Wednesday - mid week

Morning readers,

I never realised how tricky it was to make a CAS (Clean And Simple) card but without any wording - IMHO the cards look too bare! I had "finished" the card below when I felt it lacked something ... that something was (of course) a sentiment of some description but my commission was for cards to be purposely left blank so the commissionee could choose the occasion. Hmmm ..... I hit on the idea of framing the sentiment with some stencilling, what do you think - DOES it work?

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
• MFT image stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Pencils used to colour image and blended using Gamsol
• TCW stencil and Memento lilac posies ink (applied with an Aldi stencil brush) used to give a little more texture and interest to my card
• Stardust stickles to add a little twinkle

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

1. Cutie Pie - challenge No. 140 - ANYTHING GOES
2. Gem of a challenge - challenge No. 21 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - challenge No. 116 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Paper Minutes - challenge No. 612 - FRIENDSHIP

And now for another of my "leave blank" commission ......

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 aubergine card, cut to mat
• Using one of the scalloped semicircles from the My Minds Eye set stamped multiple times using Memento rosebud ink
• I then stamped the small Dylusions butterfly using Memento lilac posies ink
• Stardust stickles to trace round the butterfly outside edges and Wink of Stella clear glitter gel brush pen to highlight the small circles in the semicircle

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

1. Pammie's Inky Pinkies - challenge No. 1943 - ANYTHING GOES
2. Corrosive Challenge - challenge No. 10 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Unicorn Challenge - challenge No. 48 - PRETTY IN PINK
4. Lemon Shortbread - challenge No. 105 - ANYTHING GOES

Monday and another week rolls in!

Morning readers,

I trust you all enjoyed your weekend, despite the freakish weather? I hope it didn't spoil your plans - we had a couple of times waiting in the car for the rain to ease off! And the same for waiting in the house but that was easy ... I headed to the Table of Craftiness whilst I waited!

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
• Card in white, DCWV metallic copper, kraft with script and black, all cut to fit
• Snippets of card in white and black
• Tim Holtz image stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Using an Aldi stencil brush I added Memento sweet plum ink around the image then, placing a Tim Holtz stencil over the panel, I applied more of the sweet plum (trying not to add ink over the actual image) to add texture and interest
• Stampendous sentiment stamped using Versafine oyx black ink before cutting to fit, matting on black card and adding to my card

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

1. Lil Patch of Craft Friends - challenge No. 116 - ANYTHING GOES
2. Dragonfly Dreams - October 6th challenge - USE BLACK (a LITTLE or a LOT)
3. Gem of a Challenge - challenge No. 21 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Creative Fingers - challenge No. 173 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Penny's Paper Crafty - challenge No. 453 - ANYTHING GOES

And now, there's a new LIM challenge too - my first attempt was laughable and is currently languishing in the wastepaper bin!

My card

Materials used:

• White A2/C6, 300gsm, card 
• My Sentiments Exactly sentiment stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Tim Holtz (for S.A.) tree image stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Pencils used to colur, blended using gamsol
• Glitter gel pens to add twinkle
• Stardust stickles across the bottom, for snow!

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

1. Simply Less Is More - challenge No. 407 - WINTER FLORA ..... it's One Layer Card Week too
2. Happy Little Stampers - October Christmas challenge - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) TWINKLE
3. Winter Wonderland - October 4th challenge - MERRY and BRIGHT
4. Colour Crazy - challenge No. 42 - ANYTHING (hand coloured) GOES
5. Brown Sugar - challenge No. 294 - ANYTHING GOES

 

Saturday - that means, it's the weekend!

Morning readers,

We decided to go out for the day yesterday .... half an hour in - down came the rain! Plan B) involved a new (to us) route and we're kind of wishing we hadn't tried it, stuck in traffic for over an hour after a pickup truck rolled off the road and down the embankment - I hope the driver wasn't too badly injured. What with that and the rain, we started to think we should have stayed home!

Anyhoo, a little light crafting, to take my mind off it!

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
• Snippets of card in white and black
• Black/white washi tape
• Tim Holtz sentiment stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Art Gone Wild image stamped using Versafine onyx black ink, a second image stamped on to a full coverage post it which I then cut out and used as a mask
• Distress Inks in pumice stone and faded jeans applied to the panel and then I used the faded jeans to ink up my Kaisercraft woodgrain image
• Once the inks were dry, I removed the mask and gave a panel a quick spritz of Krylon sealant, to protect the water based inks

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

1. Inkspirational - challenge No. 198 - MASK
2. Brown Sugar - challenge No. 294 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Just Add Ink - challenge No. 480 - ADD A TECHNIQUE - mine was masking
4. QKR Stampede - challenge No. 369 - ANYTHING GOES

  

And now, there's a new LIM challenge today, sadly, my first attempt lies in the bin!! It was too pathetic to even want to post let alone enter! Hoping for better inspiration in time for Monday's blog post - wish me luck

