A Tree for Dad

Hi there,

time to slip in my Mojo Monday post today (I hope). I really liked the sketch this week. So here is it.

I'm not quite sure how I came up with this idea - I guess I was just thinking about what I could fit into a circle and what cards I might be needing sometime soon. When I came across this DSP from the Spring Break pack and decided the colours would work well with the big oak tree from Lovely as a Tree - well a card was born!

And here's a side view to give you a glimpse of the inside and you can also see how the rectangles are lifted up on dimensionals.


Just a few special points to note, to stamp the tree I first used markers to colour direct to the stamp, I sort of did scattered patches of Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip and then used a blender pen to blur the edges together a bit. When I stamped it - it was nice but not quite intense enough, so first I went lightly over with my aquapainter, then in turn loaded the three markers into my colour spritzer and spritzed away till I got the what I wanted. Another gentle swirl with my aquapainter and it was done! It actually looks more blurry in the pics than it is in real life. Oh the other main "trick" was that I only wanted a small dad label. Luckily I noticed when I got my alphabets out that Whimiscal Lower has a "and" stamp in which the text size is quite a bit smaller. "And" has an "a" and a "d" and that was what I needed for "dad", a little bit of stamp-ma-jigging later and I had my label. As to the rest of it - well it a mix of cuttlebug, DSP, circle nestabilities, corner rounding, brads and ribbon. All the details are below.

Recipe: (All SU unless otherwise noted)
Stamps:Lovely as a Tree, Whimiscal Lower
Cardstock: Blue Bayou, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Ink: Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive
Accessories: Spring Break DSP, Distressed Stripes Cuttlebug folder, Blue Bayou stitched grosgrain ribbon, Hemp Twine, Circle Nestabilities, Colour Spritzer, White Bo Bunny Brads, Piercing tool, 1/8", 1" and 1 1/4" circle punches, Corner rounder punch, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive, Double sided tape

Be Happy

Hi there,

this week as her inspiration challenge, Makeesha, had a lovely girly bedspread. Here's the pic.


My card for the challenge has turned out bigger than Ben Hur, not my original intention - it just worked out that way. The actual dimensions are 13.6 square or 5 3/8 inchs square. My original concept was to make a card with only the scallop circle ( from Pepe's Paperie). It has very similar dimensions to a carousel note I suspect. However I discovered that I had bought only one, rather than ditch the idea completely I decided to back the circle with a square card. Here's the card.

I started by trawling through my DSP stash and could not find any red check anywhere!! But I did come across this old bit of retired green check, and actually if you look at the photo there is quite a bit of green check in it too. The DSP was Celery, my scalloped circle matched to Pretty in Pink and to those I added Rose Red and Baja Breeze to make up my colour complement. Aside from the DSP I also wanted to use some chipboard flowers I had in my stash. When I started covering the chipboard, to my delight, I discovered that even the chipboard sizes match the SU punches. Anyway I played around (alot) with what colours where, crimped some leaves, added glitter (of course). I do like the way the Baja chipboard layer came up with it. Did lots of piercing, and on the scalloped circle used my white gel pen to do faux stitching. Added, ribbon, brads and a button (did the little thread of cardstock through the button trick). Then finally added three lady bugs. Ok the inspiration pic only had butterflies but where you have butterflies you get lady bugs - right! And they matched up with the dotty DSP too!

Then I finished it off with some punched flowers on the inside.

All I had to do then this morning was to wait till the clouds vanished put shoes on Mr 1 who was dying to get out the door and take the card into the garden to take some pic's.

Recipe (All SU unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Linen, So Many Sayings, Winged Things
Card Stock: Pretty in Pink, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Rose Red
Ink: Rose Red, Baja Breeze, Pretty in Pink, Versamark
Accessories: Sarah DSP (retired), Rose Red DSP, Blosson Scallop Circle (Pepe's Paperie), Mat pack and piercing tool, White Gel Pen, Crimper, small Filigree brad, Pretty in Pink brads, Button Bouquet, Certainly Celery Twill, narrow Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon, 1" Rose Red double stitched grograin ribbon, Glue dots, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive, Double sided tape, Heat and Stick powder, 2 way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds, and a lot of punches!

