Paper Hugs

This week I have been focussing on wedding anniversaries, because I have been asked to make one for a pearl anniversary.  If, like me, you don't know straight off which anniversary that is, it is the 30th.  I was so pleased to make this card for a friend, as I love pearls and I have a beautiful embossing folder which would suit the theme so well.  Here is my card: Don't you think the embossing folder reminds us of pearls?  I heat embossed my heart, which is a Hero Arts stamp called Blooming Heart, with Brilliance Platinum ink, and clear embossing powder on an ivory card stock.  I wanted a subtle effect, but it was a bit too subtle, so I coloured the heart with Faber Castell's metallic gold gelato, smudging it all over, then wiping excess off.  I love how that turned out.  The sentiment is the same ink stamped on vellum, which is difficult to read in the photo, but OK IRL.  I added some very old pearl buttons from my sewing kit, and mounted the...

Today I am joining in the Outlawz challenge for the first time - their theme is Full Moon .  I have just purchased the city skyline die from MFT, so thought I would try a night sky above the city.  I'm not confident about my mixed media ability, but loved trying it.  There was a lot of shaping of the die cuts, shadowing, shading and colouring, and a lot more fun with smooches spritz and H2Os, so here is my submission.  As I admitted, I'm not confident of my outcome but I am pleased I attempted it.  I hope next week's theme is something more familiar!

Quick post here to show you my next masculine card - for my husband - and often-times 'consultant' in my cardmaking room - as in:  what more does this card need? or which is the best colour for this? or even more scientific questions such as what colour are most rabbits? (I don't pay much attention to that kind of detail!).  So when I asked him what he'd like on his card, he said:  Happy Birthday! lol!  So here is his happy birthday card, with lots of wishes for many, many more.  The tree stamp by Penny Black (called Reverie) has been heat embossed with clear embossing powder, and has just enough shine on it to stand out as a recessed circle focus.  I will trim that twine a little as soon as I finish this post!   I am entering this card in Addicted to CAS  (It's Raining Men) and Less is More (Paper Piercing).

March is a busy month for birthdays in my life - my own (ha), my husband's, my friend's and both of my sons-in-law - so when I saw the challenge at Addicted to CAS (tag line 'It's raining men) and Less is More (paper piercing) I immediately thought I could start making the first few imminent March birthdays and enter both challenges.  Here is the first card, made for one son-in-law, who is not a heavy drinker, but has just begun brewing his own beer.  I thought he'd like the connection.  

With my new responsibilities on the design team for Sweet n' Sassy Digi stamps, I have been focussing on projects for them, and feel that my own 'making' has been overlooked lately.  But not for long - I have a couple of cards to share today - a birthday card for my good friend and card-making mentor, Val and a Bon Voyage card for her and her husband Max, who leave shortly for an amazing cruise! This birthday card has been pretty well copied entirely from a video by Lyn Ghahary, over at Two Peas - she has a unique talent for layout, so I felt I couldn't do better - of course, the papers and embellishments are not the same, but I loved the fun arrangement of circles - it gives such a light approach, and something so different for me to try.  Thank you Lyn! The suitcases in this card come from Tiddlyinks Digi stamps - the detail is the thing that makes this stamp so useful, and I am pretty happy with how it turned out.  The flags were added because they remind me of...

Here is my card for the Sweet n' Sassy Digi Challenge  - a card for a Child.  There are so many cute digi images that can be used for children's cards - birthday cards, invitations, and just those cards you need to say you are special!  I decided to make a toddler's birthday card, and thought the play on words in this sentiment might just appeal to a little one who is beginning to master language.  The image is oh so cute, and with fresh colours, it should please a big 2-year old. I hope you feel like sharing your child's card with us - it is a great chance to break away from our usual styles, and after all, children will be pleased with whatever card they receive!  My own littlest grand-daughter says about mine:  'Oh Nanny is such a good maker - she keeps inside the lines' (in colouring!).  Who could ask for more?

My card today is a CAS flower card, the layout of which I saw demonstrated by Andrea Walford of Paper Crafters Library .  I didn't have any of the products she used, so I found a silhouette stamp of a flower and a branch of foliage, and a lined image of a flower from my collection.  It is a very simple and delicate card, but I do like it.  The sentiment comes from Stampin' Up set Fifth Avenue.

