Craft Roulette #248

Back to some crafting and manage to watch the replay of Craft Roulette #248.  Been a while and took some time to get myself to think of a design and to get it made. 

Project: Tag(s)- used a Catherine Pooler tag die from Tags, etc die set as my focal image. 

Colours: Snow White - yellow and blue for her dress- red for the poisoned apple, and green for the forest. 

Element: January is Summer here in NZ.  So sentiment for summer and yellow and blue for sunny skies

Random: Branch(s)(ing). - my Apple tree has branches. 

My sentiment is from a Winner and Walter set - Big, Bold Seasons.  My tree is from Hero Arts - Layering Fall Trees.  

Happy to have got this one done.   

Craft Roulette #218

 It's been a few weeks since I had a chance to make a card for Craft Roulette.  Funn parameters this week'

I found this fabulous patterned paper in my stash... it didn't have a label so no sure who it's from, but it was perfect for my colours.  For my holiday... I chose a summer holiday... here in NZ we call our vacations - the holidays.  I decided a Flamingo would go with the tropical theme.  It's a Hero Arts Color Layering Flamingo and it's matching die.   The wheel element is the ships wheels on the PP. I added a stripe of geometric paper and stamped the Summer sentiment from a Winnie & Walter Big Bold Seasons.  I used part of a Christmas stamp for the holiday sentiment. 

Loved using these bright colours especially on a cold miserable winter's day today.

 

Hello - enjoy your day! (Penny Black Saturday Challenge)

 It's a cool Sunday afternoon and I headed into the craft room for a bit of a tidy up after Grace has been in here.   I was looking through my blog reader and saw that Helen had posted a gorgeous card for the latest Penny Black Saturday Challenge  It's Anything Goes -Optional Masculine.  Helen's card inspired me to pull out some of my PB stamps - all very old now.  

I was trying out making a torn paper stencil to make my clouds.   My friend Suna has set this as the monthly challenge at our NZ swap group.  I wanted to suss it out before making my card to sent to my recipient.  So started by tearing some copy paper, and then using a very light blue ink (Altenew) I went over the entire panel.  I then took the Hello Dear Cling stamp by Penny Black and stamped in Versamark Onyx Black ink straight over the light inking.  I heat set the ink as I remembered that alcohol markers can bleed with this ink.   Grab my Tri-blend markers and started colouring.   Happy to say- no smearing. I have the Extended Collection - so the colours are not quite as bright as the original sets but turned out perfect for this one.  I used a Winnie and Walter die cut Hello and added the sub-sentiment from a PB set called Sunny Days.   The card was mounted into some dark blue card and then the white base.   A fun hour or so in the craft room.  And think I've got the cloud background sussed, even if they look a bit peaky!  

Thanks Helen for inspiring me to enter the challenge.  I would say it's a bit masculine!  

World Card Making Day/weekend.. Part 1

 Hi there.   I get to have a whole weekend of WCMD action as it's Saturday here. (7.40pm as I write this.) I also like taking part in some of the challenge that are on Saturday US time.... so Sunday for me.   Luckily the spring weather is VERY WET here in Auckland so I got to spend a bit of time in the craft room this afternoon after a quick but wet trip to the Mall for some new jeans.  

I had a friend ring me yesterday to ask if I had any Sympathy cards on hand - as she needed one.  Looked and only had one... so after work yesterday I made one and this afternoon did two more. 

Here's Friday's card 

I was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest.  It used leaves for it's focal image.   I decided to use an unusual colour - because I had the maroon coloured card sitting on my desk.   I found a colour of ink that worked with it - Catherine Pooler's Peppermint Scrub ink.  I found some leaves in an Altenew Wallpaper Art that would work for what I wanted.  I die cut the panel with a Gina K Master Layouts before stamping.  I also took a very old wooden stamp from a local NZ company - Rubbadubbadoo that was an Old Script stamp.  I masked a little off each side and stamped it in second generation stamping as a subtle background.   The sentiment is from Hero Arts - With Sympathy set (from 2011) .  Matted with the maroon card.  For added texture I embossed the bigger panel with Gina K Tapestry folder before layering that onto a maroon panel.  

