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Thursday 14 March 2024

Layered Roses

Hi all.  I decided it was about time to use some of my much neglected papers, and I got out an Altenew Layered Roses Die set which I got free with a magazine many years ago and which I am sure I have never used..tut! tut!  I also used a new corner die which I got in the Black Friday sale and this is its first outing and is called Bamboo Corner Trellis, a Paper Discovery die set.  There is a bamboo die, but this is the second in the set which has a more generic trellis look.  You can cut both designs out as well as just cutting them into the card, and there are a couple of sentiments too.  

I got out a couple of sets of papers, the first a Craft Consortium pad called Grunge Light and an old one by Chocolate Baroque which I used for just the orange coloured rose, and I was able to cut the pieces for the purple and pink flowers and the leaves from the Craft Consortium pad as there are lots of sheets where there are a good variety of colours and tones.  I decided to also cut a white base layer to make the flowers and leaves sturdier.  I also cut a piece of blue from the Craft Consortium pack to go behind the trellis.

I cut a piece of white card to about 5.75", just slightly wider than the trellis die and cut that adding the blue paper behind it, and I then put all the pieces together and added the flowers and leaves over the trellis.  I did add a piece of foam to the back of the first yellow/orange flower but decided not to do the same to the other two as I could see that it would make them rather thickly layered for posting.  I finished by die cutting the sentiment from a piece of gold glitter card which was a label which came on a parcel and which I thought was too pretty to waste.  I had already cut a butterfly from it, used on this card here, and I just managed to cut the sentiment from the rest.  

Thank you for dropping by today and I'll see you again soon.






I am entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 60 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 771 Use Yellow/Anything Goes.
Triple B Challenge - March - Anything Goes/Mood Board, using one, two or all three elements.
The Flower Challenge - No. 89 Make a Square Card.
Seize the Birthday Challenge - No. 279 Coordinating Card Tag Combo/Anything Goes.



 

 

 

 

 

I am also joining in with Darnells I.D.E.A.S., a challenge she has set for herself but which she has invited anyone to join in with March Week 2: D is for Die/Die Cuts.

Thursday 7 March 2024

Take Flight

Hi everyone.  Whilst I had my stencils out I decided to make a card using a couple of stencils from sets I bought a few years ago at The Range and by Craft Sensations, both 6" square.  The first is a flight of butterflies, and the other a pattern of leaves.  I also very luckily won a set of stamps by Sheena Douglass called True Colours which has a couple of different butterflies and a few sentiments, and one of these is being used for the first time here, together with a sentiment from the set.  I also used a stitched square die set bought from The Works, again a few years ago, and one I use a lot.


Using a snippet of white card I started the background by stencilling the leaves using two green Distress Inks - Mowed Lawn and Peeled Paint.  I kept the coverage light using a brush and then I removed that stencil and laid the butterfly stencil down and started with Mermaid Lagoon DI and then darkened it with Peacock Feathers DI to make the butterflies stand out over the leaves.  I then went back to using the leaves and added some more of each of the greens in areas where there were no butterflies.  When I was happy I die cut the background with the largest stitched square die and I also added the 'Take Flight' words using Versafine Olympia Green Ink and then heat embossed with the WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder..I must admit that it is so dark it looks like black.  I finished the background by blending some of each of the greens around the edges to darken them.

I then stamped one of the butterflies onto a snippet of white card using the Peeled Paint DI and then heat embossed it with WOW Clear Gloss EP.  I decided to colour it with my recently acquired alcohol pens using shades of turquoise, but I did give it a green body, and at the end I went over the edges, including the antennae, using a black micron pen as I felt they would be better darker to stand out against the background.  I added the background and butterfly onto a white card,  just slightly smaller than 6" square.  I am trying to use up some scalloped edge cards which I have had for ages and I prefer a straight edge so I have been cutting the scalloped edge off which of course makes them smaller.

Before I go I would like to introduce a new follower called Barb whose blog you will find here and thank you for becoming my latest follower.

Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.






I am entering the following challenges:

Color Hues Challenge - No. 82 Turquoise and Green.
NBUS Challenge - No. 60 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 475 Where we use our snippets of paper and card etc.
We Love Stamping Challenge - March Feminine.
Triple B Challenge - March - Birds-Blooms and Butterflies ( using at least one of the three).







I am also joining in with Darnell's I.D.E.A.S., a challenge which she has set for herself, but she has said that anyone is welcome to join in.  This is Week 1 - Ink/Colour Medium.  

Wednesday 28 February 2024

Masked Stencilling - Group of Seven Cardmakers

Hi everybody.  I am privileged to have been asked to be a Guest Designer over at the Group of Seven for this month and the technique this time is Masked Stencilling.  I cut a heart shape for the mask using a die from a set by Sweet Dixie, and a couple of different heart stencils from a set which came from The Range a few years ago and made by Craft Sensations.


I started with the background colour within the heart and decided on a combination of Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers and Twisted Citron.  I applied the ink with a blending brush having first masked off a wavy shape down the right side which I tore myself, and using the same inks to apply the first heart stencil adding the corresponding ink in that portion of the heart.  I then took away the shaped piece and added some more of the three colours down the rest of the right hand portion of the heart, then replaced the mask using the other end of the piece I tore the mask from so that it matched up when placing over the left side.  I then added the second heart stencil again with the corresponding ink colour over each of the three coloured areas of the narrower piece on the right.  I then added some tiny white hearts around the background which I had saved from some previous die cutting, I think it was probably a Sue Wilson die which I have and it has lots of different sized hearts within the large heart but I just used the smaller ones.  It looks a bit like embossing and I think it just adds a bit more interest to the background.  I finished the card by adding a sentiment strip with the anniversary sentiment stamped using Versafine Clair Notcturne ink, and heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder, and backed it with some foam tape for more dimension.  The card is a little less than 6" square.

I hope you go and visit the Group of Seven who are a lovely group of very talented people, and there are lots of links featuring previous techniques to take a look at for even more creative inspiration.  There is also a link at the bottom of the post where you can add any cards you make using the Masked Stencilling technique.    






I am entering the following challenges:

Stencil Fun Challenge - Feb. 24 Anything Goes/Love/Hearts.
Allsorts Challenge - Week 769 Anything Goes/Things That Fly.
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Tuesday 27 February 2024

Box Full of Hearts

Hi there.  I have an anniversary card today and I saw somewhere on line a design with butterflies escaping from an open box and it gave me the idea for this card but using hearts instead.  I used a new heart design die from Impression Obsession (249-Y) which I got fairly recently, but on this card here I just embossed it, but this time I die cut it and backed it with a piece of patterned card/paper using one of a few freebies I got with an order from Crafty Individuals. 


I started by die cutting two of the heart squares from white card and attached each to the patterned piece of card.  I then decided the dimensions I wanted and cut each down for the lid and box to fit neatly on to my 6" square card base and added a piece of craft foam on each for dimension.  I decided to stamp the sentiment as though that was coming out of the box too, and used Versamark and heat embossed with WOW Silver Metallic Embossing Powder in the position I wanted and then attached the pieces for the box around it and used some of the larger hearts which came out of the die, coloured using Adirondack Pink Sherbet Ink using a blending brush, and attached each surrounding the sentiment and to fill the space within the box shape.

Thank you for visiting me here today and I'll see you again soon.






I am entering the following challenges:

I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - No. 769 Things That Fly/Anything Goes.
Shopping Our Stash Challenge - No. 516 It's not Easy Being Green.
Double D Challenge - Patterned Paper.
Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - Feb. Anything Goes/Pink.

I am also joining in with Darnell's  I.D.E.A.S., a challenge which she has set for herself but has said that anyone is welcome to join in.  This is Week 4 Anything Goes.

