Focal one for Seize the Birthday

 

Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and Ashwini wants us to use one stamp, stamped only once as the focal point.

Or add to your birthday stash with our anything goes option.

Our party guest Fran and my team mates have some wonderful inspiration for you, so I hope to see you in the gallery.

This is a revamp of a design I made quite a few years ago. When mojo says no go I try and perk up with some of my own CASEs! 

The dalmation was coloured with prismacolour pencils and fussy cut.

I went for a grungy wall background with a brick outline . Oxide and distress inks played nicely together for that.

The speech bubble is from a retired Stampin Up stamp and die set. I masked out the stamp sentiment and used a birthday sticker instead.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps & More

Mix it up Challenge, playing along with the anything goes option

Supplies:

Katzelkraft dog stamp; prismacolour pencils; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die; Sizzix mixed media #3 die; Stampin Up just sayin stamp & die; oxide and distress inks in pumicestone; tea dye and frayed burlap; distress stain in frayed burlap; versafine clair nocturne ink & clear ep.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

3D embossing & white highlights

 

Hi everyone, I've been playing with 3D folders and wanted to try highlighting the image with white pigment ink again.

I ink blended distress oxides onto some cardstock, embossed it then tried to get enough white on the embossing to make it stand out. 

It seems to sink in to the colour a bit, but I think this worked in the end!

Love the details in this folder.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, anything goes

Krafty Chicks Challenge, anything goes

Supplies:

Altenew whimsical bouquet 3D embossing folder; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die; distress oxide inks; Paper Rose thank you die Gina K white pigment ink.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Feathers for Seize the Birthday

 

Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and Vicki has chosen feather as the theme.

Or play along with our anything goes birthday option.

It's a great way to build up your birthday card stash!

Our party guests Fran and Leslie, along with my team mates have something to tickle your fancy, so I hope you can play along!

I was asked to make a birthday card for an 18 year old girl with a bit of sparkle or shine, (but not too much), and feathers.

I have a few mica powders and perfect pearl powders and thought I'd brush them onto the stamped feathers. The mica stuck pretty well to the versamark ink.

I brushed off the excess and sprayed a very fine mist of water over the card to set the perfect pearls. Not sure if this is necessary, but I did it anyway lol!

Here's a closer look at the shimmer.

I layered the gold numbers and sentiment onto a black base for a bit of shadow.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Krafty Chicks

Addicted to Stamps & More

Supplies:

Deep Red feather and Carabelle Studios live your dreams feather stamps; versamark ink; perfect pearls in various colours; Kaisercraft number dies; Dress My Craft congratulations die; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Christmas treeline

 

Hi everyone, I thought it was about time that I started on some Christmas cards.

I can't believe how quickly the months are flying by!

The theme at ABC Christmas is U for unusual Christmas colours or V for velvet.

I had some backgrounds made with Lindy's magicals that I thought would work as Christmas colours that were non traditional, so have gone with the U option.

I've had this tree die for quite a while and this is it's first outing, so I'm also visiting

 Darnell's NBUS Challenge

Krafty Chicks has a Christmas theme.

It's anything goes Christmas at the Merry Little Christmas Challenge

Supplies:

Penny Black Christmas wonderland die; Tattered Lace sentiment die; Lindy's magicals; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Dots for Seize the Birthday

 

Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday, and Shirley has chosen

 a dots theme for us.

or you can play along with our anything goes birthday option too.

My team mates and our party guest Fran have loads of inspiration for you, so I hope you can play along.

I had some mica spray stain backgrounds in my bits box and decided to have a play with some 3D embossing folders. I need to play with these a more often as I have lots!

This one is by Altenew....

The stars were diecut from some scraps too.

Here's a closer look at the shimmer.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps & More

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, add some texture

Supplies:

Ranger mica spray stains; Altenew 3D embossing folder dotty circles; Paper Rose happy birthday die;

Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die; stars from Card Magic star border die.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Use the word Celebrate for Seize the Birthday

 

Hi everyone, our wonderful leader Nancy wants us to use the word celebrate on our birthday cards this round.

Or play along with our anything goes birthday option

Our party guests and my team mates have some great inspiration for you over at the blog, so I hope to see you in the gallery.

I am still swatching my distress mica stains and making backgrounds while I have everything out.

These flower heads were diecut from some of them.

Here's a closer look at the shimmer.

The background embossing die has been in my stash for quite a while but this is it's first outing!

I love the stitched detail.

The sentiment is layered up for dimension and the top layer is cut from glossy black cardstock.

