Big card for a big birthday

Hello, crafting friends!

 

One of my neighbours was having a big birthday so we all clubbed together for a gift and I was so excited to be asked to make a card for us all to sign to go with it. Come and see:

 

The card is a sheet of thick white A4 card, scored and folded in half, so it is twice the size of the cards I'm used to making - and that was a lot of fun! I cut a card panel with a large stitched rectangle die by Christina Griffiths and sponged in an inky background. I clapped wet hands over this to create movement and  texture and left it to dry.

 

To build up a background for my toadstool and leaf scene, I used inks and daubers and three stencils: Berry Branch by the Greetery and Uniko's Tiger Print and Natures Tresure. The leaves, from Fall Foliage by Reverse Confetti, were left overs from another project and the mushrooms are gorgeous textured die cuts from the Greetery's Toadstool Garden, coloured with ink and daubers. Everything was glued in place, the panel attached to the card front and, to finish, I stamped a sentiment from Uniko's Birthday Sentiments.

 

 

I made a little gift bag too, out of some Stampin' Up designer paper I've had for many a year! I added a tag cut with an arch die, and sponged and stenciled using the same elements as the card.

CHALLENGES

I'm linking this card up at Happy Little Stampers Birthday challenge where Anything Birthday Goes; Ellie has chosen the theme of The Great Outdoors at Allsorts this week, so I'm joining in there too; I'm also playing along at November's Stencil Fun Challenge where Leaves are the optional theme.

 

AND IN OTHER NEWS

The clocks have gone back here which means the evenings are drawing in earlier and I'm finding it really hard to adjust to the dark this year. Anyone else? Off to make a hot water bottle and curl up with a rug over my knees...!

Sending hugs,

Birthday knits and leaves

Hello, crafting friends!

 

Happy Saturday and welcome to another fun challenge at Addicted to CAS. In the Northern hemisphere the season is changing to shorter days and colder weather, and this fortnight's hostess with the mostest, Sue, has chosen a code word to reflect that:

 

I love all the colours and images of autumn and have got myself good and inky with my take on it!

 

I started by positioning Funky Fossil's Knitted stencil over a card front and sponging turquoise ink into it, fading the colour out towards the top and right hand side of the card. I topped that background with a leaf and die cut sentiment grouping.

 

To make the leaf, I sponged inks in autumnal colours onto a piece of white card then stamped the maple leaf from Reverse Confetti's Fall Foliage onto it in rust coloured ink. I cut it out and then had fun splattering it with diluted inks and paints. When it was dry, I positioned it to the card front with the 'hello' sentiment from The Greetery's Arched Sentiments which was stamped and die cut.

Okay, so now it's your turn! Do hop over to the Addicted to CAS challenge site for some great autumn inspiration won't you. You'll find the Linky Tool at the bottom of the post and can use it to link up your own creation. Don't forget to keep your card nice and clean and simple, with plenty of lovely clear space! We can't wait to see what you make!

CHALLENGES

I'm linking this card up at the Fusion Card Challenge where I got very excited by the photo inspiration (see below); also joining in with the Things That Fall challenge at Double D; also playing at Make My Monday where the challenge is Autumn Flora and Fauna; and last but not least, entering the Happy Little Stampers Stencil challenge where Anything Goes.  

AND IN OTHER NEWS

The autumn chill may have arrived but nothing stops the Golden Synchronised Swimming Team from practising their moves!

Sending hugs,

One layer leaves

Hello, crafting friends!

Happy Tuesday and welcome to another fun challenge at CAS Colours and Sketches. I'm hosting this month and have come up with a sketch which I really hope will get your mojo going:

There are plenty of options with this sketch. It's a great way to use up your scraps of designer paper; or you could use smaller stamps in the general shape; or you could use one of your background stamps at an angle. I chose to stamp a collage of leaves using my favourite autumn stamp set from Reverse Confetti.

This is a very simple idea but it does need a practyice on a piece of scrap paper before transferring the design to the card base! I thought it would make a good male card :)

I used two shades of orange and two shades of green to add a little depth to the stamping, but left the outlines uncoloured. The sentiment is from Uniko's Simply Said Blocks, stamped in the darker green, snipped out and attached to the card front with dimensional pads.

So now it's your turn! Do hop over to the CAS Colours and Sketches challenge site where the team has some fabulous inspiration for you. You'll find the Linky Tool at the bottom of the post so that you can share your creation with us. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

CHALLENGES

I'm linking this card up with Color Hues where the colour duo is Orange and Green; I'm also joining in at Cardz 4 Guyz where the theme is male autumn birthday; also We Love Chocolate Baroque where Anything Autumn is the theme.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

The leaves are taking their time to change colour this year but here's a young lady showing off some absolutely stunning autumnal berries we saw bursting out of someone's garden:

I've realised that my photography skills are letting the side down here and you can barely see the berries in that dark background. But Eva tells me it's irrelevant anyway as she can't believe anyone would bother looking at berries when there's a floofy princess in the picture!!

