Clean and Not so Simple

Hello fellow inkers!

I've got a couple of different cards to show today - one for the Creative Construction with Blueprints Challenge over at My Favorite Things and the other for Less is More:

MFT's challenge is to use Blueprints featuring stars,  so I've used a couple of different sets - the frame is from Blueprints 27 and the glittery stars are from Blueprints 24.  I inked up a Color Burst background and added one of the sweet little astronauts from Space Explorer, colored in with Copics.

The sketch over at Less is More proved to be a lot more difficult to play with for my second card. It's clean but I'm not sure it was at all simple! Firstly, I chose the most difficult set of stamps to play with in my stash  - Painted Flowers by Altenew. I do love this set but every time I use it I struggle to create something I like.  So in the end I stamped a heap of random blooms and then covered half of them with the die cut circles. First the circles were too large, then the card looked too large so I cut it down,  then I made smaller circles....the creative drama continued until I produced something I was vaguely happy with!

Funny how the clean and simple challenges always give me the most grief! 

Hope you get time to get inky this New Years!

Thanks for popping by,

Claire x

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop December 2018

A very merry Christmas from Down Under - hope yours was full of festive fun!

It's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop time with a soft and pretty pic to draw inspiration from:

I used the colours from the pic for my stamped blooms from Autumn Abundance, then added a stamped and die cut flag and frame from Center Style Masculine. 

Happy hopping!

Claire x

More MFT...

Hi folks,

The Copic colouring obsession is continuing and this week's sketch challenge at My Favorite Things
is perfect for one of the new sets I bought - Recipe for Happiness:

The die cut squares are from Blueprints 27 and I added a strip of Wood Plank Background.  I also flipped the sketch to make a portrait card instead of landscape. 

The kids are getting twitchy now with all the Christmas excitement - I think they'd explode if they had to hold out for another day.  My guess it will be a 4.30am start tomorrow morning! 

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that Santa has managed to find the local craft shop!

Thanks for calling by,

Claire x

MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge

Hello, hello,

Are you ready for Christmas?  If your house is anything like mine you'll be edging towards the brink of madness rather than making cards.  Despite the pre-Christmas shenanigans I did manage this for MFT's Sketch Challenge:

I used images from Polynesian Paradise,  a sentiment from Adorable Elephants and white embossed with the Garden Flourish Background Stamp.

Thanks for stopping!

Claire x

Finishing Christmas Cards with Time Out #98

Happy weekend folks!

I've just finished off my Christmas cards with a little bit of help from Time Out's inspiration photo:

I mentioned a few posts ago that I did most of my Christmas cards in September and took them to the UK with me. This one's a different version to those but using the same stamp set - Lovely Layers by PTI. I figured it would look good in Christmas colours, even though the set is more geared towards Autumnal/Thanksgiving cards. The colours from Time Out were perfect - I've used a Woodgrain stamp on kraft for the base leaves and layered the various stamped die cuts using the colours from the pic, with a little white embossing to reflect the white shapes on the wooden stocking holders. Because the set isn't supposed to be for Christmas I've used a sentiment from Waltzingmouse.

Thanks for calling by,

Claire xx

MFT Flowers Galore

Hi all,

Yet again I find myself at the tail end of the MFT Sketch Challenge with only a few hours to go before the it closes. I received some MFT happy mail last week (don't you just love a 30% off sale?) so I've been itching to get some of it inky:

I created a portrait card instead of landscape and added a whole load of Copic coloured blooms from Funky Flowers. The base of the card has been stamped with the Wood Plank Background which will probably turn up on the next 10 cards. Since there was 30% off  I could justify buying another Blueprints set of dies - Blueprints 27. I've used the scallop frame from this set for the base and the sentiment's from Adorable Elephants.

I've been inspired by the colours on the Colour Challenge too so this one's popping over there!

Thanks for taking a peek!

Claire x

Going Round the Bend

Hello folks!

My lack of mojo for clean and simple card making is driving me round the bend at the moment - which is very apt, since the cue word for Casology this week is 'round:'

Lots of ways to interpret that but I chose to create a card with rounded edges and a round, stamped embellishment using CAS-ual Friday's Snowflake Greetings and Funky Square Tag (both of which I think may be a retired now.) I'm also entering it into their Friday challenge where the theme is 'Winter Blues.'

Happy stamping!

Claire x

Dashing Through the Snow - YNS

Hi folks,

Another Christmas card, this time using Your Next Stamp's Waddles Winter Happiness for sketch challenge #78:

I embossed Snowfall  on to a distress ink background and added a sprinkling of chunky glitter to the snow.  I flipped the sketch too - it seemed to work better that way!

I'm also popping this one over to Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday challenge where Anything Goes!

Happy weekend!

Claire x

My Favorite Things - Sketch Challenge

Hello again,

Not many Christmas cards to go now - here's a quick one using the sketch from My Favorite Things:

I used Santa's Elves, coloured with Copics on a Colour Burst background!

Happy stamping!

Claire x

Freshly Made Sketch #314

Hi all,

It may be Christmas but Down Under we're coming to the end of the school year - time to make a few thank you cards for those amazing teachers who've had to put up with my two naughty boys!

I used the latest Freshly Made Sketch:

I created a circular chalkboard background using a Kaisercraft stamp , added a couple of W Plus 9 apples, a sentiment from Waltzingmouse and the background has been stamped using a WMS woodgrain stamp.

I'm also popping this one over to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge where one of my favourite bloggers is guest designing this month.  Make sure you go and check out Anita's fab cards at My Papercraft World won't you? The theme for their latest challenge is food and drink so I reckon a couple of juicy apples nails it!

