A Handful of Tulips

 It the last day of the month at Die Cut Divas.   Our sponsor this month is 

and our theme is "Frame It"

I have chosen to use " Handful of Tulips".  I took the circle image for my card,

I printed the image and used a Spellbinders die to cut it out.  I used some Altenew watercolour pencils and a Sparkle pen to move the watercolour around.  It's hard to see the wonderful sparkle on the flowers in the photo but I can guarantee it's there.  I used plain water pen to move the blue background around.  Once it dried, I used some blue pencil to add splatters.  

You still have today to get your project linked up, so we would love to see what you have made.  Don't forget to use your die machine to cut/emboss something on your project.  

Love in the Air - at Sweet Stampin' Challenge

 Hi there.  It's time for a new Challenge at Sweet Stampin' Challenge blog today.  Our theme is challenge is Valentine/Love.

Valentine's Day is not a huge thing here in NZ as it is in the US in particular, so I've gone with a Love themed card. 

I stamped the Altenew Striped Circle stamp and took it to my work to photocopy onto some cardstock and as it is laser printed, I was able to foil it through my laminator.   I used a little stamp set from Altenew called "A Gift for You" to make my focal flower.  I used various Grey Copic markers to add a little bit shading.  I used some Winnie & Walter stamps and die to make my sentiment. 

Do come and play along with us (here) 

WWC 306- Michelle's Challenge: All About Occasions

 Hello there, it’s time for another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  Michelle is our hostess this week with an All About Occasions challenge

Today I am sharing a Birthday card I made.  

This is a very CAS card.  I used Gina K Master Layouts to cut my panel and the layer.  It's a dark grey layer.  I had stamped the Altenew "A Gift for You" set to have a practise at using grey Copics to colour.  As it turned out okay, I cut out the panel.  I added a sentiment from another Altenew set (Happy Bloom) and a few pearls to finish the card. 

Come and join in the fun at  Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and check out the projects 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 at 5 pm Mountain Standard Time (Tuesday at 12.00 noon NZ time) to link up your project.

Take care out there people.

Thinking of You Slimline card.

My time to share with you at Die Cut Divas 

 Our challenge for January is "Frame It". Our sponsor for our January challenge is Rachel Vass Designs. The winner of our challenge will get to choose three digital stamps from her store. 

For my card I have used Fun Flowers Slimline stamp to make a slimline card.  I used a Pink Fresh slimline die to make my frame. 

I used a mixture of Copics and coloured pencils to colour in the image.  I then added a stamped sentiment from a Tim Holtz set. 

We would love to have you join us with our frame projects. 

WWC 305 - Helen's Challenge: Anything Masculine Goes

 Hello there, it’s time for another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  Helen is our hostess this week with an Anything Goes Masculine challenge.

My card today is for a male....My Husband.  21st January is our wedding anniversary and after a bit of a hiccup last year, we are celebrating 43 years married.

The image is a little feminine but works well for this anniversary card.  It's an old one from Stamp-It (this company no longer exists)   I used my new Altenew colour pencils to add some soft watercolour around the stamped images.  The sentiment is from a Hero Arts set (circa 2010) 

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 at 5 pm Mountain Standard Time (Tuesday at 12.00 noon NZ time ) to link up your project.

Such a Deer - fun challenge at Christmas Kickstart

 Love the theme name for the latest challenge at Christmas Kickstart - 

I recently received a Christmas card from a swap friend and she included a topper that had a deer on it...so here's the card I made,

A very CAS quick card.  I used some kraft card to make the base, added some tartan patterned paper then the topper.  I added a little pink flower in the top corner.  

Hope you weekend is going well.  It's been a good one for me... a few cards made - getting ahead on some of my design work, had a long walk this morning and been watching the Prada Cup yacht races on the TV. 

Make your own background

It was my turned to chose our technique challenge at my NZ swap group.   I has seen a video at Splitcoaststampers - about making your own mixed media/collage backgrounds so that's what I chose for us to challenge ourselves to do. 

Mine wasn't quite the same as the video, but I started with a panel I had made using the Gelli plate.  I had been inspired by the amazing Jennifer McGuire to use die cuts when making my prints (see her video HERE) and had used some green oxide inks and some butterfly die cuts. 

Over top of the two green inks I added another layer of green blended through a Paper Roses Studio Spring Floral stencil.  Next came some selected stamping with an edging stamp in some grey ink.  I stamped the Altenew sentiment (from Spider Mum set) and then added the fussy cut flower.  It is an unbranded stamp that I stamped onto some Bristol paper and used Zig Markers to colour.  

I had fun making my own background paper and was really happy with my outcome.  

My first week of work has finished... it felt very long and tiring.  It's been quite warm here this past week so too hot to go our walking after work so feeling a bit out of sorts not doing much exercise.  Planning a good long walk tomorrow morning. 

Take care everyone.  Keep safe. 

