SHC - Holographic Birthday cards ....

... Morning! Wow, it's the last day of March - this month has flown by!! I've been having fun in my craft room making a couple of very shiny birthday cards. Today is my regular weekly post for Seven Hills Craft store. I've made two cards using some of Concord & 9th's fabulous birthday stamp and die sets. Here's the first card:

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Let's Party Turnabout, Yay for Birthdays

Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Delicata - Silvery Shimmer

Dies: Concord & 9th - Perfect Pairings

Accessories: White & Black Card; Holographic Card

I'm submitting this card to Addicted to CAS - ATCAS#194 where the cue word is Birthday.

This card is about as easy as it gets. I used black card to make the side folding notecard. I die cut the birthday words from rainbow holographic card and adhered them flat to the note card. I didn't add anything else as I want the shimmer and shine to be the star of the card. Inside, I cut a mat layer of silver mirri card. On the white panel, I stamped a birthday greeting in black and added some silver confetti using one of the smaller stamps from Yay for Birthdays.

My next card uses the balloon die from Perfect Pairings - again, I've kept things very simple:

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Let's Party Turnabout, Yay for Birthdays

Inks: Delicata - Silvery Shimmer; Versamark; Gina K - Stormy Sky

Dies: Concord & 9th - Perfect Pairings

Accessories: White & Black Card; Holographic Card

I am delighted that the full holographic effect has been captured in my photos - a bit surprised too!! The balloon die gives the outline of balloons along with five solid balloons. I adhered the die cut to the side of the card and stamped the greeting in Versamark ink and heat embossed with silver powder. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of the same holographic card and on the white card I stamped a bold 'Yay' using the two-step stamp from Yay for Birthdays. 

I am so pleased how these cards turned out. I love the way the holographic card shimmers in the light, so even though both cards are clean and simple, they sparkle!!! And how! That's all from me today. See you again soon.

Perfect Moment ...

.... Good afternoon! Yes, I'm posting again! I've been having fun just playing along with various challenges. So, today I have a rather quirky card to share:

Stamps: Stamp Mania - Mexican Pottery Set; Visible Image - Take the Moment, The Ripple Effect

Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Mint Macaron, Mossy Meadow; Verafine Claire - Nocturne

Accessories: White Card; Copic Markers; Sakura Stardust Pens; Nuvo Clear Aquashimmer Brush; Clear Embossing Powder

I'm submitting this card to Fab Friday - FABF#208 - where they have these lovely colours, and to Addicted to CAS - ATCAS#192 where the cue word is Animal. 

I love this lizard image and I think he's perfect for the animal element of my card. I used my MISTI to stamp him on white card. I removed the image and coloured it with Copic markers. I then returned the image to the MISTI and restamped in black Versafine ink and heat embossed with clear powder. This technique is one of my favourites because it gives such a lovely crisp, clean image. I then very carefully fussy cut him out. I used a top-folding A2 white card and stamped a subtle background directly onto the card. I adhered the lizard, onto which I have added some shimmer, and then added a sentiment. On the inside, I finished the message in bold black and stamped the lizard again in dark green ink.

I really like this inspirational message. For the moment, the card is going into my stash but I think I know where its eventual home will be. 

I've got a couple more cards in progress, so I'm going to make the most of a nice quiet Saturday afternoon and work on them. See you again soon.

SHC - Thank You Mr Postman! ...

... Hi! I'm here this morning with my post for Seven Hills Craft blog. I've gone for a postal theme this week. I've made several projects. Here's the first:

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Postmarked Turnabout, All the Hellos, Type Talk

Inks: Memento - Lady Bug, Tangelo, Dandelion, Bahama Blue; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Dies: Concord & 9th - Snail Mail

Accessories: White & Black Card

I'm submitting this card to Cardz 4 Galz - C4Glz#139 where they want us to be inspired by Beatles songs. My card is based on All My Loving where the lyrics include the line "then while I'm away, I'll write home everyday and I'll send all my loving to you", and also to their cover version of Please Mr Postman.

I used my MISTI to stamp the fun background in bold, bright colours. I cut the panel down to 5¼" square and layered it onto a 5½" black square and glued the lot to the front of a white square card. I used a rectangle "postage stamp" die from Sanil mail to make the focal image. I cut a piece in black card and in white card. I stamped the word 'Hello' using colours to match the front panel, overlaid it with a scripty 'hello' and then layered it onto the black diecut piece. On the inside of the card, I cut a mat layer of black card. On the white panel I stamped a tiny message in the top left corner, and added some decoration at the bottom. Most of the panel is blank for my message. I also decorated the envelope to match the card.

