Happy Birthday

Some time ago I was fortunate enough to have a card selected as the winner over on the Male Room Challenge, following which I was invited to be a Guest Designer for one of their challenges and this is it!

Needless to say that this theme is just up my street!

My card was made following our recent holiday in Antigua, where we stayed in a super little cottage in Cocobay, with Adirondack chairs on the deck overlooking our pool and the sea. We spent many happy hours on those chairs, reading, enjoying the the weather and the view. As soon as I got home I searched to see if I could find a die of an Adirondack chair and found this one from Impression Obsession. It is triple stacked, adhered over a patch of  'sand'  from a stamp from Stamplorations and embossed with some old Distress Embossing powder, which melts to a rough, matt finish.  I don't believe that it is still produced.

The seagull is by Memory Box and the sea elements from Charlie and Paulchen.

I hope that we can return to Antigua before too long, the people are so welcoming, we loved it!

 

 

 

A little bird...

I was playing around with my embossing folders and loved the results of inking this Nellie Snellen 3D embossing folder with  SU River Rock ink.

I mad this video to illustrate the process.

The tiny birds, from Charlie and Paulchen are popped up onto foam tape to add a little definition.

The sentiment was computer generated in Are you freakin serious font.

The code word this week at Addicted to CAS is Birds so this is for that challenge!

 

Happy Birthday

A card using dies from Gummiapan (net) and Charlie and Paulchen. The dies were cut from pieces of digitally printed card with images from pngwing. The pink was flowers and the green was a leafy background. I think it works quite well, giving slight variations of colour.  Sentiment is from Paper Smooches.

Addicted to CAS - Nautical

 

Botanicals

Fairly recently I discovered a craft company from Sweden, called Gummiapan. They produce the most delightful images for stamps and dies and are really reasonably priced, with excellent customer service. The vase and flowers for this card came from that source. I coloured them with markers and added a little dimension to the vase using an embossing stylus amd mounted it on foam tape. The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted and I stamped a scrap of card with the stripy stamp and cut a small piece for the coaster.

The challenge at CASology is Botanicals so this is for that!

Inkspirational

 

Have yourself a fabulous birthday

A short while ago I drew a sketch for the Facebook CAS Card Making Group, (where I am a moderator) using this card as the model. It is so similar to the sketch at Just add Ink, that as I haven't previously blogged this card, I thought I would do it now!

This is the sketch from Just Add Ink.

I was using up scraps to make this card... even the die-cut flowers are from very old Cuttlebug dies. There's something about kraft or this neutral shade and white which I find particularly pleasing. The ring is mounted on foam tape to add a little dimension.

The sentiment is by Personal Impressions.

 

40

Some years ago one of my cards found its way to a recipient who lives in Ireland. I usually put a little sticker on the back my cards with my name, phone number and email details etc and in this case it has brought many, many commissions from this particular lady. Every now and again I will receive a text from her requesting a bunch of cards. Sometimes it will be months and months between requests but it's always good to hear from her. 

The stamp used here is an old wood mounted one from Inkadinkadoo, which I think was called My Mother's Dress. I have another smaller version of it somewhere which came as part of a clear stamp set, but I've always loved it. I stamped it in black Versafine ink and then embossed it with WOW Black twinkle embossing powder. I began by colouring it with watercolour pencils, but it was just too insipid for the effect I wanted to achieve, so went over it with a couple of shades of red Copic markers.

I embossed some black card with the same EP and cut the numbers (Sizzix) and the shoes (Britannia Dies) from it. I tired to be a bit subtle with the shoes adding a slightly offset, under layer of red to suggest the brand of rather special manufacturer!

Just Us Girls

 

Have a magical birthday

 

This card is just a bit of fun. The rabbit was a 'thank you' freebie from Charlie & Paulchen with a recent order. I simply found a free piece of clip art of a magician's hat to pop him into, which I printed, cut out, and shaped, mounting it on some foam tape to keep the shape and adding a computer generated sentiment. The fonts used are Champagne and Limousines and Baby Lalisa.

The bunny was gently coloured with alcohol markers.

CASology - Fluffy

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

Birthday

Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Less is More - Occupations .... Magician!

Happy Birthday

Here is a new die from Charlie and Paulchen, which is a circle with a few seagulls. I printed a piece of blue paper and cut one circle from that and another from white and inlaid the white seagulls into the blue sky. The lighthouse is a freebie die from a mag and I extended the cut slightly as the lighthouse was positioned on the right of the land and was in the way of the seagulls. The starfish is also by Charlie and Paulchen and the stamped sentiment by Avery Elle. The circle and square dies for the panels are from Presscut. Looking at this makes me feel calm somehow!

Seize the birthday - Ocean Creatures

The Male Room - Animals 

I hope the starfish and gulls count as animals!

Addicted to stamps and More any occasion 

 

Happy BIrthday

How could I not join in with this challenge at Less is More.... the challenge I created with Mandi 11 years ago! That's such a milestone in Blog challenge terms. Thanks SO much to the fabulous crafters who have continued the tradition since I stepped down... quite a few years ago now. 

This card is made mainly with dies by Charlie and Paulchen. The window was made from a large arched window die by Memory Box, but I shortened it and removed the arch by partially cutting from each end. It turned out to be just the right size for the roman blind die from C&P. I thought the dresser might come in handy for some baby cards and there are all sorts of other bits and bobs which go with this set.

Long may the CAS tradition continue at Less is More and thanks once more to those carrying it forward!

 

Happy Birthday

This is my second card for the challenges at Just Us Girls this month, where I have been invited to be Guest Designer once more. 

