Good grief, my 4th blog post in one day.....so wonderful to have had the time to make lots of cards for a change!!
How can you resist the colours for this months Altenew Inspiration Challenge and the entries in the Gallery are so gorgeous. They are going to find it very hard to choose their winners this month!!
My first entry for this challenge was very bright, so I decided with this design to use similar colours but go for more of a subtle look:
I don't have very many background dies. They are extremely expensive for me to buy so I really cherish the ones I have and try to find different ways to use them. For this one I did a bit of 'scissor work' here and there to create a different pattern.
I started off by using my mini-blending tool and Distress Ink 'Picked Raspberry' to colour the card front. I then die-cut the Altenew 'Layered Medallions Cover Die B' from white CS. I used my small scissors to cut the flower out so it was on its own and then cut away more of the pattern to make more space around it. The die was then glued on to the card front, keeping the top and bottom middle die-cut pieces in place.
For the flower I removed the petal pieces and blended them with Distress Ink 'Mustard Seed'. I did the same with the smaller middle pieces using 'Spiced Marmalade'. I put them all back in place and held them there with washi tape behind the flower. This was put on foam tape on the card front.
The sentiment (from Altenew 'Floral Shadow') was stamped in black ink, fussy cut out and put on foam tape. Instead of using sequins, I added drops of Nuvo Crystal Drops in White to each of the rounded shapes.
Right, I'm off to visit my bed and my IPad, so I can watch a little bit of Netflix before I fall asleep. I started watching 'The Sinner' last night with Jessica Biel. The first episode really sucked me in, so I'm itching to find out what happens. I'm hanging out for Law and Order: Special Victims Unit to start with new episodes on tv next week and I'm thinking that The Walking Dead will be coming back again soon too. So much tv, so little time!!!!!
Things slowed down a lot on my blog over the Christmas holidays. Was busy with the kids and getting back into work, so not much time for anything else. However, the kids went back to school today so the routine will be getting back to a more normal pace....hopefully.......
While spending time at the weekend at my Mum's house, I was able to make quite a few challenge entries, including two for this months Altenew Inspiration Challenge. I used to join in with this one all the time and I always think about ideas each month when I see the colours and picture. This month, with the delicious 'Summery' colours I definitely had to make something:
For some reason I quite often find myself daydreaming about using this 'Floral Shadow' stamp set from Altenew. The images are so fabulous and look amazing no matter what colour ink is used!!
As you can imagine this was pretty easy to put together and my MISTI was excellent for this design. After working out where all the stamps would sit on the card front, I inked up one at a time using two ink pads on each one. I stamped a colour on each side and then went back and forth over the middle to try and get them to blend together instead of a harsh line. Its such a fun technique to play around with!!
I didn't want to cover up any of the bright colours, so kept the sentiment nice and simple. I heat embossed the 'hello' from 'Blooming Bouquet' in gold, fussy cut it out and then popped on foam tape. To finish off I glued on some orange, pink, yellow and gold sequins from Neat and Tangled. Love it!!
I've got one more card to show you all in another blog post and then I'm off to bed. It was so hot last night I hardly got any sleep, so at least the slightly cooler evening will make sleeping a bit easier. Its supposed to rain tomorrow and Friday and be 19 degrees celcius on Saturday, talk about a drop in temperature from 37 degrees yesterday!!!
For someone that doesn't enter the Ellen Hutson Pin sights Challenge very often, I can't believe I managed to make two entries for it!!
I so fell in love with these colours and photos and decided that the 'Plant Lady' desperately needed an outing:
She looks so fabulous in her purple shirt and reminds me of myself so much, she always make me smile!!
I stamped the lady from EH 'Leading Ladies - Plant Lady by Brandi Kincaid' on some white CS and coloured with pencils. Once finished I fussy cut her out and popped to the side.
I cut a wavy-edge triangle of white CS and using my MISTI I stamped the leaves from EH 'Rustic Botanicals'. I also stamped the flower from the same set using purple ink and fussy cut it out. The leafy triangle was popped up on foam tape with the 'plant lady' popping out behind. The purple flower was also put on foam tape with the sentiment (from the 'Plant Lady' set), and added some purple and clear sequins from Neat and Tangled.
Okay, that's all done with two hours to spare!! I'm off to the supermarket yet again. I seem to go there every single day, does any one else find themselves there all the time?? So annoying but everyone eats so much there is always something running out. Need to take Bella for a walk too so thank goodness its much cooler. Yesterday it was a record breaking 37 degrees celcius which made for a very long, sweaty night. I came very close to sleeping out on the trampoline to cool down but the bugs enjoyed my blood too much.
