TRY STAMPIN ON TUESDAY - #TSOT452

Our challenge this week at Try Stampin on Tuesday has the added optional theme of flower power.

I started off with a stencil from The Crafter's Workshop called Mini Honeycomb and sponged it with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Mustard Seed.  I then stamped the branch of flowers from Kaisercraft Stamps Summer Breeze and coloured them in with Tri Blend Spectrum Noir blending pens.  I used some of the See a Silhouette DSP from SU and cut out four of the hexagons.  I used the same papers for the butterflies using some retired SU butterfly punches and added some gem stones.  The sentiment is from Kaisercraft Curiosity stamp set stamped in Ranger Archival Ink in Monarch Orange.

 

JOY OF SETS TIC TAC TOE - APRIL 2020 #JOSTTT016

Another Tic Tac Toe grid for you this month from Joy of Sets Challenge Blog - all the Design Team have been working hard to still be able to commit to our challenge during these difficult times. What would we do without crafting?

I've chosen to go with Flowers, Oval, Die Cut and started by using this tulip die cut I found in my stash and which I've never used before.  It cuts the edge of the paper and then I added some SU retired DSP Garden Impressions as I loved the spring colours.  I used a Clearly Besotted set called Spring Tulips for the tulips and kept to the same colours.  I also sponged over the tulip die cut.  

 

SWEET STAMPIN - THINGS WITH WINGS - TAG CARD

Our challenge over at Sweet Stampin this week is Things with Wings.

I have a new stamp set from Kaisercraft called Summer Breeze - well it's new to me it may not be a new set.  It has a very cute image of a bird cage and luckily for me the birds are outside the cage - I'm not a lover of birds in cages.  They are meant to fly freely!  

I got my inspiration for my card from Dawn Griffith who had received one from SU celebrating her $2M sales - you can't even comprehend selling that much craft stuff can you!  I couldn't anyway.  I really enjoyed making this card which I think she called a Tag Card and am going to be making a few more.  I started off with some Calypso Coral card stock as the base and layered a piece of Pool Party over it which had been embossed with a leaf pattern.  I had stamped my image and cut round it and edged it with some coral sponging.  I used SU pencils to colour it in.  The banner is from Clearly Besotted and the ribbon is retired SU.

And then on to the inside which as you can see has four tags in it.  These are one piece of paper folded, concertina'd and then the sides are cut out with a scissors to create the tag effect.  I used some of SU's DSP Bird Ballad for the two of the inside tags.  I cut out one of the cages for the first tag and restamped the birds and the flowers from the stamp set and added them with dimensionals.  On the third tag I stamped the flower branch from the same Summer Breeze set and fussy cut out one of the birds from the DSP.  

 

I CAN SING A RAINBOW.....

All over the UK people are putting rainbows in their windows for children to see as they go for their walks to help them with the fear they may be feeling during these strange times.  The challenge over at TGIF is also rainbows.

I grabbed some watercolour paper and some Watercolour Pastels I got from Hobbycraft that I haven't used much and set about creating a rainbow of colours.  I then used a Heart framelit to cut it out. 

I made a gatefold card and attached the heart to one side.  I also added some DSP in rainbow colours from Stampin Up.   I chose to use the sentiment from Visible Image stamps from their set Stay Weird.  I'm sure that is not what they had in mind when they wrote that Always Wear Your Invisible Cloak but I'm guessing a lot of us would like one at the moment! I also added some of the bubble stamps and added some Spectrum Noir sparkle to give it a bit of lift.

The inside also uses one of the stamps from this set - the little pot of flowers and the sentiment and background stamp is a retired set from Stampin Up called Painter's Palette.

I'm also adding this into the Color My Heart Color Dare challenge.


 

BUTTERFLY WINGS

There is that famous quote that says a butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazon and the rest of the world turns into chaos - I'm paraphrasing a bit but you get the gist.  Well that certainly seems to be what has happened in the world right now.  In the UK we are on day 8 of a lock down and how surreal it all is. How paranoid everyone has become and how fearful.  Every day the news is filled with horror and to be honest I have stopped watching.  I look instead for the news of all the good people are doing - sadly that doesn't seem to make the headlines as much as the horror stories.

With all this in mind - my card today features a gorgeous butterfly.  I took my inspiration from the As You See It challenge#222 which has a recipe for us to follow. I really liked this sort of challenge.  



I started off with some Crumb Cake card stock from Stampin Up. I added some of this gorgeous background paper from Kaisercraft from their Enchanted collection.  The butterfly die cut is from Stampin Up and I used a piece of wrapping paper from Paperchase to cut it out!  It was such a lovely piece of wrapping paper and I had some left which I didn't want to throw out and I knew it would come in useful one day.  

I added some SU ribbon and cut out some die cut flowers, sponged them in Island Indigo Ink from SU and added the sentiment from Watercolor Wings.  Some turquoise gems on the butterfly and the flowers finished off the card.

