The Card Concept Challenge 58 -Sweet & Sour

This week at The Card Concept the theme is 'Sweet and Sour'. I love the felt versions of the citrus shape and the lovely clear colours.

For my DT card, I started with a stencilled  background. The white embossed Autumn leaves have been coloured with Distress Ink. The tag is dry embossed. 

The 'You' is created on the Silhouette using the Brush Stroke Font. Once it is cut I coloured it with Distress Ink and Clear Embossed it three times. This makes it rounded, raised and shiny. The black part of the sentiment is white embossed on black card.

Hero Arts - More Real Leaves stamp set. 

Avery Elle Hand Written Notes Sentiment.

'You' Silhouette created.

 Lil'Inker Dotted Tags

Spellbinders Embossing Folder (tag)

Distress Inks.

Hero Arts White and Clear embossing powder.

Here are the links to the design team's blogs:-

Clean & Simple

Sandie Munro

Rahmat

Clean & Graphic

Alison Barclay 

Jennifer Timko

Clean & Layered

Kerin Sylvester

Laurie Schmidt

Shabby Chic

Julie Gearinger
Maureen Plut

Freestyle Collage

                       Karen Davis   You are here

Michele K. Henderson

Classy & Elegant

Ilina Crouse
Mackie Robertson

Mixed Media

Julee Tilman

Lilian Forsyth

Come and play along with us at The Card Concept   

I have not done a lot of creating lately. Much of my time has been taken up with my 81 year old mum who was diagnosed with breast cancer two months ago. On Thursday last week, she had a left breast mastectomy, with one lymph node removed (waiting on results). I am happy to say she is recovering very well and will be even better when the drain comes out. My thanks go out to our wonderful friends who prayed for her.

Have a great week.

Inspired By All The Little Things Challenge - Guest Designer

Another very special post! My fellow New Zealand blogger, Karren Johnson of Stamping Stuff, has been invited to be a designer for Inspired By All The Little Things  challenge blog. Congratulations Karren, they are very lucky to have such a fabulously creative card maker. In her new role, Karren will periodically be inviting a cardmaker to guest design on the blog. She has invited me to be her first guest. What an honour!! :) 

Have a look at the gorgeous inspiration image...............................

It doesn't often happen this way, but when I saw the image, this card came to mind almost exactly as you see it now. I love how it turned out. 

The black stripes in the background are hand painted using a brush and a ruler!! Seriously. Watch this Laura Bassen video for the technique, she makes a gorgeous card.

I ended up using DecoArt Media in Carbon Black because it gave me the smoothest line. I poured a little out on a tray and used a wet brush against a ruler to make the stripes. I wiped the ruler each time I painted. I love the irregularities in the edges and the density. The 'Thanks' has three layers, a black and two whites. The rose is a MFT rolled flower.

MFT Rolled flower
Couture Creations Decorative Royal Oval
Create a Smile 'thanks' and sentiment
Simply Graphic 'Openwork Foliage'
DecoArt Media Carbon Black

Thank you for dropping in.

Designer Card for The Card Concept Challenge 57 - The Rainbow Connection

Gosh I have some lovely news to share. Lesley has invited me to join The Card Concept Design Team :) I feel so honoured, and delighted, to team up with the other amazing designers. You will see links to their blogs at the bottom of this post. I will be designing in the 'Freestyle Collage' style.

Let's see the inspiration for the theme, The Rainbow Connection. The colours are divine...................

Well, I can truly say I suffered from 'First Designer Carditis'!! I made a few cards before I settled on this one!!  You can see the extra cards at the end of the post. 

Freestyle Collage is described on TCC blog as:-  

-unrelated elements in a collection

-can be done in any style

see The Card Concept Challenge blog, under 'The Styles Defined'

Both parts of the definition give you so much freedom in this style. 

The unrelated items........ wood grain and a branch, hearts, a button, sequins, a black sentiment and a rainbow colour grade. When you list the items you realise they are unrelated, but as card makers, we frequently bring disparate objects/techniques together to make a harmonious whole. (hopefully, ha ha)

As Freestyle Collage can be done in any style, I would call this one Cleanish and Layered.

