Paper Hugs

My card today combines two challenges again - firstly, the Sweet Stop Shop  challenge #195 which is a very structured sketch, and the challenge from colourq  which is inspired by the following colours: I felt I could combine these two challenges with the pretty paper I have just purchased from basicgrey - called kissing booth/butterfly kisses.  Here is my card: I adapted the sketch to make the centre circle just a small button, added a flourish by MFT, and used a MFT pinking edge to separate the sections.  The floral paper incorporates all of the required colours, but I contrasted them with a small pattern dp in a coffee colour, from another basicgrey paper collection, called Little Black Dress and the vanilla and pale pink buttons and raspberry twine were added to provide a little more 'oomph'.  Hope you like the result and thanks for stopping by.

Well, we are nearly into February, and everywhere there are hearts - Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and what could be better than celebrating love in all its forms?  Today's card is being entered into the Addicted to CAS   challenge Number 5 which naturally has the code word HEART.  I used a die from Memory Box called Sofia heart - I used it in my two feature hearts, but I also used the negative  cut to stamp the background in pink and red.  Behind the hearts I used glitter paper, then mounted the hearts on plain white embossed cardstock, and added a small sentiment from Gina K's set, True Love.  Very simple, and I hope there is enough white space to qualify for CAS!  Hope you like it, and thank you for stopping by.

Hi everyone!  I am entering today's card in  Annabelle Stamps  sketch challenge, which is a classic design, don't you think?  I am using ABS set called A Beautiful Day, which includes the lovely sentiment I added to the card.  The background paper was from an old Kaisercraft pad called Chapter One, and I chose this paper for its colour and also because it has the raindrop feel - lol.  The fancy circle is a Memory Box die.  I coloured the image using Distress Stains - I think I am getting a little better at using them, but as you don't need much for this image I'm hoping I got away with it!  Thank you for looking!

Hi everyone!  Hoping your Australia Day was celebrated well and wisely, but our thoughts must also be with our fellow Australians in Queensland who face the prospect of even more flooding, having just recovered from the floods of 2011.  We hope you all keep safe and avoid even more damage. My card today has been made for CAS - colours and sketches - challenge #9.  This week it is a sketch as you can see, so here is my take on it.  I stamped the background paper with a Background stamp from Annabelle Stamps (BBD#3), and then overstamped the dots with tiny hearts.  The focal image is a digi stamp from Sweet n' Sassy, and I added two little hearts with the word 'Love' on them with a pin. I am also entering this card into the  SNSDC#89 , which is All White - that is, the paper and card must start out all white, though may be coloured by the participant.  To ensure a perfect match with my background paper, I sponged just the edges of my matting ca...

 A very popular saying in our house over the years, has been:  'less is more'.  It has been the appropriate response in so many situations, and has been given to me by family members as advice for such things as what more to plant, what more to wear, and now, what else does this card need?  I don't think I am very good at either over-decorating (even though I like the effect when others do it) or refining and reducing my designs.  So to push my personal boundaries, I have been looking at the many sites which encourage this style.  One of my favourites is  Less is More  and their challenge this week is this beauty - the constraint being that the band must remain horizontal, and take up no more than 1/3 of the card.     So easy it seemed, but it sure took me a long time to decide what special image I could place in that band! Well, here it is -not the best photo, but I hope the effect is clear.  I placed a score line above and below ...

With just one card, I am able to enter two challenges - yeay!  There are Anything Goes challenges happening at both  Sweet n' Sassy Digi Challenge #88   and  Digistamps4joy . I have used a cute digi stamp from Sweet n' Sassy called 'Yappy Day', and I used a past sketch from their Sweet Stop as a guide to my layout (I think it was #43).  Background papers came from my stash, and include Pink Paislee, Kaisercraft Fine and Sunny and My Minds Eye Hip Hooray Girl.  Dies are Spellbinders Fleur de Lis squares, Crafts Too Victorian Squares and My Favourite Things Chevron die.  Hope you like it!