I'm also adding this into the following challenges:

Try it on Tuesday - The Beauty of Nature
Pinspirational Challenge - I used the flowers and the lovely blue colours
Crafty Cardmakers - Spring
Use your Stuff - spring



 

SPARKLES CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE - #111 - CRITTERS

Are you in Christmas mode? I know it's hard when the Spring is just around the corner but it really does help to get a start on all those Christmas cards you'll need at the end of the year. And with a lot of us staying indoors due to world conditions, what better way to make a start?  To help you achieve your goal is out Sparkles Christmas Challenge - this month we are showcasing Critters.

I chose to use this delightful little penguin stamp from Clearly Besotted from the stamp set Let It Snow II.  I stamped them off first and then masked them and then used some Tim Holtz Distress Inks for the background.  The colours I used were mainly Blueprint Sketch and Chipped Sapphire with some white gel pen dots for snow.  The snowy background was made with Pumice Stone.  I used some Stampin Up water colour pencils to colour in the penguins and some Marker pens for their hats.  I added some Glossy Accents to their eyes.

 

STAMPIN UP ONLY CHALLENGE - CASE THE CATALOGUE PG 42 #SUOC246

Well I hope you are all staying safe amongst the madness and crafting is helping pass the time. Here in the UK we have been on lockdown for a week.  Hubby has lots of jobs to keep him busy though as he's self employed normally we are waiting to hear how he receives any money.  Worrying times indeed.  

At  Stampin Up Only challenge we have a bit of a twist for you today - we would like to you copy a sketch from one of the cards shown on page 42 of the Spring Catalogue.  In case you don't have a copy to hand here's a copy of the page.  I chose the card on the top left as my inspiration.

I used the Colourful Seasons stamp set and matching framelits.  I stamped my own background using Melon Mambo, Pacific Point and Tangerine Tango.  I cut out the little chair from the set and sponged the edges and added a flower and laid it all on a stitched framelit tag.  An retired SU jewel brad was added together with some linen thread.

I look foward to seeing what you take as your inspiration and hope you can Carry On Crafting! 

I'm adding this into the Make My Monday Challenge blog which is make your own background.


 

HAND STAMPED SENTIMENTS - #HSSCC336

We have a colour challenge for you this week at Hand Stamped Sentiments.

I've done a Gate Fold card with the little Meerkats from The Gang's All Meer poking through!  I've used Poppy Parade as the main card stock and paired it with some of the DSP from Mosaic Mood.  I've used Daffodil Delight as the squared framelit for the front together with some Pool Party for the background and the sentiment.

The front tucks into itself for postage to make it flatter.

The inside of the card with the Meerkats coloured in with SU watercolour pencils.

 

SWEET STAMPIN CHALLENGE - MAKE YOUR OWN BACKGROUND

What surreal times we are living in at the moment - most of the UK is in lockdown and we are told not to leave our homes unless for food or other emergency.  Yesterday was my mother in law's funeral - well burial really as that was all we were allowed and only close family so just four of us.  Not much after 94 years on the planet!  Everything going on at the moment was definitely on my mind when I was searching for sentiments for this card. I have sent out loads of cards this week to friends and family members who I won't get to see for a long while - just to keep in touch and cheer them up!

At Sweet Stampin Challenge this week we are challenging you to make your own background - I love doing this and as I've recently got myself a pot of Embossing Paste from Stampin Up this was definitely on the menu.  I coloured the paste with some SU Lemon Lime Twist and used the same colour for the card stock. I used the lovely medallion stencil from SU.

I then used the Floral Essences stamp set and stamped up some flowers in Melon Mambo and some leaves in Lemon Lime Twist and fussy cut them out.  I added some string and gems and dimensionals to give it all a lift.  I think the sentiments work just perfectly - the Life is Messy is from SU Pretty Kitty.  Keep in touch is from Clearly Besotted.

I hope you all get a chance to do some crafting and join in with us.  Stay safe and well.

 

TRY STAMPIN ON TUESDAY - #TSOT450

I hope in these uncertain times you are staying safe. Crafting is great to help with loneliness or boredom and we'd love to see you joining in with us here at Try Stampin On Tuesday.  Here's our sketch for you this week with the option theme of jungle fever.

My card uses Animal Outing stampset from Stampin Up. The giraffe was coloured in with some SU blending pens and Tri Blend from Spectrum Noir.  The background for the butterfly wings was made with some Tim Holtz distress inks and I used a Tim Holtz die to cut out the butterfly.  I cut it in half and added some coloured pearls.  The little butterflies are also SU dies from That's The Tag.  The happy birthday sentiment is from my stash.

I'm adding this into the Allsorts Challenge this week which is anything in the animal kingdom



 

EMBOSSING PASTE

I find I am always late to the party!  That goes for trends in crafting too - so here I am playing with Embossing paste for the first time.  And dare I say I love it!  I fancied using it on scrapbook pages but my first attempt was for a card.  

Over on my Facebook Page I have a challenge running just to keep us all busy whilst a lot of us are at home because of the dreaded virus.  It was a case of one of the cards out of the current catalogue, page 90.  It also fits in with the challenge over at Global Design Project #gdp232.

