DARING CARDMAKERS - LEAFY LUSHNESS

Leafy Lushness is our brief over at Daring Cardmakers.  I created a stencil with a cut out of a leaf to create my scene using Lavinia Stamps.  I used Tim Holtz Distress Oxide in Bundled Sage and Wild Honey for inside the leaf.  I added just a soft amount of the Sage around the edge of the card and some words from Lavinia. 

I'm adding this into the following:

Shopping our stash - leaves 

Stencil Fun - plus autumn 

I have a new rescue cat Luna who at only 2 had already had a hard life.  She was a farm cat for a year and then became a mum and the cat rescue found her and looked after her.  For a year she lived outside in one of their pens then we came along in July to add her to our brood of 13 year old cat, 14 year old dog and 18  month dog.  For the first two months she stayed in her bedroom only coming out to stay at the top of the stairs.  Slowly paw by paw over the last month she has gained in confidence and is navigating her way around the house and coming to realise the other pets aren't going to hurt her.  She's even started going outside and feeling grass under her paws for the first time in over a year.  Her favourite place at the moment is to come and sit by me while I craft.  This is a huge step for her and it's lovely to have her company. 

INSPIRATION STATION

I love the image for our inspiration this month at Inspiration Station and hope it inspires you too.  My card is a New Home card - it was hopefully going to be for my son and his girlfriend as they try and sell their house but sadly after nearly a year still no sale for them.  But at least the card is ready when finally they do.

I used a lot of ink blending of Tim Holtz Distress Oxides to create the background and added some stamped trees from a Visible Image stamp set.  The little house is a very old stamp from Clearly Besotted that I found in my stash.  I stamped it and the trees  onto acetate also to create the reflection.

CHRISTMAS CRAFT CREATIONS - DESIGNER SERIES PAPER

Our challenge for you this month at Christmas Craft Creations  is to use some Designer Paper on your card.  This was quite tricky for me as I don't tend to use papers on my cards any more preferring to make my own backgrounds.  A hunt through my scrapbooking papers found this much loved series of papers from Kaisercraft called Wonderland Collection.  I only have a few bits of it left as it was one of my favourites for scrapping with.

I used the paper that had these lovely trees on it but had to jazz it up a bit.  I added a little chipboard tree I had in my stash and coloured it with Tim Holtz Distress Oxide in Chipped Sapphire.  I used a piece of Tim Holtz Idealogy for the 25 and the sentiment came from Kaisercraft from the same pack.  I added a Tim Holtz deer die in the same paper and edged with the distress ink.  I added some lace paper at the bototm and some star embellishments on the trees.  I covered the trees and the 25 with some Spectrum Noir sparkle as it is a Christmas card and needs some glitter lol! 

Don't forget to add your graphic if you join in with us for a chance to be our winner. 

CREATIVE ARTISTE MIXED MEDIA

A rare sharing of my journal for our project this month at Creative Artiste Mixed Media.  It's not something I always show as I think journals are personal things but my page is just celebrating autumn which is my favourite time of the year.  My journal book is a gorgeous leather bound handmade paper book which hubby bought me years ago and sat unloved in a cupboard.  So I decided to use it as a journal.  The leather has got a bit gessoed but it gives it character oops! 

I always gesso the pages just to give them more strength and as it is hand made paper it helps to protect the paper from all the media stuff I'm going to throw at it.

I started off with my gell press and added some Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink in Fossilised Amber and Frayed Burlap.  I spritzed it with water and then just added the press direct to the page.  Once dry I added some Cosmic Shimmer Antique Sand Paste by Sam Poole in Moss Blanket. I love this paste and this gorgeous vintage colour. I used a stencil from my stash and just added it to some opposite corners.  I used the Nibs and Mushrooms stamp set from Tracy Evans direct to paper and cut some extra ones out for the picture frame.  The frame and the butterfly elements were from Taperlogy.  The extra words are also from Tracy Evans at Aallandcreate. 

In the margins I have added some journaling as to what Autumn means to me.  I love the colours of this page and how it all turned out.

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Try it on Tuesday - Autumn

Simon Says Stamp Monday - Texture 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Stencil 

Alphabet Challenge - N for Nature 

Creative Fingers - AG 

Creative Inspiration - AG 

Shopping Our Stash - favourite colouring method - distress water colouring 

THE MALE ROOM CHALLENGE - #179 - GET WELL SOON

Welcome back to another challenge at the Male Room and this month we want to see your Get Well cards.  

I started off my background by rubbing some Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks direct to the paper just using the edge of the ink pad.  I've used Iced Spruce, Antique Linen and Bundled Sage.  Once dry I used some white embossing powder for the musical notes which are from Alison Bomber's stamp set for Paper Artsy. 

