Winter snowflake

Hi, I was inspired to make this card by a couple of challenges.

Scrapbook Boutique has a winter theme challenge to use the colours brown, turquoise and white with this delicious looking cupcake photo as inspiration.

At Inkspirational, there's a sketch challenge.

The DT's have some fabulous inspiration for both challenges, but they close soon! (Scrapbook Boutique is for Australian entries only as they are unable to ship overseas.)

I used snippets of white glitter paper in my snowflake and strip above the diecut border, so I'm visiting the playground again at Pixie's Crafty Workshop. There's always lots happening there!

Materials used: Swiss dots embossing folder; Memory Box Sanibel border die; Spellbinders snowflake die; glitter papers; sentiment sticker from stash.

Thanks for visiting :)

Wedding Hearts

Hi, I've been asked to make a wedding card, so I thought I'd go with traditional gold and white.

I die cut Memory Box Sofia Hearts in gold glitter paper and white linen card. I popped the white offcuts into the gold outline, to give the hearts a more solid look. I attached the gold cord and bow with glossy accents, and the sentiment sticker is from my stash.

Using snippets means I can visit the playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop, there's always lots of inspiration over there!
I'm also linking up to CASology where the cue card is gold this week.

At Addicted to CAS, the code word is glitter, and at Crafting with Dragonflies the theme is weddings.

I'm home alone this weekend, so Misha our cat is following me wherever I go! She's used to a bit more activity in the house. We're tucked into my craft room with a heater on as it's very chilly outside and she seems quite content for now!

Thanks for visiting :)

Distress Ink Blooms

 

Hi, I was inspired to make this card by a couple of challenges.

At  A Blog Named Hero, the theme is to create a project inspired by a Hero Arts artist.

I have been a fan of Jennifer McGuire's work for a few years now. I think she introduced me to distress inks and Perfect Pearls. This card uses a popular resist technique I learned from her also.

I stamped Penny Black constellation in Versamark on watercolour paper, and embossed in white. I blended the three shades of distress ink to highlight the image. Lastly I sprayed with Perfect pearls mist to give it a sheen.

The challenge at Allsorts challenge blog, is to use Kraft card in your project. I embossed the kraft base with

 Couture Creations Powder Puff folder. I thought it was a good match for the stamped image. The sentiment sticker is from my stash.

I'm also linking up to the challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge, where the theme is Celebrate.

Thanks for visiting :)

Birthday Bike

Hi, it's my eldest son's 23rd birthday on Friday. He has his Learner's licence for a motor bike, so I thought this image would be perfect for him!

The stamp is by Darkroom Door. I used Versafine onyx black ink. The embossing folder is Heavy Duty.

I'm linking to a few challenges.

At Allsorts Challenge Blog, the theme is transport.

At Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge,, the theme is celebrations, birthday or otherwise. The DT is celebrating their 3rd anniversary and their move to a new website.

At Make it Monday, the theme is anything goes and to share creativity.

At Seize the Birthday, it's an anything goes birthday challenge for the month of July.

Thanks for visiting :)

Celebration Butterfly

Hi, I enjoyed getting very inky with this card! 

I was inspired by the challenge over at Inkspirational where the theme is to CASE this fabulous card.

I love Ellen's card and she has a link to an amazing wax resist technique for her background. I've got wax paper and glossy cardstock on my shopping list!!

 As a substitute I used a background stamp I borrowed called Weathered by Stampin Up. (I think that's what it's called, thanks for the loan Amanda :))

I stamped in Versafine and clear embossed. Then blended distress inks in shades of yellow and orange. 

The butterfly is coloured with Prismacolor pencils and blended with Odorless Mineral Spirit  and a paper stump. 

I diecut the greenery from snippets of green card and cut and pieced it to create the tendril shapes I wanted.

So I'm visiting the playground again at Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

At Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, the DT are celebrating  their third anniversary, almost, and a move to their new site with the theme of Celebrate. Congratulations!

At Cuttlebug Mania, the challenge is to use  a manual die cutting machine like a Big Shot ( I have a cuttlebug), and any die or embossing folder to create a project with the theme of Fun in the Sun. These yellows, blues and greens remind me of a sunny day in the garden.

Materials used: Stampin Up Weathered stamp; Memory Box Cocoa Bean butterfly stamp; and Madeira Corner die; distress inks; prismacolor pencils; bling and sentiment sticker from stash.

Thanks for visiting :)

Glittery 21st Birthday

Hi, I had a lot of fun making this card, it's so sparkly!

I used the Memory Box small circle burst die to cut a shape in some linen card stock. Then I cut one each from bronze and gold glitter paper. I stuck a small square of copier paper behind the linen card and then replaced the snippets, gluing them in as I went.

