3 Special Birthdays

Today is June 27th and I am wishing 3 special people a very happy birthday. Starting with the wonderful Loll of stamping with Loll, she shares it with another well known card maker and my eldest daughter, so I am unlikely to forget it. The members of the CAS Mix Up DT decided that it would make her birthday extra special if we all posted the cards that we sent her. If you would like to visit the other posts just pop along to the CAS Mix Up blog and follow the links for the DT. Loll is, of course, the reason why the challenge exists, she is very dedicated to keeping both Mix Up and CAS Christmas going. It has been a challenging year, so she deserves a big shout out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOLL

I have used stencilling, die cutting and stamping on this card.

The sentiment inside the card reads on your birthday.

I really hope my card arrived in time, I expect she received a very large number of cards. I do hope so anyway.

Enjoy your birthday Loll and thank you for everything you do.

The second birthday wishes are for my daughter:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEISA

 I did add a Happy Birthday sentiment banner to the lower front, but I took the pictures before I added it, not sure what happened. The background is one I did with my 5x7 gel plate during a session a few weeks ago. I still have a few cards left to share from that session.

And finally, all good things have to come in three's, it is also Brenda's birthday. You will all know her from her blog Floral Fantasies and the three challenges she runs at Allsorts, Stamping Sensations, and We Love Stamping.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDA

I sent her this card:

Another gel print using oxides.

I do have to admit to a bit of a blunder here. I had quite a busy week last week and only just managed to get my daughters card in the post with a realistic amount of time for it to reach her, but I forgot to do Brenda's card at the same time. It was a day later when I remembered and so I fear that Brenda's card will not have reached her in time. So sorry Brenda, I like to think that I am well organised, but I think I should admit that I am not!

I hope that everyone enjoying a birthday today, 27th June, has a fabulous day.

Supplies:

Card 1

Cardstock: Hunky Dory adorable scorable coated card; mixed media paper; white card

Stamps: Sentiment by Uniko

Dies: Sizzix Thinlets 664380: Nellie Snellen stitched rounded rectangles

Stencil: Funky Fossil

Other: Alcohol ink pens and gold paint pen; Nuvo Embellishment Mousse

Supplies:

Card 2 & 3

Cardstock: White stamping card; Gold mirror card; burgundy card

Dies: MFT heart tree; Spellbinders hemstitch circles; card 3 uses Pink Fresh Studio leafy branch

Stencil: Funky Fossil

Other: Gel plate; distress oxides

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

We Love Stamping June 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.

This month our theme is:

**Anything Stamped with the option to include Roses **

For this card I started with a background that I made with a gelli plate, stencils and distress oxide inks. I cut it to size with the hemstitched die and added the rings die over the top. This was cut from white card and coloured with an alcohol marker. The rose was stamped and clear heat embossed on white card and coloured with alcohol markers. As the die has quite wide borders, I also coloured the edges with a pale yellow marker as I didn't like the stark white against the yellow and green.

I had a narrow strip of the background left so I was able to use it for the sentiment strip, it had to be small because that's all I had. The sentiment was stamped and clear heat embossed too.

I noticed as I was colouring the image that one part of the leaf on the top left side is missing, although you can see it on the image on the stamp. I was intrigued as I have never had that happen with any of my stamps before. I decided not to worry about it as who's going to notice?  Unfortunately I have, and it seems to be the only thing I see when I look at the image. I really do try not to be so nit picky, but I can't seem to help myself! Anyway, apart from that I am quite pleased with this one.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month the prizes have been kindly donated by  Colemans Craft Warehouse and include a die, a stencil and and stamp following a Rose theme. 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 29th June.

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

I am also sharing this at:

NBUS #39 - The stamp and the ring die are NBUS

The four seasons challenge - Anything goes Summer. Roses are always summery in my world

Before I go and as this post is all about roses, I thought I would share a couple of pictures of the roses in my garden as they are spectacular at the moment, but they are very short lived and will soon be over until next year. I think I shared some pictures last year, so you may or may not remember. Anyway here they are enjoying the recent sunshine.

This is the view from my kitchen window and I just love watching the birds in the birdbath on the little wall. I had the wall topped with paving slabs so I have somewhere to display my succulent pots. I will share a better picture of them another time as today it is all about the roses.

By the way, they smell fabulous too, sorry I can't share that with you.

And finally: I walked past this amazing rose on my morning walk yesterday - couldn't resist a photo.

Isn't it fabulous?

Supplies:

Cardstock: Gina K Base weight Ivory card; white stamping card

Ink: Catherine Pooler seafoam for the stamping; background uses distress oxides; Spectrum Noir alcohol markers

Stamps: Spellbinders, a rose by any other name & matching die

Dies: Spellbinders hemstitched rectangles; Memory Box large ringlets

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

CAS Mix Up June Reminder

Today is 15th of the month so time for a reminder about the current challenge over at CAS Mix Up. This month we are using stencils and Loll is our host. She wants us to use pastes and gels with our stencils.

I made the panel that you can see in the bottom left of the above picture some time ago and decided that now was the time to use it. This was made by using deco foil duo transfer gel with my stencil and then laying on the foil and running it through a die cutting machine. This is a turnabout stencil and so I was able to use 4 different coloured foils. I did my usual trick of spending ages doing it and then deciding I didn't like it because it wasn't perfect. Well it never will be perfect because the act of running it through a die cutting machine 4 times will have an effect. In the end the effect is still quite good but I didn't realise that until I came across the piece again. This is actually the same stencil set that I used on my first card this month. Find it here if you need reminding.

