SCP213 Tulips...

 After a conversation with the lovely Anna from workshop about using the tulip dies (that came free with this month's Simply Cards and Papercraft magazine) to make a stencil, I decided to have a go and have to say, am really pleased with the result!...

 A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to win a Sizzix bundle from Hochanda and in it was a pack of stencil film...I cut out the different tulip dies and cut the leaves 3 times, so that I could mask off the different parts using Scotch tape and stencil each part individually...

I inked up the flowers using Tattered Rose, Abandoned Coral and Festive Berries for the pink version and Squeezed Lemonade, Wild Honey and Ripe Persimmon for the yellow/orange one and then cut them out leaving a small border.

I cut a piece of white cardstock 14.3 x 10cm and using Christina Griffiths' Fancy Flourish stencil, added a colour fade to the right hand corner in a coordinating ink. I then used a script stamp to add a bit of extra detail before matting onto a darker colour, 14.8 x 10.5cm. I used the HAPPY part of the Happy Mother's Day stamp that came with the magazine and the Birthday die cut, which I think is a Memory Box one called Decor Happy Birthday.

I attached the tulips with glue on the stems and foam pads under the flower heads and finished with a crystal dot for the 'i' and 3 pearls before matting onto a polka dot panel 16.5 x 12cm. I cut my 5" x 7" card blank down by half a centimetre widthways, so that my borders were equal...

I do like how they both turned out, but of course my favourite has to be the pink and aqua colour combo, as it's probably my favourite combination to use.

I think I'll definitely be making some more stencils and spending an hour or two inking up some tulip flowers to create some more of these simple cards...

Thanks for dropping by!

Gatefold aperture card...

Good afternoon, crafty buddies! I was supposed to be tidying my craft table in preparation for our video workshop tomorrow, only I got a bit distracted by this month’s copy of Simply Cards and Papercraft!…

I noticed that one of the challenges this month in the Craftworld Forums is to create a gatefold card…well I have to admit, I haven’t made one for literally ages! Just to complicate things a little more (because I can never do anything simple!), I decided to create a gatefold aperture card and used the porthole stamp to create a frame around it….

I stamped the lighthouse and shells with Versafine and coloured with Distress inks for a change and inked some light clouds with a blending brush. I couldn’t get the porthole to stamp clearly, so added some eyelet die cuts in silver. I placed the ship’s wheel sentiment inside the card so that it aligned with the aperture and added the ‘Seas the Day’ sentiment on the front. The strip of blue anchor paper is from my Words at Play CD and I finished with my obligatory 3 grey pearls

Thanks for popping by and I hope you like my nautical creation! I'd best get back to tidying my table, as I seem to have managed to make more mess rather than clear up!

Have a wonderful Wednesday and I'll be back soon with some more craftiness!

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,

Totally tropical...

Good morning, crafty friends! I have recently subscribed to Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine and my first copy dropped through the letterbox the other day...having card orders and kits to get ready, I haven't had time to play until last night, when I managed to get an hour or two in and came up with this tropical themed card...

 

I love the bolder colour palette - taking me out of my pastel comfort zone, once again!...

 

 

How I made it :

 

I inked the embossing folder with Peeled Paint Distress Oxide, using a piece of Cut n Dry foam to apply it to the printed side of the embossing folder. Once embossed, I applied Cracked Pistachio and Salty Ocean Distress Oxides to the raised areas and then blended around the edge with Tuxedo Black Memento. I have to say, I am getting much braver with my use of black and think it works great with brighter colour tones and really makes the colours pop!...

I coloured the flowers with Pro/Flexmarkers - Watermelon, Cerise, Shocking Pink, Vermillion and Lemon and for the leaves, I used Apple, Grass and Forest Green

I used a strip of green polka dot paper from the Telephone set of A Play on Words and one of the sentiments from the free stamp set. I have added a touch of gold glitter to the ends of the stamens, but it doesn't show up very well on camera...and a few enamel dots and gems broke the white space a little.

I hope you like my tropical themed card and think I'll be playing with the flamingo next...

 

Crafty hugs,