AAA Birthday challenge #69 - winter birthday

Hello again friends; I'm sharing my card (although I'm almost a week late) for this month's AAA Birthday challenge.  I have been very sick since Christmas, as has most of the family, and I'm only now starting to feel better.  My main priority for the last week has been keeping the animals alive, everything else has gone on the back burner lol!  I'm still not running at 100% but hopefully things will start to get back to a normal routine now.   As always you must create a birthday themed project and this month it's all about 'winter birthdays'.  Our guest designer this month is the lovely Colien so please pop over to her blog and leave her some love.

I decided to create a clean and simple winter birthday card featuring an adorable penguin image from Gina K Designs.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the image:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting my white panel to 4" x 5 1/4" and lightly ink blended some sea glass ink into the bottom left corner and using the same ink I stamped some tiny snowflakes randomly.  I stamped the cute image onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured him with Promarkers and used the matching die to cut him out.  I also stamped and coloured two mugs from the same set, and also die cut them out.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink onto a piece of white card and die cut it out with a sentiment strip die.  I added the sentiment with liquid glue at the bottom of the panel and after adding foam squares to the penguin, added him above as if he was standing on the sentiment.  I also added foam squares to the mug and placed it so that it looked like the penguin was holding it.  The panel was added to my card base with foam tape.  For the inside I cut another white panel and ink blended along the bottom and again stamped some snowflakes.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre using black ink and added the second mug to the bottom left with liquid glue.  The panel was added to the case base with double sided tape.  A really cute card and perfect for the icy, cold weather we're currently experiencing.  

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

Addicted to CAS challenge - brrr

Addicted to Stamps and More challenge - birthdays

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Crafty Calendar challenge - add a die cut (entry 2)

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

Daisy Chain challenge - no design paper

Double D challenge - 9th birthday/anniversary challenge

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - always birthday

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG or use the sketch

Make My Monday challenge - your fave challenge of 2024 - #240 a CAS winter card

Simply Clean and Simple challenge - anything CAS goes option something new

Stamping Sensations challenge - ATG optional hand coloured image (entry 2)

The Male Room challenge - clean and simple (entry 2)

Triple B challenge - birds, blooms or butterflies

We Love Stamping challenge - anything but square (entry 2) 

The Design Team have created amazing cards as always so please pop over to the blog and check them out and perhaps leave them some love on their personal blogs.   

I hope you will be able to join in with the challenge this month but don't forget it has to be birthday themed.  I can't wait to see your creations in the linky.

Have a great day. 

Love and hugs, 

card ingredients:

Gina K Designs - playful penguins stamp & die

Gina K Designs - hygge time (for both sentiments)

Gina K Designs - Christmas cheer stamp set (for snowflake)

Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies 

Gina K Designs - sea glass ink pad

Promarkers

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card (currently not available but this 250gsm smooth white card is an alternative in stock here)

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

2024 Crafty Kickoff IG Card Hop - Week 3

Hello friends and happy Hump Day.  I hope you've all had a great week so far.  I'm back to share my card for this week's Crafty Kickoff IG Card Hop, which has been organised by my lovely friend Kelly. Each Wednesday we will shared a themed card and this week's theme is a colour challenge:

What a fun colour palette to work with.  Even though the image is of a winter scene you don't have to make a winter card or even include a bird, just be inspired by the colours.  Here is my card:

A close up look for you:

I decorated the inside:

I was inspired to use the red, orange and green colours from the graphic and went very geometric and clean and simple on my card.  I began by cutting a white card panel 3 3/4" x 5" and stamped the images randomly in the upper centre of my panel using the 3 colours I had chosen.  I've had this stamp set for years but this is the first time I've used it and I love it, so will definitely be pulling it out again.  I then simply stamped a black sentiment within the triangle pattern. I attached the card panel onto my card base with foam tape for some dimension as there was no other bulk on my card. For the inside I cut the same size card panel, stamped my sentiment in black ink and added 3 triangles, one in each of the colours, in the bottom left.  This panel was added to my card blank with double sided tape.   I think this was the fastest card I have ever made (once I'd faffed about thinking where to place my triangles).  I love the colours together and I think it would be a great card for anyone.  

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

AAA Cards challenge - Anything CAS goes optional twist Valentine

Allsorts challenge - anything but square

Crafty Catz challenge - ATG option make me smile

NBUS challenge - first time using this very old stamp set

Seize the Birthday challenge - no topping this time

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

I would love it if you would pop over to Instagram and see the amazing work by all the other crafters taking part in the hop.  Please use the hashtag #2024CraftyKickoffIGCardHop to find the hop and also so that we can find your creation if you are inspired to take part.  

