Friday 15 March 2024

Spring is in the air!

Nat is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers today and she’d like to see signs of spring! Anything goes that makes you think of spring as we head into a new season with longer days and everything coming to life. 

I’ve gone floral with a lovely magnolia. I’ve never had one but always admire them when I see them in other people’s gardens, they're a very showy sign of spring! I haven’t managed to play at Retro Rubber for a while and this seemed the perfect opportunity as the current theme is spring flowers

I stamped with very light ink and did “no line” colouring with pencils on the lovely neutral-toned Strathmore paper. Die cut with a stitched rectangle die and mounted simply with a wide border on a white card with a fineliner run around the edge of the image panel.

Stamps:
Magnolia by Stampendous (I’ve had mine since 2018)
Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
Strathmore Tomed Grey


Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Fade Out by Ink On 3


Other:
Coloured pencils 
Stitched rectangle dies A6 size (Paper Rose)
Brown fineliner


Saturday 2 March 2024

Card Chain Challenge — February

I’ve  been absent from the Card Chain for a few months but I’m trying to get back in to the swing of some paper crafting so I signed up for February to give myself a nudge. My card went to the lovely Hilary so it didn’t have too far to travel.

From the options on offer I chose the colours and the theme of flowers and revisited an old Hero Arts stamp, sticking to my usual CCC aesthetic of single layer. 

I stamped and masked then coloured one bloom with pencils and the background ones with grey Copics, added some charcoal pencil drop shadow and a fine border with a marker (drawing round the outside of a die makes it easy). Then of course couldn’t decide on a sentiment, took me ages to find one I liked in the space I had!

This took a lot longer to make than it should have done, I’m definitely out of practise, but it got there in the end. The colouring is richer in real life I think, the shading on the flower really didn’t want to photograph well but time was tight and it needed to go in the post  

Stamps:
Large Striped Flower (Hero Arts)
Sentiment from an old Cornish Heritage Farms set (no long with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Coloured pencils
Copic Markers
Charcoal pencil
Black fineliner
White paint pen by Posca

Thanks for stopping by. The sign up for the March chain is open until the 6th if you fancy making and sending one card, getting a lovely hand made card in return. 

Friday 1 March 2024

Elements for March

First Friday of the month is always an "elemental" challenge at Daring Cardmakers — choose at least three elements from the inspiration picture to kickstart your project.

This month's picture has a very serene quality. I decided that leant itself to sympathy cards and since they're rarely in my stash and you inevitably don't really feel like making one when you need it, I went that way.

From the inspiration picture I chose some of the colours, the feathers from the dream catchers, the macrame made me think of this embossing folder and I used twine to tie the feathers together. The feathers are gently edged with Vintage Photo ink. 

Stamps:
Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board
Kraft

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Vintage Photo)

Other:
Feathers
Linked circles
Nail art pearls
Crochet thread
Cropadile

Here's our inspiration this week:


Thanks for stoppig by!

Friday 23 February 2024

Whatever the weather

Kirsty is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week and she'd like to see all things weather-related.

I'm hoping I’ve gone for something unseasonal as I’ve chosen snow! I know it’s been unseasonably mild just recently and I hope we’re not going to pay for it with the sort of weather we had with the “beast from the east” a few years back. That was late February…

My stash of Christmas cards was almost nonexistent for 2023 so I’m determined to try to make a few more throughout the year this year. With that in mind I’m also joining Jo’s Christmas Kickstart where Gail is this month’s elf and the theme is “out on a limb” — things you’d find on a tree. My little birdie is literally out on a limb. She has a coating of Spica glitter pen for subtle sparkle too. 

Stamps:
Merriest Christmas Wishes (Hero Arts)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Memento Luxe by Tsukineko (Bahama Blue, Love Letter)

Other:
Copic marker
Spic glitter pen (red)
Snowflake die (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday 16 February 2024

Face the music and dance

It's my turn to set the challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week.  I’ve chosen a music and/or dance theme — any type of music, any style of dance!

I’ve gone for the music bit of the theme. I wish I could claim my sketching skills were up to this standard but I actually did something different with a stamp! I used very light ink to stamp the image and then 2B and 4B pencils to turn it into a sketch. I think it’s worked to give a different sort of look. 

The fine frames circles die has always made me think of a vinyl record —clicking through for a bigger image might give a clearer impression why! I decided maybe she’s gone retro and raided her parents’ old record collection and placed die cuts to give her some background interest. With that thoughtful look I’m imagining she’s listening to some Joni Mitchell or maybe Carole King’s Tapestry.

