LAYERED BOUQUET

Hello.
Usually, after the holidays, my crafting mojo takes a nose dive,
and I struggle to create anything.
But right now I'm having fun in my craft room, and trying some new (to me) techniques.

I love this colour combo of turquoise and purple, from the Inkspirational challenge photo.
I've used my new blending brushes with a striped stencil for the background,
Then added the blooms - no need for me to try and create a bouquet here - it's all done for me with this Pink Fresh Studio set.

I was going to add a sympathy sentiment, but someone swiped the stamp from my craft table and gave it a good chew!

As acetate was on my table, from making an ink blending mat a couple of days ago, I decided to try and stamp and heat emboss it, with black embossing powder.
Wow! It creates a beautiful raised, super glossy sentiment, that you can add anywhere on your card. I'll definitely be doing this again.

Hmmm - those stamps must be tasty.
Does he look sufficiently guilty?

Challenge

Inkspirational

PinkFresh Studio - layered bouquet, stamped with distress ink wilted violet, altenew ultra violet, versacolo celadon and green leaf
Clearly Besotted striped stencil, inked with distress ink peacock feathers
Sentiment - simon says stamp thoughtful messages
mft - stitched rectangle scallop edge dies

ALL MY HEARTS

Hello.
I'm going bold and bright today, for the Inspired By Challenge

I finally got round to buying some cheap ink blending brushes - 

oh hello - now I know what all the fuss is about!
This was my first attempt with one, and I found it so easy to use, the ink just glided more smoothly onto the paper.

I also cobbled together a makeshift ink blending mat, by taping a piece of acetate to a craft mat.
This makes it easy to wipe off excess ink, and pick it up later if you need to.
I'm sure i'll discover other ways to use it too - spritzing with water etc.

Question : Do you clean your brushes? How do you do that?
For now, I brushed left over ink onto scrap card! 

Of course, I couldn't make a {heart} card, without including my favourite bear,
along with a few gems.

Challenge

Inspired By 

I was inspired by the hearts and the way some of them are cropped off

SugarPeaDesigns - Hey Winter, coloured with Copics
DoCrafts nested heart die
Mft - stitched scallop rectangle die
Distress Ink - Festive Berries

BAND ON THE RUN

Hello.
I am so delighted to be joining you today,
as a Guest Designer for one of my all time favourite challenges                                                           Less Is More 
Can you believe that this year is their 10th Birthday? Wow!

This fortnight is a recipe challenge, with the theme In A Row

I went with an obvious choice for my card... these little band mice, marching in a row.
They got a 2021 upgrade though - I used my zig markers to colour them and went for a slimline card.

This slimline style seems to be increasingly popular, but I have to say,
it's a bugger to photograph!!

I can't wait to see all your entries for the challenge.
Have fun and remember to keep it CAS :-)

                                

mft - strike up the band
zig, clean colour real brush markers
sentiment - mft, party penguins

YOU CAN DO IT

Hello.
Today I'm playing along at the 
                    Inkspirational Challenge
where the cue word is 'Mask' - 
a word that we're all too familiar with right now!

It all seems a bit doom and gloom here right now,
so I was in the mood for a cheerful, positive card.
I made a rainbow style background from  circle nesties and some scrap papers,
then I popped up my little ninja and added the perfect, upbeat sentiment.

Challenge

Inksprirational

mama elephant - tiny ninjas
circle nestabilities
mft stamps - stitched scallop edge border die

JANUARY BOUQUET

Hello.
This year I want to concentrate on adding more colour to my cards.
and that means getting to grips with my zigs.

For this card I've attempted 2 of my least favourite things - 
flowers and water colouring!

I think one of the reasons I struggle with flowers and leaves, is that I find it tricky to pull all those elements together and form a bouquet.
It takes me forever to decide where every piece should go.
I'm going to try one of those sets where the die is a complete bouquet, and the elements are stamped onto it!!
I live in hope :-)

Inspired By Challenges

I took my inspiration from the flowers and the colour palette

wplus9 - modern anemones coloured with zig clean color real brush markers
background stamp - the stamp market, criss cross
avery elle postage stamp die
sentiment - my favorite things, fish tail die and party animals stamp

HOORAY

Hello.
Who knew that we would would still be celebrating lockdown birthdays in January?!
This is for my SIL
Strictly no visiting allowed, but we can't wait for the mahoosive party when all this is over.

