World Card Making Day with Winnie & Walter & Hop to Stop...

Created by first cutting a background panel of watercolour paper with Winnie and Walter Essentials: Katherine Cutaways and washing with watercoloured Gelatos, stamped with Winnie and Walter Winter Wonderland pine branches and heat embossed in Silver Tinsel, added snowfall using Metallic Silver embossing paste and Winnie and Walter Scenery: Big Bang Circle Creative Screenings, then stamping in Wedding White with Winnie and Walter Scenery: Big Bang Confetti. Partially cut a second panel piece to create the snow drift, stamped the Winnie and Walter Winter Wonderland reindeer twice, once on the watercolour panel, and once on a scrap piece of cardstock and heat embossed with Silver Tinsel, as was the fabulous sentiment then diecut with Winnie and Walter Winter Wonderland. Sentiment, snowdrift and reindeer are pop dotted. Playing along with:

Sketched with Gayatri

Watercolour with Vanessa

Gold/Metallic with Lydia

Make it Masculine with Julie
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Muse - Christmas Visions (see Kimberley's gorgeous card below)

 

Created using watercolour Gelatos for the background ombre wash, stamped with Winnie and Walter Sparkle stamps heat embossed in gold, Winnie and Walter Essentials: Katherine Cutaways die cut tag and background panel, and added purple gemstones and gold ribbon, to promote the HOP to STOP National Domestic Violence Awareness of which Winnie and Walter are sponsors (see my first HOP to STOP post here too).  Playing along with:

Background Building with Shay

Watercolour with Vanessa

Gold/Metallic with Lydia
Less is More Jewel Colours

HOP to STOP National Domestic Violence Awareness 

of which Winnie and Walter are sponsors!

Had fabulous fun on World Cardmaking Day (so much so we actually spent a weekend away crafting). That's us there...

 

Discovering... FUSION

Time to discover... this fortnights FUSION!

I thought this may be my last FUSION contribution on the Design Team, but after having a massive clean out of my crafting space, I am feeling totally re-inspired! Combined this fabulously versatile FUSION sketch and gorgeous photo inspiration, rotated the sketch 90 degrees anti-clockwise and used this beautiful over-sized butterfly as the star element. Had a blast getting inky with a range of Distress Inks in Squeezed Lemon, Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade and Picked Raspberry, together with this gorgeous Prima Cherry Blossom mask. Butterfly coloured using Mr Heuy's spray mist in Heirloom Blue. This fabulous over-sized butterfly stamp and sentiment are by Tim Holtz.

Hop on over for more gorgeous butterfly inspiration

from the rest of the fabulous FUSION DT

Amy Tsura - Betty J - Deanne - 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 Card Concept The Butterfly Effect (Mixed Media) and Happy Little Stampers CAS Mists / Sprays

MUSE Guest Designer...

I have to admit I almost fell off my chair when Ardyth asked if I would like to be a Guest Designer for Muse - then I composed myself and sent off a YES PLEASE reply before she could change her mind!

I've been having so much fun with Distressed Inks lately, I thought I'd try and create a just before dawn night sky in Shabby Shutters, Squeezed Lemonade, Salty Ocean and Faded Jeans, using this fabulous silver birch mask, then adding a few stars with a Wink of Stella gold pen. Stamped this beautiful script sentiment from Avery Elle and heat embossed in gold on clear vellum, framed with Lil Inkers Stitched Square die-cut.

I hope you are inspired to play along with MUSE - 
I can't wait to see what you create!

  

Linking up with the Avery Elle May Designer Search, Runway Inspired Challenge, and
 Moxie Fab World Styling with Stencils Challenge.

Winnie & Walter & Watercolour...

E.T.A. Playing along with  Moxie Fab World Styling with Stencils Challenge too!

Playing with watercolurs reminds me of being part of a family - sometimes messy and unpredictable, but also a lot of fun!  Joining in the fun at Winnie & Walter Playdate #1, Virginia's View Watercolour Challenge, Seize the Birthday and Catered Crop Spring Fever.  Used a Prima mask to create the outline for my poppies, then once dry, overstamped with Winnie & Walter sentiment - couldn't go past the "Happy" for this playdate inspiration photo!

 

Celebrate Birthday FUSION...

How gorgeous are all those beautiful butterflies!!! 

I can't wait to see what this weeks FUSION inspiration brings - will you be inspired by this FAB sketch, or this gorgeous photo - or BOTH?!?   This fortnight I was inspired by a combination of both the sketch, and the photo, with its butterfly theme, I focused on the colours of one of the butterflies - love the green, turquoise and orange colour combo! Created using texture paste and Heidi Swapp mask background, Kaisercraft butterfly stamped multiple times and fussy cut, Simple Stories papers, coloured vellum and gorgeous Verve sentiment.

We'd LOVE you to join in the fun...

How to play:

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 Rules Page before playing along.