Sending hugs,

Colouring over the lines

Hello, crafting friends!

Welcome to a brand new challenge at Addicted to CAS where I am hosting this week! What code word have I chosen? Well since autumn has put in an appearance here in the heart of England:

Leaves are a favourite motif of mine and I use them all year round, but I particularly like the colours of autumn and it's always fun to transition to rusts and golds after enjoying the bright colours throughout the summer.

This is the simplest of cards! I stamped three of the leaves from Reverse Confetti's Fall Foliage, using Stazon ink. These were then watercoloured with autumnal colours, washing the colour over the outlines and allowing the colour to pool in interesting shapes. 

I finished with a popped up sentiment from Clearly Besotted, stamped, heat embossed and fussy cut with paper snips. The panel was cut to size with a stitched rectangle die from Heffy Doodle and attached to a card base.

So now it's your turn and I can't wait to see your leafy creations! The team has made some glorious cards to inspire you and you can check those out on the Addicted to CAS challenge website. You'll also find the Linky Tool there so that you can link up our own cards. Have fun - and don't forget we are a clean and simple challenge so don't forget to include plenty of that all important clear space!

CHALLENGES

I'm linking this card up with Happy Little Stampers Watercolour challenge where Anything Goes; I'm also joining in again at CAS Mix Up where Leslie has chosen a theme of Autumn Colours with watercolouring; Also AAA Cards where they want to see up to 1/3rd of the card front used, with an optional theme of Leaves; I also think this works well for a masculine card so I'm linking up at The Male Room where the theme is Natures Bounty.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

Just as the spring arrives in the Southern hemisphere, our mini heat wave here in England appears to be over and the leaves are turning in earnest now. My thoughts are beginning to turn to sweaters, autumn birthdays, tidying up the garden and trimming all the hedges and maybe even unearthing some warm throws and woollies to cosy up the living spaces. How about you? How do you get ready for the cooler weather?

Sending hugs,

Truly grateful

Hello, crafting friends!

Although we don't really celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK, I personally think that gratitude is a brilliant idea any day of the week or time of the year. But today's card was made for all my crafting pals in the US, many of whom will be having a scaled-back version of Thanksgiving this year. Thank you for always being there to make me gasp with your talent and smile with your fun :)

I started this card by cutting a card panel with a Heffy Doodle stitched rectangle die and stamping the bottom third with the Gingham stamp by Kaisercraft. The gingham was topped with a lantern from a new stamp set by Reverse Confetti called... yes, you've guessed it: Lanterns! 

I stamped one of the candles from the set inside the lantern, then made a mask to cover it up so that I could blend some ink into the background, using a circle stencil to create a glow from the flame. Once the mask was removed, I coloured the candle and lantern using alcohol markers.

The Lanterns set contains a Christmas and an autumn arrangement and I chose the autumnal one with its leaves and pumpkins. It was stamped, coloured and fussy cut and then I popped it up on dimensionals in front of the lantern. The finishing touches were the sentiment from Reverse Confetti's Fall Foliage, and the hearts, which came from Uniko's Simply Said Blocks.

EDITED TO ADD AN AWARD

Delighted that this card was the Diamond Winner at Color My Heart Dare :)

CHALLENGES

I used the gorgeous autumn colour palette at Color My Heart Color Dare 421 where I chose all the colours except Desert Rose. I'm also linking up with Make My Monday where the challenge is Thankful and joining in with Heidi's Occasions challenge at Watercooler Wednesday. I shall also share at NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) with the lovely Lanterns stamp set.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

I started a gratitude journal about five years ago while recovering from illness and have been keeping one ever since. Before I settle down for the night, I go back over my day and write a list of all the things I'm grateful for, ignoring anything that hasn't been so great. I highly recommend this habit - especially during the uncertain times we are living in now - as it's a way of focusing on all that is good in our lives. A warning though, I started with a tiny notebook but now regularly run out of space in my  A5 page-a-day journal!

Thank you for visiting me today! Sending hugs,

The autumn fairy

Hello, crafting friends!

I had an autumnal moment in the Craft Square Metre and when I came up for air, this card had happened:

I adore this little fairy from Funky Fossil's Christmas Characters stamp set. She may come from a Christmas set but she's definitely an all-the-year-rounder! I made a layered background for her with three Funky Fossil stencils (Brick Wall, Fancy Trellis and Arched Window), stood her on a bit of wood-effect designer paper from SU and surrounded her with stamped leaves from Reverse Confetti's Fall Foliage.

The leaves were coloured with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and because I'd used my semi-coated card stock they have a lovely sheen. The fairy was stamped, coloured and fussy cut. I've given her the Wink of Stella treatment so she shimmers and she has a glowing amber gem on her dress. She looks as if she's summoning up a wind to swirl the leaves around but maybe she's just trying to remember where she left her keys...!

