Birthday Twosome

Hi bloggers,

Here's a couple of birthday cards, the first using the pretty colour palette from The Colour Throwdown:

I'm throwing this over to Less is More which has a recipe challenge featuring solid and outline stamps. I used Winnie and Walter's Big Bang Confetti and a sentiment from CAS-ual Fridays, stamped in black.  I'm also popping it over to Addicted To CAS who have a one layer challenge>

The second card is for MFT's Wednesday Sketch Challenge which I've combined with their latest Birthday Project challenge - to make a card featuring a party.  I used so many different stamp sets for this one - Birthday Chicks, Hog Heaven, Happy Hippos and Rain or Shine, with a sentiment from Fluttering Friends. The DP is from the Sweet celebration Paper Pad. 

Hope you get the chance to get inky this week!

Claire

MFT Colour and Sketch

Hello, hello,

I felt like doing nothing but colouring last night and whipped up this little card using lots of images from Birth-yay:

I used the colours from the latest challenge as well as sketch #493 as layout inspiration.  The background was stamped with Cement Gray on Grout Gray card stock using Happy Birthday Background. Not the best photo as I've left it all to the last minute as usual and daylight's well and truly disappeared for the day!

Happy stamping!

Claire

CAS on Friday Guest Designer

Hello folks!

I'm delighted to be Guest designer over at CAS on Friday today.  They have a brand new challenge to whet your inky appetite:

The theme is 'sunshine.'  I used a Whimsy Stamps set to create my sunny card - the centres of the sun have been blended with distress inks using MFT's circle stencil and the sentiment's from Polynesian Paradise.

I'm also popping this one over to The Paper Players who also have a weather inspired challenge happening.

Hope you get time to join in this week!

Claire 

Rainbow Borders

Hello again,

Here's a very quick card for Less is More which has a 'borders' theme for their latest challenge:

I used a die from MFT and one of the border stamps from Mama Elephant's Modern Borders, stamped in black and coloured with a rainbow of Copics. 

Happy stamping!

Claire

MFT Colour Challenge #142

Hello stampers,

The colours over at MFT are perfect for a masculine card this week so I inked up Viking and Wood Plank Background (both retired) to create this rather blokey card:

 I used this week's Freshly Made Sketch and I'm popping it over to Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday challenge calling for masculine cards.

Happy stamping!

Claire

MFT Sketch #490

Hello and happy weekend to you!

I've been playing with the colours over at Colour Throwdown again, this time with a much more feminine card based on MFT's latest sketch:

I used Funky Flowers (now retired), white embossed on yellow card stock and vellum. The grey circle has been stamped with Garden Flourish (also retired) and the sentiment's from Essential Sentiments.  I've added a Stitched Rectangle Frame and the background panel has been stamped with Wood Plank using white ink - it's given just a little bit of texture to an otherwise plain piece of card stock but the photo probably doesn't do it justice.

In case you're wondering what's in the centre of the flower - they're called 'prills' from Heartfelt Creations. I was lucky enough to take a class with Emma Lou from HC a few years ago. She was absolutely lovely and everyone in the class got to take a small pack of prills home. It really was tiny but they've lasted ages!

 Hope you get some time to get inked up this weekend!

Claire

Flippin' Awesome MFT Sketch #489

Hello again, hope you are having great weekend!

My masculine cards are getting few and far between so when I saw this week's MFT Colour Challenge and Sketch I knew exactly which stamp set to ink up - Recipe for Happiness:

 The blue panel was stamped with Happy Birthday Background , one of my favourites. I'm itching to get hold of the Christmas one as well but that will have to wait until a future order. I've also added a Stitched Rectangle Frame. The Grout Gray card stock was stamped with all the utensils from the stamp set in Grout Gray ink and the dp strip is from the Sweet Celebration Paper Pad.

I'm entering this one over at Time Out too - their challenge is to make a card using 'the arts' as the theme.  I think cookery has become more and more of an art form in the last few years don't you?

Thanks for popping by,

Claire

MFT Sketch #488

Hello, hello,

Another couple of cards for you - the first is for MFT's Sketch Challenge using Flower Fairies and Radiating Rays Stencil:

The second is for Less Is More's new challenge which is to use white and cream:

I'm actually wondering if I can get away with this one being 'cream.'  I used Antique Linen distress  ink which is kind of a beigey cream but actually looks like a soft brown in the photo.  I think I'll leave it to the DT to decide if it's still eligible for the challenge and if not, I may do another take.

Have a wonderful day!

Claire

Cutting it Up for Freshly Made Sketches

Hello, hope you are enjoying your weekend and that you're gradually getting back into a vaguely normal life!

Linda has created a deceptively simple Freshly Made Sketch this week - I say deceptive as my original idea just didn't work and I ended up making something totally different to what I 'd planned:

I used a daisy die cut from MFT, together with die cut grout grey sprigs and vellum leaves. The rectangular panels have been blended with distress inks and gold embossed with a WMS stamp from Heirloom Patterns. The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted and fits with the challenge at Cut it Up - make a project to celebrate friends.  I've also used the gorgeous colours over at Colour Throwdown - definitely a palette I'll use again!

Thanks for popping by,

Happy stamping!

Claire

MFT Sketch #487

Hi folks, hope you are doing well.

Another card inspired by MFT's latest sketch using Sweet Holiday Penguins with a sentiment from Santa's Elves:

The snowy background has been stencilled in gesso with a liberal sprinkling of clear glitter. It looks very sparkly IRL!

Thanks for popping by,

Claire

Addicted to CAS - Silhouette

Hello folks,

Here's a very simple card for Addicted to CAS where the code word is 'silhouette:'

Funnily enough I don't think I've ever used this Memory Box die as a black silhouette - I always seem to use it in a white snowy scene. This time I put it against MFT's Sunbeam stencil. The hot air balloon and sentiment is from Mama Elephant. 

Happy stamping!

Claire 

Time Out for MFT

Hello Inkers,

I've been having another play with the inspiration pic over at Time Out  but this time managed to throw a bit of Kraft on the card so that it matches the colours over at Colour Throwdown: 

 As well as the colours I've been inspired by the heavy patterns on the chair - the shape of the cushion made me think of CAS-ual Friday's Starlequin background stamp so I white embossed it and added the Mon Ami bloom. The diamond patterned flag is from PTI's Centre Style Masculine mini set.

 My second card is for MFT's colour challenge and their Birthday Project challenge which is to use circles.  I used Bubble Over with Joy (retired) with the Basic Shapes Circles Stencil. I'm also popping it over to CAS on Friday which has a Bunny theme happening. I've never entered one of their challenges before so I'm hoping it's CAS enough!

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire

Getting Sketchy

Hello,

Here's couple of cards using sketches from this week's Freshly Made Sketch and My Favourite Things:

I've used a couple of snowy sets from CAS-ual Fridays for the first one. It looked a bit bland with the rectangle panel so I cut a Stitched Mod Rectangle  from MFT to give it a few curves.

The second card is for Time Out, using a sketch from MFT and the colours from their colour challenge. I used Funky Flowers (now retired) with a sentiment from Essential Sentiments and the background has been stamped in Cement Gray, using Wood Plank (retired.)

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire