White on White

A CAS White on White card with a few challenges in mind.  I based the design on the Less is More sketch this week.

 I started by embossing a strip of white card with a Couture Creations e/f 'Fireflies' and attaching to the bottom half of a card blank.  I chose this e/f because it reminds me of the flight paths of butterflies.  A second piece of card was die cut with Lawn Fawn 'Stitched Hillside Border' dies arranged to leave the embossed panel showing.  The butterfly is made of of MB 'Pippi' and 'Isabella' die cuts.  The sentiment was cut with a die from the set of an inexpensive stitched rectangle dies from The Works and attached with foam pads.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Addicted to CAS Challenge #114 ~ White on White

Cards in Envy Challenge ~ White on White

CASology Challenge - Week 255 ~ Fly

That's Crafty Challenge ~ Keep it Simple

Less is More Challenge Challenge #334 ~ Sketch 20

Hummer

A 'Get Well' card which I can post on my blog now that I know it's been received.

The embossing folder and hummingbird stamp were both freebies which came with a magazine a while ago.  I started by stamping the image with Memento 'Tuxedo Black', then lined up the card in the embossing folder to get the image in the place I wanted it.  After googling photos of hummingbirds to find out the correct colours, it would seem they come in just about every colour!  I decided to use turquoise and green Promarkers.  The embossed card was put on a card blank covered with turquoise card to form a narrow border. 

I am joining in the following challenges.

CASology Challenge - Week 255 ~ Fly

Last minute card

We are having a short break in our caravan, which is near where my nieces and their families live.  (Unusually, we have a strong wifi signal here which is a bonus, as I can do some blog visiting when it's raining!) After totally losing track of the date, I suddenly remembered that it's my niece's hubby's birthday the day after we get home and I hadn't made a card for him!  It would be too late to post one when I get home and there was no way I was going to give him a shop bought card.  So, as I keep a basic craft kit in the caravan as well as lots of offcuts, die cuts and card blanks, I knew I could get a card up together somehow.  

We just happened to call into one of my favourite craft shops on the way here and I bought this Sweet Dixie 'Football and Boot' die as I make a lot of football themed card.  My niece's hubby supports a team which plays in red and white and I found a snippet of red card already embossed with footballs and a snippet of white embossed card to go with the football die cut.  The only thing I didn't have was a sentiment stamp or ink pad, but I managed to find a sheet of Happy Birthday peeloffs in a local art store.  The photo isn't great as it's taken on my phone inside the caravan - it was too windy to take the photo outside! The red is not really that bright! LOL!

I am joining in the following challenges:

HLS June Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

We picked up our great nieces and great nephew, aged 6, 7 and 8, after school today and brought them back to the caravan.  After a visit to the play area and polishing off a plate of fish fingers, chips and beans, they spent a lovely hour making cards with all my bits and pieces before we took them home.

Stained Glass

A card today which I made for my niece's birthday a few days ago.  Before she had her two daughters, she used to make the most beautiful stained glass creations.  Hopefully, when the children are older, she will have time return to her hobby.  The Creative Expressions, Sue Wilson 'Butterfly' die from the Stained Glass Collection seemed a perfect die for her card.

 Although there are several techniques for using this die, I decided to inlay it - a perfect way of using up some of those tiny snippets too!  I cut the frame out in black and stuck it down firmly on a double-sided adhesive sheet.  I put the snippets of different coloured card over the areas I wanted to die cut and then fitted them into the relevant places.  It was much easier than I thought it was going to be - a bit like making a jigsaw but knowing exactly where each piece had to go.  I matted and layered the completed image, die cutting the green mat with a stitched rectangle die.  

I am joining in the following challenges:

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 287 and 288 ~ Use Snippets

Allsorts Challenge Week 421 ~ Flower Power

HLS June Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

Butterfly Challenge #80 ~ Butterflies + B is for Bingo lines and/or the colour Heather (I just used the Butterfly and the colour Heather this time)

Special Flight

It's the 25th of the month, the first day of the Rudolph Days June Challenge, which runs until the end of the month.  Can you believe we are exactly six months away from Christmas Day!! 

