Just Add Ink Challenge

This JAI colour challenge this week was indeed a challenge for me, I was ok with the So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz and Elegant Eggplant, but throwing Riding Hood Red in there too? I mean that was a struggle to come up with a good combination, so I pretty much ignored the Red until I'd put most of the card together!

Decided to do a Valentine card and here is my entry.

I did lots of dry embossing here, with Perfect Polkadots, then Elegant Lines on so saffron, I went with the Square Lattice on Pear Pizzazz then when using the Scalloped Heart of Hearts embosslit it all came together.

The Heart punch works out beautifully cutting out the embossed heart and allows layering so you can have a scalloped border for the heart. I also used the Heart to Heart punch to punch out hearts from the embosslit hearts so they were embossed too! I've used the sentiment from Artistic Etchings and figure that it's not to feminine so it could be used for a guy....now all I have to do is find someone to give it to!!!

Blue seems to be the order of the day!

For the next challenge, guess what?  it's blue too although I have combined a colour challenge in there too,

This card goes into several challenges...

Friday Mashup - Sketch and add optional bling  (since when is bling optional?)

SU Only Challenges - Bling

Stampin' Royalty - Birthday theme

Crazy 4 Challenges - Celebrate theme

Curtain Call - Act 63 Colour Challenge

I have to say the colour challenge really threw me, but I think I managed to add the Cajun Craze and Chocolate Chip without overpowering the Blue.  The Always Artichoke altered topnote and the Whisper White butterflies are sprayed with Champagne Shimmer Mist (an alltime favourite of mine as are the butterflies) plus it provides a bit of subtle bling.

The year begins...

News Flash!:....... This card was chosen as an Artists Pick on Hand Stamped Sentiments. Thank you to the lovely ladies there for that honour....LOL Wheeeeee.


Hi everyone, the year not yet two weeks old and already it's shaping up to be hectic, even a little chaotic! I've finally made some time to do some challenges. I'll have to come back to post the others, here's the first of them

This entry is for the SU Only Challenge # 9 'Bling' and Hand Stamped Sentiments #49 Winter Blues.

I found this stunning dragonfly bling the other day and thought it would be great in a scrapbook page it's almost jewellry with the crystals and diamontes. Not sure that this pic does it justice cause it sure counts as Bling!

I've used Bashful Blue and Night of Navy card stock, Night of Navy ink, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, pinking hearts border punch sizzix ovals, Rhinestones and Marina Mist taffeta ribbon. The sentiment comes from a long retired hostess set.

I've had a request for the instructions for the border, so here goes....


1. The borders are pretty easy, cut your oval or circle and apply double sided tape around the edge you need to pleat it a bit to go round the edges.

Note: if you are using the oval or circle to stamp on, stamp your image prior to putting the tape on as it won't lay flat enough to stamp on after the tape or edge has been applied.

2. Next punch your border on the long side of a sheet of A4 Cardstock then trim it off leaving about 1/2 inch strip.

3. Snip along the strip towards your border evenly at every scallop or between the points on the pinking edge ( see picture below)

4. Peel off the backing paper, with the right side of the oval or circle facing you, begin at one end section of the border strip and stick that to the edge, slightly overlap the next section lining up the edge of the oval with the border and keep doing this until your border is around the oval.

Front view

Back view

The finished oval or circle will look something like this

Depending on the size of your oval or circle, you may find the edge doesn't meet neatly, put an embillishment over that and you're covered. Can you spot where this one meets???

Happy crafting for 2011

A while back, I posted a few flowers that I'd done with my first purchase of Copic markers. I finally got up enough courage to try a 'Tilda' and here she is, I'm going to have to practise some more with my shading, but overall I'm pretty happy with the first attempt. I've decided to enter her into the Just Magnolia challenge as it's an anything goes challenge.

Hope you like my little Cherry Tilda! I've gone for my all time favourite colour combo of Teal and Purple {any shades of it, just LOVE it.}

To make this card I've used....

Cardstock & Papers

Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla & Concord Crush,

Papermaina patterned papers,

Inks and Colours:

Stampin' Up! Concord Crush ink

Stamps

Magnolia Cherry Tilda

Stampin' Up! Short & Sweet

Tilda is coloured with Copics and highlighted with a white Gel Pen.

