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Thursday 25 July 2024

Krafty Chicks challenge #726 - All occasion

Good morning lovely friends.  I hope you're all doing ok and having a great week so far.  It''s time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and we are now on Week 4 which means Lori is our hostess and our theme as always is 'All Occasions' which couldn't be easier.  So come over and join in the fun with us. 
My mother needed a last minute birthday card for a friend so this challenge was perfect timing for me.  I went fairly clean and simple and only used card, ink and stencils (apart from a few sequins) so it didn't take any time at all to make.  The finished card is 5" x 7".  I hope you like it. 
Here is my card:
A close up of the stencilling:
Plus I decorated the inside:
I began by cutting a white panel 4 1/2" x 6 1/2", grabbed my lilac ink pads and a gorgeous lotus layering stencil and created this gorgeous design.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink and basically the card front was finished.  I added a black mat panel with double sided tape and added the whole panel onto my card base with foam tape.  For a final flourish I added 5 clear sequins for some extra interest.  For the inside I cut another white panel, masked the stencil so that I only ink blended one of the flowers in the right corner and stamped a sentiment in the centre in black ink.  Again I cut a black mat panel and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I also added it to the card base with double sided tape.  I love layering stencils as they make your cards look like you took ages colouring and adding depth with shading but it literally takes 10 minutes and you are done!  

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Addicted to CAS challenge - code word: nature
Beautiful Blossoms challenge - anything floral goes optional mood board
Creative Friday challenge - no patterned paper
Double D challenge - basketful of posies (baskets or posies or both)
Just Us Girls challenge - ATG stencil week
Stencil Fun challenge - ATG use a stencil optional twist - shades of blue
Triple B challenge - use a least one bird, bloom or butterfly

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'All Occasions' challenge and I cannot wait to see your creations in our linky.  Please leave some love for my fellow chicks - LeanneDiane and Lori and also our guest designer Rachelle.  

Thanks for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:
Gina K Designs - spring floral background stamp (for sentiment)
Honey Bee Stamps - inside: birthday sentiments (for inside sentiment)
Hobbycraft - A4 black card
Versafine - onyx black ink pad







Wednesday 24 July 2024

Summer Soiree Card Making IG Hop - Week 6

Hello friends; I hope you've had a great start to your week.  The weather is very changeable here at the moment and we can't seem to string two days together; it's showery today but it was lovely and sunny yesterday.  We did however take Wesley for a walk today around the local lake this morning.  It's gorgeous up there and they even have a cafe so you can have a coffee and a bite to eat if you want.  He really enjoyed himself and was really brave meeting dogs for the first time.  He wasn't too sure about the water though.  

Anyway enough of my waffling let's get down to the real reason you are here.  It's week 5 of our Summer Soiree IG card hop, which has been organised by my lovely friend Kelly. This week is all about 'Christmas in July' so we want to see all your festive images but of course if you don't celebrate Christmas we would love to see your winter creations too.  
I've been having fun rediscovering my wooden stamps and I'm really going to try and make an effort to use them more.  I found this cute Hero Arts stamp and I remember using it lots years ago but it's been neglected for probably 15 years so I thought I would show it some love.  
Here is my card:
A close up of the cute kitty:
Plus I decorated the inside:
I began by cutting a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and did an ombre ink blend from left to right using my ink pads and blending brushes.  Using the same inks I stamped some trees in the background and added some gold dots using a metallic pen and white highlights using a gelly roll pen.  I managed to squish one corner of my panel so decided to cut it out using a postage die.  I stamped the kitty image onto alcohol marker friendly card, coloured it with Promarkers, added some white highlights and then fussy cut it out.  I stamped a sentiment under the ink blended strip towards the left side using black ink.  I added the panel onto my card blank with foam tape and also added the kitty with foam squares.  For the inside I again did an ombre ink blend but this time at the bottom of my panel and stamped two trees using the same inks.  I added more gold and white highlights and stamped my sentiment with black ink.  I used the same postage die to cut it out.  I added this to my card base with double sided tape.  A very simple card but I think it's really super cute.  I hope you like it too.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

