Saturday, November 30, 2013

Keepin' It Simple All White...


Combined inspiration from this weeks fabulous MUSE card, Merry Monday Magical WonderCity Crafters Snow White, Festive Friday Snowflake Element and Keep It Simple Snow Challenges.  Loved the negative space die-cut snowflake from the MUSE card, and recreated this using Lil Inkers Stitched Snowflakes and Stitched Rectangles to create the double die-cut snowflake strip.  Die-cut the snowflake first and removing the die-cut section before die-cutting the stitched edges, secured into place by adhering the panel to a second piece of cardstock for stability. WPlus9 Joy sentiment and snowflake, paired with a smaller Lil Inkers snowflake and finished with some Kaisercraft pearls.

Lucy's gorgeous MUSE card
 

Dashing I {heart} You...

6 Minutes and 8 seconds later...
Before I cleared off my crafting space from yesterday's card, I decided I'd have another go at combining the current Paper Smooches Sparks Picture Perfect Challenge and 10 Minute Craft Dash challenges.  This one is a bit more literal LOL. Stamps from Paper Smooches Smoocheroos and Promenade.

Friday, November 29, 2013

A Smooching Dash Down the Aisle...

9 Minutes and 58 seconds later...
I thought I'd combine this fortnights 10 Minute Craft Dash colours with this weeks Paper Smooches Sparks Picture Perfect Challenge, especially when the first thing I thought of when I saw this weeks Picture Perfect Challenge was a sandcastle mixed with this couple, perfect for a modern fairy tale romance! Paper Smooches Royal Cuteness knight and princess stamped in Hero Arts Navy and Bubble Gum, with the castle in Butter Bar.  Created some depth by using Paper Smooches Borders 1 to create this sweeping pathway from MME The Sweetest Thing - Tangerine paper, overstamped with Simply Said sentiment, also in Navy. As the knights pony tail (or whatever it is officially known as LOL) is over the edge, Im linking up with The Little Red Wagon Off the Edge Challenge too.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Spot Me a Hug...

Second post for the day...
Inspired by Lawnscaping Polka Dots Challenge, thought I'd challenge myself to create using only polka-dotted papers - a mix from Lawn Fawn Into the Woods and Echo Park Dots & Stripes, great for playing along with this weeks gorgeous Color Q palette, and I even added a giant polka-dot from this fortnights fabulous Seize the Sketch. Stamped Lawn Fawn Yeti Set Go yeti and pine trees, and So Much to Say sun and sentiment in Cup O'Joe (not quite Early Espresso, but close LOL!) and fussy cut.  Die-cut the sentiment banner with Lawn Fawn Home Sweet Home die, the hillside with Paper Smooches Borders 1 die, and negative die cut the super-sized polka dot with Lil Inkers Stitched Circle die. Playing along with Catered Crop Animal House Recipe Swap too.

Hope you are having a FABULOUS week!

    

Happy Christmas Deer...


Inspired by Day 2 of the Online Holiday Card Workshop 2013 and Creative Craft Challenge 2 Non-traditional Christmas Colours, together with Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes Tim Holtz week. Today's card was created using this gorgeous Memory Box deer trio die-cut, Paper Smooches die-cut sentiment, birch sticky paper and Tim Holtz Distressed Ink Vintage Photo. Cut the birch paper panel 4 inches by 5.5 inches, and die cut the Memory Box deer trio.  Carefully removed the deer trio and die-cut the Paper Smooches sentiment from a spare strip of birch paper and inked using Vintage Photo and a foam make-up wedge.  Adhered the birch paper back in place on a sheet of white cardstock before mounting of brown card base. 
 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Good Enough to Eat?

Today I really wanted to use my Lil Inkers Stitched Bow, but it was better at playing hide and seek than I was ;) Inspired by my blackboard Christmas wreath card created here, I though I'd have a go at creating a kraft and teal version and use my Lil Inkers Stitched Circles to create a shaped card to play along with The Paper Players Shaped Card Challenge and Friday Mash Up! Kraft & Gingham Challenge, but I think it ended up looking more like a Christmas doughnut - which is not necessarily a bad thing LOL!

In case you are wondering about the 8 for this weeks CASual Friday Create with 8 Challenge, I repeated Annabelle Stamps Holly Branch 8 times to create the wreath, and when the card is opened flat...



 

Monday, November 25, 2013

A Lotta Joy with Lil Inkers...



This is about how I'd be feeling if I happened to be fortunate enough to be selected on the Lil Inkers Design Team!!! It could be you - if you live in the U.S. and love Lil Inkers as much as I do, as Laura has a Design Team call, closing soon.

This card was created using Lil Inkers Snow Mouse stamps, Stitched Polaroid, Stitched Squares and Joy sentiment die-cuts.  Papers are a combination of Crate Paper Bundled Up and MME Collectable "Notable", finished with Kaisercraft pearls.

In case you are wondering how to re-create this technique -

  • Create the white cardstock base with the Stitched Square.
  • Stamp the Snow Mouse image onto the white cardstock base, and then onto a sheet of each of teal, pink, red and white card.
  • Die cut the Stitched Polaroid frame in red, and hand cut the teal background to fit behind the frame. 
  • Fussy cut the Snow Mouse stamped on the extra white card.
  • Fussy cut the Snow Mouse pink scarf (in one piece, cutting on an angle to hide behind the polaroid frame), ears, nose and tongue and adhere to the fussy cut white Snow Mouse.
  • Fussy cut the alternate red Snow Mouse stripes on the scarf and adhere to the pink scarf.
  • Adhere the teal stamped rectangle in position on the stamped cardstock base.
  • Adhere the white fussy cut Snow Mouse,  in position on the teal rectangle.
  • Adhere the Stitched Polaroid frame.
  • Die cut the "Joy" in teal and adhere in position.
  • Add some Kaisercraft pearls into the centre of three of the stamped snowflakes.

