Pink and Tan Butterflies

Thank you for all the lovely comments I received about 'Orange Flowers'. Due to the public holiday yesterday, I was able to complete another card for different challenges. This is my first entry in the My Mind's Eye sketch challenge. I love the MME papers and I've started to collect a few now. The sketch is below and I decided to combine it with my second entry in the CR84FN challenge - love the pink/tan/cream combination. This week's Simon Says Stamp challenge is 'Anything Goes', just perfect to add this card as well!

All the papers were from the MME A Happy Heart collection, the stamp is from MME. Thanks for dropping by. I may not have time to make another one before the weekend as we are gearing up for a weekend trip, will be posting again next week (some more lovely colours and sketch challenges have caught my eye!).

Challenges:

MME April Sketch

CR84FN52 - Pink/Tan/Cream

Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

Ingredients:

Cardstock - Via Vellum Kraft

Papers - MME A Happy Heart

Stamp - MME Fiddlesticks "Story" Stamps

Die - MFT Butterflies

Inks - Distress Tea Dye, HA Bubblegum

Others - Hero Arts Hues Dots, White gel pen, Kaisercraft gem

Orange Flowers

Really wet in Melbourne today. We have a public holiday in remembrance for the ANZAC soldiers. Good to be at home today. I have been deliberating for a while about making a window card for A Blog Named Hero, and I finally came upon a sketch which would be perfect for this challenge. I also used the colours of the Runway Inspired challenge! This week's Simon Says Stamp challenge is 'Anything Goes' - a perfect card to add to another challenge!

I decided to go for an all white background on a bright orange card. My first card did not quite work out as it was more yellow than bright orange. I re-did it last night using Distress Ink Ripe Persimon and it was the perfect colour to match the challenge. The grey chevron patterned paper was from the Simon Says Stamp April kit and the sentiment is from Hero Arts.

Challenges:

CAS-ual Fridays CFC49 sketch

A Blog Named Hero Window challenge

Runway Inspired #10 - Orange, Grey and gold

Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

Ingredients:

Stamps - Hero Arts Four Flowers, Be Happy

Paper - Simon Says Stamp April kit

Inks - Tim Holtz Distress Ink Ripe Persimon, Ranger Archival Jet Black

Others - Gold brad, Mandarin twine from The Twinery, Spellbinders nestibilities classic squares and labels15

Sunnier Days

Hi All, a really wet day in Melbourne today. So most appropriate to wish for Sunnier Days for the current Retro Sketches#8 challenge.

This was such a fun card to make, very little stamping and lots of lovely DP from the SSS April kit to play with. Embellishments were minimal to keep the card CAS. Thank you for dropping by, come back tomorrow as I have another one in the pipeline!

Challenge: Retro Sketch #8

Ingredients:

Paper - Simon Says Stamp April kit

Stamp - Simon Says Stamp April kit

Ink - HA Mid-tone Pool

Others - MS Corner and edge ribbon loop punch, SSS April kit punch, Carl punches, Scallop die, twine, Kaisercraft pearls, miniature pegs

Pink and Tan

I was very excited when I checked Pinterest this afternoon to find that someone had pinned my 'Two Butterflies' card made for MFTWSC67 sketch and it was repinned 46 times! My pin was only repinned once!
I had enough time this weekend to make another quick card. I wanted to combine two challenges: - CR84FN52 using the MFTWSC68 sketch. Love the pink/tan/cream colour combination!

I used papers from My Minds Eye A Happy Heart to put together the sketch. The washi tape had to make an appearance, my favourite embellishment. I also added the Kaisercraft blossom and pearls to finish off the card. The card turned out more pink than cream/tan. Thanks for dropping by!

