Happy Birthday To You

Only one card today but it is bright and eye-catching I think.

All MFT today (for those not familiar with MFT thats My Favourite Things - a Company for stamps and Dies and and things wonderful #mftstamps)

So what we have here is a stamped and white embossed background stamp called

Big Wavy Background which I had so much fun colouring with different Zigs and water.

I then added the doubled sided tape the back of the panel and die cut the sentiment which is

also from MFT 'Happy Birthday to You'. I left that to the side and die cut another two layers

of the sentiment out of green fun foam with the double sided tape on the back of it to make it

easy to adhere in place.

In this photo you can just see the green of the funfoam . I added the watercoloured

cardstock directly to the card base without the letters, then added the letters in green

foam one on top of the other, then finally added the wave patterned layer on top.

You can see the green a bit better here. The foam works so well for added

height. And I love how rich the colours have turned out. Here you can see

where I have gone back over the light colours with darker washes to add shadow.

Okay so another card finished, very easy colouring as it was heat embossed, the hardest

bits was deciding which colours to use and that became just hit and miss. Perfect card for 

a male or female. Probably take the gem off if I give it to a male friend/relative and put

a little anchor or shell there instead (which I just thought of and will do anyway so visualise).

Thanks so much for coming to visit and I hope you come again soon. 

For my lovely commenters I'm glad to hear you like to read my waffle so I will continue 

to waffle and fill your day with bits of this and that from my life.  Hugs xx

Challenges:

The Daily Marker 30 Day Colouring Challenge Day 27

So sad this is nearly at the end

Seize the Birthday: Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge : Anything Goes

Hello Sunshine and 'Woohooo - ooops I forgot to blog it'

Two cards today because I have one I made with a particular challenge in mind, that was the 'CASology Challenge' which was 'Jump' and I thought I had done a really cool card for it then forgot to blog about it so finally got beaten by the clock.

Well here are my two cards. You have to use your imagination with this first one because I was playing with a piece of scrap Yupo and some Alcohol inks and trying some different ideas

and ended up with a piece that to me made me think of the beach (thats what I see - OK!!)

Blue waves hitting sand, thats the wake the dotty bits then yellow beach

going to orange for some different colour. Yes I know a bit extreme but it works for me.

Its so bright I had to go bright with my little girl from Mo's Digital Pencil. Isn't she a sweetie, little chubby fingers and toes. Anyway Copic colours and used my Fluro Copics on her swimmers.

Added a  couple of die cut gold twinkle stars, one on hat, one on swimmers to hide splot. And decided that white sentiment was best 'hello sunshine' from Stamplorations.

Now check out my Jump card.

I even gave them little jump lines. Nearly had a disaster when I stamped the sentiment. I bought the MFT Intense Black Ink and decided to use that. Weeeeeelll my card stock decided it didnt like this ink and did a slight bleed, luckily a Copic Artliner and steady hand tidied it up.

My girls here are from Clearly Besotted (Trouble in a Tutu) I love them, the swirls are from a different stamp set (sorry cant think what at the moment). The background panel is blended Distress Oxides.

The panel is a new die cut I got from Studio Katia (Just went to link but it is currently gone from stock fora change??)

Stamped Woohooo! not sure where this sentiment is from. Added the hippos with dimensional foam tape and the middle one with a wobbler.

All done, now lets find some challenges:

The Daily Marker 30 Day Colouring Challenge Day 23

Hello sunshine

Always Fun Challenge #64 'Fun at the Beach'

Hello Sunshine

Stamping Sensations June - Anything Goes

Hello Sunshine

Inspirational Challenge #163 Designers Choice

Woohooo!!

I hope you can see how small these stamps are as the wobbler which is the smallest is still too big for my wee little hippo and the little stamped lines. Well at least I hope its all small enough.

Addicted to CAS Challenge #139 Girl Power

Woohooo!!

Seize the Birthday: Anything Goes

Woohooo!!

Perfect little card for a little girls birthday.

Thank you so much for coming to visit and I hope you come again soon.

Hello

I am busy getting ready to go away for a week. John's father passed away and the funeral is tomorrow. Elysha needs to go into respite care as she doesn't understand the concept of death that well so we thought it best that she not come and I am going to stay with his dads partner for the rest of the week just to keep her company so she doesn't feel totally alone. Hopefully dad won't leave too many messages on my phone at home in irritation because Im not there.

Keith's passing I think was a great relief for him as well as John and Annette even though no one wants to loose family as he has been slowing loosing the battle with emphysema and the last month has been total agony and I don't think anyone should have to live through that. Now he is at peace, Annette and John look calmer in themselves and we take the next fork in the road.