The coloured background is hand painted using Peerless pigments and a water brush. The blue and purple are more dilute than the other colours because I wanted a similar value for each colour in the grade. The sentiment is white embossed and the branch is stamped with Hero Arts Dye Ink.

Scribbles and Splat Thinlits Die Set

Clearly Besotted Leafy Accents

Avery Elle Hand Written Notes

Lawn Fawn Stitched Journaling card. (Woodgrain Hearts, negative cut)

Peerless Pigment Colours

Water brush

Hero Arts White embossing powder and Dye Ink

Watercolour paper. 

Design Team Links                                                                                            

1. Maureen
2. Sandie 
3. Rahmat
4. Alison
5. Jennifer 
6. Kerin 
7. Laurie 
8. Julee 
9. Karen   You are here
10. Michele 
11. Julie
12. Ilina 
13. Mackie
14. Lilian

Come and play along with us at The Card Concept   

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge 374

It's been a while since I played along with the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge. As I was typing challenge number 374, I thought WOW! That is a long-standing challenge site, such dedication.
Here is their inspiration for this week.

I ended up making two cards. The first one seemed a bit 'earthy' so I made another card. I like both cards so have posted two.

For the second card, I have used the Sensational Stiched Flowers die from the September Card Kit from MFT's. It's the first card kit I have purchased and I must say it's packed with lovely items, in particular, the dies and the sentiment stamps.

I have also used the Die-namics Horizontal Stitched Strips on the card. I love these. I will buy the Vertical strips next.

The Leaves are from the Clearly Besotted 'Leafy Accents' die and stamp set, another favorite. They are stamped with a Hero Arts Dye Ink. The sentiment is white embossed. The background is a light wash of Distress ink which I carefully applied after I adhered the Raised Leaves to the card.

MFT Die-namics Horizontal Stitched Strips, Sensational Stitched Flowers Die.

Avery Elle Handwritten Notes

Clearly Besotted Leafy accents Stamps and Dies

Distress Ink

Hero Arts Embossing Powder, Dye Ink

My first card uses the Sensational Stitched Flowers Die and a stamp from  Avery Elle Handwritten Notes. The frame is from the Die-namics Stitched Rectangle Scallop Frames set.

I made the jug using the Silhouette. I cut it out in white card and coloured it with Distress Ink.

I hope you are having a great week.

MFT Color Challenge 52

I couldn't resist these gorgeous colours for the MFT Color Challenge this week.

I had recently received the MFT Scribble Flowers stamp set in the mail so it was inevitable the stamp set and the challenge would end up together. I also have an old Magenta wood stamp that looks like baby scribble flowers so they made the perfect background. I surrounded them all with a wee wash of blue Distress Ink. 

MFT Scribble flowers stamp set
MFT Hello die
Magenta Rose Design wood stamp
Distress inks
White Hero Arts Embossing powder

Have a great week.

Color Throwdown #408

Today's card is for the Color Throwdown Challenge Bog. We are asked to use primary colours.
Have a look at the inspiration.

 

I am not usually drawn to bright primary colours, but I think that may be changing......especially after working on a wee project this week, that is yet to be revealed. :)

I stayed with the school theme and the ink splats in the swatches. I can remember learning to write with a dip pen!! Starting a gorgeous, clean , white page, getting so far then getting the dreaded ink splat! This happened when you dipped the nib and didn't do a wee wipe on the side of the inkwell before hovering over the paper. Seems such a long time ago. Anyway, ink splats are no longer dreaded!! They are a thing of beauty, especially on our cards.

Here is my ink splat card with die cut splats which are cut from Distress inked cardstock.

Sissix Thinlits Scribbles and Splat

Avery Elle Hand Written Notes

My Favorite Things STITCHED RECTANGLE SCALLOP FRAMES 

Kaisercraft Journal Cards Essential pack

Distress inks

Numbers Die???????

Have a great weekend.