Use a Shape for The Flower Challenge

 The Flower Challenge is one of my favourite's to have a go at.  It's their 5th Birthday too!  

I had added a die cut shape to my card and made a Christmas card. 

I gone for a bit of a non-traditional colour with my pink background.  I took the Catherine Pooler Trellis die cut and cut it a few times.  I chopped two of them to remove the trellis and add just the frame behind the first die cut to give it a bit of dimension.  The little poinsettia are made using the smallest two dies from a Spellbinders die set.  I cut some in red and some in green to make the leaves.  I also cut two little swirls by Cheery Lynn Designs.  Addeda yellow pearl to the centre of the flowers.   I die cut the sentiment with a Britannia Dies Christmas die and laid it diagonally across the trellis.   Was very happy how it turned out.  

We are certainly having Spring weather here... Yesterday was lovely and warm and hubby even went for his first swim of the new season... way too cold for me to consider, but he said it was "brisk"  - then today it's cool and overcast with wind and rain.   Can't wait for the consistent warm of summer.    At least with the not so nice weather I've been enjoying spending some time in my craft space.  A card or two done!

Take care - and enjoy your weekend.  

Floral window at Die Cut Divas.

Hi there.  It's the last day of the month so it's time for my last card for Die Cut Divas for our April ochallenge.    Our sponspr this month is Poppystamps and our challenge theme is  WINDOW or APERTURE CARD

I bought this really cute die from Poppystamps and here's what I made

I made a green watercolour sheet and used it to die cut the Intricate die.  I used an embossing folder with some white card that I had cut with a Spellbinders square die. I used some 3D tape to add behind the frame.  I added the frame to a panel that I had on hand... that had been made with my Gelli Plate and an Altenew stencil.  To finish I added a die cut sentiment.  This is from Britannia Dies and I cut it from black card that had been covered with clear packing tape.  This gives it a really glossy look with out the mess of Glossy Accents. 

You have till 9.00pm (US Pacific Time) to join us here.  We'd love to see your creations.  

WWW 226 Dawn's Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Yes, it is my turn to host the Watercooler Wednesday this week.  Our challenge this week is Masculine "Anything Goes" challenge. 

My card today started with a panel that I made with Alcohol inks with some foil added.  The black die cut is an unnamed one I got a number of years ago.  I added it to the right hand side of the panel which I cut to the size of the die.  The sentiment is a Britannia Die cut. 

Come join in the fun.  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 midday NZ time) to link up your project

Christmas Postcard

I recently saw a beautiful card by Lin Brandyberry using a Hero Arts Big Postcard stamp and some vintage PP and a die cut.  See it here.

I really loved this card and my first thought how great it would look with some vintage Christmas PP
so I CASE'd the card.

I found some pretty paper in my rather LARGE stack of PP, but it had lost it's cover so not sure who it's by.  I pulled the stamp off the wooden base and used the MISTI to stamp it onto the paper.  This allowed me to stamp a few times to get good coverage with the ink.  It then stuck back on the wood easily.  I stuck the stamped paper onto some white card stock and cut it out, and then cut another plain one.  I scored the back one a little bit at the top and stuck them together.  Punched the hole and tied the satin ribbon.  I cut out the sentiment die in red and added the Winnie & Walter "to you" to complete the sentiment.  Added the teeny tiny holly die cut with some gems  to cover the stamped TO.   I will be looking through my PP and making a few more of this one.

Had a great weekend... starting with my son's birthday on Friday and a nephew's 21st party in Mount Maunganui.  We traveled down on Friday afternoon for the party that evening.  We then spend the next day there.  Started the day with a walk around the Mount for me and up the hill for the others, brunch with my SIL and her family, hubby then had a swim in the sea (way too cold for me) and we all soaked in the salt water Hot Pools near our motel.  Finished the evening with a delightful Mexican meal with one of hubby's nieces and her fiance.  Up nice and early Sunday morning and headed home.    And this coming weekend is just a full on... Stamping Group Sat morning - and then off to Fleetwood Mac in the evening... Totally looking forward that!

Thanks for stopping by.  

Trying out some more techniques from CAS 4

I have had an awesome long weekend - Friday was a public holiday here in NZ.  I didn't take any crafty stuff with me to the beach - just my Kindle.  Friday was a bit wet and windy, so got a bit of reading down... Saturday much nice and had a lovely swim in the afternoon before heading about 45 minutes south of Managwhai to Matakana to go to the concert... It was totally awesome!  Don McGlashan and Dave Dobbyn were fantastic especially when you are dancing and singing just three people from the stage.

