Cupcake Fusion...

Time for this fortnights FUSION inspiration, and just look at that luscious lemon icing! Inspired by the colours and subject of the FUSION inspiration photo, together with this very versatile sketch (albeit stretched to fit a square card!). Created using a trio of Avery Elle stamp sets, Brushed for the Momento Luxe Dandelion background stripes, Cupcakes for the cupcake (stamped onto vellum), and NBUS Cake & Candles sentiment, and Kaisercraft pearls for a bit of added bling!

The FUSION Design Team have some more 

FABULOUS creations to inspire you

Amy Tsura - Betty J - Deepti 

Jeanne Jachna - Julia Aston - Katie Brooks

Kelly Griglione - Kimberly Wiener - Lynn Mangan

Michelle Folland - Michelle Lupton - Stephanie Severin

Hope to see you playing along, can't wait to see what you create! 

Remember you can play along by being inspired by 

the photo, the sketch or BOTH.

Please check the linky for the days left to play with us.

 

Also playing along with the fabulous Darnell at NBUS #4 Anything Goes!, 

AEI{heart}U Stripes (missed the deadline!),  Seize the Birthday
and The Card Concept Cupcakes, Clean & Layered

A Blog Hop with a Difference...

First up my card for the day:

Created to play along with AEI{heart}U Clean & Simple Challenge, Color Throwdown, Seize the Birthday and CAS(E) this Sketch. Using Distress Inks in my favourite combination of Squeezed Lemon, Spiced Marmalade and Picked Raspberry (believe it or not!), double die cut with Paper Smooches fishtail flag and Memory Box Dahlia butterfly, combined with this cute birthday sentiment from Avery Elle.

I'm also participating in A Blog Hop with a Difference, where you answer a few questions about yourself, then nominate others who inspire you to do the same. I was nominated by the lovely Jenny Martin at My Paper Epiphany, my Mixed Media Card Challenge teamie, and lucky for me, she lives just five minutes away!

What project am I working on right now?
I'm currently working on projects for my next Winnie and Walter Leading Lady post, and my next FUSION post, and getting easily distracted with challenge inspiration from the blogsphere, as you can see from today's card!

How long does it take you to create a project? 
I am generally a slow creator. I challenged myself to improve by joining the Design Team for the 10 Minute Craft Dash - but the only way I made the deadline was to have all my supplies ready and EVERYTHING planned out in my head before the timer began. I could NEVER create that quickly from scratch - it would take me at least that long to think about picking the papers LOL!

What are my fave things I like to create with at the moment?
I must admit have been enjoying working with Add A Little Dazzle metal sheets lately, and am trying to source a local supplier!

How does my creative process work?
I overthink it! I usually find I need a combination of Challenges to narrow down my options, and I like to add a little unexpected twist. 

How do I become inspired and stay inspired?
I let my fingers do the walking! With so many challenges out there, looking at everyone's fabulous creations, I can't help but be inspired. If I'm running low on creative energy I just go wandering through blogland or pinterest til inspiration hits - and if that doesn't work I'll look for a technique I'd like to try and just have a play :)

What is my signature style?
I love colour, I love die cuts / fussy cutting, I love combining challenges, and I love experimenting. Just wondering, is "Clean, Colour & Cut" a style, or a trip to the hairdressers LOL!

One random fact about me
Both my kiddies were born on repeating dates - the days and the months are the same numbers.

Now it's time to nominate 2 people who inspire me. I have cheated a little and chosen just one as my other nominee was unavailable. 

In case you haven't already had the pleasure, I'd like to introduce you to Kasia, who can be found at "The Nature of Crafty Things".  I first discovered Kasia when she was working her magic with Paper Smooches stamps, I just LOVE her style. She was one of the founding Design Team members of one of my very favourite sketch challenges, Retro Sketches, and is on the Design Team of two of my favourite companies, The Alley Way Stamps and Avery Elle. Kasia works magic with their images, and makes CAS look easy, which is a very difficult thing to do!!! I'm also inspired by her non-crafting pursuits as she has recently participated in her first Spartan race - how AWESOME is that!

See what I mean!!! Kasia works MAGIC!

 

 

My Word, A-very Happy Die-cut...

