Passion for Promarkers - Use a Die...

Good morning, Blogger buddies and a wonderful Wednesday to you all! We have a new challenge this week over at Passion for Promarkers and I managed to write my post and not publish it...got distracted by other things!...so I'm here this morning to let you know all about it...

The lovely Sue is in the hostess chair and she's given us an easy peasy theme of 'Use a Die'...it is very rare for me to make a card without using a die these days, so this was an easy one...

We're being sponsored by Dies to Die For, who are offering one lucky winner a £15 voucher to spend in their online store...how cool is that?!...

For my card, I revisited an old favourite embossing folder of mine and created a card similar to one I have made in the past, for a card commission that I had been given for a simple, feminine card...

I used my oval dies to cut the aperture in the white panel first (using the embossing folder as a guide) and then embossed it with Crafts Too Daisy Flourish folder. I coloured the embossing with Pear Green, Cocktail Pink and Buttercup Promarkers and added Liquid Pearls in Champagne to all of the dots. I then mat the embossed panel onto pink cardstock, roughly cutting an aperture so that it wouldn't be seen beneath the oval aperture.

I punched a hole in the embossed panel and threaded some green organza through before attaching to the pink polka dot paper with foam tape. I wrapped the other end of the ribbon around the back of the pink dot and secured with double sided tape. I cut a sentiment and mat using smaller oval dies of the same set and adhered this in the oval aperture...of course, I had to sign my work with my 3 pearls in the top corner!

I hope you can play along with our simple challenge this week and look forward to seeing all of your wonderful creations...I feel that I should get some of these panels prepared for when I need a card in a hurry, as they are so quick and easy and can be done to match any colour papers...

It's a HOT one today! I have already had a change of clothes as I was too warm in what I had on, so think it will be a day of doing a little and leaving a lot! Hope you have a good one, whatever you're up to, enjoy the sunshine if you have it and I'll see you soon!

Crafty hugs,

Embossed Daisy card...

Good morning, crafty friends!  I was asked to make a birthday card for a gentleman to give to his wife and the brief was sea greens and turquoises, and pretty but not girly...

So out came one of my favourite dies - Tim Holtz Wildflowers Daisy. I love the way you can use just the head of this bloom, or the full stem in a bouquet and with just a touch of colouring, they look so delicate...

 
Firstly, I cut a piece of white cardstock 14cm square and embossed using XCut Lace Circle embossing folder and then matted it onto a piece of sea green pearl card, measuring 14.3cm square. I added a strip of green daisy paper 14.3 x 2.5cm, from The Works Botanical Bloom paper pad and then cut a 9cm circle from another paper in the pad. I created the sentiment in Photoshop to fit a 6.5cm circle and then mat this onto a blue circle, slightly larger...

I coloured the daisies using my Promarkers - Buttercup, Mustard and Gold for the centre, with some Walnut dots and champagne for the definition of the petals, then I inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I was struggling to get green tones with my Promarkers, so bought a set of green tone pens from Spectrum Noir and used Willow, Bamboo and Camo Green to colour the leaves from Sweet Dixie's Stylized Daisy die set before inking the edges with Vintage Photo. I used Grass, Alpine Green and Ivy for the smaller leaves (not sure of the set) and added in a couple of sprigs from Couture Creations Holly Berry Sprigs...

 

I finished off with 3cm square polka dot paper squares, cut in half diagonally, to create the corners and added some silver Liquid Pearl dots around the embossed circle...

 

I really like the way this one turned out, but I think I would like anything with these pretty daisies on! I have another commission to do and think I will be using this same layout in different colours...

 

Right, looks like I have to go and do some ironing before everyone starts complaining that they've got nothing to wear! I'll be back later with some crepe paper flowers that I've created but for now, have a wonderful Wednesday!

Hugs,

Passion for Promarkers - Blue and Yellow...

Good afternoon, crafty friends! Today sees the start of a brand new challenge over at Passion for Promarkers and the lovely Shelly has given us a colour theme of 'Blue and Yellow'...we will of course allow other colours to be added in, but as long as the predominant colour scheme is blue and yellow...
We're being sponsored by Star Jam Lines who are offering one lucky winner a choice of 2 digital images from their online store...and there's lots of lovely images to choose from!

Don't forget, to be in with a chance of winning the prize, you must use your Winsor & Newton/Letraset mediums and follow the challenge theme...

