A Special Collaboration

Today I have something a bit different to share. The lovely Cat Craig of Cat Loves Paper suggested we each made a card using a frame die from Hero Arts which she kindly gifted to me. I have been following Cat since I first started using blogs to learn more about card making, before I even set up my own. Her cards always inspire me and I love her simple CAS style, so as time has passed and I now have my own blog the friendship has grown, plus we both have March birthdays.

Cat suggested using the frame and I suggested using a stencil. After much deliberation I sat down and made this:

In the course of making this it became a shaker card, not my intention at first, but I think it works. The shaker elements are little gold and yellow glass seed beads. My original idea was to use the stencil to create the background in the frame, but I couldn't make it work so I chose a piece of gold patterned paper instead. Then I realised when the frame and shaker element was done that I hadn't used a stencil! I managed to put that right by using this striped stencil and black soot DI. I hope it looks like wallpaper behind the picture.

The flower stamp and sentiment were also a gift from Cat, thanks so much for your generosity. I stamped it and clear heat embossed it and because the black was so bold and shiny I decided to cut the frame from black cardstock and paint it with some acrylic gloss medium to give it a shine too. The flowers were coloured with water based pens.

I hope you like it, do pop over to Cat's blog to see what she has created.

I am also sharing this at:

Double Trouble Challenge #108 - Thing one use metal die, frame it, thing 2 add flowers

A Place to Start April Challenge - Anything goes

NBUs #37 - stamp and frame die are NBUS

Supplies:

Cardstock: White stamping card

Ink: Versafine onyx black; Distress in black soot

Stamps: The Ton peony cluster

Dies: Hero Arts museum frame

Stencil: Colorbox stripes

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

Just for a Change

I have just seen the new challenge at Seize the birthday, so I thought I would do a quick post to share this:

I made it for my granddaughters' 7th birthday, in order to be a bit different (for me anyway) I decided to try a fancy fold. I think this is called a waterfall card. I saw a demonstration for it somewhere but have no idea where now.

Anyway, in the end it was quite straightforward to make the base card and then I went through my large folder of snippets and die cut loads of different elements. Then I just stuck them in. The more the merrier I thought. There are numbers, flowers, balloons, leaves, hearts and butterflies. I also added a tiny tag that you can see in the picture below. The front panel was stamped with a hearts turnabout stamp. I made it a long time ago and stuck it in my snippets folder as I wasn't happy with it!

And the best this was, it folded flat and fitted into a 7x5 envelope. My granddaughter seemed to like it, so that's good.

I am sharing it at:

Seize the Birthday - #237 Butterflies or hummingbirds

Snippets Playground #426 - Everything except the base card are snippets

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

We Love Stamping April Reminder

Today is the 18th so time for a reminder about the current challenge over at We Love Stamping. The challenge where you can showcase your stamps and your skill at using them.

Easter Monday too, I do hope that the holiday has been a good one for everyone. I saw all my family during last week so have been able to spend the weekend in my craft room. I haven't been feeling very creative recently, so I am trying to get back to it.

This month our theme is:

** Favourite Stamps **

This rather pretty heart is made with a triple step stamp, which easily allows the three different colours to be used and it leaves the perfect space in the middle for the sentiment. Two of the steps and the sentiment have been clear heat embossed. These triple step stamps are much easier to use than the turnabouts as you can see to line them up.

This stamp set also has matching dies which I used to cut the heart and to decorate the insert that you can see in the first picture.

The background is made with two different cover dies. Sadly my own mother is long dead (33yrs), so I made this one for my ex husbands mother who I am very close to. We celebrated Mothers' Day at the end of March here in the UK. I am happy to say that she loved this card, even though it is quite pink, which is not really her colour.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month the prize is a Santoro album and images with coordinating die set from Craft Stash. Why don't you head over to the challenge blog to check it out? The prize winner is selected randomly and in addition the DT will choose one entry to join us as a guest designer for a future challenge.

I hope I have inspired you to join us this month, all you have to do is follow the prompt and ensure stamping is the main focus on your card. The challenge will close at noon on Wednesday the 27th April

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

I am also sharing this at:

The Flower Challenge - Add a heart

Supplies:

Cardstock: Hunky Dory Adorable Scorable; Nina solar white 110lb

Ink: Catherine Pooler, it's a girl, pixie dust and mint to be; Versamark and Versafine onyx black

Stamps: Concord & 9th triple step blooming heart stamp set

Dies: Concord & 9th triple step blooming heart dies

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

We Love Stamping April Challenge

Today is the first Sunday of the month, so time for a new challenge over at We Love Stamping where you get the opportunity to show off your love of stamping.  This month the theme is:

**  Stamp of the Moment  **

My stamp was heat embossed with a pale blue embossing powder and then coloured with Polychromos pencils, before cutting with the coordinating die and mounting on a dark cardbase. Because there were some islands of white space that the die didn't cut, I coloured them with a black pencil in the hope that it would look better on the black cardbase. It kind of worked, but perhaps I should have been braver and tried to cut them out with a sharp blade.

I mounted the image on foam pads, added the sentiment on a white strip and finished it off with some bubble gems.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month the prize is a Santoro album and images with coordinating die set from Craft Stash. Why don't you head over to the challenge blog to check it out? The prize winner is selected randomly and in addition the DT will choose one entry to join us as a guest designer for a future challenge.

I hope I have inspired you to join us this month, all you have to do is follow the prompt and ensure stamping is the main focus on your card. The challenge will close at noon on Wednesday the 27th April.

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

I am also sharing this at:

Seize the Birthday #235 - the anything goes option

A bit more time to craft - Anything goes

Through the Craft Room Door 29th March - Anything goes

Supplies:

cardstock: White stamping card; Adorable Scorable mattastic card

Ink: Versamark

Stamps: Tonic Studios heartfelt coursage and matching die

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

March Card Chain Challenge Reveal

Today is 2nd of the month so time for the Card Chain Challenge big reveal. This month 30 card makers took part and I sent my card to Kath in the UK. I am so glad it didn't have far to go as I have been a bit behind with things this month.

This month I used the colours and was inspired by the sketch, but didn't follow it exactly.

When I saw the sketch, I thought of this cover plate die and cut it from a deep brown and  pink card. I inlaid the pink circles into the brown card. Not really sure why I didn't just put pink card behind it, but I do seem to like making things difficult for myself, plus I really like the smooth look you get from inlaying.

The sentiment is a die cut 3 times from the pink and a green card. The 'you' is also a die which I cut off a longer sentiment.

I added just a little extra interest by stamping in the circles with some tiny wooden handled stamps from Art Cuts.

Finally I cut a stencil with the die and used it to add some decoration on the insert and the envelope.

I am afraid the colours on my close up are rather washed out. I think I had to used my light box for the pictures and this tends to happen.

I was very lucky to receive this gorgeous card from Mia in Greece and of course, Mia being the very generous person she is I also received a box of goodies as well. Thank you so much Mia, I can't keep up with your generosity. 

 My February card that got delayed from Helen has also arrived. Thank you Helen.

If you would like to take part in the next card chain challenge, you have until 6th to sign up here

Supplies:

Cardstock: Adorable Scorable coloured mattastic card; White card base

Ink: Catherine Pooler, icing on the cake and Grass Skirt

Stamps: Tiny flowers from Art Cuts

Dies: Creative Expressions background collection - solar circles; 

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