Critter Crazy Challenge - Guest Designer Oct 26

Hello friends; it's a busy day on my blog today and my first card for you is my card as GDT for the Critter Crazy challenge . I was lucky enough to win one of their recent challenges and was honoured to be asked to be a guest designer for them. The challenge is always 'ATG' but you must include an animal on your project.  

I got this stamp set a little while ago but I hadn't used it so I thought it would be a fun one for this challenge.  I coloured the images with Promarkers and stencilled a paw print background.  I think it turned out super cute and I hope you like it too. 

Here is my card:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a light brown panel 4" x 5 1/4" and used the paw print stencil and some dark chocolate ink and created my background.  I also inked around the edges using the same ink pad and added some white spatters.  I stamped the images onto alcohol marker friendly card, coloured them with Promarkers and added some white highlights with a gelly roll pen.  I don't have the dies so I fussy cut them out.  I found a small piece of beige checked paper and cut that to 2 3/4" x 3" and again darkened up the edges with the brown ink.  I used a scallop border die to cut a piece of white card and added that to the edge of the paper using liquid glue, once again lightly inking the edges.  I also tied some red and white twine around the panel and tied it in a bow.  I added foam squares behind the paper panel and added that onto the background at a slight angle.  I added the dog and balloon with foam squares.  I stamped the sentiment onto the light brown card using black ink and used a circle die to cut it out.  I added foam squares to the back and tucked it under the paper panel. I also die cut a tiny paw print from the light brown card and added that above the dog using liquid glue.  The panel was then adhered to my card base using double sided tape.  For the inside I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink.  I cut a scallop piece from the light brown card and adhered that behind a piece of the left over stencilled background using liquid glue.  I adhered this to the bottom of the panel using liquid glue.  I stamped, coloured and fussy cut the bone present image and added that in the bottom left corner using liquid glue.  The panel was then adhered to the card base using double sided tape. 

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

A Place to Start challenge - ATG optional twist: relates to a song (hound dog by Elvis Presley)

Classic Design challenge - ATG optional twist: autumn colours

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Do-All Creative challenge - ATG optional use die cuts

NBUS challenge - new or unused stuff (my stamp is unused from April)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

Please pop over to the Critter Crazy challenge blog for all the details/rules and to see the amazing creations from the design team. I would like to thank Becca and the team for having me as a guest this month. I hope you will find the time to enter the challenge and cannot wait to see all your projects in the linky.

Thanks for stopping by and see you all soon.

Love and hugs,

 

card supplies:

Whimsy Stamps - doggie birthday clear stamp

Honey Bee Stamps - friends forever stencil set (I only used one) - retired

Promarkers

Clearly Besotted - scalloped edges die collection

Time for Tea Designs - pawsome die set

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

Waffle Flower - nesting circle dies

Gina K Designs - dark chocolate ink pad

Limetree Craft - 300gsm smooth white card (for card base)

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Winsor & Newton - white gouache (for spatters)

coloured card and paper from my stash

twine from my stash

Just Us Girls challenge #841 - Mood Board Week

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog. I am back to share my card for this week's Just Us Girls challenge and it's Mood Board Week and Vicki has a beautiful board to inspire us this week. There are so many gorgeous details on the mood board to choose from this week and I'm sure this is going to be a really popular week. I cannot wait to see all your gorgeous creations.

A closer look at the mood board:

Isn't it a beautiful mood board?  The neutral colours are gorgeous with lots of images to be inspired by; will it be the coffee cup, the houses, the cute dog or maybe the pumpkins.  I can't wait to see what you choose.  I decided to use neutral colours and a coffee theme for my card and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  I hope you like it too.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I took a quick 9 sec video so you could see the legs 'dancing':

I began by cutting a cream card panel 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" and a mat layer from brown card and adhered them together with liquid glue.  I stamped three coffee rings using dark brown ink and some coffee beans using a lighter brown ink.  I decided to use this fun interactive 'dancing' die from Spellbinders and cut all the various pieces from coloured card from my scraps bin.  I cut the legs and hands from white card and coloured them with my Promarkers.  I adhered everything together and added it to my card panel using a mix of liquid glue and foam squares.  I stamped the sentiment onto a scrap of the cream card using the lighter brown ink and fussy cut it out before adding it across the focal image using foam squares and liquid glue.  I finished off with some self adhesive pearls (although I never trust the self adhesive pads so I peeled them off and added liquid glue!).  The panel was adhered to my card base using double sided tape.  For the inside I cut another cream panel and brown layer and adhered them together with liquid glue.  I stamped one coffee ring in the bottom right corner and added a die cut coffee cup and a few leaves.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre using brown ink and adhered the panel to my card base using double sided tape.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - make your mark 