The feathers I've used are from Tracy Evans Aallandcreate - I stamped one first then fussy cut out another and layed it on top.  The sentiment is from an old Kaisercraft set and I've white embossed it and added a Tim Holtz Idealogy clip.  

I hand drew the lines around the outside of the card and added strips of white paint to the background of the card. 

ONCE UPON A TIME - BEAUTIFUL OOPS

Welcome back to another challenge here at Once  Upon a Time.  We have this great book cover to inspire you this month.  

My card uses one of the great sets by Anita Jeram called Paint Town.  I thought that little guinea pig was just perfect for my card. I used Tim Holtz Wild Honey Distress Oxide for my background leaving a white edge around the stamped image.

 I added lots of water colours to show the ink oozing out of the paint pot.  The oops words were Tim Holtz word die cuts and the sentiments came from Colorado Craft Company stamp set.  Now all I need to do to use this card is forget someone's special day lol! 

HAPPY LITTLE STAMPERS - MARCH 2023 - WATERCOLOUR WITH OPTIONAL WINGS

Welcome back to Happy Little Stampers Watercolour Challenge.  We are all feeling refreshed after our break and ready to break out the ink and water!  

I went with a tag for my option today and included the Wings brief.  I started by making a background with Tim Holtz Distress Oxides in Twisted Citron and Peacock Feathers.  I added water to some watercolour paper with a paintbrush and then added very diluted ink from both colours and let it dry naturally.  Once dry I added a touch of a Tim Holtz stencil over the top with a light dusting of the Peacock Feathers. I added some background stamps from Tracy Evans called Flutter.  I used the same ink but added a lot of water to it to give a very watercolour effect to the stamping.  I also added some stamps from Aida Domisiewicz #47 from Aallandcreate and cut out the words 'Fly Away' and added them on tope.  The other sentiment is also from this set and I stamped it on tissue paper then used Dina Wakley Gel Medium to adhere it.

The butterfly stamp is from Tracy Evans called Glide.  I stamped it first to get the background images then re-stamped the butterfly and cut it out.  It was coloured with Tim Holtz Distress Oxide in Peacock Feathers - using the one ink to get the various dimensions of colour.  Once dry I added a clear embossing powder from Creative Expressions which really brought out those lovely colours and made them more vibrant.

I added some black thread behind the butterfly and added some thick foam to adhere it. I also added some black ribbons from my stash and some black pearls. I added Peacock Feathers to some white ribbon to colour it for the top ribbon.

Anita Jeram Stamps - Stargazing and Paint Town

Colorado Craft Company has another release of Anita Jeram stamps and I do love these.  I was lucky enough to get a set of the Stargazing in the UK as apparently it's sold out of some places in the US.  I warn you though - you will keep humming the tune from Coldplay.

I kept this card simple with some water colouring on Tim Holtz Watercolour card stock - using Distress Oxides in Chipped Sapphire, Unchartered Mariner and Black Soot with just a touch of Wilted Violet.  The grass used Bundle Sage and the bunnies were coloured in with Frayed burlap.  I added the stars with silver embossing powder and that finished off this lovely card.

I'm adding this into the following challenges

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - make your own background 

Polkadoodles - AG 

Addicted to CAS - kids Anita Jeram is a children's author

Creative Moments - Cute 

For this next card I used the other new set Paint Town.  I loved the words that went with this set and thought they were great for us crafters.  I've kept this one simple with the little guinea pig and his paintbrush.

I'm adding this into the Daring Cardmakers CAS challenge.

Fruit Salad card

I'm calling this my Fruit Salad card because of the colours I ended up using - not my usual palette that's for sure.  Fruit Salad were little hard chewy sweets of my childhood that looked orange and yellow.

I used a few of Tracy Evan's stamp sets for this card - starting with the leaf background from Worded Petals stamp using Tim Holtz Distress Oxide in Fossilised Amber.  I originally stamped and cut out and pasted the flower from Friendship Florals in the same ink but it looked too pale and as it was stuck to my piece of lace I couldn't easily get it off. So I restamped it in Fired Brick and coloured it in with the Fossilised Amber and fussy cut it again, not my strong point, and stuck it over the original!

I added some background stamps from the stem of the flower of Worded Petals, some butterflies from Flutter and some washi tape.  I added some Spectrum Noir sparkle pen in orange as splatters and added a touch of shading with the Stabillo All pencil.

I'm adding this into the following 

Simon Says Stamp Monday - Spring 

Inkspirational - flower photo 

Make the Card Challenge 52 - Shades of yellow 

Try it on Tuesday - Spring 

Colourful Options - Yellow