Birthday Balloons

.... Good afternoon! It's been a lovely day here in Northop Hall. Bright, sunny, and cold! Jonathan has had a photoshoot at home, Mum's been to church and has been enjoying an afternoon movie, and I've been in my craft room working on more birthday cards and listening to music. Here's the card I made:

Stamps: Gina K - Birthday Sparkle, Big Birthday, So Many Sentiments

Inks: Gina K - Red Hot, Tangerine Twist, Wild Dandelion, Lucky Clover, Turquoise Sea, Blue Denim, Wild Lilac; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Dies: MFT - Dienamics - Stitched Fishtail Flag Stax #4, Fishtail Flags Layers Stax1 #5

Accessories: White & Black Card; Gina K Stencil - Bold Balloons

I'm submitting this card to Just Us Girls - JUGS#724 where it's anything goes with a stencil, and to Seize the Birthday - STB#282 where the topping of 'off the edge'.

I love rainbow birthday cards - they are so bright and cheerful and work for everyone. I cut a piece of white card and masked an area to create a column of balloons. I started at the top with red and finished at the bottom with purple. I used a stitched edge die to cut the fishtail flag (it was a bit longer than I wanted so I moved the die down to make it shorter). I cut a fishtail in black card for the mat layer. I adhered this to the front of an A2 white note card. The tag is very slightly bigger than the card, so it's off the edge and meets the STB challenge requirement. I added some rainbow and black stars/sparkles directly to the white card and finished the front with a simple birthday greeting.

For the inside, I stamped a bold and fun birthday greeting in black, added some stars/sparkles and finished with a few balloons stencilled at the top going off the edge.

Before I go, I have to thank everyone who has stopped by to leave a comment. I appreciate the time you take and your lovely words. Thanks. And that's it for today.

Birthday Hot Air Balloon

... Morning! I hope you've all had an enjoyable weekend. We've had fun - see below, and I've made cards. Today I'm sharing a card that I've made for my brother-in-law, Tim, who has his birthday at the beginning of May. Here's the card:

Stamps: Dare 2B Artzy - Balloon Tangle; Gina K - Birthday Sparkle, So Many Sentiments

Inks: Gina K - Sea Glass, Turquoise Sea, Tranquil Teal, Tomato Soup; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Dies: D2BA - Hot Air Balloons; Gina K - Birthday Sparkle

Accessories: White Card; Blue Vellum; Simon Hurley Stencil - Polka Dot Assortment; Copic Markers

I'm submitting this card to Freshly Made Sketches - FMS#632, and Just Us Girls - JUGS#723 where they have a super moodboard.

I started by cutting a piece of card 5" square and stencilled a pattern using the colours from JUGS. I love this type of stencil - there are almost endless possibilities for patterns. I trimmed the panel to size and adhered it to an A2 note card. I used my MISTI to stamp the hot air balloon, removed it from the MISTI, coloured with Copic markers, replaced it and stamped the image again in Versafine Clair black ink. I used the matching die to cut out the balloon.  I stamped the birthday greeting in black ink and cut it out with the matching die. I found some vellum in my stash, cut a mat layer, adhered the stamped images and then added the whole lot to the card.

Inside, I cut the remaining vellum into a mat layer. On the white card I stamped a fun greeting and added a balloon flying off the edge of the card.

As I mentioned above, we had a good time over the weekend. We went for a drive on Saturday; we live in such a pretty area. Then in the evening Jonathan and I watched Oppenheimer - it's an excellent film. I can see why it won so many Oscars. Then on Sunday afternoon, I listened to Taylor Swift's latest album. It's good. My daughter, Kat, will be delighted that we've caught up with it!! Bye for now.

Sympathy Cards

.... Hello again! Yesterday I shared some sympathy cards I've had to make. Today, I'm sharing some more. This is the first:

Stamps: MFT - Deepest Sympathy; Gina K - Fancy Feathers

Inks: Gina K - Lovely Lavender, Ocean Mist, Soft Stone; Versafine Claire - Nocturne

Dies: Gina K - Fancy Feathers, Master Layouts 8, Lots of Dots

Accessories: White & Black Card; SU Card - Smoky Slate; Silver Satin Mirri Card

I'm submitting this card to Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies - HLSAGD#09.

This card was inspired by the card Gina K made in a five minute video using the Fancy Feathers die. I changed up the colours, the feather used, the direction of the dots and the stamps used. Inside the card, I cut a mat layer of black card. On the white panel I stamped two of the smaller feathers and added a simple greeting in black.

This is the second:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse Stamps - Fine Feathers; Waffle Flower - With Sympathy Duo

Inks: Gina K - Lovely Lavender, Ocean Mist, Stormy Sky; Versafine Claire - Nocturne

Dies: WMS - Fine Feathers

Accessories: White & Grey Card; Gina K Stencil - Lush Leaves; Silver Thread; Crystal Gem; Copic Marker

I'm submitting this card to Happy Little Stamper Stencil Challenge - HLSSC#09.

I started by stencilling a background pattern onto white card - I simply used the ink left over on the brushes. I trimmed the panel to size and added a black border to the top and bottom with a black Copic marker. I stamped the message in black ink and added some wings below with a tiny gem in the middle. I finished the front by adding two feathers - one stamped in blue and one in lilac. The stamp set and dies from WMS are both discontinued. For the inside, I cut a piece of white card which I edge with a black marker. I then stamped a simple message and added another of the feathers to the corner of the panel.

And this is the final card:

Stamps: Gina K - Bold Bloom, So Many Sentiments; WMS - Frame It

Inks: Versafine Claire - Nocturne

Dies: Gina K - Master Layouts 2

Accessories: White & Black Card; Copic Markers; Sakura Stardust Pens

I'm submitting this card to Never-Before-Used-Schtuff - NBUS#54 - this is the first time I've used that beautiful flower.

I used my MISTI to stamp the image on white card, removed it and coloured it with Copic markers. I returned the image to the MISTI and restamped with Versafine Claire Nocturne ink - such a deep black. I used a stitched edge die to cut out the image, stamped a sentiment below, adhered it to a black mat and glued it to the front of an A2 (US size) white note card. I added a touch of sparkle to parts of the flowers and leaves with Sakura Stardust pens. Inside the card, I cut a mat layer of black card. On the white panel I stamped a simple sentiment and added the flower in the corner.

I mentioned yesterday, that these have been the hardest cards I've had to make. They were all for my family. My lovely cousin, Neil, died on Monday 18 September - he was only 57 years old. 

Neil was such kind man and much loved by all the family. Neil's passing has left a huge hole in our hearts.