Fusion Falling Leaves...

Joining in a little late this fortnight, but still plenty of time to join in the fun @ FUSION. FABulous photo and sketch this fortnight!

I used a combination of Dylusions and Perfect Pearl Copper sprays to create the background sheet I then diecut with Neat and Tangled Autumn Leaves and paired with this just perfect Basic Grey background paper, Lil Inkers photo frame diecut and Stampendous sentiment.

Hop along by the fabulous FUSION blog and the gorgeous DT Gals blogs for some more amazing inspiration...

Becca Cruger - Betty J. - Carol Mayne - Jeanne Jachna - Karren Johnson

Linda Callahan - Michelle Leone - Michelle Lupton - Michelle Williams

Hope you can join in the fun this fortnight @ FUSION.

Can't wait to see what you create!

Also playing along with Double D LEAVE it to Me Challenge,
Inkspirational and The Card Concept, Clean and Layered, and Addicted to CAS

 
 

Inkspirational Uniko Christmas...

I don't know about you but Christmas seems to sneak up more quickly with each passing year! Even with the best of intentions I did not get much of a head start on my Christmas card stash this year!

I had some left overs from creating some gorgeous Uniko poinsettia CHristmas cards earlier, so combined these pieces with Neat & Tangled sentiment stamped and embossed in Tinsel Silver, and added a strip of American Crafts red sparkle paper. Only another fifty or so to go LOL!

Playing along with the Uniko Christmas Challenge,

Inkspirational CAS with Sparkle, Jingle Belles and 

52 (Christmas) Card Throwdown (Previous) Glitter Challenge

 

Too Cool for School @ FUSION

Had fun creating for this fortnights FUSION, combining inspiration from this super cute school snacks photo, and fabulous sketch. 

I think this sentiment from MFT Vertical Greetings is perfect for teachers, stamped in Versamark Watermark ink and embossed in Zing White to create a faux chalkboard look. Stamped this Paper Smooches Falling for You apple onto polka dotted paper and fussy cut the white insides, adding pips created using the Paper Smooches butterfly wings from the Welcome Spring stamp set.

Love to see how you are inspired by FUSION photo, sketch or both!

Hope you get a chance to play along!

Hop on over to FUSION to see some more too cool for school inspiration from

 our amazing Design Team too:

Becca Cruger - Betty J. - Carol Mayne - Jeanne Jachna - Karren Johnson

Linda Callahan - Michelle Leone - Michelle Lupton - Michelle Williams

Also playing along with Inkspirational Black plus one
AAA Masculine Card (great for a male teacher!)

 

Fusion & Hop to Stop...

This weeks FUSION is inspired by the gorgeous sketch and floral theme of the fabulous FUSION inspiration photo, and importantly I am also also joining in The Hop to Stop, raising awareness for victims of domestic violence. 

This fortnight, I created a simple watercolour background and base on which I stamped these gorgeous Winnie and Walter hydrangeas, and fabulous Articellar Jane Girls stencil, adding this very apt sentiment by My Favorite Things on a layered fishtail flag. Fussy cut and pop dotted the Winnie and Walter hydrangeas.

Love to see how you are inspired by FUSION photo, sketch or both!

Hope you get a chance to play along!

Hop on over to FUSION to see some more super inspiration from

 our amazing Design Team too:

Becca Cruger - Betty J. - Carol Mayne - Jeanne Jachna - Karren Johnson

Linda Callahan - Michelle Leone - Michelle Lupton - Michelle Williams

Also joining in

The Hop to Stop, raising awareness for victims of domestic violence,

 

Mixed Media Cards Black and Purple

and Inkspirational Black plus One Colour

 

Peace & Joy...

A simple Christmas card created using scraps of paper, stamped with this gorgeous Christmas bell image and fussy cut, then pop dotted over Christmas text embossing folder on a Basic Grey background paper. Playing along with Inkspirational Text Challenge and Winter Wonderland Add a Ribbon and a Bow.

Inkspirational Text Challenge

Winter Wonderland - Add a Ribbon and a Bow

Cardabilities - Final Sketch...

I so wanted to join in the final Cardabilities Sketch...