While I had the turnabout stamp in the MISTI, I stamped another panel. This time I used colours from Cupcake Inspirations Challenge - CIC#511 where the colours are maroon, teal and gold. The layout is based on last week's sketch from The Paper Players - PP#525.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Postmarked Turnabout, Type Talk, Tiny Tagalong

Inks: Gina K - Blue Lagoon; Stampin' Up! - Merry Merlot; Hero Arts - Unicorn; Delicata - Golden Glitz

Dies: Concord & 9th - Snail Mail

Accessories: White & Black Card; Gold Mirri Card; Midas Aquashimmer Brush; Glossy Accents

I cut the panel to 4¼" x 5½" and adhered it to the front of an A2 (US size) card. I cut a piece of white card an inch smaller each side and adhered it to the card toward the top right. I used the little square "postage stamp" die to cut a gold stamp, and the heart die to cut a little black heart. I adhered the heart to the stamp, added some gold shimmer to the heart and added a layer of glossy accents and set it aside to dry. Meanwhile, I cut a strip of white card onto which I stamped a birthday greeting in white ink, cut an angle at the end of the strip and glued it to the card. I finished the front by gluing on the gold stamp. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of black card and on the white panel added a bold birthday greeting, some little hearts in the same colour as the front of the card along with some gold diagonal stripes.

I had a strip of card leftover, so I made another card. I'm submitting this one to Addicted to CAS - ATCAS#190 where the theme is Pattern, but still clean and simple.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Postmarked Turnabout, Snail Mail

Inks: Gina K - Blue Lagoon, Turquoise Sea; Stampin' Up! - Merry Merlot; 

Dies: Concord & 9th - Snail Mail

Accessories: White & Black Card

I adhered the patterned strip to the bottom of an A2 card and added a thin black strip of card above it. Then I stamped a small snail trail above the black card. The snail is a three-step image - I stamped the outline in black, the body in light teal, and the shell in maroon. I used the co-ordinating die to cut him out and adhered him directly to the card. I finished the front by stamping the large "hi!" sentiment in bold black ink. The inside has been left blank for my message.

Finally, I made a little gift card using a large envelope die.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Brighter Days

Inks: Memento - Lady Bug, Tangelo, Dandelion, Bahama Blue; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Dies: Concord & 9th - Mini Post Envelope

Accessories: White Card; Kaisercraft DP - Bombay Sunset

The cut cuts the envelope and also the liner - here this is a scrap from one of my many design paper pads. To make the card, I simply cut some white card to 3¾" x 2½", used a corner rounder and stamped a bold, bright message. The finished envelope is 4" x 2¾". It's a bit small to mail, but works for adding to gifts and also makes a super embellishment for larger cards.

Here are all the challenge graphics:

That's all from me today - thanks for sticking with me to the end. Keep safe. See you soon.

CASOF - GD - Happy Birthday ...

... Hi! Recently, I was picked as winner of the flower challenge at CAS on Friday and, as a result, I'm their Guest Designer for this week's challenge. So this week at CAS on Friday - CASOF#181, the DT want us to make a clean, simple card with the theme of Animal. Here's my card:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse Stamps - Frame It; Inkadinkadoo - Patterned Pets; MFT - Sassy Pants Birthday Greetings 2
Inks: Gina K - Jet Black Amalgam; Versafine - Onyx Black
Accessories: White Card; Copic Markers; Clear Embossing Powder

I'm submitting this card to Perfectly CAS - PCAS#9 where the theme is to use only a third of the card along with Animals, and to Addicted to CAS - ATCAS#185 where the theme is Rainbow.

For me this is an ultra CAS card - I do tend towards CAS, but it's not often that I go as CAS as this!!! I stamped the square frame onto the white card base and, using my MISTI, carefully positioned the funky cat image in the space. I stamped the cat, coloured it with Copic markers, repositioned it in the MISTI and restamped using Versafine ink and then heat embossed the image. This technique gives a really clean, crisp image - which is exactly what you need for a CAS card. I finished by adding the simple sentiment. On the inside, I added a sassy and fun birthday greeting along with the same cat, but this time I didn't colour the image.

I had fun colouring the cat all the colours of the rainbow! That's all from me today - see you again soon.

C4Glz - Happy Birthday ...