AAA Cards challenge - sketch ombre
Alphabet challenge - H is for Holidays - summer or Christmas in July
Christmas Crafts All Year 'Round challenge - anything Christmas or winter holiday goes
Christmas With The Cuties challenge - clean and simple Christmas cuties
CRAFT challenge - Christmas
Crafty Gals Corner challenge - ATG optional twist Christmas
Creative Knockouts challenge - Christmas in July
Daisy Chain challenge - Christmas in July
Day Of The Month Card Club challenge - National US postage stamp day
Dragonfly Dreams challenge - Christmas in July
A Blog Named Hero July challenge - color my world (I coloured my image with alcohol markers and ink blended my background)
Kat Scrappiness Christmas in July pick 3 challenge - die cuts/stamps/mainly red & green
My Time To Craft Christmas challenge - woods (like a forest, small grove of trees)
My Time To Craft challenge - clean and simple
Papercraft challenges - holiday time
Pearly Sparkles challenge - Christmas in July
Show Us Your Pussy Cats challenge - ATG must include a cat
Simply Create Too challenge - Christmas in July 
Stamping Sensations challenge - ATG optional twist Christmas in July
Tic Tac Toe challenge - die cut/free/any sentiment

Wow so many Christmas challenges around at the moment!  

If you would like to follow the hop over on Instagram please use the hashtag #summersoireecardmakinghop2024 to find us or alternatively visit my profile and you will find the list of participants on my post.  We would love it if you would give the summer soiree challenges a try and again use the hashtag and we will find your projects.  

I'll be back tomorrow with my card for the Krafty Chicks challenge but until then enjoy the rest of your day and thank you for stopping by. 

Love and hugs,
  
Card ingredients:
Hero Arts - Winter kitty E4841 wood stamp - ? no longer available
Promarkers
Lawn Fawn - winter village stamp set (for trees)
Catherine Pooler - notecard postage dies
MFT - itty bitty holiday stamp set (for sentiments)
Gina K Designs - ink pads - key lime, jelly bean green, fresh asparagus
Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed
Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Thursday 18 July 2024

Krafty Chicks challenge #725 - CAS

Hello again lovely friends.  I hope you're all doing ok and having a great week.  I'm a little late with my post again this week but it's Thursday so that means it's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge.  We are now on Week 3 which means Diane is our hostess and our theme as always is 'CAS (clean and simple)', so come and join in the fun with us. 
I wanted to make a cheerful get well soon card for a friend who is currently in hospital after surgery.  I only used SIP (stamps, ink & paper); no dies were used at all - shock horror!  
Here is my card:
A closer look at the stamping:
Plus I decorated the inside:
I began by cutting a white panel 4" x 5 1/4".  I grabbed a striped background stamped and masked each stripe so that I could stamp them a different colour (I did have some slight bleed from my orange into the pink but I don't think it looks too bad).  I then stamped the flower in black ink and arranged the sentiment along 3 of the stripes, again stamping in black ink.  I was just about to add foam tape to the back when I noticed an ink smudge at the very bottom (luckily) so I trimmed my panel a tiny bit smaller.  I added foam tape to the back and added it to the card base.  For the inside I used the same background stamp and again masked each stripe but did it on an angle in the left corner.  I once again stamped the flower in black ink and added a sentiment in the centre, again stamped with black ink.  I added this panel to the card base with double sided tape.  The thing that took the longest in regards to this card was the masking of the stripes, apart from that it was really quick to make (for me anyway lol!).  I hope you like it.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

AAA Cards challenge - anything CAS goes optional twist summer colours
Addicted to CAS challenge - summer (I used summer colours)
Beautiful Blossoms challenge - anything floral goes optional mood board
Dream Valley challenge - summer colours
Triple B challenge - use at least one bird, bloom or butterfly optional mood board

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'CAS' challenge and I cannot wait to see your creations in our linky.  Please leave some love for my fellow chicks - LeanneDiane and Lori and also our guest designer Rachelle.  

Thanks for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 
card ingredients:
Uniko Stamps - flower power 10 (for flower)
Uniko Stamps - simply said stamp (for outside sentiment)
Uniko Stamps - flower power 6 (for inside sentiment)
Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Summer Soiree Card Making IG Hop - Week 5

Hello friends; I hope you've had a great start to your week.  I'm still playing catch up with my posts as Wesley is occupying most of my time at the moment.  He is chewing everything he can find and doesn't know what to do next; I'm sure (insert hope!) he will calm down soon.  He is full of fun though and very loving and cuddly.  

