Merry Monday 211 Use Blue, Gold, White/Silver.

This is Merry Monday's last challenge for a while, sniff. I just love making Christmas cards. I know there are other Christmas Card challenges out there...............
Have a look at MM's inspiration image, the colours are so gorgeous, regal even. The designer gallery is fab.

When I saw the image I immediately thought of an old Memory Box Poinsettia Bloom stamp I have. I have stamped and silver embossed it three times on vellum, then cut out different parts of each image for layering. The layers are coloured with Distress Ink. 

The large Fishtail banner is actually a matte gold paper.

The result is very me.

Memory Box Poinsettia Bloom

MFT leaves, Fishtail Banners

Happy stamping.

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge 364

Today's card is for the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge . I love the idea of colourful cupcakes to inspire, albeit a little hard on the salivary glands!! I gave up almost all sugar in my diet a year and a half ago. I lost, and have kept off, 14kgs (30lb), which was great, but sixty years of being addicted sugar doesn't change easily. I still salivate when I see yummy sweet things. But I digress!!
Here is the inspiration photo...............

I loved the yellow flower decorations so stayed with that theme.

I have used an old and much loved Hero Arts frame stamp.

Verve Be Blessed Flowers

MFT leaves and Inner Scallop frame

Hero Arts Simple Frame stamp

Versafine black ink, 

Take care!

Color Throwdown 398

The second card for today is for  Color Throwdown 398. Look at the divine colours in the inspiration photo.

I normally make flower cards (because I adore flower stamps), but I thought this inspiration called for something different. So I decided feathers.....why not? Well, I must have die cut and painted about seven sets of feathers in the early hours of the morning. In the end, it was a blurry mess of colour.

After a few hours sleep, I was able to choose two of the feathers and make this card.

Clearly Besotted Fancy Feathers die, 

Stamp and dies set PTI Larger than Life 

MFT Stitched Rounded Rectangle Stax

I was commenting on someone's blog this morning ( I am very sorry I can't remember who), she had written a thank you at the end of her blog with the three or four challenges she was entering.

She said 'thank you to those who owned and ran challenge blogs because she was so grateful to have a place to share her creations.' I thought, how lovely!! I too am very grateful to all those who give their time so generously, more than you will know. 

I craft in complete isolation and I work at home. My darling friends are not at all interested in paper crafts and that is fine, we share other interests. My huge city of Auckland, with over a million people, boasts one small, dedicated, brick and mortar papercrafts shop. There are several home-based businesses, but they are on the other side of the city and deal mostly in scrapbooking. So many of these stores have closed down over the last few years, so there is nowhere to go and do classes, or join groups. 

Back to the challenges and blogging in general,  I am so grateful you are out there fellow crafters. 

Sending hugs and thanks as I push the 'publish' button to share once again.

Viva la Verve June Sketch 2 and SSS Monday Challenge Use patterned papers

This is the second sketch card I have made for Viva la Verve this month.  See June Sketch 2 below.

I am not yet very adventurous with sketch formats so my card follows, rather than interprets, the sketch. Something to work on. I used watercolours for the flowers and leaves. I love the mottly texture it creates.

Verve 'Joyful Blooms' 'Be Blessed' sentiment and 'Sprightly Sprigs' Die Set

MFT Scallop frame and Fishtail banner

I am also joining SSS Monday Challenge - Use patterned papers

Take care everyone.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Use patterned papers

Last night I made a tag for Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge which is to use patterned papers in your project.

For this project, I was very influenced by the style of the designer projects. Mixed Media was my start in papercrafts, way back before cards, about 10 years ago. Altered books, ATC's, tags, postcards and collages etc., with grunge, distressing and THAT first Distress Ink pad, was it Walnut stain?
What fun I had last night, reliving those early years, when every edge was inked!
For my tag, Tim Holtz's man lost his umbrella in a gust of wind. LOL I just had this overwhelming desire to cut his umbrella free from his hand.

See what you think..............

Stamps - Tim Holtz Visual Artistry 'Life's Possibilities' and 'The Journey'
 Paper - is an old Basic grey paper called Vagabond. I T is still one of my favorite papers.(shown)

I hope you are having a great weekend.

Simon Says Stamp - Add Some Shimmer

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge this week is to Add Some Shimmer.

It's dreary, cold and raining here, so I thought a little 'pink' was just what is needed. I have added shimmer, albeit very slight. There is 'A Wink of Stella' and 'Glossy Accents' on the flower and a few shimmery sequins.

Stamp set is SSS Flower Friends.

Thanks for stopping in and brightening my day.

Merry Monday #210 Peace, Joy and/or Love

It is Bonnie's challenge at Merry Monday this week. I do love the rustic image she chose, and the wonderful words that represent the spirit of Christmas.

I feel like an alien stamper inhabited my body for this card. It's not at all me, I just went where the stamps lead me............it's very white! Eeeek!

W Plus 9 'Merry and Bright' branches, cones and berries.

MFT 'Grand Holiday Greetings'

Hero Arts (no name)  peace, joy and love 

Have a wonderful Friday.

colourQ challenge #347

ColourQ challenge 347 has the most amazing inspiration image, I love the bold outlines. Take a look!

