Hi there everyone!! I'm popping in to remind you all about our current challenge at TIME OUT!! We have a theme for you this time:
Celebration with optional twist of one-layer cards
There are already some incredible celebratory cards in the Gallery, including some fantastic one-layer wonders. So keep them coming!!
We are also very excited to have CAS-ual Fridays Stamps as the Sponsor of this challenge and they are giving a $20 voucher to the winner. How fabulous is that!!!!
If you saw my blog post yesterday, you will have read that I've been having a few problems with my hands. So I'm starting off simply with my card making and slowly getting back into it. And of course I'm a HUGE fan of one-layer cards, so this was the perfect time to make one:
I finally got my hands on some Distress Oxide Inks (and saw the other day they are releasing 12 more colours.....) and wanted to see if they spread like butter as so many people have said.
To create the stripes I simply used some wide washi tape and created each stripe, trying to alternate the sizes as I went. And that Oxide ink really does spread beautifully!! Once I was happy with the stripes I used my heat gun to make sure they were dry as I was wanted to do some heat embossing.
Using Versafine Black ink I stamped the sentiments (from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps 'Wait for It') twice on top of the stripes and immediately heat embossed with clear embossing powder. This gives the words the most amazing shine which I couldn't quite capture with my photo. All that was left to do then was add some sequins from Neat and Tangled and I was finished!!
The stamp set I used 'Wait for It' is actually one of many stamp sets being 'Retired' by CAS-ual Fridays Stamps and they are a really good price at the moment. You could even save a bit more by using my 'Girl Friday' code below!!
I'm going to link this card to Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge where their theme is 'Anything Goes'.
Will also link to the AAA Card Challenge # 93 where their theme is:
You have until Wednesday July 5th to link your projects to the TIME OUT challenge and please pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team and our magnificent Guest Designer TaeEun have created to inspire you. Look forward to seeing you in the Gallery!!
Take care
Shona
Hi everybody, long time no see!! Sorry I haven't been around much of late, I had my first ever fibromyalgia flare a few weeks ago and it really affected the carpal tunnel I already have in my hands. I couldn't hold a pencil, brush or type, it was so frustrating!! They are slowly getting back to working order so hopefully more cards will be coming your way!!
With it being Wednesday it also means that its time for a new challenge theme at Addicted to Stamps and More!!
Its 'Holiday' week! Which means you can create a card for a public holiday or maybe just a holiday theme, its totally up to you!!
When I look back on it, I really should have created a Christmas card as I haven't made anywhere near enough so far this year, but I got my hands on this stamp set and couldn't wait to use it:
Isn't this ghost the cutest??!! He is from CAS-ual Fridays Stamps 'Spooky' and he has been 'Retired'. Which means there aren't many of him left but he is an amazing price AND if you use my 'Girl Friday' code below you can save yourself another 15%!! And they have retired a whole lot of other stamp sets so go grab yourself a bargain!!
I wanted (and needed) to keep this very simple for my hands sake. I heat embossed the ghost many times on black CS using white embossing powder. I then used a Derwent Colorsoft pencil in 'white' to colour them in. I tried a few different pencils but this one gave such a soft effect with the black showing thru, just like a ghost!!
I fussy cut all the ghosts out and adhered to the black card front. This gave them a bit more dimension. I then heat embossed the sentiment (from the same stamp set) in white on a strip of black CS and popped it up on foam tape. I cut off the overhanging ghost pieces and was going to add some sequins but I though googly eyes would add a bit of fun on the card instead!!
You have until Wednesday July 5th to link your projects to the Addicted to Stamps and More challenge and definitely pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the incredible Design Team have created to inspire you!!
This is also unfortunately a sad post for me as its my last post as a ATSM Design Team member. My gardening work is overwhelmingly busy at the moment (I have to say no to people now wanting my services) and its leaving me extremely tired at night, which is when I usually craft. I was getting myself wound up with being late for challenges and not commenting enough, so something had to give. I've been a part of this team since January 2015 and loved every minute of it. Kylie (our leader) is absolutely wonderful and I've gotten to know so many team members over the years too. Its now time to let someone else have a turn and feel the excitement I did when I joined. Thank you so much Kylie and ATSM!!
Take care
Shona
Hi everyone! Hope your having a fabulous week and everything has been going as planned. I've unfortunately been sick since Saturday afternoon and its also been freezing cold, so its been a very long week for me. Hopefully I'm on the mend and need to be in fine form for the weekend as the kids are having friends over to stay!!
We are having a lot of fun this month at The Flower Challenge as we have 'Anything Goes' as the theme, so the Gallery is filled with an amazing variety of floral designs.