Monday 19 February 2024

Foliage Star

Hi everyone.  I bought this Xcut embossing folder fairly recently and am using it for the first time, and it's called Foliage Star, and at first I was thinking Christmas, but then I looked at it again and I thought actually it doesn't have anything in the foliage that definitely makes it a seasonal card, and some of the shapes made me think of card embroidery.  Here is an image of it so you can see what it looks like without the embroidery.

The very centre I made into a star piercing a hole in every point  and one in the centre, and then the pieces all around I pierced a hole at the bottom and one on every point.  I then picked out the same shapes going around it alternately in gold and silver.  I think it works and here is the result.

I finished by going over all the rest of the star with a Wink of Stella Clear Pen and I have left it without a sentiment for now.  I think it will probably be a birthday card.

Thank you for visiting me today and I'll see you again soon.






I am entering the following challenges:

Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - 10.2.24 - Anything Goes with a Twist of Reds and/or Pinks.
Allsorts Challenge - Pink/Anything Goes.
NBUS Challenge - No. 59 Where we use our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Let's Craft and Create Challenge No. 204 Anthing Goes/Polka Dots and/or Stripes.
Ally's Angels Challenge - No. 79 Anything Goes.
Simply Clean and Simple Challenge - Feb. 24 Anything Goes/Pink.

Darnell who a lot of you will know has set herself the challenge of putting up a card every Monday following a rotational monthly theme the acronym for which is I.D.E.A.S.  -  Inks/Colour Mediums, Dies/Die Cuts, Embossing Folders and Anything Goes..where there is a fifth week in the month it will be Stencils, and has said that anyone who wants to join in is very welcome, and I am going to do my best to join the party every week.  This uses an embossing folder for Week 3.  

Wednesday 14 February 2024

Happy Valentine's Day

Hi everyone.  Here is a Valentine I made for hubby.  I visit Hannelie from Desert Diva blog and she had made this card here, which I thought I could adapt to make a masculine Valentine, so I have CASEd it for my card.  I used a set of hearts from Sweet Dixie which I have had for a long time, bought at The Range, and also a large 'love' die which I got from The Works, also a long time ago when they did do a range of dies of their own at a very reasonable price which I don't think they do anymore.  I also used a Hearts 3D Embossing Folder from Sizzix which I got before Christmas and which is having its first outing.


I started with the horizontal stripes in the background.  I used a snippet of white card and a ruler and one of my new Alcohol markers.  I spaced the lines by eye placing them quite close together.  I have to say when I got to the end they weren't that straight, but I cut it into a rectangle and managed to straighten the edges so they weren't wonky..lol.  I then got out several Pixie Powders in blue, green and a white pearl mixer and using another snippet of white card I sprinkled them over and spritzed with water and finished up with a piece in a blue/green shade with a soft sheen which I thought looked fairly good and I cut a larger heart and five smaller ones from it.   I then used the Hearts EF on the large heart and having a senior moment I debossed it instead of embossing it, and didn't particularly like it, so I cut a further white heart from another snippet of white card and did it again, only to do exactly the same thing...duh!!  This time I decided to get out some Distress Ink in a similar blue which seemed to be Broken China, and I ink blended over the top and actually I preferred the look of the ink blending, so I doubled up the hearts placing this over the original.  To finish I die cut the 'love' die three times from another white snippet and layered it up to add over the centre of the embossed heart, and I added the striped piece to a 5" x 7" card and then added the large heart backed with some foam tape for dimension, and then four of the little Brushoed hearts along the bottom.  I did cut a small piece off the bottom of the card as the proportions didn't look quite right to me.  

I wasn't sure about the look of the card, but hubby thought it was good, so that is the main thing.  Thank you for visiting my blog today and I'll see you again soon.






I am entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - Week 767 Hearts/Anything Goes.
NBUS Challenge - No. 59 Where we use up our Never Before Used Schtuff.
Snippets Playground Challenge - No. 473 Where we use our snippets of card and/or paper etc.
Try it on Tuesday Challenge - Hearts and/or Flowers.
Can You Handle The Pressure Challenge - Anything Goes/Reds and/or Pinks.
The Male Room Challenge - No. 183 Valentine/Use a Heart.
Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge - No. 340 Love.


