Three Challenges - One Card!

Hello inkers!

There's some lovely fresh, Spring inspired challenges out in blogland at the moment - The Paper Players has a clean and simple flower challenge,  The Card Concept has an inspiration photo and Just Us Girls has a mood board with very similar colours and themes:

 

I have to admit this should be cleaner and simpler than it actually is but I managed to smear green ink all over my nice clean card - I seem to really struggle to keep my cards clean! I saved it by adding a white panel and gave it some dimension using dimensional tape. For the vertical stripes I used embossing paste with Altenew's Beach Towel Stripes Stencil.  The Just Add Ink blooms have been stamped with pigment ink and embossed using holographic glitter EB.

I was inspired by the colours over at The Card Concept and the middle left pic in the JUG's mood board. When I saw the clean, horizontal strips of the wood panels I immediately thought of the Altenew stencil. 

Thanks for popping by!

Claire

Altenew March Inspiration Challenge

Hello inkers,

Such a pretty, neutral colour palette over at Altenew this month. I love the warm browns with the fresh green - funnily enough, The Card Concept's inspiration pic is on a similar theme: 

I used a real mish mash of Altenew products for this one - some leaves from Nostalgic Florals, the blossom from Beautiful Day, a sprig from Peony Bouquet and a simple sentiment from Tiny Sentiments:Hello . I white embossed the bloom on vellum and the background is gold embossed Leaf Clusters on brown card stock. 

I'd put this one in the classy and elegant card basket over at The Card Concept. I drew inspiration from the green, leafy pot plant and the cream bird. I'm also popping it over to Time Out where the challenge is to be elegant.

Hope you have some time left over the weekend to get inky!

Claire

The Card Concept #186

Hello folks, happy weekend!

Love the colours over at The Card Concept this week - not ones I'd ever think of putting together which shows how good it is to enter challenges and get out of your colour comfort zone!

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Blooms and frame from Ink to Paper and PTI with a sentiment from MFT and leafy die cuts from my local craft store.  I think I'll put this one in the Classy and Elegant category.

Happy stamping!

Claire

One Card - Five Challenges

Hello inkers,

This little card started off for the Less is More challenge,  to use a tag,  but after struggling how to place it I had a helping hand from Freshly Made Sketches:

 

It took me longer to work out where to put the sentiment than it did to make the card. A stamper can never have too many sentiment sets but I couldn't find a single one that would work on the die cut flag. So I've used artistic licence and put it elsewhere! 

I used the pretty colour combo from The Card Concept and and as I think it's clean and simple I'm popping it over to Addicted to CAS' flower challenge and CASology's Botanical challenge. 

Incidentally, those blooms are from Stampin' Up's Eastern Blooms which was one of the first stamp sets I ever bought. The leaves are MFT.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Alcohol Inked Leaves

 Hello folks,

Here's a quick, CAS card for three challenges - Addicted to CAS (code word - leaf), The Card Concept (photo inspiration) and CASology (cue card - 'one' so I've used one leaf die):

I took an alcohol ink background class a couple of years ago so I've got lots of bright, alcohol inked panels but I've never really known what to do with them. The colours in the Card Concept pic are almost identical so I used a simple leaf die and used the sprigs to make a CAS card - the sentiment's from Ink to Paper. 

I think less is more when it comes to alcohol ink backgrounds - especially when the colours are this bright - I almost need sunglasses to look at it!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Freshly Made Sketch #492

 Hello folks,

I haven't played along with Freshly Made Sketches for a few weeks but loved the simple sketch Cecile has created so had to get those inks out:

I've been inspired by a couple of other challenges which have very similar themes in their inspiration pics - The Card Concept and Fusion, particularly by the mix of neutral whites and creams together with the wood. I've added a splash of blue which is also featured in the Card Concept's inspiration picture. 

Another old stamp for this one - Waltzingmouse's Simple Sprig with MFT's Woodplank background and a sentiment from PTI.  

I'm popping this one into the clean and layered category!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Brilliant Butterfly

 Hello, happy weekend!