I used some of the embossing paste and added a touch of Soft Sky re-inker to get a gorgeous blue colour. I love how it shimmers!  I added this to a piece of Soft Sky using one of the masks.  I was surprised how quickly it dried!  I also had a new set The Gang's All Meer and wanted to use the little guy.  I stamped him and then cut him out and layered him up!  The leaves and flowers were from my stash.  The sentiment stamped in Early Espresso is from Kaisercraft Curiosity stamps and the background paper is also one of theirs.

I'm going to be playing with the paste a lot more I can tell.

I'm also adding this into the following challenges:

As You See It Challenge - my favourite type of card is a RAK which I send out on my Facebook Group The Joy of Sets - we have a RAK group and send each other cards all over the world

Addicted to Stamps - Anything Goes




 

HAND STAMPED SENTIMENTS #SC335

Here's our sketch for you this week for Hand Stamped Sentiments - #SC335

I've used Stampin Up's Dandelion Wishes for my card.  I started off by cutting out a circle with a framelit and used this for a mask.  I sponged with some Tim Holtz Distress Inks and stamped the dandelion with Early Espresso.  I then took a smaller stitched framelit circle and alternated the colours with the dandelion stamped in Old Olive and the background sponged in Crumb Cake and edged in Early Espresso.  The smaller circle was added with dimensionals. 

I added some Washi Tape for a bit of interest and a touch of DSP Magnolia Lane at the bottom.  The sentiment is from Kaisercraft and was inked in Ranger Archival Ink in Monarch Orange.  I added some linen thread behind it and some bronze embellishments.

 

JOY OF SETS BLOG HOP MARCH 2020 #JOSBLOGHOP

We are celebrating Spring in all its forms on our Joy of Sets Blog Hop this month.  March is a busy time for me with both my children having been born in March 11 days apart and my daughter's partner also has his birthday nestled inbetween.  Add to that that it's Mother's Day in the UK on the 22nd March which just also happens to be my son's birthday and it's a busy time indeed. Sadly since I wrote this we have also had a death in the family with my mother in law dying suddenly.  At age of 94 it was a grand age but sadly she never got to meet her great granddaughter.

Today I have chosen to do some spring Tags - maybe even to go on some Easter Eggs come Easter time.

The first one has been sponged with TIm Holtz Distress Inks in pastel spring colours.  The writing has been stamped from Stampin Up's Background Bits.  The ephemera is from Tim Holtz as are the die cut snow drops.  The eggs are from Pink Ink Stamps.  The bird is from Stampin Up.

The second tag has slightly different colours - also first sponged with Distress Inks.  The feathers are from Stampin UP Feather Together.  The birds have been cut from SU DSP Bird Ballad.  The nest is from Pink Ink stamps as are the eggs.  The sentiment is from Kaisercraft.

To move forward on the hop click on the Next below to be taken to Rebeccca-Jo's blog 

I'm adding my tags into the Craft Stamper Challenge - Anything Goes 
 

TRY STAMPIN ON TUESDAY - #TSOT488

Our challenge at Try Stampin on Tuesday this week has the following sketch and image for you to work with.





I took my inspiration from both the images and the sketch and used the Stampin Up Bookcase Builder set.  Now retired - I loved this set and thought it had great uses and it still one of my favourites.  I also added some flowers from Clearly Besotted.

 

JOY OF SETS TIC TAC TOE CHALLENGE #JOSTTT015

We are into another month's challenge over at Joy of Sets Tic Tac Toe and our grid this month has been chosen by Laura Geffert.

I chose to go with the diagonal line of Birthday, Masculine and Paper Piecing. 

I started out with some old SU DSP for the background and layered some of the Come Sail Away DSP with the lighthouses on it.  I then used the lighthouse from High Tide for my tag and added some twine.  The paper piecing came with the same paper and the That's The Tag framelit and sentiment.  Quite fiddly putting all those little bits of paper back in but effective.  I added a retired navy brad to finish off the card.

If you would like to join our Facebook Group The Joy of Sets - just click on the link below.  There is all sorts of fun going on - SU both current and retired, together with other stamp companies, RAK's, challenges, swaps to name but a few. We also have our own Pinterest account.

 

SWEET STAMPIN - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Today is International Women's Day so over at Sweet Stampin we are celebrating wonderful women in our lives.  Mine without doubt is my wonderful daughter who is 29 next week and celebrating her first birthday as a mum!  Something we thought may never happen.  She is an inspiration to me as her mum and she is a great support of everything crazy thing I do next.

For my card I chose to use the lovely stamps and stencil from Visible Image.  The stencil is called Atomic Flower and has been sponged with Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  The stamp is from Mindful Moments.  In my day job I am a Reiki healer and this type of image is close to my heart.  We all need to take time out of our busy day to just breathe, and let go.

I stamped the woman image and added another stencil by The Crafter's Workshop called Mini Alhambra and fussy cut her out.  The sentiments were silver embossed and added with dimensionals.  Some sequins and jewels in purple shades finish off this hopefully serene card.