Next up are the two cards I did this afternoon

This one was inspired by a number of cards I have seen using torn edge masking and ink blending.  I chose to use Distress inks - Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade and Ripe Persimmon.   I used a variety of silhouette stamps from Hero Arts - With Sympathy and Catherine Pooler - Wild Garden to add the flowers.   The sentiment is from Winnie & Walter - A Tree for All Seasons.   A few little yellow gems finished this one.

A very simple card to finish.  I have an embossing folder which embosses the sentiment only.   I then used a Hero Arts cling stamp (from 2010) called Garden Bouquet.   I stamped it twice and then clear embossed it.  Trimmed it down and added to a white card base.  

I also had a bit of a play with making bubble backgrounds.  It was my turn to choose the challenge for my local NZ swap group and I chose Bubble backgrounds.   You add water and liquid soap with a colour medium and blow bubbles and pounce your paper onto the bubbles.   One of the video tutorial I saw used instant coffee granules - so I had a try 

The brown used the coffee and the blue was Distress Paint.  Such cool backgrounds.   

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you get to spend some time crafting over the weekend. 

Pinwheel Tower card

 My NZ card group's swap this month was chosen by Suze and her choice was Pinwheel Tower Card.  Luckily we got given some tutorials to have a look at to give us ideas.    Her added challenge was to make it a Summer theme.

Here is what I came up with.  

And here is each page 

My card is an A2 size  - I found that making the tower out of  heavy patterned paper made it not as thick when folded.  I used a paper pack I had by Uniti called Oceania.  I used stamps from Winnie & Walter and one sentiment from an Altenew set.  This was fun card to make.  

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) 

Autumn/Fall at Southern Girls.

Hi there.  Back again for my Southern Girls challenge.  It's coming into Autumn/Fall here in NZ and that's our theme this time around.    Our sponsors are

I'm using an image from Lacy Sunshine called "Bubbles Autumn,

I printed out the image after using Word to resize and add a frame around it.  I used my Prismacolour pencils to add colour.  I made my own background paper by using a Catherine Pooler stencil (Marching Leaves)  over a pale green card.  I used Rocky Shore and Olive inks from Altenew.  I cut a heart doily in half to put behind the focal image.  I then stamped and clear embossed the Autumn sentiment from "The Big Bold Seasons" from Winnie & Walter onto some vellum and fussy cut around it.

Do come and join us at Southern Girls Challenge with your Autumn/Fall creations

Sweet Friend Gift Bag

Hi.  I have scheduled this post for while I'm traveling around Ireland. 

It's my day over at Die Cut Divas for our Anything but a card challenge

I have a gift bag to show you.

I found this kraft gift bag when I was cleaning out the craft room the other week.  I'd forgotten I had them - not even sure where I got them!  I took some cute paper and die cut a tall scalloped rectangle with a Spellbinders die.   I had the friend die cut (a Winnie and Walter cut with my ScanNCut.) sitting on my desk.  I used a Copic marker to colour it up.  I also coloured the die cut circle.  The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp.    I had fun making this one .

It's winter over at Die Cut Divas- and pimp that envelope at StampNation

First of the month, so it's time for a new challenge at Die Cut Divas.  And our theme is Winter... which is ironical as the last few days here in Auckland, have been very warm and summery.

Our sponsor this month are Dies-R-Us.

 

 For my card today I have used Die cut snowflakes.  There are lots to chose from at Dies-R-Us... 

 

I used a number of different dies and added some little Winnie & Walter stars in a pale grey ink from Altenew.    Sentiment is from Winnie & Walter as well.  

Do come and join us this month with your Winter Wonders!  

