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Showing posts from 2018

Final Christmas Cards

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Just a quick post to share the last 6 cards I made for the A-Z Daily Christmas Challenge with fellow crafters over on docrafts.  Have a very Merry Christmas everyone! Z is for Zentangle dangles  - everything I’ve hand drawn except for ‘December 25’ which are stamps, coloured with promarkers (gold/purple/lime green) on a 13.5 cm sq white card base.  I've even included the little town of Bethlehem with a star above. V is for Vintage  - A6 cream card base with purple matts, overstamped in silver EP on patterned paper that is as near vintage as I could get with a poinsettia stamp from See-D’s Traditional Christmas set coloured with purple promarker, mag freebie ‘Let it Snow’ snowflake frame stamp. W is for Winter Wishes -  Quick A6 card using Xcut Winter Wishes cut & emboss folder with cream metallic linen cardstock backed with Pippinwood animals & snowman image. X is for Xmas -  A6 white card base, mag freebie entwined holly EF, Penny Black mouse stamp ha

Festive Makes for Christmas

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Just sharing four more festive makes in the recent A-Z Daily Christmas Challenge series with fellow crafters over on docrafts. Q for Quilling ... I actually made this back in August when the weather was hot it's now hanging on our decorated Christmas tree ... 3" diameter with adhesive pearls on each side in the centre. P for Penguin ... various die cuts on a pre-printed snowy scene ... promarkers were used to colour the penguin and I placed him to look like he was hopping out of the snow globe. R for Rooftops ... I used a ‘Santa across the Rooftops’ cut & emboss folder and backed the moon & stars with glitter paper and window lights in a warm gold colour. S for Stockings ... found a 'Twas the night before Christmas verse stamp which of course mentions stockings and a mouse! T for 'Tis the Season  ... a straight forward card with silver-foiled robin paper matted onto red with ‘tis the Season’ die cut sentiment. I've used

Autumnal Treasures - Hedgehog/Goldfinch Birthday

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A card for the  Just Add Ink #437 challenge...Just Add "I"   Ink, ink everywhere!  I really enjoyed creating this garden scene with the Autumnal Treasures stamps from Creative Stamping Mag issue 60.  I also like the clean look of the stamping against the white background, I think if I had coloured the background it wouldn't have the same impact.  I've inked and heat embossed the fauna and flora stamps then set about adding colour with Promarker alcohol ink pens.  The solid stamps were inked with Versa Color pigment ink and clear embossed to give even more overall shine. Decided to stamp and mount the sentiment on nesting oval dies so the Goldfinch could stand proud and keep an eye on the cute hedgehog below rustling amongst the fallen leaves.  Added the top part of a die cut fence along the bottom as a finishing touch.  Here's a closeup of the main characters.  The little bird can be coloured to suit any species you want to portray so he'll be well used

More Christmas Cards

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Sharing another series of Christmas cards created for the A-Z Daily Christmas Challenge over on docrafts which has now finished ... phew it certainly felt like I was running several marathons over the 26 days but glad to say I kept going and completed on time! K for Kraft/Keep it Simple  ... a little kraft card base with a 2x2 distress inked square (ripe persimmon/scattered straw), added an orange & yellow die cut poinsettia with Christmas Wishes sentiment and snowflakes stamped in white, a couple of gems to finish. M for Mittens  ... scalloped edge tent fold white card base using festive papers and die cut mittens hanging from the sentiment die. N for Nordic  ... all dies & sentiment stamp from Issue 6 Tonic Studios Nordic theme Christmas kit on blue pearlised card, white adhesive glitter sheet for the snowflakes to add some sparkle. O for Ornament  ... snowflake stag ornament die cut mounted on another of my distress inked sky background, edges cut with stitch

