SHC - Shades of Blue .....

... Good morning! I'm here with my weekly Seven Hills Craft blog post. For a change I've only got one card to share with you today. It's a one layer, clean and simple card.

Stamps: Concord & 9th - Painted Shapes; Altenew - Friends Forever

Inks: Gina K - Powder Blue, Blue Raspberry, Blue Denim; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Accessories: White Card; Black Marker Pen

I was inspired to make this card by a couple of challenges - Less is More - LIM#449 where they want us to use Shades of Blue, and AAA Cards - AAA#196 where they want us to decorate two quarters with the option of our favourite colour.

This card is really easy to make. I worked out the centre of side and used them to mask off the card. I stamped the chevron stamp in three shades of blue ink in the top left-hand corner. I removed the masking tape, repositioned it and then stamped the same image in the bottom right-hand corner. I used a black marker pen and ruler to draw the lines to mark off the quarters. I finished the front by adding a simple greeting in black ink. Inside the card, I simply stamped a line of dots at the top of the card (I slipped a bit), and some more chevrons at the bottom. There's lots of space for my message.

I'm very pleased how this card turned out. It's so easy to make that I might make a set and send them to Ben, along with some greetings that he can add as he wants. 

After a rather wet and cool weekend, we've had some lovely sunny days here. Looks like summer might stick around for a while longer. Mum has been busy in her garden - it looks fab. Kat has been packing her bags as she's going back to Nottingham soon for her second year at university. That's all from me today. See you again soon.

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.

SHC - Happy Birthday ...

... Morning! I've not been about much lately, busy doing a Welsh course (which is melting my brain) and several online classes with Dyan Reaveley. I'm here this morning with my card for Seven Hills Craft blog. I've made a masculine birthday card - it's clean, simple and graphic:

Stamps: Altenew - Trigonometry, Halftone Stars
Inks: Gina K - Blue Raspberry, Lucky Clover, Jet Black Amalgam
Accessories: White Card; Black Marker Pens

I'm submitting this card to Less is More - LIM#421 where the cue word is Borders, and to Dare 2B Artzy - D2BA#06 where they want to see Masculine cards.

This is reasonably easy to make, but it really helps if you have a stamp positioner. I used my MISTI. I have a clear grid overlay which I placed over my card base, positioned the stacked triangle image approximately in the centre and stamped to make sure that I had the image on the edge of my card. I removed the overlay and stamped the first triangle. I put the card and overlay back in the MISTI, moved the card so that the edge of the stamped triangle lined up with the image on the overlay, removed the overlay and stamped the triangle again. I did this until all the blue triangles were stamped. I used the same process to stamp the green dotty triangles. After stamping the border, I finished it off by adding a black border. I used a ruler and two black markers. I used the thicker marker to do the outside lines and the fine marker for the two inner lines. I finished the front with a simple sentiment. On the inside, I used a fancy font for the birthday greeting, as I like the contrast with the crisp geometric images. I also added a few little triangles.

That's all from me today. Hopefully, I'll be back on the blog soon, but I've got a bit of work to catch up with from my class with Dyan. See you soon.

Two for one ....

Good morning everyone! It's the start of another week of lockdown, although here in Wales we are now allowed to go out for exercise more than once a day. And there's the possibility of some garden centres opening. Anyway, I'm here this morning to play along with Darnell's Twofer Card Challenge - TCC#27 where she wants us to use Flowers. Here are my cards:

I really enjoy this challenge, but I struggle to play along. However, this time it was easy. One of my favourite flowers is this large chrysanthemum from Uniko and I'm pleased to be able to play along this month. Full details of each card can be found below.

Stamps: Uniko - Pure Florals - Chrysanthemum; Altenew - Bad Days Happen
Inks: Gina K - Ocean Mist, Soft Stone; Delicata - Golden Glitz
Dies: Spellbinders - A2 Matting Basics A (S5-131) #1, A2 Matting Basics B (S5-132) #1
Accessories: White Card; Gina K Card - Blue Lagoon; Gold Linen Effect Foil Card

I'm submitting this card to Colour Throwdown - CTD#592 and Freshly Made Sketches - FMS#434.

I stamped the large chrysanthemum in pale aqua ink in opposite corners of the card. I cut a strip of dark turquoise card and adhered them to the card. I stamped the sentiment in soft grey on white card and used a die to cut it out, and layered it on some gold linen effect foil card which had also been die cut. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of dark aqua card and on the white panel added a greeting and a smaller, gold, chrysanthemum. I think this card is perfect for the very strange times we find ourselves in - and it's going in the post today.

My next card is very clean and simple and is a birthday card:

Stamps: Uniko - Pure Florals - Chrysanthemum; Gina K - Birthday Greetings
Inks: Gina K - Dark Chocolate; Delicata - Golden Glitz; Versamark
Dies: Uniko - Chrysanthemum
Accessories: White and Cream Card; Gold Embossing Powder

I'm submitting this card to Less is More - LIM#419 where they want us to use White and Cream, and to CAS on Friday - CASoF#179 where they want us to use our favourite flower.

I stamped the large chrysanthemum on cream card in Versamark ink and heat embossed with gold power, and die cut with the matching die. I made the card from cream stock and cut a panel of white card slightly smaller onto which I stamped a birthday greeting in dark brown and gold. I adhered the panel to the card base and used dimensional pads to attach the large flower. On the inside, I cut a panel of white card onto which I stamped a birthday verse in dark brown and added a small gold chrysanthemum.

I'm so glad that I finally got to play along with Twofer. 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.

Fly High ....

.... Morning! I hope everyone is well. I've been out this morning for the weekly shop - very orderly queue outside Asda. Everyone seemed in good spirits. Got pretty much everything I need and now back home in my craft room. I've made a clean simple card today:

Stamps: Visible Image - Learn to Fly Again
Inks: Distress Oxides - Shabby Shutters, Crushed Olive, Mowed Lawn; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Accessories: White Card; Taylor Expressions - Oval Masking Stencil; Visible Image Stencil - Cosmic Skies

I've made this card for several challenges:

• AAA Cards - AAA#162 - Made in Minutes, option to use stencil
• Less is More - LIM#416 - OLC, no sentiment
• Just Us Girls - JUGS#530 - word week - Feathers
• Cardz 4 Guyz - C4G#241 - use a stencil

I made this card in about 10 minutes - took longer than that to come up with the idea, but the actual production, 10 minutes. I used my oval mask and placed the cosmic skies stencil over the top, then inked over with three shades of green distress oxide. This gave a lovely crisp oval stencilled background. I then stamped the feather image in dark pigment ink - I realise now the stencil ink shows through, but I kind of like it. On the inside, I kept it simple, adding a verse and another little feather.

This card is for Ben - I'll be posting it later today when I go out for my walk.

I've been having a fun week - Dyan Reaveley has launched a Day-by Day project on her Dyalog Facebook group to keep us occupied during this stay-at-home period. It's a private group, but if you like Dyan's work, it's a great way to keep occupied. I'll be sharing my dyalog soon. That's all from me today - take care, be safe.

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.