I've got lots of cards to share with you tomorrow so please pop by and check them out.  As always I appreciate the comments you leave and thank you so much for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

card ingredients:

Altenew - Sohcahtoa stamp set (retired)

Gina K Designs - birthday cheer (for inside sentiment)

Gina K Designs - ink pads - jelly bean green, red hot, sweet mango

Versafine - onyx black ink (for sentiments)

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm smooth white card (for card base and panels)

AAA Birthday challenge - DT card

Hello friends and happy 1st January.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Santa brought you everything you asked for.  We had a lovely Christmas dinner with my sister's family and my mother but apart from that it was a quiet time at home with my grown up sons.  Not too much fuss this year as they are older but it was lovely to spend time with them.   Well after all the build up it came and went super fast again this year and we are into a brand new year....have you made any resolutions?  I haven't, except for trying to be a better blogger (same as always) and make more cards.  We'll see how that goes!  

Anyway enough waffling I'm here to share my first card of 2024 and my DT card for this month's AAA Birthday challenge.  This month is Kati's choice and she went for rainbows or rainbow colours.  

I needed a card in a hurry and was in the middle of a last minute Christmas card panic making session so my card is super CAS but I think it turned out ok.  Here is my card:

I didn't have time to decorate the inside this time as I needed to catch the post, so no photo sorry!

I began by cutting a white panel 3 3/4" x 5" and stamped 3 flowers, equally spaced apart.  I then stamped the 2 small butterflies on either side.  I coloured them all with Promarkers in rainbow colours and added some white highlights with a gel pen.  To finish off I stamped a simple happy birthday sentiment below the flowers in black ink.  I matted the white panel onto a black panel using double sided tape and then this was adhered to the card blank again with double sided tape.  A very CAS card with no dimension at all - I must have been feeling ill lol!  Like I say not my usual style but I ended up liking it a lot.  

The Design Team have created amazing cards as always so please pop over to the blog and check them out and perhaps leave them some love on their blogs.   Our guest designer for this month is Janet so please pop over and check out her gorgeous card too.  

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

Aud Sentiments challenge - make your own background and/or birthday + sentiment

Crafters Cafe challenge - feminine

Dream Valley challenge - ATG

Pearly Sparkles challenge - CAS

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - party time

Stamping Sensations challenge - favourite colours (I love rainbow colour schemes)

I hope you will be able to join in with our challenge this month but don't forget it has to be birthday themed.  I can't wait to see your creations in the linky.

Enjoy the rest of your day and thank you so much for stopping by.  

Love and hugs, 

card ingredients:

Gina K Designs - Hello sunshine mini (can't find it on the site)

Gina K Designs - So many sentiments

Promarkers

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm smooth white card

Hobbycraft - A4 luxury black card

AAA birthday challenge - DT card

Good morning friends and welcome to July!  Another month has bitten the dust and we are bang in the middle of summer time now.  I'm back with my DT card for this month's AAA birthday challenge and this month our theme is 'butterflies' which has been chosen by Elaine.  Our guest designer this month is Janja so please pop over and say hello.  

For my card I am using a new to me stamp and die set from W Plus 9 and it is gorgeous.  I decided to make a shaker card and went very clean and simple on this one.  Here is what I made:

and a slightly closer look:

I began by die cutting the 'beautiful' word (which thankfully comes as one piece) from white cardstock and added acetate over the opening to make my shaker window.  I then took a sentiment stamp which actually said have a sweet birthday and masked off the bits I didn't need and stamped the words in Versafine onxy black ink.  I stamped the butterflies in Versamark and white heat embossed them and cut them out with the matching dies.  I also decided to soften them by die-cutting another of each butterfly in vellum and adding them on top.  I added foam tape to my white card panel and added the shaker mix before sealing it closed.  I finished off with some matching sequins and voila my card was done.  It turned out just as I wanted and I think the colours look really fresh.  

Please pop over to the blog to see the creations from the rest of the design team; you won't be disappointed.  

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

Sweet Stampin' challenge - no designer paper (I stamped and heat embossed my butterflies before ink blending)

Addicted to CAS challenge - celebration (if my card isn't CAS enough please remove me)

Just Us Girls challenge - pastels

Shopping Our Stash challenge - sentimentally yours

Scrapping4Fun challenge - birthday

Papercraft challenges - girls, girls, girls

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - anything goes

NBUS challenge - new stamp/die set

If you give a crafter a cookie challenge - pastels

I really hope you can join us and cannot wait to see all your beautiful butterfly creations.  Please remember that we only accept birthday cards.  

I really appreciate you stopping by and leaving me such lovely and positive comments.  

Have a great day.  

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

W Plus 9 - beautiful butterflies

MFT - sweet celebrations 

Heffy Doodle - white card

sequin mix from my stash (I think it was a freebie)

 

Guest Designer - AAA birthday challenge

Good morning lovely friends.  I am delighted and honoured to be a guest designer over at the AAA Birthday challenge blog this month.  