Friday .. and it's also Rudolph Day

Morning readers,

My card

And a closer view of my image

 

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 card (one DCWV textured bronze and one 300gsm white) cut to fit
• One piece of cardinal paper (from The Paper Studio Christmas stack), cut to mat
• Snippets of card in white, black and bronze, for my image panel
• Foiled polka dot hessian ribbon
• Hero Arts sentiment stamped using Versafine onyx black ink 
• Santa image stamped using Ranger Archival watering can ink (and elsewhere in Ranger Archival shadow grey ink)
• Pencils used to add a little colour to my image
• Stardust stickles

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

1. Scraps of Life - October Rudolph Day - ANYTHING (Christmas) GOES
2. Happy Little Stampers - October Christmas challenge - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) TWINKLE
3. Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - October challenge - ANYTHING (Christmas) GOES + (optional) STARS
4. Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper Challenge - October challenge - MUST USE PATTERNED PAPER

Wednesday ... the weekend can't be far away now!

Morning readers,

Honestly, what AM I like? I published this without entering any challenges (and not for the first time) - my excuse? I was out for the day yesterday and was cream crackered by the time I got home too! Still, a dear friend reminded me and I have now fixed that ... and entered a few challenges but, no, Sarn - I can't enter the PerfectlyCAS challenge with my perfectly CAS make as the theme is BIRTHDAY - boo!

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 black card, cut to mat
• Low tack tape, to mask off my image panel
• Using a Tim Holtz mini blender I added Distress Inks: pumice stone, hickory smoke and faded jeans till I was happy with the colour
• Using a barely moist wet wipe and a Tim Holtz sunray stencil I knocked back some of the colour .... a little too much ... so, without re-inking my blending tool I smooshed over and added some of that colour back in!
• Recollections train image and Fiskars sentiment stamped using Versafine onyx black ink

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

1. Crafty Sentiments - October 22nd challenge - ANYTHING GOES
2. Through The Craft Room Door - October 21st challenge - ANYTHING GOES
3. Lemon Shortbread - challenge No. 105 - ANYTHING GOES

And now for a Christmas card ..

My card

A closer view of the detail

 

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 Designer Paper, cut to mat
• Snippets of card in black, white and D.P. - for my image panel
• Inkadinkado image and Paper Artsy sentiment stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Coloured pencils used to add colour
• Stardust stickles and glitter gel pens used, to bling up the image
• Silver glitter washi tape

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

1. 52 Christmas Card Throwdown - October challenge - SNOWMEN
2. The Holly and Ivy - challenge No. 58 - ANYTHING (Christmas) GOES
3. Happy Little Stampers - October Christmas challenge - ANYTHING (Christmas) GOES + (optional) TWINKLE

 

Monday, here comes another week!

Morning readers,

Hope you had a great weekend, get up to much? For me, it was dinner with friends and some light crafting. Due to some stormy weather I didn't make it for my usual morning walk so I have some catching up to do ...... wish me luck with that!

I've been commissioned to make 12 cards (birthday/anniversary and Christmas) and this is one of the Christmas cards! A chance to use some patterned paper too

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
• One Piece of white and one of green patterned paper cut to fit
• One piece of green card cut to mat
• Snippets of white and green card, for my image panel
• Recollections tree border stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Recollections sentiment stamped using Ranger Archival vermilion ink
• Stardust stickles

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

1. Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - challenge No. 460 - ANYTHING (Christmas) GOES
2. CardzTV - challenge No. 100 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Winter Wonderland - October 4th challenge - MERRY AND BRIGHT
4. Happy Little Stampers - October Christmas challenge - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) TWINKLE
5. Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - October challenge - ANYTHING GOES + (optional) twist STARS

And here's one of the cards made as an anniversary card, for my commission ..

My card

And a closer view which, I hope, shows the sparkle detail

 

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 (Olde World stack) cut to mat
• Snippet of white card - for my decoupage heart
• Studio112 frame stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink (on the card front, elsewhere I stamped using Versafine onyx black ink)
• Red glitter gel penm pinkish white copic marker and Wink of Stella clear gel glitter brush pen used to add colour to my frame
• Finnabair heart image stamped using Memento rosebud ink, again adding sparkle using the wink of stella brush pen
• Hero Arts sentiment stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• I fussy cut out the heart (edging again with the rosebud ink, to avoid a harsh white edge) before mounting on dimensional foam squares and attaching to m card front

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

1. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - challenge No. 116 - ANYTHING GOES
2. Corrosive Challenge - challenge No. 10 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Brown Sugar - challenge No. 294 - ANYTHING GOES
4. QKR Stampede - challenge No. 368 - ANYTHING GOES
5. Penny's Paper Crafty - challenge No. 452 - ANYTHING GOES

I also discovered I was a "favourite" over at Happy Little Stampers, with my entry for their September CAS challenge - thank you so much Kylie and the Design Team, much appreciated