You Are Souper Cool

Hello.
For a while there, I was about to quit cardmaking altogether.
I was trying to mirror what other crafters were doing, and it just wasn't me.
Everything seemed to end up in the bin.
Do you ever feel like that?

For my last few cards, I've gone back to basics and what suits me.
Little animals, or people, in a basic, unfussy scene.
Keep it sweet and simple, right?   :o)

What's great for recapturing my mojo, is a sketch challenge or a colour challenge.
Here, I've managed to combine the two, with this 'souper' cool chef.

Challenges

Freshly Made Sketches

I've just rotated the sketch, for a portrait design

Color Hues

I've gone for a deeper shade of yellow (fossilized amber)

• my favorite things - recipe for happiness
• distress ink - fossilized amber
• time for tea designs - tile stencil
• copic markers
• versamark ink and hero arts white embossing powder

Tiny Paws, Big Plans

Hello.
What is this cute, little guy?  A guinea pig?  A hamster?
The description of the stamp set says 'six little mice', but I don't think he's a mouse.
Whatever he is, he's painting the town red :o)

I used a 'ray of light' stencil and some red inks for the background. Then added some water drops. I think my paint brush still had some blue paint on it, so some drops are tinged blue, but I'm ok with that :o)
The little, critter was coloured with Copics and fussy cut, then popped up with foam tape.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches

I've rotated the sketch, but kept the portrait aspect,
and my critter has replaced the circle.

• colorado craft company - paint the town
• my favorite things - ray of light stencil, scallop stitched edge die
• copic markers
• ranger distress inks - festive berries / fired brick
• memento ink

You Arrrrgh Awesome!

 Hello.

Pirates are big in our house right now.
We have a cardboard pirate ship in the front room for our Grandsons.
I am regularly made to walk the plank!

I die cut a circle into a card panel. Then, for the background, I used a cloud scrap that I had in my pile, and added the waves, and shoreline with die cut pieces. The boat was added into the waves, and then the pirate and his extras were placed around the sides. It took me ages to try and balance it out, hopefully it looks ok.

Challenge

Cardz 4 Guyz 

#371 Body of Water

Just for fun, I'm also sharing my Grandson's card. He's 4 years old.

If it's a family birthday he usually makes a card with some stickers and felt tips, but this time I thought he could try out some stamping.

I stamped the treasure chest for him, to show him how to do it, and then let him do the rest himself.
For a first attempt I am pretty impressed. 
I might have to start sharing my craft room!

• lawn fawn - ahoy matey
• nestie circle die
• time for tea designs - ocean waves dies
• copics / white gel pen

Football Fever

It's all about the football right now and Leeds Utd.
We smashed our last game 6 - 0 and we're going up into the Premiership next season.
Wahoo!  Bring it on.

So, no surprise that I reached for this cute, footballer stamp.

I stamped the boy and his ball and then masked them, to do a little ink smooshing. 

I found a video on YouTube, by Natalie at  NB cards, where she shows you how to make and use a very simple, smooshing tool. I am not great with 'random' so this was a game changer for me. Allowing a lot more control of where the ink goes. This was just my first attempt, and I'm well chuffed with it.

I wish I'd stamped and smooshed further down the card panel though,  but hey-ho!

Challenges

Addicted to Stamps and More

I've used distress inks on the smooshing, and copic markers for the boy.

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AAA Colourful

• LOTV - footballer stamp
• distress ink - peacock feathers / lucky clover
• sentiment - lawn fawn - scootin' by
• pinkfreshstudio - diagonal stitch rectangle
• memento black ink got the footballer
• versafine clair nocturne for the sentiment
• copic markers / white gel pen.

We Are All Artists

Hello.
This Easter, Nibbles the Guinea Pig became an artist,  painting his very own egg with some colourful blooms.

I created the egg with a large oval nestie, and used a scalloped die for the trim.
The blooms and leaves were stamped from an old lawn fawn set I have (yes, I do have an odd flower set in my stash).
Then, I added a grassy edge and my guinea pig was fussy cut - yeah, I need to practice that!

For the Inkspirational Challenge

where the mood board is 'decorated eggs'

• colorado craft company - paint the town
• lawn fawn - penelope's blossoms
• altenew inks - fresh leaf/baby pink/citrus burst/turquoise
• nestie oval die
• my favorite things - stitched scallop edge die
• spellbinders - landscape edge die
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle
• copics 

Roll up! Roll up!

Step right up to the greatest show in town.
Hear the music, see the lights, feel the magic of carnival nights.

Today I'm sharing the card I made for my Grandson's 3rd birthday.
He had a carnival themed party yesterday - with lots of fun and games, and general silliness :o)

I stamped my carnival tent, and then masked it, to add the clouds and grass using a stencil and distress inks.

