Krafty Chicks challenge #721 - CAS

Good morning lovely friends.  I hope you're all doing ok and having a great week.  As it's Thursday it means it's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and 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 colourful CAS card so choose my three favourite ink colours and a stencil to create my card.  I hope you like it. 

Here is my card:

A closer look:

I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a white panel 4" x 5 1/4".  I grabbed 3 of my favourite ink colours and a layering stencil (although I only used one layer) and made a random design across the panel.  I stamped the leaf image in black ink towards the left side and a birthday sentiment towards the right side.  I adhered the panel to my card base with foam tape and that was it; no embellishments needed at all.  For the inside I cut another panel and again stencilled a random pattern at the very bottom.  I stamped a small leaf in the left corner and a sentiment in the centre of the panel.  This was then adhered to the card base with double sided tape.  A really quick and easy card and very bright and cheerful.  

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

* to be updated *

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 and also our guest designer Rachelle.  

Thanks for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Uniko Stamps - ink & flip: geometric heart layering stencil (but I only used one)

Uniko Stamps - wonderful day stamp set (for sentiments)

Uniko Stamps/Craft Stash - Papercraft Society Box 51 (for leaf images)

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

Gina K Designs - ink pads - bubblegum pink, tangerine twist, wild dandelion

Versafine - onyx black ink

Summer Soiree IG Card Hop - Week 1

Hello friends; we've made it to the middle of the week *yay*.  I hope the weather is good where you are; it's really sunny and warm here in South Wales for a change.  Let's hope we can string a few days together!  

Before we get to the card I wanted to share a pic of our new puppy Wesley, he is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and he is 9 weeks old.  We picked him up last week but I forgot how much time they take up; it's like having a baby in the house again lol!  It is seriously affecting my crafting time and I literally finished today's card about 20 minutes before I was due to post it.  He is totally worth it though. 

So onto the card making.  Today is the start of the Summer Soiree IG Card Hop, which has been organised by my lovely friend Kelly.  Week 1 is 'itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dots' - isn't that such a fun theme?

I soon as I saw the theme I obviously went for yellow polka dot bikini and thought I would create a beach scene.  I actually used a digital image for the first time in years.  I really do prefer stamping my images but I had the perfect image to use although sadly the store closed many years ago.  

Here is my card:

A close up of the image:

I decorated the inside:

I began by printing out my image onto smooth white card and coloured it with my Promarkers.  I fussy cut it out and then moved onto creating my background.  I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and masking off the bottom third and ink blended sandy beach ink to create my sand.  I also went over my ink blending with a drifts & hills stencil.  for the middle third of my panel I created my sea using turquoise sea ink and then stencilled over that with tranquil teal using a make waves stencil.  For the sky I used sea glass ink and a mini cloud edges stencil.  To add a little interest I stamped 2 silhouette birds in the sky and a silhouette boat on the horizon.  I die cut a beach umbrella and added it to the left side of the sand with liquid glue.  I then added my image towards the right side with foam squares.  I stamped and die cut a sentiment and added it to the upper right of the panel with foam squares.  The panel was then added to my card base with foam tape.  There were a few things I would have done differently if time hadn't been so tight but overall I'm really happy with the finished result.  For the inside I cut another white panel and created a mini scene to match the front of the card.  I stamped a sentiment in black ink into the centre and then added the panel to the card base with double sided tape.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - die cuts and/or stencils

Aud Sentiments challenge - shaker card and/or summer + sentiment

Cardz for Galz challenge - summer fun

Daisy Chain challenge - birthdays

Dream Valley challenge - summer colours

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - always birthday

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG/use sepia colours

Inkspirational challenge - mood board (I was inspired by the colours)

Little Red Wagon challenge - women

Make My Monday challenge - outdoor summer fun

Pearly Sparkles challenge - one for the girls

Stencil Fun challenge - use stencils option birthdays

The Four Seasons challenge - anything goes summer 

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'm excited this hop has begun and I'm hoping to use some more of my neglected stash.  

