Party time!

The stamp set I've used for this card came with an issue of Making Cards a year or two back and has become a firm favourite - not just with me, as I've seen it feature on lots of other blogs too.

How true that sentiment is!!! I simply stamped, coloured with Promarkers and matted with paper to match one of the dresses. Job done.

I am sharing this with

AAA Cards - One & Three & optional Friendship  (I've used stamped image, colouring pens and one matted layer) {I hope this is what counts as one matted layer - looking at the DT cards they seem to be just one layer added to the front of the card, but that doesn't tie in with the definition of matting I have learned, so hopefully it's just a matter of who you learned from! To me matting is what comes between the image layer and the base card.}


Creative With Stamps - Friends


The Library Challenge - The Party (using the title as inspiration)

Primrose time at last!

Spring is coming and one of the very first signs it is on the way is when primroses start to appear in the countryside. And every year, they put me in the mood to dig out this gorgeous stamp which I think came from Dimension 4th about 10 to 15 years ago.

It's great for layering and fussy cutting but also looks beautiful used as a stand alone image as I have done here. I've added a sentiment stamped with a stamp from a Creative Expressions snowdrop set that I've had for a couple of years. The flowers along the top are die cut using dies from the current issue of Papercraft essentials and lightly tinted using distress inks and a finger dauber.

I am sharing this with

Shopping Our Stash -  Fabulous February 

Allsorts challenge - Favourite Season

Retro Rubber - a sketch

Faux Stained Glass part 2

While watching the videos that CAS Mix Up shared about the faux stained glass technique, one of You Tube's "Suggested Videos" offered me another to watch, using ultra thick embossing to create the stained glass effect, so of course I had to try that too.

I chose a Glasgow Rose design stamp that has quite a stained glass window look to it, stamped it with Staz On ink and coloured it with pencils. Then I cut out the image and covered it generously all over with Versamark ink, and heat embossed it with two layers of  clear ultra thick embossing powder. I generally do three layers but being a fairly small image I felt it would be too clumsy if I made it any chunkier, and it already had that lovely smooth glassy shine that UTEE gives (you can just about see the shine where the flash has reflected on the image).

I stamped a sentiment  on the card and added some simple peel off corners.

I am sharing this with

CAS Mix Up - Faux Stained Glass & stamping, pencils, heat embossing



Just Us Girls - Birthday

Faux Stained Glass part 1

I'm really fascinated by the new challenge at CAS Mix Up, which is Faux Stained Glass. There are links to several different techniques, all of which I'm itching to try!

For my first attempt, I've used vellum and alcohol markers, as described in one of the videos they link to.

I die cut the Gummiapan heart motif and stuck it to vellum, then coloured the reverse with Promarkers and used a white gel pen to add highlights to the front to give a slight illusion of dimension, then cut the whole thing out. I finished my card with a stamped sentiment.

The elements I've used are stamping, faux stained glass, die cutting, vellum and fussy cutting.

CD Sundays #5 - Anything Goes

It's Anything Goes again at CD Sundays! Here is my card for you

I've used decoupage and a background from the La Pashe CD "The Wrinklies" with a Dylusions sentiment stamp and a tape measure cut from a snippet of card in my stash.

Christmas bear

For this card I made an emboss resist background using the large Uniko Christmas  Block Party stamp. After heat embossing with clear powder I masked the card edges  and sponged with blue ink.

The teddy stamp was a magazine freebie some years ago, and I coloured him with pencils. I was about to add the twine as a finishing touch when I noticed the position of the snowflake on the background and decided to draw attention to it by adding a snowflake charm to the twine.

I am sharing this with
Christmas Kickstart - Have a beary merry Christmas 
Alphabet Challenge - Yarn, String or Twine

A Vintage Christmas Card at Sparkles Christmas

It's time for our new challenge at Sparkles Christmas and this time we would like you to make a vintage Christmas card.

Ever the rebel, I have made TWO cards.

Usually when I make a vintage style Christmas card I go over the top - lots of layers, doilies, ribbons, bows, lace and pearls. Which is all very well until it comes to posting the cards - even if you can fit that super-thick card into the envelope, it will be in danger of being squashed and of course it pushes the postage right up too. So I've gone for much simpler cards this time, letting the olde worlde images from a Kanban topper sheet, and the "Christmas greetings" backing paper, printed from Joanna Sheen's "Victorian Christmas Cards" do the work. But  as I had enough background paper for two cards, and several of the toppers, I couldn't resist making two cards while I was in the mood to give the Christmas card box a boost.