Thanks for popping by,

Claire x

Aloha! MFT Sketch Challenge #359

Hi all,

This sweet little image from My Favorite Thing's Polynesian Paradise is perfect for my niece who turns 6 next week. I've even tried to colour the image so that it looks like her:

I've used the latest sketch from MFT's challenge and one of their Fishtail banners to create the background. The base card has been lightly stencilled using texture paste.

Enjoy your week!

Claire x

Your Next Stamp - Sketch Challenge

Morning all,

Your Next Stamp's  latest sketch challenge is up:

I was lucky enough to be a guest designer for YNS almost 12 months ago and felt as though I barely did justice to all the goodies they sent me. I absolutely love this little fella - the Mini Merry Chris-Moose. He's coloured with Copics and I've added a glittery sparkle to his santa hat. I've also used the Thick Stripe-tastic Diagonal Edge, a sentiment from Huggles Christmas Star and I've embossed a Snowfall background on the circle die cut.  

Happy weekend!

Claire x

Fishy Fun

Hi Bloggers,

Always chuffed when I manage to combine 3 challenges - it's a rare occurrence: 

This one's for AAA Cards where the theme is 'celebrate.'  I've also used the sketch over at CAS(E) this Sketch and I've cased a beautiful card by Michele from I Card Everyone which is being featured in the latest Time Out challenge: CASE with your own twist'.

I've used a die cut sentiment from MFT, together with a little angel fish from Your Next Stamp's Fishy Fun. The sentiment inside says 'It's o'fish'al, you're another year older!'

Thanks for calling by!

Claire x

MFT #358 Sketch Challenge

Hello folks,

I've just managed to squeeze this one into the latest MFT sketch challenge which closes pretty soon:

I'll never tire of this cute little Birdie Brown space man!

Happy stamping!

Claire x

Stars and Sparkle

Hi all,

I've combined a couple of challenges for this card - CASology, where the cue word is 'tiny' and Less is More which has a fireworks colour challenge:

There's a teeny, tiny stamp in almost every set isn't there? And most of the time they sit there all inkless and alone, crying out for someone to play with them. I chose a stamp with a row of 3 stars in PTI's Stylish Sentiments and used it to create a larger shape in which to base a sentiment from the  same set. I've covered part of the sentiment with a heap of very sparkly glitter so I think, together with the burst of colourful stars, that makes it suitable for LIM's firework challenge.

Thanks for calling by,

Claire x

Freshly Made Sketch/Card Concept

Hello again,

Can you believe I finished most of my Christmas cards weeks ago? I was preparing for the UK and realised I could save on the riduculously high postage fees so spent a couple of nights making 40 very quick cards to hand out when I was there. So what that everyone received their card 3 months early - it means I can justify spending the money saved on new stamps...doesn't it?!

I still have a few left to make though - this one will be winging it's way to a certain someone in blogland in a few weeks.  I've used the latest sketch from Freshly Made and I've been inspired by the rich and vibrant colours at The Card Concept - let's call it a classy and elegant style. 

The cute little elf is from MFT as is the gold embossed background stamp and the sentiment is from Waltzingmouse.

Thanks for popping,

Claire x

AAA Card Challenge - Ink Blending

Hello folks!

Is it really two months since I made a card? I've been back to the UK with the kids for a few weeks and left my mojo somewhere over the Pacific. Every time I go home the jet lag seem to gets worse on the return and the thought of making a card exhausted me!  Must be a sign of age...

Anyway, I'm getting back into the swing of it with a simple card for AAA Cards - their latest challenge is to do some ink blending:

I blended a circular panel with distress inks, added some gold embossing using Paper Smooches Curls and Swirls and a pretty die cut dragonfly. The sentiment's Winnie and Walter. 

Not sure whether that mojo's been found yet but it's a start. Hopefully it won't be another two months between inky sessions!

Happy stamping,

Claire x

It's Hip to be Square

Hello, hello,

Casology's cue word this week is 'square:'

So many ways to impliment squares into a card but I chose to stamp a rainbow of them using Your Next Stamp's Funky Backgrounds.

The sentiment's from PTI!

Thanks for stopping,

Claire x

Fusion Guest Designer - Glamping Fun

Hello,

The latest challenge is now up and running at Fusion. It's my last stint as guest designer so thank you for having me along for the Summer Karren! Here's my version of the sketch:

Feel free to use the inspiration pic or the sketch, or even both together.  I used W Plus 9's Fresh Cut Florals with some very old patterned paper from My Minds Eye. 

Hope you can get inky this weekend!

Thanks for calling by,

Claire x

Papertrey Ink Stamp A Faire - Inspired by Muse!

Hi all,

With an hour to spare I'm sneaking a quick card into this year's Stamp a Faire event over at Papertrey Ink. So many challenges to join in with but I chose to do Yana's challenge which is to create a die cut with a faux iron look: 

I was completely inspired by Cat's pretty card over at Muse. I love her beautifully coloured panel of flowers so I did a similar panel using PTI's Doodlie-Do and added a sentiment from Botanical Blocks.  The frame is from PTI's Pretty Frame Coverplate die, smothered in lots of embossing powder and embossed to look like metal.

Thanks for calling by,

Claire

CAS-ual Fridays Colour Challenge

Hello again,

I was intrigued by CAS-ual Fridays challenge this week - a colour challenge featuring kraft and white. I don't think I've ever made a card just using these colours before:

The blooms are from Pretty Posies and after embossing, I quickly covered them with white glitter so they're really sparkly in IRL. It so annoys me when you can't see the sparkly bits in a photo!  I wanted to soften the background a little so I covered it with a panel of vellum to match the leaves.  The white panel has also been stamped with Zigs and Zags (now retired) in a very pale kraft coloured ink.  

Here's a photo with the light shining on it to show the glitter: 

Actually you can barely see it in that photo either...I give up!

Thanks for calling by!

Claire x