For my card I desperately wanted to use some new products that I just received on Saturday. I purchased some new release dies because when I saw them I immediately thought I could make something like this and thank goodness it worked:
My 'rainbow' flower!! This is exactly how I saw myself using the new MFT Stamps 'Color Drops' dies. It was harder than I thought to put together but I'm so glad it turned out how I imagined!
I started off by die-cutting two different sizes of the dies from Strathmore Bristol Smooth CS, six each. I then used a mini-blending tool and six Distress Inks to colour each one, making six pairs of colours. To get them to fit together I cut the points off each drop and adhered the larger ones to the card front.
To make it more like a flower I gently bent the smaller die-cuts (just with my fingers), cut their points off and adhered into place. To cover the messy middle, I die-cut the MFT Stamps 'Smile' 3x from white CS. I glued them all together and then on to a strip of black CS. I cut the strip so it was only slightly larger than the word and popped on foam tape.
For a bit more shine I absolutely drowned the die-cut word with clear Wink of Stella, giving two or three coats and gluing on some clear sequins from Neat and Tangled. Love it so much!
I'm going to link this to a new challenge I've discovered in New Zealand!! Its the Southern Girls Challenge # 16 and their theme is 'Stuck on You'. So nice to join a challenge in my own country!!
You still have time to get your projects linked to The Flower Challenge, it closes on Sunday 25th June. And please pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team have created to inspire you. Can't wait to see what you come up with!!
Take care
Shona
Hi everyone and welcome to a new week at Addicted to Stamps and More!! We have your favourite challenge theme this week:
That's right, you can make any type of project you like and any theme you fancy. Its a chance to try out new colours, new products, new techniques...new anything. So go for it!
I was playing around with a stamp set that I haven't used too much, mainly because I'm not very confident in my ability to colour people but I can't get better if I don't practice so here we go:
Luckily these kids still look cute even with my crazy colouring skills and I even added some freckles to the red-headed girl, which was a bit of an experiment!!
I started off by stamping all the images on some white CS and colouring with pencils. I then fussy cut them all out and this is where I had a mishap. I always go around my fussy cut pieces with a black felt pen. My favourite one ran out and I have a brand new one which is super juicy. As I went around their edges I could see that even just touching them lightly was causing the black to leak past the black edges and the red-headed girl ended up with a black hand, hence only one arm showing. The pen I purchased was more expensive than my last but think I'll go back to the cheap version, way easier to control!!
I arranged the kids around the doughnut, glued them into place and then added foam tape behind them. I wanted to create a heart behind them but didn't have a stencil so I die-cut a faceted heart from a scrap of CS and blended my new 'Worn Lipstock' Oxide Ink. Boy it goes on just like butter!! I then popped my kids in place, stamped the sentiment in black and glued on some sequins for sparkle. Not too bad!
The stamp images and sentiment are all from Neat and Tangled 'Say Yes to Donuts' (which is always my motto!). The faceted die is also from Neat and Tangled, as well as the sequins.
You have until next Wednesday 21st June to link your projects to the Addicted to Stamps and More challenge. If your struggling with inspiration, pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team have created for you. I'm sure you'll find something to spark an idea. Look forward to seeing you in the Gallery!!
Take care
Shona
Well, hello there everybody and thanks for stopping by. Hope your having a fantastic day and that you've finally started your weekend wherever you are in the world. Its been very cold and dreary here today, perfect for card making but lots of jobs to finish first before I can start that.
Its my turn during this month of June to inspire you with CAS-ual Fridays Stamps products. I'm so glad I made something bright and colourful to lift me up from the sunless and cold day:
You can't beat rainbow colours for making you smile, especially when they pop so much against a white background!!
I spent a bit of time die-cutting this tree from 'CASual Trees Fri-dies' from some water colour CS. I then used a mini-blending tool and 8 different Distress Inks to colour each one. I die-cut a circle of white CS using the circle die from 'Ornament Tag Fri-dies'. I stamped the sentiment from the 'Bold Wishes' stamp set with Versafine ink and then immediately heat embossed with clear embossing powder to give it some shine.
To put it together I added some foam tape to the back of the circle. I then worked out where each tree would sit and pushed them on. I added some more double-sided tape over top and pressed it on the card front. And I glued on a few Neat and Tangled sequins for a bit more bling.
I'm going to link this to the AAA Card Challenge - 3rd Birthday Party and I can already see so many gorgeous linked cards, celebrating their milestone!!
I hope you enjoyed seeing my card and if your planning on doing any shopping at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps don't forget to use my special 'Girl Friday' code to save yourself 15%!!
Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a fabulous and crafty weekend!!
Take care
Shona
Happy Friday everybody! Max has been sick all this week with a stomach bug and hives, so I'm very glad that the weekend is only hours away!! Its also been freezing cold with lots of morning frosts, which is not much fun to be gardening in but the days have been sunny and warm so that's a bonus!!
With it being Friday it also means we have a new challenge theme for you at Just Add Ink:
This can be a project to celebrate any anniversary you like. Maybe a wedding anniversary, maybe the anniversary of when you started your blog or maybe the anniversary of when someone started their job?? Its totally up to you!!
This past weekend it was the anniversary of my father dying, 4 years has gone by so quickly. I still look out for him here and there and think I must remember to tell him a funny thing that happened, only to remember he isn't around anymore. It was too hard to make a card for this so I decided to go happy and floral instead:
It's been hard finding time to colour lately, which is even more frustrating after I now have the ink and CS to colour with my alcohol inks without them bleeding etc. I snuck off to bed early the other night to watch some more of the latest season of House of Cards (its so good!!!) on Netflix and colour these flowers. I love using my Altenew alcohol markers and can totally understand why people are so obsessed with their Copic markers.
I cut a panel of Strathmore Bristol Smooth CS and stamped the flowers and leaves using Memento ink. After colouring them in I decided to try out something I've seen a lot of people do and outlined each image with a light blue marker. Boy does it make a difference!!!
After die-cutting the 'happy' from the panel, I adhered it to the card front. I also die-cut the 'happy' from black CS and a light blue paint chip. I inlaid the blue one first and then glued the black one slightly higher and then the coloured one slightly higher again. This way you can see the different colours underneath.
To finish off I heat embossed the 'anniversary' in white on a strip of black CS, adhered it in place and glued on a few peach and gold sequins.
The flowers and leaves are from Altenew 'Adore You'. The 'happy' die is from Winnie and Walter, as well as the sentiment from 'The Big, the Bold and the Happy'. The sequins are from Neat and Tangled.
You have until next Wednesday 14th June to link your projects to the Just Add Ink challenge. And if you need any inspiration, pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team have created for you. Look forward to seeing you in the Gallery!!
Take care
Shona
I seem to be rather obsessed with the CASology challenge at the moment. Last year I used to join in nearly every week but then time (as usual) got away on me. The last few weeks I've loved the cue words so much, I decided to make the time and luckily the card for this challenge was super quick to put together!!
When I saw the cue word this week was 'insect' I immediately thought of butterflies. However, as you may know, I like to think outside the box a bit when it comes to this challenge. And after going thru all of my stamp sets, I came up with this little cutie:
I'm not a huge fan of spiders but this one is small enough to not scare me!! Luckily in New Zealand we don't have many large spiders and none that are deadly but a fat, black, furry one will always get a scream out of me!!
As you can imagine this was super simple to put together. The longest part was working out which sentiment to use!! The spider and web are both from different Hampton Arts stamp sets (they don't have names). The heart is from Paper Smooches and die-cut from a blood red paint chip. I was going to use a sentiment that said 'Welcome Home' but when I saw this one from Neat and Tangled 'Better Together', I thought it was perfect!!
I have three other challenges I would like to enter:
Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge (Masculine)
Uniko Challenge # 41
Stamplorations - CAS Challenge - June
While I've been typing this all I can hear in the background is Dance Mom's with Phoebe laughing away. She absolutely loves that programme. The dancing is incredible but all the yelling and screaming is a bit much for me. I wouldn't last 5 minutes as a Dance Mom on that show, I'd spend most of my time crying!! And my crying face is way too ugly for television......lol....
Take care
Shona
Right, I'm going to be super fast with this post. My eyes are closing fast and I really need to lie down. I'm absolutely exhausted and have four HUGE days of gardening coming up this week. Lots of sugar will be needed for sure to get me thru!!
For my first entry for the CASology challenge it was a little 'tongue-in-cheek' with lots of blood everywhere. This one is a little cuter:
Sorry this photo is strange. I didn't get back home in time before darkness hit so I could take a photo with my camera, so my iphone came to the rescue!!
All of these images are from WPlus9 'Get Well Gang' (which I also used on my first CASology entry). I started off by stamping the poor mouse on some white CS, colouring with pencils and die-cutting with the matching die. I sat him in the middle of the card front and stamped the medicine bottle around him in a frame. I gave all the bottle tops a rainbow of colours and popped the mouse up on foam tape. All that was left to do was stamp the sentiment and the card was finished!!
I'm also going to link this to the Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge where their theme is 'Anything Goes'. I think this will be my 5th and final entry.