I die cut the 21 using the Memory Box Parker number set, and the sticker sentiment is from my stash.

I'm going to link up with a few challenges.

Addicted to CAS has Glitter as a code word, and

CAS-ual Fridays, theme is Count Me In, to add a number to your CAS creation.

Using snippets means I can visit the playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop, and at Seize the Birthday its a month long Anything Goes, as long as it's birthday, celebration.

Thanks for visiting :)

Green Tree Frog

 

 

Hi, I was inspired to make this card by a couple of challenges. At  the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, the theme is green.

 

At Addicted to Stamps & More, it's a Clean and Simple  theme this week.

 

This is a really old clear stamp and  the name has worn off. I stamped in green Versacolor and clear embossed, then coloured with chalks. I used the Stately embossing folder, and the sentiment sticker and bling is from my stash.

 

Thanks for visiting :)

 



Best Wishes Butterfly

 

Hi, I need to get a card in the mail tomorrow so I relied on a layout I've used before but with a different butterfly, colours and sentiment.

Antique engravings butterfly is stamped in Versamark imperial purple and clear embossed. I coloured with Prismacolors and added some stickles. The die is Memory Box Pristine border, cut from a snippet of cardstock, so I'm visiting the playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

I'm also entering the challenge at Addicted to Stamps & More, where it's a clean and simple theme, and Make It Monday, where it's anything goes and to share creativity.

Thanks for visiting :)

Summer Birthday

Hi, I was inspired to make this card by a couple of challenges.

Color Throwdown is celebrating their 5th anniversary with a challenge using these summer colours.

Seize the Birthday, is having a month long anything goes birthday challenge.

At Cuttlebug Mania, the theme is Fun in the Sun. I enjoy sitting in the garden on a sunny day enjoying what's flowering or growing in my garden.

I used Memory Box Cherry Blossom and Grove Branch dies with my cuttlebug. The inner melon coloured flower is cut from vellum and painted with twinkling H2O's. I added some stickles to the yellow for some extra sparkle.

The background was a white card base, sponged with blue, then embossed with Stampin Up's cloud embossing folder. The sentiment sticker is from my stash.

Thanks for visiting :)

Christmas tree with red flowers

Hi, I thought I'd post another quick card tonight before I get things ready for work tomorrow, sadly the school holidays are over!

I used one of my favourite Memory box dies and a flower punch. The bling is liquid pearls.

This week at Craftyhazlenuts Christmas Challenge, the theme is trees.

Craftyhazlenuts Christmas Challenge Extra this month has an anything goes theme.

Merry Monday Always Playing with Paper, also has an anything goes Christmas challenge for this month.

Thanks for visiting :)

Lady Beetle Polka Dots

Hi, I was inspired to make this card by a few challenges.

Inkspirational has a cute photo of lady beetles to use as inspiration.

At CAS-ual Fridays, the theme is Polka Dots.

At Simon Says Stamp & Show, the theme is a little stamping. 

There's a tiny lady beetle stamp in the Hero Arts Antique Engravings set. I think I've only used it once before!

I used snippets of white card for stamping and die cutting, so I'm also visiting the playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

Materials used: Hero Arts stamp; Spellbinders circle die; distress inks; tombow marker; bling, ribbon and sentiment sticker from stash.

Thanks for visiting :)

Pink Lavalier Flower

Hi, I'm squeezing in another card today as I'll be heading to my sister's place in Brissie tomorrow. I doubt we'll get any cards made LOL!!

Last time I was there I did a few die cuts and did some stamping from her stash.

The challenge at Cuttlebug Mania is to make your own flowers for your project, by hand or using a manual die cutting machine. I thought I'd drag out these die cuts as I think  they look like a flower. 

 I sponged them  with memento and distress ink. (There are 2 glued together). I glued some shimmer bazzil to the flower and fussy cut it. If I had the die I would've re-inserted the cut outs! 

It was quite a job. I remember watching a British vintage type renovation show on TV not long ago. The renovators were having a sewing lesson, and while she was stitching the instructor commented that she had a lovely sewing face!! I think my eyes were screwed up and my tongue was hanging out, not a pretty fussy cutting face LOL! 

The die is Memory Box Lavalier circle, and  the embossing folder is Couture Creations Hyper Magical. The sentiment is from Penny Black Social Butterfly set, stamped in Versafine and clear embossed. I shaped some 1/8 punched circles to put around the bling centre.

I was also inspired by 2 other challenges. At Addicted to Stamps & More, there's a colour challenge.'

I followed the sketch at  Freshly Made Sketches.

Thanks for visiting :)

Chalk & Versamark

Hi, I was inspired to make this card by a technique that Donna did on the Annabelle Stamps blog last week. It's a new technique for me, stamping an image in Versamark ink, then sponging or daubing chalk over it. I love the soft colours it gives!

