Wednesday 30 December 2009

Sugar Bowl Challenge 25

Time to get back to something other than Christmas cards.

The challenge was the sketch plus favourite colour and there's no prizes for guessing mine's is blue.


Back Soon!

STAMP: Sugar Nellie - Daisy
CUTTLEBUG FOLDER: Houndstooth
NESTABILITIES: Plain Circle, Petite Scalloped Circle


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Wednesday 9 December 2009

Less is More

Village Christmas
I made this card for a Faux Window technique challenge where it had to appear as though you were looking out through a window. This Thomas Kinkade stamp was ideal for the challenge. I decided to keep it simple and go black and white because the stamp had enough detail in itself. Some yellow pencil was added to give the appearance of lights shining through the windows. After stamping I cut my image into four and matted on black. The embossed edge is a cuttlebug border folder. Quick and simple for mass production, but effective.



STAMP: Thomas Kinkade - Village Christmas
CUTTLEBUG: Borders Folder



Shades of Grey - Country Scene

Another challenge was for a monochrome card and I decided to stick with the idea of a scene, this time a country scene. For a change I went with grey as my colour. I stamped with distress ink on watercolour paper and then pulled the colour out or added more with my water brush. This technique is actually quicker than you might think.



You will note that both these cards need little or no embellishment because sometimes less is more.

I make a lot of my cards non-specific and then when I need a card I can finish it to suit the occasion or person. Cards like this are often left without any greeting on the front because some recipients have been known to frame them as a small picture.

STAMP: Creative Expressions -Country
DISTRESS INK: Weathered Wood

Thanks for looking.

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Tuesday 8 December 2009

Thinking of You


Very quick post.




STAMP: Sugar Nellie - Daisy
PAPER: My Mind's Eye
NESTABILITIES: Labels One, Fancy Tags
PUNCH: MS Doily Lace

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Wednesday 2 December 2009

Sugar Bowl 24


The Sugar Bowl offers two weeks for their challenges and I'm still last minute. Just didn't realise the two weeks were up already.







STAMP: Sugar Nellie

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Tuesday 1 December 2009

Cowgirl Sweetheart

I've decided to try to do the copic colour challenge as often as possible because I think this is the only way I am going to improve with the copics. This colour choice had an earthy feel about it and I hadn't a clue which stamp I would use. In the end I settled for a Sugar Nellie although I think they are very detailed while in the learning process.

Although the colours are not so vibrant as some I did manage a fairly bright card.




Thanks for taking the time to look.


STAMP:Sugar Nellie

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Tuesday 24 November 2009

Copic Colour Challenge 40

Another go at the CCC. I only have one of the three colours for this week's challenge ( YR04)but I had two that were nearly there. (YG03 , RV21)

I've had this Sugar Nellie stamp for a while now but am only getting around to inking it now. I am quite pleased with the colouring but if you look closely you'll find the embossing with the nestie was not such a great success. The card kept slipping out of the die. Hadn't time to colour it over again so I decided to post anyway.




STAMPS: Sugar Nellie -Country Style
NESTABILITIES: Labels 1, Labels 4


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Sunday 22 November 2009

O' Christmas Tree


Just managed to have a go at the Mojo Monday 113 challenge.
I combined it with the StampTV colour challenge of green and ivory.



The Christmas tree stamp is one of Claire Brennan's new releases and this was the first inking.
I used Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy ink and the result was good.

Another Christmas Card made.
Thanks for looking.

STAMPS: Waltzing Mouse
PAPER: Daisy and Dandelion CARD: GKD Pure Luxury Ivory
INK: Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy


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Tuesday 10 November 2009

Two Challenges in One


I haven't tried the copic challenge before because I am still a bit wary of using them.
Anyhow as I had the copics in question this week I thought I'd give it a go.
I decided to tie it to the Sugar Bowl challenge of using a Sugar Nellie stamp and a theme of thanks.
Here's the result. the photo is not taken at the best angle but I'm running out of time at the minute.


A minor adjustment and better photo angle.



Thanks for stopping by.


STAMPS: Sugar Nellie, GKD


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Sunday 8 November 2009

Mojo 111

A very quick post to get back in the way of things again.
This week I ordered some new stamps to co-ordinate with the nestabilities Labels 1. The stamps arrived in exceptionally good time but as yet I'm still waiting on my nesties. Decided to have a play anyway and try the Mojo Monday challenge.
mojo 111 sketch

Thanks for looking and any comments you may care to leave.

