Krafty Chicks challenge #739 - All Occasions

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 on Week 4 which means Lori is our hostess, and our theme as always is 'All Occasions'.  We hope you will come over and join in the fun with us. 

My husband's cousin passed away recently so I needed a sympathy card to send to his auntie & uncle and I thought this challenge was the perfect opportunity.  I know we all dislike making these types of cards but when I do need to make them I take my time and make them as calming and elegant as I can.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A closer look:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and using an acrylic block (very old school) I randomly stamped the leaf and flower images in blue ink; I actually did second generation stamping as the blue was too bright on first generation stamping.  I used the same colour ink and blended around the stamping to soften it.  I cut a piece of vellum and tore one side so that it would look quite organic.  I adhered the vellum to the panel with double sided tape on the back.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink and adhered the panel to a black mat with double sided tape.  The panel was added to the card base with foam tape.  I don't usually add embellishments to sympathy cards as I don't want them to look too sparkly.  For the inside I stamped the leaves and flowers at the bottom of the white panel and again lightly inked blended around the stamping.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink in the centre.  I adhered the white panel to a black mat with double sided tape and added it to the card base with double sided tape.  I love this card and I think it is elegant but respectful at the same time.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - any occasion

CRAFT challenge - ATG

Crafty Calendar challenge - ATG

Creative Moments challenge - monochrome

My Time To Craft challenge - monochrome

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 - Leanne, Diane and Lori.  

Thank you so much for stopping by; I appreciate your lovely comments. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Gina K Designs - with sympathy stamp set

Gina K Designs - blue raspberry ink pad

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - currently not available but they have 240gsm in stock here

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Stampin' Up! - card stock vellum - no longer available 

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Fall Friends IG Card Making Hop - Week 7

Hello again friends; I hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday. I'm back with my card for Week 7 of the 'Fall Friends' IG card hop organised by my lovely friend Kelly. For Week 7 Rebecca & Renee are our hostesses and they have chosen 'fall sports or autumn outdoors'.

The fall sports/tailgate activity isn't really a thing in the UK so I decided to go with the autumn outdoors/nature theme this week.  I am still into my ink smooshing so did that again this week.  I hope you like it. 

Here is my card:

A closer look at the ink smooshing:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and stamped the tree in the centre with black ink.  I let that dry for a while before using my ink smoosher 'tool' (see last week's post) and some autumn colours of ink to create my tree.  I did go over it again with some darker inks but overall I think it looks cool.  Once the panel was dry I decided to trim down my panel to 3 1/4" x 4 1/2" and added a brown mat layer behind with double sided tape.  I hand cut a small curved piece of the brown card and heat embossed the  sentiment before trimming to fit below my tree; again adding it with double sided tape.  I cut another white panel 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" and used a leaf embossing folder to add some texture.  Again I added a brown mat behind with double sided tape.  I added the embossed panel to the card base with double sided tape and then layered on the tree panel with foam tape.  No embellishments this time as I didn't think it needed anything extra.  For the inside I cut a white panel 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" and ink smooshed the same colours at the very bottom of the panel.  I then stamped part of the tree over the top in black ink.  No sentiment as I thought I could add something when I needed the card.  I added a brown mat layer with double sided tape and the whole panel was also added to my card base with double sided tape.  A fairly simple card but I think it screams autumn.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - any occasion

Aud Sentiments challenge - embossing and/or fall + sentiment

Can You Handle the Pressure challenge - must use an embossing folder optional theme: monsters/halloween

Colorful Options challenge - orange

Craft Rocket challenge - autumn and/or halloween

Craft Catz challenge - anything goes optional theme: autumn colours

Creative Inspirations challenge - the season of autumn

Daisy Chain challenge - autumn and/or halloween

Fab 'n' Funky challenge - autumn/halloween

Incy Wincy Designs challenge - autumn and/or more than one fold

Inkspirational challenge - seasonal

Just Us Girls challenge - mood board

Little Red Wagon challenge - emboss it

Stamping Sensations challenge - autumn colours (supplies listed at bottom of post)

The Four Seasons challenge - anything goes fall

The Male Room challenge - trees

Unicorn challenge - autumn and/or halloween

We Love Stamping challenge - autumn (supplies listed at bottom of post)

Lots of autumn/autumn colours challenges around at the moment!

I hope you will pop over to Instagram and check out the hop; use the hashtag #fallfriendscardhop2024 to see all the gorgeous creations and also if you want to participate we will be able to find you.

I'll be back tomorrow with my card for the Krafty Chicks challenge so I hope you will pop back and check it out. Until then enjoy the rest of your day and thank you so much for stopping by.