WWC304 - Kath's Challenge: All About Occasions

Hello there, it’s time for another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  Kath is our hostess this week with an All About Occasions challenge. 

My card today is for my friend's daughter who gave birth to a sweet little boy, on the 2nd January.  

I used my favourite digital image for baby cards.  It's an image from Mo's Digital Pencil called "Hush"  I printed it onto some white card and used coloured pencils (Prismacolor and Jasart) to colour it up.  I added a sentiment stamp from Quietfire Designs.  I couldn't find the one I wanted to add.... it's somewhere in my stash - so went for this rather sweet quote from AA Milne.  I wanted to keep the card clean and simple so just added some scored lines for texture.  

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 at 5 pm Mountain Standard Time (Tuesday at 12.00 noon NZ time) to link up your project.

Stencil embossed background.

 

I saw the latest challenge at The Flower Challenge and wanted to have a play.   I started with a piece of green gelli print sheet. 

Next step was to take a Paper Roses Spring flowers stencil and using my Cuttlebug and an embossing pad, emboss the paper.  It makes a beautiful subtle embossed background.  I matted the panel onto some ivory card and then onto an ivory base.  I then took some of the ivory card and used Altenew's Natures Blossom stamps to make the flower to add.  I used the matching stencil to colour the base level and then used the other grey inks to add the inner layers.  Once I die cut the flowers and levels I added some gold thread and then added them to the base.  I had the little birthday sentiment stripe in my "magic mug" so added it.  A few gems finished my card.  

Did have a wee boo - when I went to trim off the overhanging leaf - I nipped a little of the card base - but oh well.... it's a handmade card!

thanks for stopping by.  

Life is too short....

Hi there.... it's Sunday evening here in New Zealand and tomorrow I'm back into the office after  2 and a half weeks Christmas break.  I've had a very relaxing time - 8 days at our friends in Managawhai and  a week back at home.  Haven't done a lot of crafting - nothing up north and only a couple of cards this week.  We have spend time at the beach, given the house a good clean, did a day trip to Waiheke Island ( a 40 min ferry ride from Auckland) and generally relaxed. 

However I did a card using a scrap of embossing sitting on my desk.  

This was a piece of paper that I had embossed with an Altenew 3D folder.  I used some Wilted Violet Distress oxide to colour it up.  I matted the panel onto some violet, and then on to a white card base.  Added the sentiment from Altenew's Paint a Flower, Spider Mum set.  I also had some ribbon sitting on my desk so added this as well.  It's been a long time since I've added ribbon to my cards... seems to have lost favour in the last few years.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Take care out there.

WWC 303- Karen's Challenge: Anything Goes with a Feminine Twist

 Hello there,  Welcome to our first challenge for 2021 for Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  Karen is our hostess this week with an anything goes with a feminine twist challenge. 

I find making feminine cards easy... doing my own favourite florals.  I bought some new goodies as an early Christmas present to myself and included was Altenew's Spider Mum Paint A Flower.  

I used Alcohol Markers to colour this one in.  I used my Gina K Master Layouts to make my layers, combining a couple of the layout dies.  The sentiment is from the same set.  A few little black gems finished it.  

I have another sample using this stamp set here. 

Check out the projects that the artists at Watercooler Wednesday Challenges have created then take the challenge and link your creation to the challenge post. We’d love to have you join us.  You have until Mondays at 5 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (Tuesdays at 1pm NZ time) to link up your project.

Card Chain Challenge - December Reveal

 I took part in the December Card Chain Challenge and got to send a card to my dear friend, Arlene, in California.  

As well as the usual themes we also had a Tic Tac Toe board to use

I chose the right hand side - washi tape, blue and emboss it. 

My washi was some pretty Poinsettia tape, my blue was both the shimmery card stock and the colouring on my Gnome and Emboss it was the folder I used to emboss the blue card.   And I got my Christmas card for Arlene done at the same time.   Saved me postage for sure.    Added bonus, that Arlene loved it!  She had made a number of Gnome cards for her family so this one suited well. 

It's such fun taking part in the Card Chain Challenge... always a bonus to get card from anywhere in the world.   Still time to join the January sign up  (here)

Something new at Sweet Stampin' challenge.

 Hi there... welcome back to Sweet Stampin' Challenge - the first for 2021.  

Our theme for this challenge is "NEW"  and from now on, our challenges will be fortnightly.

So I bought myself some goodies as an early Christmas present and included were a couple of Altenew stamps - Spider Mum flowers and Striped Circle Stamp set.    Here is my card using these goodies.

I stamped the Striped Circle stamp in Vineyard Berry red ink from Altenew on my background panel.  I then used Altenew Rose Gold embossing powder to stamp and emboss the Spider Mum stamp.  I used Heart beat and Vineyard Berry inks to watercolour the flowers.  I used a few different green inks for the leaves. I added the sentiment from Striped Circle stamp set in Obsidian black ink and then the fussy cut flower.  A few gold gems finished my card.  

Do come and join our challenge with your "NEW" projects.