Do you ever get so tired you feel like crying?? That's how I feel right now so my bed is next in line. So glad I was able to share these two cards with you though as I think they are so cute and funny. Just wish I had had more time this weekend to craft like I had planned but what can you do, the kids always come first for me and they had a fantastic long weekend!!
Take care
Shona
I'm racing in here with my eyes half-closed trying to get not one but two cards linked to this weeks CASology challenge.
I've always been interested in anything medical. I wanted to be a Forensic Pathologist when I was younger but that didn't eventuate and even started training to be a nurse but became ill so wasn't able to complete the course. Phoebe wanted to be a 'fanny doctor' from the age of 3yrs and even though now she knows the proper name for this type of doctor and has decided to become an Architect, she still loves to watch anything to do with medicine and hospitals.
So when I saw the Cue Word for this weeks challenge I knew I had to create something that would hopefully make you and Phoebe smile:
I'm sorry the photo is a little strange. I spent the whole day entertaining, feeding and cleaning up after the kids and their friends. And by the time we got back home it was too dark to take a photo with my camera, so this is with my iphone.
You wouldn't believe the mess I made with my 'blood splatter'!! I was flicking it across my card with wild abandonment, not realising it was going on everything else on my craft table. It really looked like a murder scene or an A&E room!!
For the blood I smooshed Altenew 'Crimson' and 'Velvet' inks on a plate and mixed in lots of water with a small brush. I then flicked away across the card front. 'Doctor Doggie' is from WPlus9 'Get Well Gang' and he was stamped on white CS, coloured with pencils and die-cut with matching die. I popped him up on foam tape along with the stamped sentiment from the same set. Hope it makes you smile!!
Will link this to Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge where their theme is 'Anything Goes'.
And will also link to the Stamplorations CAS Challenge - June where they are looking for 'Masculine Colours', although really blood can go with any gender!!
I have one more card to show you and then I'm running off to bed. Its been a 3 day weekend and I don't feel refreshed at all. I've been flat out looking after the kids and cleaning up their carnage. They've had a great time though so I suppose that's the main thing....I think.....
Take care
Shona
Well, hello there everyone and welcome to another month at The Flower Challenge!! Thank you to everyone that took part in last months 'CASE a Designer' challenge, the cards were incredible and its getting harder and harder to choose our favourites!! This months theme is going to be very popular I'm sure:
That's right, you can do whatever design you like. As long as you have flowers as your main focal point, you can do whatever project you like. How fabulous is that??!!!
When I was staying at my Mum's recently I took total advantage of having the time to try new things out. I had a new stamp set that hadn't seen the light of day and it deserved to be inked up and used all over my card:
In New Zealand we have access to a craft company called Rosies Studio. I can't find out much about them on the Internet but I think they may be an Australian company. They have stamps, papers, wools, enamel dots etc....basically you name it, they have it and its extremely cheap. Their stamps aren't the best quality but they have gotten better over the years and this particular floral stamp set (called 'Flourish') is their best yet! And it only cost me $5.00!!
Thank goodness for my MISTI!! This stamp set has three flower images, one leaf image and one bud image. I used my MISTI to stamp them randomly across the card front, as close as I could to each other to get good coverage. I then set myself up with a good tv programme (Grimm, SVU and Empire) and coloured away with my Faber Castell pencils.
I didn't want to cover up all my hard work, so for the sentiment I die-cut a circle of vellum using a circle die from Waffle Flower 'Flower Circles Dies' and heat embossed the sentiment from Studio Katia 'Thank you so much' in gold. I was then able to put thin strips of double-sided tape behind the letters to hide it and adhered to the card front, along with some gold sequins from Neat and Tangled.
I'm going to link this card to the Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge where their theme is 'Anything Goes'.
You have until Sunday 25th June to link your projects to The Flower Challenge and if you need any inspiration for your design, pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team have created for you. I'm sure you will find something to spark the imagination!! Look forward to seeing you in the Gallery!!
Take care
Shona
Hi there everyone and welcome to our June challenge at Little Tangles. We have the most delicious colour combo to inspire you this month:
These colours are so beautiful and totally remind me of Summertime, especially with the photo of iceblocks above it. I decided to go with the 'Summer' feeling but add a Christmas twist. We have Christmas in the middle of Summer here in New Zealand so its all about bbq's, salads and ice-creams, so thought these colours would make a great Christmas card:
I used two different sized solid triangle stamps from the 'Scandinavian Prints' stamp set and my trusty MISTI to create this design.