Classic Design challenge - autumn colours

Colorful Options challenge - rusty brown - option 2 and 4

Creative Moments challenge - autumn colours

Dragonfly Dreams challenge - monochromatic

First Cup challenge - ATG with a hot or cold drink

Girlz Creative: splash it with colour challenge - pink and/or brown

If You Give A Crafter A Cookie challenge - sweater weather (inspired by the colours and coffee)

Papercraft Challenges - cozy autumn

Shopping Our Stash challenge - who's who

I'm sure this will be a popular challenge as it is such a beautiful board and I cannot wait to see what you create. Please pop over to the challenge blog and leave some love for our guest designer Julia Aston and the rest of the design team.

I appreciate you stopping by.

Love and hugs,

card supplies:

Spellbinders - I dance die set

Spellbinders - sugar coated sentiments clear stamp (for outside sentiment)

Spellbinders - perfect pie sentiments & fillings clear stamp (for inside sentiment)

Spellbinders - fashion blush self adhesive embellishments

Altenew - coffee ring mini stamp 

Honey Bee - perfect blend clear stamp (for coffee beans)

Limetree Craft - 300gsm smooth white card (for card base)

cream and brown card from The Papermill shop (many moons ago)

other card from my scraps bin

Gina K Designs - ink pads - warm cocoa & dark chocolate

Winsor & Newton - Promarkers

I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my links as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x

Krafty Chicks challenge #838 - CAS (clean and simple)

Good morning lovely friends and welcome to my little corner of blogland. It's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and this week we are on Week 3; and as always the theme is 'CAS (clean and simple)' and Diane is our hostess. Now we know that CAS is subjective but generally it's lots of open space (doesn't have to be white), no embellishments (or very few) and an uncluttered design. It can be a difficult design to pull off but we hope you will take on the challenge and come over and join in the fun with us.

It was my sister & brother-in-law's anniversary recently so used this opportunity to make them a card.  It's not a one-layer CAS card but I made a 5 1/2" x 7 1/2" card (as it was a special family card) and I think the proportions work well with lots of uncluttered space around the focal image.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by making my card base by cutting a white piece of card 11" x 7 1/2" and scoring at 5 1/2".  I cut a white panel 5" x 7" and added a strip of black & white paper to the top and bottom with liquid glue before adding a black mat layer with double sided tape.  I die cut a plain heart from white card and a scalloped heart from black card and adhered them together using liquid glue.  I die cut the leafery and flowers using coloured card from my scraps bin and adhered them together and added them to the white heart using liquid glue.  I made the sentiment on my computer and printed it out onto my usual white card before die cutting it with a flag die.  I added the sentiment over the flower arrangement using a mix of foam squares and liquid glue.  The heart was then adhered to the background panel using foam squares.  The panel was added to my card base using double sided tape.  For the inside I cut another white panel and black mat layer as well as a strip of the black and white paper and adhered them together with liquid glue.  I cut a small plain heart from white and scalloped heart from black and adhered them together with liquid glue.  I die cut two more of the flower/leafery and added them over the heart using liquid glue.  The heart was then added in the bottom right corner with liquid glue.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre using black ink and adhered the panel to my card base using double sided tape.  

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

Beautiful Blossoms challenge - anything floral goes optional inspiration photo

Craft Rocket challenge - use dies

Creative Crafting Uncles challenge - males go feminine

Heart's Quest Celebrations of Love challenge - BEWAS (anniversary)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - clean and simple

Unicorn challenge - not square

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 supplies:

Spellbinders - sealed bouquet die set

Honey Bee Stamps - stacking hearts and scallop hearts honey cuts

MFT - blueprints 27 (for flag end die)

MFT - black & white stripes 6x6 paper pack

LOTV - verses A5 polymer clear stamp - no longer available

Limetree Craft - 280gsm silky smooth white card (not available but other options are here and here)

Limetree Craft - 300gsm smooth white card (for card base)

Limetree Craft - 220gsm black card

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

computer & printer for front sentiment

coloured card from my scraps bin

The Male Room challenge - guest designer

Hello friends; I'm here again this morning to share my card as GDT for The Male Room challenge.  I was lucky enough to win one of their recent challenges and was honoured to be asked to be a guest designer for them.  The challenge this month is 'the outdoors' so we want to see all your outdoor scenes but don't forget it has to be masculine themed.  