Love the pink/red/teal colour combo in the Just Us Girls Photo Inspiration Challenge.
Playing along with CAS on Sunday Winter Challenge,
 

P.S. You add Colour...


Playing along with this weeks fabulous Paper Smooches Sparks Cool Shades Challenge and The Paper Players Shaped Cards Challenge.  I couldn't resist creating a 3D easel holding a painting of a paint splotched easel!  Using a 4 inch by 3 inch card base, I added a 6 inch by 3 inch length panel of woodgrained patterned cardstock to the back of the card, and cut to shape, then added a 2 inch by 4 inch panel to the bottom edge of the front of the card and cut to shape.



Sunday, November 24, 2013

Little Tangles Guest Designer Post - Giving Thanks...


E.T.A.

So excited to be able to present this card to you as Guest Designer over at Little Tangles, the Neat & Tangled Challenge blog!  This fortnights Little Tangles challenge is Giving Thanks. Although we don't celebrate Thanksgiving in this part of the world, I do have a lot to give thanks for!

I thought I'd give you a few hints and tips to create a card similar to this, using Distress Inks, Glimmermist, Embossing powder, and of course, Neat & Tangled Stamps! 
  • Cut your 6x4 inch card base to size and round the corners.
  • Stamp several Neat & Tangled Fresh Blooms flowers (12) and My Heart Sings bird (1) onto watercolour paper in Versamrk Embossing ink (or similar).  Try stamping two rows of six flowers, with the bird stamped underneath the flowers on the right-hand end.
  • Sprinkle with clear embossing powder before blasting with your heat gun.
  • Using Distressed Inks, vertically swipe the ink pad over the clear embossed images. Swipe the colours so each is just overlapping the next colour. Try using Wild Honey on the left (4 flowers), Spiced Marmalade in the centre (4 flowers & bird) and Picked Raspberry on the right(4 flowers & bird).
  • Overspray with Glimmermist, or water & perfect pearls, then dry thoroughly with your heat gun. Try using Glimmermist Twinkle Yellow, or Gold, or just plain water!
  • Fussy cut the Neat & Tangled flowers and bird. Try using a really small pair of sharp scissors, to help get around all the curly edges more easily.
  • Adhere the layered flowers in position on the card with double-sided tape.
  • Cut a strip of cardstock 6.5 inch x 1.5 inch, round the corners and die-cut "thanks" letters. Try aligning and taping the letter dies with masking tape to them hold in place before die-cutting.
  • Don't be afraid to cut your stamps to customise your sentiments. This sentiment was created using Just Hello "a note of thanks" and "o" from "hello: and Fresh Blooms "f" from "beautiful". Before you ink your sentiment, place the sentiment stamps in position on your cardstock, then press down your stamp press or stamping block to pick up the stamps from the cardstock - this will vertically align your sentiment with your negative die-cut letters. Alternatively use a ruler to measure the spaces before placing your stamps on the block. If you have a stamping block with grid-lines, you can use the lines to help align your sentiment horizontally.
  • Stamp the sentiment using a coloured ink such as Hero Arts Soft Cantaloupe.
  • Pop dot the sentiment banner across the card.
  • Pop-dot the top section and double-sided tape the bottom section of the bird and attach to the card.
I hope you are inspired to give it a go with your inks and sprays,
 and Neat & Tangled stamps!

Also playing along with Seize the Sketch, with this fabulous sketch by Stacey.

Clearly Besotted with Joy...


Joining in the fun at Clearly Besotted Christmas Challenge, and City Crafter Decorate It Wreath Challenge with a combination of Clearly Besotted Signature Christmas Additions wreath, stamped in Momento Luxe Olive Grove, Pretty Poinsettia sentiment stamped in Momento Luxe Love Letter and Signature Christmas Die Collection die-cut bow, together with "j" and "y" from my alphabet stash, patterned paper from Crate Paper Bundled Up, Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangle and a Kaisercraft pearl.

Hope you are enJOYing a fabulous weekend!


Saturday, November 23, 2013

A Retro Monday Mood...

Post 3 for today...
Playing along with this fab Retro Sketches and WPlus9 Monday Mood Board. Ombre papers from Echo Park and WPlus 9 stamps and die cut.

 

CAS-ually A-MUSEing Annabelle...


Second post for the day...
I couldn't resist trying this faux chalkboard & colour combo after seeing Marion's fabulous MUSE card this week, plus Holiday Cards His & Hers faux chalkboard Christmas cards - I think this card with a kraft background and no bow would make a fab His version :)

First up, on a sheet of Simple Stories Chalkboard paper, penciled a circle outline using the inside of a double-sided tape roll as a guideline for the wreath. Stamped Annabelle Stamps Holly Branch 8 times in Momento Luxe Wedding Dress to create the wreath outline (perfect for playing along with CASual Fridays Create with 8).  Sprinkled the still wet outline with Rangers Seafoam White embossing powder and heat set. Stamped Annabelle Stamps Holly Branch sentiment and heat embossed. Stamped Annabelle Stamps Holly Branch 8 times onto Simple Stories 25 Days of Christmas paper, and heat embossed, before fussy cutting the holly leaves and adhering using a glue pen - keeping one edge of the largest leaf curled up for added dimension. Diecut MFT Christmas Wreath bow and added Kaiserkraft red rhinestone gems for holly.



Marion's FABULOUS Muse card
Favourite Festive Friday Challenge

This made me smile...                                this too...