Christmas Cards x 3

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Just thought I would share three more Christmas cards made recently for the A-Z Daily Christmas Challenge over on the docrafts gallery ... G for Galaxy ... I for Ice Skating/Icicles ... J for Jar . G for Galaxy  ...had fun with some distress inks (tumbled glass, worn lipstick, dusty concord & stormy sky on Clarity stamping card) and created a galaxy sky with stencilled stars & moon …  landscape dies cut from adhesive glitter sheet and added a large die cut 'O Holy Night' sentiment. I for Ice Skating/Icicles  ... followed a sketch for the layout and used patterned papers, added die cut bird on ice skates which I coloured with promarkers; grass die cut from adhesive glitter sheet and turned upside down for hanging icicles. J for Jar  ... had this graduated coloured card blank in my stash for ages so used a snowflake frame EF on top with jar stamp & die set and some foliage die cut from silver card & pink vellum; NOEL die cut placed inside the

Christmas Wreath Builder Cards

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I'm sharing three cards today made a whole lot easier with a great set of wreath templates I bought recently from fellow crafter Debs who has inspired me with some of her makes you can see them over on her blog  here .  These cards are also part of the A-Z Daily Challenge I'm taking part in over on the Docrafts gallery. This first card is F for Frosted Foliage ... I've stamped the outer wreath foliage using Memento inks in green, blue & brown then added a die cut poinsettia in the centre and gave it a frosted look with frosted lace stickles and a few pearls. Second card is H for Horn ... stamped in green, blue & purple inks and more of an open flowing design with a music horn in the middle.  Sentiment placed on the bottom corner hides a finger smudge! Third card is E for Eight ... eight snowmen coloured with promarkers, lots of snowflakes stamped in blue to break up the white space with a sentiment in the middle.  I kept with the eight theme and made

Christmas Cards

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Sharing three more Christmas cards in the A-Z Daily Challenge I'm taking part in over on docrafts ... B for Box, C for Circles and D for Deer. A jolly waving Santa popping out of a kraft box to wish everyone a Merry Christmas Overlapping snowflake circles started out just white & turquoise, then I felt it needed a pop of colour so went with plum & cerise coloured houses Oval aperture backed with red snowflake paper sets the snowy scene for deer amongst the trees I've used -  A6 & 6x6 scalloped white card bases Various mag freebies - papers, EF, stamps & dies Some gifted die cuts Sue Wilson Festive Winter Tree dies Mixture  of unbranded dies & from the Range Thank you for visiting - I'd love you to leave a comment if you have time -  Steph x

Christmas is Coming

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This is the time of year when I concentrate on making my Christmas cards and to help me get started a fellow crafter on docrafts gallery hosts a daily A-Z Christmas Challenge for members ... I've only ever made it to the end of the alphabet once!  This card is A for Antlers and I've created an embossed winter scene in white with gold & green touches.  Layout inspired by  Freshly Made Sketches #360 . I've gone for a circle instead of an oval, gave the stags head some gold die cut antlers after embossing him with gold EP, coloured the baubles green then added frosted stickles on top.  Scattered a few die cut snowflakes around.  Can't see me making a totally white on white card, this is the nearest I'll ever get as I like to see a little touch of colour somewhere. I won't be adding these A-Z cards here daily but I'll group a few together every so often ... that's the plan anyway! I've used -  A6 white base card Mag freebies - EF, stamp

Autumnal Birthday Wishes

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I was inspired by the colours in  Sunday Stamps  latest challenge based around autumn/fall and managed to combine making this card with the embossing challenge with members/friends over on docrafts where the theme was autumnal. I've used mostly dry embossing with a little wet embossing.  In my box was a piece of brusho water-coloured card from an earlier play session already embossed with a scallop embossing folder from which I die cut two stitched panels, couple of oak leaves and a mushroom.  Three stamped & embossed smaller mushrooms came next, cut leaving a small white border, coloured with promarkers and the two "stones" were embossed with branches.  What took the most time was arranging everything until I was happy it looked balanced even using the die cut waste for extra foliage and height.  Sanded back the brick wall embossed matt to break up the darker base layer and finished off with a die cut sentiment. I've used -  A6 white card base First Ed