 Here's a very CAS card for a few challenges - The Card Concept,  Addicted to CAS where the code word is 'birthday', Cut it Up with a theme of Spring flowers/butterflies and the latest Freshly Made Sketch:

 

 

 

Not much stamping on this one, besides the sentiment. I used alcohol inks to colour the Stamplorations butterfly die cut, with some glitter paper for the wings. The base is another die cut cover plate, again from Stamplorations and the sentiment is from MFT. 

Happy stamping!

Claire

Freshly made Sketch - Take 2!

Hello folks,

 I've been on a bit of a roll this week and made another card using the latest Freshly Made Sketch - it's a lot simpler than the last one and I was totally inspired by the picture at The Card Concept:

 

I love the teal and orange in the photo so I created a stamped background panel using Whimsy Stamp's Happy Everything. Inspired by the tan footstool in the pic, I placed it on a pre-printed craft panel (some very old Stampin' Up card stock) and stamped the bold CAS-ual Friday's sentiment in navy, like the striped throw on the chair. I'd say it's clean and layered!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Final CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge!

Hello bloggers,

Another one of my favourite sketch challenges is closing it's crafty doors this week so I had to play along - it's the last ever challenge from CAS(E) This Sketch: 

 

 

 

 

I've also been inspired by both the inspiration pics at The Card Concept and Fusion. I think there are a lot of similarities between the two photos - the windows, the white paint on the walls in the background, the neutral colours, the leaves and the natural wood of the table and the bristle brush. I've also used a touch of gold and apricot which are in the Fusion pic and I've taken the browns from the suitcases in TCC photo to frame my Stampin' Up blooms. I think one is clean and layered in design!

Have a great weekend!

Claire x

Addicted to CAS #188

Hello folks,

 Here's a very quick card  for three different challenges. So lovely to see that Addicted to CAS is back after a 6 month break - I've missed their CAS challenges:

The code word is 'emboss.' my favourite technique - I'll never tire of seeing an image magically transform from powder to a raised, shiny image! I used the colours from Color Throwdown (rust, brown and cream) to blend a background and added a scattering of white embossed and black dandelions from Happy Little Stampers. The sentiment is embossed on black card stock as well. 

Funnily enough the colours in this week's Card Concept challenge are identical so I'm popping it over there too,  in the clean and simple category.  

Happy stamping!

Claire

Autumn Inspired...

Hello inkers, hope you're having a great start to the week!

I've made an Autumn inspired card using Jen's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches. I stamped PTI's Lovely Layers using the colours at The Color Throwdown:

I also used The Card Concept's image for a bit of inspiration again - the leaves,  Autumn colours and the grout grey background. I think it's in the Classy and Elegant style!

Thanks for popping by,

Claire

Celebrate the Season

Hello fellow inkers,

There's lots of Autumn themed challenges happening in blog land at the moment.  so I've made a fall inspired card using the gorgeous pic at The Card Concept as inspiration:

For my clean and graphic card I was inspired by the pink, green and yellow/gold as well as the leaves. I used a leaf stencil from Funky Fossil, then added a gold embossed  CAS-ual Fridays Shenanigans sentiment on vellum.  I've also used Jacquie's simple sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches.

Thanks for stopping by!

Claire

Simple Wreaths and Altenew Take 2

Hello folks,

CAS on Friday's latest challenge is to use your favourite flower stamp. I'm assuming a selection of flowers will do - remember this set from W Plus 9? Fresh Cut Wreaths was everywhere when it first came out but I haven't inked mine up for ages.  I almost made a one layer, then added a simple stitched frame from MFT to finish it off.:

My second card is still clean and simple but I matted the panel on gold card stock. For both cards I used the pretty inspiration pic from The Card Concept, drawing from the soft pinks, greens and gold with a touch of yellow:

As promised I did a second take on Altenew's colour challenge using the same technique as the first:

This time I kept it simpler and created a stamped panel of Hennah Elements with a stencilled Grid background again. A small sentiment and butterfly from Stamplorations and it was done.  I do prefer the simplicity of it in comparison to this one - as I said yesterday, splatters are just not for me!

Claire