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 

HAND STAMPED SENTIMENTS #438

Welcome back to another Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge and our mood board.  Apologies for the gremlins we had on the site last two weeks where it closed the link.  I hope you all managed to add your projects.

I took my inspiration from the bird and the colours and I wanted to try and replicate the soft imagery behind the bird. I used a gel press in soft greens and pinks to create the background and added a leaf stencil.  

I used a couple of old stamps from Kaisercraft which hadn't had an inking in a while.  The bird and butterfly is from Anthology and the background branches and birds are from 13th hour.  I stamped the bird and fussy cut it out and added some tw3ine behind it and some hand drawn musical notes.  The sentiment is from Tracy Evans. 

KRAFTY CHICKS GUEST DESIGNER - #694 CHRISTMAS

I'm on week two of my Guest Designer slot at Krafty Chicks challenge and we are up to Christmas.  My favourite time of the year for crafting.  I've gone with an idea by Tracy Evans for creating your own baubles for me card.  I've used a stamp set from Kaisercraft . I stamped the holly foliage in Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Salvaged Patina and added dots for the berries with a red Posca Pen.

I then cut a circle out of some scrap paper and used the same DO ink together with Dusty Concord for creating the baubles.  I added a touch more stamping to the top of the baubles.  The images within the baubles were stamped with silver embossing powder.  The little tops of the baubles are from Concord and 9th and I hand drew the thread.  The sentiment is from Concord and 9th and the music stamp is from Tim Holtz. 

THE MALE ROOM CHALLENGE #164 - MONOCHROME

Our challenge for you this month at The Male Room is Monochrome.  I chose to use sepia for my monochrome colours. 

My card is for a 21st Birthday - with all the keys and the admission through the door to adulthood?  Maybe although they grow up much quicker now - don't I sound old lol!

I started my background with a Tim Holtz stencil and used Antique Linen Distress Ink.  The key stamps are from Kaisercraft and the door is from Stampin Up.  I added a ticket from Tim Holtz and one of his paper dolls which I haven't used much and I thought they'd work well for this 21st Birthday Card.  I added a little metal key which I  had in my stash.  I used Versafine Clair in Acorn for my dark browns, stamped off when I needed it a paler brown.

I'm adding this into the following challenge - 

Inkspirational - Monochrome

JUBILEE WEEKEND

It has been a four day weekend of celebrations here in the UK to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee - 70 years on the throne - such an achievement.  Across the country there were tea parties so this was on my mind for my card today.  I've taken the sketch from Sunday Stamps and the idea of food and drink from The Paper Players.

I used some Ranger Dylusions Ink Spray in Postbox Red for the background and went over it with a stencil to remove some of the colour.  For my background panel I found a blue background I had previously done in my stash and stamped the images from Kaisercraft Tea Party stamps in Versafine Black.  I coloured the roses in Red to represent the Red Rose of England.  

The sentiment comes from Clearly Besotted Warm Solutions.

The Paper Players - Food/Beverage

Sunday Stamps - Sketch 

Taylormadecards4u - Red White and Blue AG 

As You See It - Beverages 

The Card Concept - Red White and Blue 

TRY STAMPIN ON TUESDAY - #TSOT 518

Optional theme - ocean

Here's our sketch for you this week with Try Stampin on Tuesday with the optional theme of ocean.  I don't do a lot of ocean themed projects - I'm more of a woods girl - but I so loved doing this card.  I used the gorgeous stamps I have from Kaisercraft called Mermaid Tails which are years old.

I started out by making my background with lots of Tim Holtz distress inks and then added some Texture Paste over a stencil to crate the bubbles and give lots of texture.  I added inks over the tops also so it wasn't just a mass of white bubbles.

The side panel had the same stencil but without the texture paste.  I stamped the images in Versafine Clair Warm Breeze which stamps really well over all that texture.  I added a touch of linen thread for the anchor.  The sentiment is from the same set and was fussy cut out.  This is such a fun card fold too - I hope you enjoy playing along.

I'm also adding this into the following challenges :

Cardz4guyz - shades of blue 

Retro Rubber - AG 

Path of Positivity - Enjoy Nature

Dragonfly Dreams - summer fun

The paper players - beside the sea

Rainbow Card Challenge - Teal

Creative Fingers - AG 

FabnFunky - I can see the sea

The sisterhood of crafters - the ocean is calling 

My card was chosen as a top 3 for the following challenges

HAND STAMPED SENTIMENTS #CC360

A colour challenge for you this week at Hand Stamped Sentiments - as always remember if you don't have the particular SU colours you can substitute them for similar inks. 

I've chosen an older stamp for my card - I'm  soon to be moving house - actually moving country from England to Wales!  A lot of my stamping stuff is already packed and I only have a few things left out.  This was one of the sets still in my drawer - I love it for it's collage look - I wish SU would bring back some more collage style stamps - they are my favourites.  This one is called Postage Due.