I don't use glitter card very often on my cards, but this glitter card is really lovely and the glitter doesn't come off, not one single speck.  The extra bonus is that I bought it in a pound store - 10 A4 sheets for just £1, two sheets of five different colours.  I die cut a navy piece of card with a Sue Wilson 'Starry Night Sky' die which I attached over the silver glitter card.  I used a snippet of gold glitter card to die cut the moon, which I then inlaid.  Santa originally had four reindeer, (Cheery Lynn - Santa's Sleigh and Reindeer die) but I snipped off the two middle ones, before attaching the die cut.  If you look carefully, you might be able to see the red nose I gave Rudolph.  The sentiment is an old wood mounted stamp, which I stamped using Versafine 'Majestic Blue', before matting and layering with navy and silver glitter card.  

I am joining in the following challenges:

Rudolph Days June Challenge

HLS June Christmas Challenge ~ Anything Goes (Chose not to use the optional theme of 'Tree')

HLS June Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

ABC Christmas Challenge ~ M for More than one (stars and reindeer)

CHNC Challenge #339

CHNC challenge extra for June 2017

Ike's World Challenge #91 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist - Blue Christmas

Favourite Stamp

The Stamping Sensations challenge this month is 'Use your favourite stamp'.  How do you pick a favourite?  Not a favourite set of stamps,  but a favourite STAMP.....just one stamp!  Well, it's taken me three weeks to pick my absolute favourite.  I chose this stamp because it is the one I got really, really excited about when I saw it in a craft shop many years ago and I just had to buy it...... a football GIRL!  My daughter has been a Bristol Rovers fan since the age of about 8 or 9, when her Dad took her to watch her first game and she became hooked.  A year or two later, she pestered the person who chose the ball boys and tried to convinced him that a girl could do the same job just as well.  Finally he gave in and she became the first ball girl at the club, a job she did for several years.  When she was too old to be a ball girl, she became a football steward until she went to University.  She is now a qualified physiotherapist and when Bristol Rovers found themselves without a match day physio a couple of years ago, a few days before the start of the season, she stepped in and sat on the bench next to the manager for a couple of games, ready to run on the pitch when needed.   Coming out through the tunnel with her favourite football team at the start of the game, to the roar of a crowd of over 10,000 people, was a dream come true for her and I could have burst with pride watching her.  So.....if you're still with me, this is why I love this stamp, because girls like football too!

The stamp is an old wood mounted Woodware, Francoise Read, 'Footy Girl' stamp.  I stamped the image with Memento 'Tuxedo Black' and coloured it with Promarkers.  The embossing folder I used is Crafts Too 'Football'.  Three Card Candi finished off my card.  

 .......and if I need to make a card for a football fan who supports a different team, my footie girl looks just as good dressed in red and white.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations June Challenge ~ Use your favourite stamp

 Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #247 ~ Make Your Mark 
Sweet Stampin' Challenge ~ Lots of Layers
Let's Craft and Create Challenge #126 ~ Girls. Girls. Girls

A couple of photos to share.  Jo's just to the right of the flag with her long hair tied back.

A photo taken after the game.  Jo was even given her own official kit to wear, complete with her initials!  Although a full time physiotherapist, working for the NHS, on Saturdays she'll be watching one of the local teams where she lives in Devon, ready to run onto the pitch as their physio.  

  

Poppies

A CAS card today for my box of charity cards.  The Less is More Challenge this week is 'Personalise It'.  As the challenge closes in a few hours,  I'm sneaking in a last minute card. I decided to make a 'Mum' card which can be used for any occasion for a Mum.

The stamp is an old wood mounted Stampendous stamp, 'Poppy Stems'.  I stamped it with Memento 'Tuxedo Black' and coloured the petals with a Promarker and the stem with an ultra fine Sharpie pen.  The image is die cut with a Creative Expressions 'Double Pierced Rectangle' die and I used Memory Box 'Alphabet Soup' dies for the letters.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Less is More Challenge #333 ~ Personalise It

That's Crafty Challenge ~ Keep it simple
Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #247 - Make Your Mark 
Addicted to Stamps Challenge #150 ~ Flowers

Anniversaries

Welcome to my new follower, Kylie of Addicted to Stamps.  I'm sure Kylie is known to many crafty bloggers as Founder of Addicted to Stamps and More! challenge blog, Addicted to CAS challenge blog and Happy Little Stampers blog and Forum.