Aileen

Now onto my inspiration. Of course I should be too busy doing preparations, washing packing cooking cleaning but no the mind kicks in and cards sidetrack me as John is out the back trying to solve a major blockage in the pipes that is causing constant back flow in the kitchen sink. So lucky my carpenter husband is also proficient as a painter, plumber, car repairer, computer whizz etc 

Two hours to go and I was inspired to do a card for the AAA Cards CAS Geometrics Challenge again

Opps nearly forgot to photoshop to get rid of rubbish around the photos. So now we are down to just under an hour. I stamped and white embossed this neat geometric background. I don't think I have used it before (shame on me and all my stamps) and I think its Hero Art.

Instead of colouring all of it I just did some of the triangles with very small amounts of Zig and lots of water sticking with red, orange and yellow.

Its minimal and I love how it turned out. This was done onto multimedia cardstock. I then used the 'Hello friend' die and cut in gold mirror cardstock but just used the 'hello'.

Finished and so quick.

Challenges:

AAA Cards CAS Game #117 Geometrics

Thanks for coming to visit and I hope you will come again soon.

A Father's Love is Priceless and Celebrate

Here are the other two cards I made the other day in my made card making day.

This one was a work of love. I bought the stamp which is from Technique Junkie and actually comes

with the little dog sitting next to the big dog and a sentiment about (Friends coming in all shapes and sizes) soooooo I did a lot of covering the little dog and sentiment, stamping and masking, I made 9 yes thats nine dog masks to include all my dogs.

If you follow me on instagram you know that all did not go perfectly with this card as anyone who does card making and masking knows and I was very close to throwing this little masterpiece in the bin. I had already done two copies, the first getting to five dogs when I realised I had forgotten to mask number 4 and number 5 was now obviously sitting wrong infant of 4 and to my eyes no, no good - bin. Start again. Next one only got to two stampings and I stuffed up and I was thinking maybe its not meant to be but then no........one more.

I got to the 11th dog and was very happy. As I'm looking at it I dropped the stamp, its faint but its there. I think to myself I can ignore it, I add the little dog, cover big dog and sentiment, ink and add and it looks great but all I can see is that shadow of the big dogs legs.

I put it up on Instagram, will I toss it or what, suggestions, cut around it or colour background. I decided to copic colour. I did very light this way and that patchy colouring and love how it turned out. The photo caught the shadow of the stamp still but when I look at the card it looks great to me and Im happy with it now.

I finished off my copic colouring of the dogs added some grass to camouflage the different heights of the legs gave dad dog a different coloured dog tag and added the sentiment and a 'Happy Fathers Day' sentiment on the inside. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and so pleased that @whippetgirl on Instagram or also known Lee Ann on Greyt Paper Crafts  who inspired me to buy the stamp and try this after seeing her fabulous cards with the same stamp. Don't forget to check out her blog and/or Instagram account.

Now my next card is just a card that came together after practicing pleats in copics on this wonderful Stamping Bella girl. I love her and her dress which is probably one of the easiest for practicing your first attempts at pleats as the skirt is so big - yeah!! I coloured her in and it was one layer.

But then that green managed to sneak out of the lines here and there so I decided to cut it out free hand. Then she sat there as I tried to decide what to do. I was looking through my backgrounds and this one just jumped out at me.

Isn't it fantastic, I just love it, I love the colours, its greens and yellows and it looks like tie-dyed and I think it just works with her. Like my girl and the waves alcohol background. You see it and want it.

I got these new dies that cut the rough outright like the Penny Black ones which I couldn't afford so I am wrapped. Die cut, glued down, glued girl in place. Added my die cut sentiment and happy as.

Challenges:

The Daily Marker 30 Day Colouring Challenge Day 19

A Father's Love is Priceless

Muse Challenge #271

Isn't Kims card just brilliant and I love the puppy up in the corner

but I decided because my dogs were all so tall to put my puppy on

his hero's head.  Inspiration well all those dogs of course, I don't have that

stamp but made up for it I think.

A Father's Love is Priceless

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #297 Make Your Mark

A Father's Love is Priceless

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Bright and Cheerful

Celebrate card

Southern Girls Challenge  Team Lou Anything Goes

Celebrate card

Seize the Birthday Anything Goes Challenge

Celebrate Card

Thank you so much for coming to visit and I hope you come again soon.

And please if you have time take the time to comment. I do love to hear from you and know that you have been here. I love doing my blog posts and try to personalise them with little bits about the making of the cards or life and whats happening but sometimes I wonder if people are interested in reading what I am posting or if I should just post the pictures and leave it at that. Let me know, do you have time to read my waffles??? Prefer to just see the card??

xx Aileen

Congrats and Smile

Today was a day where inspiration hit and cards just happened one after the other. I decided to post a couple today and the others tomorrow as they are all rather bright and full of colour and I don't want to cause too much bling overload.

This first card is all Stamplorations from the stencil I used to the diecut word.

