Lazy Sunday morning

Morning all

And a card in more spring/summery colours .... after the weather we've had this week, in the U.K., I'm sure we could all do with brightening up!

You know what it's like ... you get new stash and you can't wait to ink it ..... well, the stamps used below would probably be more at home on a journal layout or a grungey more masculine make but no, I HAD to go with springlike colours and, frankly, I'm glad I did - hope you agree that these stamps are versatile enough to go either way!

My card

And a closer view, to show the gemstones

The front and back of my card and the front of my envelope

The inside of my card and the reverse of my envelope

Materials used:

• 15cm square, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of 200gsm white card cut to 14½cm square
• One piece of blue card, cut to mat with a 1.6mm border
• Creative Expressions (clear) images stamped using Memento dandelion, tangelo and rosebud inks
• Creative Expressions birthday (rubber) image stamped using Ranger Archival 
• Paper Artsy splatter image stamped using Memento Bahama blue ink
• Five faux crystal gemstones, to bling it up a bit - yes, I think this card's for a female recipient!

NBUS on the left, the clear stamp set by Creative Expressions

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

1. Crafting by Designs - February 22nd challenge - IT'S ALMOST SPRING (well spring colours anyway - hope that counts)
2. Inky Chicks - challenge No. 79 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY
3. The House that Stamps Built - challenge No. 2217 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Simon Says Stamp - February 22nd challenge - ANYTHING GOES
5. Penny's Paper Crafty - challenge No. 317 - ANYTHING GOES

It's SATURDAY!

Hi readers and followers,

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend? What's going on in your neck of the woods? Not much here right now, my Saturday mornings are often spent at the ToC (that's Table of Craftiness - if yo're not familiar) and today has been no exception ...

My card

Showing the image and ombre a little better!

The front and back of my card and front of my envelope

My insert and reverse of my envelope

Materials used:

• White DL, 300gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• 20½ x 9½cm panel of black card
• 20 x 9cm panel of 200gsm white card
• Copier paper cut to fit as an insert (yes, it's a change for me ... let me know if you like it better)
• Snippet of white card die cut in to a circle and coloured using Marvy le plume alcohol markers (B711, 715 and 717)
• Snippet of black card die cut to a slightly larger circle
• Tim Holtz mini crazy bird stamped using Versafine onyx black ink and coloured using inktense pencils and a water brush
• Inkylicious polka dot image stamped using Ranger cobalt blue ink
• Happy Little Stampers sentiment stamped using Versafine onyx black ink and cut banner style before matting on to another snippet of black card

I'll be entering this for the following challenges:

1. Simply Less Is More - challenge No. 317 - SKETCH ... see below
2. Colour Crazy - challenge No. 8 - ANYTHING (hand coloured) GOES
3. Just Add Ink - challenge No. 348 - JUST ADD OMBRE ... my blended background
4. Brown Sugar - challenge No. 239 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Inky Chicks - challenge No. 79 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY

 

I'd also like to thank the Design Team over at Simply Less Is More for selecting my card to be showCASed for their "OPPOSITES ATTRACT" challenge

And then it was on to a Thank You project - I went with an ATC today, for a change

Materials used:

• Kraft ATC blank
• Snippets of card in chocolate brown, Kraft and white
• Using a Tim Holtz mini blending tool I applied Distress Inks (faded jeans, hickory smoke and black soot) ombre style (light to dark) to a white card snippet
• I flicked water (from my fingers) on to the inked panel, allowing to develop and then blotting the excess
• The Cats Pyjamas sentiment was stamped on to a snippet of white card using Versafine onyx black ink and then (without re-inking) used the mini blending tool to just add a grungey hint of colour to the sentiment panel, to remove the starkness of the white card
• TCW stencil through which I sponged Ranger Archival jet black ink
• Lost Coast pencils stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink
• I fastened the sentiment diagonally across the stencilled section before matting on to Kraft then chocolate brown panels
• Taking a Tsukineko white gelly roll gel pen I doodled a border and also added dots between the stencilled dashes, just to give interest

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

1. Creative Moments - challenge No. 112 - Masculine (I think this has a masculine feel about it .. don't you?)
2. Watercooler Wednesday - challenge No. 107 - Masculine (As above)
3. Stamps, ink paper - challenge No. 87 - KINDNESS

Welcome to the start of another weekend .....

Morning all,

Here we are at the start of another weekend and I hope you all have something nice to look forward to this weekend, even if it's only NOT WORK.