Roses For You

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I just have to say I'm totally in love with my new stamp platform, couldn't wait to try it out and I'm well impressed!  Just one excited crafter with a new bit of kit ... the depth of colour I can now achieve with more than one ink application on solid stamps is so cool!  Can't you tell I'm happy lol!  Now then back to reality ... a floral card for  The Flower Challenge  who happen to be celebrating their 2nd birthday - October's theme is 'Add Sparkle'. I followed a sketch for a challenge with friends/members over on  docrafts making the center panel my floral image adding silver shiny dots and some silver sparkly ribbon tucked under the sentiment.  Kept the design fairly simple with an embossed layer to break up all the white with purple, teal and green colour combo for the floral element. I've used -  13.5cm sq white card base docrafts Traditional Floral stamp set Papermania pigment ink pads Xcut Moroccan Cross Tiles EF Unbrande

Oriental Birthday

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A pretty oriental card to share today using magazine free gift stamps just simply coloured with promarkers, no shading in sight, so the colours are pure, fresh and clean.  I took my colour inspiration from the current  Just Add Ink #428..."Colour" challenge  and the layout from the current  Freshly Made Sketches #356 challenge . The three panels have been raised up with foam pads adding a little fan on the top centre corner.  After the sentiment was embossed it was highlighted with a light brush of tumbled glass distress ink. I've used - 13.5 cm sq card base Neenah ultra smooth solar white card Magazine free gift oriental stamps Promarkers (Mango, Lime Green, Pastel Green, Tea Green, Vanilla) Unbranded dies Opaque White EP Tumbled Glass Distress Ink I'm linking up with: Just Add Ink #428..."Colour"challenge Freshly Made Sketches #356 challenge Thank you for visiting - I'd love you to leave a comment if you have tim

Sugar Skull Day of the Dead Card

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Way back in November 2015 the free cover mount stamp in Craft Stamper magazine was a Sugar Skull stamp design by Darcy Wilkinson and at the time I thought I'd never use it, that is until now ...!  Last year our daughter had her face painted in the style of the Mexican Day of the Dead for a Halloween party so this card design was ideal for her birthday this year. I've coloured the skull with promarkers and inked around the head with a blue distress ink.  Although not quite triple stamping the two corner flowers are using that same technique also coloured with promarkers.   The central aperture panel was then mounted over the skull adding random blue texture with a stamp so as to break up the white.  Finally added some ribbon & jewels die cuts once again coloured with promarkers with glossy accents to highlight the jewels.  The end card is more pretty and flowery than scary! I've used - 13.5cm sq card blank Neenah ultra smooth solar white card Promarker comb

Book Folding Hedgehog

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Something a bit different for me to share today a hedgehog letter rack created from a paperback book ... never tried book folding before until now and this was one of the easiest folds to achieve.  Made as an entry in our local Flower Show craft section ... I did achieve 1st prize but then there were only two entries in the "something old from something new" category which most avoided as no one was quite sure what it meant ... me included! Simply decorated with a stamped flower/leaves from a scrap of brusho painted card and some button eyes and nose.  It was a fun project to make and looks quite cute don't you agree. I've used - paperback book Mag freebie stamps Buttons from stash Thank you for visiting - I'd love you to leave a comment if you have time -  Steph x

Bee Happy!

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Just love the sentiments on this card, hope it will lift the spirits of the recipient.  For once my card design is made up of die cuts with just the centre sentiment stamped and embossed and used mostly magazine freebies. The patterned paper is foiled so the words catch the light beautifully.  I did follow a sketch from a challenge with members/friends over on docrafts but I decided to move the sentiment to the middle and used a bee instead of a flower/butterfly.  I also coloured the raised parts of the embossing folder (to draw your eye into the centre) and the die cut bee & border with promarkers.  Teeny die cut flowers to embellish.  Here's a close up to show some of the details. I've used -  5x5 scalloped edge card blank top fold Dovecraft foiled patterned paper – mag freebie Bee Happy sentiment stamp, die cut bee & embossing folder all from one mag freebie Scallop edge die - The Works Elizabeth Craft Design ribbon & jewels die Crafters Compa