First I have blended Tim Holtz distress inks in a nice rainbow blend of colours but I did have to cut a little bit of the colour off when I put the card together so some colour was lost but not much.

After blending the colours I used Bo-bunny clear glitter paste to get this fantastic sparkly look. I didn't want to overdo it on the front of the card so I only did a strip and attached that to the front of the card then cut out white strips of card and added foam tape to the back and added each side.

I wanted a big sentiment to go with this so chose the 'congrats' one and diecut in white and offset it then added another layer slightly offset on the white in gold. I love the look and it sure doesn't need any sequins or dots to finish it off.

 My next piece of inspiration was this piece of alcohol ink piece I made after setting up my colour charts. I played around with some of my blues and lots of blending solutions a couple of days ago.

Today I was looking at it and thinking water, waves, sea so looking through my images and up pops this little lady, she's perfect and from Tiddy Inks.

I copic coloured, fussy cut and threw her down randomly and where she landed just felt perfect to me so thats where I stuck her. I then cut the piece of yupo to the size of my card and attached it.

Isn't she fabulous, don't you feel as though she is swimming right at you, rolling through the waves. I thought of maybe a sentiment like WAHOOOOO or Coming for youuuuu then thought no just 'smile' is perfect.

Its what she looks like she is doing as she's swimming towards you. Smiling and ready to say 'hello'

Challenges:

The Daily Marker 30 Day Challenge Day 17

Smile

Stamplorations Anything Goes

Congrats

AAA Cards CAS Game #117Geometrics

Congrats

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge : Must Use Bright and Cheerful

Congrats

Work It Wednesday Simon Says Challenge Summer Inspired

Smile

SIP Challenge #155 Summer Fun

Smile

I don't live in America but I tell you what, if by

any chance I should be a winner I will give my prize 

to a friend in America.

Crafty Cardmakers #214 Wet or Dry Embossing

Congrats card

Thanks so much for coming to visit and I hope you come again soon.

Reminder Post for The Flower Challenge #21Use A Previous Challenge

This time I decided to go with Challenge #10 which was Embossing Heat/Dry

I have put one card up on the blog at The Flower Challenge but I actually made two cards, using a stamp I have had for quite a while just haven't used for a bit. Thats what happens so much nowadays with so many stamps coming out. I think we could probably stamp a stamp a day and still not repeat once in the year.

Now first I have to say I have always loved the cards done by Anita from My Papercraft World, I love her style and technique and colours and have always loved the fact that she uses a type of linen card stock that just looks amazing for just about all of her cards. I have looked high and low to find the same here in Australia and have not been able to find anything that has pleased me.

This is the closest I have come so far. I am currently trying out this cardstock that I ordered and have stamped and heat embossed on then Copic coloured on. I cant say whether it does well with Copics yet as the copics are within the embossed area and very light towards the embossed edges.

I do like the look. The image stamped really well. I stamped in black ink and quickly added clear embossing powder. I then coloured with copics trying not to touch the embossed areas as much as I could as the copic ink will break down the embossed area (apparently).

I love how it turned out keeping the colour really light towards the outer edge of the petals.

There is a wonderful sentiment that goes with this flower stamp that is from Technique Tuesday but I was just too chicken to try stamping on the linen cardstock as the sentiment was quite long and small print. I decided it wouldn't look right with an attached copy of the sentiment either as the stamped flower is level with the card.

So my best choice was of course a die cut and a shiny and silver one at that 'Just Because.....' straight under the flower to me was the perfect placement. To brighten the card and take it from black sadness to pink brightness.

Next I decided to stamp and white emboss. It is truly beautiful but needs to be seen IRL to be appreciated. Stamping onto this linen cardstock has not affected the image at all, it has stamped and embossed perfectly.

I went with blue Copics this time and faded the yellow out as it sent up to a very pale yellow though it looks like no yellow here, it is there at the top.

This time the sentiment is slightly smaller and because I have gone light and bright I have gone gold with the sentiment and slightly angled for 'hello sunshine'

Now it's time to go see what Stef our Guest Designer and the rest of the Design Team have been up to and they won't disappoint you. There is so much inspiration over there at 

The Flower Challenge

I expect to see many more cards and projects joining us in the next 10 days. 

Remember your choices can be anything from our Previous Challenges, that leaves the door wide open and we would love to see you there.

Thank you so much for coming to visit and I hope you come again soon.

Challenges:

Crafting With Friends Challenge #69 Anything Goes

Just Because

A Bit More Time To Craft Challenge #70 Anything Goes

Just Because

Southern Girls Challenge Team Lou Anything Goes

Just Because

Crafting With An Attitude Challenge #40 Anything Goes

Hello Sunshine

Fab 'N Funky Challenge #398 Bring Me Sunshine

hello sunshine