Birthday cycling for the boys

Hello crafting friends

If there are two words calculated to make a crafter's heart sink it's 'male cards'! Unless the male in question is a keen cyclist and the crafter has a good bike racer stamp that is! Come and see:

This silhouette image from Stampin' Up's Enjoy Life is proving to be rather useful in the Craft Square Metre! This card was very simple to make: I stamped a row of the cyclist along a card panel...

... then attached the panel to a card base I'd prepared with a strip of black and white striped washi tape (Stampin' Up retired.)

The sentiment is from Concord & 9th's Enjoy it All. I stamped it onto a strip of white card, attached it to the card and grounded it by adding a ribbon-tailed strip of black card stock underneath.

This card has been simmering in the back of mind after seeing several challenges: The Rainbow Card Challenge inspired the colour scheme with its Brazenly Black colour challenge; Perfectly CAS inspired the layout with its 'use a third or less of the card front' guidelines and its Birthday theme; and last , but not least, the Allsorts Challenge is all about Spots and/or Stripes this week and gave me the idea of using this image (with it's spots and stripes on the wheels) and also the striped washi edging.

AND IN OTHER NEWS
I haven't been rained on for two days now! *Cheers loudly! Throws hat in the air! Does a little jig! Stops jigging about in case it was a rain dance...*

Thank you for coming to look at my card today. Do you have any keen cyclists in your family? Have you been rained on lately? Do let me know in the comments below :)

Hugs,

A great big happy birthday

Hello crafting pals!

Today I've come up with a bright and breezy birthday card that could be made in any colourway, and that is so simple to make it could be made five minutes before you leave for the birthday party! Of course that is not how I suggest you make your birthday cards but I remember the days when one or other of my children would announce that they were off to a birthday party and could they have a present and card please!

I've used my Avery Elle Big Birthday stamp set - it's first outing and most definitely not its last! - and some Stampin' Up inks in Pear Pizzazz and Poppy Parade.

To make the background, I put a few drops of Pear Pizzazz ink onto a plate, added a few drops of water and drew freehand lines across a piece of card stock with a paint brush. This is such an easy thing to do - you don't even need a steady hand.

When the card stock was dry, I trimmed it to fit a card base, gently rolled it back into shape and stamped it with the sentiment. You get a choice of font boldness with this set - I used the boldest 'Happy' and the finest 'birthday'. The card was finished with three sizes of sparkling gems.

I shall be linking up with Less is More (squeaking under the wire - I meant to link yesterday's card and forgot!) with my Sparkle and Matte card and also Just Add Ink where they're looking for cards featuring elements beginning with the letter H - mine is Happy.

AND IN OTHER NEWS
My charming but naughty assistant Eva is making a habit of photo bombing when I'm trying to photograph my creations!

Although, looking at her expression, she's more: "Look, you're not doing it right! Why don't you run along and make a cup of tea or whatever it is you humans like to do, and I'll get on with this!"

Lovely to see you here today. I shall be back soon with more crafting nonsense :)

Hugs,

Manly mediterranean Moments

Hello crafting friends!

I've been mucking about with inks and it was FUN! Come and see:

I was recently given Stampin' Up's beautiful Mediterranean Moments stamp set (thanks Gill - I love it!) and wondered what I could do with it. I am no painter but I thought I'd stamp the largest image in Stazon black ink on Watercolour paper and then just colour it in with inks and water and see what happened.

Well, I really got into the zone! I started off with pale washes and then worked up to adding darker shades of the same colours. When it was dry I added small amounts of detail with a fineliner. You wouldn't want to look too closely but I think it generally looks quite arty!

I think this card would work for a guy who likes to travel, and has fond memories of this kind of Mediterranean scene, so I kept it simple by just stamping a birthday greeting directly onto the image...

... and adding a couple of black staples for a bit of manly interest. These are becoming a bit of a favourite embellishment of mine - a craft room staple you could say!

In case anyone is interested, I used Stampin' Up inks in these six colours: So Saffron, Cajun Craze, Pear Pizzazz, Mossy Meadow, Crumb Cake and Soft Suede.

I'm going to link this card up with the Allsorts Challenge where From Boys to Men is the theme this week - they'd like to see masculine cards.

AND IN OTHER NEWS
My daughter and I were amused to find this in the reduced section at our local supermarket at the weekend:

We agreed that nothing says 'party' quite like a collection of salad vegetables that are past their sell-by date!

Thanks for visiting me today. What's your favourite party food? (I'm willing to bet that it's not a bit of dilapidated lettuce, tomato and cucumber!) Do let me know in the comments below :)

Celebrating with stripes and circles

Hello crafting friends!

Today I am celebrating the birthday of a lovely lady who has been a staunch supporter of my blog, both when I ran it as a Stampin' Up demonstrator and also when I returned to stamping and blogging for fun. This card has been made with care to say thank you for all your cheerful, encouraging messages - happy birthday Marisela!

Nothing says happy birthday like beautiful flowers, so I inked up my Blossoms in Bloom set by Clearly Besotted. I coloured the image with a mixture of Stampin' Up Blendabilities and Spectrum Noir markers, including the background in the lightest Soft Sky (the SU pens came in sets of 3, light, medium and dark, once upon a time.)