The challenge this time is to have an inked or sprayed background. Whilst sitting pondering what I might make, I found myself looking at a piece of kit that I haven't used for a very long time. I'm not sure where I got it but I think it may have been Stampin' Up, as I used one of their watercolour markers in it. It's called a Spritzer, but it works like a diffuser, which basically puffs a gust of air across the tip of a marker, (by squeezing the bulb,) which leaves a kind of splatter of ink on the page.

I cut it to make a background panel for the pansy die-cut by Alexandra Renke. I used a cutting die to emboss the horizontal band and added a couple of die-cut charms to some baker's twine.

Card making gives me an inordinate amount of pleasure, which is only increased by the fact that it is shared with so many like minded crafters all around the world, whom I am delighted to call my friends! Let's hope lots of them join in with this challenge!

 

Happy Birthday

I recently discovered a site for digital images, which I wanted for the occasional background for some of my cards. It's called theHungryjpeg. I began this card with one such image. I printed two and used one for the front panel and another to die-cut a circle to superimpose over the image, so adding a third circle to the existing two in the design. Another couple of die cut foliage sprigs, a few pearls and an die-embossed stripe down the panel, together with the sentiment completed the card!

Addicted to CAS - Circles

 

Happy Birthday

Today is my friend's birthday and we will be joining her and her husband and another couple to celebrate the occasion over a meal. I will be giving her this card, however it is not the one that I made for her originally as that one has mysteriously disappeared! It must be somewhere hiding in plain sight but I can't find it... if it does reappear it will have to do for next year as I did put her name on it!

For this one I used the foliage, circle and tag die cuts by Alexandra Renke, colouring the leaves with a couple of shades of Distress Oxide inks and then stamping some splatters with one of the colours. The 'happy' is from The Greetery and the 'birthday' from Create a Smile. Both are stacked a few times.

The three ladies concerned in this celebration (Ladies who lunch) will be spending a day closer to Christmas meeting alpacas and doing a wreath making workshop, it's our gift to the birthday girl and should be great fun... but first to celebrate this evening!

The Paper Players

Watercooler Wednesday - All things Feminine

 

Happy Birthday

Here is a very simplified version of the sketch at Global Design Project!

The rectangle has been squished, the flower is in place of the circle and the sentiment is as is! If this is too far removed from the sketch I hope the gals over there will disregard it!

I used a plank die by Memory Box and a flower by Alexandra Renke, all coloured by dabbing with Distress Oxide inks. The sentiment is from Clearly Besotted.

The Flower Challenge is still celebrating its 5th Birthday and they would like to see a shape as well as a flower... I think the rectangle of wood satisfies that criterion.

 

I just had to change the water filter on my fridge, that in itself was a nightmare, firstly I bought the wrong one and as I had removed the wrapper,  it cannot be returned... expensive mistake at £60. Then once I had got the right component (fortunately as a slightly cheaper price) I found that I can't manage to reset the filter warning light. Don't you just love technology!

 

Happy Birthday

A dear friend of ours will be having a birthday very soon... I never know what to make for him but it usually has a link with music somehow or other. He is a musician, a composer, a singer and all round great fun chap. Here the reference is from a stamp by Artemio and a random quaver... or should I say eighth note for our friends across the pond. Years ago when we lived in Virginia for a while, I had to get used to all sort of different musical terms when we joined a local choir.... including all the names of the notes and measures instead of bars!

The Male Room - Black & White

 

Happy Birthday Rob

Here is a card which I made for a friend of ours. We went to the same church, we sing in the same choir and in fact I taught his son, who is now a consultant anaesthetist, when he was 5 years old. So our friendship goes back quite a long time. Besides singing he also used to play the tuba, so I thought a musical reference would be fitting! I cut the numbers with my Silhouette portrait, and added some stamping from Artemio. The sentiment was computer generated!

I used an MFT faux stitched circle to mount the momentous number on!

Seize the Birthday

Watercooler Wednesday - All things Masculine

 

Happy birthday

Having not made a skinny card for ages, I now find that I have made two in practically as many days, but both have been in response to challenges.

Color Throwdown

and  Freshly Made Sketches

The Male Room 

Nature's bounty -  I'm referring to the wood, which is indeed a bounty of nature!

Watercooler Wednesday - All things masculine

I found a scrap of designer paper, (it was lucky as I don't use it much these days and have sent most to the charity shop) which toned with the chosen colours for the challenge and simply added a die cut sentiment. I don't remember the make of the alpha dies. I tried every colour for the word birthday and it took me ages to make a decision... in the end I stacked two of the colours I had cut out together.

 

 

Formal Birthday

I entered a challenge some time ago and was asked if I would like to do a Guest Designer Spot, so this it the first of those occasions at Stamps, Fun = Creativity!

This week it's 

ANYTHING GOES

This card came about because I was asked to make a card for someone who is always very particular about his appearance and is always smartly dressed even at breakfast. I have made a dinner suit card once before and it was tricky trying to remember what I did! Basically I cut a couple of black rectangles and scored and folded and trimmed until I had the lapels. I cut a strip of double stitched white card for the button placket and used a die to cut the bow tie. The waste (holes) from a border die gave me the buttons.

 

Birthday WIshes

I found a scrap of background that I had created with s stencil and some distressed shaving foam... I say distressed as I had mixed the colours with the foam and left it to sit overnight, the result being more relaxed than marbled. I added a few die cuts and a simple sentiment and it was done.

Seize the Birthday By The Sea.

Addicted to CAS -Nature