I recently bought a stamp set from a destash group as I thought it would be perfect for masculine cards; as it turned out it was perfect for this challenge.  I decided to make an easel card, as it's been so long since I made one.  I hope you like it. 

Here is my card:

An angled view to show off the easel:

A closer look at the image:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I made my easel card 6" square and scored the front panel at 3" to create the easel fold.  I covered each panel with a mixture of orange striped paper and green plaid paper, adding a black mat behind each paper.  I stamped the row of trees onto a piece of white card and initially coloured them with Zig markers but thought they looked a little pale so went over them with my Promarkers.  I made a mask for the trees and ink blended some sea glass ink around them for the sky and used lucky clover at the bottom of the panel for grass.  I also stamped some birds above the trees in black ink.  I cut the panel down to 4' square again added a black mat layer behind.  On a separate piece of white card I stamped the tent and fire, coloured them with Promarkers and fussy cut them out.  I added the tent in front of the trees using foam squares and then adhered the panel below the score line using foam squares.  For the inside I cut a white panel 4 3/4" x 3" and added a black mat layer.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink and added a thin strip of the plaid paper to the bottom.  I adhered this to the top of the inside panel with double sided tape.  I created a strip using the plaid paper 5 3/4" x 1" and added a black mat layer.  I stamped the sentiment to the right of centre and added that below the message panel using double sided tape.  I cut a small white circle and slightly larger black circle and adhered them together with liquid glue.  I then adhered the fire image onto the circle with a foam square.  I finished off with some solid black sequins.  

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

* to be updated *

Please pop over to The Male Room challenge blog for all the details/rules and to see the amazing creations from the design team. I would like to thank Helen and the team for having me as a guest this month. I hope you will find the time to enter the challenge and cannot wait to see all your projects in the linky.

Thanks for stopping by and see you all soon.

Love and hugs, 

card supplies:

summer holiday stamp set free with Creative Stamping magazine

Promarkers

Me to You - spring chic 6x6 paper pad (for plaid paper)

Echo Park - candy shoppe dots & stripes 6x6 paper pad (for orange striped paper)

Waffle Flower - nesting circle dies

Heffy Doodle - happy camper mini stamp (for part of the front sentiment)

Honey Bee Stamps - swimming by stamp (for birthday word)

Spellbinders - black color essential smooth disc sequins

Limetree Craft - 12" x 12" 300gsm smooth white card

Limetree Craft - 220gsm black card

*Gina K Designs - ink pads - sea glass and lucky clover

*I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x

Just Us Girls challenge #810 - guest designer card

Hello again lovely friends. I'm back with my second card as guest designer for the Just Us Girls challenge and this week is 'Word Week' and unsurprising the word is Valentine.  

I decided to take the opportunity to make my Valentine's card for hubby.  I had picked up the cute Valentine mice from Lawn Fawn's recent release so had to use them; they are so adorable.  My card started out as 5" x 7" but to have an equal margin around the scalloped die I had to cut it down slightly so the finished card size is 5" x 6 3/8".  I think it turned out super cute and I hope you like it too.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the inside:

So as I say I originally cut my card base to 10" x 7" and scored it on the long side at 5" to create my 5" x 7" card but later on cut it down a little on the length.  I stamped the images in a light brown ink and used the coordinating stencils and brown and pink ink pads to colour them in.  I've never coloured images with stencils before; I'm not sure if for small images like this you really need them as it probably took just as long to colour them with the stencils as it would have with markers, but the effect is quite soft which is a nice look and something I struggle with using markers (I'm quite heavy handed lol).  I had left the stamps in the Misti so stamped over them with black ink to make the outlines bolder and then cut them out with the matching dies.  I also stamped all of the sentiments in black ink.  I had just received some heart dies that I ordered so cut two white hearts and the scallop layers from kraft coloured card and adhered them with liquid glue.  I die cut 3 of the sentiments with sentiment strips dies and the last one with a smaller heart.  I cut a piece of speckled patterned paper and adhered it onto the scalloped rectangle which was also die cut from the kraft coloured card.  I added the two mice onto the white hearts with foam squares and added the 'mwah' sentiment with liquid glue.  I stamped the 'luv u' sentiment directly onto the second heart.  I adhered the hearts onto the background with liquid glue and the strip sentiments were adhered with foam squares.  I decided to die cut some tiny hearts from white card and ink blended them with the same pink ink pads I used for the mice and added them onto the background with liquid glue.  I added some scrap white card behind the scalloped rectangle and then this was adhered to the card base with double sided tape. As a finishing touch I added some crystal glaze to all the hearts, which looks really pretty in real life. For the inside I cut the next size down scalloped rectangle from kraft coloured card and added a white panel onto it with liquid glue.  I stamped part the sentiment directly in the centre with black ink and used a stamped and die cut 'happy' above it with liquid glue.  I adhered a strip of the patterned paper at the bottom of the panel and added the third mouse in the bottom right corner along with a few more hearts.  The panel was adhered to the card base with double sided tape.  

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

* to be updated * 

I'm sure this will be a popular challenge and I cannot wait to see what you create.  Please pop over to the challenge blog and check out all the amazing creations by the Design Team.  

I appreciate you stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

card supplies:

Lawn Fawn - Valentine mice stamp, dies and coordinating stencils

Lawn Fawn - scalloped rectangle stackables dies

Lawn Fawn - spiffy 'speckles' 6x6 inch petite paper pack

Lawn Fawn - happy happy happy add on family stamp (for inside sentiment)

Lawn Fawn - hedgehugs die (for tiny heart die)

Honey Bee Stamp - stacking hearts and scallop hearts honey cuts

*Gina K Designs - ink pads - sandy beach, kraft, bubblegum pink, passionate pink

Gina K Designs - large strip sentiments dies

Tonic Studios - Nuvo crystal glaze

Limetree Craft - 280gsm silky smooth white card (not available but other options are here and here)

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

*I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x

Krafty Chicks challenge #806 - Birthday

Good morning lovely friends; I hope you're having a great week.  It's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and this week we are on Week 1; as always the theme is 'birthday' and Leanne is our hostess. This is such an easy challenge as we always need birthday cards so we hope you will come over and join in the fun with us.

I'm sharing the card I made for my niece's 21st birthday and although I've made something similar in the past I did step it up a little and I think it's an elegant card for a special birthday.  My card size is 5 1/2" x 7 1/2".  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by taking some smooth white card and created my card base by cutting it to 11" x 7 1/2" and scoring on the long side at 5 1/2".  I used my score board to score 5 lines vertically for some texture and visual interest in the background and matted this panel onto a gold mirror card layer with double sided tape.  I also added some gold and black spatter.  I die cut some leaves from white card and also a couple from vellum and also die cut the happy birthday frame from vellum twice.  I cut a white circle to go behind the vellum frame and also used gold mirror card to die cut the 21, along with a few extra white ones so that I could layer them up with liquid glue.  I stamped the sentiment using black ink and die cut it out with a sentiment strips die.  I adhered the birthday frame together with liquid glue, putting it sparingly so that it would be less noticeable through the vellum and added the white circle behind it.  I added the leaves vertically along the score lines with liquid glue, adding the circle frame with foam squares.  I adhered the 21 with liquid glue into the centre of the circle and the sentiment on the bottom edge of the circle with foam squares.  I finished off with some gold and black metallic pearls.  I added some scrap white card behind the panel and then adhered it to the card base with double sided tape.  For the inside I cut another white panel and added it onto a gold mat panel with double sided tape.  I added some gold and black spatter to the bottom third and adhered a cluster of leaves in the left lower corner.  I stamped the sentiment in the centre with black ink.  I adhered the panel onto the card base with double sided tape.  

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

Aud Sentiments challenge - dies and/or love, anniversary, wedding + sentiment

Crafts Galore Encore challenge - ATG

Let's Craft & Create challenge - ATG + from the heart

The Paper Funday challenge - ATG optional pastel colours

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'birthday' 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 want to say how much I appreciate your lovely comments, your support really does mean the world to me.

Love and hugs,

card ingredients:

*Gina K Designs - foliage fillers die set

Gina K Designs - Master Layouts 03 die set (for white circle)

Gina K Designs - large strip sentiments die set

MFT - happy birthday circle frame die

MFT - by the numbers die set

Honey Bee Stamps - this one's for the girls stamp (for outside sentiment)

Clearly Besotted - simply said birthday stamp (for inside sentiment)

Stampin' Up! - card stock vellum

Limetree Craft - 280gsm silky smooth white card (not available currently but other options can be found here and here)

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

gold mirror card from stash

Kuretake - gansai tambi starry colours paint palette (for gold spatters)

MFT - black hybrid ink pad (for black spatters)

*I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x

Krafty Chicks challenge #800 - Masculine

Good morning lovely friends and a very Merry Christmas to all of you that celebrate. I know it can be a tough time for some and to those I am sending big hugs and love.  If you are lucky enough to be spending it with family or friends I hope you have a wonderful day.  

I'm sharing my card for the new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and this week we are on Week 4; as always the theme is 'Masculine' and Lori is our hostess. We hope you will come over and join in the fun with us.

It was my son's birthday last month and this is the card I made for him.  The colours are not overly masculine but I thought they were fun, bright and happy colours.  He's a proper teapot and drinks copious amounts through the day so this die set was perfect for him.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A closer look at the details:

Plus I decorated the inside:

As the card was for my son I made the card base 6" x 8" (using a piece of 12" x 12" card and cutting it to 12" x 8" and scoring it at 6" on the longer side).  I cut a white panel 5 1/4" x 7 1/4" and ink smooshed the background using blue, yellow and green ink pads.  Once it was dry I matted it onto a black layer with double sided tape.  I stamped and die cut 3 of the teacups and also die cut 6 more white cups so that I could layer them up.  I ink blended the 3 same colours onto the teacups, blending more heavily around the edges.  I also stamped the dog, coloured him with Promarkers and fussy cut him out.  Finally I stamped and die cut the teabag image and blended it with some light brown ink and used Promarkers to colour the heart.  Now it was time to arrange my pieces.  I stacked the cups in a 'wobbly' arrangement and added them with foam squares.  I popped the dog at the top, so that he looked like he was sitting in the teacup.  I stamped the tea-riffic sentiment in black ink onto white card and use a sentiment strips die to cut it out.  I stamped the second sentiment directly onto the bottom teacup with black ink.  I finished off with some gold pearls.  I added some scrap white card behind my panel and added it to the card base with double sided tape.  For the inside I cut the same white and black panels and did some ink smooshing at the bottom of the white panel.  Once it was dry I stamped the outline of the dog over the smooshing with black ink and added a sentiment in the centre.  I adhered the layers together and added them to the card base with double sided tape.  

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

Color Dare challenge - #683 bold & bright colours

Crafter's Cafe challenge - ATG optional use the colour yellow

First Cup challenges - ATG must include a drink on your project

Girlz Makes Guyz Cards challenge - ATG masculine

Heart's Quest Celebrations of Love challenge - BEWAS (birthday)

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG or use purple & yellow

Paper Rocks Scissors challenge - use paper and/or scissors (I fussy cut the dog image)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - add a sentiment

We Love Stamping challenge - red & green or ATG

I hope you will be able to join us for our 'Masculine' 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 supplies:

Funky Fossil - layering cup dies (retired)

Funky Fossil - critters in cups (retired)

Promarkers

Clearly Besotted - happy birthday all stamp (retired)

Stampin' Up! - family party stamp (retired)

Honey Bee Stamps - inside: birthday sentiments (for inside sentiment)

Limetree Crafts - 280gsm silky smooth white card

Limetree Crafts - 220gsm black card

Versafine Clair - nocturne ink pad

Memento - tuxedo black ink pad

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card (store now closed)

*Gina K Designs - large strip sentiments dies

Gina K Designs ink pads - in the navy, blue raspberry, grass green, lucky clover, sweet mango, honey mustard

Gina K Designs - black, gold & silver metallic pearl mix

*I now have an Affiliate Link for the Gina K Designs store. If you are considering making a purchase I would appreciate you using my link as it will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Thank you x