Noel

 I just received another package of goodies from Simply Graphic and this little chap was in the mix! I think he's really rather splendid! I cut one in kraft card and one in white and coloured his hat and his nose with Copics. I began with the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches and went on from there.

I cut the square window and  added some dry embossed snow from a retired Sheena Douglass folder as a backdrop, and added a stand of die cut trees, popped the gnome in front as used a sentiment from Clearly Besotted. I love the mix of these colours!

You make me happy

Here I used dies and stamps from Simply Graphic, stacking the leaves and smooshing with Distress Oxide inks and water to add the colour. I added just a little Gilding Wax to the butterfly's wings. The sentiment was heat embossed in white.

TIME OUT - coloured card base

I love the products from this French company, they seem to fit my style of cardmaking perfectly!

 

Just for you

Today's card echoes the colours in the inspiration photograph at The Card Concept

I love the soft muted colours of sand, sky and sea. I chose to use them for colouring these fabulous flowers from Simply Graphic.

I scribbled with some watercolour pencils onto watercolour paper and spritzed very generously with water, The colours moved and spread beautifully and when dry I selected areas from the paper to die-cut. The backdrop is from a Reverse Confetti die and I also cut a small area of the splatters at the edge of the paper for the square.

 

Merci

Here is a card I made today using Simply Graphic dies. 

The colours and flowers remind me of this inspiration Photo from Just add ink.

This colours are really similar in this inspiration photo from Fusion

To make the card I scribbled with some watercolour pencils onto some absorbent card (it actually wasn't watercolour card) and then spritzed liberally with water.  The colours moved around and mixed beautifully and when dry I was able to die cut this SG Nordic Trio of dies.

The back panel was a little random, I had a left over circle from an aperture card and there was a little square die left on my desk, so I die cut a part of the circle, somewhat off centre, dry embossed it and then after raising the circle onto foam tape I popped the square back into the circle, onto the card base. I arranged the blooms, tied them with a little twine and added a simple sentiment.

Have a Lovely Day

Recently I have become totally enamoured with the dies from a French company called Simply Graphic. They are perfectly suited to many card styles but particularly for CAS.

Here I used a scrap of torn vellum, left over from another card, a die cut panel and two simple flowers. I heat embossed the sentiment on a scrap of the card used for the flowers and added a few miniscule gems.

The flower challenge

I didn't make a slimline card, but used a slimline panel!

Country View Challenges

Monochrmatic

 

CAS Mix Up August Challenge

The other day I had a lovely surprise! I received an email from Loll Thompson, inviting me to join the Design Team at CAS Mix Up. I had decided that I would step down from all Designer obligations for a while as I seemed to have been involved with them for many, many years. However.... could I resist joining the team of my favourite challenge?  No, I could not. SO here I am with my first challenge as a designer with them.

This month it's Jenny's Challenge

Jenny's Message

I love this technique because it adds so much interest and depth to your stencilling. I personally find it easier to use a fairly open pattern to make it easier to get a good impression.

I can't wait to see what you create.

Video Tutorials: 

Crafting While Caffeinated  with Lindsay Adreon

Jennifer Mcguire

 Guest Designers 

Bobby (bits & pieces)

&

Michele (I Card Everyone)

 

The thing that appealed to me so much with this challenge blog is the variety of techniques and  mediums involved with making cards for the challenges. This month's involves something which I have never done before... stamping through a stencil.

The stencil I used is a homemade one which I cut from acetate with my Silhouette Portrait. I used just a portion of it and inked with Distress Oxide ink in Salvaged Patina ink, using a blending brush. With the stencil still in place,  I stamped some splatters from SU's long retired French Foliage stamp set, using Memento London Fog ink. The sentiment, from Clearly Besotted, has been in my stash for quite some time, but must have been NBUS, as I had to condition it following several unsuccessful attempts at getting a decent image. I have always found Loll's method of wiping a new polymer stamp across one's forearm to be the most successful!

The die cuts are from Simply Graphic, a wonderful French company which I recently discovered.

I am grateful for the warm welcome to the team!

Why don't you head over to the CAS Mix Up blog and join in the fun!

 

Little One

The challenge at CAS on Friday is to use TINY images.

This little die is from a set by Simply Graphic. I gently coloured a backdrop for the bunny with Distress Oxide ink using a blending brush and popped him in a frame. 

I think that the next time I use one of these dies, I'll use a square cornered frame, with no stitching. I think that that may suit the design a little better.

The sentiment is from a set by Poppy Stamps.