MFT July Guest Designer Challenge

I was so excited this week as one of my set of cards was picked as a SHOUTout on the Retro Sketches blog - these cards were made with no stamping. I have another card made with no stamping last night. I couldn't resist with submitting something for a challenge at the My Favourite Things Blog. The challenge is to make a card using MFT stamps and Die-Namics (one of my favourites). The winner of the contest gets a selection of stamps and Die-namics worth over $200 and also gets to participate as a Guest Designer for MFT. Who can resist that?? Anyway, I went through my MME stash and picked the Lost and Found Union Square 6x6 pad. This card has been made with no stamping as I do not have many MFT stamps. I am also submitting this card to the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge. If I have time, I may submit a second card for this contest as I would like to try different colours. Thanks for dropping by.

Challenges:
MFT - July Guest Designer Challenge
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Ingredients:
Cardstock - Via Vellum Kraft, Black Card stock
Papers - My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Union Square
Dies - MFT Die-Namics Tag You're It, MFT Die-Namics Butterflies
Inks - Tim Holtz Tea Dye Distress Ink
Others - Kaisercraft Pearls, White gel pen

It's a...

I'm on a roll. I've got so many ideas floating in my head on what I want to try. I've made two quick cards tonight after seeing the new Runway Inspired Challenge. The challenge is to make two Baby cards for a Boy and a Girl. I based my card on this week's Retro Sketch challenge. This card is so easy, it does not require stamping, just cutting out and sticking together using my favourite paper collection Basic Grey Paper Cottage which I won from a BG challenge. I also tried out my new MFT Dienamics dies and my new corner rounder punch. The two cards were done in no time!! I'm also submitting these cards into Simon Says Stamp challenge as their July kit contains the same BG collection! Thanks for dropping by!

Challenges:

Retro Sketches - RS#21

Runway Inspired Challenge - Baby Shower

Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

Ingredients:

Cardstock - Neenah Classic Natural White

Paper - Basic Grey Paper Cottage

Die - MFT DieNamics Layered Label, MFT DieNamics You're It, Spellbinders Scallop 

Others - American Crafts Jewel Brads

Retro Skteches SHOUTout!

Inspired by Shari Carroll

I'm so inspired by so many pretty cards posted over the last few weeks. One challenge caught my attention - CAS-ual Fridays' Black challenge. I've never tried making a black card before! I based my card on another Hero Arts idol - Shari Carroll. She posted a card a few months ago and I pinned it on my Pinterest Board. Her card is the inspiration for mine.

The ever so inspiring Shari is on the top right of the bottom photo.

This card will be submitted for the following challenges:

A Blog Named Hero Challenge 8 - Choose a Hero Artist

Hero Arts July Challenge - Paper flowers

CAS-ual Fridays - Back in Black 

Ingredients:

Cardstock - Black Bazzill

Paper - Basic Grey Paper Cottage

Stamp - Hero Arts Four Flowers CG290, Hero Arts Lattice Background 331065

Ink - Ranger Archival Jet Black, Versamark 

Others - Kaisercraft Blossom, Hero Arts Hues Dots, Cappuccino twine from The Twinery

Done in 60 minutes

I had the pleasure in participating in the Hero Arts Flickr Group 90 minute scramble on the weekend. I've missed the last two as I have been away. The challenge was to make a card with 'Filler stamps' (the ones that we usually don't use), add stitching (faux OK) and handwrite the sentiment. I had to read the instruction more than once before it clicked. I first got out all my HA stamps and picked one with the Four Dolls (there are lantern, fan and flower filler stamps) and wanted to hang the pretty lanterns with twine. The lanterns were stamped onto the cardstock as well as patterned paper and cut out. I made a flower with die cut scalloped circles from 2 patterned papers and edged them with distress ink and scrunched them up before assembling the flower. The sentiment and faux stitching was done with a white gel pen. This can be either a Birthday or Anniversary card. I had the whole card completed in 60 minutes! Thank you to everyone for the lovely comments on Flickr when this card was uploaded yesterday. This card has been submitted to HA July Flower challenge and Moxie Fab World Birthday challenge.

My previous post had over 400 visits in one day, thanks to Jennifer McGuire's re-tweet! It was also picked as a CAS Favourite in Splitcoast Stampers with over 270 views and favourited 7 times in one day! Thanks for the support! It really made my day yesterday!!

This is the Hero Arts stamp set - I've used the dolls and the border stamps but have never touched the 'Filler' stamps, until now!!

