Summer garden

Hi, i was inspired to make this card by the challenge at the
Simon Says Stamp Monday blog where the theme is "I ought to use this more".

I've had this designer paper for ages, along with lots of other sheets, and thought I should start using it!
The butterfly was stamped, fussy cut and coloured with inktense pencils.

I'm also linking up to the anything goes challenge at Seize the birthday.


It's also anything goes at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge


Materials used:
Designer paper; Hero Arts antique engravings stamp; Memory Box label die; sentiment sticker; double sided tape.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and thanks for visiting,
Cathy x

Butterflies for a baby boy

Hi, I made this card to send to my niece in Austria who has recently had a baby boy.

This embossing folder reminds me of a babies quilt, so I think it's the perfect background for these butterflies.

I'm linking up the the challenge at The Card Concept where the theme is baby.

There's also a fabulous photo for inspiration.

I think my card is in the clean and simple category.

I'm also putting a second entry in at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

where it's an anything goes theme, and at 

Addicted to Stamps & More where it';s also anything goes.

Inkspirational has a colour challenge

Materials used:

Stampin Up fancy fan embossing folder; Memory Box butterfly and alphabet dies; EK Success flower punch; glitter paper.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Yellow Butterfly Flourish

Hi, I'm using up some leftovers from previous projects.
I love using diecuts as they can be modified by trimming bits off, or gluing bits on!
These flourishes were trimmed from a larger piece and seemed too good to throw away.

I'm linking up to a few challenges.
At Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge the theme is anything goes.

At Less is More the theme is watercolor. Add water when you colour your project.
I've coloured this butterfly using Inktense pencils and an aquabrush.

At Addicted to Stamps & More the theme is anything goes.

Materials used:
Hero Arts stamp; versafine ink and clear embossing powder; Inktense pencils; MFT flourish coloured with distress ink; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,
Cathy x

Perfume Bottle Vase

Hi, I've been saving up the empty bottles from my favourite perfume.

I love the shape and thought it'd be perfect as a small vase. I coloured it with alcohol inks and blending solution.

I then had to make some flowers and greenery to match! 

I'm linking up to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is anything goes.

I die cut my tattered flowers from watercolour paper and coloured them with distress inks.

The leaves are cut from scraps and snippets of green cardstock with a couple of Memory Box dies.

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

Enjoy the rest of your week, thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Flowers for a Friend

Hi, I've managed to make a few cards today and thought I'd better get 1 posted before it gets too late.

I've used a die I bought ages ago and a new stamp set that I'm inking for the first time.

Never before used stuff, perfect for the NBUS challenge at Darnell's blog.

She's celebrating her 500th follower with this fun challenge. It's anything goes with a friendship theme

Pop over and have a look, Darnell always has an entertaining story with her fabulous cards.

I die cut the blossom sprig from watercolor paper and used distress ink to colour the whole thing green. I cut some more flowers from the leftover scraps, sponged them blue then stuck them on top. Much easier than trying to colour with markers. Using snippets means I can visit the playground over at Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

At Time Out Challenge the theme is Summer with an optional twist of flowers. Blue skies, green grass and yellow sun, that made my colour choice easy.

Materials used:

 Memory Box honeysuckle blossom die; watercolor paper;  Stampin Up Field Flowers stamp; distress inks; wink of stella pen.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Flying Birthday

Hi, I was inspired to make this card by the challenge at Addicted to CAS

where the code word is transport.

There are also a couple of challenges with a clean and simple theme.

Addicted to Stamps & More and 

Inkspirational.

I cut my clouds and the banner from snippets of cardstock, so I'm also visiting the playground at

Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

Materials used:

Stampin Up embossing folder; Memory Box cloud die; MFT banner die; We R Memory Keepers stamp; distress ink; twine; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Inky Christmas

Hi, I've been making some paper flowers and while I had my distress inks out I thought I'd make this card for the Holidays challenge at Addicted to Stamps.

This embossed resist technique is one of my favourites.

Materials used: Memory Box snowflake die; Poppystamps snowflake stamp; distress inks; silver ink and embossing powder; sentiment sticker and ribbon from stash.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Masculine Sympathy

Hi, it's a long weekend here in Australia to celebrate the Queen's birthday.

I'm so looking forward to the break. No special plans, just hoping to catch up on some sewing and card making. 

 I needed a male sympathy card and saw this gorgeous card on pinterest. I've used the image for happy occasions but hadn't thought to use it on a sympathy card, so thank you for the inspiration Blindstamper at Splitcoaststampers.

I'm linking up to a few challenges.

Inkspirational has a clean and simple theme, and

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge has a father's day or masculine theme.

 I masked the white border and inked the panel in a few blue distress inks. I'm always amazed at the clean area that appears when you lift up a mask. I think it fits the theme at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme is magic.

Materials used:

Penny Black Dreamy stamp; distress inks; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Blue Butterfly

I used a new flourish die for the first time today.

I glued 2 together for more dimension and tried to shape the leaves a bit, then coloured them with distress inks.

I'm linking up to the challenge at Addicted to CAS again.

This card has more subtle texture so I hope that's still ok. I've used a hammered card stock as a base and embossed a frame.

At Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge it's anything goes.

I cut the butterfly base from vellum and painted it with twinkling H2Os. The top was cut from blue card and I used the leftovers to die cit the tiny butterflies. Snippets means I can visit the playground at 

Pixie's Crafty Workshop for lots of fun!

Materials used:

MFT flourish die; Memory Box butterfly dies; distress inks; twinkling H20s; Stately embossing folder; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Black & Yellow Butterfly

Hi, my plans for lots of crafting this weekend got slowed down when my heat gun died!

It's one I bought at least 15 years ago, so instead of crafting I was scouring the internet for a replacement. 

After my cuttlebug my heat gun is probably my most used tool. I use it for wet embossing and drying inky projects, I'm too impatient to wait! 

I had this social butterfly from Penny Black stamped and fussy cut, so I coloured it with inktense pencils to suit the challenge at The Card Concept, to create a project using black, grey, yellow and white. My card is in the clean and simple category.

 Sentimental Sundays has a theme of things with wings, it closes in a little while so I'm just scraping in!

Addicted to Stamps  is to make your mark. Create a project using pencils, markers, etc.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is anything goes.

Materials used:

Penny Black stamp, versafine ink and clear embossing powder; inktense pencils; MFT flourish die; iced spruce distress ink; sentiment sticker.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and may your heat gun keep on working!

Cathy x