Well hello there everybody!! I spent this past weekend at my Mum's place and made a lovely pile of cards for Design Teams and challenges. I suddenly realised that one of the challenges would close soon and turns out it does in 3 hours, so better get this post done quick smart!!
I don't get a chance to join in the Ellen Hutson Pin Sights challenge very often as I only have two of their stamp sets but after seeing these inspiration photos, I knew I had to create something:
Using my trusty MISTI, I stamped the card front using leaves from the EH 'Rustic Botanicals' stamp set, using Mama Elephant 'Mojito' and Waffle Flower 'Chirp Chirp' inks. On a piece of white CS I stamped more of the images using purple, grey and light blue ink pads. I fussy cut them out and arranged behind the sentiment (from EH 'Leading Ladies - Plant Lady by Brandi Kincaid') which was on foam tape. And not a single sequin in sight!! I'm also going to link this to the Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge where their theme is 'Layer it Up'.
Right, I've got one more entry to show you and hopefully the photo won't give me any trouble. For some reason the photos I take with my cellphone keep going upside down when I put them on my blog post, its driving me insane!! Technology and I have never seen eye-to-eye unfortunately....... Take care Shona
Hi there, hope you've all started your weekends with a bang and have some crafting time slotted in somewhere!! I'm at my Mum's place for the weekend for some much needed crafting and relaxation, and to give Mum a hand around the house. Always nice to catch up with her instead of a quick chat each day!!
I was playing around with some metallic gold water colour paints the other day and thought some inlaid die-cuts would look good painted with these, so that's how this design was born!!
I started by die-cutting the cup from some watercolour CS. I then die-cut the 4 Petals Fri-dies from it, varying the placement as I went. I used a pink from my Gansai Tambi watercolour palette to colour what was left of the cup. And while that dried I used the same paints but in Champagne Gold to colour the petal die-cuts and then inlaid them into place using washi tape behind the cup to hold them in. This was popped up on foam tape on the card front.
I die-cut the matching cup lid from white CS, glued it to the cup and added some foam tape behind it. The sentiment (from Coffee Talk) was heat embossed in gold on a white CS banner and put on foam tape for dimension. I then die-cut the 'coffee' from Coffee Cup Fri-dies from white CS twice, glued them together and then to the front of the cup. And for a bit more shine I glued on some sequins from the Sistahood Sparkle Sequin Mix.
I hope I've inspired you to try something different with your die-cuts and if your looking to purchase any products from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps don't forget to use my special code to save yourself 15% on your purchase!!
Thanks so much for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!!
Hi everybody!! Its been such a hot week here, not the best for gardening but much nicer than weeding in frosty conditions! We've had lots of trips to the school pool which has been fantastic. The kids go back to school next week so they are making the most of their freedom.
I wanted to remind you about our current challenge at TIME OUT where we have these words to inspire you. Its up to you what you make, whether your inspired by a word, a sentence or maybe a feeling those words make you experience.
Our Sponsor for this challenge is Birch Press Designs and they will be giving the winner a $20 voucher to their store. I'm so jealous!!
For my card design I wanted to create something that really captures the essence of what I'd like to be like every day:
I'm known for being a 'softee' and really admire people who can speak their mind and stand up for themselves. I've gotten a little better over the years, especially when it comes to my children but I'd still like to be a bit tougher!!
I wanted to create a black background to not only make the white and red stand out but I think its kind of a 'tough' colour too. I cut a panel of black CS slightly smaller than the card front and adhered in place.
I die-cut the cup (from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps 'Coffee Cup Fri-dies') from white CS and the liquid part of the die from a brown paint chip. This was popped up on foam tape. The reason I used a coffee cup as my card image was that coffee is such a strong flavour.
I stamped the sentiment (from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps 'BE') with Altenew 'Crimson' dye ink 2x on white CS to make sure it had good coverage. This strip was half on foam tape and half adhered to the bottom of the cup die. To carry on the red colouring, I die-cut the heart dies from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps 'Funfetti Fri-dies' from a dark red paint chip and glued them in place.
You have until Wednesday 31st January to link your projects to the TIME OUT challenge and if your struggling for ideas, pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team and our spectacular Guest Designer Michele of I Card Everyone have created to inspire you. Looking forward to seeing your projects in the Gallery!!