Ingredients:

Paper - My Minds Eye A Happy Heart

Stamp - MFT Just My Type

Ink - HA Cup O'Joe, Tim Holtz Tea Dye

Extras - MS Ribbon loop punch, washi tape, Kaisercraft blossom and Kaisercraft pearls

Farewell for Rose

The only challenge for this card is what and how. I often make A4 sized cards for people at work. Rose has been with us since 1979 and she had a personal tragedy this year followed by news of a terminal illness. She has decided to leave us after so many years at work. I decided to find a paper that had beautiful roses to match her name and go from there. As I didn't want this to be a 'Farewell' card as such, as we do want to see her again, I decided to use the Technique Tuesday - Talking in circles stamp set for the sentiment. It did not take me long to pick the appropriate words. We had a farewell lunch for her yesterday. When she saw the sentiment, she looked at me and said 'Thank You, the words are perfect!' They reflected how she sees life at the moment, day to day.

Paper - Kaisercraft Sweet Nothings
Stamp - Technique Tuesday - Talking in Circles
Ink - Memento Tuxedo black, Distress Ink Gathered Wood
Others - Spellbinders scallop dies, silk ribbon, Hero Hues Gem

I thought I would also include another card made two months ago for Rose again - this was an A4 Sympathy card for Rose. I wanted this to be a cheery card, so I added bright yellow ribbons to the card. Thank you for dropping by.

Paper - Il Papiro music paper

Stamp - Hero Arts 657773 657776 CL457

Ink - Memento Tuxedo black, Distress Ink Tea Dye

Others - Perfect Pearls, Tim Holtz fence edge die

Zenspired Cards

Time for some really Casual and Simple (CAS) cards using one layered stamping and inspirations from Zenspiration. I first came across the Sakura website last year and was enthralled with Joanne Fink. I'm not really into CAS cards, but have been giving them a go. When I saw the challenge on Less is More - One Layer Card with doodling, the ideas were spinning in my head. The first card I made was using HA Magical Flower (another new stamp I purchased from the Paperific Expo), this was the ideal stamp as it was large enough to fill up most of the card.

It was hard to stop myself from adding any embellishments (What? No Washi tapes?) to the card, just keeping it CAS! I added Zenspired doodles to the outer petals of the flower and the centre. This stamp is just perfect for this challenge! I enjoyed it so much, I decided to do another card, this time using the HA April sketch.

I combined two stamps and masked off each section after I stamped to create the card. The doodling on the flower was fun! I do not have the Sakura pens that Joanne uses, I used black gel and ink pens instead. Thank you for dropping by!

Challenges:

Less is More - Week 63 One Layer

Hero Arts April Sketch Challenge

Ingredients:

Cardstock - Kraft

Stamps - HA CG284 CL297 CG290

Ink - Ranger Archival Jet Black, black gel pen

April Flowers

This blog feels like 'deja-vous'! It was all ready and saved in draft for publishing today and the whole thing disappeared! Weird! Anyhow, I was very excited to receive my April kit from Simon Says Stamp two nights ago and made a card the same night!

I used the combined Retro Sketch #7 with the CAS-ual Friday challenge - Opposites Attract.

The washi tape was the first thing I noticed, I don't know what it is, but I'm addicted to them! The colour of the tape is purple and the colour opposite is yellow in the colour wheel. Most of the papers used were from the April kit, except in my excitement, I did not realise there were cardstock in the bottom of the box, so I used a purple cardstock from my stash! I also received the complete range of HA mid tone inks, so I had to use one of them for this card. This card is already in the safe hands of Australia Post destined for a fellow crafter. Hope she likes it! Thanks for stopping by!

Challenges:

Retro Sketch #7

CAS-ual Fridays - Opposites Attract

Ingredients:

Paper: Simon Says Stamp April Kit, MME Blink of an Eye

Stamps: Hero Arts (CL519 Many Dots, K5541 Frame It Scrolls)

Ink: Hero Arts Mid Tone Stone Wash

Others: MS border punch, Kaisercraft pearls

MFTWSC67 Sketch

Another quick card to add to a challenge before it closes tomorrow! Better late than never! Sketch is below:

I used my new HA Friends Definition stamp for the background, inked with Tea Dye Distress Ink and layer some DP from Kaisercraft Vintage Timeless. The butterflies were painted with Perfect Pearls. Check back on Thursday, I have another card cooking in the oven! Thanks for dropping by!

