Monday morning - guess this means the start of another week!

Morning readers,

Hope you all had a great weekend AND some sunshine .. have to say that the sun shone here, thank goodness!

I've a birthday card to share with you, using some recent stash (the Tim Holtz image AND the Carabelle background) ...

My card

  

The front, back and inside of my card along with the front and back of my envelope

Materials used:

• White A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card cut to fit
• Two pieces of dark grey card, cut to mat
• Using a piece of card with a square aperture cut centrally I applied Distress Ink in salty ocean through the aperture then again through a Tim Holtz mini stencil (from set No. 5) then, with the mask still in place I stamped the Carabelle image (SM10159) using the salty ocean ink
• Removing the mask I stamped the Tim Holtz wheat ear and the sentiment (Impression Obsessions Zenspirations CL533) using Versafine onyx black ink
• I placed the mask back over the inked square and applied a light misting of Krylon matte fixative, to protect the water based inks
• Once my card was assembled I used a Wink of Stella clear glitter gel brush pen to highlight the wheat ears

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Seize The Birthday - challenge No. 154 - ANYTHING GOES with optional topping of CAS (Clean And Simple)
2. Jo's Scrap Shack - challenge No. 259 - ANYTHING GOES
3. QKR Stampede - challenge No. 321 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - challenge No. 92 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Crafting With Dragonflies - challenge No. 117 - SPECIAL EVENT/CELEBRATE

Saturday again - have a great weekend

Morning readers,

We made it to Saturday again and I hope you all have something nice to look forward to this weekend.

I've been hard at work at the Table of Craftiness and, first out of the gate is an Artist Trading Coin, having not made any for a couple of weeks, it felt great to make a couple this past few days.

My Artist Trading Card

Materials used:

• Snippets of card in bright blue and white
• I sponged Distress Ink in salty ocean over the white snippet, sponging again through a Tim Holtz (set No.5) and Dylusions (circles) stencil, to add texture and interest
• Carabelle text image (SM10159) stamped using Ranger Archival grey shadow ink
• Penny Black foliage (from "Tweet Tweet") stamped using Versafine Imperial blue ink
• Inkadinkado sentiment (from 98782 "Greetings") stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Sakura white gelly roll gel pen used to doodle my border and highlight the foliage
• Wink of Stella clear glitter gel brush pen used to twinkle up the foliage

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Crafting By Designs - November challenge - ANYTHING GOES - 2nd entry
2. Creative Knockouts - challenge No. 271 - SHOW US YOUR BORDERS!
3. Crafting With Friends - challenge No. 75 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Creative Fingers - challenge No. 154 - ANYTHING GOES

And now ..

My card

And a closer view of the metallic matting and washi tape

  

The front, back and inside of my card along with the front and back of my envelope

Materials used:

• White A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card cut to fit
• One piece of DCWV textured metallic card, cut to mat
• Metallic, travel themed washi tape
• Plane image (Tim Holtz THMM105) stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Small splatter image (MFT CS-97 "Distressed patterns") stamped randomly using Brilliance sky blue ink

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Simply Less Is More - challenge No. 384 - METALLICS
2. CardzTV - challenge No. 73 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Quick Quotes - November challenge - ANYTHING GOES

Ever have one of those days when you think you have a BRILLIANT idea so you dash to your Table of Craftiness and .... turns out it was a very BAD idea - this was the mark I make for the LIM metallics theme ...

Seemed like such a good idea at the time, with metallic matting
metallic/glitter washi tape and that fab image from Tim Holtz ..
so, what was it that went so horribly wrong?

It's Friday .... Woo Hoo!

Morning readers,

Don't know about you but I LIKE to enter challenges with my makes, sometimes I even win!!! I always find it sad when a challenge blog closes its virtual doors and a number have done that this very week:

• Pause, Dream, Enjoy
• The Merry Christmas Challenge
• CraftaholicsRus
• Sunny Day Crafting
• Always Happy Birthday ............. just thought I'd let you all know in case you follow/enter these challenges.

