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.

Time to be a unicorn ...

... Hello! I hope that everyone is keeping well. I've been having fun in my craft room. I've got an unusual card to share with you now:

Stamps: Dylusions - I Believe in Unicorns; Stampin' Up! - Gorgeous Grunge
Inks: Gina K - Black Amalgam, Peach Bellini, Passionate Pink
Accessories: White Card; Nuvo - Clear Aqua Shimmer Brush; Copic Markers; Dylusions - Bigger Back Chat

I'm submitting this card to CASology - CAS#367 where the word is Magical, Colour Throwdown - CTD#591, Addicted to Stamps and More - ATSM#387 to make your mark, and Freshly Made Sketches - FMS#433.

This is loosely based on the sketch at FMS. I used one of the paint spatter stamps from SU to do the background and create a cloud if pink splatter. I stamped the unicorn image on scrap card, coloured it with Copic markers and added a huge amount of shimmer with a clear Nuvo aqua shimmer brush. I used one of Dyan's fabulous quotes from Bigger Back Chat for the words. I think in the current circumstances it sums it up rather well.

I took a close up of the unicorn to show all the shimmer - looks wonderful in real life. That's all from me today. I'm getting ready to join in with Dyan's online class this evening - should be such fun.

TMR - Theme ...

... Hi! Are you watching the Winter Olympics? I am! I really enjoy watching it all - particularly the ice-skating, but the skiing is fun too. I have to admit that I only watch - I fall over if I try to go out in the snow and ice 😉 This is all leading up to our theme for The Male Room - TMR#79. For the next couple of weeks, we'd like to see your masculine projects with a Sport/Winter Olympics theme. I actually got a bit carried away - I made three cards, here's the first:

Stamps: Uniko - All Occasion Sentiments #2, Background Builders Seeing Stars, Extra Time
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Gina K - Wild Dandelion, Blue Denim
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kanban Toppers - Extreme Sports; Stampin' Up! Card - Night of Navy; Clear Embossing Powder

I knew exactly what I was going to use to make my cards for the Sports/Winter Olympics theme. I've had some Kanban toppers in my stash for about 8 years. I got them from QVC and they come out everytime I need something masculine. I clipped out this skiing photo (this works for the Olympic Sports theme) to use on a square card. I didn't want to hide the photo, so I stamped the greeting directly on the image and heat embossed it with clear powder. I adhered the panel to the card using dimensional foam. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of dark blue card and on the white panel, I added a greeting and some stars stamped in the same colours as the ski suit. This was so quick and easy to make. I'm submitting it to Love to Craft Challenge Blog - LTCCB#19 where Anything Goes!

My next two cards are not based on the Winter Olympics but on more regular sports of football (or soccer to my American friends) and rugby. Here's the football version:

Stamps: Uniko - Background Builders Seeing Stars, Time
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Gina K - Red Velvet, Blue Denim
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kanban Toppers - Football; Stampin' Up! Card - Night of Navy

This time I clipped out three of the smaller images featuring football. I stamped the stars on the card using colours from the photos and finished the front by adding a fun sentiment. I attached the two images on the side flat to the card and used dimensional pads to add the image in the middle. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of navy card and on the white panel added a simple message along with some red stars top and bottom. I used the sketch from Reverse Confetti Sketch for you To Try - SFYTT#57 for the layout. This was another quick and easy card to make.

And the last card features rugby images, which is sort of appropriate as the NatWest Six Nations Championship is running at the moment:

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Gorgeous Grunge, Greatest Greetings; Uniko - All Occasion Sentiments # 2, Fontiments Birthday
Inks: SU - Island Indigo; Gina K - Blue Lagoon
Dies: Die-namics - Circles Set 2 #4 and #6, Stitched Circles #4 and #6
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kanban Toppers - Rugby; Stampin' Up! Card/DP - Island Indigo

I used the same sketch as before but changed out the shapes for circles. I used dies to cut out the images and card for matting. I stamped the spatter and sentiment directly on the card and adhered the circle images on top. On the inside, I cut a layer of teal design paper for the mat layer, and on the white panel, I kept it very simple with a bold birthday greeting. I'm submitting this card to Addicted to CAS - ATCAS#129 where they want us to use the colour teal!

Don't forget to visit The Male Room blog to see more from the Design Team and also from our guest designer, Laurie. Do have fun with this theme, I can't wait to see what you create. You have plenty of time to join in, the deadline for submission is midnight GMT on Tuesday 27th February (that's 7.00pm EDT in the States).

That's all from me for now - I'm off to watch the ice-skating. I have my DVR set up to record the programmes and I watch them while I iron!! See you soon.

TMR - Theme ....

