SHC - Happy Birthdays .....

.... Good morning! I'm here with my regular weekly post for Seven Hills Crafts. Today I'm sharing a couple of birthday cards that I've made. My husband, Jonathan, and his sister, Charlotte, share the same birth date - 30 April, just seven years apart! I'll start off with the card I made for Charlotte:

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Let's Party Turnabout, Tiny Tagalongs, Yay for Birthdays; Altenew - Hello Hydrangea

Inks: Gina K - Soft Stone, Wild Dandelion; Delicata - Silvery Shimmer; Memento - Gray Flannel; Versamark; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Dies: Altenew - Hello Hydrangea

Accessories: White Card; Copic Markers; Lawn Fawn - Silver Embossing Powder

I'm submitting this card to Color Hues - CH#16 where the colours are yellow and grey - the Pantone colours of 2021. 

I started by stamping the Let's Party turnabout background in two shades of grey, silver and silver embossing. Next, in my MISTI, I stamped the lovely hydrangea flower on white card. I removed it and coloured with Copic markers. I know that a totally yellow hydrangea like this doesn't exist in nature, but I wish it did!! I returned the coloured image to the MISTI and restamped with Versamark ink and heat embossed with silver embossing powder. This is still one of my all-time favourite techniques. I used the co-ordinating die to cut out the completed flower along with two more plain white card die cuts. I layered the die cuts together to give some diemension and strength to the flower and adhered it to the front of the card. I finished the front by stamping a simple birthday greeting in black ink. On the inside, I cut a piece of white card slightly smaller than the note card. I stamped another birthday greeting, this time overlapping the words. I added some little flowers to decorate the inside, edged the card with a yellow marker and adhered it. All done!

While I had the Let's Party turnabout in the MISTI I made another background using shades of blue, green and teal for Jonathan's birthday card:

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Let's Party Turnabout, Oh Snap!, All the Birthdays; Altenew - Birthday Builder

Inks: Gina K - Key Lime, Powder Blue, Ocean Mist, Jelly Bean Green; Versafine - Onyx Black; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Memento - Grey Flannel

Dies: Concord & 9th - Oh Snap!

Accessories: White Card; Copic Markers; Clear Embossing Powder

I'm submitting this card to Never-Before-Used-Schtuff - NBUS#25 - the Let's Party stamp is quite new, but I've had the Oh Snap! set for a while - it's the first time I've used them both!

After stamping the background, I turned to the focal image. Jonathan loves to take photos. While he doesn't use a Polaroid camera anymore, I'm sure he did once upon a time! I had to find some photos of these old polaroid cameras to work out how to colour it. I was very happy to see that they had a rainbow on them, so I added that to my completed camera. I used the matching die to cut out the camera and also the little slit where the photo comes out. I stamped the photo image on white card, used the die to cut it out and then added a birthday message in the centre along with a little 'pull here' message on the photo tab. Once assembled, I used dimensional tape to (a) hold the photo in place and (b) adhere it to the front of the card. Inside, I cut a piece of white card onto which I stamped a birthday greeting and decorated with photos stamped in various colours.

I think that they will both like their cards. Charlotte is celebrating her 50th, and Jonathan will be 57 years old (my toy boy!). I am going to make a special fruit birthday cake for Jonathan - his favourite.

That's all from me today. See you again soon.

SHC - Anniversary - Love You ....

... Good morning! I'm here with my regular weekly post for Seven Hills Craft. Today's card is very special. Twenty years ago today I married the most wonderful man - Jonathan - the love of my life and my best friend. This card is for him:

Stamps: Concord & 9th - All the Love, Dahlia Turnabout, Petals and Pallets, Just Because, Lots to Say, Oh Snap!, Geode, Love & Hugs; MFT - Sweet Nothings

Inks: Gina K - Key Lime, Turquoise Sea, Blue Lagoon, Christmas Pine, Blue Raspberry, Blue Denim; Memento - Bamboo Leaves

Dies: C&9 - All the Love

Accessories: White Card; Gina K Card - Christmas Pine, Key Lime, Blue Lagoon; Nuvo Clear Aqua Shimmer Brush; Glossy Accents

I'm submitting this card to Never-Before-Used-Schtuff - NBUS#25 - All the Love is brand new and some of the older sets haven't been used before either 😁 I'm also playing along with Happy Little Stamper Anything Goes with Dies - HLSAGD#04.