(So much easier than embossing the sentiment with versamark ink & clear powder!)

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Cardz 4 Galz, any colouring medium

I've used mica spray stains and diecut the flowers.

Krafty Chicks, all occasions

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, anything goes

Word Art Wednesday, anything goes

Supplies:

Dies: Simon Says Stamp cosmos stem; Waffle Flower celebrate word; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle;

Stampin Up stitched greenery; 

Other: Distress mica stains in flickering candle, fortune teller & harvest moon; 

peeled paint distress ink;  Lawn Fawn reveal wheel friends & family sentiment stamp; versafine nocturne ink & clear ep.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Stripes for Seize the Birthday

 

Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and Linda has chosen stripes for this turn.

You can always play along with our anything goes birthday option too.

Our party guests Karen and Helen along with my team mates have some wonderful cards to inspire you on the blog. Hope you can play along!

I wanted to do something a bit different and also use this build a barn die that I bought on sale recently.

I got some inspiration from the Lawn Fawn blog, and decided to add stripes to some

 red cardstock for the barn. More stripes from a sunshine stencil.

These cute farm critter stamps were bought to go with the barn.

(I never used to do "cutsie" cards, but I seem to be drawn to them the older I get lol!)

I coloured the critters with my chameleon alcohol markers (amazed they still work as they've been neglected for so long!). Then stencilled some grass to ground everything...😉

Such a busy card, I didn't think the sentiment fit anywhere. Luckily I had some tiny sentiment stickers that fit on the barn eaves.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday, stamp it for Stamptember

Alphabet Challenge, L is for Landscape

Stencil Fun Challenge, playing along without the optional fall theme

Dragonfly Dreams, Happy Birthday

Supplies:

Dies: Lawn Fawn build a barn and reveal wheel add on (for window frame); Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle; Lawn Fawn build a house spring add on (for the fence); Tiny farm; Memory Box stitched circle layers (for the sun)

Other: MFT grassy edges and sunrise radiating rays stencils; Altenew classy stripes stencil; 

Lawn Fawn tiny farm stamps; chameleon pens; Memento black ink; 

oxide inks in greens and yellows.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Retro for Seize the Birthday

 

Hi everyone, it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and Jules has chosen a retro theme for this fortnight.

Or, you can add to your stash with our anything goes birthday option.

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

I still have my LP collection, and a record player, although it's ages since I used them!

So I thought that would fit as a retro item.

The stamp and die are from MFT .

The record is diecut from glossy black card and the centre is cut from a leftover scrap of alcohol inked yupo.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps & More, I've used diecuts

Krafty Chicks, all occasions

Supplies:

MFT Turntable die and For the Record stamp; alcohol ink and silver scraps; versafine clair nocturne ink & clear ep; Simon Says Stamp glossy black cardstock;

 Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

A special request with sparkle and shine

 

Hi everyone, a friend asked me to make a card for her aunt. 

She wanted some shimmer, no sentiment and just the number 96 for her upcoming birthday.

Mica spray stains fit the bill for the shimmer and shine, and I thought this 3D botanical embossing folder added lots of interest and texture.

I had spritzed the cardstock with the mica stains before embossing it, and there was enough left to diecut the numbers from. I layered them up for dimension.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday, sparkle & shine.

Try it on Tuesday, Keep it Simple.

Little Red Wagon, sparkle & shine.

Supplies:

Distress mica spray stains; Sizzix botanical 3D embossing folder; Kaisercraft number dies; Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle die.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Framed floral and mica spray stains

 

Hi everyone, I think I am addicted to mica spray stains!

I am swatching the colours and as I go I'm making backgrounds. Don't want to waste all the effort of having the bottles shaken and ready to spray!

And, since I have the "every colour" bug, there are a lot of swatches to do.

The colours in this background are cocktail party, flickering candle, fortune teller and a dash of snow flurries.

The floral die is by Paper Rose and the sentiment is a stamp and label die by Uniquely Creative

Here's a closer look at the shimmer.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Unicorn Challenge, flowers

Dragonfly Dreams, these are a few of my favourite things.

Diecuts are one of my all time faves and at the moment, so are mica spray stains!

Allsorts, playing along with the anything goes option

Addicted to Stamps & More

Just Us Girls, this floral die has the frame as part of the image, so hope that is ok.

Simon Says Stamp Monday, sparkle and shine

Supplies:

Distress mica spray stains; Paper Rose blooming flowers background die; Uniquely Creative card making essentials #1 stamp and label die.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x