I've just got back from a couple of VERY hot and sunny days in our caravan in Devon.   We were on our way down when I had a call from my daughter to say she was in her local Minor Injuries Unit after falling over her own feet!  We made a slight detour, called in the MIU and collected her.........and her broken arm!  She came down with us to the caravan for a bit if TLC.  

Two cards today, with the same design but in different colours.  Both cards have been received now, so I can post them on my blog.

The first card was for friends celebrating their ruby anniversary. For the main heart I used Spellbinders Shapeabilities 'Lace Hearts' dies, in rich red pearlised card.  I added a small punched heart in the aperture.  All these were raised up on foam pads. The embossing on the left was done with an Xcut 'Small Polka Hearts' folder.  To cover the join, I made a scalloped panel with a MB 'Stitched Country Border' and used the waste from a MB 'Heart of Hearts' to add hearts down the panel.  I used a left over snippets of the red card with the Heart of Hearts die to add three tiny red hearts at the top.  I die cut the computer generated sentiment with a Sizzix 'Stitched Rectangle' die, matted and layered with red pearlised card and attached with foam pads.

The second card was for my brother and sister-in-law who are celebrating their 45th Anniversary.  As this anniversary is Sapphire, I used blue pearlised card.

I am joining in the following challenges:
Country View June Challenge ~ Hearts  
HLS June Anything Goes with Dies Challenge
Dies R US Challenge #75 - Celebrations

Get Well Wishes

A 'Get Well' card today.

I started by covering a card blank with pink paper, so I could create a thin pink border.   I used an embossing folder which came as a freebie with a magazine some time ago.  I actually bought it when it first arrived on the shelves, not knowing that it would turn out to be so popular that many crafters were trying to get hold of one long after the magazines had been sold!  It's a square embossing folder, but I just used the bottom half as I wanted to used floral patterned paper for the top half.  Along the curved pattern of the embossing, I added flowers, picking out the colours in the patterned paper, punched with a Fiskars daisy punch.  I attached every other one with foam pads to add some dimension.  A computer generated sentiment finished off my card.

  I am joining in the following challenges:

Moving Along with the Times Challenge #47 ~ Embossing, Wet and/or Dry

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge ~ Emboss It

Simon Says Monday Challenge ~ Touchy Feely

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper June 2017 challenge

Joy Fold Card

I haven't made a Joy Fold card for ages, so I thought I'd make one today.

To make the card base, I cut an A4  piece of white linen card along the length, 5" wide and scored at 7".  This gave me a finished card when folded of 5" x  7".  I embossed a purple piece of card with a Creative Expressions 'Art Deco Rose Swirl' embossing folder.  The stamped image is an old wood mounted Francoise Read stamp, 'Glasgow Rose Garden'. I stamped the image with Memento 'Tuxedo Black', before colouring with Promarkers.  I die cut the image with a Memory Box 'Stitched Square' die. A brad keeps the card closed.  To finish off my card, I added a few clear gems to the image where there were dots in the design.

This photo shows the card open, revealing the tiny punched butterfly for added interest and the space to write a message.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Memory Box Challenge #25- Celebrating Birthdays
Penny Black and More June Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Moving Along with the Times Challenge #47 ~  Embossing, Wet and/or Dry
Addicted to Stamps and More! Challenge #246 ~ Anything Goes

Simon Says Monday Challenge ~ Touchy Feely
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge ~ Emboss it

Butterfly Challenge #80 ~ Butterflies + B is for Bingo lines and/or the colour Heather (Heather + Blooms, Butterfly, Bling)

Sweet Wishes

The Less is More challenge this week is a One Layer card with the theme of 'Sweet Things'.   While I was looking through my stamps for the one I had in mind, I came across this image and sentiment, both freebies from a while ago, so decided to go with these instead.  

 I used a Poppystamp 'Stitched Main Street Tag' to emboss the card blank, the first time I've tried this technique, but I'm sure I'll be using it again. I eventually stamped the image and sentiment with Stazon 'Jet Black'.  I tried Memento and Versafine stamp pads first, but the stamping was quite fuzzy, probably to do with the quality of the freebie stamps.  The image is coloured with Promarkers.  

I am joining in the following challenges:

Less is More Challenge #332 ~ ONE layer - Sweet Things

Triple Mat ~ Embossing

Welcome to my new follower, Mia of Craftartista.  Mia has a wide range of beautiful crafts on her blog and I hope you pop over and visit her to see what she's been creating.

