If nothing ever changed there would be no butterflies!

Okay quickly before we get to the photos of the cards here is a quick update on the triplets.

They are now 10 weeks old and out of Neonatal ward. They are in a room together. They have finally all hit 4lb each with Chase the smallest at just 4lb and Illa the biggest at 4.5lb. Demi is still having a bit of help breathing but they are all doing so well its time to share.  

Mum is doing very well and is breastfeeding them all. Their 2 year old brother is struggling a bit with having to share mum so much but is getting there and dad was given some local time in the army so he could be nearby but has now had to go so its time for us all to step up and help when they go home. 

I am totally amazed by this wonderful young mother who takes everything in her stride  and always looks so serine. I know I had my twins  23 yrs ago but I know I never looked so relaxed. 

I went to see them last Thursday but they were still in special Care and no one was allowed touch, tell you it was soon hard not to sneak one out in my bag. 

Alright enough gushing but really aren't they beautiful???

My Cards

I have done two cards, one with the outline of the butterflies blended and the other

With the butterflies themselves blended.

On this card I used the full size card and taped down the stencil that is a Stamplorations one and blended with Distress Inks and tried to keep it light as I can be a bit heavy handed with my blending.

I kept the blending around the outline and didn't carry it all the way over. After that I used one of the butterfly sentiment stamps and inked up in the same colours as the areas blended and stamped to add some texture.

I then removed the stencil added a few enamel dots and stamped the sentiment in black.

Exactly the same idea with this card, just a different stencil. This one is of the butterflies and is from Urban Artist. They are smaller so I just reduced the size of the card slightly. 

Was quite happy with the end results on both, they were very easy to do and after I finished I realised I hadn't done what I needed to do to enter them in one of the challenges I was thinking of.

This appears to be becoming a habit and I think I need to read blog carefully before I start on card so I am at least heading in the right direction. I was thinking of going in Loll and Bonnie's CAS Mix up but thought I used watercolour ink I did not watercolour I blended and I don't have a third step so will have to force myself (yeah right!!) to do some more cards tomorrow.

But still fine to add to:

AAA Cards: Game #61: Stencilling 

Work It Wednesday March 2016: Simon Says Blog

A Bit More Time To Craft Challenge #17 : Anything goes

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

Be youtiful dainty pink flowers

I saw the Fusion Card Challenge

and no way I could resist entering.  I love the picture and the colours. I know its my second post, sorry but I only just made it. Anyway......

I love the stamp I used for the flower and its so funny cause its a stamp I have had forever and a day, in a set of itty bitty flowers and vases and of course not been used. I have so so many flower stamps I reckon I could do one every day and still not use them all in a year (well maybe half a year but pretty close) and this is one I never even thought of and its so so pretty.

I didnt use the vases available in the stamps, I used some vases I have in dies and ended up adding to the size of the stamp to make it look bigger. I die cut the two vases first, one inside the other so it looks like one is slightly behind and as I'm typing this I am seeing I have a vase that is floating in the air. This is a very special vase that is actually held on the wall with a special invisible shelf so it looks like that ( yeah , you really believe that one don't you :)

Back to serious stuff, I stamped in pale pink distress ink and coloured with copics so it looks like no line drawing. I actually did each little flower head in three colours in the copics and feel the darkest colour right in the centre of each petal shows better IRL than in the photo.

I then coloured the vases adding different shades to give a bit of shape to them then glued them back into the negative.

I was quite happy with the end result and finished off with the die cut 'Beyoutiful'. This is the only part that I am not sure of and would love to know what you REALLY think. Is this word right for this card or more one you would use with a person/animal in reference to them??? I felt the black worked just not so sure on the word.

Anyway another card I am very happy with and would like to do again.

Fusion Card Challenge:  Orchid Occasions

 CAS on Sunday: Challenge #80: Flowers

\Simon Says Wednesday Challenge : Anything Goes

EDIT:

Sorry for the repost but I wanted to add this card to 

Pixie's Crafty Workshop: Snippets Playground Week #223

I've been invited to go and play at the playground and hey I have used some snippets for this card, as in the front of the card, that I cut the vases from is a separate panel, and the black snippet for the sentiment so I'm in like Flynn, as they use to say.

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

You make me smile

I love this type of style, should have done it before.

My inspiration is Joyce Mehrberg and boy has she inspired me.

Isn't this card stunning. As my first foray into this style I have used a Penny Black stamp that I recently got (thank you for that inspiration Therese).

This stamp is just stunning and my first time using it I have stamped with Memento Black Ink then die cut a square out. The square that was cut out has been coloured with copics.

The coloured panel has been added back into the original large stamped piece but with some fun foam behind it to add a bit of lift to the panel.

I have then stamped 'you make me' into the tag section of the stamp and added the die cut 'smile' that I die cut twice, the second time in gold mirror cardstock. 

So many more possibilities, I hope to add a couple more cards to this challenge from Happy Little Stampers as it runs for the month and I really love this look.

Ok off to add to

Happy Little Stampers April:CASE the Designer - Joyce Mehrberg

Addicted to Stamps and More: Challenge #187 : Make Your Mark

The ABC Challenge: E is for Everything: Anything Goes

Okay thank you very much for coming to visit and I hope you come again soon.

PS

Does anyone out there have this die

If you do, have you been able to use it okay or do you need to go in and trim pieces apart. I only recently got this die and it just doesn't do a clean cut. I have done cardstock down to thin paper and it will not cut clean. I have used extra cardstock on top of the cut piece and added layers of card and paper to add pressure on the plates. 

Nearly couldn't turn the handle the pack was so tight, I don't have a metal shim to assist with cutting but have never needed it before. I only have the cuttlebug and wasted that much time and cardstock last night thought I would ask if anyone else is having this problem.

Thanks for your time spent reading this part. XX

Welcome home....welcome little one.....you're welcome

I'm not sure yet. I have used the welcome cause it went nicely with this card but have still to decide what to stamp beside,below, inside.

I love these colours together, the blue and white and pale green. I did this for a colour challenge but after I had finished and checked I saw it says 'lime green'  and 'teal' so think I might have missed the mark.  

The stamp I used is one of those bought it cause it looked so delicate and pretty and thought this would make a lovely background stamp, maybe different blended colours but then the stamp arrived and YES I DID IT AGAIN. Didn't read the sizing just assumed.....my ohh my you would think I would have learnt by now. Actually it was before the die the wrong size error so thats not too bad.

Well I still love it and use it just one colour at a time. I white embossed then did a very pale green wash all over avoiding the flowers as much as possible. Blue detail in the flowers and when it was finished felt it looked a bit wishy washy so went back with the green not so dilated and outlined randomly. That picked it up nicely.

I die cut the floral pattern first with this three rectangle stitched die then again on the blue card base. Put a piece of card stock on the inside on the card to hold the die cut panel straight and for somewhere for these rectangles to adhere to.

Finished it off with the white cardstock die cut 'welcome'.

Very simple card.

Addicted to Stamps and More: Make Your Mark: Challenge #187

2nd card for : Addicted to CAS: Challenge #85: Inlaid Dies

CAS on Sunday: Challenge #80 :Flowers

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog: April: Anything Goes

couldn't find a button for this blog.

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

Thank you with Washi tape feathers

I wasn't sure if I could do this washi tape challenge as I have the tape but have found each time I use it I don't like what I see and remove it. That is till my latest purchase, I had always bought bright colours, dots and stripes and honestly I have been using for holding dies in place and when I want to do some blending.

My latest purchases were one of those whim things where I had seen some washi on someones card and decided I would use it. One search of course led to many and as you all know and I am sure many do the same 'wow $1 or $2 each roll no postage of course I have to get more than just one'. Now I have a nice collection I am sure I will use..... gold looks so nice in different patterns.

Gold and white/pink stripes with an ombre effect, mmmm mmm. Just placed the tape along a piece of thin card stock then used my feathers dies to cut some shapes. Then I used a scrap of white card stock and decided where I wanted the feathers to be and cut again.

I die cut with the stitched rectangle die a nice piece of pink scrap that the white piece would fit in and then just attached to a white card base. Procrastinated as usual over the sentiment and then came across this pretty 'thank you' Penny Back word die that had been cut from a piece of Inktense coloured watercolour paper and it just worked perfectly. Finished  of with a wee pink gem. 

I am totally happy with the end result and now I need to go see what else can be covered in washi tape. I cant believe this, Jake heard me humming and it must be my mad person hum cause he's gone into hiding. Silly dog, as thought I would washi tape him.

CASology: Week #191: Washi

Addicted to CAS: Challenge #85: Inlaid Dies

Simon Says: Wednesday Challenge : Anything Goes

Simon Says: Work it Wednesday March 2016

Okay thank you very much for coming to visit and I hope you come again soon.

You are Incredible.

I was sorting out percolated and cut butterflies and flowers into a semblance of order and saw this flower which I had stamped and white embossed on very pale orange vellum. It is three separate sizes and I think its a Hero Art flower. I joined each layer with a little glue and added an orange gem.

Its all spotty dotty so perfect for the Less is More Challenge which I think I still have time to join. I had finished the card and was going to photograph and found my camera had a flat battery so had to wait till it charged enough.

Laid the flower originally on a white card base but felt it looked a bit wishy washy so added a layer of bright orange vellum (love this coloured vellum...will have to find more as it is disappearing fast).

Okay so cut the vellum very slightly longer than the card front, put a fold in at the top and attached over the back with a strip of double sided tape.

Being over the back there is no tape visible. Glued the flower on then stamped with Stazon ink 'you are' so it wouldn't smear and then added a new to me die cut 'incredible'. Finished off with the small orange gems.

Ready for someone incredible.

Less is More Challenge #269: Polka Dots

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge : Anything Goes

One Crazy Stampers Challenge April : Anything Goes

Okay thank you so much for coming to have a look and I hope you come again soon.

Just decided to do a quick EDIT here as Darnell is having a challenge called

and I couldn't resist entering with this card

I was so proud of this card and didnt notice anything was wrong till I was actually adding it to my blog. My husband and kids did their usual 'wow' 'wonderful' etc and no one noticed.

Then I put the two cards together:

I love watercolouring and am rather fussy as I go. Not a relaxed and let it splot here or there, more section by section. Anyway when the two were together suddenly I could see my purple butterfly at the top had one big joined wing, no gap and then further down third butterfly I had done exactly the same thing. Of course it still looks okay and I will use it but it was just one of those moments where you look and think 'whats wrong here??' and it finally dawns. So nothing better for this challenge I reckon.

So here we go 

April Fools Day Boo Boo Hop

Now its only open for 24 hrs so if you want to join in you need to pull your finger out and do it. If you don't want to join in then just Hop on over and check out the other cards.

Again thanks for visiting.