The Paper Players - Spring Flowers

Hello again,

Here's a very quick clean and simple card for the current CAS Paper Players challenge with a Spring flowers theme:

 

I used the colours from the soon to close colour challenge at MFT - the bloom is from long retired Funky Flowers with an Itty Bitty Basics sentiment.  The stencil is from Memory Box.

It's also going over to CAS on Friday for their Spring challenge and AAA Cards Anything CAS Goes (without the anniversary twist!)

Happy stamping!

Claire

Spring Blooms

Hello and happy weekend!

A couple of floral cards today, the first is my second take on the April Inspiration challenge over at Altenew. I bought a gel press recently - it's very addictive but I've found that even after creating all these backgrounds I still hanker after white space as you can tell by these cards!

For the card above I used a lighter version of the grey/blue in the inspiration challenge and mixed a couple of dye inks on the gel press to get the right tone, then put the Altenew Beach Towel Stripes over the top of the ink and brayered over the top. I like the subtlety of it, particularly as I'm never quite sure what to do with loud backgrounds!

The bloom is from Nostalgic Florals with matching die and stencil, a sentiment from Sentiment Strips and it's framed with the Fine Frames Cover Die just to satisfy my white space craving!

The second card is using the pretty colour palette over at Sunday Stamps. The same process for the background but this time I used the Forest Foliage stencil from Funky Fossil. I added the Clearly Besotted Beautiful Friend blooms and sentiment, then framed it with a PTI die.

I'm sure I'll branch out and experiment with brighter colours - watch this space!

Happy stamping!

Claire

MFT Ready, Set Christmas!

Hello again,

Just a few hours left until the link closes for this month's Ready, Set, Christmas challenge: here's mine using Sweet Holiday Penguins:

 

Have a happy, merry, joyful evening!

Claire

Altenew April Inspiration Challenge

Hello again,

Here's my take on Bridget's challenge over at Altenew this month:

 

I've been hankering after an Altenew stand alone, layered die for ages and I found this one recently - it's the Open Blooms 3D Die Set. I absolutely love it and will no doubt be creating a very long wishlist.

I used distress inks with the Grid Stencil for the background and to colour the bloom. I also added a splattering of perfect pearls in gold. Very unusual for me to add splatters - I've actually worked out how to do it without getting great big splodges all over the place...it's only taken about 15 years! The sentiment is from Tiny Sentiments:Hello.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Sassy Since Birth - MFT Sketch and Colour Challenges

Hello folks,

Here's my take on MFT's sketch and colour challenges for this week:

 

The stamp is 'Happy You Day' (retired), perfect for my almost 9 year old niece who has indeed been 'sassy since birth.' It really is the perfect sentiment for her. The patterned paper is from Floor to Ceiling - I added a splash of yellow to the bricks to brighten them up a bit!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Just Us Girls - Stencil Week

Hello again,

I'm on a card making roll at the moment - here's a quick one I made for this week's Just Us Girls challenge - use a stencil:

 

This is a Stamplorations stencil Shower of Flutters. I used it in a couple of different ways - one with Glimmer Mist sprays on watercolour paper and this one,  using distress inks. I added some splattering of gold alcohol ink and the butterfly die is another Stamplorations find.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Say it With Stripes

Hello inkers,

A very CAS take on Time Out's theme of 'striped.'

 

I used PTI's Background Basics: Super Stripes and CASual Friday's Shenanigans.  Always good to get the older stash out and give it a re-ink!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Altenew March Inspiration Challenge - Take Two

Hello and happy Easter!

Just sneaking in with another go at Altenew's March Inspiration challenge from Emily which is due to close very shortly:

This time I used Ornate Foliage with the Fine Frames Rectangle Die and a sentiment from Mini White Splendour Anemone. 

Don't each too much chocolate!

Claire 

Colour Throwdown Meets The Paper Players

Hello folks, 

My inky mojo has been lacking lately - when that happens I try and learn a new technique to get it going again. 

  I love Michelle Short's Altenew tutorials, particularly this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxuSeXw8_6A&t=461s in which she uses white pigment ink to highlight embossed details using an Altenew embossing folder :

I have quite a few Altenew EB's - I love them as they produce really deeply etched images but in hindsight I wish I'd used a different one for this technique. I think a simpler one, like the one Michelle used, would probably work better. I used the colours from The Color Throwdown but then realised the white pigment ink didn't work well with cream, so I went over it with some Antique Linen distress oxide, then added some gold embossing powder. 

Since the challenge at Simon Says Stamp is to use embossing and I've used both wet and dry, I'll link up to their Monday challenge. I'm also popping it over to Addicted to CAS where the code word is 'bloom.'

Happy stamping!

Claire

 

MFT Colour/Christmas Challenge #232

Hello again,

Such a busy few weeks, card making's definitely a 'grab the opportunity whilst I can' activity at the moment - Pink last weekend, a show at the Opera House last night and high tea this afternoon. Time to give myself (and my wallet) a bit of a break and make a card...