I stamped a couple of the grass images from the All Things Grow set from Annabelles. I fussy cut the taller ones and glued them on to be a feature. The butterfly is an old stamp from my sister's collection and I coloured it with chalk using a cotton bud. The clouds are Memory Box dies that I borrowed.

The sentiment is from Annabelle's Standing Tall set. I've been using it a lot lately! Stamped in Versafine and clear embossed.

I'm entering the challenge  at Annabelle Stamps. Here's the sketch.

I used white ribbon as the vertical stripes on my card. They're a bit hard to see in the photo.

I'm also entering the challenge at Make It Monday, where the theme is anything goes, and to share creativity. Since my dark green layer is a snippet (there's a die been cut out of the middle of it!), I can also visit the playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

Thanks for visiting :)

Christmas cottage

Hi, I put this card together from bits and pieces of cardstock and designer paper in my snippets box. It was fiddly but fun to do. I'm still on holidays though so my time is mine, so to speak!

There are a few Christmas challenges at the moment. Merry Monday at Always Playing with paper, has a month long anything goes as long as it's Christmassy theme.

The Paper Players have a Christmas in July theme.

At Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge, theres a tic tac toe challenge.

My ribbon has glitter edges and I used pearls in my flowers.

Materials used: Memory Box & Poppy stamps dies -window, fence, grass, flower stems, scallop and label; Martha Stewart branch punch; a flower punch; Sizzix Tim Holtz embossing folder; ribbon, bling & sentiment sticker from stash.

Thanks for visiting :)

Shades of Grey

Hi, I made this card for the challenge at Less is More, where the theme is to create a CAS project using at least 2 shades of grey. There are lots of fabulous creations so far.

 I could only think of clouds (it's very overcast here today!) I was also inspired by the Cloud Candy I received from Loll at Stamping with Loll. Here's a pic.

There's a gorgeous cloud sponged background behind these lovely diecuts too. I'm still treasuring them and will use them one day!

 I drew a couple of cloud templates and cut them out of a cereal box. Then I sponged with Memento London fog and a little bit of an old ink, Artnic Chateau Gray.

I messed up stamping my sentiment straight on the card so stuck one over the top! It's from Hero Arts Find Joy. I stamped this in Versafine Smokey Grey and clear embossed it.

I'm also entering the challenge at Make It Monday where the theme is anything goes, to share creativity.

And the challenge at Simon Says Stamp & Show, where the theme is to use a little stamping on your project. I stamped my sentiment.

Thanks for visiting :)

Purple Butterfly

Hi, I'm getting my fix of purple today!

I was inspired to make this card by a few challenges. Freshly Made Sketches has this sketch.

I used a circle instead of a square as it framed my butterfly better.

The inspiration for the colours came from Inkspirational. I hope mine are close enough.

I'm also entering the Playing Favourites challenge at A Blog Named Hero

One of my favourite Hero Arts stamps is this Antique Engravings one. I'm leaving it without a sentiment for now to have in my stash.

Other materials use: Entangled embossing folder; Prismacolor pencils; Spellbinder circle & scallop dies; Martha Stewart frond punch; Stickles.

Celebration Banners

Hi, I was inspired to make this card by the patriotic challenge at Simon Says Stamp. It also fits the challenge at Color Throwdown.

I stamped my  banners onto the strips of card I trimmed from my recent fireworks card, so I'm also entering the snippets playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

Materials used: Maya Road banner stamps; Distressed stripes embossing folder; Memento Lady Bug and Bahama Blue ink, Versafine Majestic Blue ink; Hologram Sparkle embossing powder; twine, brads and sentiment sticker from stash.

Thanks for visiting :)

Christmas decorations

Hi, I thought I'd join the card makers who are starting on Christmas cards!

I had to think of something to make that started with C, since my name is Cathy, for the What's in a Name  challenge at Cuttlebug Mania. So I thought I'd do christmas decorations.

I cut the bauble base from watercolor paper and  coloured it with a sea blueTombow marker. I coloured the edge and then wet the paper inside with my aqua painter to drag the colour to the centre. I then sprayed it with some home made gold Perfect Pearl mist.

 Since I used my markers I'm entering the Make Your Mark Challenge at Addicted to Stamps & More.

Here's a pic without the top. I love the marbled effect.

I'm also entering the challenge at Crafty Hazlenuts Christmas Challenge Extra, it's an anything goes challenge so long as it's christmassy.

At Allsorts Challenge, the theme is to use your favourite things. Die cuts are one of my favourite things and I love Memory Box dies.

Edited to add: Bonnie has suggested that I also link up to the Anything Goes Christmas challenge at Merry Monday Always playing with Paper. Thanks Bonnie.

