Happy Birthday Busy September

September is a busy month for birthdays and ends with the twins celebrating theirs on the 28th. Today I am sharing Aarons' card and a card I was inspired to make after seeing Michelle's card for the Muse Card Challenge...

I loved her card the minute I saw it, the stark black and white with a splash of red, the flowers just in the corner, stamped sentiment and the addition of pattern paper at the bottom.

Of course I had to go through all my floral stamps and narrowed it down to 3 sets and ended up making three cards. Two I did in the same style, the third with more colour (that one will be saved for another day.) So I will need to do two posts so I can enter both in the Muse Card Challenge.

As soon as you look at this you can see where I got the inspiration from. This beautiful delicate floral image is one of a set of oriental stamps from Penny Black and obviously hasn't been used enough.

Just check out how wonderful this flower looks.

Minimal colour reds and greys and love how it looked finished. Hard to show the depth as its a small bloom but I actually used 4 reds in each large bloom. 

I was going to add a striped paper but felt this paper from an oriental paper pack was better suited. Finished it off with the 'Happy birthday' sentiment from an old but much loved set from Annabelle's Stamps. Don't think you can get it anymore but I love the two fonts and use it often. Sometimes wonder why I bought all the other sets.

The funny part about this card is that I coloured it yesterday, finished it this morning before leaving to visit with mum and dad for the week. I was trying to load the photos to my computer and the last hour and a half then rang John in a flap, the computer wouldn't acknowledge my camera and the challenge was going to close any time now..........no Im so confused I thought today was Monday for me and of course its not, its only Sunday.

John sorted my problem over the phone (good man) I got the photos up and edited and now Im waffling on cause I have another day before the challenge closes.

This is Aarons' Birthday card. I coloured this same image a while ago and decided to do the same colours again. It was a free class download from Amy at Vanilla Arts and I just love how it turned out.

Check out those brilliant candles, they really look as though they are alight. Just love her style of teaching and wish I could spend more time watching and learning from her.

I die cut the panel with wonky stitches die added to the dark blue card base with a layer of black fun foam behind to lift the panel a bit. Then added the die cut 'Happy Birthday'.

Aaron always appreciates my cards but I must admit I felt like adding with the birthday wishes a note about the time this took and to really look at it son, its like a piece of art......

Challenges:

Muse Card Challenge #284

Happy Birthday red flowers

Alphabet Challenge Blog 'N' is for Nature

Happy birthday red flowers card

Crafting With An Attitude Challenge #43

Happy Birthday red flowers card

Seize the Birthday Challenge : Topping Travel

Going without the topping for this card

Happy birthday cupcake

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Anything Goes

Happy Birthday Cupcake

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #311 Anything Goes

Happy birthday Cupcake

Merry Christmas Poinsettia

As you look at this photo you probably notice the writing inside. Well thats because I forgot to take a photo before I gave the card to my granddaughter. Yes I know its not Christmas yet so a little early for getting cards out there.

The story is Sophie picked this stamped and embossed image before I had coloured it up and asked me to colour it for her. She wanted pinks (they are pinks but look more red here as colours are very strong in the Zigs) and was very happy with the look and well she liked the silver glitter sentiment so that was that.

Sophie loves to pick out images and asks me to make a card but I also have to write to her inside as they are for her and her alone. She has quite a collection now and I love that her interest in crafting extends to wanting and saving cards from me.

This is another large background stamp from The Ton and first time inked up. I stamped and used silver embossing powder as I was going to go blue but it became Sophies so, next time. I have coloured with Zigs only using the light ones to pull the colour out. The top petals are lighter because I barely touched the dark colour to the petal and pulled out with light colour, wiped off colour that  transferred to the brush tip then pulled light colour from tip of petal towards darker colour.

I did the same with the leaves but used dark, medium and light for those. Very light blue wash for background. I then decided to add some sparkle and used my Nuvo Glitter pen but also found my vellum buckled slightly as it was more like water. The bubbling did settle down but I was not as happy as I usually am.

I trimmed the piece down to add to a card 5.5" x 6" and added the silver glitter 'Merry Christmas' die cut from Stamplorations and some random sequins (the hardest part of the card). 

Here's a picture of Sophie (5yrs old) with her card that she is very happy with and will take for Thursday News at school. (one day she took in 25 butterflies we had painted one day and proceeded to show them all one by one - lucky her teacher and fellow students are so patient).

