Sunday 31 May 2015

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Thank You


This is for the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, where it's Anything Goes (showcasing Avery Elle).

This card was inspired by this card by Lynn. And by my new Zig Clean Colour watercolour markers - they are so fun! The colours are intense and just screamed out for a black background!

The dies are from Paper Smooches and the sentiment is from an old Avery Elle set.

(also linking up to Paper Smooches Anything Goes).

Saturday 30 May 2015

Muse 119 - Thank you


I had a lovely free day on Thursday, with not much to do (well, regular stuff - groceries, laundry, tidying, chauffering etc) but make cards. And I had a lovely birthday yesterday - thanks for all your birthday wishes!

I made this one for this week's Muse, where we are inspired by Joan's pretty birthday card:



I was inspired by the gold and pink, the use of watercolour and the classic image-over-(script)-sentiment layout.

I used a new Hero Arts flower die and cut two out of watercolour paper. I painted one gold, using my Gansai Tambi, and the other pink, using my new Zig Clean Colour marker. I inlaid the gold one so that it is behind the pink (a bit like the gold hearts on Joan's card) and then I took a big turn by adding the teal flower centre and sentiment.

I hope you'll play along with us; the deadline is Monday morning at 8 am. At that time you can vote for your 3 favourites (even if you didn't link up a card) and then come back on Tuesday at noon to see the voting results. Hope to see you there!

Friday 29 May 2015

MM160 - The Greatest Gift of All


This week, Merry Monday's challenge is, well, challenging. The lovely Karren thought it would be a good idea to use newsprint in our Christmas Cards. What?!



But for some reason the challenge stuck in my mind. I mean, the best news ever came at Christmas, right? So I thought there was a link there, but I was absolutely positive that I didn't have the supplies to participate.

Wrong. The back of one of the old Stampin' Up DPs has this newsprint-y type  on it and although it's almost physically painful to me that it's not about Christmas, the word glory is in there a few times!

I pulled out a Winnie&Walter set that I purchased late in the season last year and an old Hero Arts sentiment that I think looks like a headline.

Of course I had to put it on a red card (you know, black and white and 'read' all over!). Ah, sometimes I crack myself up!


Thursday 28 May 2015

Teacher Thank You Cards (1&2)



After 12 years of being involved in my kids' elementary school, I'm finally 'graduating' (along with Kate, who will go to middle school in September). Over the years I have volunteered in all sorts of ways for all sorts of activities and have been the School Council Chair and Treasurer for most of the time. This is going to be a big change - we have built relationships with staff and teachers that we will remember for ever!

I decided to make sets of 3.5x5 thank you cards for Kate's teachers and of course, have left it quite late. So I'm relying on a lot of you to inspire me with beautiful but simple designs for these cards.

The first card was inspired by this card by Shelly. I used the 'other' CFC flower and die from the set and left it white (I actually shaded it with a very, very pale grey and coated it with WoS, which is very shimmery and pretty IRL).

My iris card was inspired by Joyce's card here. I really put my MISTI to good use with this - it made stamping multiple cards with lined-up stamps a breeze! After I stamped the flowers, I used the matching die to make a mask out of Post-it tape so that I could lightly sponge Tumbled Glass around the big iris blossom. SO much easier than the fussy cutting I did for this card!

On another note, I want to thank those of you who have noticed that the latest OCC has a very familiar name! I love the colourful logo and of course I am partial to the way they've used the word MASK in it (although my MASK has personal meaning and is not related to any cardmaking techniques). I have really gotten a kick out of seeing some of you mention my name in connection with it - so nice to feel known and loved in our little part of blog land!

Wednesday 27 May 2015

Pinterest Inspired


This card looks like it was made for Monday's Papertrey blog hop (my card and the inspiration photo here). But I actually made it on the weekend, inspired by this card on my Inspiration board on Pinterest, using a recent Stampin' Up set.