Right, on to brighter things, I've a Christmas card to share with you today .. well we are on the home stretch to Christmas now. If you have yet to start your 2018 quota then you'd best get a wiggle on!

My card

  

The front, back and inside of my card along with the front and back of my envelope

Materials used:

• White A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card cut to fit
• One piece of DCWV textured metallic card, cut to mat
• Snippets of card in white and the textured blue - for my image panel
• Snippet of white grosgrain ribbon
• Tim Holtz snowman image stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• MSE sentiment (M118 Holiday greetings) stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Distress Ink (salty ocean) applied through my Dylusions snowflake stencil and then also applied to the background, I didn't wait till my flakes dried as I wanted a softer edge to the snowflakes - once the panel HAD dried though, I gave it a quick application of Krylon matte fixative - to protect the water based inks
• Derwent coloursoft pencils used to add colour to my snowman
• Stardust stickles to add some bling
• Dimensional foam squares, to adhere my image panel to the card front

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. That's Crafty - November 7th challenge - WINTER WONDERLAND
2. Ellibelles - November challenge - CHRISTMAS AND SEASONAL HOLIDAY
3. ABC of Christmas - November challenge - "W" is for WISHES and "X" is for XMAS
4. MUSE Christmas Visions - challenge No. 112 - PHOTO INSPIRATION - see below - I went with blue and the central focal image
5. Cute Card Thursday - challenge No. 555 - SNOWFLAKES

MUSE

And now for an Artist Trading Coin, not made one in a couple of weeks - bet you were thinking I was done with them?!?!??!

My Artist Trading Coin

Materials used:

• Snippets of card in white and pearlescent purple
• Circle dies used to cut the 2½" and 2¼" circles
• Dog image (Inkadinkado 99109 "Patterned Pets") stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Swipe image (Avery Elle ST-18-19 "Patterned Backdrops") stamped using Versamagic malted mauve ink
• Sentiment (Momenta 34431) stamped using Versafine onxy black ink
• Copic and Pro Marker alcohol markers used to colour image and background
• Sakura clear glitter and white gelly roll gel pens used to doodle borders and highlight

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Addicted To Stamps - challenge No. 317 - MAKE YOUR MARK
2. Crafting By Designs - November challenge - ANYTHING GOES
3. Crafting With An Attitude - challenge No. 45 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Penny's Paper Crafting - challenge No. 405 - ANYTHING GOES

Welcome to the middle of the week ...

Morning readers,

It's Wednesday so it's downhill to the weekend. I like the sound of that.

Been revisiting a favourite technique of mine, layered stamping ... IMHO it rocks  for a masculine card and I hope you agree.

My card

  

The front, back and inside of my card along with the front and back of my envelope

Materials used:

• White A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card cut to fit
• One piece of dark grey card, cut to mat
• Kaisercraft woodgrain image stamped using Ranger Archival grey shadow ink
• Kaisercraft marble image stamped using Ranger Archival cobalt blue ink
• MFT splatter image (CS-97 "Distressed Patterns") stamped using Ranger Archival vermilion ink
• TPC Studio sentiment ("Greetings" - acquired in 2013) stamped using Versafine onyx black ink

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Crafting From The Heart - challenge No. 227 - ANYTHING GOES
2. Pammie's Inky Pinkies - challenge No. 1844 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Retro Rubber - challenge No. 99 - ANYTHING GOES - MUST use an image older than a year - I've highlighted the age in my "Materials used"
4. Through The Craft Room Door - November 6th challenge - ANYTHING GOES
5. Dragonfly Dreams - November 4th challenge - ANYTHING GOES

And a Christmas card, we we dash towards the finish line for making them!

