Hearts Galore

Today I am joining Mia who is hosting the Friendly Challenge #154 where the theme is hearts. I made this card for my eldest granddaughters 10th birthday and am sharing it here as it is full of hearts, so I thought it fitted the theme perfectly. 

I made the shaker element by cutting the balloon frame several times and stacking them. the little white hearts were stamped and heat embossed on pink card to form the back of the shaker which is filled with sequins and little tiny hearts.

I finished things off with a little piece of gold string around the balloon. In retrospect I wish I hadn't cut the heart flower stalks so short, but never mind.

So sorry about my fuzzy pictures, I am really not sure what has happened to my photos recently!

Do head over to Mia's blog to see a link to all the heart creations. Thanks Mia for taking on the hosting this time. I think it is the first time I have taken part.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Pink heavy weight card for the base; 225gsm white card for the diecut; gold mirror card

Dies: Coverplate by Sunny Studios; Balloon frame by Sizzex; heart flowers by Positively Papercraft; happy birthday by Altenew

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

Guest Designer Allsorts

Today I am joining the team at Allsorts to help them celebrate their 700th challenge. That is some achievement so the theme this week is:

** Let's Celebrate **

I bought this stamp from my local craft store recently as I thought it would be good for male. In addition  it was my husbands birthday the other day and I was stumped. This stamp came to my rescue, it is also also suitably celebratory for this challenge I think.

I stamped it is black and clear heat embossed the image so it has a lovely shine to it. I used a gold gel pen to add gold highlights and coloured the other elements with metallic pens. I finished by colouring the background with a watercolour pen.

I didn't think it needed a separate sentiment. I cut the panel with a stitched rectangle die, mounted it on gold mirror card and then onto a black cardbase.

I hope you find time to join in the celebrations at Allsorts

I am also sharing this at:

NBUS Challenge 43

Seize the birthday #250 - Anything goes

Supplies:

cardstock: Watercolour paper; gold mirror card; black cardblank

Ink: Versafine onyx black; gold gel pen; Slicci by Pentel metallic pens

Stamps: Birthday Medley from Sentimentally Yours by Phill Martin

Dies: Stitched rectangle A6 dies by Create a Smile

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

More Circle Fun

Today I have another circle themed card to share, I hope you like it.

This is a one layer card, I masked and inked directly on the card base using distress inks and then went over it with a light grey ink and a circle stencil. Once the mask was removed I stamped the circles and clear heat embossed them to give a bit of interest and shine. The sentiment was also heat embossed.

Simple but quite effective I think.

Thanks everyone for your kind message re my unfortunate accident last week. My bruised wrists are looking very colourful at the moment and are slowly improving. You will be noticing more posts from me because I am unable to do heavy things like gardening at the moment. More time in my craft room is a positive outcome anyway.

I am sharing this at:

Less is More #746 - use a stencil

Cards4guyz #307 - Autumnal colours. I think this card has a very masculine look

Happy Little Stampers Oct stencil challenge - Anything Goes

Supplies:

Cardstock: White stamping card

Ink: Distress ink

Stamps: Circles by Artemio; Penny Black from the garden (sentiment)

Stencil: AALL & Create #39

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

Circle Fun

I thought I would like to enter the new stencil fun challenge. I love stencils and haven't really used them enough recently so time to change that I think.

I started by cutting the circle window in my panel and then I marked the position of the window onto the card base which I stamped with a circle stamp of little tiny circles. Then I took a circle stencil and blended 3 colours of Catherine Pooler ink over my stampeded circles.

The medallion was cut several times from green and yellow card and stacked. I backed it with some pearlescent vellum to mute the background a little. The hello sentiment is stamped in Catherine Pooler ink. Can you guess why there is a little trio of tiny gems beside the h? Yup, I managed to get a smudge of ink, but I think the little gems work quite well. I also added some to the medallion for continuity.

I had a bit of an accident the other day, no not a bit of one sorry, I had an accident. I was walking with my brother from a posh dinner in London to the underground station when I tripped on a curb and went face first into the pavement. One minute I was walking along happily and the next I was face down on the pavement. I thought at the time it was my nose that took the brunt of the fall but actually it was my wrists. I now have 2 very bruised hands and wrists, which means that doing anything heavy is out of the question for a few days. My brother picked me up and dusted me down and we carried on with our journey back to his house in Woking. I gradually became more aware of my injuries (yes, there might have been some alcohol involved), which included a grazed chin and knee. I have since had my left wrist x-rayed and thankfully there are no broken bones. I am very grateful for that, as I could easily have fractured both wrists. What a nightmare that would have been.

Despite my bruised state I did manage to have a walk round the garden at RHS Wisley the next day and enjoy some autumnal colour in the sunshine.