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:

Sassy Studio Designs - polka dot bikini (sadly the store closed many years ago)

Gina K Designs - ocean silhouettes stamp set (for silhouette images and sentiments)

Gina K Designs - ink pads - sandy beach, sea glass, turquoise sea, tranquil teal

Gina K Designs - at the beach die set (for umbrella)

MFT - blueprints 27 (for banner die)

MFT - mini cloud edges stencil

MFT - make waves stencil

MFT - drifts and hills stencil

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

yellow card & silver mirri card from scraps box

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Christmas Kickstart challenge - reminder post

Good morning lovely friends and welcome to the weekend; I hope you had a great week.  I am back to share my second project as guest elf over at the Christmas Kickstart challenge for this month's theme of 'it's a gift'.  

As I made a card last time I thought I would shake it up a little and make a gift box.  I love decorating gift boxes and bags and I don't do it nearly often enough.  It's not much space to fill plus it's an adorable way of gifting something small.  

Here is my gift box:

A close look at the cute image:

I decorated the panels of the box:

I began by die cutting the gift box twice from kraft card and adhered them together with red line tape.  I forgot to decorate the box before I stuck it together so die cut the coordinating panels and stamped the present image in a light brown ink randomly all over to resemble patterned paper.  I attached all the panels with double sided tape.  I stamped the adorable image onto alcohol marker friendly card, coloured it with Promarkers and added a few highlights with a white gel pen.  I fussy cut the image as I don't have the coordinating dies for this set.  I cut a white panel with the die, stamped a present in the bottom left corner (which I coloured with Promarkers) and a sentiment in the upper left corner.  I attached the white panel onto the box with double sided tape and then adhered the penguin with foam squares.  I found some small wooden embellishments recently in my stash and thought the candy cane would be the perfect finishing touch so I tied a length of natural twine around the candy cane and then tied it to the handle of the box (it's only a loose knot so can be undone when the time comes to fill the box).  A really cute box and very easy to mass produce, especially if you remember to decorate the box before glueing it together!

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - die cuts and/or stencils

A Place to Start challenge - ATG optional twist anything but a card

Classic Design challenge - ATG option fancy fold (is a box a fancy fold?)

Craft Rocket challenge - no design paper 

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Crafty Gals Corner challenge - ATG option fancy fold (is a box a fancy fold?)

Creative Inspirations challenge - Christmas in June 

Creative Friday challenge - many layers

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG option use sepia colours

Moving Along With The Times challenge - early Christmas

My Time To Craft challenge - winter

Sparkles Christmas challenge - use dies

The Holly & Ivy Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

Triple B challenge - use at least one bird, bloom or butterfly (a penguin is a flightless bird)

I hope you can join in with the challenge; I can't wait to see your creations in the linky. Jo does a great job running the blog singlehandedly (with just her guest elves) so please pop over and check out her gorgeous card and leave her some love too.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jo for asking me to be a guest this month; it's been a delight being an elf and maybe one day I can join you again Jo.  

Have a wonderful weekend and thank you so much for stopping by. 

Box ingredients:

Spellbinders - charming cottage box dies

Spellbinders - envelope of wonder sentiments

MFT - sweet holiday penguins stamps - retired

Crafter's Companion - Neenah desert storm card

Promarkers

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

The Works - box of Christmas wooden embellishments (bought last year)

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

twine from stash

Krafty Chicks challenge #720 - Christmas

Good morning lovely friends.  Firstly apologies for the lack of posts this week; it's been a bit of a busy week so crafting has taken a back seat.  However as it's Thursday it that means it's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge.  We are now on Week 2 which means I'm your hostess and our theme as always is 'Christmas', so grab your festive supplies and join in the fun with us. 

My card was inspired by one that Bev from Uniko Stamps made, although I embellished mine a bit more.  I wanted to make something in non-traditional colours for a change so went for a bright rainbow colour scheme. 