Challenges are wonderful things - over the years I have 'met' many people and made many cards I would not have otherwise made. But I find every once in a while it's good to forget the challenges and just make something I like. Just for fun. This is one of those. And here's another:


This time I was inspired by this photo on my inspiration board. Back in my other life, I spent some time working with designers, developing a new 'visual identity' (aka logo) for the life insurance company I worked for. I got to know a little about the Pantone colour system, and I love the simple (yet still cool) design of their colour 'chips'. I masked a strip of white before sponging a panel in Picked Raspberry. I cut it using a PTI journaling card die and then stamped a Simon sentiment and a tiny heart.

Tuesday 26 May 2015

CASology 148 - Story


This week's CASology Cue Card is Story.



I've had these two stamps forever and I've made a number of wedding cards with them over the years. I tried something different this time. I stamped the Stampin' Up castle in soft grey, off the edge, so that there would be plenty of space for my long Verses sentiment and still plenty of white space. I created a mask for the castle and then sponged some soft blue and green around the edges for a hint of colour.

Now it's your turn to tell us your story! Make sure to check out the rest of the DT blogs for more inspiration!

Monday 25 May 2015

PTI May Blog Hop - Hello!


A quick post to play along with the PTI May Blog Hop, where our inspiration is this photo:

Blog Hop Inspiration



I pulled out the old PTI Alpha-block stamp set and matching die and inked it up in a rainbow of colours. I popped them up for some dimension and that's about it!

USC21 - Flower Birthday


I had a busy week last week. Lots of events at our school and church (including 3 bake sales!) and it was so hard to watch the happy mail come in and not be able to play! Finally, last night I had a few minutes to sit down and play. I pulled out Uniko Studio's latest Flower Power (#7 to be exact). I love this graphic, symmetrical solid daisy and its matching outline!

I created a rainbow of 'loose' daisies (solids stamped then two outlines for each) and finished with a sentiment from Simply Said Birthday. And sparkly black enamel dots for centres.

I'm linking up to Uniko's Flower challenge.

Sunday 24 May 2015

MCV3, MFTWSC229- Merry Christmas


I decided to combine two challenges for this card. The sketch came from MFT's Wednesday Sketch Challenge:




and the theme and colours came from this week's MCV challenge where we have our first inspiration from MCV DT Member Betty Wright and this gorgeous card:




I used MFT Electric Red cardstock and cut the 'ribbon' using MFT Stitched Snowdrifts dies. The Merry was cut in gold foil cardstock, using MFT Little Lowercase alpha dies.

The sprigs and pinecones are from Impression Obsession.

Saturday 23 May 2015

OLS16 - Blossom


I can't believe that we're almost through May! I finally took some time to play along with the current One-Layer Simplicity challenge, which is hosted by Heather this month. 

I pulled out one of my oldest stamps - this row of daisies by Unity Stamp Company. I will never give this stamp up (I should say stamps - I have it in a smaller size as well). I love the handrawn feel of these blossoms!

I stamped them and then masked them before sponging very some Tumbled Glass really lightly around them. I finished with a Dark Room Door sentiment. And then I coloured the daisies with Stardust Stickles. And the card warped. I left it to dry, hoping that it would settle back to flat, but it really didn't. This card will likely have to be cut down and attached to another card base.

So I made another card with the same supplies, but left the Stickles off this time. I changed the placement from vertical to horizontal and added some deeper blues to emphasize the contrast of the white daisies.

Anyway, you're almost out of time to play along with us at OLS this month (deadline is the end of the day on the 24th) - I hope we'll see you there!



Friday 22 May 2015

Muse 118 - Three in a Row


This is my card for this week's Muse Challenge, where DT Member Marion has given us a very masculine inspiration:



I focused on the basic layout, the 3 inlaid dies, a neutral colour scheme including dp and the fur. Yes. The fur. Dogs have fur and so do my velvet brads. lol! I dug them out to add a bit of colour and texture to this more feminine take on Marion's card.

I used some old Stampin Up DP and some new PTI dies.

Thursday 21 May 2015

Happy Birthday


We're having a crazy-busy week this week, so this card was made a while ago for no particular reason other than I got a new present border die from Taylored Expressions.

I inlaid some aqua bits in (because we all know where those boxes come from and there's always good stuff inside! lol!) and gave them a coat of WoS for some shimmer. The sentiment is from Papertrey's Bigger Blooms.