I am hoping that my accident will mean I have a bit more time in my craft room as my bruised wrists are limiting my activities.

Have a wonderful weekend, whatever you are doing.

Supplies:

Cardstock: White stamping card; Concord & 9th parsley

Ink: Catherine Pooler, Tiki Torch, Tutti Fruity, Party Dress, Lime Rickey

Stamps: Sentiment, Taylored Expressions; Dotty circle, unknown

Dies: Pink Fresh Studio; Spellbinders, hemstitched circles

Stencil: Pebeo, concentric circles

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

We love Stamping October Reminder

Today is the 18th so time for a reminder for 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 in Autumn Colours**

I have to admit that I made this card a while ago. I have got myself a little behind with my cards recently so I had a trawl through my cards that I haven't yet shared and found this one. I think I like it more now than I did when I made it. I am not sure where all my time goes, but I hope to be back ontop of things soon, maybe!

I masked off the corner on my panel and inked with several colours from dark to light. I can't even remember which inks I used but they are probably distress ink. I am not sure why I decided to ink just a portion of the background, but I do like the effect.

The wonderful calendula flower was stamped in black and clear heat embossed, along with the sentiment. I then took a brush and some water and proceeded to add more colour to some of the petals.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month the prize has been kindly donated by AALL & Create, a favourite of mine, so 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 UK time on Wednesday the 2nd November

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

Here's another one I made at the same time:

Which do you prefer gold or black?

I am also sharing this at:

The Flower Challenge #73 use a sentiment and 6th birthday. Happy birthday flower challenge.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bristol Board; black 250gsm card; Hunky Dory adorable scorable coated card

Ink: Distress ink

Stamps: Woodware calendula flower

Dies: Lisa Horton Tatty Layers Lazy Daisy Panel

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

September Card Chain Challenge

Today is 2nd of the month so time for the Card Chain Challenge big reveal. This month 26 card makers took part and I sent my card to Gail in Norway. This is my second post today because it is also the first Sunday in October so there is a new challenge over at we love stamping.

This month I used the option of things beginning with the letter Z and included some burlap on my card. I didn't go with the sketch as I used it last year for this card and knew that I would struggle to come up with something different.

I did attempt to use the colours though.

The first thing I decided on was to use burlap. I bought a roll from The Works a while ago and had yet to use it. Then I chose the flowers from my die collection and coloured them with alcohol markers. As I was trying to work out how to arrange them, I remembered the zig zag die that was waiting to be used too. I cut this in white and coloured with a green marker, then I removed a few of the strips in the middle and attached it to my card. Luckily those strips hold together quite well. I stamped the sentiment in Catherine Pooler ginger ink and added a few ginger coloured gems to the flowers to finish it off.

I used the ginger ink through a flower stencil on the insert and envelope as the final finishing touch. Oops no, that's wasn't the final touch, I added some droplet gems to the burlap.

I was very lucky to receive this gorgeous card from Joanne  in California:

Isn't it cute? She also decorated the inside beautifully.

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

Supplies:

Cardstock: 225gsm white card for diecutting; Hunky Dory adorable scorable coated card for card base

Ink: Catherine Pooler ginger; Spectrum Noir alcohol markers

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

Dies: Flower and zigzag by Creative Expressions; Sentiment strip Concord & 9th

Stencil: Stamperia

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

We Love Stamping October 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 Stamping in Autumn Colours**

Our guest designer is Faith from Daffodil Cards

My card is a simple one, but it is one of my favourite styles and I don't think I make enough of them, they are so simple and yet so effective. Well, I think so anyway.

I started by masking my panel and ink blending three colours by Catherine Pooler (listed below). Once I was happy with the blend I removed the masking from the side and stamped and clear heat embossed the flowers and the sentiment. To finish I added a few sequins and mounted it on a coloured card base.

The stamp set was a gift from the very special Loll from Stamping with Loll. Thank you so much for your generosity Loll, and for all the years that you inspired us through your CAS challenges. We will miss them, I learnt such a lot from being part of your team, thank you.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won at We Love Stamping and this month the prize has been kindly donated by AALL & Create, one of my favourites, so 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 (UK time) on Wednesday 2nd November

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

Before I go I thought I would share a couple of succulent pictures from my garden. The cooler weather is making them go show off their wonderful colours.

This one is a Graptoveria Fred Ives, it is a brilliant plant, very hard and it multiplies freely. I have 7 pots of it.

This one is a Graptoveria Opalina, which is really easy to grow from leaf cuttings so I have a number of these too. These have to come in for the winter but the Fred Ives stays outside.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bristol Board: Hunky Dory Adorable Scorable coated card

Ink: Catherine Pooler ginger, terracotta and apricot

Stamps: Penny Black Stitched Flowers (30-418

Other: Sequins

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