MFT Sketch and Colour Challenge

Hi folks,

Hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas - here's my take on MFT's latest sketch and colour challenges:

An oldie but a goodie for this - Viking, long retired! The one shape I don't have in my stash is an arch so the closest I have is a die-namics die from one of the Blueprints series. Close enough! 

Happy stamping and more importantly happy new year!

Claire

MFT Colour Challenge and Freshly made Sketch

Hello again,

Just sneaking in with a card using MFT's pretty autumnal colours from their latest challenge closing in a few hours:

I love colouring this little cutie from Let Your Hair Down (retired.) The stencilled clouds were done using Cloud Stencil and the background was embossed with Lined By Hand background stamp. A couple of scraps from Birthday Brights Paper Pad and it was good to go!

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches - heaps of time to do this one as it doesn't close until January 1.

Probably the last card from me before Christmas so happy stamping and Merry Christmas!

Claire 

Birthday Sparkle

Hello again,

There's so much to do at this time of year there really isn't the time or inclination to get the inks out is there? Having said that I did manage to make this very simple card for Time Out's 'sparkly' challenge using the colours from Color Hues - pink and silver:

 

The candles are from Whimsy Stamps with silver embossed flames and some kindyglitz to add the necessary sparkle. I've framed them with Altenew's Fine Frames - the outer one cut with some glitter card stock. 

Hope the Christmas prep is going well!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Altenew Ultimate Inspiration Challenge - Year in Review

Hello inkers!

Can it really be a year since the last Altenew Year in Review challenge? Where did that year go?  So many challenges to choose from,  and I did them all,  but I decided to repeat Hannelie's challenge from October:

I made a very simple card using the Meadow Burst Stencil, Ruby Red and Coral Berry dye inks, Honey Distress ink with some Bundled Sage and Frayed Burlap as my neutral. The sentiment's from Leaf Clusters.

Instead of stencilling just one burst of flowers I created a floral background by stencilling multiple times. I love creating patterned backgrounds but always struggle on how to use them so added a simple heart and stamped sentiment set against some twine so that the stencilling remained the main focus. I was tempted to add some sequins but sometime less is more!

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire

 

MFT Sketch and Colour Challenges

Hello again,

Not much card making in the run up to Christmas but since it's my brother's birthday shortly I thought I'd better make him a card! The colours over at the latest MFT challenge are perfect for a masculine theme:

I combined them with the sketch challenge and stood one of the fellas from BB Old Friends in front of a mirror made using a Stitched Rectangle Frame and some mirror card (which is very difficult to photograph!) The background is some dp from the Floor to Ceiling Paper Pad.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Four Challenges in One Card

Hello Inkers,

There's so many CAS Christmas challenges out there I managed to fit them all on the one card! Just Us Girls are challenging us to make a CAS card with the image in a circle, AAA Cards to use black, gold and white, Less is More is to use D, as in Deck the Halls and CAS on Friday is to make a Christmas card:

 

I used this sweet dove silhouette and sentiment from Gina K's Christmas Silhouettes - I figured as she's carrying a piece of mistletoe it will fit with the LIM challenge! It's gold embossed along with the circle stamp from Winnie and Walter - I cut a smaller circle in the middle and matted it on white, then mounted it with dimensional tape. 

I love the simple sentiment - hoping 2024 brings a lot more peace, love and joy for the world!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Altenew November Inspiration Challenge

Hello folks, happy weekend and happy thanksgiving to those in the US!

Michelle Short has given another of her great tag tutorials using the reverse side of an Altenew embossing folder. It's so ridiculously simple but produces such an amazing effect I had to have a go using the colours from this months inspiration challenge:

 

In a nutshell, you plonk down some ink on the reverse side of the embossed card, then gently swipe over it with some black pigment ink. That's it. This was my first attempt and even my 15 year old son, who has about as much interest in card making as I do in gaming,  said he was impressed! I did have another go but was a bit heavy handed with the black ink. Next time I'll probably cut down the panel and have my usual white space but I love how it turned out. I haven't got the colours in different shades so it was difficult to create some depth with the inking like Michelle has, but most of it comes from the black ink anyway I think. 

I used the Spring Blossoms EB and the sentiment's from Elegant Sayings. 

Happy stamping!

Claire

CAS MFT Colour Challenge #223

Hello inkers,

Here's a very CAS card for MFT's latest colour challenge:

 

I did a very simple background with alcohol inks on yupo paper and the stamp is from Fluttering Friends (retired), coloured with Copics. I love an alcohol ink background but I just wish the paper was a clean, pure white...to me it always looks like a dirty white. But I guess that's me being very pedantic! I've stamped the sentiment with pigment ink and 24 hours later it's almost dry...another reason I don't use yupo very often!

This one's also going over to Less is More for their 'anything goes' CAS challenge. 

