Metallic birthday star

Hi everyone, I racked my brains today trying to think of something starting with X, Y or Z for the 

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge!

Finally I struck on zig zag!

 I have a chevron die that I won ages ago at the snippets playground.

I diecut 2 and painted them with silver gelatos. Then I wove them together and used double sided tape to keep them in place on the back.

Less is More wants us to add some metal this week.

I die cut a star from a Quick Cutz metal sheet and coloured it with alcohol inks.
Apologies for the bright photo! I had to almost lay the stand flat to photograph the star so it wasn't too dark.

At Seize the Birthday it's an anything goes birthday theme.

At AAA Cards the theme is for the guys.

Supplies:
MFT chevron die; silver gelatos; Papertrey Ink star die; metal sheet; akcohol inks; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Wedding flowers

Hi again, I've just finished this card and thought I'd better post it before I get stuck into some housework. The weekend goes so quickly!

The flowers have a layer painted with twinkling H2Os. The colour was way too bright to use on

it's own so I softened it with a vellum layer.

I'm linking up to the challenge at Inspirational where it's a purple theme

as well as a celebration of Pia's wedding next week. Congrats Pia!

It's also a wedding theme at Just Add Ink.

At Cuttlebug Mania it's a ribbon theme, as well as using a manual machine. I used my cuttlebug to diecut the Mediterranean Lace rectangle frame. 

I diecut it twice and layered them together for extra dimension. The glue was nearly dry by the time I got around all the pieces lol!

The ribbon is a couple of leftover pieces I had from another project so I'm also visiting the playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop. 

You only need 1 snippet or scrap to join in the fun.

At Stamping Sensations it's a flower power theme and you must use a stamp.

I've used SU flower shop and Annabelle Stamp's sentiment stamps.

Supplies:

Cheery Lynn Mediterranean Lace rectangle frame; Stampin Up flower shop stamp; gold versacolor ink & gold pearl ep; vellum; twinkling H2Os; pearl bling; Carl flower punch and gold shimmer paper for the flower centres; Annabelle Stamps sentiment from the wedding medallion set; versafine ink & clear ep; Paper Mill ribbon scraps.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Purple dragonflies

Hi again,

 I've made a few watercolour panels with my new paints.

The dragonflies were cut from scraps of vellum and painted with twinkling H2Os.

I'm linking up to the challenge at Seize the Birthday where it's an anything goes birthday theme.

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

The vellum scraps I have leftover are still big enough to punch or die cut a few tiny flowers from so they're back in the scrap box!

Edited to add: there's a purple challenge happening at Inkspirational so I'm also linking up there, thanks Sarah!

Supplies:

Kuretake Gansai Tambo paints; watercolour paper; Memory Box dragonfly die; vellum; twinkling H2Os; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Wedding hearts

I was inspired to make this card for the challenge at CASology

 where the theme is weddings.

Supplies:

Memory Box Sofia Heart; gold shimmer paper; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Purple Fresh Daisies

I made a few blank cards to have on hand for when I need them.

I'm linking this one up to the challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday where the theme is to use

Simon Says products.

Supplies:

Simon Says Stamp fresh daisies die; twinkling H2Os; SU fancy fans embossing folder.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Birthday Banner

Hi again, hope you've had enjoyable weekend. Mine is nearly over yet again.

 Time to look forward to the next one!

I used one of my watercolour backgrounds to create this panel. I used Kuretake Gansai Tambo paints but didn't add the Finetec gold this time. 

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday  where the theme is to use a Simon Says Stamp product.

My banner is a Simon Says Stamp die using snippets of teal and yellow card.

At Just Us Girls it's a colour theme.

I used dark blue, coral, yellow and teal.

At Addicted to Stamps & More it's a clean and simple theme.

snippets means I can also visit the playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

Supplies:

Simon Says Stamp party banner die; watercolour paint ans paper; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Daisy Tag

Hi everyone, I used up my leftover flower outlines from my last card to make this one.

I layered 2 together for dimension.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Seize the Birthday where the toppings option is to use the negative.

Inkspirational 

 Recipe - Use at least 3 of these 4 elements:

 Distressing, Flowers, Embossing, Pearls

I used embossing, wet & dry, flowers and a pearl.

Just Us Girls where the theme is embossing.

I used a scrap of vellum to cut my tag, so I'm also visiting the snippets playground at

Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

Supplies:

Memory Box tilth floral die; (the outline is a leftover from my pink and gold watercoloured card);

MFT tag die; Annabelle Stamps sentiment stamp; versafine ink & clear ep; MBossabilities lattice embossing folder; pearl bling; foam tape; scrap of embroidery thread.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Pink & Gold Flowers

Hi again, I spent some time yesterday playing with some new toys!

Kuretake Gansai water colours, Finetec gold paints and the Memory Box tilth floral die.

These paints are so vibrant!

I was inspired by this card by Lisa Addesa at her blog I'm in haven.

Lisa's cards are amazing!

My layout is similar but I inlaid my diecuts. 

I used the faux stained glass technique again in pink and red with my new paints. I also painted a sheet of watercolour paper with the gold paint and diecut  more flowers to use as the petal borders.

The white background is embossed with a papertrey ink cover plate. It's a little hard to see in the pic but it adds a lovely texture.

I'm linking up to the challenges at Scrapbook Boutique where they have this gorgeous inspiration pic.

(If you live in Australia the challenge is open until the end of this month.)

At Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge the theme is to use dies or punches.

