Sunday, 3 August 2025

Star Wars inspired birthday card

 

Hi everyone, I was asked to make a Star Wars birthday card for a young boy.

I don't have anything suitable, but thought this phrase was pretty iconic!
 I'm pretty sure he's old enough to read it... inside I printed a sentiment on my my computer, it says "You were born (and I stamped) Happy Birthday"


My galaxy was inspired by an article in Australian Cardmaking Stamping & Papercraft, Vol 21 No 12.
It was by Gayatri Murali. Her galaxy scene is gorgeous!

I stamped the 3 part moon, and silver embossed the top layer for some shine.
I blended distress inks, spattered with water, Finetec silver paint and white gloss spray.

The letters are double layered, tedious gluing lol!! I used a T ruler to glue the words in place.

I'm linking up to these challenges:


Krafty Chicks, anything goes

Little Red Wagon, masculine

Make My Monday, masculine

Mix It Up Challenge blog, anything goes option
middle row across any colour, free and sentiment

Supplies:
Altenew to the moon stamp; Poppy Stamps birthday blowout birthday stamp;
Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die; Charlie & Paulchen alphabet die; versafine clair morning mist ink; Hero Arts unicorn white ink; Versamark silver ink & wow silver metallic ep; distress inks; Finetec silver watercolour paint; White gloss spray.

Have a great week and thankyou for visiting,
Cathy x





Friday, 1 August 2025

Fishing for sport at AAA birthday

 


Hi everyone,
 I was delighted to be asked to guest design at AAA Birthday for winning a challenge recently.


The theme for this month is sport.


I don't have a lot of sports themed supplies but recently bought these fishing lure dies. I'm pretty sure fishing counts as a sport.

I spread lunar pastes onto cardstock so I could die cut the bits and pieces in a range of colours.
It was a lot of fun putting them together!

I used tumbled glass oxide ink to colour a card panel, then added the same ink through a fish net stencil for added interest. Next I embossed the panel with a 3D waves folder.

Many thanks to the talented team at AAA Birthday for inviting me along, it was a fun challenge.

I'm linking up to these challenges:


Little Red Wagon, masculine.
Supplies:
Honey Bee stamps fishing lure dies; Simon Hurley lunar pastes; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die;
Visible Image ripped fishnet stencil; tumbled glass oxide ink;
 Memory Box 3D waves embossing folder; Creative Expressions happy birthday sentiment; black gloss and silver metallic cardstock.

Thanks for visiting,
Cathy x

Sunday, 27 July 2025

Happy 35th, check mate!

 


Hi everyone, we celebrated my son's 35th birthday this weekend.
Wow, I'm feeling my age lol! He wanted a nice timber chess set for his birthday so I thought this card would suit him too!

The chess men are cut from glossy white and black cardstock but it's hard to see in the pic. They are layered up for some dimension.
The background is stencilled using oxide ink. Same ink used to colour the sentiment.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, make your own background.


Crazy is Our Game Stencil Challenge, playing along with anything goes stencil.




Supplies:
Chess dies - unknown brand; Memory Box texture mesh stencil; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die; Creative Expressions birthday die; salvaged patina oxide ink; white and black gloss card.

Thanks for visiting,
Cathy x




Friday, 25 July 2025

Favourite colour for Seize the Birthday

 

Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday  and JoAnn wants us to use our
favourite colours.
 

Or play along with our anything goes birthday option and build up your go to stash.

Our party guests KarenJenn and my team mates have lots of inspiration for you on the blog, so I hope you can play along.

I have a few favourite colours, pinks, blues and purples.
I'm using up a dp pad and so pinks won out this time. I coloured the flowers and sentiment with Catherine Pooler inks as I thought they matched up well.

I'm linking up to these challenges:


Allsorts, pretty flowers


Supplies:
Altenew daisy cover plate: Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die; Lawn Fawn watercolor wishes rainbow dp;
Creative Expressions birthday die; Spellbinders mini blooms & sprigs die;
 Catherine Pooler inks.