Monday 12 February 2024

Stencilling with Alcohol Inks

Hi all.  I wanted to make a card using this month's technique of Alcohol Inks with Gilding Flakes over at Group of Seven Cardmakers, this is not a challenge as such but they have a link where you can add your card, and I decided to use the AI's with a stencil which is a chevron design called Turn Ahead by 'That Special Touch of ' which is being used for the first time, and Ranger AI's in Pool, Stonewashed, Indigo, Butterscotch and Lemonade, and also some WOW Gold Foil and Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Flakes called Autumn Leaves.  The Yupo is Ranger Transparent 5" x 7".  I used a Zig Glue Pen for the fine lines to add the foil on the background, and a Zig Glue Stick with a wide applicator for the gilding flakes on the shadow behind the sentiment, and it is good for spreading the glue across the back of die cuts too.


I have been watching various YouTube videos about using stencils with the alcohol inks, and as I visit Heather Telford and I did find this video really helpful, I have left a link to it here.  I started with a mix of my colours adding them and then diluting and moving them about with Isopropyl Alcohol 99.9% dispensed into a little bottle with a very fine needle like nozzle, using an air blower that I bought a while ago.  I covered the piece and then whilst it was still very wet I laid the stencil over the top and continued to blow the air around, trying to move as much of the ink from under the stencil into the gaps and I even very carefully lifted bits of the stencil up and down to help to move it.  After removing the stencil when it seemed to be more or less dry, I then used a piece of tissue and carefully dabbed up some of the ink that had stayed, and it did remove some of it, but luckily the pattern had come out reasonably clearly and I was very happy with the result.  

I suddenly realised that I had not added the gilding flakes and decided instead to use gold foil which should really go on before the inks dry, although you can use a glue pen, which I did in various places following some of the edges of the pools of ink which inevitably form.  I thought I had a better chance of getting the foil to stick and gilding flakes do seem to go everywhere you don't want them..lol.  The foil did stick but in a rather random way and not quite as I had hoped they would.  I think I was too impatient and it is best to let the glue turn from blue to clear before removing the piece of foil, but nevertheless they did give  a lovely bit of sparkle which doesn't really show up in the photo.

I used a sentiment which is from Crafter's Companion which I have had for a while but this is its first outing, and I did incorporate the gilding flakes on the shadow piece behind the white die cut sentiment.  I find they make less mess by using a pair of tweezers to lift pieces of it onto the gluey surface and when the piece has a reasonable amount on it...it doesn't need to be completely covered, you use a scoochy - mine came with Indigoblu gilding flakes a very long time ago - or a soft cloth to burnish them.  Doing it this way made very little mess, and I just placed a piece of paper beneath to catch the little bits which were not worth putting back in the pot.  I added some foam behind the sentiment to give it a bit of dimension, and I cut the words twice to layer them before adding them onto the gilded background and stuck them down using the Zig Glue Stick.  

I'm sure a lot of you will feel life is too short to read all this and a lot will be made clear if you visit Heather's YouTube video, and there are a couple of videos showing how to use the inks and add the gilding flakes over at the Group of Seven Blog.  I think my belief is why make a simple explanation when you can go on about it for ten minutes...lol.  






I am also entering the following challenges:

NBUS Challenge - No. 59 Where we use our Never Before Schtuff. 
Stencil Fun February Challenge - Love/Hearts or Anything Goes.

Darnell who a lot of you will know has set herself the challenge of putting up a card every Monday following a rotational monthly theme the acronym for which is I.D.E.A.S.  -  Inks/Colour Mediums, Dies/Die Cuts, Embossing Folders and Anything Goes..where there is a fifth week in the month it will be Stencils, and has said that anyone who wants to join in is very welcome, and I am going to do my best to join the party every week.  I do have some die cutting on this card which is for Week 2.