Challenge Blog: 

My Favourite Things Wednesday Stamp Club

Ingredients:

Cardstock - Kraft

Papers - Kaisercraft Vintage Timeless

Stamps - MME Miss Caroline Fiddlesticks, MFT Just My Type, HA Friends Definition

Ink - Ranger Archival Jet Black, Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Tea Dye, Perfect Pearls - Pewter

Spring Flowers in Autumn!

We had a sunny and warm Autumn weekend in Melbourne on the weekend.  I wanted to tackle the third HA April sketch - the one with a tag. I also love the colours of the current Play Date Cafe Challenge - Daffodil...Hydrangea...Kiwi...Cherry and decided to combine the two.

This card gave me the opportunity to use my new HA stamp sets (Four Flowers and Be Happy) and also the lovely new papers from the Basic Grey Picadilly collection. The washi tape (yes, I need to mention that my sister got it from Japan...) made an appearance too. All colour elements in the Play Date Cafe 127 are present. Thanks for dropping by! I am also submitting this card to the Simon Says Stamp challenge - April Showers bring Spring Flowers, most appropriate card for this challenge. By the way, this is my tenth blog post since I started 4 weeks ago, I'm really enjoy all the feedback I have been getting! Thank you for stopping by!

Ingredients:
Stamps: Hero Arts CL606 CG290
Paper: Basic Grey Picadilly, coloured vellum
Card: Kraft, Tim Holtz Distress series
Embellishments: Washi tape, Hero Hues gem (blue) and Kaisercraft gem (pink)
Inks: Ranger Archival Jet Black, Versamark embossing ink (White embossing powder)

Mother's Day Card 2

I have three Mother's Day cards to make, so here is the second one. I decided to participate in the CardPatterns Sketch 160 as my first winning card was made with one of their sketches. My problem with this sketch (I almost was not going to participate) is that I do not have any oval dies. I ended up using a rectangular frame, rounded on the corners.

The colour scheme was determined by the colours of the Washi tape (Yes, I have to thank my sister again), the rest was pretty easy until I decided to paint with distress re-inkers (my first try at this). The colours did not turn out that nice on kraft card stock. I kept it and stamped on MME A Happy Heart patterned paper and fussy cut the flowers. The leaves were coloured with Peeled Paint and the cardstock I used were from the Tim Holtz Distress collection. The flowers are from Hero Arts and the sentiment from Kaisercraft. I now have one more Mother's Day card to make. Why three? I send one to my Ex-Mother-In-Law as well :) 

Washi Tape!

I was so excited when my sister came back from a work trip in Japan. While she was there (I normally do not like to get people to buy things for me when overseas), I'd asked if she can get me some Washi tape. She initially did not know what it was until I explained to her. Lo and behold she came back with $80 (AUD) worth of tapes and declared that I can only have half and that we should swap them after a little while. Here is my stash and could not wait to play with them, especially after seeing Kristina Werner's card today using Washi tape. I knew exactly which challenges I should do this card.

I used Retro Sketch #6 (love this CAS sketch) and the colours of the Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger - Three Little Birds. Problem is that I do not have any bird stamps, so the good old MFT Butterfly dies will have to do with my new Washi tape. The sentiment is from Hero Arts (Be Happy CL606) and the twine is from The Twinery and the gem is from Hero Hues. Thank you to my sister for hunting down Washi tape in Japan for me (she kept the pretty butterfly tape...will have to wait for the swap). Thanks for looking!

Hero Arts April Sketches

Here are my two cards made from this month's Hero Arts sketch contest. I only attempted two of the sketches and will try the third one later this month. The first card does not have a sentiment as I wanted to use the butterfly to sit within the scalloped circle. 

The second card is for a friend who just had a baby girl and I wanted to use my new HA stamp (Four Flowers) recently purchased from the Paperific Expo. I originally embossed the vellum on white patterned vellum and was not happy with how it sits on the card. So I dug out some pink patterned vellum which has been in my stash for I don't know how long. I'm glad I'm finally able to use it and was happy with the end result! I have recently found some transparent mounting tape at Officeworks, which was perfect for the flower in this card.

