Craft Your Life Project - Hello Beautiful.

 Hi.  I have two cards to share today using products from Altenew's Craft Your Life Project kit - Hello Beautiful   

First card uses the 3D Embossing Folder that came in the kit.  

I was a bit stressed yesterday - working from home can be a bit stressful at times... so during my 15 minute break I slipped into the craft room and threw this together.   I used some white card to emboss with the folder.  I then took my blending tools and used what ink was on them to lightly add colour to raised areas.  I added a little sentiment from the stamp set in the kit.   I love the mini slimline size. 

My second card uses stamps from the kit.  

This card took inspiration from a video from Natasha Foote...(here)  Her video was about framing an image.  I look one of the smaller floral stamps and stamped with black Obsidan ink and clear embossed it.  I then used Altenew Woodless Watercolour pencils and a paint brush to colour them in.  I then used a black fineliner pen to draw around it.  I matted it onto some gold card and then onto a dark brown cardbase.  Another of the small sentiments from the stamp set finished off the card.  

I've now had my hair cut.... finally.  First one since early July this year.  Much tidier now. 

Slimline Diamond Wire Floral

 Hi there.  It's time for my card for Die Cut Divas....

 Our sponsor for November is Kat Scrappiness and the Divas thought Slimline and Mini Slimline cards were perfect to make your holiday cards, no matter the content.  

 

Kat Scrappiness is offering a prize of a Kat Scrappiness Gift Pack valued at least $25.

I've gone with a mini slimline.   Thanks to Arlene, who sent me a Kat Scrappiness  Mini Slimline Diamond Wire and Woodgrain Frame in a lovely cream card stock and that was what I used for my background. 

I added the frame to cream card base that I made a similar size to the frame.  I paired the wire frame with and Altenew Lily.  I used some watercolour pencils to colour up my lily.  The sentiment is also from Altenew. I added some silver baubles on some of the diamonds.  

These Kat Scrappiness dies are the best!  Great mini slimline ones too.  

Come and join us with your Slimline projects.  Can't wait to see what you create.  

 

Stencilled Leaves - Two ways

 Hi there.... Here in Auckland, we have gained a little bit more freedom... we can now visit shops but still no cafes or hospitality.  I had to go to the Post Shop to get some envelopes to send my overseas cards and I came across a crafting magazine.  It's over 9 months old but it was so good to get one.  It had two stamp sets and a stencil with it.   I love that there is always so much inspiration on how to use the goodies. 

I managed to get a couple of cards done... inspired by three different cards in the magazine.  I took ideas from them all to make these.

First up is one using a stencilling technique shown.... 

 For this technique, I blended Distress Oxide ink over my white card base.  With the stencil still in place I placed a wet wipe over it and ran it through my cuttlebug. Once you heat dry it, the leaves get more and more bleached looking.   Plus it feels like velvet.  I changed up the centre panel from inspiration card from a rectangle to an oval.  I stamped the leaves and fussy card some little buds - both from the stamp sets with the magazine.  

Second card was again inspired by one in the magazine.  That one was a larger 5" x 7" card - where I used an A2 US sized card.  

I used the stencil to make my two panels.  All my glitter gels had dried up so I thought I would try with some Kindyglitz glitter glue - and yes it worked.... It take a while to dry but loved how it turned out... just a little grungy.   I took the large leave stem and gold embossed it onto cream pearl card, white pearl card and heavy weight vellum.  I fussy cut - trimming the bottom 4 leaves so I could add them as a brunch onto a little bit of card before adding to the blue panel.  Added a gold bow.  I added the sentiment onto a blue circle with the gold embossing powder and added a vellum circle behind it. 

I had such fun trying out these different ways to use the stencil.  There were a couple more different techniques I want to try out as well.  

Tomorrow I'm off for a hair cut... first one since end of June...I have to show my Vaccine Pass to confirm I am double vaccinated, I have to sign in with the Covid Tracer and wear a mask, although I can take it off once I'm in the chair.  I can't wait to get it tidied up.  I want to keep it a bit longer but it does need shaping.  

Take care everyone.  

Encouragement card.

Hi... I have an encouragement card to share.  Last week I got an order from Krafter's Cart and amongst the goodies was an Altenew Stencil - Sweet Spring Stencil.  It's a pretty two layering stencil. 

I masked off parts of the stencil and used different Altenew inks with my small blender brushes.  I used a Pink Fresh Studios Mini Slimline Essential dies to cut my layers before adding to a pale green card base.  I added a sentiment from the Hello Beautiful stamp set.  

I made this for one of my work colleagues who is returning to her home town at the end of the year.  Her partner has got a job down there so she managed to get a transfer.  She transferred up to Auckland three years ago when he got a job up here.  She is a lovely young lady and I will miss working with her.  

Thanks for visiting today.  Hope you had a great weekend.  I had a visit from our Princess on Saturday.  It was such fun to play with her.  She is quite the character now... 

WWC #329- Cathy's Challenge - All Things Masculine

 Hi.  It's time for a new challenge at Watercooler Wednesday.  Cathy's our hostess with an All Things Masculine Challenge.  

My son's birthday was last Saturday - 13th November.  He turned 33 this year... where does the time go?  This is the card I made for him. 