Here is my card:

A closer look at my 'tree':

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by stamping the sentiments in rainbow colours starting with red and working my way down to green and then fussy cut them out into strips.  I die cut a star from pink card and a square shape from blue card.  I wanted to emboss my background so cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and ran it through my intri-cut machine with a Christmas tile embossing folder.  I thought the three looked a little lost on the background so cut a rectangle of vellum to add some interest and to soften the background.  I added the strips onto the vellum with foam tape to resemble a tree shape.  The embossed panel was added to my card base with double sided tape and the vellum rectangle was added with liquid glue.  I finished off with a few clear sequins.  For the inside I cut another white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and added a strip of embossed card to the very bottom and stamped the sentiment in black ink in the centre of the panel.  At the last moment I decided to add a pink star overlapping the embossed strip.  A fun card and I think it turned out super cute.  I hope you like it too. 

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

As You Like It challenge - with or without words (I always put a sentiment on the front of my card, even if it's only happy birthday and I don't think it looks finished without one)

Can You Handle The Pressure challenge - ATG with a twist of beach

CAS on Friday challenge - embossing

Colorful Options challenge - aqua or rainbow colours

Craft Rocket challenge - no design papers

Creative Inspirations challenge - Christmas in June 

Dream Valley challenge - summer colours

Moving Along With The Times challenge - early Christmas

Merry Little Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

Peace On Earth Christmas challenge - anything Christmas themed 

Sparkles Christmas challenge - use dies

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - bright and cheerful

The Holly & Ivy Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

Unicorn challenge - embossing

Word Power challenge - make the sentiment the focus of your card

 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 and also our guest designer Rachelle.  

Thanks for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Uniko Stamps - simply said blocks Christmas

Spellbinders - Christmas tile embossing folder

Spellbinders - essential rectangles (to cut the vellum)

MFT - blueprints 18 (for the star) - retired 

Paula Pascual - Christmas messages for inside sentiment - no longer available

Gina K Designs - ink pads - red hot, tangerine twist, wild dandelion, grass green

Gina K Designs - clear quartz solid sequins

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

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

pink and blue card from scraps bin

Krafty Chicks challenge #719 - Stamps

Good morning friends; it's Thursday so that means it's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge.  As it's the start of the month we are back to Week 1 which means our theme this week is 'Stamps', so we would like to see a stamp/digi on your project. 

It was my brother-in-law's birthday recently and today I'm sharing the card I made for him.  He took his cards away on holiday with him so didn't fuss too much, although most men prefer this anyway I find.  

Here is my card:

A close up of the image:

I decorated the inside:

I began by stamping the image onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured it with my Promarkers.  I also added some puffy stuff to make the foam look dimensional.  I cut it into a square and added a brown mat behind.  I had already created the background for a different project but hadn't used it.  It was simply a white panel with some black and gold splatter over it.  I again matted it onto a brown panel and adhered it to my card base with double sided tape.  I wanted to add some interest so took a strip of patterned paper, added a brown mat panel and adhered it to my background along the left side of the card.  I attached the image panel over top with foam squares.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink and cut it into a rectangle before adding a brown mat behind.  The was added to the card with double sided tape.  In the same stamp set as the beer glasses were some label type images and smaller bottle top style stamps.  I stamped them onto white card, inked them with a brown ink pad.  I fussy cut the label and used a small circle punch to cut out the smaller ones.  I added the label with foam squares and the circles with liquid glue.  For the inside I cut a white panel, simply added a strip of the patterned paper to the very bottom and added a strip of brown card above.  I adhered this onto a brown mat panel and stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink.  I added one of the small punched circles to the bottom right corner.  The whole panel was then adhered to my card base with double sided tape.  The finished card is 5" x 7".  

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

Allsorts challenge - lots of layers

Cardz for Guyz challenge - beverages

Classic Design challenge - ATG optional twist masculine

CRAFT challenge - masculine

Daisy Chain challenge - birthday

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - always birthday

Make My Monday challenge - B is for ...... birthday, beer, brother-in-law, brown

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - masculine

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - masculine

The Sisterhood of Crafters challenge - all about the men

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 and also our guest designer Rachelle, who is with us for another month.  