I am entering this card in the Sweet n' Sassy Sweet Stop Challenge this week - it is a card sketch with a spin - and the spin is SNOWMAN.  You can find details of their challenge  HERE .  As you can imagine, a snowman is a very foreign concept to us here in Australia at this time of year, as we spend our time at the beach, in the pool, or generally basking in the sun - or on the other side of the coin, battling bush fires and coping with the loss and destruction caused by them.  But I do have a daughter who lives with her family in Wisconsin, so know what fun winter can be in the Northern Hemisphere, and how much her little girls love to make snowmen (as I did growing up in England).  So here is my take on the sketch - I can't get away from bolder colours, I'm sorry about that!  The images are from Gina K designs, 'Snow One Like You' stamp set, and this is the first time I have used it.  I love the bird house, as I remember our neighbour in Surrey, who...

With only a couple of hours before the challenge over at Sweet n' Sassy Sweet Shop closes, I have completed my card, which I will also be entering in their digi stamp challenge #88.  I purchased my digi stamp from  digistamps4joy  and I think the image is beautiful.  I will post a Mothers Day card I created with it later, but for now, back to the challenges!   I used the SSS193 sketch (see their link  HERE ), which closes in about 2 hours, and the SNSDC88 which is 'Anything Goes' - find them  HERE  .  I should also mention that the quote in the sentiment came from a stamp set by Annabelle Stamps, called 'A Beautiful Day'.  Sweet n' Sassy kindly allow participants to use any digi stamps for this challenge, though I'm about to purchase their cute critters, so maybe I can enter more than once this week.  Here is my card - the dp I used came from a small pad by Bella! called Heritage.

Today's card has been made to enter the challenge by digistamps4joy - found   HERE .  I used a free digital stamp from Hambo Stamps - Digital Image Store, which was great, as I needed an image inspired by the challenge title, of 'My How Time Flies'.  I had lots of ideas as to what would work, but then found this cool cat - lazing in the sun.  As we are sweltering in the sun here in Australia at present, I could relate to how time might fly doing this for a pastime!  You can find Hambo stamps   HERE  .

Today's card is for the Sweet n' Sassy Digi Challenge - ie. you must use a digital stamp and the theme is coffee, tea, hot chocolate - for the northern hemisphere folk who are freezing at the moment - while we are warm and going to get warmer!  I used the Cocoa mouse character, who is so sweet and a joy to colour.  I chose the Latte stamp, and thought of the workers who grab a coffee 'to go' - it seems to help everyone!  Link to the SNSDC is:   Challenge 87   I should add that I would love to be considered for the DT, so add the link DTCall to my post.

Just a quick post, to enter this week's challenge at Annabelle Stamps.  Say it in the following colours. Here is my card, using ABS stamp, Lil Monster - those colours sure are bright!  But fun!

Today I have a card to show you which I made following a technique in the magazine 'Cardmaking Stamping and Papercraft' Vol 18 No 12.  Jane Clark wrote an article called The Classroom, in which she explained how to create a unique background using Gesso on watercolour paper, then swiping it with a water-based ink.  You then stamp your image, heat emboss it, and colour it.  So here is my card!  I love the soft look, the distressed texture, and the simplicity. The second card is actually my first attempt at this technique, and because not much of the paper had been left without gesso, the background was too plain.  Consequently, I just die cut my image, which I still liked the look of, and made it into a card with designer paper background - can't let anything go to waste unless it is really spoilt, can you?

Today I am sharing with you a card I made to enter Scrapbook Boutique's January challenge.  The photo below is the inspiration for the card, and the colours were to be yellow, green and white.  Don't those cupcakes look yummy?  My initial idea was to stack sandcastles, but unfortunately I don't have such a stamp, so I decided on butterflies.  I'll enter my project, and we'll see how I go - this is the first time I have entered a Scrapbook Boutique Challenge, but hey, it's worth a try! I have also made another Valentine's Day card, this time using a digital stamp from Sweet n' Sassy featuring the sweet mouse, Cocoa.  I used the text on some designer paper, which seemed to go with my layout - and added some swirls to the top left side, to match with the printed swirls.  I rather like the result.