Dress, Scarf and Socks are in G000; G00; G02

Hair is E31; E33; E35

Skin is E50 and E53 with E04 blush

Cherries are R46 and G02

Shoes C1; C3 & C5

Dies

Stampin' Up!sizlits 4 pack tags die

Nestibilities scalloped oval

Accessories

Concord Crush Ribbon

Paper flowers (sorry unknown)

Purple Brad

4 Cards - 5 Challenges!

I've just spent a lovely couple of hours in my craft room creating challenge cards. I've made four cards covering off 5 challenges.... I just hope I link them all up right!

First off is the Mojo Monday Round or Square challenge combined with Colour Lab Challenge #22

Next comes a second entry in the Colour Lab Challenge #22 combined with a Stamping 411 sketch #183 I love this Blueberry Crisp and it fitted in perfectly with the Colour Challenge of course once again, Butterflies feature in this card and it was hard work not to use them in the other cards I made this morning!

So then it was time to try the Curtain Call Act 62 colours and this also used the sketch #51 from Stampin' Royalty (Opps too late, entries have closed!) I'm not one for murky greens, so while I'm reasonably happy with the end result, it's just not me.

Then it was across to Easy Craft Projects for this challenge, which I altered by using flowers instead of Flags, but then that's what the challenges are all about, taking artistic license with the sketches! I don't normally reach for Yellow but figured that it was a nice contrast to Rich Razzleberry, I've spritzed this all in Gold Glow smooch and embossed the sentiment in clear mixed with Dazzling Diamonds, if that wasn't enough bling, then I've added rhinestones to the centre of the flower brads as well......I had to stop myself adding them to the punched out flowers too as I thought that might be taking all that bling a little too far!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas

Finally, all the pressies have been selected, the wrapping will be finished tonight and I can heave a huge sigh of relief and of course promise myself that I'll be way more organised next year....(yeah right!) I'm sure we all say that each year, and how many of us actually start our Christmas shopping in July?  

I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all who have stopped by and left a comment about my artwork, it's lovely to think I've inspired you all to go be creative.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a that 2011 is all you want it to be an more.  And now on to the creative stuff!

I've been busy making these 'Star Tags' for my gifts and found this tutorial so thought I'd give it a try.  It's too easy and looks stunning.

This is the 'Star Tag' which will be attached to the present, it's got a space for writing on the other side.

Here is the 'Star Tag' with the bead slid up the ribbon and the star starts to spring open

Take the ribbon over to the other side so you can slide the bead up to close the Star shape open.  (if that makes sense!)

Ta Da!  doesn't this look stunning?

Here is a picture of the three that I made, I've put snow flakes on the inside in Certainly Celery to add some contrast.

Another challenge

I've managed to get two challenges out tonight so hence the second post.  Looks like it's a red black and white night!

This is my very first time playing on the Crazy 4 Challenges site.  C4C67 sketch I've left exactly as is and here is my entry

The red and black has been spritzed with Champagne Shimmer Paint which sort of shows up on the photo.  I used markers to ink up the salutation and then painted the bauble in champagne shimmer paint.  I've added yet more bling with some rhinestones.

Remember When...

This Mojo Monday 169 sketch just seemed to come together like magic.  I already had decided to use one of the roses that I'd recently coloured and posted a couple of days ago, I just naturally gravitated towards the red one which then led to the red/white/black theme of the card.

I've used the flocked paper from the recent christmas promotion and it gave this lovely old world charm to the card which then led to the 'Remember When' sentiment from the Word Play stamp set.  It all just flowed together beautifully in about 10 mins....Hope you like it as much as I do!

Roses, Roses, Roses!

I finally got my roses coloured, I've done 4 in total, it just seemed to take me ages to get this card to come together tonight though!  This pale mauve rose is coloured using just one colour and slowly building up the layers to add depth and dimension, I am pretty happy with the end result.  I've put a few dew drops on the rose and leaves with Crystal Effects and added a sprinkle of Dazzling Diamonds to give a little sparkle.  

This lovely rose ended up matching the retired Pale Plum card stock so I dragged that and Mellow Moss out of the back of the cupboard and used them here!

Here's the other roses I've coloured, all ready to be used in a project.  Not sure that taking the photo at night under a bright light is doing them justice though, the shading is a bit washed out here.

Copic Christmas!

I've seen some stunning and beautiful cards done where images have been coloured with Copic markers so after debating long and hard, I went out this morning and picked up my first lot of Copic Markers.  

Here are my first cards made using them, I think I'll get better at this whole shading and blending thing as I go, but everyone has to start somewhere!  I've blended three pinks on the butterfly and then added a soft blue green to highlight the circles on her wings.  Melon Mambo and Whisper White card and the sentiment is from Well Scripted.

