Cozy Colours

Hello bloggers,

Quick post for a couple of challenges - The Paper Player's colour challenge and Time Out's 'cozy' challenge:

 

  

 

What could be cosier than toasting marshmallows by an open fire? Even if you are a moose!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Feeling Fruity!

 Hello bloggers,

There's a fruity theme happening in blogland at the moment - both The Paper Players and Time Out have a fruity inspiration pic to play with:

My inky mojo has escaped in the last few weeks and even this CAS one was a bit of a struggle. I grabbed a couple of very old Whimsy Stamps sets and stamped/coloured away.  The sentiment's from an equally old Waltzingmouse set. 

Happy stamping!

Claire

Colour Throwdown Meets The Paper Players

Hello folks, 

My inky mojo has been lacking lately - when that happens I try and learn a new technique to get it going again. 

  I love Michelle Short's Altenew tutorials, particularly this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxuSeXw8_6A&t=461s in which she uses white pigment ink to highlight embossed details using an Altenew embossing folder :

I have quite a few Altenew EB's - I love them as they produce really deeply etched images but in hindsight I wish I'd used a different one for this technique. I think a simpler one, like the one Michelle used, would probably work better. I used the colours from The Color Throwdown but then realised the white pigment ink didn't work well with cream, so I went over it with some Antique Linen distress oxide, then added some gold embossing powder. 

Since the challenge at Simon Says Stamp is to use embossing and I've used both wet and dry, I'll link up to their Monday challenge. I'm also popping it over to Addicted to CAS where the code word is 'bloom.'

Happy stamping!

Claire

 

MFT Colour Challenge #209 - Sunday Stamps Sketch

Hello folks,

Time for another Christmas card for MFT's Ready Set Christmas challenge. There's a very cold colour palette for their latest colour challenge - perfect for polar bears:

I've used BB Christmas Selfies, with a sentiment from Bitty Holiday Wishes and some DP from the Feelin' Festive Paper Pad. 

I'm also popping this one over to The Paper Players - I love a good Tic Tac Toe challenge.  I've gone for the diagonal and added some sparkle using holographic glitter on his hat with some sparkly crystals in the background, a Selfie Square die cut and a dry embossed snowy background panel. 

Colourful Options colour for the month happens to be blue so it's going over there too!

And I completely forgot that the whole point of doing this card was to use the lovely, layered sketch over at Sunday Stamps!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Playing with Pastels

 Hello folks!

The Paper Players introduced a colour challenge this week featuring pastels. Pastels are probably my least used colours so this was definitely a challenge for me but the colours over at MFT gave me a push in the right direction:

I've managed to combine three challenges for MFT - colour challenge #208, sketch #640 and their Ready Set Christmas challenge. I used Freezin's Greetings with a sentiment from Bitty Holiday Wishes and a stencilled background from Memory Box. 

Happy stamping!

Claire

CAS Bloom

Hello folks,

Not many creative juices flowing in my place at the moment - I've had a couple of very special weeks celebrating a big birthday, shortly followed by Covid hitting my eldest son.  I knew it would come our way eventually but at least it had the decency to wait until I'd finished the celebrations! We're all in isolation whilst he recovers and hoping the rest of us test negative at the weekend. 

So just a very CAS card from me for CAS on Friday's and The Paper Players' clean and simple 'flowers' challenges:

I've used one of my favourite blooms - CAS-ual Fridays Mon Ami, coloured with Copics and set on a simple die cut tag. I partially stencilled the tag using embossing paste and added a sentiment from the same set. Too easy!

Fingers crossed Covid ups and leaves next week so we can get on with life!

Happy stamping!

Claire

Déja Vu

Hi folks!

I couldn't papercraft my way out of a paper bag at the moment (excuse the pun), but when I saw this  stunner of a card by Cecile, it inspired me to grab the colours and get stamping. I just haven't been making enough masculine cards recently and I thought the colours were perfect for a boy's card. 

In case you're thinking the card looks familiar, I actually CASed myself and based it on this previous card, using the same Winnie and Walter stamp set but opting for stars instead of circles:

This is also for a new to me challenge called Le Créablablablog, based in France - not only has it tested my paper crafting skills, it's also tested my appalling French. I learnt French for 5 years at school (a long time ago) but can only remember the very basics. Google Translate is a wonderful thing!