Of course, I've opted for my favourite stamp from last year - this adorable bear,
and I've matched him with a rainbow HOORAY.

I die cut the HOORAY, which includes a shadow piece, and coloured the letters with my zigs. Then for added pop, I die cut it from foam, so it's nice and raised. Too much?

Challenge

How could I resist this week's Inspired By Challenge?

SugarPea Designs, Hey Winter, coloured with Copics
Stamp Market Hooray Dies
Small Sentiment, Mama Elephant, Birthday Messages
Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

 

ALL THE COLOURS

Hello.
How's your 2021 going so far?
It's now illegal here, to leave your home without a permitted reason!
I'm lucky that I can go out for a walk with the dog,
but I'm definitely feeling the stress of not seeing our daughters'.

A great way to calm my mind, is to indulge in some mindless colouring...

I used white embossing powder to heat emboss this gorgeous peacock design stamp.
Then I set about colouring it with a rainbow selection of zig markers.
I got so engrossed in this, that I lost all track of time.
It took a little pawing at my knee to remind me that it was tea time :-)

When the colouring was finished, I die cut the piece and then added a simple sentiment.

Challenge

Addicted to CAS

mft stamps - peacock pattern background
zig clean color real brush markers
mama elephant - labeled messages
avery elle - postage stamp dies

CHRISTMAS GIRAFFE

Hello.
Here I am with my last Christmas card of the year.
I needed to make a card for my hubby,
but I also really wanted to play with my new giraffe die.
Ha! ha!
Say hello to the Christmas giraffe :-)

I really couldn't resist this cute giraffe.
And for that Christmas touch, I've wrapped him in fairy lights,
and popped him up on a snowy background :o)

Challenge

Happy to be entering the last challenge of the year by

Watercooler Wednesday
Thanks for a fabulous challenge blog this year
and for all the amazing inspiration from the DT

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE.
CRAFTING HAS KEPT ME GOING THIS YEAR,
SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR VISITS,
KINDS WORDS AND SUPPORT.
I HOPE 2021 IS A BETTER YEAR FOR ALL OF US.

mft - joyful giraffe, with fairy lights from happy pawlidays
sentiment - clearly besotted
distress ink - tumbled glass
zig clean color real brush markers

SENDING BEAR HUGS

Who doesn't need a bear hug right now?

I wanted this to look like my bear was outside in the snow, looking in at a window,
but, he looked a little lonely on his own, so I ended up adding the tree, and the present, and the hat, and the sentiment.... well, you get the picture.

Inkspirational Challenge

pinkfresh studio - simply hexagons

sugarpea designs - hey winter

copics

HOMES FOR CHRISTMAS

Hello.
Today I'm sharing the cards I made for my daughters'.
They only live 12 miles away, but they're both in a Tier 3 and we are Tier 2,
so no visiting is allowed!
We are hoping we can at least get together for a few days over Christmas.

In my ideal world, we would all live next door to each other, so the pooches can run around from house to house :-)
So I created our street, with a house for each of us, wreaths on the door, snow on the roof, and, of course, dogs at the door!

That's my little monster Buster the Border Terrier in the middle,
with Indie the Staffy, and Ollie the Puggle.

It was fun trying to create 3 different houses from the stamp set, and irl the porches and trees are all popped up for a 3d effect.
I also changed up the colours for the second card.

Challenge

WaterCooler Wednesday

wplus9 - neighbors coloured with copics
trees - mft beast friends
wreaths - stampendous holiday home
sentiment - altenew hug me
distress ink tumbled glass
glamour dust

 

Christmas Blooms

Hello.
Today I'm sharing the Christmas card I made for my mum.
I bit the bullet and included the 2 things I struggle with the most - flowers and watercolouring.

The flowers bit was made easy, by using this gorgeous cover plate die,
the watercolouring was a challenge!

I was aiming for a red poinsettia look, but the colours ended up being more pink and they're not quite as washed out as they look in the photo.
All things considered, I'm happy with how it turned out.

Challenge

The Flower Challenge

ADD EMBELLISHMENTS

I've added some sparkly gems to the flower centres,
and some glamour dust on the petals.

pinkfresh studios - simply blooms
zig clean colour real brush pens
sentiment - mft, snow globe sentiments
altenew ink - turquoise