It's week 5 of our Summer Soiree IG card hop, which has been organised by my lovely friend Kelly. This week is all about 'summer gardening' so we want to see all your gardening images i.e. flowers, wheelbarrows, veggies, spades etc.  

I made a clean and simple card this week, as I had to take make the most of puppy naps, and used a image from LOTV which features two cute critters, a wheelbarrow and some apples, which I thought was ideal.  I hope you like it.  
Here is my card:
A close up of the cute image:
I decorated the inside:
I began by stamping my image onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured it with my Promarkers; adding some highlights with a white gel pen.  I stamped a sentiment below the image in black ink.  I wanted to keep my card fairly clean and simple so use a scallop die to cut a piece of red dotty paper, a smaller green piece of card and also the image panel so that they would all line up when I adhered them together using liquid glue.  I added the layered panel to my card base with foam tape.  I didn't add anything else as I liked it as it was.  For the inside I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and added a strip of the dotty paper and green card to the bottom with double sided tape.  I stamped just a small part of the image above the border and coloured it with Promarkers.  I think it looks really cute with just a tiny part of the image showing on the inside.  I didn't add a sentiment inside as I thought the outside was quite generic so could be used for multiple of occasions and I would add one later.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Aud Sentiments challenge - bookmarks and/or hobbies + sentiment (gardening)
Birthstone challenge - ruby/peridot optional twist thank you
Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal
Crafty Catz challenge - ATG option make it cute
Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter
Inkspirational challenge - feature products from 2 different companies
Love Those Pretty Papers challenge - ATG must use patterned paper
The Cutie Pie challenge - beginning with B (bear, bunny)
The Paper Funday challenge - ATG option critter crazy

If you would like to follow the hop over on Instagram please use the hashtag #summersoireecardmakinghop2024 to find us or alternatively visit my profile and you will find the list of participants on my post.  We would love it if you would give the summer soiree challenges a try and again use the hashtag and we will find your projects.  

I'll be back tomorrow with my card for the Krafty Chicks challenge but until then enjoy the rest of your day and thank you for stopping by. 

Love and hugs,
 
card ingredients:
W Plus 9 - sunshine layers die set (for scalloped die) - sadly now closed
Elzybells - sentiment stamp set - sadly closed many years ago
Echo Park - dots & stripes Valentine 6x6 paper pad - retired
Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - sadly now closed
Promarkers
green card from scraps bin

Thursday 11 July 2024

Krafty Chicks challenge #724 - Christmas

Hello again lovely friends, thank you so much for popping by.  It's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and we are on to Week 2 which means I am your hostess and our theme as always is 'Christmas'.  So anything festive goes, whether you stamp, die cut, use ephemera, we want to see it.  So grab your festive supplies and come over and join in the fun with us. 
I grabbed one of my old Penny Black wooden stamps for my card today.  They are so cute and never go out of style.  You can't beat a PB hedgie image I don't think.  I was really pushed for time so my card ended up being very clean and simple.  I hope you like it.  
Here is my card:
A close up of the cute hedgie:
I decorated the inside (albeit very simply):
I began by stamping the image onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured it with my Promarkers.  I cut it into a rectangle and stuck this directly onto my card blank.  I cut a white panel 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" and cut a rounded rectangle from the centre.  I cut a thin strip of patterned paper and added that to the left edge of the panel and stamped a sentiment in black ink in the bottom centre.  I added foam tape behind the panel and placed it over the coloured image so that it looks the image is peeking out of a window.  I debated adding embellishments but I liked it as it was.  For the inside I cut another white panel and simply stamped a sentiment in the centre with black ink and added another strip of the patterned paper to the bottom.  I then added the panel to my card base with double sided tape.  It's surprising how much time it takes me to make design decisions, even on simple cards like this one; I hope I'm not the only one who dithers for ages and then goes back to the original idea lol!