I'm putting another entry into the 1st birthday celebration challenge at AAA Cards.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Green & gold birthday flower

Hi everyone,

 I hope Mother's Day was a happy occasion for you if you celebrate it.

My son cooked me breakfast, hubby cooked a lovely dinner and my other son phoned me to say hi, so I was happy!

This is another watercoloured background using the faux stained glass technique that I used on some earlier cards. I used watercolour paints with gold twinkling H2Os.

I stamped the flower in green versafine ink and clear embossed it for a bit of shine.

I'm linking up to the challenge at AAA Cards where they are celebrating their 1st birthday!

Congratulations and thanks for the wonderful inspiration!

At Just Us Girls the theme is embossing, wet or dry.

At Stamping Sensations it's a flower power theme.

Supplies:

Watercolour paper; koh i noor paints; twinkling H2Os; Penny Black Dreamy stamp; Olympia green versafine ink and clear ep; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Hero Arts Flower

I bought this stamp set when I realized that the three dotted flowers set by HA was retired. (I'm scouring ebay for it lol!)

I fussy cut the flowers, coloured them with Inktense pencils and layered 2 together for dimension.

I'm linking up to the challenge at Allsorts where April showers bring May flowers.

At Time Out there is this gorgeous inspiration pic.

Supplies:

Hero Arts Blossom Art stamp; versafine ink & clear ep; inktense pencils; Memory Box Meadow Leaf die; distress inks; Papertrey Ink woodgrain cover plate; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,
Cathy x

Watercolour butterflies

Hi, I'm back with a card that used scraps of blue from my water coloured blue and gold floral card.

I wish I had more pieces left over as I like how the butterflies turned out! 

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

I'm also linking up again to the dies and punches CAS challenge at 

Happy Little Stampers,

and to the anything goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday.

Supplies:

Memory Box Isabella butterfly and Savannah border dies; Simon Says Stamp Mum die; watercoloured scraps; gold shimmer paper; vellum; bling.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Cherish today

Hi everyone, hope your week is off to a good start. I'm struggling with a horrible cold, but hopefully I'm coming to the end of it which is good.

I wanted to use a sentiment stamp on this card rather than a sticker. I nearly gave up as everything I had was too big, or too chunky.

Then I opened a pressie from my sister that I got a couple of years ago! Well, I had opened it I just hadn't used the stamps yet.

 I thought this cherish today went perfectly with this diecut. (I must use the other stamps too!)

I'm linking up to the May CAS challenge at Happy Little Stampers where the theme is to use diecuts or punches.

I'm putting a 3rd entry in at Cuttlebug Mania where the theme is we love to stamp. You also need to use a manual machine.

I've used my cuttlebug to emboss and die cut.

At Simon Says Stamp Wednesday the theme is anything goes.

At Addicted to Stamps & More the theme is make your mark.

I painted the diecut flowers with twinkling H2Os.

Supplies:

Simon Says Stamp Fresh Daisies die; Darkroom Door Wings sentiment stamp; Stampin Up tulip border embossing folder; twinkling H2Os; versafine ink.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Woodgrain window

Hi again, it feels like ages since I've used my window die and I've never used it on a woodgrain background. I managed to use the flower box the correct way up this time too!

I'm linking up to the anything goes challenges at Simon Says Stamp Monday,

and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday. 

I'm visiting Cuttlebug Mania again too where the theme is to use a stamp along with a manual machine. I've used Darkroom Door's woodgrain stamp and a few Memory Box dies with my Cuttlebug.

The scalloped blind and textured white paper are cut from left over scraps, so I'm also popping in to the snippets playground at Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

Supplies:

Darkroom Door woodgrain stamp, versafine ink & clear ep; Memory Box classic scallop, small madison window and small flower box dies; distress ink; Craft Queen tiny flowers painted with twinkling H2Os; Martha Stewart branch punch for the greenery; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

There's always something to be thankful for

Hi everyone, I hope you're enjoying your weekend.

We've had huge amounts of rain and floods in some areas here, so I didn't venture very far from home!

I inked up a few of these woodgrain panels to play with. I got this sentiment stamp as part of a freebie set from Stampin Up. I like the saying.

I'm linking up to a few challenges:

At Addicted to Stamps & More it's make your mark with paints, pencils etc.

I coloured the butterfly with inktense pencils and used distress ink for the background and tag.

At Simon Says Stamp Monday it's anything goes.

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

At Cuttlebug Mania the theme is to use a stamp as well as a manual machine like a Big Shot.  I used a couple of stamps and my Cuttlebug with an Mpress die to create the tag surrounding the sentiment stamp.

I had to trim 3 sides off and round the edges but I'm happy with how it worked out!

Supplies:

Darkroom Door Woodgrain stamp: Stampin Up You brighten my day stamp;

Hero Arts Antique engravings butterfly stamp; distress inks; Inktense pencils; Mpress label die;

versafine ink & clear ep; brad; stickles and bling.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy,x

Blue & gold floral

Hi again, I made this watercolour background using the same technique

 as this card.

It's a lot of fun so I think I'll be playing with watercolours again.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

 Simon Says Stamp Monday and 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday where the theme is anything goes.

I didn't like the black background showing through the diecuts so I inlaid the pieces cut from a gold scrap of shimmer paper. So I'm also visiting the snippets playground at
Pixie's Crafty Workshop.

Supplies:

 Watercolour paper and paints; twinkling H2Os; sentiment sticker and Memory Box Wild Blooms die.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x