Materials used: Memory Box classic and snowflake ornaments, crisp bows and branch dies; Stately embossing folder; sentiment sticker from stash.

Thanks for visiting :)

Fireworks Fun

Hi, I had so much fun making this card! I used the masking technique and had a beautiful distressed blue panel. Then I stamped my design using masks. Then I scored along what I thought was the edge of my panel only to realize it wasn't!! I cut the panel out and mounted it on a white card border to rescue it LOL!

This stamp is one I bought ages ago because it cost $3. (My sister probably talked me into buying it at the scrapbooking store near her place!!) I think it looks like fireworks. I stamped in Versamark and used mica powder and Perfect Pearls to bring out the image. I've taken a great many photos to come up with this one! In real life it looks so much better!

I'm entering the challenge at CASology where the cue card is Fireworks.

I'm also entering the challenge at Simon Says Stamp & Show where the theme is Anything Goes.

Materials used: Summer Soul Fancy Pants Design stamp; Distress inks; Mica powders and Perfect Pearl powders; sentiment sticker from stash.

Thanks for visiting :)

Get well yellow flower

Hi, I needed to make a quick card  to send to a friend who's a bit under the weather at the moment.

Yellow is such a bright and cheery colour so I hope it lifts her spirits.

I'm going to enter the challenge at The Paper Players. It's a tic tac toe challenge

I've chosen Get well, bling and yellow.

I'm also entering the challenge at Make It Monday, where the theme is Anything Goes to share creativity.

Materials used: Sizzix embossing folder; Memory Box label die; Shop bought paper fllowers;  ribbon, bling and sentiment sticker from stash.

Thanks for visiting :)

Gecko Birthday

Hi, I've been playing with embossing and texture paste over the last couple of days! I bought some smooth white embossing paste and this Dreamweaver gecko stencil at the craft show I went to in June.

I also bought some structure paste which is gritty and this The Crafters Workshop brick wall stencil.

I learned a few lessons with my experimenting. The smooth paste leaks out really easily so I need to work more quickly with it. Also, it's better to colour the paste before I use it as it took ages to get the colours I wanted when the pastes were dry. 

I fussy cut the gecko as the paste leaked underneath him. The paste was expensive so I didn't want to waste him! Also I fussy cut all of the bricks!! Lucky I'm on holidays LOL. I didn't like how the colour came out on the card I'd stencilled the bricks onto. Thus the lesson to colour the paste first!

I distressed grey cardstock with pumicestone ink. I coloured my bricks with fired brick, rusty hinge and tea dye distress inks. The lizard was coloured with a green colour box ink.

I die cut  a Memory Box Madeira Vine out of a green snippet and cut it up to place on the wall. The tiny flowers are snippets of cream card cut with memory Box Floral Delights. The MFT wavy pennant was also cut from a cream snippet and I lengthened it to fit my sentiment sticker.

I'm going to enter a couple of challenges. The snippets mean I can head over to the playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

At Simon Says Stamp & Show the theme is Anything Goes.

I was really inspired by Florence's amazing card here as she used embossing paste for her sun flower. I'll try and use pencils or markers on my next card so that I can enter the Make Your Mark Challenge at Addicted to Stamps & More.

Thanks for visiting :)

Arrow Flight

Hi, I was inspired to make this card by the Hunger Games challenge, to use an arrow at CAS-ual Fridays.

I don't have any arrow stamps so I thought I'd convert this image from the Breath set by CAS-ual Fridays Stamps. I hope I'm not stretching the imagination too far! The arrow tips are made with Memory Box Parker number dies, number 7 chopped off and thinned down.  

I'm also entering the challenge at Addicted to CAS, where the code word is Take Flight. I think the sentiment is an inspiration to take flight too.

I used Versacolor and Versafine ink and clear embossed for some shine.

Thanks for visiting :)

Sand & Seashells

Hi, I've used some new things and some old things to create this card.

 I coveted the Impression Obsession Gradation stamp from the moment I saw it, and recently acquired it. I love the butterflies in the Hero Arts Antique Engravings set which I've had for ages. I've never inked up the seashells though!

I'm entering the challenge at Less is More. Hannelie is the guest designer and as her blog name is Desert Diva,  the theme is sand. (Hope there is enough white space here to meet the challenge rules!)

I stamped the sand with Memento desert sand. The seashells are stamped with chalk inks and embossed for some shine. 

I added some seaweed using the Memory Box Twigs & Berries die. I cut it from a few olive card scraps and tucked them behind the shells, so I can also enter the snippets playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop. 

 The Kaisercraft sentiment is embossed with bronze powder, and sponged with Versacolor sand beige ink.

I'm also entering the Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Addicted to Stamps & More.

Thanks for visiting :)