Showing posts with label Retro Sketches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Retro Sketches. Show all posts

Sunday, October 25, 2015

P.S. A Retro Christmas...

One last entry for the (second) last ever Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge

Paper Smooches will always hold a special place in my heart! Lucky for me (and YOU), challenges will be continuing over on the Paper Smooches blog!

Another quick and cheerful Christmas card created using Paper Smooches dies and stamps. Cut a piece of Authentique paper from my stash using Paper Smooched Borders 1 wavy die multiple times to create "snow drifts". Stamped a couple of rows of these fabulous Paper Smooches Warm Hearts trees to create the tree border. Added the too cute Paper Smooches Warm Hearts  snowman, and red hearts, assembled and stamped the snowman in position in the snow drift, and last of all added the Paper Smooches All Yule Need sentiment.


 
Layout inspired by this weeks fabulous Retro Sketch.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Do what you love, love what you do...


I got to thinking about why it is we do what we do, after reading Darnell's thought-provoking post, and realised when I'm in a ditch of doubt or lack of creativity, I always need to refocus on simply doing what I love and loving what I do, and anything else is a bonus. After all, the world now knows of the fate during their lifetime of such greats as Monet, Van Gough and Cezanne (see this article of 10 Famous Artists Who Had to Deal with Rejection During Their Lifetime). Not that I am in ANY way placing myself anywhere near the company of these luminaries, but it just goes to show, in order for them to keep creating, they too had to simply focus on doing what they loved and loving what they do.

With that in mind, I simply could not go past this spectacular photo prompt from this weeks Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge, and combined it with this fabulous Retro Sketch by Tracey, because it's what I love to do! 


Created using a mix of Paper Smooches dies, Reflections Flowers and Big Bloom flowers on a Polaroid base, with Love Word sentiment, all pop dooted against this gorgeous American Crafts timber grained patterned paper. The patterned paper flowers are a mixture of MME, Echo Park and American Crafts.

Remember, have FUN and enjoy the process, and if you can recognize something you love in what someone else creates, let them know, it doesn't hurt to spread the love ;)

I hope you get to do what you love and love what you do a little this weekend!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

P.S. Pucker Up

Thought I'd have a little fun with this fortnight's Curtain Call Smooch inspiration, and used my Paper Smooches Royal Cuteness, paired with this Fruitastic "Pucker Up" sentiment. Based on one of my favourite Retro Sketches sketch by Lynn.

 
Playing along with Paper Smooches Sparks Anything Goes
 and Virginia's View CAS  challenges. 

Friday, March 7, 2014

Keep It Simple Stripes!

Time for another challenge at Keep it Simple! This fortnight we want to see stripes! What will you be inspired by Zebras? Jail? Vertical stripes or horizontal? Perhaps it's time to break out that washi tape!

The first thing I thought of for stripes... a zebra of course! I thought I'd create her a bit differently this time, using stripes of watercolours as the background, layered from yellow through orange and pink, I stamped the Paper Smooches zebra on the orange to pink section using Versamark ink and then embossed in black, and added the Paper Smooches sentiment in Versamark ink embossed in black too. Finished with an Avery Elle tag and Lil Inkers Stitctched Square.

We'd love you to join in - remember to Keep It Simple (CAS) and up to 4 other Challenges max!
Make sure you stop by the rest of the design team for some 
more FABULOUS Keep It Simple inspiration!


Tagging along with Simon Says Stamp Tag It
Loved playing with my watercolours for Virginia's View Watercolour Challenge.
  


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.

 

Saturday, November 2, 2013

A FUSION of Inspiration...


 
Sadly you may have read that for now, FUSION is no more! It was an AMAZING team and Challenge to have had the privilege of being part of, and I will miss the Challenge and the FABULOUS Design Team!!! 

So today I created a mini FUSION of my own, with photo inspiration originally for the Lawnscaping Pinterest Inspired Challenge - but my camera wasn't playing nice LOL! - and this fabulous Retro Sketches sketch.  Papers are a mix of Basic Grey (Fusion range - about 8 years old!!), Crate Paper and American Crafts, with Lawn Fawn stamps, Prima wooden frame and Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangles die cut, perfect for playing along with this fortnights Shopping Our Stash Stitching Challenge. Thought I'd play along with Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes too!

Monday, September 2, 2013

Retro Cottage Roses Recipe...


I found the perfect sentiment to play along with this weeks Catered Crop Sentiment-al Challenge and City Crafter Cottage Roses & Gingham Challenge, from Practicing Creativity:
ten tiny fingers, ten tiny toes
she's cute as a button,
and sweet as a rose.
...and so a baby card began, with papers from Authentique, and the "Hello Sweet Baby" sentiment, teddy and button heart from WPlus9, matched with this weeks versatile Retro Sketch, and Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangle.  

I always find I stamp my baby cards in brown ink rather than black - it seems more suited to the softness of baby cards - how about you?

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

P.S. August GD - With Gratitude, Thank You!

