ADDICTED TO STAMPS AND MORE #485 - STENCILS/DIE CUTS

Welcome back to another challenge at ATSM - and we are on our diecuts/or stencils challenge.  I have quite a few die cuts and to be honest I really don't use them that much - apart from Tim Holtz ones.  I never seem to get them to cut very well and end up wasting a lot of paper.  But I did incorporate a die cut for the sentiment for my card and luckily it cut really well!

I used one of Tracy Evans Boutique Stencil for the vase and stamped over it with a stamp by Alison Bomber.  All other stamps are from Tracy Evans Boutique Designs.  I cut out the flowers and large leaves and added them with dimensionals and a touch of thread for added texture. The background was stamped and inked after I had created the focal feature.  I used Versafine Clair inks for the stamping and Tim Holtz Distress for the colouring. 

I'm adding this into the following:

Krafty Chicks - AG 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - AG 

Stencil Fun 

The Outlawz Challenge - AG Greeting 

TEXTURE

I was inspired by the challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday to create a textural piece - something I love to do anyway.  I found a background I had made with the gel press in my stash and added some Cosmic Shimmer Antique Sand Paste in Delicate Blue through a Tim Holtz stencil.  The butterfly has also previously been made and nothing done with it - it was added to some cardboard and textured paper and I cut it out.  I added some old Stampin Up paper which I think looks a bit like a trellis and I added some gesso to the front of it to distress it a bit more.  I added some lace behind the butterfly. 

I'm adding this into the following:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge 

Cardz4Galz - use a stencil 

Stencilfun - use a stencil 

Tuesday Taggers - feeling blue

Welove2create - AG mixed media 

ADDICTED TO STAMPS AND MORE #484 - ANY OCCASION

Happy New Year and welcome back to our challenges for 2025 at Addicted to Stamps and More.  We start off the New Year with Any Occasion so really anything goes. 

This is definitely not my usual colour palette as I tend to go for the grungy type of colours - I must just be craving some spring weather after all the miserable cold weather we've had lately.  It seems to have gone on for months here in Wales especially as we didn't have much of a summer.  I used some Versafine Clair inks in Baby Pink and Avodao and used Tim Holtz watercolour pencils to colour in the flowers with Villanous Potion and Picked Raspberry. 

I used one of Tracy Evans Boutique Stamps set called Malva TE8 for the main flower and added some of the stems from the Persicaria from TE13 Delight in Nature.  I have this plant in my garden and didn't even realise and I have even managed to make cuttings.  I stamped a smaller Mallow stamp from the set and added a pearl to the inside.  The background word stamping is from another of Tracy's stamps TE9 Take Flight.  The butterfly and the sentiment is from an old Simon Says Stamp set called Thoughtful Flowers. 

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Creative Inspiration - AG

Outlawz Challenge - AG 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - CAS 

Simplyellibelle - Wed - AG 

Beautiful Blossoms- AG 

Creative Crafters - AG 

A NEW YEAR'S TAG

I was inspired by the challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Monday to use a new to me set of Aallandcreate stamps I have that I've not inked yet.  They are by Bipasha BK and the set is called Time Up.  As we are in a New Year I thought the clock would make a good focus point for my tag.

I used lots of layers on the tag and even forced myself to cover some of them up - I find that very difficult.  I started off with some Distress Paints in Salvaged Patina, Brushed Corduroy and Walnut Stain.  I then used a Tim Holtz stencil of the clocks and used Salvaged Patina watercolour pencil to add the colour in the background.  I added some collage paper - Typeset for the added numbers at the side.  I also added some Tim Holtz Ideaology Ephemera, some lovely thick washi tape of Tim's which is sparingly used and the sentiment is from one of his stamp sets.  I covered the clock in Sepia Accents from Ranger.

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - new Aallandcreate 

Craft Rocket - Something new

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - something new 

Stamping Sensations - AG 

We love2create - AG Mixed Media 

We love Stamping - Anything but square 

Delighted to be chosen as one of the top 3 for Simon Says Stamp Monday 

INSPIRATION STATION #69

Welcome to our first challenge of 2025 with Inspiration Station.  How wonderful is this image ?  I received some wonderful new watercolours by Winsor and Newton for Christmas and just really wanted to try and reproduce the image using them.  

I used watercolour paper for my background and mixed a few of the colours to get what I wanted.  I wanted to try a Bokeh technique and used white paint to create the background.  The foliage stamps are by Alison Bomber and the bird is a very old one from Kaisercraft. 

I look forward to seeing how you are inspired by our image. 

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Triple B - Bird 

Let's Create - Sentiment 

Stamping Sensations - Hand Coloured 

Pink Gem - AG 

We Love2Create- AG 

Word Art Wednesday - AG 

2craftycritter - 

Crafty Animals 

PEARLY SPARKLES - SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW - JANUARY 2025

Welcome back to Pearly Sparkles and a new challenge for 2025 which is Something Old, Something New.  My something new uses some new stamps from Lavinia and an older sticky stencil from Lavinia.  I love these sticky masks - they are so easy to use and I've used the circle one here as part of the moon.  I added some Nuovo drops in silver all round the outside of the moon shape.  

I look forward to seeing what you all got that was new this Christmas. 

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Creative Inspirations - Something old, something new 

Make My Monday - #235 create your own background 

My time to Craft - something new 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - something new 

LOVE TO CRAFT CHALLENGE - JANUARY 2025

I'm delighted to be on the design team for Love to Craft Challenge for January 2025.  What a great way to start the year.  In case you haven't played with us before we are an Anything Goes challenge and not just cards and we are also every other month so plenty of time for you to join in. 

As with my previous post - please bear with me as I'm still in Christmas mode and wanted to share this Santa card made with Tim Holtz products.  This is just the quintessential Father Christmas in my mind and Tim Holtz has captured him just perfectly.   I let the stamp have pride of place with some gentle background stamping of foliage behind him and the lovely smattering of stars above.  The Santa was coloured with Tim Holtz Distress Inks. 

THE MALE ROOM CHALLENGE - #194 - JANUARY 2024 CAS

Happy New Year everyone and welcome back to our first challenge for 2025 at The Male Room.  Apologies for me still being in Christmas mode - I've been ill for nearly all of December and haven't been able to blog or add any projects so I'm still in a kind of Christmas mood hence my choice of card. 

This is about as CAS as it gets for me as it's not a genre I'm comfortable with as I tend to much prefer throwing everything at my projects.

I let the lovely Christmas Tree from Tim Holtz Watercolour Trees be the star of the show with some gentle background stamping and shading.  The sentiment is one of my favourite Christmas sayings.