 

And for my next attempt at shading... I've used three reds red/oranges here for the flowers from Fifth Avenue stamp set, the sentiment comes from Many Merry Messages which is one set I use a lot during Christmas Card making sessions I love this scripted message.  

I think the shading has ended up being very subtle here on the petals but I'm pretty happy with the result. I'm sure I'll learn the tricks of the trade for this as I go.

 

I hope you've enjoyed my postings, I'm off to try the Fifth Avenue Rose with copics, I've done it in watercolours and it was stunning so lets see what I come up with using this new technique.  I'll post it later today if I get it finished!

Mojo Monday #168

Well I know it's Thursday, but it's taken me this long to find the mojo for the Mojo Monday Challenge

The week has been eventful, my grandson graduated primary school last night and all the females in the family are lamenting the fact that kids grow up too darn fast!  Possibly because Great Nanny and Nana as well as Mum have to face the fact they are getting older!   LOL Tonight saw Monther and Son among the performers in the Christmas Show at the Good Sheppard Home for the Aged (Becca works there).   Blake played the drums while the small childrens choir sang Little Drummer Boy and then a few acts later Becca and Blake got out their guitars and played a duet and sang. 

For my entry I've gone back to my woven paper technique.  Love the combo of Marina Mist and Sahara Sand, I've used shimmery white for the sentiment from Well Scripted and clear embossed it.    

Baby Cards

While in ACT recently I visited one of my favourite little craft shops and found this Sizzix folder, with all the swirls and stars I had intended to use it for Chirstmas Cards but it also works so well for Baby cards.

With this one, I've added some glitter on the dots to highlight them and used the now retired Little Angel stamp set (2010 Summer Mini) which just seemed to suit, I inked up some of Stampin' Up! paper daisies and used a pink rhinestone brad to adhere the double layer of flowers to the card.

For this Bundle of Joy card, I've used the Joy stamp from the Welcome Christmas set and just the 'bundle of' words from a stamp in Little Angels set. I just love this little embossing folder with added bling!

 

This little card is just so cute with the Little Girls poem on it.  Again more bling used to highlight the embossing folder but every little girl deserves bling!

Usually there is a pletheroa of cards and presents for the new arrival, but I have the request for some cards specifically to say congratulations to the new parents, so here are a couple that I've recently made.

I hope my cards inspire you, Cheers for now,

Kasey

Stamin' Write Markers

Inspired by a recent post from Christine Blain, I took out my markers and put them to good use.

Upsy Daisy is a great one to silhouette, I needed to make some sympathy cards for a stationary box I'm making so came up with these two cards.

This is one of my favourite colour combinations, Cherry Cobbler, Sahara Sand and Very Vanilla.

Then I got out the level 1 hostess set Because I Care and came up with this one.

I love the way the flowers came out, here is a close up.

Peacock Feathers

The picture for the Colour Q challenge inspired me to create this card.  I've also combined it with the Friday Mashup #21 sketch.

Using Soft Suede, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Wild Wasabi and Whisper White, this is my take on the colour scheme.  The soft suede ink made the white ribbon very dark which I'm not sure I like.  it was fun making the peacock feather but the whole thing is outside my normal style, still that's why I'm doing challenges, to step me outside my comfort zone!

Back to Challenges

I've been away for a week, luckily this work trip gave me a chance to catch up with some very special friends in Canberra.  Hello all you lovely people!  

I've missed my craft room while I was away and to get back into the swing of things I've checked out my favourite challenge sites and here is my dual entry for Mojo Monday and Curtain Call.

This card is using the sketch from Mojo Monday and the colours from Curtain Call.  Colours are Basic Black, Basic Gray, Concord Crush, Crumb Cake and Whisper White.  I've layered the strips of Black, Gray and White on a mat of Concord Crush and paced that on my Crumb Cake card base.  

Then I've clear embossed the flower on the Black and Grey and on the white I've embossed in Concord Crush.  Building up the layers, White circles with Basic Gray ink sponged on the edges, Concord Crush die cut shapes and clear embossed the same flower on the larger one and the sentiment on the smaller one.  Then I've used some punches to do the stars and circles and popped on some bling! (as usual)

Here is a close up of the sentiment and stars.  What do you think?

Unfortunately, there is so much moisture in the air from this 6 weeks of rain we've had, that the card curled up once all the layers were on, I've accidently put a crease in the top layer trying to uncurl it... Damn!