Here's a closer look at the flowers! I cut them into a circle with a 2 1/2" circle punch and made a frame to highlight them by punching a 2 1/4" circle out of black card stock and then using the 2 1/2" punch around the hole. The result is a thin, black frame which I glued to the top of my flower circle.

To add drama, I laid my floral circle on some graduated strips of black card stock. The card was finished with one of the beautiful sentiments in the stamp set and a sprinkling of Stampin' Up enamel dots.

I was inspired by the new challenge at As You See It which asks us to use our most 'go to' dies or punches. All my punches and dies disappeared in The Great Craft Stash Cull and I've only replaced the circle punches so far - I think that says it all!

Also, I'm so happy to see lovely Joanne James joining the design team, so it looks as if we have a double celebration on our hands! Congratulations Joanne!

Thanks for popping in today. I'll be back tomorrow with a basketful of apples!

Hugs,

Fuchsia fun

Hello crafting friends!

Sometimes, when Eva and I are strolling around the neighbourhood, we pass a garden full of fuchsias in all sorts of shapes and colours. I'm fascinated by these flowers which seem to me to have appeared from another planet! They feature in today's card too - come and see:

The graphic flower image is one I've admired for a while now - it's from the Friendship Fuchsias stamp set by Clearly Besotted (currently available at a 20% discount!) I coloured the flowers with Spectrum Noir markers, added a sentiment and matted the panel onto Elegant Eggplant cardstock. Very quick and simple, but I really think those extraordinary flowers are capable of carrying the show!

I coloured my fuchsias in pink and purple for the Addicted to CAS challenge and will also link up with the fabulous Flower Challenge where this month 'Anything Goes'.

AND IN OTHER NEWS
My youngest son is gathering together all the things he needs for uni. I have just withdrawn, exhausted, from a discussion about how many pillows he needs. He has decided that four is the minimum amount of pillows that a young man in his first year must have...!

I'd love to hear what you think - about the fuchsias and the pillows! Let me know in the comments below :)

Back soon,

Double Fluffy Furballs

Hello crafting pals!

It's probably just as well that while I was making today's cards, my charming assistant, Eva the Golden Retriever, was having a gentle snoozle. She'd had a busy morning swooshing post it notes off the coffee table with her tail. Every time she did it, I was gripped with the giggles and that made her tail wag harder and harder until there was a snow storm of post it notes and I was helpless with laughter! Anyway, I digress - come and see my creations, which feature *mouths words silently* a pussycat:

Yes, not just one card but two! It's because I'm enthusiastically playing along with the Twofer Card Challenge in which we are asked to make two cards, each for a different occasion but using the same stamp. This month the theme is Critters so I've chosen one of the cats from a very cute stamp set called Fluffy Furball by Clearly Besotted.

The first card I made was a birthday card:

I stamped Harry (I've named him after the red-headed prince), added a doodled smile and a paw, coloured him with Spectrum Noir markers and cut him out. I gave him a paw because he had to hold this balloon which I made by colouring inside a circle mask with the markers and adding the bit you blow into.

I had to draw a cushion as I don't have a stamp for that (does ANYONE have a cushion stamp?!!) Harry was asked to sit on the cushion against a scored background which reminded me of a venetian blind - cats always sit in the window don't they! A few punched stars and a sentiment from Altenew's Birthday Greetings and the card was done!

My second card is a Christmas card and Harry has had a makeover for this one:

We'll call him Robinson (after Smokey Robinson!) I liked the idea of lots of Christmas presents coming into the house and Robinson having to make his way out from behind them.

There he is, looking a bit "What did you put these here for?!" I had great fun making the presents out of snippets of left-over Christmas papers from yesteryear. They were decorated with tiny punches and bits of washi tape.

Do come and join in at the Twofer Card Challenge! It is so much fun, coming up with two different cards to make with the same stamp!

AND IN OTHER NEWS

When Eva was a puppy, I trained her not to chase cats. Whenever we came across one, I'd say "Have you seen the pussycat?" and deliver a treat into her mouth. Eventually, she would look at me when she saw a cat because she'd know there was a nice treat coming. The instinct to chase is still there though and if she were off lead and a cat took off in front of her, all the treats in the world wouldn't stop her! She is a dog after all :)

Do you have a dog? Or a cat? Or maybe both? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below :)

See you soon,

King of the autumn leaf pile

Hello crafting pals!

Autumn has not so much snuck up on us as barged through the door without so much as a 'by your leave'! Ok then Mr Pushy Autumn, you have inspired me! Come and see what I've made:

Just look at that bold cockerel! I begin to understand where the term 'cock-a-hoop' comes from now - he is definitely pleased with himself at being king of the leaf pile! He's from Hen Pecked, a set bursting with hens, chicks and other useful images, and is made by Artistry Inc Ltd, a small company based in Leeds.