This card background went through many incarnations before I decided I liked it LOL! I quickly discovered that too much red Glimmermist ends up looking like the chainsaw masacre, rather than quiet Autumn tones! That's the beauty of a gesso layer - if you don't like it you can remove colour with a baby wipe and start layering again!

Dictionary page base and added modelling paste (to play along with City Crafter Paste It) and a Pink Paislee She Art doily stencil. Covered in gesso, sprayed with a combination of Glimmermists and Dylusions in Autumn hues, highlighted with Gelato rubbed crayon once dry. Gorgeous Winnie and Walter sentiment, Dynamics branch and Clearly Besotted autumn leaves diecuts. Leaves created from watercolour paper oversprayed with orange and yellow Glimmermists. See how it GLOWS in the sun...

Cardabilities

City Crafter Paste It and Inkspirational Glow

This made me smile...

Shake your Tail(feather) on World Card Making Day...

Although it was officially World Card Making Day for us yesterday, much of the festivities did not get kicked off til about 2am our time - just about when we had to put our clocks an hour forward for daylight savings, and as luck would have it, in the middle of a fabulous crafty retreat too!

Here is one of the creations I made over the long weekend away - this shaker card was created using some of the fabulous sequins Cecilia gifted us, together with some Pretty Pink Posh and Winnie and Walter Birthday Celebration sequins, and featuring die cuts from Winnie and Walter (Happy), Memory Box (trees) and Papertrey Ink (Holiday), together with this gorgeous watercolour fox, also from Papertrey Ink.

Playing along with 

The Card Concept Woodland Friends Challenge Mixed Media Card

Inkspirational Picture Inspiration and
Mixed Media Card Challenge Orange and Black plus Glitter

 

 

She... Guest Designed at Inkspirational

So excited to be invited to be Guest Designer over at Inkspirational She Art or Image of a Woman. If you search on Pinterest you will find some amazing She Art inspiration, and I found my inspiration from this work on Pinterest by Sara Riches, and the pops of blue in the current Create Something Catchy Let's Get Pinspired challenge. Unfortunately my place is all over the head at the moment, and I got my dates wrong, so this may be posted on the Inkspirational site a little late. You have almost two weeks to join in the fun!

 

This panel is 9 x 7.5 inches (slightly smaller than Letter/A4). The background was created by applying a layer of Gesso to the back and front of a sheet of the Oxford Dictionary onto watercolour paper, and backing with a sheet of blue patterned paper. Stamped with this gorgeous Unity sentiment, paired with Santoro's Gorjuss Ruby stamp of a girl on a swing with her cat, stamped and fussy cut in blue patterned paper. Die cut butterflies from Simon Says Stamp and Dienamics, in a range of blue patterned papers from my stash. 

Also playing along with The Mirror Crack'd Wings 

Art Journal Journey Things with Wings,

Create Something Catchy Let's Get Pinspired

and Mixed Media World Anything Goes

  

New Mixed Media Card Challenge...

Welcome to the New Year, and the new Mixed Media Card Challenge theme for January... NEW, with optional element of Tissue.

What new will inspire you? New year, new baby, new house, 

new pet, new job, new marriage???

I decided to tackle my fear of purple head on with this months first card LOL! Created by using Distress Inks Dusty Concord and Shaded Liliac, splattered with water, then dried and stamped with the Sweet Stamp Shop fireworks in Momento Luxe White and Zing White embossing powder. The Winnie and Walter The Big, the Bold and the Happy sentiment was diecut then inked with Distress Ink Dusty Concord, to match the sky. The Altenew Sketchy Cities New York city skyline, and Winnie and Walter "New Year" sentiment were also stamped in Momento Luxe White and Zing White embossing powder. The skyline was then fussy cut and pop dotted for more depth.

There's some more fabulous inspiration from the design team over on 

the Mixed Media Card Challenge blog.

Looking forward to seeing your fabulous NEW creations!

 

Also playing along with this fabulous inspiration from Inkspiration,
inspired by Winnie and Walter 1st Birthday Bash (1 Colour), 
Winnie and Walter 1st Birthday Bash (Gradient Challenge),

 the CAS(E) this Sketch - with a dash of liberal interpretation,
Little Red Wagon Another Happy New Year! and 
Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes.