Drop by for some more fabulous DT inspiration here:

Betty J - Cathy Weber - Dannielle Robeson - Deepti
Geri Freeman - Julia Aston - Katie Brooks - Kelly Griglione
Kimberly Wiener - Lynn Mangan - Michelle Lupton
Michelle Williams - Sindhu - Stephanie Severin

Don't forget to check FUSION Mr Linky to see how much time is left to play!! 

Joining in Seize the Birthday and CASology Bold and 
The Crafting Musketeers Butterfly Challenge too!

 

A CAS(E) of WPlus9 and Stencils...

If you have been lucky enough to be playing along with On-Line Classes Stenciled, you too will have been inspired! I was particularly taken with Debby's fabulous inking, in combination with heat embossed vellum. Taking inspiration from the chevrons, colours, washi and dots from this gorgeous WPlus9 Monday Moodboard, combined with this super versatile CAS(E) this Sketch, and the fabulous FUSION colours and flowers too.

Created my own stencil by die-cutting chevrons from a sheet of paper, then inked the background in Squeezed Lemon Distressed Ink. Stamped this gorgeous WPlus9 bird and sentiment and embossed in mirror silver on the WPlus9 pinked square die-cut vellum, added washi tape and enamel dots to secure the vellum panel.

 

A CAS-ual Play Date, More or Less...

Inspired by the Less is More One Layer Card, Fur or Feathers, This gorgeous Play Date Cafe colour palette and CAS-ual Fridays Square Cards, I thought I'd try masking and sponging a sunset behind this gorgeous The Alley Ways Stamps Tropic Topic flamingo.

I stamped the flamingo on watercolour paper in Versamark Watermark Ink then heat embossed in Zing Pewter.  Next I stamped the flamingo on a scrap piece of cardstock and cut around it to use as a mask, and  placed the flamingo mask over the stamped image and secured with masking tape.  I negative die-cut a circle from scrap cardstock to use as the mask for the sun, and positioned this on my stamped watercolour paper before also securing with masking tape.  I shaded the sun by starting at the top by dabbing Distress Ink Squeezed Lemonade around the top edges then working my way to around two thirds down the circle, Next I dabbed Distress Ink Spiced Marmalade, starting at the bottom of the circle around the edges and working my way up, gradually getting lighter to about one third from the top of the circle.  I then gently blended the orange into the yellow and the yellow into the orange until I was happy with the effect.  I carefully removed the circle mask and the flamingo mask, before using a fine watercolour pen and Distress Ink Picked Raspberry to colour the flamingo, with the deepest shades low and adding a little water to highlight the top of his wing.  Happy with the results of my first attempt at blended masking!

Love how the flamingo looks like a 2 and 1 intertwined. Hope my niece enjoys her 21st card!

Don't Worry...

 

I haven't really attempted one layer cards, so I thought I'd challenge myself to create a one for the Less is More sketch this week for my "Bee Happy" card.  I created the hexagon background using the Crafter's Workshop Mini Punchinella Template and Scattered Straw and Wild Honey Distress Ink, overstamped the Stampendous Buzzin Blooms in Momento Black Ink then used a water brush to highlight the flowers and bee in Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink, before adding the stamped sentiment and drawing in the black borders and bee trail, finally adding glossy highlights to the flowers and bee using Dimensional Magic - I love how it makes them look like amber.  Bee-cause you can see them in the sky I'm linking this up to CAS-ual Fridays On Cloud 9 too!

Hope you will "Bee Happy" this weekend!

Play Dates in Pink Elephant Masks...

 

Left-hand card uses overlay technique, right-hand card uses masking technique



 

Another second post for the day!

Inspired by this weeks Colour Splash palette at The Play Date Cafe, and CAS theme at The Pink Elephant Challenges, I thought I would try masking as I have not yet used this technique, other than to stamp sentiments.  To show you a comparison, the left-hand card shown above has been stamped using overlay rather than masking (up-side-down music and all LOL!), and whilst you can achieve some really amazing effects using this technique, I felt that masking would achieve more of the look I was after.

If you have not yet tried masking - you should give it a go!  All you need to do is to stamp the image you want as the foreground onto a scrap piece of paper (many people recommend you stamp on post-it-notes and incorporate the sticky end to enable you to position your stamped image on the card more easily).  Once you have done this, "fussy cut" around the outside of your image, then temporarily adhere the stamped image to your card in the correct position.  Stamp the background image (in this case the Kaisercraft music stamp) across the top of your temporary image, I stamped this in Momento Black Ink.  Then remove your temporary image (in this case the Prima butterfly stamp).  Stamp your foreground image in the space left when you remove the temporary stamped image, I stamped this in Memories Artprint Brown Ink.  Finally I stamped this gorgeous sentiment from My Favourite Things Big Sentiments, also in Memories Artprint Brown Ink.

Hope you have a BIG day today too :)