Tiny dots, added with a gold pen and with the Wink of Stella pen give that magical feel. To make the sentiment, I stamped the banner from Concord & 9th's Hello Sunshine turnabout set in Stazon ink on vellum, added a greeting from Clearly Besotted's Simply Said, and snipped it out.

EDITED TO ADD AN AWARD

This card was chosen as the Sapphire Winner at Color My Heart Color Dare!

CHALLENGES

I'm squeaking in under the wire at The Rainbow Challenge's Autumnal Amber challenge. I will also link up at The Color My Heart Color Dare 413 where I've chosen Canary, Espresso and gold, adding in Toffee and Sundance! Allsorts are looking for Autumn Colours this week so I'm joining in there too.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

I've been cleaning Eva's ears today. She is a very good girl about it I must say and the most difficult thing about it for me is getting her to sit in a position in the light where I can see what I'm doing. She always gets a nice treat when I've finished and she certainly looks forward to that!

It's terribly tiring though!!!

Sending hugs,

Experimenting with trees

Hello, crafting friends!

Well, I have had fun in The Craft Square Metre today! I took a small tree from a Christmas stamp set and had a good old play with it in a couple of non-festive ways! 

The set I found the tree in was Stampin' Up's From Our House To Yours. In the first card I stamped it on a smooshed background and in the second card I used it as part of a stamped autumnal border. 

CARD ONE

Here's the first.

I dripped inks in various purples onto some cling wrap, spritzed it with water and placed a card panel into the result. Once the panel was dry, I masked off a horizontal line and watercoloured in a ground. Once THAT was dry, I masked off the ground and repeat-stamped the tree in dark purple, varying the heights. A matching purple marker was used to fill in any gaps.

The most interesting part of the panel was trimmed using a tall, thin stitched rectangle die by Christina Griffiths. To represent the moon, I punched a small hole in the sky and filled it with the same-sized circle punched out of shiny card stock, taped at the back to secure. I added stars with a white gel pen and stamped the sentiment (from Stampin'Up's Today's Tiles) in dark purple ink. The panel was attached to a card base with dimensionals.

CARD TWO

For the second card, I tried using the tree as twiggy branches in a leafy border. I think it works!

The foliage and berries mostly come from WPlus9's Silver Bells but I also used a leaf that was out on my desk from Reverse Confetti's Fall Foliage. I tried the stamping out on scrap paper first and then copied the design carefully onto a card panel. 

For the sentiment, I cut a strip of card stock and trimmed it top and bottom with a stitched rectangle die. The bold sentiment is from WPlus9's Hello and Thanks, stamped in dark brown ink. I thought I had stamped my borders so carefully but when I put the card together, I noticed a red blob on my pristine white card... that's why there are lots of gems on this card!!!

EDITED TO ADD AN AWARD

So happy that the twiggy autumnal card was chosen as a Weekly Winner at CAS Colours and Sketches!

And that both cards were Honourably Mentioned at The Twofer Challenge!

CHALLENGES

I'm linking both cards up with The Twofer Challenge where the theme this month is Trees, and we are asked to use the same stamp/die/stencil, on two different designs, for two different occasions.

I'm also entering Card One into this month Stamping Sensations challenge where the theme is Great Outdoors; and also joining in at Less is More's Shades of Purple colour challenge.

Card Two was made with those amazing colours at CAS Colours and Sketches (my second entry!) and I'm also linking it up at Just Add Ink where the challenge is to Just Add 'A'. My 'A' is autumn of course!

AND IN OTHER NEWS

Forgive the rubbish photo but it really does sum up our weekend...

Yep! This weekend we have mostly been cavorting about the countryside in the sunshine :) How about you?

Hugs,

A corner of autumn leaves

Hello, crafting friends!

I've no idea why the autumn has been taking its time to arrive but the leaves are beginning to turn now and the wind is picking up so I daresay things will start moving along quite quickly now. That was enough to inspire me to do a little autumn crafting anyway!

I got my Reverse Confetti Fall Foliage set out for this CAS little number, stamping some of the leaves on scrap card stock and colouring them with a mix of Spectrum Noir and Stampin' Up alcohol markers. 

The leaves were fussy cut and arranged on the corner of a panel trimmed with a Heffy Doodle stitched rectangle die. I added a simple thank you sentiment from Clearly Besotted's Elegant Butterflies before attaching the panel to a card base.

CHALLENGES

I was inspired by The Sisterhood of Crafters, where the theme is Autumn Inspiration and by the beautiful colours at CAS Colours and Sketches. This simple card has a masculine vibe so I'm also joining in at Watercooler Wednesday where Heidi's challenge is Anything Goes With A Masculine Twist.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

In this action shot (!) of Eva having an enthusiastic roll, the leaves are actually dead ones from last year that the wind is flushing out.

Eva is fine with that. She would prefer a dead bird or something to roll in but hey, she'll take whatever there is!

Sending hugs,