A sympathy card today for my box of ready made cards.

I saw a lovely card on Alicia's blog HERE and she had embossed the corner of her triple mat card.  It got me thinking about what a triple mat card would look like with just embossing rather including stamping.  I had an embossing folder in mind which I thought might work, Couture Creations 'Serenity - Serene'.  As it had butterflies on and I would be including several layers, I used cream card so I could enter a last minute second card into the Butterfly Challenge.  I cut the cream card to size before embossing and positioned in place with repositional Herma as the three layers had to be embossed together.  I discovered that was a big mistake, as the pressure of embossing made it impossible to separate the layers without the card ripping!  So I started again, layering the cream card in the right place and gently closing the embossing folder, before holding my breath and crossing my fingers hoping the card wouldn't move as it was embossed.  It worked perfectly! I used pale green for matting and layering as I wanted to make it into a sympathy card and pastel colours seemed more appropriate.  The layers are raised up on foam tape. 

I am joining in the following challenges:
Butterfly Challenge #79  ~ Butterflies +L is for Layers and/or the colour Cream
4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #354 ~ Sympathy with Triple Mat Technique
Simon Says Monday Challenge ~ Touchy Feely
Moving Along with the Times Challenge #47 ~ Embossing, wet/and or dry

White on White.......with a splash of a rainbow!

Two cards today, the same design but with different colours.

The Poppystamps Challenge this month is 'Rainbow Wishes' and the Memory Box Challenge is Celebrating Birthdays, so I decided to make my two cards with these challenges particularly in mind.

I wanted to make the first one a mainly White on White card, with just a touch of the colours of the rainbow.  Looking through my dies, I found my Memory Box 'Blooming Poppy' die had six flowers and one butterfly in the design, perfect for the seven colours of the rainbow.  I used the die with white card and used snippets card the colours of the rainbow to die cut the flower heads and the butterfly.  More snippets of the coloured card were used to die cut the letters, using Memory Box 'Alphabet Soup' dies, remembering to keep the colours in the right order.  A white Poppystamps 'Picket Fence' die cut was added over the base of the flowers and  a MFT  'Fresh Cut Grass' die cut finished of my card. The whole scene was assembled on a square piece of white card, slightly smaller than the card blank, before attaching it to the front of the card. 

I am joining the following challenges with this card:
Poppystamps Challenge #33 ~ Rainbow wishes
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 285 and 286

My second card was made with more traditional colours.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:
Memory Box Challenge #25 ~ Celebrating Birthdays
HLS June Anything Goes with Dies Challenge
Allsorts Challenge Week 419 ~ Use at least two dies

Golden Wedding

Welcome to my new follower, Claire of String Bows.  I'm sure she would love you to pop over to her blog to see all her beautiful creations. 

A Golden Wedding card today, which I can post on my blog now that I know it has been received.  

I used several different dies for this card using gold pearlised card.  It really is a lovely shade of gold with a beautiful sheen.  The main frame is a die cut from the Creative Expressions 'Christmas Shadow Box' set.  The flowers are CE 'String Flowers' with a Nuvo Crystal Drop for the centres and Poppystamp 'Ivy Tendrils' for the leaves.  The heart is from the CE 'Mr & Mrs' set.  

I am joining in the following challenges:
Allsorts Challenge - Week 419 ~ Use at least two dies
HLS  Anything Goes with Dies June Challenge
Country View June Challenge ~ Hearts 
Cuttlebug Mania Challenge ~ Frame it

Christmas in June

A Christmas card today, another one to add to the box for Christmas 2017. 

The stamp is a Woodware one called 'Frosty',  stamped with Memento ' Tuxedo Black' and coloured with Promarkers.  The patterned papers are by Docrafts, from a pack a bought a couple of years ago in a closing down sale.  It always sad to see a bricks and mortar craft shop close.  I finished off my card with some punched holly leaves.  

I am joining in the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge Week 418 ~ Christmas in June

CHNC Challenge 336 ~ Anything goes as long as it's Christmas - Optional theme: winter fun

CHNC challenge extra for June 2017

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper June 2017 challenge

Football header

I've made another football card in our local team colours, this time a slider card.  I've lost count or how many blue and white cards I've made for  family and friends over the years! 