I enjoyed working with the challenge colours, especially the dark chocolate and grey leaves. 

For the embossing, I prepared the die cuts with the EK Success antistatic powder tool before I stamped the layers. I then double stamped the image with black Versafine Ink, followed by a Versamark layer with Hero Arts clear embossing powder over the top. It gives such a lovely finish. Yay once again for the Misti!!

The orange flower is coloured with a Copic.

Flower is Verve Joyful Blooms

Layered leaves, 'thank' and rounded, stitched rectangle (Stax) from MFT.

Happy creating everyone. I am sure it adds years to your life.

MFT Color Challenge 47 and Mojo Monday 453

It's 2.30am and I am racing to join MFT Color Challenge 47 which finishes in 2 hours. I have used the sketch from Mojo Monday 453 so I am able to join that challenge too.
Here are the colors and the sketch.

MFT Stitched Squares
Verve Joyful Flowers
Lawn Fawn Stitched Leaves
Avery Elle Sentiment Hand Written Notes

Must go to bed.
Have a great day.

Color Throwdown #397

Hello everyone. This is a very fast post to join the Color Throwdown 397 challenge.

I love the citrusy fresh colours. I didn't have a pineapple stamp or die, but the challenge colours reminded me of a delicious cocktail in some warm, far away place. (Fiji in November I hope)

The Glass Die is an old Memory Box .

Spellbinders Scallop circle.

MFT Banners.

Hero Arts sentiment.

Rosie's chipboard.

Thank you for dropping by. :-)

Mojo Monday 452

I am joining in with Mojo Monday's 452 sketch challenge. Lots of lovely layers!

I stamped and embossed flower and leaves on a heavyweight Vellum, then added a touch of watercolour. The pieces did curl a little but reheating and cooling them with the tip of a spike in the middle of the piece reshaped them.

Stamps used Verve 'Buttons Best' flower and 'Be Blessed' sentiment, Clearly Besotted -'You Are' leaf

Dies Lil' Inker stitched rectangles, Spellbinder's Scallop,  Memory Box 'Leafy Branch'

Have a happy and creative week. 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Father's Day/For a Guy

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is to make a card for a Father / Guy. I have a natural affinity for murky, greyed off colours. I love old, weathered, distressed textures and hues so I enjoyed this chance to use them.

This is how the card turned out...........

The DP's used are from a very old, and much loved, Basic Grey collection. (lettering, tags and two stars). Other DP's used with them??

The sentiment is Verve 'Be Blessed'

SSS white woodgrain Cardstock

Have a great day.

Merry Monday 209 - Create a Christmas card using the inspiration photo

I am very honoured to be the Guest designer for Merry Monday's Challenge this week. Here is the inspiration image.

I was very inspired by the flowers, the red/white stripes and the red writing around the cup.

The flowers are hand punches coloured with a wee bit of ink.

The foliage is MFT 'Leaf Greenery' and Cottage Cutz Die 'Greenery'.

"Merry' is PTI

I am not sure which company produces the pointy border die.

I really enjoyed this challenge, now it's your turn to create with the Merry Monday Christmas Card Challenge.

Color Throwdown #396

In this post, I am joining in with Color Throwdown's  396 Challenge. Totally glorious colours in the inspiration image. Take a look.

Lots of stamping on this card. Not something I do often. I love the idea of repeat stamping of an image but the background really competed with the focal flower. A layer of vellum did the trick I think??

The stamp set is PTI's Beautiful Blooms II.

Birthday Wishes is from Verve Beautiful Things stamp set.

Onwards!!

Happy creating.

ColourQ challenge #345

Hello visitors :-) Today I have two cards for challenges. In this post, I am joining in on ColourQ's challenge #345. I love the weathered colours and textures in the heart image.

For the background of the card, I created a strip pieced panel using DDP's. Colours are richer IRL.

'Friend' and leaf flourish ( I have added a few branches) are MFT.

The frame is from the 'leftovers' box from some years ago. I suspect it's a combination of two Spellbinder's dies, or maybe I have this sweet little die somewhere in the collection.

Have a great day!!

Viva la Verve - June Week 1 Sketch

The path to this card was slightly different to my normal venture into challenge cards. Some years ago I had purchased three Verve stamp sets and I think I used just one of them before losing my craft room for two years. Last weekend, I visited Verve's website, Julee's Blog, Poetic Artistry and the designer's blogs to see what was being created with their stamps. What a fabulous feast of cards! What I loved most.......... the layers!! AND some distressing, SIGH!!!!

So here I am joining in Viva La Verve Challenge for the first time. I don't do many sketch based challenges, but I must say when you are layering, having a plan is very helpful.

Here is the sketch.

I have used Verve Stamp 'Hope Blooms'  for the flower.

The circle is Lil' Inker, 'Stitched Circles'.

Black leaves are MFT 'Leaf Greenery' 

'Love' MFT

'...you so much' SSS Flower Friends

DP Recollections Prince Charming and an old Basic Grey 

 Thanks for dropping in :-)