Lets see if I can find a challenge or two to add it to:

Challenges:

Always Fun Challenge #77 Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps Challenge #166 Christmas Comes Early

 52 Christmas Card Throwdown September

Favourite technique using Zig watercolour brushes

on Vellum without water.

Home Sweet Home & Best Wishes and Bubble Kisses

I took my inspiration from Kims card on the Muse Card Club Challenge for this card.

The grey and pink colours and the critters stamped around the sentiment. Also the sentiment relevant to the images. these cuties are from MFT stamps and are long overdue needing to be used. One layer not matted.

I stamped the sentiment first (first time for everything) then added these sweet little bunnies and bubbles. I decided to go with the grey and pink the same as Kim had but lighter. I don't know why but my bunnies all look like they are in a pale apricot colour but it was definitely pink Copics R000 R00 and R11 (Cherry pink) so maybe its the failing light.

I did the bubbles with all my 0000 colours just pouncing randomly then finished them off with some Nuvo glitter water pen. I left this image slightly darker so you can see the sparkle and colour.

the buttons are done with Nuvo pink glitter pen. Im really pleased with how this turned out.

Minimal colouring of the bunnies and a little bit of pink on the cheeks and they all look so cute.

This next card was just a random card I decided to do as I have purchased (recently) some more Stacey Yakula stamps. This little scene and 'home sweet home' sentiment was one of them. I added the dog and bird from older stamps.

Coloured with Copics and made the sky random and light and strokes in clusters one way then another in my lightest B's. I love how this turns out and makes it easier to colour backgrounds.

After colouring I fussy cut the two critters and added with some adhesive foam for dimension.

Quick and easy card to colour.

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

Challenges:

Muse Card Challenge #283

This is so cute and was fabulous 

for inspiration.Thanks Kim

Best Wishes and Bubble Kisses

613 Avenue Create Challenge: Anything Goes Optional CAS

Best Wishes and Bubble Kisses

Think it maybe too busy for CAS so just the

Anything Goes thanks

Penny Black and More September Challenge Feminine

Best Wishes and Bubble Kisses

Seize the Birthday : Die Cuts or Punches  

Not with the Twist this time its

Anything Goes

Best Wishes and Bubble Kisses

Crafting with Friends #13 Anything Goes

Home Sweet Home

Crafting With An Attitude: Challenge #43 Anything Goes

Home Sweet Home

Work It Wednesday August/September

Home Sweet Home

The Flower Challenge #24 - Anything Goes Reminder

Its time for the reminder post for The Flower Challenge #24 which is Anything Goes so that means its a real easy one and we get lots of amazing cards. The entries are coming in thick and fast and they look fantastic so don't forget to check out The Design Team reminder posts and the other cards for inspiration.

This time I have gone Copic Colouring. Another stamp that hasn't had enough attention and is designed for ease of colouring and is already in a bouquet so you don't need to place the stamps or do any masking. This floral is called Organic Blooms and is from Mama Elephant Stamps and the site was down at the time I was writing this post so I couldn't add the link.

After Copic colouring I decided to fussy cut as I had some smudges on the card I had coloured that couldn't be covered with a gem or sequin here or there. You can just see some sparkle from the Wink of Stella so you know it has to be more sparkly than that.

Because the bouquet is quite large I decided to use a 3D embossing folder that gives the look of basket weave (they come two to a set and are from We R Memory Keepers but have apparently been discontinued) and add the flowers near the top.

Finished it off with 'It's the little Things' diecut in gold mirror cardstock and some clear glass gems.

Anyway now its time to go over to The Flower Challenge and check out what the rest of the Design Team have been up to and don't forget we have a prize this month from CAS-ual Friday Stamps so don't miss out on your chance.

Hope to see you here again soon xx

Just Wing It. Life. Eyeliner. Everything.

Isn't that a fantastic sentiment. I bought this stamp because I loved those eyes and and sentiment. Say's it all. The stamp has been sitting there waiting for the right moment and waiting for me to be inspired to add something to it.

I was totally inspired by Anita's card for the Muse Card Club Challenge.

Isn't this amazing and I love that purple hair. I have this stencil coming and cant wait to use it, look at how that small triangle shape at the bottom gives the face shape.  My stamp is just the eyes but you can see why I was prompted to use them.