I went through all my stash to find words to create a background for this anniversary card. I wanted words to express my feelings for Jonathan - my rock, BFF, you are gorgeous, all the feels, you matter to me, and my favourite - 'hi gorgeous' which is something I say to Jonathan all the time. I used my MISTI to check that all the stamps were straight and then used a variety of green, blue and teal inks to stamps the words. I filled the spaces with hearts from several of the stamp sets and did them free hand. Next, I used the large 'love' die from All the Love dies and cut four pieces in dark green, lime, turquoise and white. I layered them together and adhered the word to the centre of the card. I added some sparkle to the letters with a clear aqua shimmer brush and added shine with glossy accents. Once dry, I finished the front by adding the word 'you'. I cut the word from black card and only after gluing it on did I realise that I couldn't see it properly, so I cut another 'you' from white card and adhered that on top. Perfect!! On the inside of the card, I cut a mat layer of dark green card and on the white panel stamped a message - Jonathan is very much 'still the one'.

Normally, for a special anniversary we'd be going out to dinner, but as dining in at restaurants doesn't open up again until the middle of next month, we'll be dining at home! I can't believe how fast the last twenty years have gone by.

Anyway, that's all from me today. See you again soon.

C24C - Theme - Reindeer ...

... Good morning! We've had some lovely bright sunny days here in North Wales, but even though it's been bright, we've still had cold, frosty mornings. I spent yesterday afternoon working in my craft room on my card for our new challenge at Christmas 24 Challenge - C24C#32 where we have a theme of Reindeer. I've made a simple and elegant card:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse Stamps - Yonder Star Background, Rustic Christmas, Ornate Ornaments

Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Kaleidacolor - Fruitcake; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Dies: Spellbinders - Deckled Mega Rectangles Lg (S5-015) #4; Kaisercraft - Deer Head

Accessories: White Card; Gold Linen Effect Mirri Card; Clear Embossing Powder; Green Card

I'm submitting this to Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge - HLSXMAS#04 where it's Anything Goes (I'm not doing the option). I'm also playing along with The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge - H&ICC#92 where it's Anything Christmas goes.

I've used one of my all time favourite background stamps on this card - Yonder Star by Waltzingmouse Stamps (sadly Claire shut up shop a while ago). I inked it with a Kaleidacolor pad - these colours are just perfect for Christmas - and stamped it on the front of an A2 card. On some white card I stamped the lovely stag's head with sentiment in Versafine ink and heat embossed it with clear powder. I then carefully fussy cut it out. I used a fancy edge die to cut the gold panel and adhered it to the centre of the card. I used dimensional pads to adhered the stag's head. On the inside, I cut a piece of white card onto which I stamped a simple Christmas greeting and added a green die cut stag's head.

Please don't forget to visit our Christmas 24 Challenge blog to see more inspiration cards from the rest of the team. You have until 30 April to join the fun. Bye for now!

SHC - Happy Birthdays ....

.... Hello! It's time for my regular weekly post for Seven Hills Craft Blog. I have a couple of birthday cards to share today and they are quite different. I'll start with clean and elegant birthday card:

Stamps: MFT - Sassy Pants Birthday Greetings, Whimsical Greetings

Inks: Gina K - Soft Stone, Innocent Pink; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Dies: MFT - Happy Birthday Block

Accessories: White Card; Gold Pattern Design Paper; Gina K Card - Innocent Pink; SU Card - Smoky Slate; Nuvo - Clear Aqua Shimmer Brush

I'm submitting this card to Less is More - LIM#440 where they have a colour challenge to use Pink, Grey and Gold. It's been a while since I joined in with their challenges, so I'm pleased to finally get there!