I've removed the need for moderation of my comments, I was getting inundated with e-mails first to moderate and then for the published comment - will just see if it kicks off an avalanche of spam instead .... in which case I'll be moderating again!  Haven't had to delete without publishing for so long it's perhaps no longer necessary. Do you moderate or don't you?

Had an unexpected outing earlier in the week, one of my pal's invited me for coffee but we ended up on a sightseeing tour as we tracked down a new (to us) wool shop. My friend is the knitter not me so she was very happy, me? I wandered about a bit and found they sold cards - very nice cards too (made by the manager) using Lavinia and Visible Image stamps (to name but a few). My pal bought her wool and some needles and we hastened off for a Costa coffee on the way home .. a nice impromptu way to spend an afternoon, just a shame it was so blowy!

I have a crafting project to share with you today ... some tags, to get me ahead of the Christmas game in 2017 ...... I'm happily on schedule right now but it IS only February! Wonder if it will still be true in, say, August!

Tag 1 

Tag 2

Materials used:

• Kraft tags (ordered from Amazon) - 100 for £1.18! Hardly worth cutting them yourself for that price!
• Habico Santa image, Hero Arts Christmas image and Pohs Impressions "To, From" sentiment stamped using Ranger Archival jet black
• Coloursoft pencils in blue, white, peach and blush pink used to add a touch of colour to my tags and, where needed, blended with Sansodor and a paper stump
• Kaisercraft metallic glitter gel pen to draw Santa's spex frames
• Stardust stickles to add bling 
• Plaid dimensional gloss for Santa's "spex"!

I'll be entering one or other of the above tags for the following challenges:-

1. Seasons Greetings - challenge No. 1 - ANYTHING GOES with the option of LOVE - so I shall enter tag No. 1 for this
2. Create and Make - challenge No. 8 - WINTER BLUES .. I'll be entering tag No. 1 for this
3. Crafty Hazelnuts Challenge EXTRA -  February challenge - ANYTHING (Christmas) GOES - I'll be entering tag No. 1 for this
4. A Snowflakes Promise - challenge No. 37 - ANYTHING GOES ... there's an optional twist of VALENTINES but I didn't use that - I'll be entering tag No. 2 for this
5. Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - challenge No. 321 - ANYTHING (Christmas) GOES - I'll be entering tag No. 2 for this
6. As You Like It - 23rd February challenge - WHAT DO YOU MAKE BESIDES CARDS (and why) - I'll be entering tag No. 2 for this - I make tags because I like to give personalised gifts and a hand made tag and co-ordinating wrap makes it very special

Welcome to What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday

Morning

Busy old day on the crafting front yesterday, first up a card and then, a bit further down my post ....  a sneaky peek at the finished mini zig zag book .. and finally, my workdesk!

My card

The front and back of my card and the front of my envelope

The inside of my card and reverse of my envelope

Materials used:

• 12½cm square white, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two white card panels cut to 10½cm square
• One piece of dark chocolate card cut to 10.9cm square
• Two pieces of Kraft card cut to 11cm and 11.3cm square
• Using low tack tape I masked off a shape at the bottom of one of my 10½cm square white card panels
• Using a mini blending tool I applied (ombre style, lightest at the left) Distress Inks: fossilised amber, tea dye, vintage photo and dark espresso inks, sealing with a quick spray of Crafters Companion spray and shine
• Inkadinkado alphabet image stamped (Typography, mine since August 2016) using Ranger Archival jet black (on the image panel) and Memento London fog (elsewhere) inks
• Kaisercraft border image (from film edges, mine since Jan 2014) and JOFY sentiment (JOFY14 mine since June 2013) stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink

I think this works as a masculine card, don't you? I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Simply Less Is More - challenge No. - CAS ALPHABET
2. Retro Rubber - challenge No. 56 - THEY SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY - RRCB56
3. Through The Craft Room Door - Feb 21st challenge - ANYTHING GOES
4. Artistic Inspirations - challenge No. 173 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Crafting From The Heart - challenge No. 147 - ANYTHING GOES

If you checked out my last post and the mini zig zag book I was making ..... here are a couple of pix of the finished item .. so you can see the embellishments

Stamping, glitter droplets and dimensional gloss, all to add a little interest for my friends

I've dated the photos and added stamping and glitter droplets

Some of the tags I made and doodled on

Closed and fastened!

Want to know how to make one yourself? Feel free to check out my earlier post (HERE) as I posted the video there.

And now .. since it IS What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday I'm happy to share my desk with you ..

