WCD Vintage Joy...

Hope you all had a FABULOUS World Cardmaking Day on Saturday! I was lucky enough to have spent the weekend away crafting with some gorgeous crafty friends, Jenny, Cecilia and Iwona. I made a few cards, but only two so far that I'm able to photograph and share.

My first card was created to play along with this weeks Color Q, World Card Making Day Pattern Play Challenge at Winnie and Walter, Hero Arts Holiday Challenge Tag It, and as a reminder for this months Mixed Media Card Challenge Vintage. Created my own patterned paper inspired by the colours of the Kaisercraft floral paper by layering stamps including Hero Arts Postcard, Penny Black , Prima Vintage and Antiques stamps. Papers are a mix of Kaisercraft and MME, with green and brown Copics for the leaves and branches. Stamped in brown Archival Ink and aged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Pop dotted and added burlap ribbon.

My second card was created to play along with this fortnights Festive Friday, Little Red Wagon In Stitches, Lawnscaping Patterned Paper, Simon Says Stamp Transport It and Mama Elephant's Anything Goes. Loved the combination of white and green with natural timber, and that too cute sled in the Festive Friday inspiration photo. Paper pieced the Lawn Fawn bunny, added Lil Inkers Stitched circle and square (cut down), together with this fabulous sentiment from Mama Elephant, and clear stickles under the sled for snow.

Remember there is a huge World Cardmaking Day Challenge over on 

Winnie and Walter's blog, with 6 challenges, open til Saturday 11 October at midnight. 

 

A CASE Study in Washi...

So wanted to play along with CASE Study last week with the fabulous Wida as Muse - but ran out of time - so an extra effort to make the deadline this week, with inspiration from this gorgeous card...

I was inspired by the colours, the window (mine became a circle), use of washi tape and die cuts. The background panel was created using strips of floral washi tape (just right for playing along with Simon Says Stamp Spring Flowers), die cut with Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangle and Stitched Circle (just right for playing along with Virginia's View Stitching Challenge too). The Simon Says Stamp daisies are also My Minds Eye washi tape on cardstock and die cut.  I wanted to go for the trifecta and create the sentiment from washi tape, but none of my washi was as perfect as this tiny polka dot paper from Lawn Fawn. The My Favorite Things sentiment was also cut from Lil Inkers Stitched Circle and inset.

As washi is such a central feature, I'm playing along with 

Paper Crafter's Gallery Idol just for the fun of it too!

A-very Little MUSE...

I loved the simplicity of Gillian's Muse Challenge card this week, but find I tend to go more rather than less, so I took some inspiration from the gorgeous pink colour, baby theme and Lil Inkers stitched border die.  Featuring Avery Elle's Storytime stamps by Heather Campbell, stamped in brown ink for a baby card, with an added swoosh of watercolour to get in the mood for next weeks Online Classes Watercolour for Cardmakers class - and Keep It Simple Watercolour Challenge!

Gillian's Muse Inspiration Card

Playing along with Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes, and
Virginia's View Stitching Challenge too.

Keep It Simple - Watercolour...

Watercolour is all the rage at the moment. I'll be joining in the fun with the Online Classes Watercolor for Cardmakers starting on Monday. Co-incidentally this fortnights Keep It Simple Challenge is... Watercolour, so hope you get a chance to play along!

Believe it or not, this card started out as a panel of watercolour paper dry embossed with Stampin' Up poppies! I filled in the poppies with watercolour paints and Twinkling H2Os, before overspraying with Sunflower Gold to add highlights and spread the colour.  I didn't LOVE the panel as a standalone panel, but I thought it would create a cool background to fill the negative space behind my diecut bird, which I then popdotted and added a Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangle. The Memory Box Woodland Branch was diecut from watercolour patterned paper. The Papertrey Ink Wet Paint "Happy" sentiment was inked with Distress Inks Wild Honey then misted with water before stamping, similarly the "Birthday" sentiment was inked with Distress Inks Barn Door then misted with water before stamping, as the smaller letters ran quite a bit, I overstamped the "Birthday" sentiment so it was easier to read.

Remember to stop by the blogs of the Keep It Simple DT for some more 

FABULOUS watercolour inspiration.

Anni

Christine

Mia

Tanja

Tenia

Love to see how you are inspired this fortnight!

Also playing along with Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes, Seize the Birthday,

Moxie Fab World Hip on Handwriting Challenge, with this handwritten style font,
and Virginia's View Stitching Challenge too.

This MFW Shout Out made me smile...

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!

In the Mood for Monday...

So many GORGEOUS cards over at WPlus9 this fortnight, I thought I'd join in the fun at WPlus9 Monday Mood Board, with these gorgeous Blanket-Stitched Blooms and Simply Sentiments, paired with Lil Inkers Stitched Square frames.  Stamped using Hero Arts Shadow Inks in Cop O' Joe, Butter Bar, Green Hills and Bubble Gum. Waving a big hello to Cecilia and Jenny too - lovely to meet you :)

WPlus9 Monday Mood Board

Joining in the fun with with Let's Get Trendy Now! 3 Stitching and 

Drunken Stampers #133 Edward Scissorhand Sewing Challenges.