I stamped him on thick cardstock and coloured him in with Spectrum Noir markers. To make the leaf pile, I drew a sloping line under his feet with a fine liner and sponged autumnal colours under it. The leaf pile and the cockerel were cut out together and I then stamped leaves over the sponged area. Those leaves are among my most used stamps I think! They're from a retired Clearly Besotted set, Flower Arrangement, but there are lots of sets around that include small leaves like this.

The sky was sponged into a masked off area on the card base before adding the most 'cock-a-doodle-doo' sounding sentiment I could find! Finally, the cockerel and his leaf pile were attached using dimensionals so that he could stand even prouder!

It wasn't just Mr Autumn that inspired me today. I'd been having a stroll round the internet and had wanted to join in with LeAnne's 'Down on the Farm' challenge at the Paper Players. While I was visiting her blog, I spotted a new (to me) challenge, Inspired By, with the most gorgeous inspiration photo. I had also noted that The Male Room was looking for autumnal cards so I shall enter this card there too. 

AND IN OTHER NEWS

My oldest son has come to visit - yay! He did tell me he was coming but, in the time-honoured way of young men, was unable to tell me exactly when! He strolled in yesterday evening, surprising Eva and me. Eva wove around his legs trying not to jump up, making ecstatic hen noises as she does when her special people come home. I was rather more restrained, settling for a big hug and a kiss on the cheek - but I was just as delighted!

Thanks for visiting me today :) I think the summer is over in the UK. I'm off to see if I can remember where I put my woollies! See you tomorrow,

A celebration of friends

Hello crafting friends!

Today I'm sharing the second card I made when I decided I needed to make cards again. I had found a few stray wood-mount stamps (funny how I'm photopolymer all the way now!) and some Stampin' Up markers I'd given my son for school projects but then ruthlessly grabbed back. Come and see:

All the stamps are from retired Stampin' Up sets - the wonderful jar from Perfectly Preserved, the flowers from Garden Silhouettes, the tag from Tiny Tags and the tablecloth from a grid-patterned builder wheel called (and I've just gone off into gusts of giggles over this) Albert. I kid you not - the wheel was called Albert!

I stamped the jar and the flowers, extending the stems so that they rested on the bottom of the jar. To get the water effect, I cut a mask for the jar and sponged ink into it. The whole thing was cut out with sharp paper snips and decorated with a little label tied on with linen thread.

Albert *goes off into further fits of giggles* had been unmounted so I used a tiny bit of glue to get him on an acrylic block. I had to ink him up with a marker as I had no ink pads AND had to stamp him four times without a stamp positioner, but it sort of worked out. (Perfection, as my youngest son would say, is for lame nerds that are cramping on my style! Well yes, indeed! I would totally agree if only I knew what it meant!) I coloured every other square to achieve the gingham tablecloth look before attaching the jar of flowers with dimensionals.

It was a bit of a faff using Albert, and I was going to throw him away, but I can't now because he's become my special friend! Watch out for him on forthcoming cards!

AND IN OTHER NEWS

This card was made to celebrate the birthday of a lovely friend of mine. I absolutely love her to bits because she is who I want to be when I grow up! She is full of enthusiasm for everything, always has an amazing new project on the go and sees the best in every situation, as well as being staunch, loyal and always up for a laugh. What a lady!

Do you have any wonderful friends in your life you'd like to celebrate? Any stamps you cannot throw away? Or both? Do tell me about them in the comments below :)

Hugs,

Yellow roses for friendship

Hello crafting pals!

I've got my colouring hat on at the moment and my beautiful Wplus9 Modern Roses set is getting plenty of use! I've been experimenting with backgrounds too. Come and see:

I don't know anyone who doesn't adore red roses, like these ones I coloured a couple of days ago. But how about those gorgeous scented yellow roses, with deep amber centres, that turn paler as they open? That's what I was aiming for when I watercoloured this one.

They say yellow roses signify friendship too :) I used a fine paintbrush with Daffodil Yellow and Crushed Curry inks for the rose, and Old Olive for the leaves. The background is a vague attempt at a bokeh effect using sponge daubers!

One sponge dauber was used to stamp circles of diluted ink (So Saffron and Daffodil Delight) onto my panel and, once that had dried, circles of white craft ink stamped over the top using a clean dauber. I added some black and white striped washi for a bit of 'edge' and layered on my fussy cut roses and leaves. The card was finished with some gold sequins and a fabulous sentiment from Clearly Besotted's Blossoms in Bloom.

Oh yes, I may or may not have been shopping...! More about that tomorrow :)

I'm going to enter this card (which is as maximilist as I get!) into the Anything Goes challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More this week. (Also, SO good to see Kylie is launching an exciting new challenge called Perfectly CAS - why not pop over and take a look? This lady deserves a medal for services to CAS!)

AND IN OTHER NEWS
My son returned from Reading Festival with a bag of washing and a great tan. Once he'd transformed back into the version of my son that smells of soap and toothpaste, he enthused about the festival and impressed me by saying he'd earned enough money returning empty cups and bottles to cover the cost of eating for the whole weekend! I think he's going to do well budgeting at uni :)

So which is your favourite colour rose? Red, yellow, white, pink? Or how about those amazing delicately tinted lilac or peachy hued ones? Let me know in the comments below!

Hugs,