I pulled out my all time favourite card magazine - Cardmaking in Easy Steps "For the Boys" - It has a stamp set and some patterned papers.  I'm getting down to mostly scrappy bits now.  I took inspiration from a card in the magazine.  My card is smaller in size and uses a different focal point but I did like the design elements.  I used a piece of the patterned papaer matted onto some brown card.  The panel beside it was white card embossed with a 3D We Are Memory Keepers folder which was ink blended with some Altenew Sea Forest ink.  I also added some of the ink around the edge of the white focal panel.  The Ute was die cut with a Craft Creations Holden Kingswood die from dark blue card and inlaid with some silver card.  There's a little bit of vellum for the windows.  My son had a Holden Kingswood when he was in his mid- 20s.  His was red though.  I finished with the birthday sentiment.  

Come and join in the fun at  Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and check out the project from the other designers.  Then take our challenge and link up your project to the challenge post.    We'd love to have you join us.  You have until Monday 29 November at 5 pm Mountain Standard Time (Tuesday at 12.00 noon NZ time) to link up your project.

Washi Two Ways

 Altenew are currently having a Get Wild about Washi contest as part of a release of new Washi tapes. 

I have a few of the Altenew Washi tapes.... and chose to use Peach Gold Wide Washi to make two cards today.. together with new stash that arrived yesterday.... Craft Your Life Project Kit - Hello Beautiful 

First up I used the washi as a background 

I covered some cream card with the Washi to make the background.  I stamped the Flowers from the Kit stamp set and then used the colouring stencils to add the colour.  I wanted to use muted colours to match the soft colours of the Washi.  I gold embossed the birthday sentiment (from Altenew's Birthday Builder set) onto some brown card and added to the background.  Die cut the floral element and added with 3D tape. 

Entering this into The Flower Challenge... #62  "Add leaves"  

And for my second card  I did some embossing with the 3D embossing folder from the kit. 

I had a little panel of the Washi on the cream card, left over from the first card.  I took some of dark brown card and ran it through the folder.  I trimmed it down and then laid the washi panel on embossed panel before running it back through my Cuttlebug.   Before gluing it down, I added some Altenew Enchanted Gold pigment ink blended over the raised embossing on the background and did a little sanding of the top layer.   A few pearls and a die cut sentiment finished it off.  

If you visit the Altenew blog there are lots of inspiration for using washi.   

Diamond Fold Card.

 Hi there.... well my mojo has taken a holiday this week!   I just haven't had any enthusiasm for card making.... did one this afternoon and I think it will be binned.... didn't like how it turned out.... 

So today's share is a card I made for my local swap group.  Suna let me know today that it arrived.  Carol chose the theme:  Some kind of interactive project... something has to move, pop up or out, open or be revealed.   I did lots of googling and checking out Pinterest and You Tube.  I found this video for a Diamond Fold Card.  

This is the card closed, ready to pop into the envelope. I had made the envelope (but forgot to take a photo before sending it off) 

And here it is opened.  I found some pretty paper in my extensive supply of patterned papers... It was something I had picked up at my local The Warehouse store.  I cut it to fit all the pieces.  I fussy cut one of the roses to pop on my front diamond.  The diamond is a little larger than the centre panel as you can see on the closed card.  I used some shimmer blue to make the diamond and the Penny Black sentiment was die cut from dark grey shimmery card.  I added some silver bauble gems.  There is just a little space on the back of the sides to write on.    Now this one, I was pleased with!  And Suna said she loved it too.  

Today I went retail shopping for the first time in 13 weeks!  Wednesday morning our area moved down a little in terms of restrictions - retail shops are able to open - but still only click and collect for cafes and hospitality.  I needed to replace a set of sheets that died a couple of weeks ago.  And the cushion needed new inserts... plus hubby needed new clothes and walking shoes.  Bonus was I found his Christmas present and he got mine... and I got some bits for the Princess Dress up I'm putting together as part of Grace's Christmas present.  All in all very happy.  We waited till after lunch before heading to the Mall.  Did all the right things... wore our masks, used the Covid app to record where we went and stayed 2 metres apart as much as we could.  It wasn't overly busy thank goodness. 

The forecast is for wet and humid weather tomorrow so I'm heading into the craft room and hope the mojo comes back.  

Take care.

Make your own background.

 I recently send in a submission for Creative Scrapbooking Magazine - which unfortunely didn't make it through, so I can share it now....

It was to stamp your own background... 

I used a cream card base and panel for the main part.  I used Altenew Engraved Flowers to stamp the flowers and leaves all over the panel.  I used  Prismacolor pencil in 10% Warm Grey to add some colour to the flowers and leaves.  I trimmed the panel with a Gina K Master Layouts 2 die and backed it onto some pink card.   I took a some white card and stamped one of the flowers and leaves.  I used my Scan'N'Cut to cut it out and then used some Altenew 36pan watercolour paints.  I added this with some Stampin' Up Dimensionals.    My sentiment was white embossed on black and added with some black dimensional stripes.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy to report I got to spend a couple of hours at the playground with Grace on Sunday.   3 months since I saw her last... she has grown so much and is so chatty.   

It was awesome to be able to be with her.  She rushed straight over to me and gave me a big hug.  I had missed that so much.   And from Wednesday, restrictions will be lifted a little.  Retail stores will be open and you can meet in groups of 25 outside - not inside yet... so no cinema's or gym.  Swimming pools will be open with limited numbers and the zoo too.  Still working from home but used to that now.