Both cards will be entered (at the last hour) to A Blog Named Hero's first challenge - play favourites , Simon Says Stamp - Use Your Favourite Tool (My Big Shot) and this month's Hero Arts April  challenges.

Thanks for dropping by.

Easter weekend cards

Ah, so nice to have a nice long weekend at Easter. Even though we had a pretty busy weekend catching up with family and friends, I managed to squeeze in some time to make some cards. I came across a very interesting blog page about Runway inspired cards and was keen to participate in the current challenge.
I used a white card as a background and a cream coloured card as a mat (although my photo may not show up the colours correctly). The paper is from Kaisercraft Sweet Nothings and it is so pretty I wanted to show off as much as I could without detracting from it. A vellum butterfly embossed in white and a sheer white ribbon with roses finished off the card nicely. There was no room for a sentiment as I can use this for a birthday or wedding card. I am also entering this card into 'A Blog Named Hero' first challenge using my favouring HA butterfly stamp from Antique Flowers and Butterflies set. Voila!

The inspiration for the card comes from this runway photo:

The second card I had time to make today was inspired by Sweet Sunday Sketch 156:

I used Bo Bunny Gabrielle collection to piece together this card. I also used another one of my favourite HA dogwood stamp, a card I made with this stamp has been submitted for publishing in the Australian Cardmaking, Stamping and Papercraft magazine. I also used my new Martha Stewart acquisition from the Paperific Expo in both cards and topped off with some gems from Hero Hues. This card will be submitted in A Blog Name Hero - favourite HA stamp challenge and the Sweet Sunday Sketch 156 challenge. Again, I did not add a sentiment as the whole card seems too busy for one. This will be added inside the card. I am also entering both cards into the Simon Says Stamp - My Favourite Tool challenge, which is of course the good old Sizzix Big Shot, used for both cards.

Mother's Day Card

As Mother's Day is not far away now and I have three cards to make, I thought I better get cracking. I decided to use the MFTWSC66 sketch and Marcy's colour palette challenge (How Green is your Spring) from Our Creative Corner. Any excuse to use the new stamp from Kaisercraft I purchased at the Melbourne Paperific Expo!

I really love my MFT Die-namics butterflies and wanted to try layering all three on top of each other. I also used the Kaisercraft Bonjour paper, edged with TH Distress ink Tattered Rose. I am also submitting this card for the Simon Says Stamp (Your Favourite Tool - Big Shot).

Another card I would like to share was made at the recent Paperfic Expo I attended. I attended a class conducted by Stamp-It Australia using Stamp-It Dragonfly stamp set and TH distress inks and Ranger Colour Wash to colour a flower from the TH Tattered Florals Die (which I already have). The original card was made by Shasta and Ursula Pope and here is my version of it. The brad and dragonflies were painted with Perfect Pearls and the edges inked with Vintage Photo. The flower was washed with Wild Plum - love the colour! Happy Easter to everyone!

Blue Teddy

I attended the Melbourne Paperific Show in last weekend and stocked up on some new stamps, inks and lovely 6x6 pads. I wanted to try enter in some more challenges. The first one is the next CR84FN51 colour challenge - Pink, Peach and Light Blue. This is definitely going to be a baby card. Now, boy or girl? I also liked the sketch on Retro Sketches and decided to combine the two challenges.

 I picked out papers from MME A Happy Heart and Away We Go and I also wanted to try out the wooden spools I bought last weekend. A bit of coloured twine from The Twinery finished off the project nicely! The teddy bear die is a Sizzix Original which I purchased many years ago with my old Sizzix red handled machine. Sadly, this has been replaced recently by The Big Shot. The patterned paper were edged with Distress Ink Gathered Twigs and the Sentiment is from Kaisercraft. I think this card can be for either a baby boy or girl. What do you think?

Thank you for dropping by.... I've got another card brewing and will be making it soon...