.... Hi! This month is flying by, it's already time for our next challenge over at The Male Room. We have a fun theme that really works well for masculine projects - we want to see VINTAGE - TMR#77. You can make any type of papercraft project; I've made two quite different cards. Here's the first card:

Stamps: Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz - Crazy Talk
Inks: Gina K - Dark Chocolate
Dies: Die-namics - A2 Stitched Rectangles Set2 - #1, #8 and #9
Accessories: Cream Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - Garage Days; Stampin' Up! Punches - ¾" and 1" circles

This card was super easy to make. I'm sure that I'm not the only person to have a huge stash of design papers and as I was going through that stash, I found this page - it has a really vintage vibe and it makes a fabulous card. I used cream lustre card for the base card. I die cut a panel of the paper and adhered it flat to the card. I think that you can see that each of the little images has been laminated. I lightly sponged ink to the edges of the card. I used punches to create the 'vintage goods' element. I finished the front by stamping a birthday greeting, cutting it out with a die, inked the edges and adhered it with dimensional pads. On the inside, I die cut another sheet of the pad, inked the edges and attached it to the card. On the cream panel I stamped a fun sentiment, I think this card is for my father-in-law and I'm sure he'll appreciate the joke!!! I completed it by adding one of the little laminated images.

I'm submitting this card to Love to Craft Challenge Blog - LTCCB#18 where the theme is Anything Goes. And here's the other card - quite different:

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Feeling Sentimental, Gorgeous Grunge, Butterfly Basics
Inks: SU - Dapper Denim, Tranquil Tide, Lemon Lime Twist; Gina K - Black Onyx
Accessories: White Lustre Card

This is a clean, simple, vintage card. I know that might seem a contradiction in terms, but I think it still counts as vintage as the focal image is a penny farthing bicycle and I've gone for a more vintage style font on the sentiment. I stamped the lines first and then the bicycle. I created a mask for the bike and then added the spatter pattern. I finished with a simple greeting on the front. On the inside I simply stamped 'happy birthday', added some more spatter and the bike moving off the page.  I used the colours from The Paper Players - PP#376 - I really like the colours.

Now, don't forget to visit The Male Room blog to see more inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and from our guest designer, Magda. You have plenty of time to join in the fun - deadline for submission is midnight (GMT) Tuesday 30th January - that's 7.00pm EDT in the States.

I must apologise to all those who played along with our first challenge of the year, as I've not yet been able to comment. I've been down with the dreaded cold and am only now really feeling myself. I'll be getting around soon. That's all for now. See you soon.

TMR#61 - Stash ...

... Hello! I'm here this morning with my card for our new challenge at The Male Room - TMR#61. We have a stash challenge for you to use DIE CUTS on your masculine projects. This is not the card I was going to make, but after watching all the reports of the bomb at the concert in Manchester, I felt the need to make a sympathy card. Words are always so difficult to find when someone you love dies, but in times like this, it can be even harder.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - An Open Heart, Gorgeous Grunge
Inks: SU - Smoky Slate; Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Spellbinders - Contemporary Squares
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Basic Black, Smoky Slate; Gems

I cut the squares twice, once in black and once in grey. I stamped some spatter on the card, adhered the die cut pieces and finished with a simple sentiment. On the inside I cut a mat layer of grey card and on the white panel I added more spatter and finished the sentiment. This card is going into my stash, you never know what the future brings. I'm submitting this card to Less is More - LIM#329 where the theme is Geometric.

Do visit our blog to see more inspirational projects from the rest of the team. You've got plenty of time to join in with our DIE CUTS challenge, deadline for submission is midnight (BST) Tuesday 6th June, that's 7.00pm EDT in the States. Bye for now.

TMR - Theme ....

.... Hello! We had a fantastic response to our last challenge at The Male Room, so I hope you enjoy this theme as much as the last. For the next couple of weeks we want to see STARS - TMR#60 on your masculine projects. It's coming up to graduation time for the seniors at our local high school, so I decided to go with a theme that would work for a graduate or someone starting a new job:

Stamps: MFT - Stars Above; Stampin' Up! - Gorgeous Grunge, Word Play
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Kaleidacolor - Blue Breeze, Desert Heat; Delicata - Silvery Shimmer
Dies: Die-namics - Stars Above
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Tempting Turquoise; Glue Pen; Foils

I'm submitting this card to Addicted to CAS - ATCAS#110 where they want to see Grunge, CASology - CAS#248 where the cue word is Commencement, and to the on line gallery at Online Classes Sparkle and Shine - this features foils.

I was watching the foiling video from Sparkle and Shine class this morning and realised that I had totally forgotten that you can use glue pens to adhere foil to stamps. I stamped the stars on some scrap card and drew over them with a fine glue pen, allowed them to dry until tacky and then added foil. It's so easy and so effective. I cut them out with matching dies. I stamped a grungy background, stamped a bold sentiment and adhered the stars with dimensional tape. On the inside I cut a mat layer of bright turquoise card, and on the white panel added a sentiment and some more stars.

Here's a close up of the foiled stars - so pleased how they turned out!

Do visit our blog to see more inspiration projects from the rest of the team. You've got plenty of time to join in - deadline for submission is midnight (BST) Tuesday 23rd May. Bye for now!!