I broke out my Gelatos and watercolour brushes, together with my Avery Elle die cuts and stamps to play along with the current Moxie Fab World: Wonderful Words Challenge - Word Dies, along with a few other challenges, AEI{heart}U One Word Challenge, Virginia's View Die Cut Challenge, Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge 1st Anniversary Anything Goes, and Seize the Birthday With String Topping ;)

My first thoughts for this card were to repeat the "happy" across the watercolour stripes, but I couldn't resist incorporating the Avery Elle balloon die. I achieved the inlaid word die cut by first running the watercolour paper through my die cut machine, then using masking tape across the back of the watercolour paper, to keep the little pieces in place before carefully removing the watercolour "happy" and replacing with white cardstock "happy". I stamped the Avery Elle balloon string before I added the white cardstock "happy", then filled in the missing piece of string with a black Zig pen, so it looks as though the string is looped around the letters. I diecut and stamped the Avery Elle bow onto the balloon a couple of times, as the first few attempts I tried adding the string with the Zig pen around the end of the balloon to make it look more realistic - but decided in the end I preferred the bow floating by itself!

 

 

Don't forget, you still have time to Keep It Simple Take a Bow!

Aloha FUSION...

For this fortnight's FUSION, I decided I needed a little sunshine and blue sky, to scare away all the cold wet days we've been having! Inspired by this versatile sketch, one circle became the sun, and the other this funky VW campervan from Avery Elle Surf's Up, paper pieced and paired with this sunny sentiment. I love the texture this blue handmade background paper adds. How will YOU be inspired?!?

How to join in the fun...

1. Play with just the sketch challenge.

2. Play with just the inspiration photo challenge.

3. Or you can create FUSION by combining BOTH challenges into one card.

4. Use the challenge graphic and link back to Fusion in your post.

5. Please read the other considerations on the Our Rules Page before playing along.

Can't wait to see how you will be inspired by this WEEKS FUSION!

The Design Team have some FABULOUS creations to inspire you!

Betty J - Dannielle Robeson - Deepti 
Jeanne Jachna - Julia Aston - Katie Brooks

Kelly Griglione - Kimberly Wiener - Lynn Mangan - Michelle Folland

Michelle Lupton - Sindhu - Stephanie Severin

Please check the linky for the days left to play with us.

Playing along with AEI{heart}U One Word

 

ATCAS Sky, and ColorQ

 

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope all the Mum's in your life (including you!) have a FABULOUS Mother's Day!

I've spent a few hours crafting today, mostly playing with watercolours and nothing has turned out as I envisioned - perhaps that's the problem with watercolour, you have to go with the flow, literally, LOL.

Playing along with Avery Elle's Mother's Day Challenge, this card was created from a panel of watercolour created using Twinkling H2O Poppy and LuminArte Bougainvillea, die-cut with Avery Elle Rounded Diamonds Die, with this gorgeous Avery Elle Love Notes sentiment stamped in Versamark Watermark and embossed in Gold. Three colours, three rounded diamonds and three layers were used on one third of the card to play along with CAS-ual Fridays Three Thirds Challenge too!

Off to enjoy some afternoon tea with my family - after a lovely breakfast cooked by my DD :)

A-very Far Away Wish...

Had these stamps out and couldn't resist creating this super quick CASE of Chunyuan's gorgeous card with these fabulous images from Avery Elle.  Bunny and sentiment are from Heather Campbell's Avery Elle Story Book and paint strokes are Aver Elle Brushed.

Playing along with:

Addicted to CAS Far Away Challenge

AEI{heart}U Colour Combo Challenge

 

A-very Canoe Card...

Had such fun paper piecing these gorgeous Avery Elle Happy Camper stamps, with papers from MME Collectable 'Notable' and Lil Inkers Stitched Circle die-cut card for Avery Elle AEI{heart}U Challenge, and Seize the Sketch.  

  

This made me smile

A-VERY Happy Camper...

Playing along with Avery Elle's October AEI{heart}U Challenge with this gorgeous sketch from Nina. I LOVE these two Avery Elle sets - Happy Camper & Home Sweet Home, stamped on MME Cut & Paste Adorbs papers, fussy cut & pop dotted.

Playing along with Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes too!

Ombre AEI{heart}U...

Avery Elle's August Challenge is drawing to a close, and as my local Scrapbook Boutique now stocks Avery Elle, I couldn't let an opportunity like this pass by!!  I wanted to join in the fun at Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger - Honouring Ombre too, but I switched up colours to this gorgeous pink American Crafts ombre paper, die cut using Avery Elle Rounded Diamonds.  The background and sentiment strips were both created by stamping Avery Elle All Squared Up in Tidal Pool ink on white cardstock, with the sentiment strip then die cut using Avery Elle Rounded Diamonds.  The Avery Elle The Man sentiment was stamped onto the American Crafts paper in Chocolate Chip ink and fussy cut before adhering to the rounded diamonds, and pop dotted for added dimension.  I felt that the card needed a little something, so I added some sequins from my stash to finish.

Tuesday Trigger: Honouring Ombre

Playing along with Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes too!