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

Copic Coloured Gardenia

Hello, happy weekend!

I was lucky enough to win a gift card recently from Alex Syberia Design - she has beautiful hand drawn digital stamps in her Etsy shop which are super easy to buy and download. I used  Sweet Gardenia as I liked the large petals - perfect for practising my Copic colouring:

 

I used all the pretty colours from Sunday Stamps and the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches. The background panel is white embossed Circle Celebrations Background stamp on grout grey card stock from MFT. I was going to add a bit of bling but I think the image is so pretty I nothing else is required! 

Happy stamping!

Claire 

Shades of Blue

Hi folks,

I really do need to make a few more masculine cards - Less is More's 'shades of blue' was the perfect opportunity to break out those blue hues and make a 50th card for a male friend of mine:

I've used Avery Elle's Rounded Diamonds with matching dies - it's one of those sets you can really play around with and create lots of different looks. I layered my stamped images and clustered them together with some dimensional tape. The sentiment's from Taylored Expressions and the stamped number is WMS.

The Paper Players  have a masculine clean and simple challenge as well this week so this one's going over there too.  And Jolanda from Cardz4guys popped by to say it would fit in with their 'age is just a number' theme. It's a new one for me so check it out here. 

Enjoy what's left of your weekend!

Claire

Less is More - Favourite Technique

 Hello fellow inkers,

Here's a CAS card for a few challenges:

Less is More's Lucky Dip challenge is to use your favourite technique - I love the look of ink blending so I blended a distress ink background and stamped an MFT image of Lavish Lilies.

This one's also going over to Just Us Girls' Word Week challenge which is 'kindness' and Time Out's Inspired by Words challenge...what could be more spring-like than fresh flowers?

Happy stamping!

Claire 

Hearts Galore!

Hello folks,

Lots of love related challenges out there in blog land at the moment. I've combined a few of them to make this CAS anniversary card:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used a very old PTI set which is probably one of the first ones I bought called Heart Prints. I stamped them in varying shades of pinks and reds, die cut them and matted them against a gold heart underneath. You can't really tell from the pic but I've randomly used dimensional tape to pop some of them up. It's added some subtle dimension to a very simple layout. 

This one's going over to Addicted to Stamps and More where the theme is 'any occasion', Addicted to CAS with the code word 'hearts', and Paper Players which has a colour challenge happening. I had no idea I had so many pinks and reds in my ink collection! Lastly, I've been inspired by the pretty image of patterned hearts over at Time Out - it immediately reminded me that I hadn't inked up this set in a long time!

Happy stamping!

Claire

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

Time Out in the City

Hello and Happy New year! Here's hoping that memories of 2020 will disappear into history and that 2021 will bring better times!

 Time Out's got a brand new theme challenge happening, which is 'Life in the City:'

 

 

 

It was the perfect opportunity to use MFT's new City Block Background which I white embossed on black card stock, then fussy cut around some of the roofs to create a cityscape. I added a stencilled, rainbow backdrop using MFT's Radiating Rays Stencil and the sentiment's from Taylor Expressions!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Time Out - Breast Cancer Awareness

Hello, hello,

It's Breast Cancer Awareness month so Time Out's challenge is to create a card of encouragement:

 

What could be more encouraging than telling someone you love them, especially if they're going through something as horrendous as breast cancer? 

I've used the colours from MFT's colour challenge, using their Heart Tree Die-namics with some patterned papers from the now retired Sweet Celebrations paper pad.  The Grout Gray background has been embossed with Circle Celebration Background and the image has been framed using Stitched Rectangle Frames Die-namics. The sentiment isn't MFT - it's Taylored Expressions.

I've also used Jen Timko's sketch from Freshly Made Sketches, adding a little wooden heart for embellishment to finish it off.

Happy stamping!

Claire

CAS on Friday - Guest Designer

Hello folks,

I'm chuffed to bits to be Guest Designer over at CAS on Friday today. They have another great clean and simple challenge for you with the theme of 'Autumn':

 

I used some Autumn inspired distress inks for my card, sponging them over a Funky Fossil leaf stencil, with a sentiment from Tailored Expressions. The Stamplorations butterfly die cut has been embossed with gold embossing powder. 

Hope you get time to get the inks out over the weekend!

Claire 

Celebrating at Paper Players

Hello, hello,

Another CAS card for Jaydee's clean and simple challenge over at The Paper Player's 500th challenge:

This time I used Jen's simple sketch from Freshly Made Sketches and the fun, bright colours at The Colour Thowdown. I've stamped CAS-ual Fridays' Amazeballs, coloured with Copics and added some Glossy Accents with a sprinkle of glitter to the black dots. 

Thanks for stopping by,

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

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

A Froggy Freshly Made Sketch

G'day folks!

It's Monday so must be time to post a card for Freshly Made Sketches:

I white embossed a background using Waltzingmouse's Woodgrain, added a few strips of MME patterned papers and a sweet little frog in a die cut pocket from Taylored Expressions.  I've coloured him in with Copics and added lots of Glossy Accents to his googly eyes.

Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Claire x