Scribble Circle

Hello,
I recently bought a few new dies and have been having a play. This one is by Poppy Stamps and is called scribble circle collage.

Here is my card:

I also bought some alcohol pearl inks so started by creating the background on yupo paper. I cut the white from panel with the scribble circle and a stitched rectangle and mounted it over the alcohol panel with foam tape onto the base card.

When it was done I thought it needed something more so I added the tulip tree by memory box. I cut it down slightly to create the curve of the circle.

The card is finished with a simple stamped thank you.

Here is a close up:

The alcohol pearl ink gives the background a lovely shine when the light catches it.

I am sharing this card at Stamplorations May CAS challenge which has an optional colour twist of lilac.



Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Tree Stencil

Hello,
I have finally found time to write this post for an entry to the May CAS Stencil Challenge. I was worried that I would miss the deadline having finally got round to making a card with stencilling over a coloured background. Here is my card:

I had several stitched oval shapes left over from previous cards so decided to use one for this technique. The ovals were bright white so I started by blending distress ink over the card in 3 different colours, although you wouldn't think it from the finished card. I then used a Sweet Poppy Stencil to create the tree silhouette, again using 3 different distress ink colours. I initially used clear texture paste but it didn't work because it leached under the stencil. Sweet Poppy stencils are metal and this was one of the first I bought. Unfortunately at some point I managed to bend it and have struggled to use it since. I really like this stencil so I tried again and held it down firmly while I inked it. I am pleased that it worked on my second attempt. I did consider doing it again with more vibrant colours but I decided not to and kept the muted theme going by cutting some little birds out of dark green card that I found in my scrap box.

Here is a close up:

I finished it off by die cutting the sentiment from the same card and used vellum for the shadow. The oval panel is mounted on some craft foam. The base card is off white which worked much better than bright white.

I think (I am never sure about anything!) that I quite like it now it is finished. Do let me know what you think.



Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Migrating birds

Hello,
Today I have a card that I am sharing at Snippets Playground #352, I made it a little while ago so I thought it was time that I shared it and also the House Martins are back busy repairing their nest on our house. This is always a sign that spring has arrived and they are similar to the Swallow on my card. I find it incredible to think that these tiny birds travel so far and arrive back at the same spot year after year, they are truly amazing.

I used the stamp and die set that came free with issue 187 of Simply Cards & Papercraft, it was made for a friend who had moved house.

To make the card I randomly stamped the birds on a piece of grey paper in versa mark and heat embossed in white. The sentiment was stamped on a strip of vellum and the Swallow and congrats were die cut from scraps (my snippets). The bird was coloured with my polychromos and popped up with a foam pad. I finished the panel off with a strip of textured blue paper also from my scrap box.

I think I should get this set out again and do something different with it as the bird stamps are rather fabulous.



Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Because

Hello,
Today I have a card that I made for someone who has a tendency to think she is not worth it or not good enough, when in actual fact she is brilliant at what she does, do you know anyone like that? I was influenced so much by this that I thought I would make her a card to show her what I thought. Here is my card:

To make this card I masked off the central area and blended distress ink. The flower and 'because' were stamped in versamark and heat embossed with Wow Primary Apple Red embossing powder. The rest of the sentiment was heat embossed with chocolate caramel embossing powder. To finish it I used a scalloped frame from Create a Smile and mounted it on a coloured card base. Here is a close up:

I am pleased to report that the recipient was thrilled with it, so I was pleased that I had made the effort.

I am sharing this card at:

Uniko #53 Anything goes

Addicted to Stamps #341







Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

English Country Garden

Hello,
Today I am sharing my card at Stamping Sensations May challenge in an English Country Garden. I have used a My Favourite Things stamp set, masking and a stencil for this card. Here it is:

The cloud mask and sunshine stencil are from Clarity Stamp. I used distress ink to create the background. the flowers were coloured with watercolour pens and die cut with matching dies. This is the first time I have bought matching dies, I am not sure whether I will make a habit of it, we will see. I added wink of stella to some elements and used the sentiment strip to ground the die cuts. The little bits of grass have been added with a green fine point pen. The shine shows up a bit on the next picture:

This type of card is a change for me, I think I am quite pleased with it. What do you think?

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Spring Flowers

Hello,
Today I am sharing a card that I have been wanting to make ever since I bought the Spring Shower cover die from Altenew last year. I don't know why but somehow cover dies just stump me. I love the look of them but then struggle to know what to do with it. Anyway the time came to have a go and after looking around (Pinterest mainly) for inspiration I made this:

I started by embossing the die on a panel and then I coloured it with my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. Then I stacked 3 die cuts on top. It was rather fiddly because of the extra bits in the centre of the flowers. I started by trying to stack them too but gave up with the tiny bits and just stuck one in the middle of the flowers. Here is a close up so you can see what I mean:

The sentiment is from Uniko and was stamped and heat embossed on a vellum strip which is secured behind the panel. I wanted it to create a contrast against the white and pastel shades. Apologies that my close up is a bit out of focus in places.