I started by cutting a piece of white card 5" square, placed the die in the centre and cut out the greeting 'Happy Birthday'. I layered the cut piece onto some gold patterned design paper that I found in my stash. I edged the whole piece with a pink marker pen and adhered it to the front of a 5¼" white square card. Next I used the die to cut out the letter from pink and grey card. I used the inlay die technique to replace some of the letter on the front of the card. I left some of the letter empty to show the gold paper. I added shimmer to the pink and grey letters with a clear aqua shimmer brush. I'm pleased to say that you can see the shimmer in the photo above - it is so pretty in real-life! On the inside, I cut a 5" square of the gold paper and adhered it inside the card. I cut a piece of white card 4½" square and stamped a fun greeting in the centre. I added some decoration around the edges in pink and grey ink. I adhered the panel inside the card. I do like the bold gold border.

Next, I have a shaped birthday card to share. I don't usually make shaped cards, but this was fun.

Stamps: MFT - Happy Birthday Background Stamp, Playful Peacock

Inks: Gina K - Soft Stone, Innocent Pink; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Versafine - Onyx Black

Dies: MFT - Playful Peacock; We are Memory Keepers - Nesting Hexagons #13, #11, #10, #9

Accessories: White Card; SU Card - Bermuda Bay; Copic Markers; Clear Embossing Powder; Sakura Stardust Pens

I'm submitting this card to AAA Birthdays - AAAB#24 where they want to see a shaped card (not a square or rectangle), and to Time Out Challenges - TOC#185 where they have an inspiration photo. I took the colours from the photo as my inspiration.

I started by using a large hexagon die to cut a hexagon shaped card from a standard A2 card. I was careful to make sure that the top cutting edge was just off the card, so that the card could open. I then used the same die to cut a full size hexagon (marginally bigger than the shaped notecard) onto which I stamped the happy birthday text background in soft pink. I adhered the stamped piece to the notecard. On some scrap card I used my MISTI to stamp the front-facing peacock, removed it from the MISTI, coloured with Copic markers, returned it and stamped with Versafine black ink and then heat embossed with clear powder. I used the matching die to cut out the peacock. I used a couple of smaller hexagon dies to cut a mat layer in turquoise and a white layer. I positioned the peacock on the white card, stamped a pun greeting in black and then adhered the whole panel to the centre of the card. I used some Sakura stardust pens to add coloured glitter to the spots on the feathers. Inside the card, I cut a mat layer in turquoise and on the white card I stamped another of the peacocks, coloured it with Copic markers and adhered it to the mat layer. 

Both these cards are for my stash - I have a few birthdays coming up this month, so it's good to have some ready to go. That's all from me today. See you again soon.

Happy 80th Birthday ....

..... Good morning! I'm sharing a couple of birthday cards I've made for my father-in-law, Simon, who is 80 years old today. He's not much for celebrating birthdays, so I decided not to put a number on his cards, but you I think you can tell it's a special birthday! Here's the first card:

Stamps: Impression Obsession - Umpteenth Birthday; Concord & 9th - Yay for Birthdays; Waltzingmouse Stamps - Woodgrain

Inks: Gina K - Sandy Beach, Dark Chocolate, Soft Stone, Barely There; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Memento - Summer Sky, New Sprout

Dies: Spellbinders - Contemporary Squares

Accessories: White Card; Scrap blue and green card

I'm submitting this card to The Male Room - TMR#149 where the theme is wood. I've used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches - FMS#480 for the layout, and I'm also playing along with Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies - HLSAGD#04.