I can't believe this is my last week as Paper Smooches Guest Designer  - hope you have enjoyed seeing my Paper Smooches creations as much as I enjoyed bringing them to you!!!


The first card today features Paper Smooches Artisan Blocks to create the patterned flag, stamped in Tide Pool and sentiment from Many Thanks, stamped in Versamark Watermark and heat embossed in White. This gorgeous background was created using a stencil and texture paste, to add texture without colour. The best thing I discovered is that you can use any of your Paper Smooches die-cuts to create textured shapes to add to your cards, just cut them out of chipboard and fill the space left with texture paste, using a pallet knife to create a smooth finish. This cards layout is based of this fortnights versatile Seize the Sketch and colours on this fortnights CASual Friday Aqua, Green & Blue.



The second card today features three sets from the August Paper Smooches release, Borderlicious used to create the vertical panel and border, Artisan Blocks stamped on the vellum butterfly and Many Thanks sentiment (the August Thanks A Million set FREE with orders over $60). The die cuts are Paper Smooches Duo Die 2 in Echo Parks Cool Summer paper and and Butterflies 3 in coloured vellum. The vertical panel is stamped in Tide Pool, Green Hills, Butter Bar, Orange Soda and Bubble Gum, the scalloped edge and butterfly stamped in Soft Pool and the sentiment stamped in Orange Soda. This cards layout is based on this weeks fabulous Retro Sketchand colours influenced by this weeks CASE Study.

  

Playing along with Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes too!


Sunday, August 4, 2013

Retro Red Merry Christmas...

 

You have until September 2 to join in the fun!

I thought that it was high time to get a head start on Christmas cards, especially since I was fortunate enough to recently win this gorgeous Poinsettia stamp set from Uniko Studio (who are having their very first Challenge over here, so if you get a chance, pop by and say Hello before August 14th). I stamped the poinsettia several times onto Basic Grey paper and fussy cut, mounting the five layers with foam tape, and then added Annabelle Stamps Blackcurrant Sprinkles as the buds on the poinsettia and to decorate the border. To play along with Shopping Our Stash Use Your Oldest Punch, I created the border using my oldest punch, a Fiskars Scalloped Border punch.  The weathered wood paper is from Simple Stories.

Believe it or not, this card started off using this gorgeous Retro Sketch as it's springboard, and dived off into a whole other pool!!!

I do have a couple more ideas in mind for this sketch, which you may or may not see this week LOL!  

Playing along with Merry Monday Anything Goes Challenge

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Happy Bee Day...


OK so this is one of those cards that started in one place, and ended up in a whole other postcode - maybe even a whole other country LOL!  Inspired by The Alley Way Stamps BE Inspired, those lemon pom-poms reminded me of this cute The Alley Way Stamps Priceless Joy bee, and the rest of the card evolved from there!  I stamped the bee onto the back of some yellow vellum, so he would be facing the right way, coloured in the black stripes on the reverse side too, then added some yellow paper behind his body, leaving the wings opaque. The cork hexagon was left over from an earlier project, but fitted the theme perfectly.  Added a couple more MFT die-cut hexagons, MME word stickers, and Neat & Tangled sequins, backed with Lily Bee Design papers (of course!!)  It was only after I finished the card that I realised how closely I had followed this weeks fabulous Retro Sketch - must have been lurking in my sub-conscious!  



Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Do You Remember Paris...


When I saw the Mixy-Matchy Style Challenge Moxie Fab World I thought it would be fun create a memory box, full of the patterns and images that reminded me of our trip to Paris, so here we have it, my memories in a box.  This was such FUN to make, and every time I look at my box it makes me smile.  This is how I remember Paris, how do you?

It may not be the first word that comes to mind for most, but when I think of strawberries, I think of Paris. Travelling on a budget, most of our stay was spent eating baguettes, yoghurt, and the most amazing market fresh strawberries we had ever tasted.  I remember we stayed in the attic room of a tiny guest house, with its crazy sloping old timber floors.  I remember we had to get used to paying to use public toilets, and that one of the highlights of our stay was a tour of the old underground sewerage system - strange, but true! I remember visiting the beautiful parks, with the gorgeous trees in full blossom, and their special doggy areas! I remember visiting the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Versaille too, but more than that, I remember the little French Restaurant that we used to walk past on the way to and from the Metro station and peering in the gingham curtains wondering what it would be like to dine inside.

Papers are a mixy-matchy from Crate Paper, October Afternoon, and Echo Park, with chipboard from American Crafts and My Favorite Things, Studio Calico wood veneer chevron, photo cards from Typo, stamps from Heidi Swapp, Ali Edwards Technique Tuesday and the Sweet Stamp Shop alphas, and I used a Heidi Swapp mask as the outline for my heart of hearts.

Also playing along with the Sweet Stamp Shop Use What You Have 
with my chipboard collection being raided again, 
Pinspired Challenge #13 with its strawberries and gingham, and 
Lisa's fabulous Retro Sketch this layout was based on.



These made me smile...