And there is a new challenge up at StampNation.... Pimp that envelope

Do pop over and see all of what the designers have done... it's awesome.  If you are not a member yet.... you will have to wait till January to join us as the StampNation site is moving to a new platform and registration is on hold for the month while we settle into the new site.  But put it in your diary and come join us... it is so much fun.

 

PS - just realised this is my 1600th post.... my first post was March 15th 2009!  I can hardly believe it's been so long.  I am still in love with this hobby - addicted more like. 

Spots and Dots at Southern Girls Challenge

Hi.  Back to share my card for the latest challenge at Southern Girls Challenge.

It's Spots and Dots this time with wonderful sponsor's Lacy Sunshine and Krafter's Cart.

I got to use the super sweet Lizabeth's Daffodil today.

I cut out my oval and then embossed the panel with a spots and dots folder.  I backed the oval with some Teresa Collins patterned paper that is gold dots.  Lizabeth is coloured with Copics.   I die cut the hello (Winnie and Walter die)  5 times and layered together for dimension.  A few white dots on the daffodil centre, a ribbon and some flowers and it's all done.

Do come and join us at Southern Girls Challenge.

Colouring book pages...

I spend the weekend up at Mangawhai and managed to sit outside Saturday morning and do some colouring in.... A new book I picked up for $2 at my local newsagent.  It was a 4"x4" book that had been with a magazine.  Once the magazine was passed it's use by date, they sell of the little gifts and it was such a bargain.

Here's the first finished page

And I did a second one that I turned into a card

I used watercolour pencils from Faber Castell,  Koh-i-nor and Derwent and blended with a Memento blender pen on both pages.

To finish my feathers card I used a Winnie & Walter die cut to cut two hello's - one in pale blue and one in dark blue, layering them together slightly off set.  The friend sentiment is from a Catherine Pooler set and I stamped in black and clear embossed.  

Colouring in is so relaxing.   I really enjoyed sitting out in the sun on Saturday until the rain came! 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Fall into Autumn at StampNation

Hi there... Spring is coming here where I live... but Northern Hemisphere is well into Fall/Autumn and to celebrate over at StampNation, we have been challenged to "Fall into Autumn"

My guest designer example was inspired by the beautiful wreaths that are created by Anita Rex Designs.  Anita makes stunning wreaths

My background was made by scoring then using the ink to paper technique used some Altenew grey inks together with some Golden Glitz ink and some Sahara Sands pigment ink.  I used some brown card and a Simon Says Stamp stitched circles to make my wreath.  The leaves are from a Winnie & Walter set  that I coloured with distress inks and then fussy cut and added to the wreath.   The sentiment is also from the Winnie & Walter set and embossed in white on the brown card.  Added a twine bow and and enamel dot to finish.

Thanks for stopping by.  I've been a bit wiped out after the marathon effort over the weekend and haven't touched my stuff all week.  And with the birthday this weekend - party on Saturday night and actual birthday on Sunday, not much will get done either.  

Marathon card making weekend....

WARNING - PHOTO HEAVY POST 

Well my marathon card making weekend is coming to an end... hubby will be home in a couple of hours... it's going to take that long to tidy up the dining room and table

I've had a great weekend - even managed a few chores... this morning washed all the floors and went out to get meat from the butchery.    And a total of 10 cards made since Friday evening.  '

Today I've been on a Christmas card blitz.  Started by using MISTI to stamp a pile of SOA Peppermint Stick backgrounds in lots of colours.  Then with help of MISTI again did a few panels for the fronts

All the stamps and the die are from the SOA Candy Cane Lane Collection.

And did you know you can use the Peppermint stick background to make a plaid!  Well you can...

The blue ink went down first and then I turned the card 90 degrees and stamped in the red.  I die cut it with the little scallop die from one of the earlier SOA collections.  My mini perfect layers made it easy to add a little white mat around it.   Clear embossed and die cut the deer's head.  Cut the Merry in a few colours before deciding on the white one.