Hi there everybody!! Thanks so much for stopping by on this beautiful January day. Its been super hot here with many trips to our local school pool to cool off. For all those people surrounded by snow at the moment, the thoughts of sunshine and swimming are probably far from your mind but time goes so fast these days, you'll be sorting your bikini line in no time!!
I wanted to try and create something quick to send to a friend who's having a hard time but wanted to make sure it was pretty too!
I grabbed hold of the new Heart to Heart Background Stamp and three different colours of ink pads. I simply stamped the dark pink in one corner, the yellow in the other and a light pink in between, going back and forth between colours to blend them together and then pressed on to the card front. I used the MISTI to do this so was able to stamp a few times to make sure the colours blended together well.
I then pulled out my trusty box of paint chips and used chips in the similar ink colours, using the 4 Petal Fri-dies on each. I glued the flowers together, alternating the colours. The sentiment (from the Pretty Posies stamp set) was stamped in black on a strip of white CS and glued to the card front. I then arranged the flowers on one end, putting the middle one of foam tape. I have a thing for adding black details at the moment to my cards, so have been using these really old half-circle black pearls a lot, unfortunately I can't remember where they came from.
And that was it! I was able to whip this up quick-smart and get in the mail the same day, which was very much loved by the recipient. Will definitely have to do more of the ink pad blending in the future!!
If you still haven't shopped for our amazing New Release products or are tempted to buy any of the ones I used today, don't forget to use my special Girl Friday code to save yourself 15% on your purchase!!
Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have an amazing weekend, especially all of you lucky people going to Creativation in the US. I will get there one day!!
Hi everyone, hope your having a fantastic start to your week!! I'm just wanting to remind you about our current challenge at The Flower Challenge.
We have 'Spotlight Stamping' for our theme this month. This is where you stamp images on your project and then only colour to put a 'spotlight' on one area you want to highlight. There are so many ways to do this and its so much fun!!
For my last card I did a bit of water colouring, so thought I would get out my pencils this time:
This is such a beautiful background stamp and has so many details to be coloured!!
I started by cutting a panel of white CS the same size as my card front and stamping the background image on to it with black ink. I then grabbed an oval die and cut the middle out of it. I coloured this in using my favourite Faber Castell pencils. I adhered the panel to the card front and popped the oval up on foam tape.
To make the sentiment stand out, I die-cut the 'happy' twice from black CS, glued them together and then to the card front. The rest of the sentiment was simply stamped on a strip of white CS and glued in place. I then added some pink sequins and black half-pearl drops for some details.
The background image is from MFT Stamps 'Floral Fantasy', as well as the sentiment stamp from 'Bitty Bears'. The 'happy' die is from Whimsy Stamps. The oval-stitched die is from Studio Katia and the pink sequins from Neat and Tangled.
You have until Thursday 25th January to link your projects to The Flower Challenge. If your struggling for ideas, don't forget to pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team have created to inspire you. Looking forward to seeing your 'pops of colour' in the Gallery!!
Hi there everyone!! Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. My digital camera has finally given up the ghost and I've been trying to put photos from my Iphone on the blog....what a nightmare!!! Its driving me insane and takes forever to get one photo to work, so looks like I'm going camera shopping this weekend....
I was wanting to remind you about our current TIME OUT challenge where we want to inspire you with the word 'Thankful'. Its a good way to start out a new year, being thankful for many things. For me I'm very thankful for still being part of this TIME OUT team, they are incredibly supportive and wonderful designers too. I'm looking forward to seeing what your thankful for!!
Our Sponsor for this challenge is Verve Stamps and they are offering the winner the choice of a stamp set from their store. I'm so jealous!!
For my card I'm still playing around with some of my Christmas stamp sets as I didn't get to use them as much as I wanted:
These foxes look so happy together, just like you would be with a loved one, especially a supportive one!!
I started off by stamping this fox image on white CS, colouring with pencils and then fussy cutting out. I used the background die on some white CS and adhered to the card front. Using different sized solid heart stamps and Hero Arts 'Bubblegum' dye ink, I stamped the hearts into as many holes as I could. I then gave them all a coating of Wink of Stella. I stamped the sentiment on a strip of white CS, popped it up on foam tape along with the fox image, and glued on some sequins for a bit more shine!!
The larger solid heart is from Winnie and Walter 'From the bottom of my heart'. The rest of the products are from Neat and Tangled. The foxes from 'Merry Kisses', the sentiment from 'Scandinavian Prints' and the two smaller hearts from 'Say Yes to Donuts'. The sequins are from Neat and Tangled also.