Instead of purple hair I decided to use my Copics and give her some beautiful eyeshadow.

Then of course I needed to add some sparkle with Wink of Stella, doesn't show up much in the photo but looks so cool IRL.

The sentiment that comes as part of this stamp has the same  inspiration as the one used by Anita. 

I have used just one sequin the same colour as the eyeshadow but placed to make you think of a beauty spot.

As always this is last minute and then I started playing around with some other ideas then realised I better get this posted, would hate to miss the challenge.

Challenges:

Muse Card Challenge #281

613 Avenue Create Challenge  #213 Twist CAS

I think this is my second card &

goes with the Twist.

Less is More Challenge #379

I wasn't 100% sure on this one, as I have used one other colour

but tones there of, so wasn't sure if this is considered more that

one colour. Please remove if I have not guessed right.

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

It's the little things & Babies are all our dreams...........

Do you think Im a bit obsessed with this flower and vase set from 'The Ton'? Well I am actually but I have put it away and plan to try some of my other hundreds of unused stamps.

But doesnt this background look cool, not oxide this time, just lots of watercolour, water, drying and adding and adding shimmer to the water for a bit of sparkle. Stamped and white embossed, stamping the flower bunch first, then masking and adding the bowl. I have coloured with pencils again but my colouring didn't go as well, my dark blue not blending as well.

In the photo I can see where I need to go back and clean the blue off the embossing so at least I can fix it before I send it. I finished it off by trimming down and adding a layer of white glitter paper under it and the 'It's the little things' sentiment from Penny Black Stamps.

This card is for my daughter-in-law who is having a baby shower this weekend. I don't have to worry about anyone seeing this or the cards below as they love my cards but they don't checkout the blog.

I decided to use my Stamping Bella stamp as she doesn't get used enough and really is pretty, just like Rachael. I have dressed her in Rachael's favourite colour and done her hair in similar tones. She even looks as trim as this little sweetie.

Did the close up so you could see the glitter here and there, I used some glitter gel pens but its not very obvious here. I also found when I started to colour that I may have stamped  onto the wrong cardstock as the ink did like to move beyond the lines.

I have heat embossed the black ink for this image as well. That purple spread in a couple of spots especially up at the bust line, I was able to remove some of the colour but then found what was left was feathering. I came in with the light blue and outlined and was able to pull more of that mauve out so its not so obvious. 

Reminder to self: check you have grabbed the right card stock before using Copics. I do pre-cut a pile of sheets and write a small 'c' in the corner in pencil so I know but I had stamped and embossed this image a while ago before I started this habit.

Anyway after that long blurb, it looks ok and I'm happy with how it looks so I trimmed down slightly so I could use some blue glitter washi each side. and then stamped the sentiment. I also found out that I have very little in the way of baby sentiments and need to fix this dilemma.

What you see here is one of the things I decided to do. I made a set (a big big set) of Thank you cards that they can use for the baby shower thank you or when the baby is born. I finally used up a paper pad I bought who knows how many years ago but it was full of boy papers so here they are.

I cut all the cards 4 1/2" x 3 1/4" as I had envelopes that fit that size. I then used this sweet rectangle lace edge die to cut all the pieces of pattern paper.

Had lots and lots of little dots scattered all over the lounge room floor. Added this to the card with a low foam tape then added the 'thanks' and 'thank you' die cuts and all the little die cut shapes to the front of the cards.

These baby die cuts I got from a really good 'box full of goodies' purchase. They are so cute.

But of course I was feeling a little left out with no colouring so I decided to add a little coloured character inside each card.

I used lots of different sets and just love how they turned out, elegant on the outside and a little cutie on the inside.

Off to the Dollar Shop to get s nice box to put them all in and a big silver bow for the top. All ready to go for Saturday. Which is very rare for me, usually I am still colouring and cutting up to 5 minutes before I leave the house but there you go. I can be organised sometimes.

Challenges:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge : Stamp it For STAMPTEMBER

Its the little things card.

Crafting By Designs September: Anything Goes

It's the little things card

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #186

Babies are all our dreams.......

The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge 'Blooming Flowers'

Its the little things card

Work It Wednesday August: Special Occassion and must Stamp

Babies are all our dreams......Baby Shower

Retro Rubber Challenge #94 Anything Goes

Babies are all our dreams.....

Both the stamped image and the sentiment

 are quite a few years old.

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