Purple Snowflakes

 Hello! I'm having so much fun with my 'Christmas in July' cards, I may never put my Christmas stash away :o)

Here's a purple, ombre background for the AAA Cards challenge.

I started by inking up a piece of card with distress inks, then giving it a little spatter with water, white paint and the darker ink. I am usually so rubbish at spatter, but this one turned out ok.

I stamped and die cut those pups, and coloured them with Copics - then attached them with foam tape for some dimension.

Challenge

AAA Cards

My gradient goes top to bottom

• my favorite things - happy pawlidays / snowglobe sentiments
• distress ink - wilted violet, dusty concord
• copics
• versamark ink and white, heat embossing powder for the sentiment.

Deck The Halls

 Hello. I'm continuing the 'Christmas in July' theme today, with this cute, tinsel teddy.

I stamped my teddy in the corner, and masked him, whilst blending some distress ink as a background and using a snow stencil with some white paste.
Then I coloured my teddy with copic markers and added a heat embossed sentiment.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches

• lili of the valley tinsel bear
• distress ink - salvaged patina
• pretty pink posh - snowfall stencil
• lawn fawn white stencil paste
• mft - snow globe sentiments
• versamark ink and white heat embossing powder
• copic markers

Christmas in July

Hello. I am determined not to fall behind on my Christmas card making this year. So Christmas in July, is the perfect excuse for me to get out that holiday stash.

 

I inked up some card with tumbled glass, distress ink and die cut that lovely, hexagon pattern. Then I spattered around some water and white paint. I used the outline die cut as a guide, to add my pieces to a card base with foam tape, and then just lifted it off.

The Santa was die-cut, glued together and then attached with foam tape. He does have little swinging legs, but I just kept them fixed for this card.

The sentiment is a little, red, rubber stamp that I have had FOREVER.  I can't remember the make - so if you recognise it, let me know.

Challenge

52 Christmas Card Throwdown

• spellbinders dancin' st nick
• pinkfreshstudio simply hexagons
• distress ink tumbled glass
• fa la la stamp ???

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Flowers Make Me Smile

Well, real flowers make me smile, craft flowers, on the other hand, make me frown!
I find them so tricky, I have banned myself from buying anymore flower type supplies.
Here's a rare floral card from me, using an old, die set.

This involves die cutting all the pieces and then just layering them up, as per the packet instructions. It's a bit fiddly, and I got glue everywhere, but I manged it. So far so good.
Then, I played around with layering the pieces with foam tape, for that 3D look.

Practically fool proof :o)

Challenge

AAABirthday

• altenew - garden picks 3D dies
• my favorite things - handwritten happiness
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitched rectangle die

Sweet Birthday Wishes

Hello.
It's July, and it's pouring down, so that must mean it's Yorkshire Show week!
Time to stay indoors and craft, and keep away from all that show traffic.

On the plus side, a new ice cream parlour has opened nearby and I can't wait to try their Mochaccino, and their Rum & Raisin, and their Pistachio, and...

This was a simple card. I smooshed some blue ink onto a card panel, splattered it with water, and then added my ice cream hippos with foam tape.

Challenge

AAA Cards

• clearly besotted - cooling off
• sentiment from mama elephant - birthday messages
• distress ink - tumbled glass
• copic markers and white gel pen

Birthday Fishes

Finally.. I'm posting this card. I have been down a google wormhole. My card photos are usually just taken from my phone gallery, after publishing them on Instagram. But for some reason Instagram is not saving them to my gallery today. Argh!
So I've had to try and edit these on an old laptop.

Anyhoo - here they are, for the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge

I inked up a background panel, and then die-cut the stitched square. Then I popped this back in place, with 2 layers of foam tape for some extra height. I added my whale and dolphin just under the square, and then popped the shark on top. 

Freshly Made Sketches

mft - friends with fins / in and out stitched squares

sentiment - hero arts - I'm a puffer for you

distress ink - faded jeans/salty ocean/mermaid lagoon/tumbled glass

Out Of This World

Hello.
I've been trying a new technique this morning - from the amazing Jennifer McGuire. It's an old video tutorial of hers, but I think it's something I can have a lot of fun with - Embellished Windows

I like things that are nice and easy - and this is definitely that. I simply opened a laminating pouch, sprinkled it with tiny stars and some blue glitter, then I ran it through my laminator. It gives you a lovely, sparkly but clear background.
It's simple to cut to the size you want, and I mounted mine on some blue card, with a circle cut panel on top. Check out Jennifer's video for other things you can use inside the laminating pouch eg: embossing powders, sequins, sprinkles.

This is one of those 'hard to photograph' cards - but I did my best.

My spaceman, rocket and planet were die-cut, coloured with copics and attached with foam tape. With a little string umbilical cable, to stop my spaceman from floating away :o)

Challenge

AAA Colourful

• lawn fawn - out of this world
• nestabilities circle die
• mft - rectangle stax die
• laminator and pouch
• copic markers

Birds Flying High

Hello.
Today I'm sharing a bird card with you.
Not my usual style, but when I saw this stamp I just had to have it. It's so beautiful.

 I took direction from Freshly Made Sketches and die cut the three circles into my card panel. Then I added the die cut, and copic coloured birds and foliage, with foam tape. A sentiment in blue completed my card.

Freshly Made Sketches

• pinkfresh studio - songbirds on branches / diagonal stitch rectangle
• mama elephant - labeled messages
• copics
• nestabilities circle die

To The Dogfather

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there 💙
My dh gets cards and gifts from the family, but I also like to make, and send him, a card from the dog 😀
I am partial to a dog stamp!

I stamped and coloured my dogs, and then stuck them to a die cut square in coloured card. I just snipped off the overlaps of the dogs.
The sentiment was stamped with some alphabet stamps - these are so useful to have in your collection if you want to stamp a name or a personal message.

Challenge

Allsorts

Masculine or A/G Option

• my favorite things - woof pack, four legged friends, in and out stitched squares
• my favorite things - well connected alphabet
• lawn fawn - Smitty's ABCs
• copic markers, white gel pen

And here's my partner in crime...

MONDAY. Nothing A Cocktail Can't Fix!

Hello.
This month's 'tropical' challenge over at Simply Clean & Simple, allowed me to play with some fruity concoctions.  What's your favourite tipple?

I am partial to a G&T and a classic margarita, but I can't drink an old fashioned to save my life :o)

I stamped and die cut my cocktail glasses and coloured them with copics. Then I attached them with foam tape for some dimension. I used a bold sentiment and then mounted everything on some zingy orange card.

My 'tropical' delights are a tequila sunrise, a green hawaiian, a champagne julep, a bellini and a blue bird. Now, whose round is it?    :o)

Challenge

Simply Clean & Simplenull

Anything Goes CAS - with optional Tropical theme

• clearly besotted - raise a glass
• sentiment - colorado craft company - citrus berry cupcake
• copics / white gel pen
• mft - rectangle die

Let's Veg Out!

Hello.
Today I'm dropping by with a card I made for my daughter's birthday. With a busy job, a 2 year old, 2 cats and a dog, she doesn't have much time to just veg out. Her dh gifted her a solo spa break, so hopefully she's now chilling out by a pool, listening to Crime Junkie and drinking something bubbly :o)

I do love these cute rabbits. Here, I've used a little bit of masking to create a veggie scene.
Am I the only one that struggles with masking, and working out what order I need to stamp things in. I made it easy for myself, by fussy cutting some of those veggies and adding them with tape at the end.

Challenge

AAABirthday

• colorado craft company - rooting for you / garden therapy
• mft - mini well connected alpha
• lawn fawn - offset sayings
• copic markers - white gel pen