You have until Wednesday 17th January to link your projects to the TIME OUT challenge. And don't forget to check out the blog where you'll see beautiful inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and our Guest Designers Bobby of Bits and Pieces and also Julee of Poetic Artistry and the owner of Verve Stamps. Can't wait to see what you come up with in the Gallery!!
Hi there everyone and welcome to our first challenge for 2018 at The Flower Challenge!! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends and received lots of crafty gifts!
Firstly I must apologise for this blog post being so late. My two week holiday is nearly over and I've been spending as much time as I can with my kids, so card-making has taken a back seat. Also Max ended up with a stomach-bug/headcold on Wednesday night which left him and I with no sleep for a while. He's getting better now but has an earache so fingers crossed it doesn't get worse. So hence this post being very late, I'm very sorry about that. I'm back to work next week unfortunately so will be back to my regular scheduling...
This month we are looking for 'Spotlight Stamping' which is basically where you stamp images on your project and only colour a particular area. Its really fun to do and the possibilities are endless with how you 'spotlight', so can't wait to see your ideas!!
For my card I really wanted to use a new stamp set I received before Christmas and to try a different layout:
I'm so in love with this stamp set from Altenew 'Frosted Garden' and love the 'frosted' effect on the flowers and leaves. Very cool!!
I cut a panel of watercolour CS and heat embossed the images using Ranger Embossing Powder in 'Queens Gold'. I then used a waffle-edged die from Winnie and Walter 'Essentials: Audreys Cutaways' and then my trimmer to cut it into non-even quarters.
I chose to watercolour the larger pieces using my Gansai Tambi palette. Once they had dried I popped them up on the card front with foam tape, with the other pieces being stuck down flat. The 'hello' die (from Simon Says Stamp) was die-cut 3x from black CS, glued together and then to the card front. I then stamped the gorgeous (from the same Altenew set) using black ink on a strip of watercolour CS. To add a bit more sparkle I glued on some co-ordinating sequins from Neat and Tangled.
You have until January 25th to link your projects to The Flower Challenge and we will be back with a reminder and more inspiration on January 15th. If your still not sure about 'spotlight stamping', pop over to the blog to see more ideas from the rest of the Design Team.
Right, I have to go and pack up the car now to go to Whites Bay. Max can't go swimming but he can still use his skim board on the beach and we always look for crabs, so should be fun. Gotta make the most of my time and the sunshine!!
Well, here we are, the 6th and final day of the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps New Release!! Its been an amazing week seeing all your comments about these new products and for me, being blown away by my fellow 'Girl Fridays' use of the new stamps and dies.
We have one more stamp set to share with you, Heart to Heart:
I don't own many background stamps in my stamp collection, so was extremely happy when I saw this one. It will be perfect for so many occasions, especially Valentines Day!!
For my card I really wanted to show off the patterns of the stamp and make it the star of the design:
This is such a fab size for a card front and is fantastic for colouring too with all its different shapes and details.
I white heat embossed the stamp on a piece of water colour CS. Since I don't have any daubers, I pinched the blending circle to make a point and added Distress Ink 'Barn Door' to the small hearts. Once they were a deep red, I blended 'Picked Raspberry' over the whole area. After fussy cutting around the edges I popped it on foam tape on the card front.
The 'Friend Fri-die' was die-cut 3x from black CS, stuck together and then over the hearts. I then covered it with Wink of Stella for a bit of sparkle. The rest of the sentiment (from Girlfriend) was stamped in black on a strip of white CS, fussy cut out and then adhered into place. I then glued on a few black half-pearls for a bit more detail, instead of sequins.
If you've fallen in love with this stamp set or any of the new products and intend to have a shopping spree, don't forget to use my special code to save yourself 15%!!
Thanks so much for joining us over the last six days. And if you pop over to the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog there's lots of inspiration from the other Girl Fridays and our Guest Designer Amy. I can't wait to see what you all purchased and what you make with them all. Will be keeping an eye out on Facebook, Instagram and the blogging world!
Hello there, so glad you popped in for Day 5 of the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps New Release!! I'm so happy to hear that your loving all the new products and can't wait to see what everyone makes with their new purchases!!
I love a large sentiment and the font for this one is just gorgeous. And the layered stamps are simply brilliant!!
When I came to create this card I ended up with a completely different design than what I had originally thought to do, which I always think is quite exciting:
I had planned on creating a background of layered leaves and flowers in different colours but as soon as I stamped the very first solid, roundish stamp, I knew I had to create a pastel, spotted rainbow!!