My card

  

The front, back and inside of my card along with the front and back of my envelope

Materials used:

• White A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card cut to fit
• One piece of cardinal patterned card (from The Paper Studio's Christmas 2018 stack), cut to mat
• Star image (from JOFY57) stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink, including on to a post it (which I cut out to use as a mask which I placed over my stamped image
• Low tack tape used to mask off a panel across my card front
• Distress Ink in salty ocean applied through a Dylusions circle stencil and through a Tim Holtz sunray (from minis set No. 5) stencil
• Derwent coloursoft and Prismacolour scholar pencils used to colour image
• MFT October free set sentiment stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Sakura clear glitter gelly roll gel pen used to highlight the string/ribbon
• Stardust stickles used to twinkle up the bauble

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Simon Says Stamp - Monday challenge - MAKE YOUR OWN BACKGROUND
2. Make My Monday - challenge No. 83 - STENCIL STORIES - 2nd entry
3. The Holly and The Ivy - challenge No. 40 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
4. Incy Wincy - November 5th challenge - CHRISTMAS
5. Avenue613 - challenge No. 215 - ANYTHING GOES + optional twist of CHRISTMAS / WINTER

It's my pal Debbie's birthday today so please join me in wishing her a very

I also discovered that I won over at The PaperGirls Challenge, for their challenge No. 161. Sadly, ,I may have missed out as I've been away and failed to check in with them in time. If they're feeling generous then ...... but if not, then it's my own fault. I did, however, greatly appreciate them picking my entry as a winner

  

I also got a TOP PICK over at the (now closed) Always Happy Birthday challenge blog, thanks ladies, it's always such a pleasure to see that people like my work.

   

Welcome to Kylie's 12 Days of Christmas

Hello readers,

Provided I've got this time malarkey right ... it should be 08:00 Tuesday in Brisbane, Australia and Kylie's post for the 6th of her 12 Days of Christmas should be going "LIVE" about now too ..... she invited a bunch of her personal and/or blog buddy's to join her in Celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas this year 

Without further ado, and here is my make for her challenge ...

My card

And a closer view of the colouring .... albeit subtle as there wasn't really
too much to colour on a panel that size!

 

The front, back and inside of my card along with the front and back of my envelope

Materials used:

• Cream A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of cream card cut to fit
• One piece of navy card, cut to mat
• Snippets of card in white and navy .. I thought about using the cream but decided it would make the snow look muddy!
• Woodware sentiment stamped (JGCL504) using Memento ink in Paris dusk and tuxedo black
• Snowman image (Snowman Enterprises "the adventure") stamped using Memento Paris dusk ink
• Faber Castell used to colour the hat, scarf, tangerine nose and the sky background
• Snowflake border (The Works snowflake die) cut using white card which I coloured using Memento Paris dusk ink and a stencil brush 
• Stardust stickles to bling up the snow and snowflake border

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Happy Little Stampers - November Christmas challenge - ANYTHING GOES + optional twist of CAS (Clean And Simple)
2. Stamping Sensations - November challenge - GET READY FOR CHRISTMAS
3. Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - challenge No. 410 - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES
4. Crafters Castle - challenge No. 11 - ANYTHING GOES + optional twist of HOLIDAYS
5. Sweet Stampin' Christmas - October challenge - ANYTHING CHRISTMAS GOES

Welcome to another new week .....

Morning readers,

This is my first post of the day, there will be another post along this evening (here's the link but it will not work until after 11pm) as I'm going to be playing along with Kylie's "12 Days of Christmas" blog hop - I hope you will stop by and join in - not seen it? Check it out, from Day One here.

My card

And a closer view of the image panel

  

The front, back and inside of my card along with the front and back of my envelope

Materials used:

• White A2/C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• One piece of white, one piece of black and one piece of patterned Kraft card, cut to mat
• Snippets of card in black and white, for my image panel
• Tim Holtz image (TU MS107 "Big Top") and TPC Studio sentiment ("Greetings") stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Derwent coloursoft and Prismacolour scholar pencils used to colour
• Stardust stickles to highlight

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Colour Crazy - challenge No. 44 - ANYTHING (hand coloured) GOES
2. CardzTV - challenge No. 72 - ANYTHING GOES
3. QKR Stampede - challenge No. 320 - ANYTHING GOES
4. CraftyCatz Weekly - challenge No. 436 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - challenge No. 93 - ANYTHING GOES