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

FUSION - Silver Stars

I had such fun with this fortnights FUSION inspiration! Re-discovered these gorgeous mini bells from the $2 shop in my stash, and threaded them onto some silver cord, knotting the little bells in place at random intervals. Die-cut the circle window opening and adhered the silver cord and bells in a "wreath" around the edge of the circle. In the meantime stamped and silver embossed these gorgeous Avery Elle Look Up freehand stars, perfect non-Christmas stamps for a Christmas card! Fussy cut the stars and adhered at random intervals around my silver "wreath". Die cut Avery Elle Seasons Greetings from a reinforced (added cardstock backing) sheet of American Crafts Silver Glitter paper, and adhered across the circle window opening. Lined the inside of the card with red Making Memories patterned paper.

The Design Team have some 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

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

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 (like me!)

So happy to be playing along as Catered Crop Anything Goes Guest Designer this fortnight too - please join in the last ever Catered Crop to celebrate Linda's fabulous challenge!

Reminder Mixed Media Card Challenge Christmas (Bells Optional).

 

Inkspirational Shine, Avery Elle Holiday, Merry Monday Christmas Bells, 52{Christmas} Card Throwdown Christmas Window, Craft Stamper Take It Make It Challenge Christmas card from non-Christmas stamps
Time Out Embossing (sparkle optional) - Thanks Sandie!!

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!

 

 

A-very Moxie Fab Clicking Cameras Challenge...

Today's card brings together the two trends that are currently shooting for the stars - 

Cameras, and arrows LOL!

Playing along with Avery Elle's AEI{heart}U Kraft Challenge, together with 

Moxie Fab World Clicking Cameras Challenge, Seize the Birthday, 

and a reminder that there is still time to join in the fun @ KIS Arrows.

Created using Amy Tangerine's Plus One Edition Project Life cards, together with Avery Elle #Smile and Oh Happy Day stamps. The Avery Elle #Smile camera icon is paper pieced and Oh Happy Day "Oh Shoot" sentiment stamped on some very old Basic Grey paper from my stash.

Hope you are having a fabulously krafty weekend too! 

Avery Elle AEI{heart}U Kraft Challenge

Moxie Fab World Clicking Cameras Challenge

Seize the Birthday

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

 

A-very Golden Goose...

Playing along with Avery Elle's AEI{heart}U Challenge #10 Gold. I loved the combination of turquoise and gold in Yana's card, so thought I'd give it a go!

The watercolour background was created by smooching Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean, Evergreen Bough and Tumbled Glass Distressed Inks on wax paper and spritzing with water, then smooching the watercolour paper in the ink pools. Loving Avery Elle's Simply Said Happy die in gold vellum, stamped So Happy sentiment and Storybook Duck / Goose in gold embossing powder. Die cut the watercolour panel with Stitched Rectangle, and layered with more gold vellum, before adhering to white cardstock base.

AEI{heart}U Challenge #10 Gold

Don't forget there's a few days left for Keep It Simple Lots of Turquoise!

Playing along with Virginia's View Challenge #5 Die Cuts, and 

Moxie Fab World Wonderful Words Challenge: Word Dies too!

A-very CASual Father's Day...

Thought I'd POP in to share a quick CAS Father's Day card. Even though Father's Day isn't for a couple of months in this corner of the world, there are a couple of masculine challenges at the moment, so I thought I'd join in to make sure I don't miss the boat!  This card combines AEI{heart}U Masculine / Father's Day Challenge, Paper Players Red, White, Blue and CASual Fridays What A Catch to create a guy card with the following catch... you can't use kraft as a color at all, AND you have to include some sort of ribbon.

I created a First Prize rosette for the Best. Dad. Ever. using Avery Elle's The Man stamp sentiment stamped in Momento Ink Nautical Blue and Avery Elle pinked circle die cut, together with some ribbon from my stash. 

Hope you are enjoying the best. weekend. ever. Wherever you are!

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 :)

Storytime Sequin Shaker...

I LOVE the colour combo for Avery Elle's Colour Challenge, and couldn't resist creating a shaker card for Paulina's Pretty Pink Posh Sequin Shaker Blog Hop.

The shaker part of the card was created by die cutting two windows from white craft foam and gluing them on top of each other and removing the internal window dividers. The teal base piece of the shaker was stamped with Avery Elle Storybook shooting star, and a small sequin star glued in place.  I collected together some traditional shaped sequins and star sequins in clear, pale blue, yellow and silver. I layered my shaker box with the teal base piece and glued foam die cuts, then filled the box with the sequins, added a clear transparency sheet then the green die-cut window. I stamped the Avery Elle Storybook sentiment then added the paper pieced Avery Elle Storybook bunny with added foam dots for dimension.

 

Playing along with Paulina's Pretty Pink Posh Sequin Shaker Blog Hop, 

Avery Elle's Colour Challenge and 

Keep It Simple Bright Spark Challenge too.

A-very New Watercolour Technique...

With watercolour so "in" at the moment, I thought I'd have a bit of an experiment using Gelatos, clear embossing and black ink. Using watercolour paper, I created the base layer of my panel by scribbling Gelatos in pink/red/orange/light orange/yellow, then diluting and blending these colours with water and a paintbrush.  Once this layer was thoroughly dried, I stamped these gorgeous Avery Elle scallops in Versamark Watermark and American Crafts Zing clear embossing powder, and heat set. Lastly I used my Momento Ink Tuxedo Black and Momento Luxe Tuxedo Black to soak into the watercolour paper in the areas not heat embossed, wiping off the excess ink with a baby wipe. I mounted the watercolour panel onto black cardstock, before pop-dotting onto the black front panel. I love the contrast between the glossy coloured surface and the matt black. After a few unsatisfoctory attempts at adding a sentiment, I decided I prefer this card without one ;)

Playing along with Avery Elle Water Color Challenge, 

CASology Wet Challenge, 

A Blog Named Hero Build A Background Challenge, and Just Us Girls Watercolour Background.