Not QUITE so tidy this week but still pretty good!!

Monday and the start of another week

Hi peeps,

Over the weekend a friend posted a youtube video on a private blog I belong to, another friend expressed an interest too .. so we challenged one another to make one!!! Here's mine ..

The cover of my mini zig zag book

Closed and fastened

One side

and the other side

And embellished

Materials used:

• 2 x 300gsm dark chocolate panels cut to 6⅛" x 2¾" and scored at 5¾"
• 7 x 200gsm white card panels cut to 5½" x 2½" and scored at (6 only) 4½"
• 2 x 200gsm white card panels cut to 3½" x 2½" and scored (on 3 sides only) at ½"
• Length of organza ribbon (for closure)
• Double sided tape and tombow dual purpose (green) glue
• Patterned paper (Papermania "Geometric Kraft") cut to ¼" smaller than the panels they are to fit

I've a few tweaks left before I'll be calling it finished, like colouring in some hearts, journalling perhaps some stickles but ... it's nearly there!

And the video? See below .... and feel free to check out the blogs of the two pals, Clare and Lilian, I hope they'll be sharing their own makes!

Easy like Sunday morning .......

Morning,

Having slept like a log last night I am up and raring to go this morning .. not at all like my grumpy cat below!

My card

The front and back of my card and front of my envelope

The inside of my card and the reverse of my envelope

Materials used:

• 12cm square white, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card cut to 11 and 11½ cm square
• One piece of black card cut to 11½cm square
• Snippets of card in white, black and grey - for image panel and matting
• Katzelkraft cat stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink and the mouse using Memento London fog ink
• Derwent Coloursoft (a gift from a good friend, thanks matey) pencils used to colour image and blended with Sansodor and a paper stump

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

1. Pixie's Crafty Workshop - challenge No. 269/270 - USE SNIPPETS
2. Allsorts - challenge No. 403 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Cute Card Thursday - challenge No. 465 - NO PATTERNED PAPER

It's a Saturday post .....

Hi there,

Hubby's away so I've been free to play!!! He's gone off on an annual reunion boys night, in sunny Plymouth!! So, the door closed and I hit the ToC (that's Table of Craftiness if you didn't know) ....

My card

The front and back of my card and front of my envelope

The inside of my card and reverse of my envelope

Materials used:

• Pearl, 300gsm, DL card and matching sized envelope - an uncommon size for me these days but the image seemed a smidge too long for the C6 I've been using lately
• Water colour paper, for image panel
• Snippets of navy and red card, for matting
• White card cut to 20 x 9½cm
• Katzlekraft "Les Jungles" image stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink
• Derwent "Inktense" blocks used to colour image and background
• Anita's sentiment stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink

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

1. Brown Sugar - challenge No. 238 - BIRTHDAY
2. Alphabet challenge - February 17th challenge - Y = YOU CHOOSE .. I also went with YELLOW!
3. Simply Papercraft for all occasions - challenge No. 43 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Crafting with an attitude - challenge No. 24 - ANYTHING GOES

And my next craft project .....

My card

The front and back of my card and front of my envelope

The inside of my card and reverse of my envelope

Materials used:

• 12cm square white, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card cut to 11½cm square and one to 11cm square
• Circle die cut from scrap of paper, to use as a mask
• Distress Ink in twisted citron inked through the mask using a Tim Holtz mini blending tool
• With the mask still in place Creative Expressions letters image stamped using Memento bamboo leaves ink
• CAS-ual Fridays sentiment stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Self adhesive "faux brad" positioned top right, for added interest and texture

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

1. Simply Less Is More - challenge No. 316 - ALPHABET
2. Creative Fingers - challenge No. 125 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Creative Friday - challenge No. 173 - MASKS
4. Cute Card Thursday - challenge No. 465 - NO PATTERNED PAPER

Someone on facebook posed a tricky crafting question: 

You are going on a trip. You can take pre-cut white card stock and ONLY 5 other items, to include ONE stamp set. What would you take ? If you can, share a picture of the stamp set.

Here's my FIVE, based purely on the trip taking place TODAY - you KNOW how your faves change!!!

Feel free to add your choice of FIVE in comments .. if I get more than ten people posting their FIVE then there WILL be a prize (FOLLOWERS and UK posting only, sorry). I'll be closing the book on this on Friday Feb 24th.

Edited Feb 24th - only five comments contained their "FIVE" which means no prize, as I said I needed ten entries - sorry peeps