Wednesday, 28 June 2023

Anniversary

I made this card for friends who celebrated their wedding anniversary recently.

All the card and patterned paper were snippets, except for the card blank.  The patterned paper was from a paper pad from The Range.  I corner rounded all the squares before layering them.  The flower centres were die cut with a Lisa Horton die and I added a tiny, red gem to the centres.  The little red heart is punched. 

I am joining in the following challenges:




Tuesday, 27 June 2023

Wet and Dry Embossing

A card today with both wet (heat) and dry embossing.  

The image is an old wood mounted stamp which I've had for 15+ years.  I embossed it with gold pearl embossing powder and coloured it with Sharpies. I use Memory Box circle dies for matting layering and raised them up on foam pads.  The bottom half of the background was embossed with a Couture Creations 'Fireflies' embossing folder and I put a strip of ribbon across the middle of the card.  The sentiment is a stamp from the Stampin' Up 'Best Year' set, stamped with Versafine Clair 'Monarch'.

I am joining in the following challenges:
Beautiful Blossoms Challenge #6 ~ 
Anything Goes Flowers




Sunday, 25 June 2023

Embossed Christmas Card

Another month has flown by and here we are at the 25th June and time for another Rudolph Days Challenge.

The image is a old wood mounted stamp which I've had for years and thought it could do with another outing.  I embossed the image and the SU sentiment with gold pearl embossing powder.  I wanted to keep the card cream and gold, but realised that I didn’t have any gold card the same shade for a mat and what I did have didn't look right.  Then I had a light bulb moment, I die cut a rectangle of card for the mat, pressed an embossing ink pad around the edge, about 1/2cm wide, and used the same embossing power to emboss the edge.  (Apologies if you do this all the time, but I'd never thought to do it before. 🤣)

I am joining in the following challenges:



Saturday, 24 June 2023

Allsorts Challenge ~ Bunch of flowers

A new theme for the Allsorts Challenge, this week chosen by Lynn ~ 'Bunch of Flowers', or there is always the Anything Goes option.

For my DT card, I made a Dutch Fold card.  The image is an old Anita's rubber stamp. It has the date 2002 on it and as I bought it from new, I've had it a long time!  I coloured the image with Promarkers and used Memory Box 'Stitched Oval Layers' dies for matting and layering.  For the background I used a Cuttlebug 'Daisy Pattern' embossing folder.
 
The card folds flat for posting.


Prizes this month are from SizzixAALL and CreateAldridge CraftsLavinia and Ruth Hamilton Design.


Please visit the Allsorts Challenge blog to see all the beautiful cards the DT have made for inspiration.

I am joining in the following challenges:




Thursday, 22 June 2023

No Spring Chicken!

I saw the instructions last weekend for making a Hexagon Pop Up Card over on Beccy's Place blog HERE.  I haven't seen this fold before, but couldn't wait to try it.  My hubby and I have just come home from a short break and I've finally found the time to share my card on my blog.

The image and chicken sentiment are from Beccy's 'Spring Chickens' set of digital stamps.  I used the pre-coloured image.  The circle and scalloped circle are both Memory Box die cuts.

The panels on the bottom section are embossed with a Crafts-Too 'Feathers' embossing folder.  The card folds flat for posting and fits in a 6" x 6" envelope.

I am joining in the following challenges:

Just sharing a few photos taken during our few days away.  If you are ever near Guildford, visit the Watts Chapel in Compton.  It's the most amazing chapel I've ever visited.









We also spent a couple of days visiting the Historic Boatyard and harbour in Portsmouth.





Saturday, 17 June 2023

Allsorts Challenge ~ Blooms/Bees/Butterflies

 Ellie has chosen the optional theme this week of Blooms/Bees/Butterflies for the Allsorts Challenge.  I decided to go with Blooms. 
 
The background panel was stencilled with a Lavinia stencil 'Dynamic', using 'Mowed Lawn' Distress Ink.  The image is from one of our generous sponsors this month, Ruth Hamilton Design 'Sunflowers'. I coloured it with Promarkers and added three tiny green pearls.










Friday, 16 June 2023

Recycling and Snippets

A card today using recycling and snippets.   I received a small gift from Sarn a little while ago and it was wrapped in fabulous paper she had stamped and stencilled.  It was too beautiful to throw away, so yesterday I finally got round to using it as a background on a card.  Sarn also included a couple of die cuts, including this butterfly, which I suspect was originally a snippet.