STAMPS: Waltzingmouse- Vintage Labels1; CHF-Scripty Words
PAPER: K& Co. Bailey FLOWER: Prima


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Sunday 25 October 2009

Mojo Monday

With the best intentions in the world I rarely seem to get a chance to do the Mojo Monday challenge. In fact I haven't been able to do any challenges lately.

For the first time I have made a card to fit two challenges at once - Mojo109 and - STVCC35.


Mojo 109 sketch


I set out to do the Mojo 109 in portrait form but at the last minute decided landscape suited me better.

To comply with the colour challenge I had to use blue, green and yellow/gold.

Thanks for looking and for any comments you might care to make.

STAMPS: Gina K Designs- Thanks a Million
PAPER: K and Co.
NESTABILITIES: Labels 4
RIBBON / BRAD: Making Memories

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Sunday 11 October 2009

Before Coca Cola

It has been way too long since my last post but this is due to having no internet connection for days on end and then coming down with a real bad head cold. So unsure just where to begin I'll post my most recent project.
Yesterday I was at a demo day at my local craft shop and the main interest was a demo on colouring Magnolia stamps. It was very relaxed and the demonstrator Nina couldn't have been more helpful. Made you want to try everything. Anyhow I bought the stamp I used in this project and just to add a twist I decided to use it for Monday's colour challenge (olive, yellow, kraft or tan and dark brown optional) at Stamptv.
I am also linking it to the Belles and Whistles GDT call.

They say that before Coca Cola came along Santa wore a green suit.


This image is watercoloured using Ranger Distress inks and although I'm happy enough with how my first attempt with this medium turned out it didn't go as easy as the demo. I think this was down to not having the right card. The only watercolour paper I have is textured and you really need smooth. I decided to use good quality smooth paper but because it wasn't proper watercolour paper the inks dried before you could blend them properly. Just need a trip to the art supplies shop.


inside

By the way, a message to the 3 ladies who were with me, - I know you'll be reading this and I will be waiting to see what you've done with your stamps.



STAMP: Magnolia - Santa with Gift CHF - Pine Needles and Cones Backgrounder
RIBBON: GinaK BUTTONS: Lasting Impressions
CARDSTOCK: GinaK



Baby Girl / Christening

Just to try to make a hole in the backlog of posts here is a card I made for a sketch challenge last week.
stvsc32


The background is made by inking the Houndstooth Cuttlebug embossing folder.
The sentiment is stamped and embossed in silver and cut using the long rectangle nestabilities. There is too much of a difference between the size of the nesties I stamped on and the one I used for a mat - it had to be tweaked slightly.

STAMP: Stampendous- Shine on You
CUTTLEBUG: Houndstooth
NESTABILITIES: Long Rectangles


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Monday 28 September 2009

One Man Went to Mow

This week's scrapbook challenge was to use the lyrics of a song for journaling. Couldn't think of anything I could use for this until these photos of JT were posted. This is more of a rhyme than a song but I think it still works. Jacob loves this wee mower so it's a good record for my cube of photos - another side done.

STVSCR 31


STAMPS: GKD - Autumn Beauty
PAPER: KandCo


Cosy Snowman

This card was made for a colour challenge to use red, brown and sand. The stamp is from Just Rite but I only used the centre without the frame. I coloured with Tim Holtz distress inks and added bling to the centre of the snowflakes.


STVCC31

STAMPS: Just Rite
PAPER: HOTP
INKS: Ranger - TH Distress Inks

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Sunday 27 September 2009

Sarah Kay Memories

Waltzingmouse Makes has a competition to make a card with a favourite stamp and use lots of green.
My choice is this stamp from Sarah Kay range and although I'm nominating it my favourite this is the first time it has been inked. I bought it because of the memories it holds. Our oldest child's first bedroom was wallpapered in this Sarah Kay design and when I saw the stamp that's what I thought of. C won't have any memory of it because we moved house only a few months later and she was too young to remember the room. I loved how that first bedroom for a child had been decorated and I enjoyed the process.
As for the green in my card - I was happily trying out my copics, just about to reach for the blue whenever I remembered something about green. Had to do a quick change and this is the result.


STAMPS: Sarah Kay - Best Friends Forever
NESTABILITIES: Labels 4
COPICS
PUNCHES: MS - Doily Lace


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