I also stamped some envelopes with some SOA goodies for my Christmas cards


My final two Christmas cards were both inspired by cards made by Gayatri Murali over at Winnie and Walter's rerun challenge.  I have the stamp set being highlighted and Gayatri's cards got my creative juices going.

I used the bigger of the pennants to make my pretty pastel trees.  Paired them with a sentiment from the SOA collection.  I embossed it so love the bold black against the soft pastels.  Entered into the challenge at Winnie and Walter.

and for my second one I went monochromatic

Used the smaller pennant and stamped it in the three greens from one of the Altenew inks sets.  Added some tiny die cut gold stars and some sequins from Lucy's Little Things.  The sentiment is made up of three from the Hero Arts Peace stamp and die set.  I used a Lil' Inkers die to cut the panel and to emboss the card base.   This one is going into the challenge at Winnie and Walter as well.
I am also entering it into the Geometric challenge at A Blog Named Hero.

Whew!!!  If you made it this far... Thank You.    Despite all of this creativity my mind is still churning with lots ideas for cards and I could keep going for ages... but reality sets in when I realise I have to clean up and get ready for work tomorrow.    Thanks for stopping by. 

Playing with Foiling

One of my purchases at the Perth Craft Fair was some Deco Foil.  I got two - Silver and Pumpkin.  I saw that it could be used with double sided tape so got to spend some time yesterday having a play.  I also had my Stamp of Approval Collection on my desk.  My inspiration for this card was from Catherine Pooler's KISS card video from last week.

I started by stamping the bottom layer with a stamp from the Geo Builders set.  The circles are from The Enchanted Garden set and were stamped with a Kaliedorcolor Ink called Calypso.    I added a stripe of double sided tape and used the Pumpkin foil.  I also added some to card stock and then die cut the Hello from Winnie & Walter.  The rest of the sentiment is from a Hero Arts stamp set.

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 38th Wedding Anniversary.  Time just seem to have flown by.   I made a card for him using a stenciling technique I saw on Jennifer McGuire's blog.

 

I covered my white card with Blueprint distress ink and using a Tim Holtz stencil and some Silver Shimmer Spritz over it.  Added a touch of blue/silver glitter paper down one side.  The balloon and elephant are a WPlus9 stamp and die set coloured with Zig makers.

As I've used a critter I'm entering into the challenge at Simon Says Stamp 

Thanks for stopping by

Die Crazy over at Simon Says

Was excited to see the challenge at Simon Says this week is "Die Crazy".... I'm CRAZY for die cuts!  I have SOOOO many - some that have never been cut and some have only been cut once or twice.... So here is a card I did tonight - for a friend's birthday

Just love this Quietfire Designs die (by Elizabeth Crafts) It's HUGE, so becomes the focal point on my card.  The flowers are from the Winnie & Walter set that came with StampNation's first kit.   A very simple but effective card.  This is the one I've entered into the challenge.. 

And here's a quick card I made for my Holden loving son for his Christmas card.

The Holden Ute die is a new NZ one by Craft Concepts.    My son loved it. 

So looking forward to this weekend - Saturday my parents arrive and Sunday my daughter and her husband arrive.... so a full on next couple of weeks with family here for Christmas.  

more challenges for WCMD.

Yes... still at it! 
Winnie & Walter also had some WCMD challenges.  One of them was to make a masterboard and make cards with it. 

Here's the board I made (minus one panel as I forgot to take the picture before trimming it up)

I used stamps from Winnie & Walter's Eva's Favourite Flowers (From StampNations SOA box) in black ink and green for the leaves.  

Here's the first card I made

I added another stamp from the Winnie & Walter set in Abandoned Coral ink and coloured the flowers in orange and yellow.  Distressed the edge with the coral ink.  The sentiment was stamped with a Kaisercraft stamp and white embossed.  A few clear sequins to finish.

and card two

Again I used a stamp from the Winnie & Walter set in the Picked Raspberry.  Add just a touch of blue on the flowers and stamped and embossed the sentiment onto vellum.  This one is my entry into the Germany - inspired by Folk Art, at StampNation.