As you can imagine this was incredibly easy to put together. I used my MISTI to randomly stamp the spots over the card front, stamping each one twice to get good coverage. I used my favourite dye-ink colours from Waffle Flower Crafts, as the colours look beautiful together. I also love how this stamp isn't a perfect round, gives it more of a modern feel for some reason!!
For the sentiment I stamped it on white CS with black ink and then fussy cut around it before putting on some foam tape. I then finished off with some colourful sequins from Neat and Tangled.
I hope I've given you some ideas on how to use this new stamp set and if your going to purchase it, please use my special code to save yourself 15%. All the New Release products are available now!!
Please pop over to the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog to see how the rest of the Girl Fridays and our Guest Designer Amy have used this new set. And there is also the chance to win yourself some prizes, so even better!!
I'll see you back here tomorrow for the last day of this New Release, where we have one more stamp set to share with you all. Its a spectacular stamp and perfect for Valentines Day so don't forget to pop in!!
These are such inspirational sentiments and perfect for so many occasions, I can see this one being used ALOT!!
The very first sentiment in this stamp set was begging to be used for my card:
This particular sentiment has such power to it, I wanted it to be the star and front-in-centre in my card design!!
I started off by using the Ruffled Ribbon Fri-Die on some white CS. I then stamped the Full on Floral Background Stamp over top in black ink and blended some Distress Ink 'Picked Raspberry' to give it the pink colour. I used the ribbon die again on the card front, adhered a panel of white CS behind it and inlaid the pink ribbon die-cut into place. The sentiment was stamped and heat embossed with black embossing powder on vellum, and adhered in place using double-sided tape behind the words. To finish off I of course had to add some Sistahood Sparkle Sequin Mix for a bit of shine!!
If you think you might purchase this stamp set or any others, don't forget to use my special code to save yourself 15% on your purchase. And all of the New Release products are available to buy right now!!
There is even more inspiration over on the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog from the Girl Fridays and our spectacular Guest Designer Amy. You also have the chance to win some prizes, so make sure you get over there quick smart!
I'll see you back here tomorrow for Day 5 and another gorgeous stamp set!!
Well, you guys have been going crazy for the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps New Release products, and I totally don't blame you. When I first saw all of this release I was staying at my Mum's and she came running into the lounge to find out why I was jumping around and squealing!!
We are up to Day 3 of this New Release and we have two more coffee-related stamp sets to share with you. First up we have Hot Coffee:
Absolutely love the font used on these sentiments and they couldn't be more clever, hilarious and cheeky!!
Michele (the owner of CAS-ual Fridays Stamps) must have had a blast coming up with all these brilliant sentiments. They really capture the personality of a 'coffee drinker' perfectly. Makes me wish I liked coffee!! Here's what I came up with for these sets.
You know how much I love a good rainbow and nothing could be more magical than that first cup of coffee in the morning!!
I die-cut the To Go Cup Fri-dies from white CS and the outer band from black CS. I adhered them together and added foam tape to the back. Once I worked out where the cup would sit on the card front, I used some washi tape to mask off the area for my rainbow and went to town with an array of Distress Inks, trying to blend them together as much as I could.
Once I was happy I stamped the sentiment from Time for Coffee in black ink, put the coffee cup in place, cutting off the over hanging edges and glued on some sequins from Neat and Tangled.
While walking the dog recently I was thinking about this release and realised that I could make a coffee-cup shaped card using the new Coffee Cup Fri-Dies!!
You can see here how the cards open up to show the inside, where you can write your message or use a stamp. It would make a fabulous gift tag too!!
I created two side folding cards from white CS. I then put the coffee cup die on the card front so that the left cutting edge was hanging off the fold of the card, so that it wouldn't cut anything (I hope that makes sense....). Your left with two coffee-liquid holes but I decided to only inlay the inside one with brown CS, as leaving the top one empty gave it a 3D look.
I heat embossed two sentiments from the Hot Coffee stamp set in gold and then blended Distress Inks 'Picked Raspberry' and 'Mermaid Lagoon' over the sentiments and the handles. And I must admit I've been singing 'I love Big Cups' ever since making these!!!
I really hope I've given you some ideas on how to use these new products and possibly inspired you to do a bit of shopping. All of the New Release sets are available to purchase now and you can save yourself 15% on your shopping by using my special code!
Don't forget to visit the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog to see what the rest of the Girl Fridays and our special Guest Designer Amy have created for you. And I'll see you back here tomorrow for Day 4 of the Release!!
