In the style of....

I have attended many Stampin' Up classes / demos/ events over the years and have always found that most of the cards produced have a certain style. They are generally clean and unfussy, although they can be made of up several elements.
This card that I made today reminds me of that style.

The embossing folder is from Stampin' Up.  I turned it over to the debossed side before mounting it on the base card.  My colour palette was determined by one of my recently made cards - in other words the blue card and the ink pad were on my desk!

The stamped image is one from the Tim Holtz range and one which is a particular favourite of mine at the moment.  It sits happily on its own or as part of a larger collage, so I have found it really useful.
I used a  Fiskars border punch and a corner rounder to make the blue card mat.  It was with some trepidation that I stamped the sentiment on to the debossed surface. I knew that it could go horribly wrong at this stage and I would have to spend ages trying to save it from the bin.

NB. You can see that I used a brad to secure the ribbon tie. It took a great deal of courage to use this from my stash.  I have loads but I rarely use them.  Must be in some way related to my love of buttons and inability to let them go too.

Perfect Postage Stamp

I have lusted (Should I be using this word in this context?) over the Perfect Postage Stamp set and Postage Stamp Punch since using it at a Stampin' Up craft afternoon a couple of months back.  A very naughty friend knew this and gave them to me as a present last week. What can I say? - it wasn't even my birthday.  I know that she will read this so ........thank you again... you shouldn't have.(but I like it.)

I put this card together very quickly so it hasn't turned out well as I had intended. ( It will be a "prototype".) It is similar to one that we made at the above event.   The splattered background was created by flicking ink from a loaded brush.  I do have one of those air brush thingies somewhere which would have created a more refined effect but will have to search for it.  To be fair, it belonged to my son when he was about ten and he is now 34.  I love a good excuse for a tidy up!!!?  The stamped Crafty Individuals script was masked before the spattering took place.

I just love the blackberry stamp from this set. It is so clear. It reminds me of the times that we used to go blackberry picking. Mmmm..... blackberry and apple pie. The punch is a perfect accompaniment. 

Inks used: Adirondack -Currant and Denim. Sentiment - Hero Arts

Trendy Trees - First Airing

I have made several purchases lately - mostly Hero Arts stamps.  I feel a little guilty that I have still a number of items that I've had for some time that have not seen the light of day since I bought them.  The Stampin' Up  Trendy Trees wheel is one such item.  So I inked it up and away I went.

I began by just running the stamp across some white card. I then, inadvertently, turned the roller round and ended up with an upside down row. So this card was born!

I used a layer of Kraft paper, finishing off the bottom edge with a border punch.   Some of the trees from my other practice runs were cut out and  attached to the base card with 3D foam squares.

Okay this has assuaged my guilt ......but only a little!

Saved From the Bin

Look at this. Do you have one of these?  It is a plastic tub where I put all of my aborted attempts; whether it be because of an ink smudge, (usually the case) badly positioned matt, oozing glue or just because , after hours of work, I simply don't like it.  I live in hope that each and every one of these poor things will be resurrected and live on in another guise - complete and pleasing to the eye without a hint of what lies beneath the background paper or embellishment!

And here is such a card.

 Admittedly it was just two little ink marks that spoilt it. Those gems have hidden them to perfection!  This card was made a Stampin' Up party and with the help of Elaine Brainwood (Local Stampin' Up demonstrator)

Such pretty paper and stamp. We used an embossing folder - Square Lattice. It gives such a lovely textute to the paper making it look a bit like wallpaper.  Of course, I had to have it.

Anyway, I have yet again justified to myself, the need to keep the plastic box of "disasters"

A little rusty

I haven't produced many cards of late - only the odd one when I have been asked to. This is very unusual for me as I have been making cards several evenings a week for many years. My two previous posts show that I have not been entirely idle though. These projects that I tag as "more than a card" do take quite a time for me to complete. There are a couple more of such makes that I will post in the near future.

Anyway, in order to regain my mojo, I looked to my collection of card samples that I have completed at various classes. This card is based on a card that I made at a Stampin Up workshop at the SECC in Glasgow.

I could only replicate it because my friend Susy loaned me the medallion stamp (note to self - give it back!)

Something borrowed

I have loved the Stampin' Up medallion stamp since using it in a craft class. I borrowed it from my friend Susy and I am now convinced that I have to own it!
It lended itself perfectly to the creation of this valentine card but I will explore its use for other ocassions before I return it to its rightful owner. Thanks Susy.

Another CASE study

I recently posted that I attended a class once a month organised by Susy. This is another card that I made similar to one that was prepared for the class. It was another opportunity to use the Stampin' Up set - Pocket Silhouettes. (I must have made my money back on this versatile set by now!) I just need to change the sentiment to make it suitable for many different occasions.