Really Rusty Flowers

Hi there again,

well for my second go round at Makeesha latest challenge (a colour one this week) I decided to try and use the latest Mojo Monday sketch. Posting it today will probably make it my earliest Mojo past ever ( it's usually right down to the wire). Anyway lets start with the colours and the sketch.

I'm am a bit happier with how this card turned out, its doesn't seem quite so dark (and gloomy?) as my first try (see my last post) and I did have fun making the flowers - anyway here's the card.

Lots of retired stuff in this one, but it gave me the effect I was after so thats the most important thing. I used Vanilla and Rust as the primary colours and the Chocolate and Sage as accents. I had my first go at bashing around hodgepode too. I decided I didn't want the fastener on the LHS so after the kids were in bed out came pliers and hammer and I went to it. In the end I tried using my Cropodile which did work very effectively but it was a tad rough so, cough cough, you can't see those bumps and scratches can you! I like the end effect though. The only other point to note is that I rock and rolled the big Looks Like Spring flower, first stamping it in Sage, then rolling the edges in Rust then I just tried to roll the end tips in Chocolate Chip. The rest is lots of punches and some piercing.

Recipe: (All SU unless noted otherwise)
Stamps: Floral, Looks LIke Spring, Short and Sweet
Ink: Really Rust, Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip
Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow
Accessories: Fall Flowers DSP, Spring Bouquet punch, Large and Small Oval punches, Scallop Edge punch, Silver Hodgepodge, Crafters Tool Kit, Cropodile, Sage Shadow grosgrain ribbon from District Ribbon Originals, SNAIL adhesive, Double sided tape, Dimensionals, Chocolate Chip Flower brad, Kaiser Half Pearls

Upsy Brown

Hi there,

I have to admit I found the latest colour challenge from Makeesha, well - challenging!! So challenging in fact that I made two cards (how did that happen?). Here are the colours for the challenge.



This is my first effort and while I'm happy with it - I just had the feeling that it didn't "sing" to me. OK I know that sounds wierd but sometimes when you put things together it just all comes out with every element somehow acentuating and improving each other and somehow this one didn't :( But still its not too bad. See for yourself.

I did get to finally break out my Upsy Daisy stamp set which I had coveted for months when it was in the US catalogue - and I really did like the effect I got by using markers direct to rubber. I did try to get some blending and texture effect by dragging over the ink with a plastic bag an idea I got from Teneale Williams in this post. Oh and I think the crystal effect on the petals did lift it too. Aside from that the card is lots of layers, DSP, distressed edges and some paper piercing for detail. The ribbon knot tied onto the pewter hodgepode was a last minute addition - I had literally stuck all the layers down and then then went hmmmmmmm (to be honest I think I even dreamed about putting something Sage up in that corner last night so my subconscious must have still been speaking to me). So I pried up the top corner and added the hodgepodge and ribbon. What do you think better with or without??


Recipe: (All SU unless noted otherwise)
Stamps: Upsy Daisy
Ink: Sage Shadow, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip
Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Sage Shadow, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Spring Showers DSP, Fall Flowers DSP, Cutter kit, Mat pack and piercing tool, Sage Shadow wide Grosgrain ribbon from District Ribbon Originals, Scallop Edge punch, 1/8 inch circle punch, Pewter Hodgepode, Crystal effects, SNAIL adhesive, double sided tape

Stripey Blooms

Hi there,

well stripes and glitter seem to be a feature at the moment (and there is more to come now that I think about it ;)). Today's card is for the latest sketch challenge from Makeesha Byl. Here's the sketch.

I did put away my Sweet Always paper after the last card but pulled it out again for this one. Here is the end result.