We came back early today as Hubby is off to Sydney for the week.  He gets back late of Friday evening.  He got picked up at 3.30 to head out to the airport.  That mean I had a bit of time to finish off a card I'd been working on using techniques from CAS 4 card class.

The technique involved double embossing with stencils.  I didn't quite get a good embossing on the second go... so used the vellum leaves to cover it up a bit.   The inking in the corners was done first as well as the splatters.  Added some white cotton twine and finished with a Britannia dies sentiment and a white embossed sentiment from Winnie & Walter.

And here is a card I finished up on Thursday before we left.

The technique used on this one involved masking and sponging.  I used a panel of Simon Says Woodgrain card.  I decided to make this my main focus and just added the flower embellishment and a white embossed sentiment (also from Simon Says Stamp) I added Hero Arts Envelope pattern to my textured card base to give even more texture.

Still a few more techniques to try out... I really want to try the Velveteen stamping technique.

Have an awesome week all.

High Heel Glam

I had a very successful and fun day on Friday attending SENZ ~ NZ's biggest paper craft and scrapbooking expo and this year, it also had cake making and a cake decorating display and competition.  I didn't do any classes this year, but took my friend, Suna, along.  It was her first time to go to SENZ and she was stunned.  It was awesome this year, in a new venue and boy did we enjoy it.  We got there before the doors opened at 9.00am and left at 2.45pm.  I did have the joy of catching up with some FB friends - Tracey, Tash & Faith and a couple of ladies from a NZ online forum I belong to - Carol and Jude.

This is Tracey and Tash at Faith's stand at SENZ.

Amongst my purchases was this die from Tattered Lace.

 

And here is the card I made with it....

Totally all die cuts... the corner is a Spellbinders die and the sentiment is by Britannia Dies.  I did have trouble trying to photograph the card with all the silver mirror card and a the fact that the weather has been wet and windy for the last little while.  

And finally here are some photos of some of the cakes in the competition from the weekend.

Happy Valentines and Happy Birthday to Linda

Happy Valentine's Day, and yes, Valentine's Day is the birthday of Linda Wetterlin, our fabulous guest designer at Die Cut Divas.   To celebrate I have made her a card - using her favourite colour PURPLE

When I got my Dreamweaver stencils, I received a technique sheet for a technique called "Embossing Stire"  The technique involves using the stencil to emboss.  I used the totally awesome embossing pad that Dreamweavers have.  It is THICK and really embosses well.  I did spray the back of the paper with a special spray (but you can spray with rubbing alcohol as well)  this helps with the embossing.  Once you've embossed, you use a stencil paint brush with a pigment ink and drag it over the image. First one way then the other way.  This gives the look of linen.  I then decided to just add some distress ink over the raised area to give some definition.  I used some DCWV paper to cover my card.  The sentiment is a die cut from Britannia Dies cut with some purple card.  I finished with some gems. 

Happy Birthday Linda. 

All that Glitters....

The other day I saw a fabulous tutorial video by Jennifer McGuire using a stencil and glitter.  I really loved the idea and as I had a new stencil that had come with a magazine that I thought would be perfect.

First attempt - failure!  but I did end up with a sheet of plain blue glitter piece.

Second attempt - success.

I used a piece of Jac paper for my adhesive.  My glitter was a blue and silver fine glitter that I got at Spotlight.  It looks great but it went everywhere despite my best efforts... in my hair, over my clothes, all over the desk and the floor...

So this evening I decided to CASE Jennifer's cards.... Two for one glitter cards.

The first card used the main panel, using a Spellbinders Heart die to cut out the centre.  I used a Simon Says Stamp die (or at least part of one).  I cut it out  5 times and layered together.  The top layer was from my rejected glitter place which I added some darker colour to with a Copic.  The sentiment is also Simon Says Stamp...

The second uses the positive heart with a die cut Birthday from a Britannia Die, cut once with white card and one with blue card.  I layered slightly off set.  Finished by stamping part of a Montargo stamp.  Very CAS.

 Entering this one into CAS(E) this Sketch

I'm so loving using stencils in one way or another at the moment.  I bought several more last week and was very happy to see one with the latest magazine I bought.  I'll be back on Friday with a card I've done with a stencil for Die Cut Divas.