I still have two sheets left to make some more cards.

Only one StampNation challenge left... Not sure when I'll get time though as we are heading away for the weekend and I'm not sure if I'll take any stuff with me. 

WCMD continues.............

I really am trying to get all 10 challenges at StampNation done... two more done

Challenge #6  Australia - Aboriginal Art

I started by stamping the dragonflies in black ink onto the blue card.  Then overstamped with a Hero Arts background in white pigment ink.  The sentiment is from Kaisercraft.  The die cut dragonfly was cut from dotted vellum.

Challenge # 7 Malaysia - Batik

I was inspired by a pink floral batik in the inspiration board.  So created my own batik.  I clear embossed the Inkadinkado flourish and added some flowers from Eva's Favourite flowers by Winnie & Walter.  I then used Picked Raspberry to cover the entire background.  I used some Zig markers to colour the flowers.  I stamped the dots in white ink but it faded into the background, so I used a Signo white gel pen and coloured over them.  Add a few single dots here and there.   I decided to do a hidden sentiment by using the Winnie and Walter Happy die and adding it to a layer of 4 other die cut.    Adding this to Winnie & Walter's watercolour challenge with Vanessa. 

Only two more challenges to go  - just a few more days to do so. 

World Card Making Day - take two

Here I am back with a few more card I've made for WCMD challenges.

First up is a card for two challenges... StampNation challenge # 4  Scotland

I used some Winnie & Walter stripe stamps to make my own plaid background.  I cut the panel with a MFT die and then split it to fit onto the card base.  Used a feebie die from last year and added a little holly embellishment, I made with a Kaisercraft stamp.  Very CAS.  Entered into the Masculine challenge at Winnie & Walter.

Next one was for StampNation challente #5 Japan. - inspired by flower and Kimonos

I was inspired by the pretty pinks and flowers on the kimonos.  Used  an Altenew stamp (Fresh Freesias) and watercoloured with Zig Clean Color markers.  The background was a variety of sprays.  Used a die cut and sentiment from
Winnie & Walter.  I've also entered this into the challenge at Winnie & Walter - Watercolouring

and today I manged one more card for StampNation challenge #8 - France -inspired by brocade

I used the free embossing folder I got last week with some Red Memento ink so do a faux letterpress technique.  The sentiment is from a free set with a magazine.  It's such a great way to build up your supplies!  I used some Spellbinders dies to cut the sentiment.

And here's a picture of what my desk looked like yesterday evening.

 

One hot mess!  But the result of a fun few days.

Now only 4 more StampNation challenges to make to do all of them.  I've already started on #6  Australia - inspired by Aborginal art.   Then it's Malaysia,  Germany, and Israel.  We've got a few more days to enter.  

StampNation Stamp of Approval - Friendship box

I recently decided that I needed wanted Catherine Pooler's Stamp of Approval kit - aptly named "Friendship"   It was a VERY EXPENSIVE box of goodies for me as the NZ-US exchange rate has plummeted of recent times and postage rates have risen in the US,  But I am so happy that I did get it!

As you can see it was chocker full of lovely stamps, dies and a stencil.   So here goes with what I've done so far!

This first one was CASE'd from one Isha did for the accompanying PDF.

Next up used the flower dies, and the stamped sentiments.

this one used the stencil for the background using two different colours of distress ink.  The Friend die came in the set and I paired it with a Winnie and Walter sentiment stamp

For this card I only used the Tag dies,  The background is distress ink over a The Crafter's Workshop snowflake mask/stencil.  Again used Winnie & Walter sentiments.

and finally

A Bokeh card with Teal and white inks on a sprayed background.  Sentiment and flowers from the SOA kit, leaves from Provocraft (very old Cuttlebug dies)

Thanks for bearing with me for this long post.  I've had fun with this kit and there are lots more ideas floating about in my mind.  Haven't even used a couple of the stamps and dies yet!

take care