Thanks for visiting,
Cathy x


Friday, 11 July 2025

Food and or drink for Seize the Birthday

 


Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday, and Glenda has chosen food or drink as our theme this fortnight.
Or play along with our anything goes option, so long as it's for a birthday.


Our party guests and my team mates have some great ideas to inspire you, so hope to see you in the gallery.

I have purchased a few Lawn Fawn sets that were on sale recently. The older I get the more I seem to like making "cute" cards!  I thought this unicorn picnic set fitted the theme.

I stencilled the cloudy background with distress inks and coloured the images and sentiment using chameleon markers.
The clouds are cut from sparkly white card.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Allsorts, for a child
Share our logo


Sparkles Monthly Challenge, fairytale or storybook
Tic Tac Toe, middle row across - layers, free, Summer colours


Supplies:
Lawn Fawn unicorn picnic stamp & dies; MFT cloud stencil; Crafts 4 U birthday girl and stitched rectangle dies; Memory Box puffy clouds die; distress inks and chameleon pens; versamark and versafine clair nocturne ink;  clear ep.

Thanks for visiting,
Cathy x


Friday, 27 June 2025

Add a Silhouette for Seize the Birthday

 


Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and it was my turn to choose the theme - add a silhouette.


Or play along with our anything goes birthday option, it's a great way to add to your stash.
My team mates and our party guest have loads of inspiration for you over at the blog.


Silhouettes make me think of sunsets, and so that's what I went for with my card.

I was inspired by Kristina Werner's YouTube on colour selections for ink blending sunsets.
I've used her colour choices - carved pumpkin, peacock feathers and chipped sapphire oxide inks.
She has some other combinations that I am keen to play with too.

I think her video has been around for a few years but I'm so glad I finally found it, her cards are amazing!

The die is a Sizzix/ Tim Holtz one - flower field and the sentiment is a sticker from my stash.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

My neglected item is the flower field die, might have only used it once since I bought it a few years ago!
Supplies:
Tim Holtz/Sizzix flower field die; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die; oxide inks in carved pumpkin, peacock feathers and chipped sapphire; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,
Cathy x



Friday, 13 June 2025

Fancy Fold CASE for Seize the Birthday

 



Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and Barbara has chosen fancy fold cards for us this round.


Or play along with our anything goes birthday theme.


Our party guest and my team mates have some great inspiration for you, so I hope you can play along!

I was inspired by a youtube video by the talented Natasha Foote here to make this z fold card.
I started with a 4.5 x 4.5inch card like hers, then made a 4 x 6 inch sized card (in hindsight I think I liked the smaller, slightly wider card better!)

This was a fun technique but took ages to make as I'm a bit spatially challenged lol!

Sadly too, the "peeps" stamp in my set is faulty - it stamps with a line through the text.
I bought it ages ago and so it's probably too late to let the manufacturer know. I'm in Australia anyway.
My solution was to print the sentiment and diecut it with my cloud die, since the stamp isn't usable.

(Not linking to challenges as this is a straight CASE of Natasha's card.)

Here's another look front on.

Supplies:
Simon Hurley/Spellbinders spring chicken stamp & dies; MFT cloud and grassy edges stencil and cloud dies; 4enScrap tree dies; distress oxide inks and chameleon alcohol pens.

Thanks for visiting,
Cathy x







Friday, 23 May 2025

Use a frame for Seize the Birthday

 


Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and Ashwini wants us to use a frame on our card.


Or, build up your stash and play along with our anything goes birthday option.


This is one of the few frame dies that I have, might be it's first outing too!
I double layered it so the white on white would stand out a bit and embossed the centre offcut. These are new to me butterflies, coloured with a dab of Catherine Pooler inks. 

I'm linking up to these challenges:


Allsorts, playing along with the anything goes option.

Cardz 4 Galz, Things with wings real or fantasy.

Supplies:
Scrapdragon frame die; Honeybee Stamps dogwood blooms embossing folder; Memory Box canyon butterfly dies; Creative Expressions happy birthday die; CP inks; scraps of metallic gold card.

Thanks for visiting,
Cathy x