Challenges:

Hero Arts - July Flower Challenge

Moxie Fab World - Happy Birthday

Ingredients:

Card - American Craft Cranberry, Neenah Natural white

Paper - Basic Grey Picadilly

Stamp - Hero Arts CL297

Inks - Ranger Archival Jet black, Tim Holtz Distress Tea Dye

Dies - Nestabilities Scallops, MFT Fringed Perennial 

Others - Kaisercraft Brad, white gel pen, Red/white Christmas twine from Kikki.K

Inspired by Jennifer McGuire

I'm getting itchy fingers as I have not crafted for a while and I have so many new stamps, inks and dies to try out. I have been dying to try out my new Tim Holtz Distress Markers. The current challenge at A Blog Named Hero is to make a card inspired by a Hero Arts Artist. One of my inspirations is Jennifer McGuire and she tested these markers before most of us could even get our hands on it!  This is my card using all the colours in the pack (excluding black and white) inspired by Jennifer's card. The card was white embossed with the HA/Studio Calico lattice stamp and coloured with Distress markers. The card was sprayed with Perfert pearls mist. I love the marbled effects when the inks reacted with the water. The beauty about the lattice stamp is that each colour is contained within each pattern, so there is no bleeding. I added white embossed vellum flowers to the card so that I can submit this card for the Hero Arts Paper Flowers Challenge. I'm also submitting this card to the Moxie Fab World Card Challenge!

A close up of the card:

The lovely Jennifer is in the photo below (bottom right).

Before I leave - a little message from Graphic 45 posted on Facebook.... very appropriate for this posting!! Thanks for dropping by!

Challenges:

A Blog Named Hero - Challenge 8 Choose a Hero Artist

Moxie Fab World - Thank You Card Challenge

Hero Arts July Challenge - Paper Flowers

Ingredients

Cardstock: Ranger Specialty Stamping Paper

Stamps: HA Four Flowers CG290, HA Lattice Background (331065)

Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Markers, Versamark, Tim Holtz Picked Raspberry

Others: White Embossing powder, Perfect Pearls Mister, Brad from Kaisercraft

Sebastian

I finally found some time since getting back from overseas to whip up a quick card. I've been dying to play with my Basic Grey Scraplift prize - the new Paper Cottage collection. I had a baby card to make for a couple who just had their first baby last weekend. I chose some pretty papers from the collection and made a card with no stamping and used the stickers in the collection for the name. It was a fun and quick card to make. I'm submitting this card for the current Play Date Cafe colour and CAS-ual Friday's Strip challenges. It feels so good to get back into it again, I really missed my craft room!

Challenges:
Play Date Cafe - Challenge #140
CAS-ual Friday - Strip Challenge
Ingredients:
Cardstock - Neenah Natural White
Paper - Basic Grey Paper Cottage collection
Others - Twine from the Twinery

I'm so happy to report that my guest book for my niece's 21st was very well received. There were over 100 people at her party last Friday and the whole book was filled up with signatures and well wishes! Here are some photos of the book:

A photo of my sister and I with Sarah taken at the party. It is very rare that a photo of me gets taken as I am always the unofficial photographers at most functions!

Chinese Wedding Dolls

We just came back from another wedding in Malaysia after a week long holiday at Paradise Koh Yao resort on an island off Phuket. I made this wedding card and 'Red Packet' with a Japanese and Chinese theme as the groom is half Japanese and half Chinese. I used the Hero Arts dolls and dressed them up in Basic Grey Serendipity. The flowers were overstamped with a Japanese script. This pattern was repeated in the Hero Arts Big Flowers and in the strips on the inside of the card and on the envelope. A red double happiness and Sakura flowers finished off the stamp nicely. Details of the card are below and photos from the wedding and our trip after that. For details of how to make the 'Red Packet' - see my previous blog.

Ingredients:
Cardstock - Neenah Natural White and red cardstock
Paper - Basic Grey Serendipity
Stamps - Hero Arts LP146, CG290 and Kaisercraft Japanese script (I think)
Ink - Ranger Archival Jet Black
Others - Double Happiness Punch, Nestability Scalloped Square die, Kaisercraft pearls, Sakura punch

This was the second wedding reception as Makoto and Melissa live in Singapore and the first reception was the week before. We are friends of the groom's family and their hometown is in Muar, Malaysia, halfway between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. We were asked to participate in the traditional tea ceremony, held before the reception. Melissa wore a beautiful traditional Chinese wedding outfit during the ceremony. Afterwards, she got changed into a traditional white wedding dress.

This is my second trip to Muar, we only stayed for a day during our last visit two years ago. I got to see more of the city this trip and I loved walking around taking photos of all the old shop houses and signboards. Hope you enjoy some scenes from Muar. Sorry for the long blog, but I just had to share some of the lovely photos I took. 

A happy parcel awaited my return on the weekend. My winning prize from the Basic Grey Scraplift Challenge, result blogged on Basic Grey! I cannot wait to start crafting again!! Thanks Melanie for the great prize!!