Although it was a fiddle to make I am quite pleased with the finished card. Here is a picture from another angle that shows the dimension:

I am sharing this at the following challenges:

Happy Little Stampers - Anything goes with dies

Divas that cut paper - Flowers all year round

Shopping your stash - Flowers






Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Heat embossed background

Hello,
Today I am sharing a card that I made a while back and have been waiting for a suitable challenge to share it. The Flower Challenge #32 is asking for embossing heat or dry and I think this card fits that quite nicely:

 This background stamp is from Wow, I bought it at a show in the beginning of April. I heat embossed it in wow chocolate caramel pearl embossing powder. I then used brushos and zig clean colour brush pens to colour it. The sentiment is also from wow and heat embossed in white.

The panel is mounted on adorable scorable chocolate coloured card. I didn't know that wow did stamps as well as embossing powders until I saw them at the show. I bought several as I really like this type of background stamp and they are sized to fit A6 cards, which is always a help. I haven't used the others yet. I think I bought 3.

Here is a close up:

I think this embossing powder will become a favourite of mine.

Anyway, do let me know what you think about it. 

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Twofer #16

Hello,
Today I have the honour of being guest designer for the May Twofer #16 with the prompt 'things with wheels'.

I feel pretty chuffed at getting my second challenge win, I still feel as though I am very new and inexperienced at this wonderful hobby of card making, and I find it a real challenge to be a guest designer. When I saw the prompt I have to admit that my heart sank a little and my mind went blank!

Anyway I am the sort of person that needs to think about things (for a long time) and eventually something will come to me. I looked through all my stamps, dies and stencils for something suitable and all I came up with was a bicycle stamp. I thought that there is no point in trying to be really clever so I set about making 2 cards that I could be happy with.

Here they are:

When I started to make the card on the left all I knew was that I wanted the bicycle stamp to form the background and for the colour to be muted. I stamped the cycle repeatedly in Versafine toffee ink on Bristol Board and then I used Distress inks to add the colour. I edged the card with a very dark brown. The 'for you' stamp and die set are by Tonic Studios and I hadn't used them before. I love the fine detail on the stamps so I heat embossed them with Wow gold pearl embossing powder and then coloured them with a green watercolour marker. I played around for ages with how to display them on the card and in the end I cut a frame from green craft foam, which I then covered with vellum to mute the colour a bit. I placed vellum inside the frame and cut the 'for you' from the same green craft foam. The sentiment is stamped on vellum and mounted on craft foam as well. The gold pearl embossing powder has a lovely pearly shine to it. 

Here is a close up:

The thought I had for my second card was to use a gel plate to create a vibrant centrepiece. I spent some time practicing and eventually came up with a look I liked using acrylic paint, a brayer and a stencil. My card is now becoming an encouragement card. The bike was coloured and fussy cut, the 'hill' was made from a piece of embossed card that was given to me, and the rather stormy looking sky was made with a cloud mask and Distress inks. I made the sentiment on my Scan n Cut machine.

Here is a close up:

I think this card is saying that even though my bike is colourful and full of flowers life can be an uphill struggle at times, but the sun always comes out again and the the hill will level out and eventually the ride becomes a downhill freewheel.

Recently I have been making a lot of CAS cards so it has been good for me to make something  that is a little outside my comfort zone. I would love to know what you think of them. Once I got my head round the prompt it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I hope you find time to enter this challenge.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

Contrast

Hello,
Today I have a card I made for the current addicted to CAS Challenge #158 codeword contrast. I just love cards with good contrast so I got out my distress inks and made this:

I recently bought a pack of "life changing" blender brushes and have fallen in love with blending, you get a wonderful smooth blend and you can really load the brushes with ink so you can get a vibrant colour. The rest of the card was easy, the poppy die is by Memory Box and I cut it from black glossy coated card from Clarity Stamp. I have used the same card for the base and heat embossing a simple greeting.

You can see the shine on the card in this picture:

And here is a close up:

I am also entering this in these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More #339 - CAS

Less is More #394 Buds or Petals

Just Add Ink #455 Sympathy



 






Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx

April Card Chain Challenge

Hello,
Today is reveal day for April Card Chain Challenge. This month my card went to Arlene in California. My card is a very simple one this month. I used the sketch option and tried also to replicate the colours, but I didn't have anything platinum and I thought the card needed some colour so I substituted a deep red.

Here is my card:

I am sorry about the rather poor pictures but the light was terrible when I took them.

Here is the lovely card that I received from Joanne:

The watercolored background is beautiful, very clever and subtle.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it.
Hilary
xx