Happy stamping!

Claire

Color Hues Guest Designer

Hello folks!

I'm delighted to be guest designer for Color Cues this week - it's a gorgeous palette, perfect for Christmas cards:

I immediately thought of this poinsettia die when I saw the colours.  I've never really liked the leaves which came with the die so I added some gold embossed foliage with Waltzingmouse's Simple Sprig and some glittery die cut leaves.  The embossed background is an Altenew EB with a sentiment from WMS. Of all the stamps in my stash I think this Simple Sprig is one of my all time favourites - it's seen so much ink I'm amazed it's not worn away over time!

Make sure you go and say an inky hi to the DT and link up your card using the colours for a chance to be a future guest designer!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Freshly Made Sketch #611

Hello again,

Love the Autumnal colours over at Sunday Stamps - I paired them with Jen's layered sketch at Freshly Made Sketches:

 

Some older stamps on this one - Papertrey Ink's Lovely Layers and Waltzingmouse's Simple Sprig (since it was already out!) all set against an Altenew EB. I decided to make a standard card rather than a square one for the simple reason I don't have any square envelopes!

Happy stamping!

Claire 

Less is More - Blue, Pink and White

Hello inkers,

Here's a CAS card for Less is More's latest challenge to use blue, pink and white:

A friend of mine gave me Avery Elle Rounded Diamonds recently. I've always liked this set but never known quite what to do with it. So many times I've taken it out, inked up one of the diamonds and had a complete mental block which meant that I never actually used it.

This time I decided to white emboss one of said stamps and just colour - in times of mental block my motto is 'if all else fails just colour.'  It actually took me longer to work out how to put them on the card then it did to colour them. I finished it off by adding a very old PTI sentiment.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Freshly Made Sketch #608

Hello folks!

My mojo has been severely lacking this week. When that happens I always reach for trusty stamps that I know will give me a crafty kick up the backside - in this case it's Doodlie-Do from PTI :

I used Judy's lovely, layered sketch over at  Freshly Made Sketch and the colours from Color Throwdown with the barest amount of colouring as I think the blooms are just as pretty as is. The frame is also PTI with dp from MFT - cover plate and sentiment from Altenew. 

Happy stamping!

Claire

Color Hues Meets Time Out

Hello again,

Time Out has an Inspired by Words challenge this week. I've combined it with the colours over at Color Hues, which I think may be the first time I've entered one their challenges:

I never make slimline cards.  I looked up the dimensions recently and couldn't believe how big they are - I honestly wouldn't know how to fill the space! However, I hadn't realised that there's also a mini version of a slimline card (3.5" x 6") which seemed a lot easier to use. In fact it's the perfect size for this pretty Altenew set, Handpicked Bouquet.  I stencilled the background with embossing paste and added a thank you sentiment from the same set,  in keeping with the 'gratitude' part of the TO quote. 

Happy stamping!

Claire

Peace on Earth

Hello bloggers,

Here's a very CAS card for MFT's Colour and Ready, Set Christmas challenge:

 

I've used Iconic Christmas (retired) with a touch of chunky glitter for the snow and some teeny tiny diamanté sparkles for the baubles. I don't think there is any more appropriate sentiment for these precarious times.

Happy stamping!

Claire

MFT Sketch Challenge #667

Hello inkers,

Here's a card for MFT's sketch challenge:

 So often when I do a sketch challenge I look at the sketch, picture it in my head and then after I've made the card realise I've not quite done it right! That's what happened this time - I hadn't realised the diagonal strip stretched all the way into the corners. It would probably have looked better if I'd actually got the sketch right!

I used Holly Jolly Santa with some dp from the Feelin' Festive paper pad and and the Colorful Canvas pad.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Just Us Girls - 700 Challenges!

Hello folks,

Another great challenge is celebrating a big birthday this week - Just Us Girls are celebrating a huge 700 challenges with colour week:

 

So I started this card for my youngest who turns 15 shortly - then realised that I'd completely run out of kraft card stock. 🙄 The Grout Grey was the closest I had in my stash but if it's pushing it JUGS can always hit delete!  All the stamps are very old sets from PTI with a sentiment from MFT - it makes me laugh, the Wii remote looks really dated now, almost retro!

Happy stamping and happy birthday JUGS!

Claire

Koala-la-la-la-la-la-la - MFT Colour Challenge

Hello inkers,

Quick post for MFT's colour challenge 220 - the cement gray immediately made me think of the koala in Cute and Cuddly Christmas:

 

I also used some dp from  Over the Rainbow and Colorful Canvas paper pads.  I bought these recently and I'm loving the double sided sheets - the paper's thicker, stamps well and on the back is the name of the colours which match MFT inks and card stock. Makes doing the colour challenge so much easier!

This one's also going into the current Ready, Set Christmas challenge.

Happy stamping!

Claire