I'm also popping it over to Addicted to Stamps and More for their 'any occasion' challenge and to The Paper Players where the theme is 'cards for boys.'

Happy stamping!

Claire 

One Layer Diamonds

Hello again,

It's the dreaded one layer challenge over at Less is More this week, with a diamond theme:

 I reached for Rounded Diamonds from Avery Elle - another gift from my inky friend and one which I haven't used much. I remember this particular stamp was used in one of the Online Card Classes a few years ago so I hope I haven't inadvertently cased anything!

I kept it very simple and stamped a quartet of diamonds with the intention of colouring them all with a rainbow of copics but thought it would look more CAS if I only partially coloured them, leaving a lot more white space.  The sentiment's from WMS. Dare I say it - I'm actually quite pleased with my one layer which is definitely a first!

I'm also popping this one over to The Paper Players for their clean and simple birthday challenge.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Feeling Flowery

Happy weekend folks!

I seem to be in a particularly flowery mood at the moment. Here's a couple of cards featuring some of my favourite blooms. The first is for MFT's latest sketch challenge using Lavish Lilies, coloured with Copics and with a simple die cut flag strip stamped with Wood Plank background stamp. The sentiment's from Simple Sentiments. 

 

 

 

 

 I'm throwing this one into the ring for a few challenges - Addicted to Stamps and More birthday challenge, The Paper Players clean and simple birthday and Addicted to CAS flower challenge

My second card is for the latest Altenew Inspiration challenge. I have to say I found these colours really difficult - blues and purples are definitely not my 'go to' colours!  I ended up creating a background with Beautiful Day by blending a distress ink background, overstamped in purple and green leaves and berries. I kept the blooms very simple by white embossing them on vellum.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend and get some inky time!

Claire

Spring is in the Air - Altenew March Inspiration Challenge

Hello inkers,

Spring is in the air in the Northern Hemisphere so lots of Spring themed challenges happening at the moment, including one at the The Paper Players:

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I used the crisp, fresh colours over at Altenew's Inspiration challenge, although I used a much lighter blue than what's in the pic. I really do need to keep referring to the photo when making a challenge card as I seem to take one look, then use an entirely different hue. I'm hoping it will still be accepted - it is a form of blue after all!

I used Peony Bouquet, this time white embossed on pink card stock and stamped with two tones of pink ink. I masked off a background with washi tape and blended the blue stripes with Salty Ocean distress ink. The sentiment's from Flora Motifs. The Peony has been die cut using the matching die set so I'm also popping this over to Addicted to Stamps and More for their 400th challenge to use a die cut and/or stencil challenge. It's also my second entry to Time Out's birthday challenge. 

Happy stamping!

Claire

MFT Colour Challenge #148

Hello, hello,

Time for another CAS card, this time for AAA Cards sketch challenge using MFT's colours:

 

I've used one of the sweet little gnomes from 'Hanging with my Gnomies.' I love this set but I just need to find some time to do a whole lot of colouring with it. The Grout Gray panel has been stamped in Grout Gray ink using Wood Plank.  There's the option of giving it a movie theme at AAA so let's go with Sherlock Gnomes!

I'm also popping this over to The Paper Players who have a theme challenge this week - to make a masculine card.

Happy stamping!

Claire

Playing with Watercolour

Hello fellow inkers,

I've been playing with the sketch over at The Paper Players  - it's just the type of layered sketch I like but I minimised the layers and kept it simple by embossing the diagonal strip behind the panel:

I often lament my lack of watercolouring skills - love the look of it on other people's cards but I just don't seem to have the knack for it myself. However, I found a pack of Derwent watercolour pencils in my drawer (yes, I have that much stuff, I actually didn't know I had them or where they came from) and thought I'd see how they'd look on grout gray card stock rather than standard watercolour paper. Surprisingly, the card stock held up well with the addition of the water and I'm actually happy with the results. The white embossed stamp rose is from PTI's Botanical Blocks.

I'm also entering it into Simon Says Stamp's 'Anything Goes' Wednesday Challenge!

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire