Summer Soiree Card Making IG Hop - Week 9

Hello friends; I hope you've had a great start to your week.  Another week has whizzed by in a blink of an eye; it will be Christmas before we know it lol!  

We are now up to Week 9 of our Summer Soiree IG card hop, which has been organised by my lovely friend Kelly. This week's theme is 'road trips or summer celebrations' so this one is really open as you could even have a wedding card as a summer celebration. 

I decided to combine the themes and have a car load of friends celebrating a birthday on a road trip haha!  I recently picked up this stamp set on an amazing deal and it was really perfect timing for my card this week.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A close up of the fun image:

I decorated the inside too:

I began by stamping the images onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured them with Promarkers.  I used the matching dies to cut everything out.  I cut a white card panel 4" x 5 1/4" and lightly ink blended some clouds in the top 2/3rds using a mini cloud edge stencil.  For the 'road' I cut a piece of mid grey card 1 1/4" x 4" and adhered this to the bottom of the panel.  Before adding the panel to the card base I stamped the party time sentiment in alcohol marker friendly black ink and again coloured it with Promarkers.  I adhered the panel with foam tape and arranged the die cut images before adding them with foam squares.  No extra embellishments this time but I did add a few white gel pen highlights to the images.  For the inside I cut another white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and stamped 3 of the presents in the bottom right corner and again coloured them with Promarkers.  I stamped a sentiment across the centre in black ink.  I adhered the panel to the card base with double sided tape.  A really fun image and I enjoyed making this card.

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

AAA Cards challenge - anything CAS goes optional twist: holidays/travels

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - any occasion

Allsorts challenge - summer days/ATG

As You Like It challenge - bugs, feathers or fur - I love cute critters so will always go fur 

Craft Rocket challenge - animals

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

Dream Valley challenge - hand coloured image

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - always birthdays

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG/my best friend

Inkspirational challenge - mood board - inspired by the colours

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - add a sentiment

Stencil Fun challenge - anything stencil goes optional twist: summertime

The Cutie Pie challenge - four legged friends

We Love Stamping challenge - focal sentiment or quote/ATG

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 in my post.  We would love it if you would give the summer soiree challenges a try and again use the hashtag and we will find your projects.  

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

Love and hugs,

card ingredients:

Waffle Flower - limo ride stamp & die set (it looks like the stamp is now sold out)

Promarkers

MFT - mini cloud edge stencil - retired

Gina K Designs - on the inside stamp (inside sentiment)

Gina K Designs - sea glass ink pad

Memento - tuxedo black ink 

Versafine - onyx black ink 

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

grey card from scraps bin

Krafty Chicks challenge #728 - 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 this week it's Week 2 which means that I am your hostess and our theme as always is 'Christmas', so grab your festive supplies and come join in the fun with us.  I am building up a nice supply of Christmas cards thanks to these challenges so if you're yet to start this is a great way to get some done.  

I dug out another wood block stamp this week as I'm really enjoying using them.  They stamp so well and as I haven't used them for so long it's like having new stamps to play with!  I was a little pressed for time when making my card, which is the norm these days, so although not really clean and simple there are minimal layers and embellishments.  I hope you like it. 

Here is my card:

A close up of the cute hedgie:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by stamping the image onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured it with Promarkers.  I added some highlights with a white gel pen.  I decided to use a stitched, rounded rectangle die to cut it out.  I stamped the sentiment below the image with black ink.  I searched through my old, neglected 6" x 6" paper pads and found this gorgeous green striped paper which I thought matched the image perfectly.  I cut it with my trimmer to 4" x 5 1/4".  I adhered the paper to my card base with double sided tape and then the rounded rectangle was added to this with foam tape.  I finished off with a few red sequins to complement the red berries in the image.  For the inside I cut a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and added a strip of the patterned paper to the left side with double sided tape.  I masked the holly leaves on the stamp and just stamped the hedgie into the right hand corner so that it looked like he was peeking in; I then coloured it again with Promarkers.  I stamped a sentiment in the centre with black ink and then added the panel to my card base with double sided tape.  For a change this is a landscape A2 card.  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - any occasion

As You Like It challenge - bugs, fur or feathers (I don't mind a cute bug or bird but I'm a sucker for a cute critter so would always pick fur.  I know hedgehogs have spines but they also have fur too)

Birthstone challenges - ruby/peridot

Christmas Kickstart challenge - animal antics

Craft Rocket challenge - animals

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Crafty Gals Corner challenge - ATG optional twist Christmas

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

Dragonfly Dreams challenge - these are a few of my favourite things - PB hedgies and Promarkers

Dream Valley challenge - Christmas in July

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG/my best friend

Inkspirational challenge - woodland (hedgehogs live in the woods)

Love Those Pretty Papers challenge - use your papers optional summertime

Make My Monday challenge - colouring mediums (I used alcohol markers)

Merry Little Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

Peace On Earth Christmas challenge - anything Christmas themed

Penny Black Saturday challenge - ATG optional flowers

Scrapping4Fun challenge - ATG

Sparkles Christmas challenge - Christmas critters

The Holly & Ivy Christmas challenge - anything Christmas goes

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.  

Love and hugs, 

card ingredients:

Penny Black Stamps - berry, berry Christmas

Promarkers

MFT - stitched rounded rectangle stax dies - retired

Echo Park - dots & stripes Christmas collection 6"x6" pad - retired

Spellbinders - Christmas magic sentiments stamp

Spellbinders - scarlet smooth discs color essential sequins

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

Versafine - onyx black ink

Memento - tuxedo black ink

Sakura - white no. 10 gelly roll pen

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed

Summer Soiree Card Making IG Hop - Week 8

Hello friends; I hope you've had a great start to your week.  I can't believe it's Wednesday already.  It only seems like 5 minutes ago I was posting last week's card! 

We are now up to Week 8 of our Summer Soiree IG card hop, which has been organised by my lovely friend Kelly. This week's theme is 'you are my sunshine' so think sunshine, sun-rays, yellow, encouragement etc. 

I decided to take the theme very literal this week and created and fairly clean and simple but at the same time super cute card (I think so anyway lol!).  I hope you will like it.

Here is my card:

A close up of the cute sunshine:

I also decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a white panel 4" x 5 1/4" from smooth white card and ran it through my die cutting machine with a sun-rays embossing folder.  I didn't actually have a sun die (I know shock horror) so used a pinking edge circle and matching smaller circle die that I found in a set from MFT.  I cut them from some orange and yellow offcuts that I had in my scraps bin.  I also die cut some clouds from white card.  I used the same yellow card to die cut the word 'sunshine' and also 2 more from white card so that I could glue them together for some dimension.  I did some stamp surgery on one of my stamps and used part of it to stamp 'you are my' in black ink onto white card; which I then cut with a sentiment strip die.  I added the circles together with liquid glue and added them to my panel with double sided tape.  I added the larger cloud with foam squares and the smaller cloud with a mix of foam squares and liquid glue as it overlapped the larger cloud.  The die cut sentiment was added with liquid glue and I added the stamped sentiment with foam squares.  The panel was added to my card front with foam tape.  I didn't add anything else as I thought it was cute as it was.  For the inside I cut another white panel 4" x 5 1/4" and cut a white strip 2" x 4" and again ran it through my die cutting machine with the embossing folder.  I die cut another 'sun' and one small cloud. I added the embossed strip, sun and cloud with double sided tape.  I stamped a sentiment in the upper centre of the my panel with black ink.  A really fun card I think.  

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

AAA Cards challenge - anything CAS goes optional twist holidays/travel

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - any occasion

Can You Handle The Pressure challenge - anything embossing goes option things with wings

CAS on Friday challenge - two colours (with white or cream) -  I used yellow and orange with white

CRAFT challenge - summer 

Die Cut Divas challenge - wet or dry embossing (I used an embossing folder)

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - romance/friendship

If You Give A Crafter A Cookie challenge - be happy (inspired by smiley face/colour)

Double Trouble challenge - what makes you happy/include a smile and/or smile sentiment

Moving Along With The Times challenge - summer fun

My Time To Craft challenge - summertime fun

PINspirational challenge - die cuts

Simply Clean and Simple challenge - anything CAS goes option off centre

The Four Seasons challenge - anything goes summer

Try It On Tuesday challenge - keep it simple

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

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 in my post.  We would love it if you would give the summer soiree challenges a try and again use the hashtag and we will find your projects.  

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

Love and hugs,

card ingredients:

MFT - blueprints 13 (for circles) - retired

W Plus 9 - sunshine layers die set (for sunshine word) - retired

Clearly Besotted Stamps - sky's the limit (for clouds) - retired

MFT - beach bunnies stamp (for 'you are my' sentiment)

MFT - Polynesian paradise (for inside sentiment) - retired

Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies

Lawn Fawn - you're the zest (for face on the sun)

We R Memory keepers 6" x 6" embossing folder (unsure of the name)

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

Versafine - onyx black ink

coloured card from my scraps bin

AAA Birthday challenge #64 - critters

Hello again friends; I'm back again this morning to share my card for this month's brand new challenge over at the AAA Birthday challenge. This month Maaike is the hostess and she has chosen 'critters' as our theme.  Our guest designer this month is Karen so please pop over and leave her some love.  

My son recently asked me to make a 1st birthday card for his friend's little boy (I made a new baby card for him last year here so he's starting a bit of tradition lol!).  He asked for it to include a dinosaur as they had just decorated his bedroom with dinosaurs.  I wanted to make a shaped card so that it would be something special and saw a few on Pinterest so adapted the sizes to make mine based on a 5" x 7" card.  It took a little bit of fiddling but I eventually got to something I was happy with.  

Here is my card:

A close look at the cute dinosaur:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began with a 5" x 7" card blank.  I used a ruler and pencil and marked where I wanted to cut and used my roll of double sided tape to draw around to get the curve at the top.  I then took a pair of long bladed scissors and carefully cut it out.  It's a little wobbly in some places but overall it looks good.  For the mat layer I traces around the card blank onto my patterned paper and then just sized it down again with a ruler and pencil and cut it out.  I adhered the paper with a mixture of double sided tape and liquid glue.  I stamped the dinosaur and a party hat onto alcohol marker friendly card and coloured them with Promarkers before using the matching dies to cut them out.  I did struggle to find a complementary colour to match the green dotty paper but my son really liked that so persevered and eventually found this pale yellow striped paper which I think matched really well.  I die cut a small label shape to go behind the dinosaur along with a happy birthday sentiment and the letters to spell the birthday boys name.  I added the sentiments with liquid glue and the label and dinosaur with foam squares.  For a finishing touch I added a few red sequins to match the dinosaurs spikes (I don't think that's the technical term lol!).  For the inside I cut a piece of the yellow striped paper as my mat layer, stamped the sentiment in black ink and a tiny dinosaur at the bottom of the card also in black ink.  My son loved the card and so did his friends so that made me happy.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges (I hope you agree my dino is an animal/critter):

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - birthdays

Craft Rocket challenge - animals

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal

Crafty Catz challenge - ATG optional twist hot colours

Creative Inspirations - ATG

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG/masculine

Make My Monday challenge - colouring mediums (I used alcohol markers)

PINspirational challenge - die cuts

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

The Paper Funday challenge - ATG optional twist: critter crazy

Word Power challenge - #8 (sentiment is the focus of your card)

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.

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

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Lawn Fawn - Rawr stamp & matching die

Lawn Fawn - Year 2 stamp & matching die (for party hat)

Promarkers

MFT - little letters dies - retired

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed

Heffy Doodle - dinky dinos (for tiny dinosaur) - store now closed

Heffy Doodle - showtime frame dies (for label) - store now closed

Spellbinders - simply perfect mix & match sentiments dies

Spellbinders - scarlet colour essential smooth disc sequins 

Pre-made 5" x 7" card blank

Making Memories - 12" x 12" green dots paper (from multipack Kate pad) 

yellow striped patterned paper from my stash

Krafty Chicks challenge #727 - Stamps

Good morning lovely friends.  I hope you're all doing ok and having a great week so far.  I can't believe it's already the 1st of August; the time is really whizzing by isn't it? 

It's time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and as it is the beginning of the month we are back to Week 1 which means Leanne is our hostess and our theme as always is 'Stamps' so grab your clear, red rubber, wooden or even your digital images and get stamping.  We can't wait to see what you make so come on over and join in the fun with us. 

I was inspired by a video I saw by Gina of Gina K Designs to make a 5" x 5" card.  It's another SIP card = stamps, ink and paper and I'm really happy with the way it turned out.  I hope you like it too. 

Here is my card:

A closer look at the beautiful butterflies:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a white panel 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" and placed it in my Misti.  I took a border stamp and stamped it three times in ombre shades of grey from lightest to darkest across the centre of the panel.  I also stamped a birthday sentiment under the bottom border on the left side in black ink.  I then took a two step butterfly stamp and stamped three butterflies in ombre shades of teal and the second layer in black ink.  I placed the butterflies over the borders in a random pattern, again lightest to darkest with foam squares.  I cut a black mat layer to go behind my white panel and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I decided for a change to make a coloured card base and adhered the panel with foam tape.  No embellishments as I didn't think it needed anything more.  I basically repeated the process on the inside but stamped the borders at the bottom of the panel and only added one butterfly, which I adhered with liquid glue.  For a change I stamped my sentiment above the borders on the right side in black ink.  Quite a simple card but very effective I think and I'm going to make more in different colours when I get time. 

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - birthdays

Crafts Galore Encore challenge - ATG

Crafty Animals challenge - ATG must include an animal 

Creative Knockouts challenge - something to say (10 challenges max)

Critter Crazy challenge - ATG with a featured critter

Cut It Up challenge - CAS (clean and simple) (I die cut my butterflies)

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - always birthdays

Scrapping4Fun challenge - ATG

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

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.  

I'll be back in a little while with my card for this month's AAA Birthday challenge but until then thanks for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Uniko Stamps - English country garden butterflies clear stamp

Uniko Stamps - background builders: round in circles clear stamp

Uniko Stamps - simply said clear stamp

Gina K Designs - ink pads - sea glass, tranquil teal, turquoise sea, soft stone, stormy sky, slate

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Versafine - onyx black ink 

teal card from my stash

Summer Soiree Card Making IG Hop - Week 7

Hello friends; I hope you've had a great start to your week.  Apologies for the lack of posts this past week but Wesley is dominating my time so much that I don't have any time to myself!  He is a bundle of fun, but a little terror at the same time lol!  He's been enjoying the gorgeous weather we've been having this week and loves being outside.  

Anyway enough of my waffling let's get down to the real reason you are here.  It's week 7 of our Summer Soiree IG card hop, which has been organised by my lovely friend Kelly. This week is all about 'summer bugs' so we want to see all your cute and fun critters. 

I wanted to use this cute stamp set from Clearly Besotted (this is the same set that I got the fun bees from that I used on my World Bee Day card a little while ago).  They are such adorable images and fairly simple to colour too.  I hope you like it.

Here is my card:

A close look at the cute images:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a panel of 8 1/2" x 5 1/4" kraft card and stamped my own background paper using 2 leaf stamps from the stamp set and versamark ink for a tone on tone look.  I cut 2 panels from the background measuring 3 3/4" x 5".  I stamped the images onto alcohol marker friendly ink and coloured them with Promarkers before using the matching dies to cut them out.  I stencilled a background using a stencil and die cut it out with a circle die.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink and used a sentiment strip die to cut it out.  I took some alpha dies and cut out the word 'bugs' from green card and inked the bottom half with a slightly darker green ink.  I added the circle onto the background with foam tape, the caterpillar was also added with foam tape and the dragonfly was added with liquid glue.  I tucked 2 leaves behind the circle, adding them with liquid glue.  I also added the sentiment and words with liquid glue.  The panel was added to the card base with foam tape.  For the inside I cut a white panel 3 1/4" x 4 1/2" and stamped a sentiment in the centre with black ink.  I lightly ink blended the bottom and added another cute bug and 2 leaves with liquid glue.  I adhered the white panel onto the kraft panel with double sided tape and this was added to the card base with double sided tape.  A really fun card and I love a good punny sentiment lol!  

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

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - birthdays

The Crafter's Cafe challenge - ATG twist include some balloons

I Love Promarkers challenge - ATG/masculine

Make My Monday challenge - colouring mediums (I used alcohol markers)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - ATG

The Cutie Pie challenge - beginning with B (bugs)

Try It On Tuesday challenge - in the garden (bugs)

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

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

Love and hugs,

Card ingredients:

Clearly Besotted Stamps - cute as a bug stamp & matching die set - retired

Promarkers

Clearly Besotted Stamps - a little sentiment stamp set - retired

Clearly Besotted Stamps - around about stencil

Gina K Designs - sentiment strips dies

Gina K Designs - perfect posy stamp set (for inside greeting)

Gina K Designs - ink pads - sea glass, ocean mist, lucky clover, grass green

Lawn Fawn - Henry's ABC dies

Tonic Studios - circles layering basics dies

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

Heffy Doodle - alcohol marker friendly card - store now closed

Crafter's Companion - desert storm kraft card

Versafine - onyx black ink 

Memento - tuxedo black ink

Versamark - embossing ink 

Krafty Chicks challenge #726 - All occasion

Good morning lovely friends.  I hope you're all doing ok and having a great week so far.  It''s time for a new challenge over at Krafty Chicks challenge and we are now on Week 4 which means Lori is our hostess and our theme as always is 'All Occasions' which couldn't be easier.  So come over and join in the fun with us. 

My mother needed a last minute birthday card for a friend so this challenge was perfect timing for me.  I went fairly clean and simple and only used card, ink and stencils (apart from a few sequins) so it didn't take any time at all to make.  The finished card is 5" x 7".  I hope you like it. 

Here is my card:

A close up of the stencilling:

Plus I decorated the inside:

I began by cutting a white panel 4 1/2" x 6 1/2", grabbed my lilac ink pads and a gorgeous lotus layering stencil and created this gorgeous design.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink and basically the card front was finished.  I added a black mat panel with double sided tape and added the whole panel onto my card base with foam tape.  For a final flourish I added 5 clear sequins for some extra interest.  For the inside I cut another white panel, masked the stencil so that I only ink blended one of the flowers in the right corner and stamped a sentiment in the centre in black ink.  Again I cut a black mat panel and adhered them together with double sided tape.  I also added it to the card base with double sided tape.  I love layering stencils as they make your cards look like you took ages colouring and adding depth with shading but it literally takes 10 minutes and you are done!  

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

Addicted to CAS challenge - code word: nature

Addicted to Stamps & More challenge - birthdays

Allsorts challenge - flowers

Beautiful Blossoms challenge - anything floral goes optional mood board

Creative Friday challenge - no patterned paper

Double D challenge - basketful of posies (baskets or posies or both)

Halloween & Other Occasions challenge - always birthday

Just Us Girls challenge - ATG stencil week

Scrapping4Fun challenge - birthday

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge - add a sentiment 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - beautiful blooms

Stencil Fun challenge - ATG use a stencil optional twist - shades of blue

Triple B challenge - use a least one bird, bloom or butterfly

Try It On Tuesday challenge - in the garden

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 and also our guest designer Rachelle.  

Thanks for stopping by. 

Love and hugs, 

Card ingredients:

Gina K Designs - tranquil lotus layering stencils

Gina K Designs - ink pads - light lilac, medium lilac, dark lilac, jelly bean green, fresh asparagus

Gina K Designs - spring floral background stamp (for sentiment)

Gina K Designs - clear quartz solid sequins

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

Limetree Crafts - 250gsm silky smooth white card

Hobbycraft - A4 black card

Versafine - onyx black ink pad