Birthday dolphins.

Hi everyone, I was asked to make a card for an ocean lover who also like dolphins and whales.

I have no whale images, but hope they like these dolphins.

The background was inked with distress oxides and spritzed with a little water.

The dolphins are diecut from silver paper and the sentiment embossed with metallic silver powder.

Here's a closer look at the shine.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Dies R Us where it's a summertime fun theme.

The splashing puddles and diving dolphin dies I used are from Memory Box.

Simon Says Stamp Monday, it's a man thing!

Watercooler Wednesday,

Outside the Box,

and Happy Little Stampers Anything goes with dies.

Supplies:

Memory Box splashing puddles and diving dolphins dies; Paper Smooches sentiment sampler stamp; distress oxide inks; verafine clair nocturne ink and Wow metallic silver embossing powder.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Summer Birthday!

Hi everyone it's time for a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and Colleen has chosen a Summer theme. It's been very cold here as Winter has just started, so some summer warmth would be lovely!

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

 The DT and our party guest have some wonderful cards to inspire you, so I hope you can play along.

I seem to be stuck on a balloon theme lately! I thought this background from my stash looked summery and hot and would show off these shimmery balloons well.

The background was made by adding some oxide inks to a craft mat, spritzing with a little water, then smooshing on some glossy photo paper. When it was dry I wiped off the chalky residue from the oxide ink to reveal the bright summery colours!

The balloons are cut from some scraps of white shimmer paper, I never throw anything away!

I layered the diecuts on some black card to add a bit of shadow to help them pop off the background.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday, make your own background,

Addicted to Stamps & More,

Double D Challenge, use your scraps!

Supplies:

Glossy photo paper; Paper Smooches balloon and Serendipity Stamps sentiment dies; birthday sticker; white shimmer paper.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Christmas bells.

Hi everyone, this is my first time making a card for the CAS Christmas Challenge DT.

There are a few changes happening with the other CAS challenges. 

Stencil, Mix up and Watercolour will all be part of one challenge that rotates through each of these styles.

I hope I have time to still play along in these challenges, but I will be focussing on the Christmas one, and looking forward to building up my stash of cards early!

Linda has chosen bells as the theme for June.

My stash consists of one stamp with a bell on it!

It's a retired Stampin Up set called Christmas Classics. I thought it needed something to jazz it up so diecut the large circle burst in white card and layered it onto the base.

Then I diecut 3 more in different coloured glitter papers and inlaid the dots!

It was very therapeutic lol!

Here's a closer look at the sparkle.

I'm linking up to this challenge:

Merry Little Christmas Challenge,  where it's anything goes Christmas all year rond.

Supplies:

Stampin Up Christmas Classics stamp; versafine clair ink & Wow silver embossing powder; Memory Box large circle burst die; glitter paper.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Celebrate the good times.

Hi everyone, I needed a quick birthday card, and diecut these balloons from my box of leftovers.

I layered them up for dimension, and clear embossed the sentiment die for some shine.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

AAA Cards where they are celebrating their 6th birthday! Congratulations!

Addicted to Stamps & More, 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, anything goes,

Watercooler Wednesday.

Supplies:

Clearly Besotted party time dies and stamp; distress oxide inks; versafine ink & clear ep; Waffle Flower celebrate die.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Smile!

Hi everyone, I'm CASEing a card by my blogging friend  Brenda made a while back,

I just loved her smiling donkey!

A friend loves cows and I thought this would be perfect for her!

I used distress oxide inks for the background, then stamped the cow. I stamped another one, coloured it with Prismacolour pencils, then fussy cut it without the horns, tail and legs. I paper pieced the coloured image onto the stamped one.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, anything goes;

Addicted to Stamps & More,

Watercooler Wednesday

The House that Stamps Built, anything goes

Supplies:

Katzelkraft farm animals stamp; So Suzy Crackerbox small grass stamp; Happy Little Stampers birthday sentiment stamp; Clearly Besotted laugh out loud again stamp; versafine clair inks & clear ep; distress oxide inks; Prismacolour pencils.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Gelli plate daisies.