 

This one is another Christmas card for MFT's Ready, Set, Christmas challenge using the colours from Colour Challenge #232.  I used BB Christmas SELFies with Polaroid Shaker Frame Die-namics Circle Celebration background stamp (retired.) The dp is some scraps I had left over from the Over the Rainbow paper pad. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Claire

Time Out/JUGS Collaboration Challenge: Birds of a Feather

Hello bloggers!

Here's a card for a joint challenge with Time Out and Just Us Girls where the theme is 'birds of a feather:'

 

It's always good to have an excuse to start the Christmas cards early isn't it, so I reached for these Sweet Holiday Penguins from MFT. 

I've used the sketch from MFT's latest challenge but switched to a mini slimline size as it seemed to work better with the design.  The polaroid dies are MFT Die-namics, long retired,  and the dp is from one of their older 6x6 pads. 

I'm also linking it up with the Ready, Set, Christmas challenge. Fours Christmas cards down - plenty to go!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Altenew March Inspiration Challenge

Hello folks,

Not much inkiness going on over here during the last couple of weeks - we've had birthdays galore, including my eldest's 18th so I guess I had to make him my priority! Things have settled down a bit now though, so time to get the stamps out for Altenew's March Inspiration Challenge:

This Sweet Rose Bouquet set was one of my bargain finds a couple of months ago when a local craft shop closed down. I didn't create a bouquet though and instead arranged the pretty blooms into a simple wreath with a scattering of sequins. I cut a circle out of the card stock panel first which made it so much easier to arrange them, then added dimensional tape to the panel. There aren't any sentiments in this set so I used one from Build-a-Flower Sakura Blossom. Don't you just love it when the sentiment from a different set fits perfectly? Happy days!

I'm also popping this one over to Addicted to CAS for their current 'bloom' challenge.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Paper Players Sketch Challenge

Hello inkers!

I do love a sketch with lots of layers so this is my take on Anne Marie's sketch challenge over at the Paper Players:

All those layers gave me the opportunity to use up some of the many 6 x 6 paper pads I have in my stash - I was a huge fan of My Mind's Eye when I did scrapbooking and bought so many of these pads. I miss using them so I'm glad I got the chance to dust them off a bit.

In looking for some inspiration I saw Time Out also has a new challenge this week - this little frog sitting in a die cut pocket is from Taylored Expressions and hasn't seen ink in quite a while. I have to say I think he's a lot cuter the one in the pic - those red eyes really look quite evil!

Happy stamping!

Claire

MFT Sketch Challenge #686

Hello folks,

Here's a quick take on the soon to be finished sketch challenge over at MFT:

 

I used Buzzing with Happiness, Stitched Scallop Basic Edges Dienamics and a stitched frame. 

I also added a honeycomb stencilled background so this one's winging its way over to Just Us Girls as well for their stencil challenge.

Thanks for popping by!

Claire

Altenew February Inspiration Challenge - Take Two

Hello inkers,

So little inkiness happening in this house at the moment - I find I get very irritated when I haven't had a bit of crafty 'me' time. I did manage to make this very CAS card though for February's Altenew Inspiration challenge:

This one has also led to a heated discussion with my husband who is a bit of a maths whizz (some might say nerd) and what the correct definition of 'geometric' is. I'm going with the definition I found online which is a 'pattern characterised by or decorated with regular lines and shapes.' Like the above Pysanka Stamp from Altenew I think. He reckons I should only use shapes such as squares and triangles. If that's the case then the team over at Addicted to CAS can hit delete!

I thought for quite a while about whether it was suitable for the latest Paper Players challenge as well,  which is to make a CAS friendship card. It doesn't say 'friend' but I'd never send a card like this to anyone who wasn't a good friend! I think calling a friend 'lovely' is such a sweet endearment. Once again that delete button can be hit if it's deemed not suitable!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Happy 10th Birthday Time Out

Hello again,

I'm on a card making roll this week - so many challenges to play along with so what's a girl to do but combine 4 challenges with one card:

 

Can you believe the challenges over at Time Out started 10 years ago? I couldn't possibly let that one go by without making a birthday themed card for their celebratory challenge. I've also combined it with the colours over at The Paper Players, the sketch at AAA Cards and thrown on a few hearts for the Addicted to CAS challenge. 

I coloured one of MFT's Happy Hippos and set him against a blended DI strip of colour (Spun Sugar and Picked Raspberry). I was going to leave the other panel plain but it just needed a bit of something else so I added a few MFT stitched clouds together with the sentiment.  The scattering of hearts on the ink strip is an older stamp from W Plus 9 that's seen a lot of ink over the years. 

Happy birthday to all the team at Time Out, especially to Sandie who started it all - great to see one of her beautiful CAS creations there this week!

Happy stamping!

Claire