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Alphabet challenge - H is for holidays - summer or Christmas in July
Birthstone challenge - ruby/peridot optional thank you 
Christmas Crafts All Year Around - anything Christmas or winter holiday goes
Colorful Options challenge - flags (I was inspired by my home flag - Wales - red, white & green)
Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal
Crafty Calendar challenge - add a sentiment (3rd entry)
Crafty Catz challenge - ATG optional twist make it cute
Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter
Cut It Up challenge - Christmas in July 
Daisy Chain challenge - Christmas in July
Dragonfly Dreams challenge - Christmas in July 
Merry Little Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes
Peace on Earth Christmas challenge - anything Christmas themed optional mood board
Pearly Sparkles challenge - Christmas in July 
Penny Black Saturday challenge - ATG option food 
Simply Clean and Simple challenge - CAS optional use a heart
Simply Create Too challenge - Christmas in July
Stamping Sensations challenge - ATG optional twist Christmas in July
The Holly & Ivy Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes
The Paper Funday challenge - ATG optional twist critter crazy

Wow!  Lots of Christmas themed challenges around at the moment!

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'Christmas' challenge and I cannot wait to see your creations in our linky.  Please leave some love for my fellow chicks - LeanneDiane and Lori and also our guest designer Rachelle.  

Thanks for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 
card ingredients:
Penny Black - xmas kiss 2754H wooden stamp - 
Promarkers
Uniko Stamps - Christmas wishes stamp set (for sentiments)
MFT - stitched rounded rectangle stax dies - retired
Echo Park - dots & stripes valentines 6x6 paper pad - retired
Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Wednesday 10 July 2024

Summer Soiree IG Card Hop - Week 4

Hello friends; we've made it to the middle of the week *yay*. The weather has really gone downhill here in South Wales and I think summer has been and gone unfortunately.  We'll have to keep our fingers crossed that it decides to come back again soon.  

It's week 4 of our Summer Soiree IG card hop, which has been organised by my lovely friend Kelly. This week is all about 'summer books & blockbuster movies' which is pretty straightforward; there are so many to choose from.  
I decided to base my inspiration on one of my favourite Disney movies (although most of them are favourites) but this one is funny but also tugs at the heart strings.  
Here is my inspiration photo:
Here is my card:
A close up of the cute image:
I decorated the inside:
I began by stamping my house image onto alcohol marker friendly card and colouring it with Promarkers.  The house isn't exactly the same as the film version but I used the same colours to colour it with.  There is no matching die so I fussy cut it out; although it was quite a basic shape to cut around.  I grabbed lots of scraps of card from my scraps bin and die cut lots of balloons and balloon strings.  I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and used a cloud stencil to create my sky background.  I added the strings with a small strip of sellotape and added the house over top with foam squares.  I arranged the balloons and once I was happy with the placement took some masking tape and held them in place before turning over and adding liquid glue to the backs.  I then carefully placed them over the balloon strings and added some clear blocks on top to make sure they adhered securely.  I cut off any edges of the balloons that went over the card panel.  I added the card panel onto my card base with foam tape.  I found a pre-printed sentiment that worked really well with the style and theme of my card and die cut it out with a sentiment strip die.  I added this over the balloons with foam squares.  No extra embellishments this time as I liked the card as it was.  For the inside I cut another panel 4" x 5 1/4" and again ink blended a cloud background.  I stamped, coloured and fussy cut another house and die cut 2 more balloons/strings and added them onto the panel with liquid glue.  I didn't add a sentiment as I will add that when I come to use the card.  I think you can see that my card was inspired by UP and I hope you like it. 

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Classic Design challenge - ATG option fancy fold
Crafty Calendar challenge - add a sentiment
Inkspirational challenge - use a stencil optional use paste
Little Red Wagon challenge - something you love (I love the film UP)
Stencil Fun challenge - must use a stencil option shades of blue
The Cutie Pie challenge - beginning with B (balloons)

If you would like to follow the hop over on Instagram please use the hashtag #summersoireecardmakinghop2024 to find us or alternatively visit my profile and you will find the list of participants on my post.  We would love it if you would give the summer soiree challenges a try and again use the hashtag and we will find your projects.  

I'll be back tomorrow with my card for the Krafty Chicks challenge but until then enjoy the rest of your day and thank you for stopping by. 

Love and hugs,

card ingredients:
Jane's Doodles - home sweet home stamp set - sadly now closed
Promarkers
Spellbinders - balloons & birthday wishes die set (for balloons & strings)
Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies
Gina K Designs - sea glass ink pad
MFT - mini cloud edges stencil - retired
Versafine - onyx black ink pad
Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - sadly now closed
coloured card all from my scraps bin