I started by covering a card blank with royal blue pearlised card.  I actually remembered to cut a big rectangle out of the middle of the blue card,  so I can use it for another project.  I think it's called 'gutting' and I usually forget to do it until it's too late!  Royal blue card seems really difficult to find and it's a colour I like to use a lot for football themed cards.  The stamp is an old wood mounted Francoise Read 'Footy Boy' stamp, coloured with Promarkers.  The stamp has a football roughly in the position where my football is, but as I wanted to make a slider card with the football being headed into the air from the footballer's head. I masked off the football on the stamp when I inked it and then just stamped the boy.  I used one of the dies from the MFT 'Surf & Turf' dies for the slider part, with a 'Spin and Slide' disc, a prize I won in The Playground a few months ago.  I put a football peeloff on a stiff piece of white card and fussy cut around the football.  The sentiment is computer generated and I finished off my card with three Card Candi.

I am joining in the following challenges:
Simon Says Monday Challenge ~ Masculine
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge ~ Make it Masculine
Penny Black and More June Challenge ~ Anything Goes
Little Red Wagon Challenge 397 ~ Move It!
Shopping Our Stash #306 ~ Dude

Crafty Cardmakers #190 ~ For a Special Man/Boy or Father’s Day

Crafty Calendar June Challenge ~ Boys Will Be Boys
Cards in Envy Card Challenge ~ You're the Man

Dies R Us Challenge #74 ~ Masculine

Under the Sea

A birthday card today with an underwater theme. 

The embossing folder is a new one I bought recently, Creative Expressions 'Ocean Waves'.  I thought it would make a lovely background, particularly for the MB 'Oceana Corner' die cut.  The die cut is embossed to show up the markings on the shells and fish.  A few of the fish and bubbles cut separately and I've added these in the spaces.  I cut one of the loose fish three extra times and attached them swimming away at the top of the card.  

I am joining in the following challenges:

Memory Box Challenge #25 ~ Celebrating Birthdays

Get Well Soon

I spent yesterday at a local 12 hour Charity Crop and Craft day.  What a perfect way to spend a Saturday - crafting for 12 hours with friends and raising money for Cancer Research at the same time.   I decided to spend the 12 hours card making, although with all the chatting and laughter I didn't finish even half the cards I'd planned!  Here is one of the cards I made, with a few challenges in mind.

The image is one of the stamps from the Woodware 'Take it Easy' set.  This stamp comes with a get well sentiment over the top, so I masked it off before stamping with Memento 'Tuxedo Black' as I wanted to add my own die cut sentiment.  The image was coloured with Promarkers.  I added a frame, die cut with a MFT 'Stitched Circle Scallop Frames' die.  The letters are MB 'Alphabet Soup' die cuts, cut from snippets of neapolitan coloured card to match the pills in the bottle.  I added a scalloped strip along the bottom, using a MB 'Stitched Country Border' die. 

I am joining in the following challenges:
Less is More Challenge #331 ~ Colour - Neapolitan
Cuttlebug Mania Challenge ~ Frame it
CASology Challenge - Week 251 ~ Medicine
Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #244 ~ Clean and Simple
Penny Black and More June Challenge ~ Anything Goes

Aloha!

A card today which I made as part of this month's Quick Cards Made Easy magazine Readers Design Team.  Although my card didn't make it into the magazine as one of the top three, it will be appearing on their Facebook page at some point soon, so I can blog it now.  This was a real challenge for me as the main focus was to showcase this month's free downloadable patterned papers on a square card, so no stamped or die cut images or sentiments!  No CAS either!

The papers were all tropical, so I chose two patterned papers and one of the printed tags.  I used one of the papers as a background and, with a bit of careful cutting, used the striped paper to form an symmetrical border down the side of the embossed panel.  I had a two flower punches and leaf punch similar to the design on the background paper and I added three of these to the white Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dots' panel.  The tiny punched flower was attached to the top of the tag. 

I am joining in the following challenges:

Time Out Challenge #84 ~ Flowers and Friends make life a garden

Double 'D' Challenges ~ Flowers Galore

Sunny Days Crafting June Challenge ~ Tic Tac Toe (Flowers, Dies/Punches, Embossing)