Love and hugs,

Card ingredients:

SSS/Gina K Designs Stamptember exclusive - stay cozy stamp set (no longer available)

Gina K Designs - falling leaves embossing folder

Gina K Designs - harvest silhouettes stamp set (for sentiment)

Gina K Designs - white pigment ink cube

Gina K Designs - ink pads - wild dandelion, sweet mango, cherry red, tangerine twist, red hot

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

WoW! - opaque bright white super fine embossing powder

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - currently not available but they have 240gsm in stock here

brown card from stash

homemade ink smoosher!

Krafty Chicks challenge #738 - CAS

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 on Week 3 which means Diane is our hostess, and our theme as always is 'CAS'.  We hope you will come over and join in the fun with us. 

Sadly one of my neighbours lost her dog this week so I wanted to make her a card to let her know we were thinking of her.  It's such a tough time losing your companion and not everyone is an animal lover and understands the loss.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A closer look:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by die cutting the paw prints from black card and put them to one side.  I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and masked off just about half way and ink blended down the panel in rainbow colours.  I added a strip of black card to define the edge of the blending.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink and added the paw print die cuts using liquid glue.  I adhered the panel to my card base with foam tape.  I didn't want to make it any fussier so didn't add any embellishments.  For the inside I cut another panel from white card 4" x 5 1/4" and stamped the sentiment and tiny heart in black ink.  I had a thin strip of the blended panel that I had trimmed down so I added that along the bottom of the panel with liquid glue and added another paw print die cut over top.  I added this panel onto the card base with double sided tape.  This card took hardly any time to make but I am really happy with it.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - any occasion

Colorful Options challenge - orange or rainbow inspired

Freshly Made Sketches challenge - sketch #658

Simply Clean and Simple challenge - anything CAS goes optional purple/black

 

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 - Leanne, Diane and Lori.  

Thank you so much for stopping by; I appreciate your lovely comments. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Time for Tea Designs - pawsome die set- retired

Simon Says Stamp - pawprints on our heart 3x4 stamp

Gina K Designs - ink pads - red hot, tangerine twist, wild dandelion, lucky clover, blue raspberry, wild lilac

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - currently not available but they have 240gsm in stock here

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Fall Friends IG Card Making Hop - Week 6

Hello again friends; I hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday. I'm back with my card for Week 6 of the 'Fall Friends' IG card hop organised by my lovely friend Kelly. For Week 5 Traci is our hostess and she has chosen 'non-traditional fall leaves/no fall colours'.

I decided to choose the non-traditional fall leaves but it fits the no fall colours brief too but if you don't want to use leaves then that's perfectly fine too.  I was originally going to do pinks/purples but then thought that black, grey and white would look really different so that is what I ended up doing.  I hope you like it.   I apologise for the photos but it was really dark and dreary here today; my card looks so much better in real life.  

Here is my card:

A close up look at the leaves:

I also decorated the inside:

I began by die cutting the leaves; I cut 3 of the larger black leaves and 2 each of the grey and white leaves.  I adhered them together with liquid glue so that I would have some dimension on my card.  I wanted a subtle background so went for ink smooshing some ink just into the bottom left corner of my panel; I also added some splatters with the same ink.  

Side note: I've been watching a YouTube channel called NB Cards and she shows how to make your own ink smoosher so that you can have more control over where your ink goes; honestly it is a game changer for me - the main reason I don't do more smooshing is that it seems to go everywhere and I can't get the 'pattern' I want but this little tool changes all that.  It is simply a food storage bag (I used one from Ikea) some bunched up kitchen roll inside and then tie the top of the bag (I used an elastic band to close mine) and tape the sides so that it resembles a ball shape.  You can also use different size bags to make larger and smaller ones.  You simply dip this into your ink and tap lightly onto your paper.  Honestly give it a go, it's awesome.  Here's a link to her video if you want to see it.  

Anyway back to the card.  Once the panel was dry I added it to a black mat layer cut to 4" x 5 1/4" with double sided tape.  I then adhered the leaves with liquid glue in an arrangement in the corner.  I stamped a sentiment in black ink and used the large sentiment strip die to cut it out.  I added this over the leaves with foam squares.  I added the panel to my card base with foam tape.  I didn't add any embellishments as I liked it as it was.  For the inside I ink smooshed another white panel and adhered it to a black mat layer with double sided tape.  I cut another 3 leaves and added them with liquid glue.  I didn't add a sentiment as I thought I could add one later.  I adhered the panel to the card base with double sided tape.  I am really happy with my card and I think the monochrome colour scheme really looks lovely.  I hope you like it too.  