Hi everyone, here's another card from the gelli plate background I made the other day.

I love the look of the burnt sienna brushos in this one.

The stems are coloured with Inktense pencils.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Retro Rubber,

 my elements are flowers, embossing, (sentiment is wet embossed), diecut. 

The sentiment stamp by Paper Smooches is an oldie from a few years ago. No date on the package but I bought it in around 2017.

Happy Little Stampers anythng goes with dies.

Mix it Up Challenge, I'm playing along with the anything goes option.

Papercraft Challenges, Spring theme.

Supplies:

Tim Holtz wildflowers and Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle dies; Paper smooches sentiment sampler stamp; versafine clair ink & clear ep; gelli plate; colourbox ink and brushos.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Tropical greens.

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

I got inspired by thoughts of lush tropical greenery! Seem to be on a bit of a green theme lately, must need more time outside!!

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

 The DT and our guest have some amazing cards to inspire you, so I hope you'll join us in the gallery.

I used a distress inking tool to quickly lay down a few geen oxide inks then spritzed with water.

I stamped the foliage in shady lane versafine clair ink and clear embossed it.

The butterfly was stapmed with versafine ink, clear embossed, fussy cut and coloured with Inktense pencils.

I'm linking up to these challenges:

AAA Birthday,

The Paper Players,

The men in my life love butterflies, so I hope others do too!

Penny Black Saturday Challenge, anything goes option.

Supplies:

Penny Black Breezy stanp and Hero Arts Antique Engraving butterfly stamp; distress oxide inks; versafine clair shady lane ink; versafine black ink & clear ep; Inktense pencils; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

One of those days!

Hi everyone, I wanted to play along at some challenges that have an animal theme.

I haven't used this kitten stamp in a while and thought I'd ink up a sentiment that I've had for ages but haven't used.

It's how I feel at times lol!

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, animal fun;

Perfectly CAS.

Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge,

Show us your pussycats challenge, anything goes.

Stamplorations CAS Challenge, without the colour twist.

Supplies:

Nellie Snellen kitten and Katzelkraft sentiment stamps; versafine ink & clear ep; Prismacolour pencils.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Gelli plate floral.

Hi everyone, I've been watching some you tube tutorials in my spare time. 

Wish I had more of that!

Anyway, Tracey from Lavinia stamps makes the most amazing backgrounds with a gelli plate, brayered ink and splashes of diluted brushos.

 "Just have a go" she said in the video, so I did. I've only had my gelli plate, unused, for about 2 years!!

I really was so disappointed with the result, here it is.

I have limited colours of the ink she uses (hopefully sorted that now!) and thought this looked a bit too yuk to stamp on. Never wanting to waste anything I decided to die cut it for the flower heads on my new dies.

 Such a different look!

I'm linking up to these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps & More,

Addicted to CAS,

CASology,

CAS on Friday, use a die,

Watercooler Wednesday.

Supplies:

Gelli plate; Colorbox premium dye ink-sandstone; brushos - burnt sienna, yellow ochre, sandstone;

Tim Holtz wildflower #1 and Crafts 4 U stitched rectangle dies; Inktense pencil -leaf green; Paper Smooches sentiment sampler stamp; versafine clair ink & clear ep.

Thanks for visiting,

Cathy x

Birthday in greens.

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

Monochromatic colour schemes aren't my strong point and I've added a tiny bit of gold foil and a gold mat to my card, along with white and black, so if this isn't strictly monochromatic, then it's OK as you can always play along with the anything goes birthday option.

The Design team and our birthday guest have some wonderful cards to inspire you, so I hope you can play along.

I'm linking up to some challenges:
Watercooler Wednesday,


Stamplorations CAS Challenge without the colour twist.



Supplies:
Poppystamps Hampstead bloom die; yupo paper; alcohol inks in green; sentiment sticker.

Thanks for visiting,
Cathy x