Thanks for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Apple Blossom - time for a beer stamp set - no longer available 

Clearly Besotted - happy birthday all - retired

Clearly Besotted Stamps - mini calligraphy - retired 

Woodware - tiny circle punch

DCWV - the natural stack 8"x8" cardstock pad - no longer available

Gina K Designs - charcoal brown card

Gina K Designs - warm cocoa ink pad

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card 

Promarkers

Inkylicious - fluffy puffy stuff

Mini Card Challenge IG Hop - Week 4

Hello friends and happy Wednesday.  I trust your week has been good so far.  I'm back to share my card for the final week of the Mini Card challenge IG Hop, which has been organised by my lovely friend Kelly. It's a chance to keep us occupied and our creativity flowing before the Summer 2024 Hop begins. 

This week we are challenging ourselves to use up old, forgotten and hoarded supplies (I'm sure we all have lots of these hiding in our cupboards) or use up some of those backgrounds you've created and put in a drawer.  You can choose to use 1, 2 or all 3 of the parameters.  I decided to use all 3 on my card and as we are using old, forgotten supplies, I thought I would go 'old-school' and make a layered, 6" x 6" card like I used to in the olden days! 

Here is my card:

A close up of the image:

I decorated the inside:

I also made my own envelope and decorated it:

I began by stamping my very old wooden block stamp from Elzybells (maybe 2008/09) onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured it with my Promarkers.  I dug out a very old 6" x 6" paper pad (again from 2012) and matted the pieces onto navy card.  I used another embossed background which went a bit awry and distressed looking but most of it is covered by the patterned paper!  I fussy cut some of the yellow flowers from a sheet that I had already used as I thought they would be pretty decorations.  I made my own 6" x 6" card blank and added my layers with double sided tape.  I used a die to cut the yellow dotted paper so that it would have a decorative stitched edge.  I placed this in a diagonal position for some extra interest and this also meant I could tuck my flowers into the corners.  I added my coloured image in the centre and adhered it with foam squares.  I fussed about with various sentiments but then remembered I had just received a new set from Simon Says Stamp which had a matching die-set so I thought it would be perfect as it wouldn't hide too much of my image.  I stamped it in navy ink, die cut it out and added to my card with thin foam strips.  I did get a little ink on my image panel so added a couple of clear sequins to hide my boo-boo!  As a finishing touch I added some clear glaze into the centre of the flowers.  For the inside I cut a white panel and adhered it to a navy panel with double sided tape.  I added a strip of the yellow paper on the bottom and a thin strip of blue card.  I also tucked another yellow flower under the border with liquid glue.  I stamped my sentiment in black ink in the centre of the panel.  I adhered the whole panel to my card base with double sided tape.  I don't have any 6" x 6" envelopes any more so used my 1-2-3 punch board to make my own from navy card.  I decorated the front and the back flap with more of the fussy cut flowers.  It's very different to my more minimal style these days but I think it turned out really pretty. 

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

Allsorts challenge - lots of layers

Alphabet challenge - embossing wet or dry (my blue panel is heat embossed)

As You Like It challenge - embossing wet/dry (I love the look of heat embossing but I'm not very good at it.  My blue panel is embossed and again it looks a little distressed but I'll keep practising).  

Daisy Chain challenge - birthday

Double D challenge - pick 3; old, new, borrowed, blue (old stamp, new birthday stamp, blue colour)

Everybody Art challenge - 3 patterned papers (script, dots and flowers cut from one sheet)

Little Red Wagon challenge - so cute

Make My Monday challenge - B is for...... birthday, blooms & blue

Pearly Sparkles challenge - one for the girls

Triple B challenge - include at least one bird, bloom or butterfly

Try It On Tuesday challenge - emboss it (my blue panel is embossed)

Unicorn challenge - embossing (my blue panel is embossed)

We Love Stamping challenge - fabulous florals/anything goes

If you would like to follow the hop over on Instagram please use the hashtag #minicardchallenges 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 mixed up challenges a try and again use the hashtag and we will find your projects.  I'm sad that this particular hop is coming to an end but it won't be long before the Summer hop begins.  