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

AAA Cards challenge - sketch (I rotated it)

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - any occasion

Aud Sentiments challenge - embossing and/or fall + sentiment

Craft Rocket challenge - autumn and/or halloween

Creative Inspirations challenge - the season of autumn

Creative Moments challenge - monochrome

Daisy Chain challenge - autumn and/or halloween

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - thanksgiving/fall

Incy Wincy Designs challenge - autumn and/or more than one fold

Just Us Girls challenge - leaves

Simply Clean and Simple challenge - anything CAS goes option black/purple

The Sisterhood of Crafters challenge - orange/black/purple - use one, two or all three colours

Unicorn challenge - autumn and/or halloween

I hope you will pop over to Instagram and check out the hop; use the hashtag #fallfriendscardhop2024 to see all the gorgeous creations and also if you want to participate we will be able to find you.  

I'll be back tomorrow with my card for the Krafty Chicks challenge so I hope you will pop back and check it out.  Until then enjoy the rest of your day and thank you so much for stopping by.  

Love and hugs, 

 

Card ingredients:

Gina K Designs - autumn leaves

Gina K Designs - large strip sentiment dies

Gina K Designs - stormy sky ink pad

LDRS Creative - the magic of fall clear stamp - retired

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - currently not available but they have 240gsm in stock here

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Krafty Chicks challenge #737 - Christmas

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 on Week 2 which means I am our hostess, and our theme as always is 'Christmas'.  We hope you will come over and join in the fun with us. 

I had been itching to use my new Gina K Designs Christmas kit and this was the opportunity I needed to pull it out.  The stamp set I used today works perfectly with her previously released postage dies/stencils so I decided to combine them.  I hope you like it. 

Here is my card:

A close look at the images:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by stamping the images onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured them with Promarkers.  I had a really tough time choosing which images to use but I was inspired by a card I saw by Karen Hightower over on the Gina K FaceBook page so used the same ones she did.  I used the matching dies to cut them out.  I also stamped and die cut one of the sentiments from the stamp set.  I used the postage die to cut a white panel but didn't want the whole panel so cut all the postage squares apart.  I used the matching stencil to lightly colour the squares with sea glass ink.  I found a confetti layering stencil and the one layer reminded me of snow so after cutting a white panel I used that to create my background again using sea glass ink.  I matted the white panel onto a black mat layer with double sided tape.  I used foam squares behind the images and sentiment and added them to the postage squares.  I also cut teeny tiny foam squares to go behind the string of lights!  I arranged the images in a similar fashion to Karen's card and added them with double sided tape.  I finished off with a few silver smooth disc sequins.  For the inside I cut another set of white and black panels and adhered them with double sided tape.  I stencilled the bottom of the white panel with the confetti stencil and sea glass ink.  I had stamped, coloured and die cut an extra tree image and also used another of the postage squares so added them into the bottom right corner with double sided tape.  I stamped a sentiment along the edge of the stencilling with black ink.  A fun card and with so many cute images in the stamp set you could create a bunch of these cards.   

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

Cut It Up challenge - inspired by a song ('driving home for Christmas')

Girlz Creative Christmas challenge - Christmas trees

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG/witchy

Merry Little Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

My Time To Craft Christmas challenge - Christmas trees

Peace on Earth Christmas challenge - anything Christmas themed

Sparkles Christmas challenge - use the word Christmas on your projects

Stencil Fun challenge - anything stencil goes optional Halloween

Sweet Stampin' challenge - transport

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 - Leanne, Diane and Lori.  

Thank you so much for stopping by; I appreciate your lovely comments. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Gina K Designs - Christmas cheer stamp & die bundle (kit is sold out but this bundle will be available next week)

Gina K Designs - Master Layouts 14 & co-ordinating postage grid stencil

Gina K Designs - sea glass ink pad

Gina K Designs - layered confetti stencil

Promarkers

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - currently not available but they have 240gsm in stock here

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed 

Spellbinders - silver smooth discs color essential sequins 

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

Fall Friends IG Card Making Hop - Week 5

Hello again friends; I hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday. I'm back with my card for Week 5 of the 'Fall Friends' IG card hop organised by my lovely friend Kelly.  For Week 5 Kati is our hostess and she has chosen 'fall gnomes or autumn wreaths'. 

Now you know I'm a sucker for a good wreath but for some inexplicable reason I decided to go with the gnome theme; especially as I don't particularly like gnomes!!  Anyway, I had one stamp in my stash, which was actually in a holiday stamp set but it was quite generic so I just went for it.  I hope you like it. 

