Rudy Reindeer

I've been rummaging through my stamps determined to use some loved but forgotten stash.  Every time I buy something new, it gets used over and over again until it starts to disappear and forgotten about under new purchases which is crazy - so I'm on a mission to right that wrong!

What I found this week was a cheeky little reindeer stamp called Rudy by Pink Gem Designs and knew I had to use him for todays card.

Isn't he cute?  Anyway I coloured him using Inktense after I'd stamped him in black, stamped again with Versamark then heat embossed in clear and fussy cut him out.  I die cut a snowy hill with room to put the sentiment and edged it with some Stickles.  Added a few sequins/gems and a touch of Glossy Accents to his nose.

I recently found my Bazzill In Stitches, again an unloved/old stash item and thought I'd create a simple backdrop for Rudy of very pale blue snowflakes and still keeping it uncluttered... I think he looks super happy :)

Challenges:-

Christmas with the Cuties - Anything Goes as long as its Christmas & cute animals
CraftyHazelnuts Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes as long as its Christmas
Rudolph Days Challenges - Anything goes as long as its Christmas
Jingle Belles - Christmas and Embossing
The Holly and Ivy - Anything Goes as long as its Christmas

Supplies:  White linen cardstock, Rudy Reindeer stamp (Pink Gem Designs), clear embossing powder, Versamark, Stazon in Stone Grey, MSE sentiment stamp, Stickles stardust, Inktense, Bazzill In Stitches, Glossy Accents, AB sequins, My Next Stamp die (hill) and Simply Creative gems.

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Rudy Reindeer

Autumn Thank You

A very quick card I made yesterday, not overly keen on it but I think its because I'd had a headache and hoped crafting would take my mind of it alas it didn't and the end result was a mediocre card - I guess we all get those days.

I did make the background paper by using various ink pads in Autumnal shades and edged them in gold pearlescent paint dabbing off the excess.  I cut the lager leaf die out of the card base and attached the remaining coloured card behind it with 3D foam.

Added a few gold paint splatters, distressed the bottom edge of the card and the sentiment is from Altenew and at least I have a 'thank you' card to hand when needed :)

Challenges: 

Less is More - Sketch #21
Crafty Cardmakers - Autumn

Supplies:  Sizzix Leaves die, DewDrop pigment inks and Altenew sentiment stamp

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Autumn Thank You

Gran

Last week was my moms birthday and I made this card for her from my boys.  As you'll see from the photo, my initial design was to cut the cat die out in black as a silhouette but earlier this year my parents had to have their beloved long haired ginger cat - called Lily-Mae put to sleep after 16 years so the cat has ended up being ginger in memory of Lily :)

The card happened by accident really, I was getting out my crafting stash and knocked over a big wooden tray, full of nik-naks I've thrown in there over the years and out fell some chipboard letters - light bulb moment.  I rummaged about to see if I could make the word 'Gran' from what was left and yay I could.

I covered the chipboard letters, filed the edges and inked with a little gold - then and only then I realised they didn't fit on the card so I messed about with layouts and this one worked best.  I then used an EF for the background, rubbed over some pale ink and mounted the frame on top but it looked boring so I added some dots in gold pen.

The little cat was die cut from linen cardstock and coloured using Inktense in orange, yellow and white then brushed with water to give her a ginger look with a few gems for the collar - afterall Lily-Mae was quite the prissy little madame in her day.  I also popped some gems on two of the letters and my card now takes pride of place at my parents :)

Challenges:-

Always Fun Challenges - Anything Goes #25
Crafts Galore Encore Challenges - Always Anything Goes

Supplies: Chipboard letters, Trimcraft patterned papers, Cuttlebug Birds & Swirls EF, Magnolia die cut cat, Inktense pencils, gold pen, Brilliance inks, Hobby Craft gems

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Gran

Shaker Sixteen

Next week is my youngest sons 16th birthday and I have absolutely no idea where the last sixteen years have gone, my baby is now a strapping 6' teenager with a little more attitude than I approve of.

As with most boys their favourite colour is typically blue so with that in mind I decided to keep it simple but straight to the point of it being his 16th.

I started by making my own backing paper for the star by stamping some stars in Versamark and embossing them with silver then using a dark blue ink pad to add colour, then assembled the shaker star.  I stamped the word 'Son' with the same blue and die cut it out and adhered with 3D foam.  The sentiment underneath is from the same stamp set (sorry un-named from Ebay) just stamped in black direct to the card.

The 16 is actually a 3D sticker that I picked up as individual numbers from Hallmark Cards of all places.  They cost £1 each and come in blue glitter (as seen), silver glitter, pink glitter and diamante and are already sticky - going back for another set in silver for the other sons 21st in November :)

The confetti stars are also another card shop purchase, this time from The Card Factory for... yes you've guessed it a pound and they have lots of designs if you like making shaker cards or just to bug the recipient by tipping them inside the card so they make a wonderful happy mess upon opening!

Challenges:-

HLS - Anything Goes with Die Cuts Challenge

Supplies: White 7x5 card base, linen white cardstock, Spellbinders nesting star dies, Hallmark Cards glitter self adhesive stickers and star, Brilliance midnight sky ink pad, Versamark ink pad, Confetti silver stars from The Card Factory and silver embossing powder.

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Shaker Sixteen

Christmas Snowman

Christmas is fast approaching, the nights are drawing in and I love it so I've been busy making another seasonal card.

Again it features an image from Lili of the Valley called Christmas Snowman which is, as always, so darn cute!

I started by colouring the image with Gansai Tambi watercolours, I used MME Frost patterned papers as I wanted a muted pallet to work with the kraft cardstock, although the papers are more blue than they look in the picture.  I distressed and inked the papers and matted them up with a KI Memories Flurry Pure lace cardstock and trimmed off the over hang.