This week's challenge at Less is More  is Up in the Air - that can be spaceships, rockets, airplanes etc.  As I didn't have anything like that, I had to think outside the box, as I really wanted to enter this week.  So here is my take on Up in the Air - I hope it qualifies!

If you have come from the Sweet n' Sassy Digi Challenge  you will know that there is a new release of beautiful digi stamps, released just in time for Easter and Spring.  The images are cute little bunnies, some carrying Easter eggs, and some dainty flowers, bees and butterflies - ahh, the thought of warmer weather is so enticing!  I have two cards for you today, using these brand new digi stamps. My first card uses lots of bunnies - after all, Spring is nearly upon us (actually it is mid-summer here in Australia) but on our morning walks around the small lake nearby, my husband and I often see the bunnies trying to find something to eat and being constantly interrupted by intruders such as ourselves, so that they have to scurry off into the bushes.  I thought of these timid creatures when I designed this card, and thought how lovely it would be for them to be able to munch away without fear.   My second card uses just one bunny - I have seen ...

Today I had two of my grandchilden with me, as teachers were striking for better pay and their school was closed.  Our Premier promised they would be the best paid teachers in Australia before he was elected, but sadly, that has not been the case.  Much as I don't like teachers striking, I do support their bid for better pay, commensurate with the importance of their roles in the lives of our young people.  Enough of current affairs and back to cards!  With my eldest grand-daughter beside me, I embarked on a card which, once completed, I realised would be suitable for the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge .  I know that's not the order it should be done, but here is the sketch:  and here is my card - a pretty good match, don't you think? I embossed white card stock in a folder by Crafts Too called Daisy & Swirl - the folder was inked with Memento New Sprout and after embossing, I swiped the very pale green with Memento Angel Pink.  To finish the c...

I have been invited to become a member of the design team at Sweet n' Sassy Digi!  I am thrilled, as I have enjoyed entering their weekly challenges, and I love their products too!  It also means I will continue to be challenged each week, but I am also excited to be sharing more fully in the broader card making and crafting community.  So more cards, more challenges and more learning! At Digistamps4joy , their new challenge is Romance in the Air.  I have used a digi stamp that was made available free at the start of the month, and I thought it made a cute and fun Valentine's card, with just the addition of some washi tape.

I have a card today which I intend to enter into this week's  Sweet Stop Sketch challenge  - the image is from Paper Smooches, coloured with Copics, and the dp is from my stash.  The flag banner and clouds are made with Sweet n' Sassy dies.  Fun to make - I hope you like it!  Thanks for stopping by!

Valentine's Day is around the corner, and love is in the air!  That is the theme for this week's challenge at SSDC #90 and my card uses Sweet Cocoa again.  The background has been debossed - a happy mistake :)  which matches the XO tag and the lower half is coordinating paper in tones of pink and cocoa.

Another quick post for a card made to the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches  this week.  It's a clean and simple sketch, and I had the elements all ready to go.  Here is the sketch and here is my card - I know I didn't need to keep to a heart, but hey, it's February, so there are a lot of hearts around!  Actually, my heart suited the background, which was made with a Spellbinders Impressabilities folder which I inked before embossing.  Thanks for stopping by.

This week's challenge over at Less is More  is Kraft and Kreme - a lovely colour combination and so suited to CAS cards.  I had just completed a card that used colouring on kraft card, but that was no use, as it had other colours on it.  I was constrained to use only those two colours, so had to start another card - oh dear! lol.  Here is what I came up with - hope you like it!  The textured background was made with a Craft Concepts' embossing folder called Grunge Stripe - isn't it interesting?  The lovely die is by Memory Box, called Chloe stem, and the small scallop edge is by Sweet n' Sassy.

Today, I have another entry in the  Colourq  challenge.  If you remember, the inspiration for the colours came from this photo: and I thought I could do a better job (than I did yesterday) of capturing both the colours and the inspiration if I tried a new card.  I clear embossed a Hero Arts wooden stamp of the heart in cocoa brown colourbox ink, and coloured all the flowers with assorted markers in raspberry, deep salmon and pale pink.  I had to cut the heart out by hand as I don't have a heart die to match this stamp, but I am relieved it seems to look OK.  With the 'dirty' vanilla background and vanilla inked heart border, I have all the colours represented here.  I die cut some small Spellbinders Ironwork Accents to 'hold' the heart and sentiment.   I feel the overall effect is more in keeping with the photo, and I am quite pleased with it.