Wednesday 20 May 2015

Welcome Baby


You may be surprised to know that this was my original card for this week's CASology Cue Card, Wedding.

I planned to go with a shotgun wedding and use this baby card, but at the last minute, I lost my nerve and went with something a little more, well, traditional!

I call this one 'Google' baby (mostly because of the colours) and I think it's perfect for babies of parents who have grown up not remembering life before Google!

I made it for a friend who has a friend having a baby - they don't know the gender yet, so that's another plus to this primary-colour design.

I used MFT Monogram Alpha stamps (can't find it on the website - maybe it's retired) and an old unknown welcome.


Tuesday 19 May 2015

CASology 147 - Wedding


This week's CASology Cue Card is Wedding!



I know it's wedding season, but my husband and I are at that magical age where our friends and family are already married and our kids are too young to be getting married, so we don't have any weddings to go to this summer. I have a friend who works with 3 people who are planning weddings, so I will give this to her.

I used some of my new Impression Obsession Wedding Icons dies and inlaid them into a plain white card. The ring and church are cut in gold foil. The ring has a silver glimmer 'diamond' underneath it for extra sparkle. The dress was cut in white glitter paper.

By using such iconic images, and with such symmetrical placement, I just didn't have the heart (or nerve!) to add a sentiment.  To personalize this, I could move the 3 icons up and include the date at the bottom. I could also use a different colour card base, to match a colour scheme. I guess the cross on the church (or the church itself), could limit who you might give this to, but there are other non-religious icons in the die set that could be used instead.

Now it's your turn! Be sure to get more inspiration from the rest of the design team!



Monday 18 May 2015

AAACards39 - Happy Birthday!


Happy Victoria Day! Here in Canada, we celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday every May - it's the unofficial start of summer and we've been having fabulous weather, sunny and warm! Perfect for bbq's, long walks and fireworks!

I'm sharing a card I made for AAACards 39th challenge, to celebrate their first birthday!


I pulled out one of my recent purchases, MFT's The Whole Herd to create this. I used the matching dies so that I could fit everyone including the hen and her chick onto the card!
I used a red panel to get a barn-y feeling, with all the critters peeking out through the door. They're so cute! I coloured them with Copics.

Thanks to Kimberly for reminding me to link up to Retrosketches as well.




Sunday 17 May 2015

MCV2, OLCCC9 - Angel


This is my card for our second Muse: ChristmasVisions challenge, where DT member Chriss Blagrave has given us this inspiration:





and also for the current One Layer Christmas Card Challenge, which is 'anything goes' with angel as an optional twist.




I used Chriss' layout and a similar colour scheme - my golden Artful Stamper angel and Verve sentiment are embossed using 'Gold Pearl' embossing powder. To keep the card one-layer and to incorporate the teal of Chriss' inspiration, I sponged a strip of Tumbled Glass.


Saturday 16 May 2015

Happy Birthday, Sandie! (or, Inspired by Nail Art, Part Two)


Today is the birthday of a very special person - Sandie from London Days! Kylie is hosting a special birthday party and we're all invited!



I was inspired by some more nail art on Pinterest for this one-layered rainbow card:

Rainbow Dots - nail design https://www.youtube.com/user/milleaccendini


I feel kinship with whoever this is, because she likes to start her rainbows with yellow, just like I do! lol!

I started by stamping a row of (Simon Says Stamp) dots on my grid paper work surface, to provide a guideline. By the time I was done, though, my dots were not perfectly lined up. So I used the same size outline circle and stamped it twice on every dot, to give more definition, but also to give a slightly wonky feeling. And now you can't see which ones are not in perfect alignment (humour me if you can! lol!) because of the movement created by that simple 'trick'! I finished with a new Paper Smooches sentiment.

Happy Birthday, Sandie! I hope you have a great day!