It was really the stripey pattern that inspired the card. I decided to use markers and colour in the various sections of the largest Eastern Bloom (in Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose and Pumpkin Pie) to match the DSP. To finish the flowers off I added a little clear rhinestone brad in the centre of each, mounted them on dimensionals and then added dazzling diamonds to the Pumpkin stripes using the two glue pen. The stems are some crimped Chocolate Chip. To frame the flowers I used two different pieces of DSP, paper pierced around the edges of both panels, added a few Chocolate brads, rounded some corners. To separate the two DSP panels I used a strip of crimped Pumpkin, laid over with Chocolate Chip and then Pretty in Pink ribbon. Thats it bar a little Chocolate Chip bow!


Recipe: All SU unless noted otherwise
Stamps: Eastern Blooms

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose
Accessories: Sweet Always DSP, crimper, wide and narrow Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, narrow Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, clear Rhinestone brads, Chocolate Bo Bunny Brads (All Stuck Up Licorice), Mat pack and Piercing tool, Dazzling Diamonds, Two way glue stick, Tombow Multi, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive, double sided tape, Sticky Strip, Corner rounder punch.

With love - always

Hi there,

well I said I had two Mojo cards this week, and this is the second one. I had a new Tilda stamp, (and probably only one, as to be honest while I have seen some gorgeous cards, I just think the fact that she doesn't have half her face is just a bit too weird! However the artist must have had a lapse as she has done a side view of Tilda so you can see her nose and lips - thats enough for me.) Anyway back to the card I also had some yummy new Sweet Always DSP that I figured would go perfectly. The layout for this weeks Mojo Monday sketch seemed perfect, until I realised that when stamped she would point the OTHER way - duhh!! Can I blame that momentary lapse on my head cold? I then decided to get radical and figured well if you can turn the sketch why not flip it to a mirror image so thats what I did. First of all here is the Mojo sketch.

And here is the card. I decided to cut it as an A frame.

A side view with a glimpse of the inside.

Besides wanting to use my new Tilda stamp and the Sweet Always DSP, which basically dictated the colour scheme, I also wanted to use a whole strip of broad Pumpkin ribbon as the long vertical panel. (In an earlier card, I used it to cover a small feature panel). The panel on this card was edged with my Fiskars Cristina Re Floretine punch, a bit more narrow Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon and some crystal effects to highlight the hearts, a rhinestone brad, dazzling diamonds on her wings and it was all done. Actually I did do a lot of fiddling with the colouring, tried watercolouring with SU ink pads, colouring with SU markers and then colouring with Copics, in the end I went with.... colouring with Copics. It turned out Ok - I would have liked a lighter orange for her dress but couldn't find one at the art shop, but overall, for really, only my second go with the markers, not too bad. Although if anyone has some tips to share I would love to hear them!

PS: I have started putting a "teaser" photo at the top, an idea I pinched from a very dear and talented friend - hi Sam :)

Recipe:
Stamps: Tilda with Hearts, Yummy
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Regal Rose
Ink: Stazon Timber Brown, Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose
Accessories: Fiskars Cristina Re Florentine border punch, Ticket Corner punch, District Ribbon Originals, narrow Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Sweet Always DSP, Crystal Effects, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive, Two way Glue stick, Dazzling Diamonds, Fire Rhinestone brad, Copic original markers (R00, R02, E13, E15, E19, E29, RV11, RV13, RV14, Y38, YR16)

STOP - happy birthday

Hi there,
well this will be a first. I am actually going to post two cards for this weeks Mojo Monday sketch. Here's the sketch.


Ok I'm going to have to admit to fiddling with the sketch this week, I tried, I really did, but in the end I decided I had to make the card square, it just suited the layout better. Here's the card.

The inside was just finished off simply.

As you can see its a birthday card - for a 3 year old in this case. I went to my trusty By Land set and tried and true boy colour combo - Brilliant Blue, Pumpkin Pie and Bashful Blue. I started by photocopying the car and then using two way glue (dried to clear so it will come off again) stuck the car over the small dotty pattern from the Jersey Shore DSP (retired). Then cut out the car. To finish the car, I coloured a bit of white card with Basic Gray, and layered that with some acetate and then stuck it behind the windows. Then the car was mounted on lots of dimensionals. I wanted to make the stop sign a bit more solid so glued three layers of Kraft underneath it, then trimmed to size. Then I used Crystal Effects to highlight the stop and edge. The traffic lights were punched with the 1/4 inch circle punch and then popped up on dimensionals and lastly I stamped BEEP straight onto the twill tape using classic ink. The orange actually came out even better but that ended up under the dotty Bashful Blue panel. Hope you like it.