I stamped the image first in Black Archival Ink by Ranger then added the three colours above with a blender brush.  I used the same colours for the little stamps which are also part of the set.  I have a very old pair of Fiskars Paper Edgers which have the postage cut which helps when cutting out stamps.

I tore the background and edged it with the inks and added it to a piece of green DSP which I inked with a word stamp.

I added some So Saffron ribbon which I found in my stash.  The sentiment is one from Kaisercraft stamps. 

TRY STAMPIN ON TUESDAY - #TSOT498

We have a throwback sketch challenge (challenge no #48 from the year 2012!) for you this week at Try Stampin On Tuesday   It's interesting to look back on nearly 10 years and see how styles may or may not have changed.  

My card today uses some stamps I hardly use from Kaisercraft - the set is called Gypsy Rose and I bought them as they co-ordinate with their scrapbooking paper of the same name which I have used a lot of in my scrapping.  But the stamps deserve their own day in teh sun as they are great for backgrounds and I love the sentiment that comes with them.

I used a very old Stampin Up ink pad called Spectrum for the half circle - it's a shame they don't do these pads anymore as they were great for multi colouring as they have 5 ink colours in them and you can push them together to create the varied colours you see in the main stamp.

I added some of the line stamps in matching SU colours and added a touch of lace ribbon from my stash.  

I look forward to seeing what you all do with this sketch.

Flower Tag

I've been having another play with the lovely stamp stencil and die set from Wendy Vecchi called Country Flowers.  I had a background tag in my stash from another project and just used a leaf stencil in green for the background.  I then stamped the flower in Distress Ink and cut the petals to give the flower a bit more interest.  I added some of the leaves behind and one of the butterflies.  I added some washi tape at the bottom in my favourite green and red colours.  The calm is from a new stencil from Visible Image called Words of Support.  The Relax Daily sentiment is from Kaisercraft stamp set called Curiosity.

I'm adding this into the AAs You See It Challenge which is asking for us to show the colours which makes us cosy.  Reds and greens are my favourites colours - my house has a lot of warm reds in it and as an earth girl I'm happiest surrounded by greens.  I thought this was a great idea for a challenge so wanted to join in.

I'm also adding this into the following challenges

Global Design Project #gdp280

Allsorts Challenge - Feminine

HAND STAMPED SENTIMENTS - #SC338

Our sketch challenge for you this week at Hand Stamped Sentiments is so pretty. I hope you have fun using it as inspiration.

I started off with an SU mask and used it as a stencil for the background on the cardstock and with the embossing paste on the panel card.  I kept the paste as the white for a nice contrast.  I love that this paste has a shimmer to it.  The stamp set is from Kaisercraft and is called Native Breeze.  I don't know what sort of flower this is - I'm guessing its indigenous to Australia?  I'm not even sure if this is the colour the flower goes but I fancied using it as a red flower.  I used the Tri Blends from Spectrum Noir to colour the flowers and leaves and then fussy cut them out and added them with dimensionals.   The sentiment is from the same set and is so relevant right now with the world on lock down.  I added some rhinestone gems to finish off the card.

Over at my Facebook Group The Joy of Sets we have a RAK group - Random Act of Kindness and we send cards out to each other all over the world.  This is a little bit on hold at the moment as some of the ladies don't have Post Offices open - but luckily ours still is and I have stamps so this card was sent out to one of my ladies this week.  I hope she likes it.

 

SWEET STAMPIN - BLOOMIN WONDERFUL

We are all about the flowers at Sweet Stampin this week - as Spring starts in the UK the flowers are slowly coming to life - such a lovely time of the year.  For those of us with gardens stuck at home during the current crisis they have become our lifelines!  

For the last few years Hubby has been treating me to Flowers Friday where he brings me a bunch of fresh flowers home every Friday.  Obviously with lockdown and not being out of the house for nearly a month this little treat has stopped. 

I choose to do some spotlight colouring on my card today - this is an old flower stamp from Altenew I think - I'm not sure as I found it in my stash and there was no name with it.  Oops!  I stamped it twice - first on the background paper and again on some scrap ready to colour. I used Tri-Blend pens by Spectrum Noir in Vintage Blends to colour in the flowers and a touch of SU Soft Sky watercolour for the background. I then used a heart framelit to cut it out and fix it with some dimensionals onto the card.  I added a dotted line around the backgroudn to match the heart.

The sentiment is from Kaisercraft stamps called Curiosity and has been stamped in Ranger Archival Ink in Cobalt - such a gorgeous colour blue!  I then layered it all onto some Night of Navy cardstock from SU.

I'm looking forward to seeing all your lovely flower creations to cheer us up at this time.

I'm also adding this into the Flower Challenge - 
Allsorts Challenge
Colour Crazy Challenge 


 

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.