My pawty animals were die cut and coloured with copics. Then popped up on the background with foam tape. 
I swapped out the balloon on the kitten's tail, for a number 3 balloon.

Challenge

As You Like It

Favourite Clean & Simple or Fussy & Fancy.

My go to style is usually clean & simple, but for this card I went all out.
I just knew my Grandson would love those cute pawty animals and the
carnival tent was a must.
I did eventually step away from adding more presents :o)
This is definitely a 'more is more' card for me.

•  purple onion designs - large fair tent
• my favorite things - pawty time
• my favorite things - stencils grassy edges and mini clouds
• avery elle - numbered balloon die
• distress inks - twisted citron and tumbled glass
• copic markers

Love You More

Hello.
I'm excited today, to be a guest designer over at the 

 Color Hues Challenge

Thanks so much to the team for inviting me to play along.

This time, they would like to see a lilac and aqua combo.

Now, lilac is cool.    I can do lilac.
But Aqua, that's a bit more tricky.  Is it green, is it blue?   Yes - I googled aqua :o)

So, google it if you need to, or, if you want some inspiration, nip over to the blog and check out the fab work from the designers.
 I hope you'll play along.

I love this bokeh style background, and it's a lot easier than I thought.

If I can do it, anyone can! I simply inked up a card panel with shaded lilac, and then used white ink with a circles stencil.
Eddie and Ethel are stamped, fussy cut, and coloured with Copics.
It does look a bit green in the pictures, but its definitely aqua  :o)

How cute are these two?
I'm going to keep this card for my wedding anniversary in July - it will be our 40th.
Oooh, that's ruby isn't it - maybe I should remake this using reds.

• purple onion designs - eddie and ethel
• my favorite things - circles stencil
• distress oxide - shaded lilac
• hobbycraft white ink
• sentiment - simon says stamp, thoughtful messages
• copic markers, white gel pen, versaclair

Paint the Town Red

Hello.
Here's a card I made for my eldest dd's birthday - 
just to remind her that she's not too old to paint the town red  :o) 

I am really not good with 'random'. I like clean lines and orderly stamping,
so it took me SIX attempts to get his smooshing to something I was happy with.

Challenge

As You Like It

Favourite Cute or Floral

My Favourite is definitely cute (but not babyish, if you know what I mean)
I love cute, critters like the guinea pig above. 
It's fun to create little scenes for them, AND they're easy to colour.
Flowers, on the other hand, are my nemesis.
I love seeing everyone's pretty, floral creations, but I am terrible at them.

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• Colorado Craft Company - Paint the Town
• Distress ink - Festive Berries
• Copic Markers - White Gel Pen

Tiny Human

Hello.
The laundry is about to get super, cute around here. 
Our neighbours, to the left, have just had a baby boy, and our neighbours to the right, are expecting a baby girl in May.
So here's a clothesline of cute outfits.

I used the 'my favorite things' bundle of baby clothes dies, and kept the palette pink and girly for this card. I also found a couple of tiny, animal stickers in my stash and thought they were a cute addition.

The die cuts are layered a few times, so IRL they have some depth to them on the card.

Challenge

Inspired By...

• my favorite things - bundle of baby clothes die
• my favorite things sentiment stamp from 'welcome little one'

Hippity, Hoppity, Easter's on it's way

Hello.
Today I'm sharing an Easter card, with this cute, bunny, hiding all the eggs   :o)

I don't have any 'Easter' stamps as such, so I just altered this bunny slightly.
He's usually carrying an armful of veg, but I taped over that bit to ink him up, and replaced it with easter eggs, which are actually the dies for potato stamps in another set.

Challenge

Freshly Made Sketches

• colorado craft company - garden therapy / rooting for you
• mft - stitched rectangle die
• copic markers / white gel pen

Peekaboo!

Argh!
Shaker cards are hard. I always get a few sequins stuck around the edges.

This playful pup, hiding behind a giant gift, is for the challenge at AAAColourful,
where the palette is greens and yellows.

This is one of those cards that just evolved.
I didn't set out to make a shaker card, but once I'd stamped those streamers I didn't want to cover them up. 

Challenge

AAA Colourful

For some reason, this card was impossible to photo. 
Any attempt to brighten it makes the yellow luminescent!
IRL it's a pretty, yellow shade.

Big thanks to Nancy, for seeing my card on Insta, and recommending I enter
the challenge at Color Hues

where they too have a lemon and lime palette.

• my favorite things - pawty time / stitched rectangles
• pinkfresh studio - diagonal stitch rectangle die
• versacolor ink - green tea/fresh green/lime/canary
• copic markers/white gel pen