I thought I had some real wood card in my stash, but I couldn't find it, so I stamped a woodgrain image on white card using two shades of brown and a soft grey. I used a Spellbinder die to cut out the swoosh of contemporary squares. I adhered the outline piece to the front of an A2 card. I used some scraps of blue and green card to cut out the 'squares' and adhered them inside the outline. I finished the strip by adding the square of 'wood' card. I completed the front with a fun birthday greeting, which I'm sure Simon will like! On the inside, I cut a piece of white card slightly smaller than the base. I stamped a fun birthday cupcake in soft tones of blue and green and finished with a fun sentiment.

The card above is the one that mum sent to Simon. I also made one for Jonathan and I to send to Simon:

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Best of Birthdays; Concord & 9th - Birthday Stacks

Inks: SU - Merry Merlot, Mossy Meadow, Daffodil Delight; Versafine - Onyx Black

Accessories: White Card; Visible Image Stencil - Two Tone; Copic Markers; Clear Embossing Powder; Nuvo - Clear Aqua Shimmer Brush

I'm submitting this card to CAS Colours & Sketches - CASC&S#414, Perfectly CAS - PCAS#13, and to Seize the Birthday - STB#211 where the toppings option is Squares.

I started by masking the card to create a central panel onto which I stencilled lots of little squares in burgundy, yellow and green. Next I stamped this cute cake topped with loads of candles and a fun sentiment. I coloured the image with Copic markers and fussy cut it out. I added lots of sparkle to the cake with a clear aqua shimmer brush. I used dimensional pads to adhere it to the front of the card. Inside, I cut another piece of white card, slightly smaller than the card. At the bottom I stamped a line of bold birthday candle which I coloured with Copic markers to match the central panel. I embossed the candles and finished with a bold, simple birthday greeting which finishes off the message.

While travel restrictions have been relaxed in the United Kingdom, it is not possible for us all to get together to celebrate. However, we will be having a Zoom get together for a quiz and to chat later this afternoon. So looking forward to when we can all meet in person!!

That's all from me today - have a good one. See you soon.

SHC - Lovely Christmas Legs ....

... Morning all! It's time for my weekly Seven Hills Craft blog post. I've got a Christmas card for you - the snow we had yesterday got me in the mood 😁

Stamps: Colorado Craft Company - Lovely Legs Ice Skating

Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Gina K - Stormy Sky

Dies: MFT - A2 Rectangle Stax Set 1 #11, A2 Stitched Rectangle Stax Set 2 #8

Accessories: White Card; Kaisercraft DP - Mint Wishes; Tim Holtz Water Colour Card; Clear Embossing Powder; Nuvo - Clear Aqua Shimmer Brush; Zig Watercolor Brushes; Glitter

I'm submitting this card to a couple of challenges - Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog - MLCCB#33 and The Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge - H&ICC#91, they both have an Anything Christmas Goes theme. I got the idea for the ice skating lady from the current challenge at Christmas 24 Challenge - C24C#31 where the theme is Snow People.

I started by using a die to cut the fir tree design paper for a mat layer and adhered it to the front of the card. Next I die cut a piece of water colour card. I stamped the image with Versafine black ink and heat embossed with clear powder. I used Zig water colour brush to colour the image. I applied the water colour ink to the card and used a water brush to fill the colour. To make the sky I applied some water colour ink direct to the card and then used my water brush to spread the ink and create an ombre from dark at the top to lighter behind the tree line. Once dry, I added the greeting and embossed it with clear powder. I adhered the panel to the front of the card and then to finish it off I added lots of shimmer and sparkle. I used a clear aqua shimmer brush on the frozen lake and the hem of her skirt, and added glitter to the tree branches and along the edge of the lake. On the inside, I cut another piece of design paper for the mat layer and on the white card stamped the lovely legs image again in grey and finishing off the greeting.

This card is a bit out of my comfort zone - I don't usually do this much water colouring, but the embossed lines do make it easier for me. I'm really pleased how it turned out.

I'm taking mum to have her hair cut and styled today - here in Wales hairdressers reopened last month but I couldn't get an appointment for mum until today. She's absolutely thrilled to be having her hair done as in 'normal' times she has her hair done every five weeks!! 

That's all from me for now - see you again soon.