I started off by cutting a panel of white CS slightly smaller than the card front. I had no idea about the pattern before I started, just winged it as I went along. I stamped each image twice using a range of inks from Waffle Flower, Hero Arts and Altenew. The panel was then popped up on foam tape on the card front.
The sentiment (from the same stamp set) was simply stamped on a strip of white CS and put on foam tape as well. I then decided to add a bit of bling to each of the trees by adhering small gold sequins (from Neat and Tangled).
I'm really happy with my 'Summery Christmas card' and think I will make a few more!!
I have three challenges I would like to enter:
CAS on Sunday # 109 (Repetition Image)
Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge (Anything Goes)
Simon Says Stamp - Work It Wednesday - May (Summer)
You have until Thursday 29th June to link your projects to the Little Tangles Challenge and please pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team have created to inspire you, you won't be disappointed! Can't wait to see your project in the Gallery!!!
Take care
Shona
Hi everyone, hope your week is going smoothly and you've had a chance to squeeze in some crafting here and there. I'm wanting to remind you about our current TIME OUT challenge where we have a phrase to inspire you:
'Flowers and Friends make life a garden'
You could be inspired by one of the words or maybe the idea behind the phrase. Its totally up to you!
Our Sponsor for this challenge is Stamplorations who are generously giving a $15 gift voucher to the winner. Oh so lucky!!
Shery from Stamplorations very generously allowed the TIME OUT girls to choose a stamp set to use for this challenge. I'd had my eye on this one for a while and knew it would be just perfect:
This stamp set is called 'Blossoming' and includes the sentiment. I think those flowers are absolutely gorgeous and couldn't wait to get them coloured!!
I stamped the flower image on some Strathmore Bristol Smooth CS using Memento Ink and coloured them with my Altenew Markers. I then fussy cut it out and went around the cut edge with a black marker. Even though the image already has the black frame around it, I wanted it to be precise so adhered it to a piece of white CS and trimmed it very closely to the edge. This was put on foam tape on the card front.
The sentiment was simply stamped with black ink and I added some clear and blue sequins from Neat and Tangled to add a bit of shine. I then decided to brush the middle of each flower with lots of Wink of Stella for a bit more of a shimmer. I would love to make a set of these in different colours, will have to add that to my long list of things to try!!
I'm going to link this to the Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge where their theme is 'Anything Goes'.
You have until Wednesday 7th June to link your projects to the TIME OUT challenge and if you need any ideas, pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team and our Guest Designer, the always spectacular Michele of I Card Everyone has created to inspire you. Look forward to seeing your projects in the Gallery!!
Take care
Shona
Hi there everybody!! On this side of the world its the 1st of June...where has this year gone??? I need to start thinking about Christmas I feel and especially making some more Christmas cards!!
With it being a new month it also means that its time for a new challenge theme at the Happy Little Stampers - Watercolour Challenge.
This month its all about 'Masking' as an optional twist. Or you can forget the twist all together and link some watercolouring projects. Its totally up to you!
I've never actually tried to do any masking before with watercolouring so thought I would give it a go. It drove me a little crazy but finally happy with the end result:
I had the idea to do some masking with washi tape but turns out that washi tape doesn't hold back the paint that well. Luckily I did these stripes on a big piece of CS so I had options of where to die-cut.
So, I started with a piece of watercolour CS and my Gansai Tambi watercolour paints. I basically masked off stripes of different widths and painted each colour. I also decided to leave some gaps unpainted to add a bit of interest. Unfortunately the paint got underneath the tape here and there so if I do this again I need to find something else to use.
Once the paint was dry I die-cut a large circle from it. For the sentiment I die-cut the 'celebrate' from the middle of the circle and added a piece of CS behind it. I then die-cut the word again twice from black CS, glued them together and then into the circle. I added a panel of black CS to the card front and popped the circle up on foam tape.
To finish off I heat embossed the rest of the sentiment in gold on a strip of watercolour CS and adhered to the circle. I brushed the 'celebrate' with lots of Wink of Stella and then covered it with Glossy Accents. And for a bit more shine I added some co-ordinating sequins.
The 'celebrate' die is from Neat and Tangled, as well as the sentiment (from 'Say Yes to Donuts') and the sequins. The circle die is from Couture Creations.
I'm going to link this to the AAA Card Challenge # 91 where its their 3rd birthday!!!
And will also link to the Simon Says Stamp - Monday Challenge where their theme is 'Circles'.
You have a whole month to link your project to the Happy Little Stampers - Watercolour Challenge and the winner will get a $20 gift voucher to spend in the Happy Little Stampers shop.
Pop over to the blog to see what the rest of the Design Team have created to inspire you and I look forward to seeing you in the Gallery!!
Take care
Shona