I die cut the Poinsettia out of matching paper and cut the holly from kraft as a contrast. Added two MM leather photo corners from my scrapbooking days just because I think it worked lol.  The sentiment is a favourite of mine but I have no idea who its by or where I got it from, apologies.  Popped a few pearls around the flower to finish.

Challenges I'm entering:

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes Christmas
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - Anything Goes Christmas/3 patterned papers

Supplies:  Kraft cardstock, Gansai Tambi watercolours, MME Frost patterned papers, KI Memories lace cardstock, MM leather photo corners, TH Poinsettia Bigz die, Sizzix Holidays greens dies, LOTV Christmas Snowman digi stamp, Hobby Craft pearls.

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Christmas Snowman

Photo Inspiration

I recently popped over to see the new challenge at Stamping Sensations and for the month of September its a photo inspiration challenge and here is the delightful colour scheme...

I'm usually not one for photo inspiration but I couldn't resist as the colours are so pretty especially when everything around us is turning Autumnal.

I'll be the first to admit that this card didn't exactly turn out how I envisioned it, I was a little disappointed if I'm honest but it would have been a waste of a Friday morning if I just threw it away (been known to happen, more than once).

I used a Tim Holtz flower stamp which was stamped in Versamark and embossed in antique gold then coloured using Gansai Tambi watercolours. 

I fussy cut one out and used 3D foam for an extra lift.  Covered the white card with paint splatters - as a middle aged woman I like paint splatters a little too much, just can't resist a smile when I do it.

The sentiment is from Hobby Craft, not keen - it was a gift and we all know you never look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say.  Finished off with a few gems and some pink bakers twine.

Challenges I'm entering:-

Stamping Sensations - Photo Inspiration
The Flower Challenge - Tic Tac Toe (gems, watercolour, CAS)


Supplies:- Crafters Companion watercolour cardstock, Tim Holtz clear stamps, Gansai Tambi, antique gold embossing powder, Hobby Crafts sentiment stamp, Kaiser Craft gems

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Photo Inspiration

Skater Boy

We all have a month in the year where there seems to be an occasion every single week and September is mine.  I've already had my mother-in-laws birthday and my parents Anniversary.  Next week is my moms birthday and the week after that is my youngest sons 16th birthday.  

My eldest asked me to make him a card for his brother as he's completely exasperated at the awful service he's received from Moonpig since living away from home.  In true student fashion he asked me to make it 3 days before going back to University despite spending over 2 months at home, sigh... kids are just the best!

Anyway, here is what I came up with.

Its very clean and simple, and once I figured out what I was planning to do it came together quickly.  I water coloured the image and fussy cut it out, gave him a shadow under his skateboard, added a few star brads to compliment his shirt, rounded the corners with my trusty 2p and matted it onto red cardstock.  The 'brother star' is a Sizzix thinlits die which was cut several times to add depth, splashed on a few paint splatters and finished. I even managed to get a compliment from 'the student', I believe he grunted at me 'its cute' - miracles do happen ;)

Supplies:  Sheenas stamping card, Crafters Companion watercolour card, The Greeting Farm Skater Boy stamp, MM star brads, Sizzix bother star die

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Skater Boy

Hearts and Flowers

Its my parents Wedding Anniversary on Sunday and I started this card a few weeks ago with the colouring of the LOTV digi stamp, mainly because I faff so much I can't colour and complete a card in one sitting but yesterday I finally finished it.

The patterned papers are snippets and because the card is 8x8, the papers were too small to cover the area so there are a lot of hidden joins under the doily and embellishments. All the papers have been distressed and the image was paper pierced, very roughly just with a pokey tool, nothing fancy here lol.

For the little sewn heart I dug out my Bazzil In-Stitchez, I'd forgotten how many little stencils I had so they maybe making a welcome return to my regular supplies.  The sentiment is computer generated using a font called Pretty Girls Script, free from Dafont.

The little Prima birdie hides yet another join, as do the leaves and the flower in the top corner, which happens to be a poinsettia just cut out using heart paper.  I did spritz the die cuts with water so I can could scrunch them up a little easier.  I would have liked a rose die but alas as a Mom to two boys and scrapbooker for years my stash is very limited on florals.

I'm going to pop along to Pixie's Playground, I haven't played for a few weeks and I'm hoping I'll get away with bigger than normal snippets ;)


Challenges:-

Pixie's Playground - Use Snippets
Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Supplies:  LOTV Hearts & Flowers digi stamp, Prima paper bird, Sizzix Poinsettia & Garden Greens dies, MM heart brads, Ink it Up dried black ink pad (perfect for edges), Bazzil In-Stitchez and a few HobbyCraft gems.

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Hearts and Flowers

A Trio of Quick Cards

Hello there, a few very quick cards to share today.  Not been very productive this past fortnight as my husband has been on holiday so we've spent it relaxing together.

This was super quick to make using watercolour paints to create the runny background, added Memory Box Vivienne butterfly die in black cardstock, stamped the sentiment and finished with a few gems and sequins.  

This one is just layered using BoBunny stamps in various shades of pink/purple and was made for my Mother-in-Law.  Again really simple and using the same die, just cut in burgundy cardstock - not picked up too well with the camera, a little overcast and light is pretty dismal today.

I also made a yellow and black one while I had all the stamps out for my card drawer - sometimes simple just works.

I will get round to seeing what everyone has been creating this week and hopefully make a few cards for some challenges, in the meantime happy crafting!

Supplies: Gansai Tambi watercolours, Memory Box Vivienne die, Hero Arts sentiment stamp, BoBunny clear stamps in Urban, Write On and Fancy Frills.

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A Trio of Quick Cards