Stamps:
Lost in Music (Visible Image)
Nothing to Wear (Visible Image, sentiment only)

Paper:
Bristol
Black

Ink:
Fade-out by Ink on 3
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Hero Arts Shadow ink (Charcoal, Soft Granite)

Other:
Fine Frames Circles die (Altenew)
Stitched Rectangles A6 size dies (Paper Rose)


Thanks for stopping by!

Friday 9 February 2024

Time for Cake

Isn't it always time for cake? I’ve been missing in action for a while and the invitation to a slice of cake for Rizwana’s challenge at Daring Cardmakers seems like the perfect opportunity to return.

My stash of birthday cards is now non-existent and I know I need several in the next few weeks so the cake clearly had to be a birthday one. It’s decorated with some little beads of pearly icing and that looks like a dark chocolate ganache filling to me! 

Splattery ink and a scatter of pearl dots make for a festive feel and a nice scripty sentiment finishes it off. 

Stamps:
The Cafe (Cornish Heritage Farms, no longer with us)
Big Day Today (Waltzingmouse Stamps, no longer with us)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Tumbled Glass)

Other:
Copic markers
Pearl Pen by Viva Decor (Ice White)
Corner Chomper
 

Thanks for stopping by, I’ll try not to leave it so long until the next post!

Friday 20 October 2023

Spell it out

Nat is setting our challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week — she'd like to see us use alphabet dies or stamps to spell out a sentiment.

I made this to congratulate my nephew on his GCSE results, using an old alphabet stamp set in a font style that contrasted nicely with the big numbers. The little fill-in numbers tie in with his mathematical interests.  

I masked the strip for the sentiment with a piece of low tack tape, stamped numbers to reflect the grades he achieved, added some background stamping and brushed on a bit of ink before removing the tape and stamping the sentiment. I added just a tiny bit of shading to the lettering with a Copic and defined the edge of the strip with a doodled line.

Stamps:
Journal Letters (Hero Arts)
A&P Numbers (Ma Vinci's Reliquary, no longer with us)
Numbers (Katzelkraft)

Paper:

Bristol board

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean, Blueprint Sketch)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Graphite Black)

Other:
Fineliner
Copic marker

Friday 13 October 2023

Fun and Games

It’s my turn to set the challenge at Daring Cardmakers this week and I'd like to challenge you to a game — indoor games, outdoor games, whatever sort of game you like!

I chose chess and used another of the Katzelkraft bargains I scored a while ago. I picked this set because hubby and eldest grandson sometimes play chess when they get together — the tables have turned and grandad’s experience doesn’t always mean he wins these days! 

This needed to go airmail so my preferred one-layer aesthetic was perfect, a bit of masking to place the pieces on the board and protect them from the inks (smooshed on with acetate), a doodled border and a few glossy dots keep it all light and flat. 

Stamps:
King’s Gambit (Katzelkraft)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Shadow Ink by Hero Arts (Charcoal and Soft Granite)
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Tim Holtz Distress and Oxide ink by Ranger (various blues, I lost track)

Other:
Pearl pen by Viva Decor (Anthracite)
Fineliner

Thanks for stopping by. 

Saturday 2 September 2023

Link in the chain - August

It's reveal day again at Card Chain Challenge. Mine has gone to Daja this time.

From the options on offer I chose the colours, the sketch, the theme of fruit and the product option of stencilling.

It’s my usual one layer aesthetic for CCC, simple stamping with a layering stamp set and a bit of masking, a stencilled background and my trademark rounded corner.

Stamps:
Lemon Blossom (The Greetery)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Bundled Sage, Mowed Lawn, Spiced Marmalade)
Adirondack dye ink by Ranger (Sunset Orange)
Brilliance by Tsukineko (Pearlescent Chocolate)

Other:
Strobes stencil (Visible Image)
Corner Chomper 

Thanks for stopping by! There are still a few days to sign up for the next Chain, all the details are here

Friday 11 August 2023

All taped up

I'm setting this week's challenge at Daring Cardmakers — I’d like to see tape used somewhere in the creation of your project.

I used the Magical Masking Tape technique to introduce some subtle variation in my background — I think the camera has picked it up enough to see. I did red, orange and two yellows striping up the card and then lightly brushed on some of the yellow all over (mostly to disguise inky fingerprints!). 

I was aiming for “summer sunset”, given the current situation in many northern hemisphere countries I hope it’s not too “wildfire”! The current challenge at Lost Coast Designs is Summertime so I’m linking up there, too.  

Stamps:
Shrubbery medium (Lost Coast Designs)
Essential Messages (Hero Arts, retired)

Paper:
Bristol board

Ink:
Versafine by Tsukineko (Onyx Black)
Tim Holtz Distress ink by Ranger (Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed)
Jenni Bowlin ink by Ranger (Lemon Drop)

Other:
Nail art gems
Fineliner
Corner Chomper