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

Paper Players Colour Challenge

Hello folks,

Here's one more Christmas card for my ever-growing pile:

I've used the colours from The Paper Player's challenge to ink up It's a Sign:Holiday Sentiments from Ink to Paper with Centre Style Masculine from PTI.

Happy stamping!

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

New Stuff!

Hello bloggers,

I was very lucky to win a gift certificate from Papertrey Ink/Ink to Paper a few weeks ago so thought I'd have a bit of a play with the goodies I bought:

First up is AAA's one layer challenge - I stamped It's a Sign: Birthday Sentiments and used the black, yellow and orange from the graphic as inspiration. One layers are definitely not my thing but for once I'm happy how this one's turned out.

For the second card I used the sketch from Freshly Made and the colours from Colour Throwdown - the blooms have been stamped in a really dark purple from MFT but it looks navy in the pic - the frame is cut from navy card stock.  I stamped the background with Grout Grey on Grout Grey card stock, my go-to neutral for months now...I'm obsessed with it.  I'm also popping this over to Time Out's inspired by Words Challenge.  Any mention of a garden reminds me of flowers.

Enjoy what's left of your weekend!

Claire x

Altenew June Inspiration Challenge

Hello fellow inkers,

Time for another Altenew card using this month's inspiration pic. I made a very CAS card using these elegant butterflies and sentiment from Ori Kami: 

After blending the colours using distress inks,  I created all different kinds of butterflies - I tried embossing them on vellum and colouring them with Copics but in the end I thought they were just as pretty embossed in copper and navy on plain cardstock. Anything else just looked too much with the inked background.  I like how it's turned out but now I have lots of these little butterflies to use so I may have another go!

Thanks for stopping by,

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

Happy Birthday AAA!

Hello folks,

It's AAA Cards 6th birthday so there's a birthday theme for their latest challenge:

I'm also going in with The Paper Players in their Tic Tac Toe challenge. I chose the row on the right - birthday, silver and embossing. I've embossed one of the circular patterns with pewter embossing powder.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Addicted to Coffee

Hi bloggers,

Coffee is my legal addiction so it seemed appropriate to take part in the Spring/Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop:

I made a very CAS card using Waltzingmouse's Coffee Set, stamping each of the utensils in different colours of the rainbow,  so it's also heading over to Addicted to CAS for their rainbow themed challenge.

Happy stamping!

Claire

NBUS - Teddy Bear Christmas

Hi folks,

I've made another card for FMS #436, creating a snowy scene using Winnie and Walter's Into the Woods and Your next Stamp's Huggles Christmas:

I've had these W & W birch trees for a while but didn't really know what to do with them - I realised I didn't really have any animal stamps or dies I could use with them so they've sat uninked for a few months.  Then I remembered this sweet little teddy bear from YNS which I've had for a while and haven't inked up either. Since neither have been used I'm linking up to Darnell's NBUS challenge too.

The background has been blended with distress inks and the birch trees embossed over the top with a sprinkling of stencilled snow. It's made a nice change to all the CAS cards with lots of white space that I've been making recently.

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

Channelling Lime Doodle

Hello inkers!

I love the simplicity of Jen B's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week. It gave me the perfect opportunity to completely CASE/rip off one of Debby Hughes' stunning cards at Lime Doodle:

 

When I first saw her card I immediately bought Evergreen Bough distress ink as I love the colours she used (Antique Linen, Evergreen Bough and Black Soot.) I kept mine very simple and I wish I'd been a bit more heavy handed with the Antique Linen but I'm happy with how it's turned out. I love all the jewels and drops she's used on her card but since I have none of them in my stash they'll have to go on my never ending inky Wishlist.

This one's also going over to Time Out where the challenge is to use the theme 'free.' This little scene reminds me of the saying 'free as a bird' - very pertinent since we've all been isolating for so long!

Happy stamping!

Claire

CAS Shenanigans!

Hello, happy Thursday to you!

I'm playing along with The Paper Players for the very first time with my latest card. They have a 'men in mind' clean and simple challenge happening and since there's a distinct lack of masculine cards in my stash, it was the perfect time for me to join in:

I've used a couple of different sets - CAS-ual Fridays' Shenanigans and Whimsy Stamps' Happy Everything.  The colours are inspired by Colour Throwdown's new colour palette which I thought would be perfect for a masculine card.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Fusion Inspired

Hello folks,

Another CAS creation, this time inspired by the pic over at Fusion:

I was inspired by the soft colours and blended together a few distress inks in the same palette. The Cover Plate is Stamplorations' Bloomtangled Cover Plate die and the sentiment strip is Taylored Expressions Simple Strips with matching die. This is such a clever set - the sentiments are on one large rubber stamp and the die cuts all 18 strips at once. In other words, it takes the same length of time to create 18 different sentiments as it does to create one. Perfect for the lazy crafter!

Daily life is slowly getting back to normal in Australia and I'm looking forward to going back to work. Kids are back in school from Monday so I'm hoping my days as their personal slave/teacher are well and truly over!

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire