Make It Monday 290 - Stencils and Masking

Hello!

I just love it when I'm challenged to try a technique and finding that it makes BEAUTIFUL cards! This is what happened when I decided to give the current Papertrey Ink Make-It-Monday challenge a go. I watched Betsy's video and her card is gorgeous, and I had a little time up my sleeve today, so I rushed off to the craft desk. :-)

I'll be honest, this card took a little while due to the masking style I decided to use. I had to create all of those little masks and the stencil, and then sponge, and spray, and splatter, and then unmask and stamp, and then finally remove the stencil. BUT, what a reward after all that work! This photo really doesn't do justice to the way this card GLOWS.

I used PTI Strawberry Patch stamps and dies, which is one of my very favourite all time stamp sets. It gives me joy to give my old stamps some love.

Thank-you for coming by to visit me!

Michelle
xxx

Make It Monday 231 - Motif Building

Hello!

I was so intrigued by Betsy's motif building over at Make It Monday this week that I just had to try it out for myself. I think I need a little more practice! It was a fun exercise, so I'll be trying this technique again. :-)

I used PTI Lovely Layers, Rosie Posie, Sparkle & Shine, and Scripted stamp sets to create my motif. Colours are PTI Hibiscus Burst, Smokey Shadow, Soft Stone, Hawaiian Shores and SU! Certainly Celery.

I'm also linking this up to Susan's Thanksgiving challenge and also to One Layer Simplicity where the theme is Gratitude.

Thanks for visiting me!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 127

Hello!

This week's sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch is beautiful in it's simplicity. Although butterflies were at the front of my mind, I moved in a different direction creatively and replaced the butterfly with a flower.

I used PTI Lovely Layers and Keep It Simple: Sympathy stamps. I used PTI Lovely Layers dies. Ink colours are PTI Melon Berry, Soft Stone, Smokey Shadow and SU! Crumb Cake and Soft Suede.

My colours for this card were inspired by Papertrey Ink Make it Monday where Dawn has us stamping with neutrals.

Thank-you for dropping by to visit me! I appreciate it!

Michelle
xxx

Make It Monday 173 - no outline watercolour

Hello!

I couldn't resist this week's Make It Monday Challenge - no outline watercolour! Heather demonstrated the technique, and I wanted to separate the petals a bit more, so I painted them at different times, letting each batch of petals dry before painting their adjacent petals. This means this card took me two days to make, sigh! Even now, I could go back and do some more shading, but I've run out of time.

I used my new Botanical Blocks stamps with Winsor & Newton Cotman water colours on water colour paper. I gold embossed the sentiment.

While I had the Botanical Blocks stamps out, I also made another card. This one coloured with a mixture of Copics and SU! Blendabilities. I'm new to colouring, so don't look too closely!

I have two aunties who have birthdays approaching. These cards are for them.

It's Sunday night. It's time to prepare for the week ahead. I am wishing the week-end was just a little bit longer... ;-)

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

A Country Quilt

Hello!

I'm back with a quick post before bedtime. I had another quilt idea for Make It Monday that was inspired by the sketch at Retro Sketches.

This card feels like a warm country-style quilt to me. :-)

I used Papertrey Ink Birds & Blooms and Doodlie-Do stamps. Card is PTI Vintage Cream. Patterned paper is SU!

Now I'm racing to bed. Back to work tomorrow and I need a good rest before then. Still not well and I need as much sleep as I can get.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Some cozy quilts

Hello!

I'm bringing you two cards this post. I was sitting pondering two challenges last night and ended up using the same sketch for both cards. It must be a great sketch!

My first card is for CAS(E) This Sketch #72.

I used wPlus9 Whole Lotta Happy stamp and Happy Trio die. The card is SU! Tangerine Tango, Soft Slate, and Daffodil Delight. Paper is SU! Watercolour Wonder. Black ink is Memento Luxe.

At first I wasn't sure how this card would turn out. It was feeling VERY bright to me. Once it was finished, I found that the softer colours in the patterned paper gave me enough breathing space from the bright orange that I really liked it. I love that die! I cut the happy twice - once in tangerine and once in daffodil and offset them to create a shadow effect.

My second card is for Papertrey Ink Make It Monday #159. I used the same sketch, but a different technique. The technique is no-sew quilted cards. I decided to make a quilt to place on top of my card (and I embossed the card base in the same pattern).

I used Hibiscus Burst card and paper. I embossed using the Hexagon cover plate. The stamp is from Meadow Greens.

Before I go, I have a couple of photos for you. First is my chicken Penny. She has the most amazing colours. For a while I was worried she was a rooster, because her colouring is so fabulous! Her black feathers glow green as well. She's 14 weeks old now and I'm happy to say I'm confident she is a hen. :-)  She was feeling a bit hot yesterday, so she had her mouth open and her wings spread out for most of the day. My black chickens feel the heat just as badly as my black dog. The white chickens don't seem to have the same problem.

My other photo is what I found when I went to turn the light off for my 6 year old daughter last night.

Because we all know that to be completely cool we have to wear our sunglasses while reading our book...lol! I don't know how she was reading, the light in her room isn't the brightest in the first place.

Thank you for coming to visit me! Have a great week-end!

Michelle
xxx

A little bit of sunshine

Hello!

I have made another one-layer card. Stretching my one-layer thinking prior to starting Online Card Classes, Clean & Simple #3. This one was for my Mum's birthday this week. She loved it!

I used PTI Doodlie-Do stamps. Colours are Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils. I added SU! Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the centres of the large flowers, adding a little extra texture and interest.

I'm entering this into:
Make It Monday - add texture to one-layer cards, 
One Layer Simplicity - just add water,
and Cure For The Monday Blues - I couldn't resist the yellow :-)

I'm a little tired today. My eldest daughter had a friend over for a sleepover last night. They were great, but... My littlest girl decided she should have a sleepover too... in my bed... in my space... sigh!

Thanks for coming to visit!

Michelle
xxx

A little bit of green

Hello!

I have some new stamps. I couldn't wait to try them out. I had to wait DAYS before I got a spare moment. It was an agonizing wait, lol! Here is the first of the cards I made.

I am so happy with this card! It worked better than I had hoped. The green and espresso brown speech bubbles really pop off this one-layer card in real life. I'm not sure if you can get the effect on the computer, or not. This card involved a little masking to create the effect. I used PTI Doodlie-Do and Sweet Speech stamps. Inks are SU! Early Espresso and Mama Elephant Mojito.

I hesitated to get Doodlie-Do, even though I loved it at first sight. The hesitation was that some of the most striking examples I've seen are coloured with Copics, and I don't have Copics. But, it turns out that it works without being coloured, and in another card I made, I coloured with Inktense pencils and that worked too. :-) I am in love with this set!  I have several ideas brewing.  The Sweet Speech set fills a little gap in my stamp collection very nicely. They really are sweet!

I am entering into three challenges. In no particular order, I have entered:

The Card Concept. I'm not sure what style this is, CAS or CAG. Is it even clean with all those flowers? It was relatively simple to make.

CAS(E) This Sketch.

Make It Monday. We were asked to add texture to a one-layer card. I have used masking mixed with bold speech bubbles against a doodle background.

Today I had my Mum over for lunch to celebrate her birthday, which was yesterday. We had a lovely morning of playing cards (500) and a light lunch of salad and meats. It was really nice to spend some relaxed time together.

Thanks for coming by to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Thank-You Berry Much

Hello!

I found a little time this week-end to play at my craft table. It seems that everyone is on a watercolour theme this week! I made a card that mixed the watercolour background of Make It Monday with the inspiration photo over at Taheerah's blog for Cure For The Monday Blues. I used the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch.

I created my little watercolour panel by washing watercolour paper with water and then brushing over PTI Melon Berry and Berry Sorbet Inks. Then I white embossed the strawberries (PTI Strawberry Patch). I added the sequins to pick up some of the sparkle from the inspiration photo.

I also found some time to go out into my back yard and let my chickens have some free range time. I had my dog on the leash, because she seems to think that the chickens look like fun playmates. I'm pretty sure the chickens aren't keen on playing with a bouncy dog. ;-) The chickens are now 8 weeks old and they have grown!

This is Daisy and Peggy, our light sussex hens.

And this is Ozzie. Ozzie is our shyest chicken and I don't usually capture her in photos. This one was a bit of a miracle!  Ozzie is a Black Australorp hybrid (mixed with Isa Brown).

Thanks for coming to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Collage Colour

Hello!

Second post for the day. I just made a card for Make It Monday #110, and I didn't want to delay, just in case I miss the deadline! This week the technique is collage elements. At first glance, I didn't think I'd be able to do this technique. My brain has a hard time when too many elements get added all together. It turns out that I can reconcile lots of elements with my CAS-loving brain! Yay!

We have another overcast day here today, and using my light to take the photo has exploded the colour a bit. No amount of editing would bring it back to being quite as pretty as it is in real life (I'm very sad about this, because this card is super pretty). Just imagine that the bright coral is slightly less bright...

I used PTI Stylish Sentiments: Birthday, Text Style II, Strawberry Patch, Heart-2-Heart #10, Turning a New Leaf. Colours are PTI Berry Sorbet, SU! Pretty in Pink, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede. Dies are PTI H2H#10, and Filigree Border.

I used the colour scheme from ColourQ #183.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Ooh, I love it when a new technique works!

Hello!

I was watching the Make It Monday #109 video and thinking to myself that I've tried this idea before and it didn't really work out... but then I thought, why not give it another go? I am so glad I did. Messy ink with nice, neat embossing over the top on a crisp white background appeals to me SO much. :-)

I used PTI Wonderful Words: Hello stamps, SU! Poppy Parade and Barely Banana inks sprayed with champagne mist. The sunshine is stamped in gold. Card base is SU! Poppy Parade and panel is PTI White.

Do you recognise the stamp set? LOL! If you've been visiting me on my blog for a while, you'll know that when I get a favourite stamp set, I tend to use it and use it and use it... until everyone is tired of seeing me using it. This is one of those stamps that I think I'll use forever. I just love the typeface, it's so happy!

As well as Make It Monday, I'm also entering this card into the Moxie Fab World Card Creations Ombre Challenge. I'm not great at ombre, but I managed to create an ombre effect with these inks. Amazing what happens when you start playing around with inks. ;-)

For those of you curious about how parent-teacher interviews went, they went well. My girls make me proud. The weather, after some wild rain this morning, fined up this afternoon, so I am still crossing my fingers that the heat continues at least for two more days and we get some beach time this week-end. After the Easter holidays, I'll be well and truly ready for the cooler Autumn weather to commence.

Thanks for coming to visit. I'll be back in a few days.

Michelle
xxx

Birthday card and an envelope...

Hello!

Today it is HOT, HOT, HOT!! Again! I think I may expire!

Despite the heat, I pondered the problem of packaging over-size cards.

This is my card. I've been playing around with Papertrey Ink Teach & Inspire stamps to see what I can do that is not a "teacher" card.

I used PTI Teach & Inspire and Happy Hexagons (sentiment). Colours are SU! Crumb Cake, Pretty In Pink, Pumpkin Pie, PTI Berry Sorbet (I don't have Melon Mambo). Card base is PTI Basic White.

I made it in response to two challenges - Color Throwdown #225 and CAS(E) This Sketch #11

Looking at the sketch again, I see that I didn't quite place my sentiment in the right place, but I'm sure you get the picture!

My card has a few points of the star going over the edge, which will require custom packaging. Usually I just get a bigger envelope, but this week at Make It Monday #100 we've been challenged to find a different way to package our oversize cards. I made a few attempts at this. I really like the glassine bags that Dawn used in the video, but I don't have any. So I tried a brown paper bag. It sort of worked, but I got too fancy and it didn't match my CAS card so well. Back to pondering how to get the glassine bag look... and I ended up with greaseproof paper from my kitchen drawer. Turns out greaseproof paper makes a lovely, delicate envelope!

Here they are together.

And then packaged up.

Thanks for coming to visit. Now, should I make another card, or should I jump in that pool?

Michelle
xxx

Choo choo!

Hello!

Sometimes I start making a card with a particular idea almost fully formed, other times the card just seems to make itself. This card is an example of the latter. Not quite what I had in mind, but still cute. ;-)

I used PTI Little Hot Rod stamps and dies. Colours are SU! Cameo Coral (I didn't have anything like Melon Berry), Pool Party, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Daffodil Delight, and Memento London Fog for the sentiments. Card base is PTI Basic White.

This is in response to two challenges. Make it Monday #99 calls for us to use rainbows and repeats. My repeats are the clouds. The rainbow scheme I chose was colour scheme #2.

CASE Study this month has the amazing Amber Kemp-Gerstel as muse, and the first card for CASE Study #123 is one of my many favourites of hers.

I really did mean to CASE this more closely, but I ended up focusing on the creation of movement through the use of repeated images.

Thanks for coming by!

Michelle
xxx

Make It Monday #98 - Chalkboard technique

Hello, and Happy New Year to you all!

I'm starting 2013 off with something new - a new technique!

Sometimes in life events happen that FORCE you into action. :-)  A couple of days ago, I was carefully examining some cards - one by Meredith MacRitchie and the others by Betsy Veldman. The particular posts I was looking at were using the Chalkboard technique. I pinned these posts and decided I would do something like this one day. Well, today I found that Make It Monday over at Papertrey Ink is all about the chalkboard technique this week, with another tutorial by the fabulous Betsy! That was all the prodding I needed, so I sat down to experiment.

My first effort isn't exactly what I was looking for, but it DOES look like a chalkboard, and I am confident that with some practice, I will be able to do better.  I quite like this technique, despite the "messy" feeling when creating the card using it!

This is my card.

I used PTI Strawberry Patch , Strawberry Patch Sentiments, and Embellishments. Colours are SU! Real Red, Black, and PTI Basic White. Ink is PTI Fresh Snow and Versamark. Pencils are Derwent Inktense.

Thanks for coming by to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Christmas Baubles

Hello!

It's Christmas card season. I have to get some of these posted this week. I do want some of my overseas friends and family to actually receive cards from me this year, and BEFORE Christmas would be great!

I made this card for three challenges.

I used PTI Peace, Love, Joy, and Snowflake Serenade, as well as SU! Ornament Keepsakes. Colours are SU! Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla. I embossed the sentiments in gold. Twine is Twinery Cappuccino. 

I can't tell you how long I have been watching Papertrey Ink's Make-It-Monday, and I don't think I've ever entered, despite being endlessly inspired! This is challenge #93, and it is all about splitting die cuts. For these baubles, I stamped the baubles, then I cut top and bottom of the centre strip, and then I die-cut (and the centre fell out). By doing this, I wasn't trying to hold that little bauble in my paper-trimmer and keep a straight line.

Over at Addicted to CAS, for their challenge #2, the code word is BAUBLE. I don't think further explanation is necessary on this one. :-)

And just before I made this card today, the new inspiration board was published at Jay Gee's Nook. This is challenge #26. I loved those coppery-gold baubles, and the creams, and hot chocolate. I couldn't resist!

Thanks for coming by to visit!

Michelle
xxx