Of course it went through the die cutting machine again to cut the circle, but no extra damage was done. I mounted it on a slightly larger circle of shiny gold card and then on the hemstitch circle frame, which was also backed with the shiny gold card.

The sentiment is stamped in brown ink and then it was mounted onto a hammer embossed card base. I am actually quite pleased with this one and am pleased that this challenge made me visit my pastes and gels again as they really are great to use. Thanks Loll.

You have until 24th to join us and don't forget to visit the blog to get more inspiration and some links to technique videos to help.

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

Supplies:

Cardstock: 300gsm hammer embossed card; Smooth white 225gsm card; Gold mirror card

Ink: Catherine Pooler icing on the cake

Stamps: Uniko

Dies: Spellbinders hemstitched circle; Waffle flower nesting circles

Stencil: Concord & 9th retro petals turnabout stencil

Other: Deco Foil Duo transfer gel

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

We Love Stamping June Challenge

Today is the first Sunday of the month so time for a new challenge over at We Love Stamping. The challenge where you can showcase your stamps and your skill at using them.

This month our theme is:

**Anything Stamped with the Option of Roses  **

This little lady is feeling rather shy, hiding behind those leaves and dressed in soft pale colours, but I hope that you can appreciate her subtleness, she doesn't like being bold and brash, not today anyway. 

She was stamped and heat embossed in a soft gold and coloured with polychromos pencils and cut out with the matching die. The background in the picture is stencilled and the frame is cut from a soft gold flecked card.

I have included her for this challenge as she does have a rose in her hair and in front of her, but that one is partly obscured by the die cut leaves.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month the prize has been kindly donated by Colemans Craft Warehouse and includes a die, a stencil and and stamp following a Rose theme. 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 29th June.

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

I am also sharing this at:

NBUS #39 - The rose lady is an NBUS stamp

Alphabet Challenge - E is for embossing wet or dry. My shy lady is heat embossed

Festive Friday #110 - Feminine, Pink, Friendship sentiment, Embossing

Supplies:

Cardstock: Cream hammer embossed card; smooth white stamping card 225gsm; Hobbycraft gold glitter effect card

Ink: Versamark

Stamps: Spellbinders a rose by any other name and matching die

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

Card Chain Challenge May Reveal

Today is 2nd of the month so time for the Card Chain Challenge big reveal. This month 38 card makers took part and I sent my card to Robyn in Australia. 

I have kept my options open this time and just used the theme of desert, although you could argue that my card is more likely to conjure up an image of the tropics rather than the desert! Perhaps it could be an oasis in the desert.

This was really simple to make, I took a piece of tan paper and inked through the stencil with distress inks (colours listed below).

I cut the panel with a frame die and as the paper was quite thin, I mounted it on a white frame, I then backed it with a piece of bright yellow card and added the die cut sentiment, which I have only recently acquired. I ummed and aahed about adding some embellishments and then decided against it as the card is going all the way to Australia.

I was very lucky to receive this gorgeous card from Dee  in Kenya. It arrived in double quick time too as it was able to hitch a ride with a relative who was flying to the UK. I received it on 7th May and it has been sitting on my shelf looking beautiful ever since:

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

Supplies:

Cardstock: Strathmore toned tan paper; 300gsm smooth white card

Ink: Distress Ink wild honey and rusty hinge

Dies: Lisa Horton, lazy daisy panel; Tonic Studios Happy Days, part of a frames set

Stencils: Newton's Nook, retro sun and palms

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

CAS Mix Up June Challenge

 CAS Mix Up is back, I am so pleased to be here again after our break. I do hope you will be able to join us. This month we are using Stencils and Loll is our host. She wants us to use pastes and gels with our stencils. This post also marks 2 years since my first DT card for CAS Mix Up, I can't believe how the time has gone.

I am not sure that the pictures show it very well, but I have used a glossy paste with this tulip stencil that I coloured with ink refills to create the pink and green. It worked well although it did dampen the glossiness and also lightened the colour considerable, but I like the look. If trying it just remember to ensure the paste is completely dry before going on to the next colour.

Once the tulips were dry I added the little dots from the same stencil set with gold stencil paste. I really enjoyed using my pastes again and am glad that this one wasn't all dried out when I opened it.

I cut the edges of the tulip strip with an edge die. Putting it through the die cut machine did dull the paste a little more, but never mind.  The tree was die cut twice and stacked and the little bird and house were coloured with a gold paint pen. The sentiment was heat embossed in gold.

It is so lovely to be back, I hope you will find time to join us.

You have until 24th to join us and don't forget to visit the blog to get more inspiration and some links to technique videos to help.

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Hammer embossed card; 225gsm smooth white card

Ink: Krylon gold paint pen; versamark; Catherine Pooler ink refills rockin' red and grass skirt

Stamps: Uniko

Dies: Funky Fossil - tree; Heffy Doodle - edge die

Stencil: Concord & 9th Retro Petal turnabout stencils

Other: Sweet Poppy stencil dimensions glossy white; cosmic Shimmer gold texture paste

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