Friday 15 May 2015

Three Challenge CAS Birthday Card


This simple little card is actually for 3 challenges:

Essentials By Ellen Mix it Up challenge (Using EH Wild Garden and Avery Elle So Happy)

The Card Concept  #35 (I went for clean and graphic)



And CAS(E) This Sketch 123









Muse 117 Times 2


This is my first card for this week's Muse challenge, where DT Member Michele has provided us with this sophisticated inspiration:

I focused on the colour scheme, the metallic die cut, the window and the scripty sentiment. I love how the pop of silver (from my Memory Box flower die and a Michael's bling centre) brightens up the monochrome grey card. I used an Essentials in Ink sentiment.



My second card is quite different - I reversed the solid and patterned areas using an Altenew flower to create my background pattern. I layered a large vellum circle and a smaller black circle under my Papertrey die cut. I was also inspired by this card by Sarah at Make the Day Special.


Thursday 14 May 2015

Essentials By Ellen May Mix it Up Challenge


I'm sure you've heard the saying 'go big or go home'. Well here it is! This is for the Ellen Hutson's Mix It Up challenge. I've used Mondo Magnolia (stamp and dies) and Avery Elle's So Happy, along with a lot of Ranger Wild Orchid ink.

I masked the main panel and sponged the ink to provide a bold grounding for my mostly white flower. Because my card is 4.25x4.25 and square, the magnolia can hang off the edge and still fit into a standard envelope.


Wednesday 13 May 2015

Inspired by Nail Art (Part one)


Nail art is all the rage these days and there are so many fun designs on pinterest. This card was inspired by this nail art on my inspiration board.


Toe nails

I started by stamping and masking the single large daisy from Waffle Flower's A Bunch set. I coloured the panel with copics and then coated the whole thing with Versamark ink before embossing it with iridescent embossing powder for some sparkle. I set the flowery panel into a polaroid frame from Papertrey and added a Clearly Besotted sentiment that had a similar line weight. It felt like it needed something, so I stamped, coloured, cut (with the matching dies) and embossed two more daisies for some dimension.

Yes, there's a Nail Art Part Two post coming.....

Tuesday 12 May 2015

CASology 146 - Music


This week's CASology Cue Card is Music!



I chose what is probably one of the most famous songs in the world and made a birthday card for my friend Natasha. I gave it to her when we were together last weekend.

I stacked up a Taylored Expressions present and ribbon die, and then added some Stampin Up Glimmer Paper and a perfect W Plus 9 sentiment.

This card is CAS because of all the clear space (it's pink, but it's still clear), no distressed or inked edges or busy patterns - the sparkle adds enough interest and texture.

Now it's your turn! Go make some Music! And make sure you check out the rest of the DT for some more inspiration:

Monday 11 May 2015

Celebrate with Happy Little Stampers



I've been seeing the sketch challenge graphic for the May Happy Little Stampers challenge all over the place and I just wanted to make that exact card! So I did!





This sketch is a perfect example of how you can use colour and shape to create a very happy feeling! My card is very simple, using Lots of Dots from Simon Says Stamp along with my favourite bright inks. I separated my image panel from my sentiment panel, just for a a bit of interest and finished with an old Stampin' Up sentiment simple stamped in black.


Sunday 10 May 2015

MCV1 - Peace


Here's another card I made for our first Muse: ChristmasVisions challenge where Kimberly has provided us with this inspiration:




I focused on the watercolouring technique and the colour scheme, although I reversed the proportions of blue and white. I used a large panel of the watercolouring that I made the other day, speckled with gold, along with a Savvy peace die cut and some snowflakes.

We had another stamping day yesterday, this time Emily brought her friend Lindsey. Who is now OUR friend Lindsey. Lindsey absolutely insisted on being the photographer and not in the photo, so this one is incomplete, but what a fantastic day of fun we had! We went to a little Thai place for lunch and then went back to Emily's to celebrate Natasha's birthday with citrus cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream frosting. (yum, if I do say so myself!). We weren't the most productive this time, but we did have a ton of fun and laughs!



I hope you'll get a chance to play along with us for this challenge - the deadline is Wednesday morning at 8 am EDT. At that time you can vote for your 3 favourites (even if you didn't link up a card) until Thursday morning at 8 am. Voting results will be posted at noon on Thursday. Hope to see you there!