I used a snippet of lilac card to die cut a frame using two dies from Lisa Hortons's 'Scallop Layered Rectangle' set.  I carefully ironed the backing paper and cut it to fit behind the frame.  I die cut a Memory Box 'Stitched Scalloped Circle' from the 'waste' left over from the centre of the frame and layered the butterfly on top .  To finish off my card I used another lilac snippet for the sentiment mat and I added a few turquoise gems to the butterfly and the sentiment panel.

I am joining in the following challenges:





Wednesday, 14 June 2023

Nautical Birthday Card + Red, White and Black

A masculine Flying Seagull Fold card.

The patterned paper is from a Trimcraft 'Sail Away' paper pad.  I die cut a Memory Box 'Marina Sailboats' yacht, layered it on a Memory Box 'Stitched Circle Layers' die cut and a slightly larger red mat die cut using the same set.  The sentiment is a SU stamp.

The card folds flat for posting.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:

 A second card is from my draft folder, which I didn't get round to posting on my blog.
I followed a sketch for this card and the paper, flower stamps, leaf die and embossing folder were all from one of Lisa Horton's box kits.  I added a few tiny red pearls and some red and white twine.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:






Monday, 12 June 2023

Bookmark Card

The theme of the current Butterfly Challenge is 'B for Bookmark Card'.  The other elements for this challenge are Burgandy, Banana, Briar Rose, Baby Blue, Buttons or Bows and a Butterfly.  I used all the elements, except for Burgandy. The instructions for the Bookmark Card Fold can be found here.  

The patterned paper is from an old Pink Petticoat paper pad, which came as a cover gift with a magazine.  I used a Couture Creations 'Fireflies' embossing folder. The butterfly was made with Poppystamps 'Lyndon Butterfly' and 'Elsa Butterfly' dies and I finished off the front of my card with two green buttons, matching some of the flowers in the patterned paper. 



The corner bookmark comes off and can be used to slip onto the corner of the page of a book.  As I made a side opening card rather than a tent fold card, the message will be written on the inside of the main card blank.  I added a Memory Box 'Kensington Branch' die cut to the inside of the front panel.  I die cut it in green, yellow and pink.  I kept the green as the base and layered over the snipped off pink butterflies and yellow flowers.

I am joining in the following challenges:







Saturday, 10 June 2023

Allsorts Challenge ~ Birthday

A new  Allsorts Challenge begins today and Dena has chosen the theme of  'Birthday', a nice easy one,  or you can always go with 'Anything Goes'.

For my DT card I made a Staggered Front Card, a fold I first saw on the Nifty Noodles Crafting Facebook page.  The patterned paper is from a paper pad from The Range.  When I was looking though my stash for a piece of sunflower yellow card for the inside of the card, I came across this piece of card which had a lovely textured finish.  The sentiment is a stamp from the Stampin' Up 'Painted Glass set, stamped with Versafine Clair 'Nocturne'.  I punched out the sentiment with a SU punch and layered it on a blue mat which I'd corner rounded.   Four tiny, sunflower yellow pearls finished off my card.

The card folds flat for posting.


There are lots of lovely prizes this month from our generous sponsors, SizzixAALL and CreateAldridge CraftsLavinia and Ruth Hamilton Design.


The Allsorts DT have made some fabulous cards for inspiration.

I am joining in the following challenges:



Monday, 5 June 2023

Creating Backgrounds

Anyone who knows me well knows that I usually avoid 'messy', but I wanted to make a few inky background for some cards and this is one of them.  

I used Distress Oxides, a stencil and a spritz  or two of water.

My first card has a panel of the inky background, layered on a turquoise mat and with a Memory Box 'Prim Poppy' die cut layered on top.  It's my favourite flower die and the one I use most often.  Along with sunflowers, poppies are my favourite flowers. I used a stamp from the Stampin' Up 'Best Year' set, stamped with Versafine Clair 'Warm Breeze' and added three tiny, orange pearls.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card:



For my second card, I've put the inky panel horizontally.  I used Versafine Clair 'Nocturne' with a Lavinia 'Bell Flower Vine' stamp to stamp over the panel.  I put a little of the 'Peacock Feather' Distress Oxide onto an acrylic block, spritzed with a little water to make a paint and added a little extra colour to the flower heads. The sentiment is from the SU 'Best Year' stamp set.

I am joining in the following challenges with this card: