AAA Cards Challenge

 Hello inkers!

Another quick post as I've picked up a nasty bug. Again. I feel like my place is infested with germs at the moment....roll on Spring!

 

 I've been having a play with the sketch over at AAA Cards with the additional challenge of using the ombre effect in any colour. This is actually my second attempt - if anything could have gone wrong with the first card it did and I ended up ditching it!

 

I used Holiday Silhouettes (GKD) - funnily enough, the same set that Karen used in the DT. I love this set but the main scene stamp sits on a curve and I always mess it up so I have to admit it was an exercise of sheer frustration!

 

Hope you get the chance to get inky this weekend!

 

Claire x

Christmas Kickstart Challenge 88/52 Christmas Card Throwdown

Hello again,

Now that MFT have stopped their challenges I've had to find some alternative Christmas challenges to give me a kick up backside and get some cards done so I'm not doing them last minute! This one's for the Christmas Kickstart Challenge and the challenge is to use a frame and 52 Christmas Card Throwdown with a Christmas Lights theme:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's not a festive frame so I hope it fits the challenge!  I stamped and coloured this sweet moose from Yuzu Merry Moose over at MFT and placed him on a blended ink background, then splattered some snow over it using a Posca pen. It was meant to be almost a one layer but I stuffed the sentiment up right at the end...so annoying. Nothing that a piece of card stock couldn't cover though! 

Hopefully he won't get an electric shock from those lights!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Tic Tac Toe Challenge

Hello inkers,

Quick card and a quick post for Tic Tac Toe's challenge - think it's a new one for me:

 

I've gone with the bottom, horizontal row with a yellow, Copic coloured Stamplorations die cut butterfly,  green leaves and MFT sentiment. I also added a little bit of sparkle to its body. The background is stencilled with a butterfly stencil (although you wouldn't know it) and stamped with a W Plus 9 script stamp.

Enjoy the weekend!

Claire

Sunday Stamps - Mosaic Madness

Hello again,

 As soon as I saw the bold colour palette over at Sunday Stamps I knew which stamp set I wanted to use:

 

 

 

 

 

Folk Art Medallion is an older, much used Waltzingmouse set. This came out long before the Misti was ever invented so you had to have a steady hand when using it. So much easier with a stamping platform! The sentiment is from Altenew's Timeless Sentiments die cuts.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Time Out 'On Vacation' - Guest Designer

Aloha!

I'm so thrilled to be Time Out's guest designer for their newest challenge. Whilst everyone is sunning it up over in the northern hemisphere, those in the south are rugging up so it was good to be reminded that Summer's just around the corner as the theme for this challenge is 'on vacation:'

 

Of course,  a vacation doesn't necessarily mean sun and warmth but that's what I always think of,  so I inked up MFT's Polynesian Paradise. 

I often get Ralph Tyndall's card making videos popping up in my Facebook feed - they're great because they're not overly long and this one was no exception. I love how he used the stencil for the sea and some embossing paste for the waves. So clever!  (Clearly, I'm not quite so clever as I put the paste on before die cutting the panel which meant it squashed the paste after it had dried.)

The challenge is being generously sponsored by Varada Sharma who is offering $25 store credit - there's also the opportunity to guest design at Time Out for a future challenge. 

The DT over at Time Out always have some great cards to inspire so go and check them out!

Happy stamping!

Claire

My Favorite Things - Final Colour Challenge

Hello folks,

So sad to see that MFT are stopping their challenges - it's a rare week when I don't enter a card into one of them! Here's my entry to their final colour challenge:

I used BB Rain or Shine, Lined by Hand Background (both retired), Cloud Stencil and Stitched Rectangle Frames.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Altenew July Inspiration Challenge

Hello folks, hope you're enjoying the weekend!

I received some Altenew happy mail last week so it was an easy pick deciding what to use for this month's Inspiration Challenge: 

I bought the Craft Your Life Project Kit: Fragrant Florals. This is a huge stamp! It's so big I had to cut it down to fit on the card.  I was going to make a tag with the left over piece but then decided to put it underneath the main image which I popped up using some dimensional tape. I used the Dotted Lines Debossing Cover Die for the background and a big stamp deserves a big sentiment so I used Timeless Sentiments.

Happy stamping!

Claire
 

Playing with Lavinia Stamps

Hello again!

A couple of weeks ago I went to a craft show where my once local craft store had a stand - unfortunately they closed the shop a few years ago which is probably a good thing for my wallet but not for my stash! I bought quite a few bits and pieces from the Lavinia Stamps  range and I've been watching lots of their tutorials - I really enjoy them as they're in real time rather than sped up which makes it so much easier to learn a new technique:

These two cards have both been entered into their monthly creative challenge, the theme being 'Summer Moon.

The cards that the Lavinia DT produce are like small works of art - I'm amazed at what they come up with but I've realised I find it easier to work on a smaller scale rather than cover an entire card front.

I'm adding the second card to Time Out's 'seeing stars' themed challenge (I added several using a white Posca pen.)

I didn't bother with sentiments - I'll add them another day when I decide who I'm sending them to!

Happy stamping!

Claire

MFT Ready Set Christmas Meets Sunday Stamps

Hello inkers,

Not much blogging going on this week but I've got quite a few guest design spots coming up over the coming weeks so there's been plenty of paper playing in the background. Here's a quick card I did for MFT's Ready, Set, Christmas challenge using the sketch from Sunday Stamps:

 

I used Yuzu Holly Jolly Santa, Bitty Holiday Wishes, various Blueprints dies and patterned papers - all of which are retired. I changed the position of the sentiment otherwise poor Santa would look like he was gagged!

Happy stamping!

Claire