Here is my card:

A close look at the gnome:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by stamping all the images onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured them with Promarkers in warm, autumn colours.  I used the matching dies to cut them out.  I die cut a panel from patterned paper using a stitched die and a slightly larger mat panel from orange card and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I used a decorative shaped die to cut a white panel and also the slightly larger die to again cut an orange panel and again adhered them with double sided tape.  I added the gnome and pumpkins with foam squares.  I added this to the panel, more towards the top, with foam tape. I stamped the sentiment in black ink underneath.  For a finishing touch I added a few gold smooth sequins using liquid glue.  For the inside I cut the same white and orange panels and adhered them with double sided tape.  I had a strip of the patterned paper left over and using the same stitched die I cut a piece for the bottom of the white panel.  I adhered this with double sided tape.  I stamped and coloured one extra pumpkin and added it to the bottom right corner and stamped a sentiment in the centre with black ink.  I'm happy with how it turned out, especially as I'm not a gnome fan; I think it turned out quite cute.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - birthdays

As You Like It challenge - favourite card shape (I mostly make US A2 sized cards now, which is similar in size to our A6; it's not too big a space to fill and all the US dies fit perfectly)

Girlz Creative Fun Art of Scrap challenge - ATG must use patterned paper

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - always birthday

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG/witchy

Moving Along With The Times challenge - autumn colours

My Time To Craft challenge - autumn season colours

Pearly Sparkles challenge - fantasy

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - use patterned paper

Stamping Sensations challenge - autumn colours (full list of supplies at bottom of post)

The Paper Funday challenge - ATG optional twist colours of autumn

The Sisterhood of Crafters challenge - use one or more of orange, black and purple

I hope you will pop over to Instagram and check out the hop; use the hashtag #fallfriendscardhop2024 to see all the gorgeous creations and also if you want to participate we will be able to find you.  

I'll be back tomorrow with my card for the Krafty Chicks challenge so I hope you will pop back and check it out.  Until then enjoy the rest of your day and thank you so much for stopping by.  

Love and hugs, 

Gina K Designs - a very silly season stamp & die (for gnome)

Gina K Designs - front porch builder stamp (for pumpkins)

Gina K Designs - Master Layouts 1, Master Layouts 14 & Master Layouts 10 dies

Gina K Designs - autumn splendor 6x6 paper pad

Promarkers

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - currently not available but they have 240gsm in stock here

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed

Spellbinders - gold smooth discs color essential sequins

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

Orange card from stash

Krafty Chicks challenge #736 - Stamps

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 back to Week 1 which means Leanne is our hostess, and our theme as always is 'Stamps'.  We hope you will come over and join in the fun with us. 

I decided to make a masculine card for a change this week.  My son is always looking for cards for his friends and is usually moaning that they are not manly enough so at least I've got one in my stash for now lol!  It was almost a SIP card (stamps, ink, paper) but then decided to emboss the background at the last moment.  I hope you like it. 

Here is my card:

A closer look at the stamping:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I saw a really cool sketch that was the starting point for my card and I used some really old clear stamps that I re-discovered when looking for something else.  I cut a small panel of white card 2 1/4"x 4 3/8" and using the different sized stars randomly stamped them in each corner.  My colour palette was inspired by a lot of the autumn challenges around at the moment.  I stamped a happy birthday in black ink in the centre.  I matted the panel onto a dark grey card using double sided tape.  For the background panel I cut a white panel 3 3/4" x 5" and embossed it with a plaid embossing folder and again matted this onto a slightly larger grey panel using double sided tape.  I added the smaller panel onto the embossed panel using foam tape.  This was then added onto my card base with double sided tape.  I wasn't going to add any embellishments but I found these teeny tiny silver stars in my stash so added a few of these amongst the stars.  For the inside I cut a white panel 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" and added some star gems in the bottom right corner to match the front and stamped a small sentiment in black ink in the centre.  I again added a dark grey mat with double sided tape.  This was added to the card base with double sided tape.  A really clean and simple card and I think most men prefer their cards this way.  

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

AAA Cards challenge - anything CAS goes optional twist autumn (colours)

AAA Colourful challenge - colour board #8

Addicted to CAS challenge - masculine

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - birthdays

Can You Handle The Pressure challenge - ATG (must use an EF) optional twist use a sentiment

Fab 'n' Funky challenge - add gems or pearls (I added teeny tiny star gems)

Freshly Made Sketches - sketch #656

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - always birthday

Moving Along With The Times challenge - autumnal colours

The Paper Funday challenge - ATG optional twist colours of autumn

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'Stamps' challenge and I cannot wait to see your creations in our linky.  Please leave some love for my fellow chicks - Leanne, Diane and Lori.  

Thank you so much for stopping by; I appreciate your lovely comments. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Verve Visual - seeing stars stamp set - store closed in 2018

Verve Visual - starlight starbright remixed stamp set - store closed in 2018 

Spellbinders - plaid company A2 embossing folder

Gina K Designs - the good life stamp set (for sentiment)

Gina K Designs - ink pads - kraft, dark chocolate, sweet mango, red hot and stormy sky

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card - currently not available but they have 240gsm in stock here

grey card from stash

Versafine - onyx black ink pad