PS I'd LOVE if YOU could link up your favourite creations for 2014 on 
Our Favourite Things linky party on my blog here!

This made me smile...

Coffee Lovers Holiday Blog Hop (Peace, Joy & Coffee)...

All I want for Christmas is...

to play along with the fabulous Coffee Lovers Holiday Blog Hop.

As a special Coffee Lovers Holiday treat, I have included the recipe for a coffee cocktail - as we celebrate Christmas in the midst of Summer here! Did you know it is rumored that Theodore Roosevelt (Teddy) drank a gallon of coffee a day! This cocktail was created by Mad46, a Manhattan rooftop lounge at the Roosevelt Hotel, as a salute to the hotel's namesake...

Teddy Tini

2 oz. chilled espresso

3 oz. vanilla vodka

1/2 oz. Kahlúa

Fill shaker with ice, add ingredients, and shake well.

Strain into chilled martini glass and garnish with 2 chocolate coffee beans.

Card created using Winnie and Walter The Big, The Bold and the Merry die-cut in pearl gold cardstock, MFT alphabet die-cut in pearl bronze cardstock and a La La Land fir tree, with background patterned paper from Simple Stories Cozy Christmas, and added silver star sequins.

How YOU can play along...

• There are also random 5 prizes for people that comment on ALL of the linked blogs see on Amy's blog for the list before 11:55 pm Pacific Time on Sunday, December 14th.

EXTRA BONUS GIVEAWAY if you comment on this post, this post or this post (my Coffee Lovers Holiday Blog Hop posts), you will also be in the running to win a FABULOUS Winnie and Walter The Big, the Bold and the Merry stamp set.

A BIG THANK YOU to our fabulous sponsors:

17 Turtles, Add A Little Dazzle, a●muse studio/Chris Franco

Butterfly Reflections Ink, Color Cast Designs, Create a Smile

Hero Arts, Kraftin' Kimmie, Kreative Kymona

Latina Crafter, Neat and Tangled, Newton's Nook

Paper Smooches, Pickled Potpourri, Poppystamps

Reverse Confetti, Stamp Academy, Stampin' Up/Veronica Zalis 

STAMPlorations, SugarPea Designs, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps 

The Alley Way Stamps, The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store, Two Paper Divas

Verve Stamps, Whole Wild World, Your Next Stamp

Also playing along with Merry Monday Gold, Silver, White and Bronze,
Cure for the Monday Blues

Jingle Belles Rock Anything Christmas,
Inkspirational Colour Challenge, Dies R Us Winter
 and Card Concept Silent Night Neutrals, Clean and Layered

  

Mixed Media Card Challenge - Home (Lace Optional)

Mixed Media Card Challenge Home (Lace optional)

I love this sentiment stamp from MFT, and knew I wanted to use it as soon as I saw this months theme for the Mixed Media Card Challenge was "Home". The shaker box card was created using white cardstock oversprayed with Heidi Swapp Gold, filled with a combination of Ruby Rock-It Snow White coarse glitter and red hearts inside the shaker. I love that when you stand the card upright, all the little hearst and snow disappears behind the Memory Box Countryside die cut, so all the hearts do come "home" for Christmas! The MFT sentiment is stamped in gold and embossed in gold, and I love the little detail the Lil Inkers Stitched Circle die-cuts add.

Hope you get to play along, I can't wait to see what you create!

The Design Team have some FABULOUS creations to inspire you!

Julia Aston - Shirley Bampton - Charlene Cundy

Maria Fischer - Jan Jenitis - Kripa Koushik

Maria Levine - Sanna Lippert - Deepti Malik

Jenny Martin - Shery Russ - Elina Stromberg - Loll Thompson

Play along til December 25th, Christmas Day!!!

Also playing along with 
Adicted to CAS Dots (with their FABULOUS DT call too) 
Kylie's Christmas Card Challenge
City Crafter Techniques Challenge - 
with my Shaker - a favourite technique at the moment!

Inkspirational Christmas, Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes, 
CAS(E) this Sketch, and Winter Wonderland Dies and Punches.