We Love Stamping September Challenge

Today is the first Sunday of the month so time for a new challenge over at We Love Stamping. 

I am away this week and have several other things happening in September that means I may not be around in blogland quite so much. I shall do my best to keep up to date with my visits, but I apologise if I don't succeed.

This month out theme is:

**Hand Coloured Image**

or

**Anything Goes**

These rather scruffy looking teddy bears are by All & Create. I stamped and coloured them with alcohol markers before cutting them out with my scan n cut machine. It doesn't get used very often these days, so I was quite pleased with myself for getting it out.

I made this card for my grandson after his other grandmother died. The background was created with a number of stencils. The sky is rather grey, but that was deliberate. It was a very sad time.

The sentiment is from the same stamp set. This is a bit unusual for me and I was quite pleased with it. Felix seemed to like it. His Mum said he kept it on his bedside table.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month there are 2 prizes from Highlight Crafts. 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 a top three for special mention.

I hope I have inspired you to join us this month, all you have to do is ensure stamping (including digi) is seen somewhere on your card front, it no longer needs to be the main focus. Please also mention the products used. It would be great if you could join in with our theme, but anythings goes is always an option if you are out of ideas. The challenge will close at noon (UK time) on Wednesday 30th September

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

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

We Love Stamping August Reminder

Today is the 18th so time for a reminder for the current challenge over at We Love Stamping. The challenge where we love to see you using your stamps. 

I am sorry if I have been a little absent from blogland recently. I have been struggling to catch up with things after going away with my grandkids for a few days. We had a lovely time, but it did take it out of me! I am slowly getting there.

Karen has chosen our theme this month:

** Focal Sentiment or Quote  **

OR
**Anything Goes **

My card today features stamping and heat embossing. I started by blending distress oxides onto a smooth card panel and splattering some water over it. I then stamped and heat embossed the background text (by Uniko). 

To add interest I cut a rectangle frame from the panel and one from plain card to prop it up. another white frame helped add structure to the design. The sentiment was stamped heat embossed and then die cut. I realised after the event that it would have been much easier just to cut the 'YOU' from card and then colour and emboss it, but of course I went the long winded difficult way and stamped the 'YOU' and then cut it with the matching die!

I hadn't intended to add anything else but it felt like it needed something so I added this pretty little flower by The Stamp Market. I was pleased. It seemed to complete it.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month there are 2 prizes of stamp sets, ephemera and stencils from AALL & Create. 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 a top three for special mention.

I hope I have inspired you to join us this month, all you have to do is ensure that stamping (including digi) is featured somewhere your card. It would be great if you could join in with our theme, but anythings goes is always an option if you are out of ideas. The challenge will close at noon (UK time) on Wednesday 28th August.

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

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

The Day of the Month Card Club August Challenge

Today I am honoured to be joining the team at The Day of the Month Card Club as a guest designer. The theme this month is:

**Alpaca Day**

If I am honest, that was a bit of a blow as I didn't have any Alpaca stamps, but after a quick internet search for a digital stamp, I found a cute set on Etsy. They are actually Lamas rather than Alpacas, but I hope nobody minds.

I bought these metric storyboard dies from Heffy Doodle's closing down sale. They were one of the few places that sold dies for metric A6 sized cards, so I had to acquire some of those that I didn't have. I think they are reminiscent of the Waffle Flower postage stamp dies and I thought the digital images would fit well. That's the beauty of going digital with your stamps.

I sized the images to fit, then printed them on card and used the dies to cut them. I inked the die edges with CP chiffon ink and coloured the images with polychromos pencils.

The sentiment is a hot foil plate that I thought would just press into the card, but it actually cut it. I coloured it with the same ink and backed it with black paper. I used a couple of tiny gems to fill in the Os.

I do hope you will find time to join this wonderful challenge. Go and check out all the inspiration here.

I am also sharing this at:

NBUS Challenge 65 - The frame dies and digi stamps are NBUS

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

We Love Stamping August Challenge

Today is the first Sunday of the month so time for a new challenge over at We Love Stamping. 

Each month a member of the design team will be selecting a theme to reflect their own individual style of crafting or favourite themes. On the remaining months we will continue as before with a general theme along with an anything goes option, as previously.

Karen has chosen our theme this month:

** Focal Sentiment or quote  **

Anything Goes

I started with one of my Concord & 9th turnabout stamps called lovely blossoms and my life of the party Catherine Pooler inks and stamped the image using my Stampwheel. The panel is 5 3/4 inches square. That's pretty big for me. I didn't want to make it even bigger by adding mats so I roughly inked the edges with versamark and heat embossed them with gold powder.

The sentiment is from a set by Brenda and I stamped and heat embossed it on pearlescent vellum. In order to highlight the sentiment I cut a rectangle frame and heat embossed that too. The vellum was attached with some very old glue dot sheets from Woodware that are designed to attaching vellum. They work really well. I am not sure that you can still get them. I used vellum because I didn't want to cover up too much of the stamping.

This sentiment is very pertinent for me as I am very good at worrying about things that have been and gone. I have no idea why as there is no changing them. I am sure that I am not alone in that though.

The vellum was cut with a scalloped rectangle die.

Don't forget there is always a prize to be won and this month there are 2 prizes of stamp sets, ephemera and stencils from AALL & Create. 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 a top three for special mention.

I hope I have inspired you to join us this month, all you have to do is ensure stamping (including digi) is seen somewhere on your card front, it no longer needs to be the main focus. Please also mention the products used. It would be great if you could join in with our theme, but anythings goes is always an option if you are out of ideas. The challenge will close at noon (UK time) on Wednesday 28th August.

I am looking forward to seeing you in the gallery.

I shall be driving to Birmingham today to visit the Festival of Quilts at the NEC and to collect my grandchildren. They are coming to stay for a few days. I have booked a caravan by the sea so I hope we keep the fine weather so we can all enjoy the seaside. This means that my blog visits may be delayed, but I shall get round eventually. I look forward to this week every year, but I must say it is exhausting. I expect I will be lying low for the next week so I can recover my energy levels. This getting older lark is the pits!

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

July Card Chain Challenge Reveal

Today is 2nd of the month so time for the Card Chain Challenge big reveal. This month 27 card makers took part and I sent my card to Daja in Germany.

My card is all die cuts again this month and I have used the friendship theme and lace option. I did try to use the colours but I lost it after gold. Somehow I didn't manage to add jade and topaz!

I chose the lace option so that I could use this lace die by sizzix which I love. I cut it from some gold paper and mounted it onto a kraft A2 sized panel. I decided to frame it to help give it some definition. The die doesn't cut the edge and so I do struggle to get a neat edge with it. The thin frame has helped to sort that issue out.

The big daisy flower die is by The Stamp Market. I cut it from a alcohol inked panel that I made some time ago. I used the rest of the panel in the card you will find at the end of this post. The little hello and tiny flowers are also by The Stamp Market.

This is quite a simple card, but I am quite pleased with it. The gold paper gives it quite a nice shine.

I was very lucky to receive this gorgeous card from Joanne in the USA. Thanks Joanne.

Here is the other card I made with the rest of the AI panel:

This was the birthday card for my eldest daughter who turned 45 last month.

This card is 7x5 and I made the daisy into a shaker.

I am sharing this one at NBUS # 65 as it was the first outing for this daisy die.

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

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