Anniversary Card

Here is my card for the Waltzing Mouse Sketch challenge #12. I really enjoyed playing with stamps and getting full of ink and embossing powder, though I do wish I had cleaned the purple ink off one of the stamps before using my Versamark pad and I could have done without getting my finger stuck in red hot melted embossing powder.

I thought I would combine a few challenges, a first for me, so I am also entering this into the following challenges: Die Cut Dreams #63 Soft Shades of Vintage, Crafts & Me Petals & Pearls, C.R.A.F.T #63 Anything Goes,  C.E.S #1 Anything Goes and Paper Cutz #56 ( metal embellishment), so 6 in total.

The stamps used are all by Waltzingmouse Stamps. I used the largest stamp from the Chrystanthemum set to make the crackle effect on the 2 nestie labels behind the sentiment by inking the card with various shades of green and purple inks then triple embossing with pearl and purple powders.  I used stamps from the Say it with Style set for the plum card background and the flower embellishments. I am pleased with how the main layered flower turned out but the photo doesn't capture the irridescent shimmer effect obtained by using the pearl embossing powder. I fastened the layers together with a fancy metal brad  but can't remember the make, which is a pity as I wouldn't mind some more of those.  The sentiment is from the same set, stamped onto shimmery brown card and embossed in gold.  

 I stamped the swirly border, again from the Say it with Style set, in green onto a length of cream satin ribbon before tying it into a bow and adding the pearls. I don't think Adirondack dye ink was a good choice however as the pattern more or less disappeared overnight but it has given the ribbon a nice green tint to match the embossed green card on the right so not a major disaster,  The co-ordinating paper strip was cut from an Anna Griffin sheet and edged with an ivory promarker to give a more vintage look. I also used a lavender promarker to shade the stamped purple floral background.

Colour Clash

Sarah Anderson, host of the Play Date Cafe "Colour Horribilis" challenge asked participants to use hot pink, navy blue and mustard yellow on their creations this week.  Here is my card using this particular colour combination, which isn't set to become one of my favourites any time soon, though it is fun to experiment with colour.  I stamped the PSX teddy image with Adirondack Denim ink and coloured it in with various yellow toned Promarkers, plus deep pink for the bow and heart.  The Autumn Leaves sentiment was stamped with Denim ink onto deep pink Coredinations cardstock and heat embossed.  The nestie label mat was made with a Martha Stewart background stamp using blue, pink and yellow inks and the round mats were made with nestie circle dies.  The cardstock is mainly Coredinations embossed with various Cuttlebug folders.

Card for Polkadoodles Aquamarkers Contest

I have just made this card for the Polkadoodles colouring competition.  They are offering a full set of Aquamarkers as a prize, how wonderful is that!  This competition is in addition to their regular challenges and I think it's an open theme, at least I hope it is, and the closing date is the end of August. I had actually given up trying to watercolour since buying Promarkers, as I don't rate my skills but was tempted into having another go after reading that the contest is open to everyone regardless of ability.  I have had the geese stamp for ages and have to confess that, with the exception of the image on this card, all previous attempts at colouring images made with the stamp have ended up in the bin.  I just can't get it right, which is frustrating.  Having said that, I am reasonably happy with this attempt.  Although it's not great compared to what most people can do with watercolours, it's the best I have acheived to date.   Perhaps Nikky's tutorials helped, plus I took my time for a change!  It took me a while to find my watercolouring media, as they were all consigned to the back of a cupboard, but in the end I opted for my hardly used Lyra Aquacolor crayons.  There isn't much else to say about this card, the papers are all from scraps and the sentiment is by Waltzingmouse Stamps.  I have no idea where those daisy brads are from but I'm glad I found them, as I think they are rather nice!

Oriental Easel Card

I have been playing with Waltzing Mouse Stamps' lovely Asian Gardens set and have made my first easel card to enter into Stampin for the Weekend's anything goes challenge.  As you can see I also went a bit mad with the Cuttlebug and Nestie dies, though the smallest circles were made with a Dovecraft punch, which I managed to break during the process, which is the second punch to bite the dust in a week!

Flower Power

I have just made this card for my sister's 50th and am entering it into the Fab 'n' Funky "Flower Power" challenge.  I used a blue art silk 8x8 card blank by Hunkydory, which was an extra challenge as I normally make A5 or small square cards.  Hopefully I have not overdone it but last time I tried this size card it looked rather empty.  The flowers were made with various dies in the Cuttlebug, a daisy punch and a clear stamp, which I think was free with The Craft Stamper.  My next challenge will be to find a suitable 50th birthday present to buy online, as I won't be able to get out and about for several weeks yet.

stash list:

Magnolia Tilda stamp & Promarker pens
Teal blue organza ribbon
Stickles & Cosmic Shimmer glitter glues
Craft Stamper flower & black Memento ink
Papers by Joanna Sheen, Coredinations, Crafty Secrets, HOTP, Pergamano parchment,red & silver card
Spellbinder Nestabilities dies - circles, scalloped circles, labels 2
Sissix Bigz floral dies
Cuttlebug embossing folders - birthday & swiss dots
wire & heart/pearls/star embellishments

long overdue post

It seems like ages since I last posted but I do have an excuse as I have had a foot operation.  Actually that's a pretty flimsy excuse isn't it, as I don't craft or type with my feet and, as I am off work recovering and unable to walk about without the aid of crutches, I have plenty of time on my hands to make cards.  I got my son to fill a large storage box with craft stuff and made a card yesterday, though I have to confess neither of the above are that card, as I couldn't manage to get to the PC to scan it in....maybe tomorrow!  Fortunately I have a laptop which has kept me entertained the last few days, hence this post which features two cards made  a couple of months ago.  One uses the gorgeous poppy image and backing paper from Joanna Sheen's Royal Horticultural Society CD with the addition of red ribbon and a stamped sentiment and the other a Tilda Magnolia stamped image coloured to match a rather bright card blank.  The sentiment was made with Cuttlebug and nestie dies.