The theme this month is 'layer it up' and here is my card:

 

close up of layers

I decided to go clean and simple with my layers and created a 30th birthday card for a friend using white with a hint of gold and black.  Firstly I cut a panel and scored some lines using my score board for a little interest in the background.  I then splattered some gold and black ink for some drama.  I die cut the leaves from Gina K Designs in white and vellum and the '30' numbers from My Favorite Things in gold.  I also die cut a decorate shape in vellum so that the numbers stood out a little from the leaves.  I assembled the leaves behind the vellum panel and added the numbers on top (I did add a small circle of white cardstock for stability).  The sentiment strip is a pre-made one from Gina K Designs.  Can you believe there is no stamping on this card - shock I know!  The finished card is 5 x 7 inches.  

I hope you will have a chance to enter the challenge, but remember it is a birthday card only challenge.  You can find all the details here.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Crafty Hugs,

Card ingredients:

White cardstock - Heffy Doodle

Black cardstock - Heffy Doodle oreo crunch

Foliage fillers - Gina K Designs

Mixed messages sentiment sheets - Gina K Designs

By the numbers - My Favorite Things (retired)

Gold paint - Kuretake Gansai Tambi starry colors

Gold pearlescent card - Tonic 'autumn maple' 6x6 pad (no longer on the Tonic site)

Vellum - Stampin' Up card stock vellum that's been in my stash for years!

Happy birthday hubby!

Hello again friends.  I hope you're all doing ok and had a great weekend.  The weather here in South Wales was lovely, glorious sunshine, although a little chilly.  It was my husband's birthday yesterday and this was the card I made for him:

I used this week's sketch from MFT as my inspiration.  This is the sketch:

Do you ever start a card with a technique in mind and then it completely changes by the end?  I began by ink blending the oval and I used a stencil to create the soft circles.  However it wasn't bold enough for me so I used a distress type stamp to go over the stencilling using oxide ink and sprayed it with water for a more messy look.  I really like the finished result even though it wasn't at all what I envisaged when I began.  I then stamped the candles and used the matching dies to cut them out.  I used the sentiment from the same set and die cut it with a banner die.  A small piece of patterned paper and my card was done.  Even though there are lots of elements it's still clean and simple which is perfect for my hubby as he doesn't like fussy cards.  

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

MFT sketch challenge - sketch #537

Krafty chicks challenge - CAS

Creative Knockouts challenge - add a sentiment

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - bright, cheerful colours

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - CAS

I hope you had a great start to your week.  Have you done anything exciting since the lifting of some of the lockdown restrictions?  I'm not in that much of a rush to go shopping so I haven't done anything at all except craft (which is my favourite pastime lol).  

Have a fab week and catch up again soon.

Hugs, 

Card ingredients:

MFT - make a wish stamp & die set

MFT - distressed patterns stamp

MFT - card sized confetti set of stencils

MFT - blueprints 27 (for the banner)

Heffy Doodle - white letter size cardstock

Lili of the Valley - bonnets and bowties solids paper pack

Tonic Studios - oval layering die set

Black card from stash

Stampin Up! - various stampin' spots for the candles

Distress oxide ink in Tumbled glass

CAS birthday card

Oh my goodness I cannot believe that it's been so long since I last blogged a card.  I hope there are still a few of you out there to read my ramblings!  I hope everyone is doing ok and the lockdown is not taking too much toll on you.  I have been feeling a little down but I think between lockdown and the dark and dreary days it's already been a long winter.  As I work for the NHS I've already had my first vaccine and should have my 2nd dose in a month or so.  I think everyone is pinning their hopes on the vaccine taking control of the virus and I must admit I am too.  

Anyway enough waffling, I have a very CAS card to share with you tonight.  I made it for one of my lovely DT friends:

I'm not very good taking photos at the best of times but in these long dark days my photos are even worse.  I assure you my card was much nicer in real life.  I had just received this cute MFT stamp set and had to use it but as my card was going to The Netherlands I didn't want it too bulky so that postage wasn't too expensive.  I used the background stamp to create the 'splatter' behind the animals, which I coloured with my promarkers.  I used the coordinating dies the cut out the critters and added them to the card with foam tape.  I stamped the sentiment and again added it with foam tape.  A few sequins and my card was done.  I hope you like it. 

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

Allsorts challenge - 4 legged friends

Less is more challenge - in a row

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - anything goes

Krafty chicks challenge - any occasion

Crafty friends challenge - animals/birds

I know I promise every time I post that I will be back soon so I won't say that this time lol!  I'll just say 'see you on the flip side' 😀.

Card ingredients:

MFT Missing you every single day (stamp & dies)

MFT Distressed patterns

MFT beary special birthday (for sentiment)

Pretty Pink Posh sparkling clear mix sequins

Memento tuxedo black ink for stamping images

Versafine onyx black ink for sentiment & splatters

Promarkers to colour images