Getting back into the groove

I attend a craft class once a month organised by my friend Susy. The bad weather prior and during the Christmas period prevented me from making the journey across the city to her house so I did not have the opportunity to make the Christmas themed cards that she had prepared for us.

This photo was taken during that time from the upstairs hall window in my house. This was the first time in 26 years that we have lived here that this has happened. I am sure that I could use this photo as inspiration for my next year's Christmas cards!






Anyway, the point of this is that one of the cards that I eventually made post-Christmas on a visit to Susy got my creative juices flowing again.

She had used one of the stamps from the Stampin Up, Pocket Silhouettes set to create a wreath and then added tiny red flowers with bling at their centres and are gingham ribbon bow. I have this set of stamps and, although I have made made many cards with them, (some posted here) I would never have though of using them in this way. It only goes to show how differently we all interpret how a particular resource can be used. Here are my first CASED cards.

The image was stamped on card before inking the sides and then mounting on 3D foam pads

I used a flower stamp from my Lavinia Stamps collection and embellished with acrylic gems and a Martha Stewart Monarch butterfly punch.

I chose a birthday sentiment but I am sure that I could adapt this design for other occasions.

Here is a variation on the theme.

An Apple a day

1. I have been looking for an opportunity to use the new stamps that I purchased a little while ago from Stampin Up and the Clean and Simple FTL 101 challenge sketch has given me just that. I always feel guilty if I have purchased something that I don't use staight away. I have to ask myself " Did I really need it?"

resources:
image - Stampin Up - Tart and Tangy
Ink -SU -Real Red, Versa Color - 23green
Red card an gingham from stash

One-layer Wednesday challenge 7

The brief for the Simplicity OLW 7 challenge this week is repetition. Susan's card is so perfect that I found it difficult to come up with an entry that is worthy of publishing alongside it. I retreated to two of my favourite Stampin Up! sets for confidence - Pocket Silhouettes and Wonderful Words.

It always surprises me that this little stamp gives such a clear result every time - such fine detail and a wonderfully versatile image. The sentiment is also a favourite of mine. It always looks so personal.

I have also adopted Susan's love of carefully considered bling, as it gives dimension without detracting from the simplicity of the design. And I seem to be obsessed with using my round corner punch of late.

Can't wait for next week!!

A variation on a theme

I resisted the urge to make more cards like the one from the last post. I do sell my cards and it would be much easier and quicker to replicate a card that I am happy with. However, I always feel that I have to make a change even if it is only slightly different.
My biggest challenge to date was wedding stationery for a friend's daughter. It was a simple design - a single heart punched from dried red rose petals. but I found it the mass production process very difficult.

I have used the same basic layout for this card but have left out one of the layers. Used white inkpad and white embossing powder before heating with my heat gun. I started off cardmaking with heat embossing and it will always be one of my favourite techniques. The punched square shapes were made from pearlescent card and the little punched butterfly just gives an element of dimension.

Finally, just so that I have recorded it for posterity.... it snowed today. Initially thought it was volcanic dust descending from the sky but no......it's April...... and it was snowing.

Clean and simple style - not as easy as it may appear

The variety of cards being made out there in Craftworld is awe-inspiring. I don't have a particular style that I favour, really. However, I am veering towards the Clean and Simple (CAS) technique for today! I avidly follow Susan Raihala. Her work is perfection and it always seems to me, as I follow her blog, that it is often far more difficult to get it right with the less is more approach. What appears to be a quick card is often the result of an hour of positioning and repositioning elements. Mistakes cannot be hidden ........as I know to my cost. I have a number of cards that haven't turned out to my satisfaction - smudges, wrong positioning of stamp, wrong colour etc.. (You've been there I know)

I will, of course, reuse these when creating another style of card which requires background paper to cover the base. My mistakes will then disappear from view.

This is one of the cards from last night with the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set.


ink - Adirondack Lettuce
Sentiment - Whimsical Words (borrowed from Crafty Susy)

Latest Stampin' Up purchase

It has been some weeks since I bought these stamps (Pocket Silhouettes) from Stampin Up so I though that I should at least have a go. I had been eyeing them up for some time before deciding to buy them so I set out to justify the purchase by creating a selection of cards. Here is the first one.

I chose a lilac A6 card as the base and stamped the images on to white card, using a corner punch to round the corners before layering on to navy card. On reflection , I think that using blue for one of the stamped images was a mistake. The matching envelope and insert have both been stamped with my favourite stamp in the set and I think that I will find that it is one that can be most used independently of the others. With that thought in mind ..............