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:

Elzybells Stamps - 16.002F (not sure of the name) - sadly closed many years ago

Promarkers

Teresa Collins - everyday moments 6" x 6" paper pad

Simon Says Stamp - birthday basics stamp & die set

MFT Stamps - inside & out birthday greetings

Gina K Designs - close knit background stamp 

Gina K Designs - master layouts 3 (for square dies)

Gina K Designs - blue denim ink pad

Gina K Designs - clear quartz solid sequins

Crafts UK Limited - 12" x 12" 250gsm white card

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - so sad to hear they are closing soon

Heffy Doodle - adhesive foam strips

Tonic Studios - Nuvo crystal glaze

Christmas Kickstart challenge #87 - it's a gift

Good morning lovely friends; I hope you are doing ok and having a good start to your week.  I am honoured to be a guest elf over at the Christmas Kickstart challenge this month and the theme is 'it's a gift'.  I am so happy to be building up my stash of Christmas cards nice and early this year after only making about 6 in total last year.  

For my card today I grabbed another LOTV image as they are so cute but always lovely to colour.  I used a simple layout but one that I think is pleasing to the eye.  

Here is my card:

A close up of the image:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by stamping the cute reindeer image onto alcohol marker friendly card, coloured him with Promarkers and added some highlights with a white gel pen.  I was feeling too lazy to fussy cut him out so just cut a rectangle which I matted onto red card.  I wrapped some red twine around the panel and tied it into a bow and then stamped my sentiment below it with black ink.  For my background I used a background stamp which I white heat embossed.  The embossing was a little patchy but I think it gave it a cool distressed feel.  I decided to ink blend some brown ink over the embossing to colour coordinate with my reindeer.  I die cut this panel using a scalloped die and again matted it onto red card.  The background panel was added to my card base with double sided tape and the image panel was added with foam squares.  I didn't add any embellishments as I liked it as it was.  For the inside I cut a white panel and matted it onto red card.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink and stamped the reindeer at the bottom in brown ink.  I adhered this panel to the card base with double sided tape.  A fairly simple card but I think it looks adorable.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - any occasion

Allsorts challenge - lots of layers

Alphabet challenge - E is for embossing (my background is heat embossed)

As You Like It challenge - embossing wet/heat or dry (I love the look of heat embossing but don't do it very often as I always seem to mess it up.  I embossed my BG on this card and it looks decidedly distressed but I think it works. I need to practice more!

CRAFT challenge - Christmas

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Creative Inspirations challenge - Christmas in June

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG/tropical vibes

Jingle Belles challenge - tic tac toe (embossing/red or green/die cuts)

Moving Along With The Times challenge - early Christmas

Merry Little Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

Peace on Earth Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

The Holly & Ivy Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

Try It On Tuesday challenge - emboss it (I heat embossed my background)

Unicorn challenge - embossing (I heat embossed my background)

I hope you can join in with the challenge; I can't wait to see your creations in the linky.  Jo does a great job running the blog singlehandedly (with just her guest elves) so please pop over and check out her gorgeous card and leave her some love too.  

I'll be back tomorrow with the final card for the Mini Card challenge IG Hop so if you have time please pop back and check it out.  Until then enjoy the rest of your day. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

LOTV - penguins & reindeer A5 stamp set

Promarkers

Gina K Designs - close knit BG stamp

Gina K Designs - ink pads - kraft and warm cocoa

MFT - blueprints 27 (for scalloped die)

Clearly Besotted Stamps - feeling sentimental (for outside sentiment) - retired

Paula Pascual - Christmas messages (for inside sentiment) - retired

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card

Versafine - onyx black ink pad

WOW - opaque bright white super fine embossing powder

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

red card and twine from stash