for a birthday card. 

This time the challenge was slightly different as I needed to make a bigger card; so I couldn't cut an aperture using my Cuttlebug (I don't have, and don't intend splashing out on, a large diecutting machine lol!). This card is for my husband's aunt and I don't think she really likes "cute"; so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to try to blend a more traditional look with a modern twist.

Once again I layered up my die cuts using green glitter card and then adding pink glitter card flower heads on top - this time I used three die cuts and also three shades of pink card for the flowers so as to add a bit of depth. My sentiment is just stamped onto a nestie die and the edges distressed with "Spun Sugar" distress ink; and I added some flowers and lace and a Cuttlebug die-cut and embossed butterfly in a very soft shade of silver card.  I actually won this Cuttlebug butterfly cut'n'emboss set quite a while ago and I only use it very occasionally, but I think I should use it more often as it is really pretty.

Stamps: Penny Black sentiment "For You";

Media: "Spun Sugar" distress ink on edges of image;

Papers: embossed white cardstock from local craft shop Edwin Allen;

Supplies: pearls from The Hobby house; ribbon and lace from my stash;

Tools: labels nestabilities; Memory Box "Prim Poppy" die; Cuttlebug "Butterflies" cut 'n' emboss set.

Challenges:

Top Tip Tuesday #78 - Sparkle Galore!

Hooked on Crafts #21 - All That Glitters

Penny Black At Allsorts - All My Favourite Things (2nd entry) 

(flowers, lace, ribbon, butterflies and glitter)

Stampin' For The Weekend - Bugs & Butterflies

Allsorts #158 - Ice Cream Colours (I chose strawberry, vanilla and pistachiio!)

Craft Your Days Away #47 - Bingo! 

(pearls / ribbon &  lace / glitter)

Ribbon Girl - Use Ribbon Or Lace (2nd entry)

Simon Says Stamp & Show - Anything Goes

Craft Your Passion #114 - Anything Goes

Creatalicious #35 - Anything Goes

Thanks for looking :-)

 

Penny Black Saturday # 203 - Monochrome Magic

Good afternoon everyone! yet again I'm running late and have been missing in action for the past week and a half .. and yes I really have been "in action" due to crazy work pressures. But it's the weekend at last and time to sit down and catch my breath - so here's my card for this week's Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

Before I get onto the challenge we have some sad news - our lovely teamie Liz has decided to step down from the team, so we wish her all the best.

This week's theme is

Monochrome magic

which you can interpret however you like so long as you submit a new project featuring a Penny Black image, large sentiment or stickeroo as its main focus.

This week's yummy prize for a randomly chosen winner is from our regular sponsor Fantastic Ribbons

and is a yummy selection of four rolls of baker's twine.

The rest of the DT have worked their usual (monochrome) magic ... mine is somewhat late and hasty but here it is.

Stamps: Penny Black "before the snow" (3993K) randomly stamped with distress ink; Stampendous sentiment;

Media: background distressed with Chipped Sapphire, Faded Jeans and Tumbled Glass distress inks; tree stamped with Chipped Sapphire DI and dusted with glamour dust;

Supplies: small star gems from my stash.

I lightly brushed the ends of each branch with my glue pen and dusted with glamour dust, but the sparkle is quite difficult to see - here's a pic of the card standing which tries to catch the twinkle :-)

Challenges:

Sparkles Christmas #16 - Christmas Tree

Sweet Stampin' - Moon and Stars

Charisma #20 - No Flowers Allowed

Totally Gorjuss #133 - Something New ( my tree stamp)

Creative Inspirations #164 - Anything Goes

That's all for this afternoon ... off now to do a bit more crafting. Have a great weekend.