Recipe:
Stamps: By Land
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Kraft, Wild Wasabi, Real Red
Ink: Brilliant Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Gray
Accessories: Cuttlebug Spots and Dots folder, acetate, Two way glue pen, Tombow Multi, Jersey Shore DSP, 1/4 inch circle punch, Scallop Edge punch, Crystal Effects, Chit Chat rubons, Twill Tape, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive

Swirly silhouettes

Hi there,

I got to play with a whole bunch of new aquistions on this card, punches, stamps, rub ons, which was great. I had been itching to get my Pocket Silhouettes inked up but hadn't had the chance till now so when I saw Kristina Werner's latest colour challenge I decided to try them out. Firstly here are the colours she picked for this week's challenge.



Nice combo. And here's the card.

A side view with a glimpse of the inside

It was a bit tricky but I also managed to get a shot of the clear glaze on the flowers.



The starting point for this card was really to try a bunch of new stuff - punches in particular. I knew I wanted to have the image(s) in squares surrounded by scallops and then probably have a punched border below. The white SU Organdy ribbon (retired) I had was perfect to thread through the punched border slots and unexpectedly but rather nicely allowed the Rose Red to filter through from below. Swirly Rose red DSP seemed to balance and compliment the flower panels too. Finally to give the card a little bit of bling I went over all the little flower head dots with my clear Sakura glaze (aqualip) pen.

Recipe:
Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes
Cardstock: Whisper White, Rose red, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Rose Red DSP, clear Sakura glaze/aqualip pen, Rose Red and More Mustard brads, Chit Chat rub ons, White Organdy ribbon, Corner rounder punch, Ticket corner punch, Scallop square punch, 1 1/4 inch square punch and Fiskars Leave it to Weaver border punch, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive

Congrats

Glitter, glitter everywhere....

Hi there,
that what's the kitchen = my working space, looked like when I was done with this card. The card was made for Kristina Werner's 50th colour challenge. Here are the colours.

It was a scary one - lots of bright colours balanced by brown. This time I started by flicking through our new catalogue trying to find some inspiration in the samples there. I did find inspiration but not from a sample, from a stamp. One from the Say it with Scallops set on page 141 of the new Aussie catty. To fit the letters in (spelling "congrats") I went for an unconventional card size 4 1/2 by 5 7/8 (or 11.5 by 15 cm), it may be rather hard to post but at the momment I don't have any one in mind for it anyway.

Here's the card. I found it very difficult to photograph, all the colours kept bleaching out. This was my best shot.

A side view to show the inside


Finally here is a flatish view showing the glitter and how all the letters are up on dimensionals.


Special points to note, include lots of glitter, I actually had trouble as initially my versamark seemed to be vapourising. (We had everything closed up and the heaters going as the whole family was home sick.) Reinking the pad helped but most of the letters, I stamped and then went over with a versamark pen. Then poured over the heat and stick powder. Heated it and then finally the Dazzling Diamonds. I also cuttlebugged the bottom strip of the card as well as the two layered stars. Then finished off with layered ribbons (tying that bow took some practise!!).


Recipe: (All SU unless noted otherwise)
Stamps: Big Deal alphabet
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, YoYo Yellow, Versamark
Cardstock: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Wide Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Narrow Real Red and Tempting Turquoise grosgrain ribbon, Heat and stick powder, Dazzling Diamonds, Swiss Dots cuttlebug folder, Large and small star punches, corner rounder punch, 1/2 inch circle punch, Real red brad, Lots of dimensionals, Close to Cocoa DSP, SNAIL adhesive, Mini glue Dots