There She Goes Inspired by Freshly Made...

I had so much FUN making this card.  Inspired by this weeks fab Freshly Made Sketch and the There She Goes Inspiration Challenge - I don't know why but old bikes just remind me of home!  I love the combination of gingham, wood and hand stitched heart (from Laurel's Inspired By Challenge), I think they compliment these cute house and sun stamps and sentiment from There She Goes perfectly.

 

Playing along with Simon Says Stamp Have a Heart too!

A CASE of Forever...

Inspired by this weeks CASE Study card, with its red-backed negative die-cut heart, X marks the spot and corrugated card base, together with this weeks Little Red Wagon Text Me and City Crafter Forever Mine challenges. Papers are from Crate Paper, and upcycled corrugated card from a Christmas gift.  Stitched with half embroidery thread (3 strands instead of 6).  To make stitching easier, I die cut the letters and hand cut the heart first, then marked out my stitching lines on the reverse of the text paper - so I didn't need to remove any pencil marks after stitching.  Hard to tell from this angle, but the text paper is pop-dotted too :)

Almost forgot to add my wedding pic in here as part of the challenge the fabulous & lovely Ardyth co-ordinated to help celebrate the very funny & creative  Darnell & Misters wedding Anniversary, so here I am with my Mister, over 20 years ago...

CASE Card by Amber Kemp-Gerstel

ThankFall...

Inspired by this fortnights BE Inspired at The Alley Way Stamps, this gorgeous turkey was created by paper piecing the turkey body and leaves from It's Fall About You, with the sentiment created from Jibber Jabber and Alphabet Soup.  I love how his beak perfectly fitted into one of the leaf patterns from the MME paper.  I'm joining in this months challenges at Trendy Twine with Thankful Orange Truffle and Ribbon Carousel Fall Spirit.  

For the Moxie Fab World Paper Crafting Tips & Tricks Stitching Challenge here's a little tip - remember to do a little dot at the start and end of each faux stitch dash to make it look more like the real thing.  

Inspired by this weeks Unscripted Sketch and playing along with Simon Says Stamp Thanksgiving / Thank You too!

Don't forget you can join in TAWS BE Inspired til November 22nd

Are you fur reel?

  

I thought I'd join in this week for Do You Stack Up "Inspired by a Movie" Challenge, sponsored by The Alley Way Stamps.  My card was inspired by the movie Andre, based on the true story of a sea lion who befriended a family - FUR REEL!  The Alley Ways Reel Time film frame is stamped onto vellum using StazOn ink and the frames overlapped to create a filmstrip.  I discovered that my StazOn Ink had dried out a little and didn't get perfect coverage - but I really like the old-fashioned feel it creates - reminds me of the old black and white movies!  The Alley Ways Castaways seals are stamped onto Basic Grey, and pop dotted over this gorgeous Lily Bee floral paper - perfect for this fortnights CR84FN Color Challenge.  Sentiment is created using a combination of Chatterbox and Reel Time.

I can feel another Movie Night calling me!

A CASE of Paper. Smooches. I Adore You...

Can you believe it post #3 for the day!

CASE Study Inspiration Card

OK, so this is my final and most blatent plea to join the Paper Smooches Sparks Design Team "P.S. I Adore You" aka "Paper. Smooches. I Adore You" LOL.

I was inspired by the texture, stitching, colours and theme from this fun Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge (along with the chance to wear my heart on my sleeve!), and the colours, texture and sentiment from this weeks funky CASE Study.  I stamped in Dazzle Versamark ink and clear heat embossed the Paper Smooches Good Gab "I Adore You" sentiment to create texture on the red cardstock, the heart was negative die-cut and pop-dotted for added visual texture.  The inside heart shape was die-cut in Sasafras paper and stitched using red embroidery thread.

I've had fun revisiting the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenges - and hope you have too!!

Sew Beautiful...

Have you ever had one of those cards that just stuck in your head and wouldn't let you do anything else 'til you get it onto paper?  I'm not sure why, but this was one of those cards for me - perhaps it's my love/hate relationship with my sewing machine - I love the look, but not so much the process! 

Back with details after I've been shopping - grocery shopping that is ;)

I'm back!

This card was inspired by the soft colours, corrugated cardboard and mannequin from this weeks gorgeous vintage CASE Study, this gentle CR84FN colour palette, this gorgeous Cardabilities sketch and some glitter from DYSU for fun.

Papers are a combination of MME Lost & Found Two, Crate Paper and Basic Grey, with the cool corrugated kraft alphas from Jillibean.  The Beautiful stamp is part of a set by My Little Yellow Bicycle.  I stamped the sentiment in Essentials Glue, then added Making Memories Pink Glitter.  The chipboard accents are from Maya Road.  The cotton spool was rubbed with Tim Holtz Brushed Corduroy ink, then cotton wound around the spool, with an length looped back over the mannequin.  The mannequin was first inked with Versa Colour Old Rose, then dipped in Making Memories Pink Glitter.  The sewing machine was painted in Making Memories Manila paint.

Hope you have a creative day too!