... Good morning everyone! It's time for our new challenge at Cardz 4 Galz. For the next couple of weeks we want to see your BIRTHDAY themed papercraft projects. You can make any type of papercraft project - a tag, card, scrapbook layout, 3D project - but you must make sure that the BIRTHDAY theme is prominent. I've made a one-layer card:

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Gorgeous Grunge, Happiest Birthday Wishes, My Friend; Uniko - Birthday Wishes
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Kaleidacolor - Spectrum; Gina K - Black Amalgam
Accessories: White Card; Clear Embossing Powder

I'm submitting this card to Less is More - LIM#418 where they want to see Scribbles, Drips Or Splats, and to Addicted to CAS - ATCAS#183 where the key word is Silhouette.

The card you see in the photo is the third one I made! I love clean and simple, but you have to be so careful to make sure your hands are clean. I ruined two by getting inky figure prints on them. I stamped the greeting at the top in black and heat embossed with clear powder. Then I stamped the floral silhouette image in the corner, I used my MISTI so I was able to repeat stamp the image to make sure I got good coverage of ink. I heat embossed with clear powder. Once the image had cooled down I used a couple of paint spatter images for the splats - I need to have some control, so stamped splats work for me. I used a spectrum inkpad to give a rainbow effect. The inside is equally clean and simple. I simply stamped a birthday greeting and added the splatter pattern in rainbow ink.

This card is going into my stash - I've got lots of birthdays coming up during May and June. Don't forget to visit Cardz 4 Galz - C4Glz#121 to see what the rest of the design team have created. Have fun with the challenge and I'll see you again soon.

Floral Circle ....

... Morning! With all of life's craziness, spending some time in my craft room really helps me to keep grounded, keep sane. I made a card this morning for my mother-in-law:

Stamps: Altenew - Hello Sunshine; Uniko - Background Builders Vines, Background Builders Vine Winter Additions, Simply Said; Lawn Fawn - Happy Happy Happy
Inks: Gina K - Passionate Pink, Red Velvet, Soft Stone, Black Amalgam
Dies: Die-namics - Cross-Stitched Circle Stax # 2 & #3
Accessories: White Card; SU DP - Smoky Slate; Vellum

I'm submitting this card to Addicted to CAS - ATCAS#180 where the key word is Circle, Less is More - LIM#415 to use red, raspberry and grey, and to Cardz for Galz - C4Glz#117 where they want Spring Flowers. Now, in my head this was really clean and simple, but it's turned out to be a little less CAS, I'm still playing along though!!

I used my MISTI and Gina K wreath builder stencil to create the wreath of spring flowers. I used cross-stitch edged circle die to cut the vellum and four white circles.  I stamped the greeting on the top circle and layered the other white circles to give some depth. I layered the stamped panel on soft grey floral design paper and adhered the whole panel to the front of the card. On the inside, I cut another mat of grey floral paper and added a simple greeting and some more flowers. 

I'm safe to share this card here as my mother-in-law doesn't do computers, so she won't see it until the card arrives this weekend. We spoke to her and my FIL yesterday, they are keeping well and self-isolating. My MIL says all is good she has plenty to keep her occupied in her garden.

I know that things are changing almost hourly now, and our new world reality is quite scary, but we will get through this. Look after yourself and your family, keep in touch with family and friends and find ways to keep occupied. My daughter has said she can read for pleasure now! Take care, that's all for now.

Happy Birthday ...

... Hello again! I hope your day is going well. I've had a busy morning - laundry, shopping, taxi service for daughter, etc. And I've also managed to grab sometime upstairs to play. Here's a very clean, simple birthday card:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse Stamps - Frame It; Funstamps - 3D Flower 2 FF68
Inks: Gina K Amalgam - Black
Accessories: White Card; Copic Markers; Nuvo Aquashimmer Brush

I made this card for the following challenges - Colour Throwdown - CTD#582 and Addicted to CAS - ATCAS#179 where the theme is symmetry.

One of my resolutions this year is to use my older stamp sets, and this card uses two sets. The frame and sentiment are from Waltzingmouse Stamps, always one of my favourite companies. The flower is from a set that I got from QVC and works perfectly for the symmetry theme. I stamped the frame and sentiment directly on the card. I stamped the flower in the centre of the square and again on scrap card. I used Copic markers to colour the flower and then cut out layers. I added some sparkle to the pink and kraft layers with a clear Aquashimmer brush. On the inside I stamped a cute little cupcake, coloured to match the flower. There's plenty of space for my message. I took a close-up photo of the flower to show the subtle sparkle.

That's all for now - must get the laundry put away. See you again soon.