Yes, I know the year has only just started, but it seems before we know it, we will be thinking love and hearts - and why not, I say?  For Christmas, I was given some card blanks by a friend, and they had heart shapes cut out (similar to what you could do with a Silhouette Cameo - hint hint) so I made some CAS Valentines Day cards with those.  The photo doesn't show it, but for the top card I highlighted the centre heart, plus the little ones, with glossy accents - I love that product.  I used glossy accents to adhere the plastic charm in the bottom card, too, after a sticky dot then hot glue gun failed! But before we actually reach Valentines Day, there are more birthdays to celebrate.  The next card I made for a friend and I thought with strawberries so delicious and in season at this time, this image would be appropriate.  I know it might look a little fussy, with all the patterns, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway - I'd love to know if you t...

Happy Birthday, Jasmine - how wonderful to be a brand new teenager - what a special time of your life.  Jasmine is creative, energetic, enquiring and an avid reader, so the card I made for her reflects the reading aspect of her nature.  I found the tutorial for this card on   Diane Noble's blog , and this is my effort.  Jasmine's favourite colour is purple, and the insert on the front can be a book mark - she was pretty delighted with it, as was I, as I think the layout was so neat.  TFS Dianne! My card today is a stamp of a silhouette - and I read a great tip - when stamping silhouettes, you can stamp on designer paper to instantly create a vintage look.  The author of this tip is  cathymac  - amongst other things she creates for Sweet n' Sassy.  Anyway, I thought this was a great idea and tried my hand at it, using a silhouette image from Gina K's Tropical Flowers set.  Here is my finished card.  I used memento m...

I woke up this morning enthusiastic to try another stamp from my new set, Party Animals.  I knew the colours I wanted to use, so this didn't take me long at all.  I have practised again the technique of partial die cutting, and this result is much better than my first.  I know one little girl (Georgia) who would just love the doggie, rather than the present in this card!  One day, Georgia, I'm sure, it will happen!

I received my new stamp set - Party Animals - from Annabelle Stamps this morning, so immediately tried out the technique Therese demonstrated last Tuesday.  It requires partial cutting of a die shape around an image, and looks pretty effective.  This is my attempt - apart from a smudge or two (I really must wipe my hands more often) I am pretty happy with it.  I used a background stamp from Gina K, called Pretty Patterns for the background.

Today, I have another card to submit to Annabelle Stamps Challenge 153 - very monochromatic, but fresh.  I find it difficult not to add something more - actually, I think I will add some gems under the sentiment - I don't like things too plain!  I think this looks a lot better ...

True to my new year's resolution, of challenging myself more, I have created this card to enter ABS challenge 153 - the first for this year.  It has to be CAS - I believe that means all about design, not technique, nor embellishments, nor colour.  I still have to refine my understanding of this concept, but this is my effort - hope you like it!

Happy New Year to you all - for 2013 I wish you health, happiness and prosperity and the company of those you love. I have started this year exploring the possibilities of Faber Castell's Gelatos - a creamy pastel-type colouring medium which blends easily with the addition of a light spritz of water.  I first saw these demonstrated on Darlene's blog -  http://darlenedesign.com/wordpress/?p=3580    and fell in love with them.  I bought packs of pink tones, blue tones and gold and silver metallic gelatos whilst in the US in November, but have only just found the time to play with them.  Christmas can be so time-consuming!  So today, I would like to show you what I have been doing with them, with sincere thanks to Darlene for her wonderful tutorials.  So far, I have concentrated on using them as background colour, and the first two cards show the grid background stamp, which has been heat embossed in white or black, then coloured with the pink ...