For my design team make, I decided to play with something different and create a decorated notebook using the pretty 'Floral Bouquet'...I tried to use papers that were from my scrap drawers (as they are starting to get rather full!) but the honeycomb one is a little sneak peek at something that will be available in the next couple of days! I have to say, blue and yellow isn't a combo that I would naturally go for (being a pink gal when it comes to crafting) but I love the way it turned out and it was a refreshing change to use another colour palette...it's all about getting out of that comfort zone!

I still have a few more of these notebooks to decorate and should have a lovely range of styles and colourways when I'm finished...but for now, the housework is calling and I've been putting it off as long as possible, plus I have a load of wood to order and about half a dozen card orders to fulfill - so what am I doing here then?!!

Have a totally terrific Tuesday, whatever you're up to and I hope you can find the time to play along with our fun challenge this week!

Crafty hugs,

Another flamingo...

So it seems I have another temporary obsession?! I just love this carved wood effect background, that was inspired by the talented Gina Ks Monday Stamp and Chat video...
This time, I decided to go with more muted colour tones as I had this flamingo coloured up on my desk already and went with a simple design to try and showcase the background. I also added a white feather for softness, after seeing Beris Godfrey's card and finished with a bit of bling...
I think that it turned out rather pretty and feminine, and a quick make too!
Here's a link to Gina's video on how to create these fab backgrounds... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MwvaMa7Zc0

I started by embossing the tropical leaf folder that came with Simply Cards & Papercraft Issue 205, cutting down to 16.5 x 11.5cm and then used my embossing board to score some vertical lines through the design...(this time I went with debossed lines, which then resist the colour and stay light)...

Firstly, I dragged Stormy Sky Distress Ink direct to paper over the panel, following the embossed lines rather than going across the grain, so to speak...

Next I layered up with some Victorian Velvet, again using the ink pad direct to paper and dragging in the same direction as the embossed lines to help create the woodgrain effect. I then used some Cut n Dry foam (or you could use a blending pad or makeup sponge) with the inks on to add more colour to the background. All the time, I kept the direction of application following the embossed lines to accentuate the grain and layered up more colour direct to paper, if needed...

I then blended around the edge with Weathered Wood Distress Ink before matting the panel onto pink cardstock 17 x 12cm. I attached a circular die cut so that it was hanging over the edge and then cut away the excess, then attached a 2cm border strip of pink dotty paper that had been matted onto silver card and stamped the sentiment using my Tim Holtz stamp platform (how did I manage without this?!)...

I attached a feather to the card using a small piece of double sided tape, then attached my Flamingo coloured with Pro/Flexmarkers using foam pads. I cut a couple of fishtail flags from pink and white card (white 2.5cm wide and pink 2cm wide) and added some diamante carousel type gems for a touch of sparkle...

Colour List - 

Cocktail Pink, Watermelon FM, Antique Pink, Shocking Pink, Cool Grey 4

Thanks for dropping by and I hope I've inspired you to craft...

Hugs,

Be a flamingo...

Good morning, crafty buddies! The weather is still glorious here in North Wales and I plan to sit in the garden and do a bit of drawing later...but for now, I have a fun card to share with you using the free flamingo stamp from Issue 205 of Simply Cards & Papercraft...

I had an idea for this card as soon as I saw this stamp and love the way it turned out! I used my Tim Holtz stamp platform and stamped the flamingo multiple times on a piece of white paper 12.5cm square, starting with the bird that I wanted to be the focal image. I then used the small flower stamp that came free in the Bright Rosa fern set with Issue 202 and stamped some of the white spaces in between with Cantaloupe ink...

I coloured the majority of the birds with Cool Grey 2 & 4 and then coloured the main bird with Cocktail Pink, Watermelon and Antique Pink. I ink blended around the edge of the panel with Tuxedo Black Memento and then attached the panel tot a black mat 12.8cm square to give a narrow border.
I then matted this onto a piece of pink 13.5cm square before adhering to a 6x6 card blank...
I created the white on black sentiment in PS using Crazy Girlz Blond font and added a touch of glitter to the pink flamingo...

I am really happy with how this one turned out and think that this is such a fun and modern card - great for those tween birthdays! No doubt I'll be having another play with these stamps and I have to say, I have been pleasantly surprised by the ideas that they have sparked, as I wasn't sure if it would be a set that I would particularly choose...

Right, off to find a corner of shade and sit with my pencil and paper for an hour or two...Have a marvellous Monday, whatever you're up to and don't forget that there's still time to play along with our Summer themed challenge over at Passion for Promarkers...

Crafty hugs,