Thursday, April 30, 2020

Feathered Friends

I think the brand of stamp I've used for today's card is a wonderful coincidence because I do seem to be quite besotted with 'Things with Wings' this week, lol. Here's another card featuring some feathered friends.


Materials used:
  • stamps - Some Birdie Loves You (Clearly Besotted), Itty Bitty Greetings
  • card - pool party, whisper white
  • Altenew inks - mountain mist, volcano lake, lagoon
  • other - Stampin' Blends, Copic Markers, Dimensionals, blending brushes, craft foam, masking tape

For the background I masked off the outside edges with purple tape, then blended three Altenew inks in an ombre effect. The birds were coloured with a combination of Copic and Stampin' Up markers and fussy cut before being attached with Dimensionals. A clean and simple card but I love it. Pool party is one of my all-time favourite SU colours.

I hope you're not sick of 'wings' yet - just in case I come up with any more before the week of the challenge is over, lol. 

Thanks for calling in. Stay safe.

Cheers
Kez

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Sharing Sunshine

Stampin’ Up have available a digital stamp collection called Share Sunshine. It’s a pdf file with 15 pages of images and sentiments relating to the pandemic and isolation/quarantine situation. You print them on your computer (I recommend printing on whisper white card rather than printer paper) then cut with punches, dies, etc to use on cards to send to your nearest and dearest. Some of them are serious, many are light-hearted and some come in a range of colour options (you can see a sample in the image below).


100% of the cost for this resource will go to COVID-19 efforts through two organisations - The World Health Organization’s COVID-Solidarity Response Fund or United Way Worldwide’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund.

Here are some cards I've made up so far with just a small sample of the images:


This one I coloured with SU's watercolour pencils then mounted on matching card for a CAS card.

Materials used:
  • digital image - Sharing Sunshine pdf
  • card - balmy blue, whisper white
  • other - stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, watercolour pencils, craft foam

For my next card I used some plaid paper from the mini catalogue together with twine as I thought they looked like pyjama pants and the cord, lol. This sentiment really makes me laugh and I'm not ashamed to admit there has been a day or two where I've spent all day in my pjs 😏.


Materials used:
  • digital image - Sharing Sunshine pdf
  • card - night of navy, whisper white, Country Club DSP
  • other - stitched circle die, Big Shot, white baker's twine, epoxy dots, Dimensionals

I've used dsp again for my third card and added simple touches with some punching and fussy cutting.


Materials used:
  • digital image - Sharing Sunshine pdf
  • card - petal pink, whisper white, lovely lipstick, Best Dressed DSP
  • other - corner rounder punch, Dimensionals

If you're interested in getting these images here's the link that will take you there. You don't need to have a demonstrator for this, it's a special purchase. Just click HERE. (Please note the price of $12 is US dollars, so converts to approx AU$18-19.)

Thanks for calling in. Stay safe in your quarantine.

Cheers
Kez

More Winged Things

Browsing through Pinterest last night I found a card by Shana that inspired me to get straight into my craft room and create. It's a great one for my 'Things with Wings' challenge with my ladies and I also got to play with my DO's again, so score!!!

It's a one layer card, which as we all know is unusual for me but hey, it will be great for postage!


Materials used:
  • stamps - Leaf Canopy (Altenew)
  • card - whisper white
  • distress oxide inks - scattered straw, seedless preserves, chipped sapphire, black soot
  • other - Wings of Flight stencil (Inkylicious), masking paper, blending brushes, water spritzer, heat tool, Stamparatus

Love that colour combo for the sky - wonder if I'll be able to remember it for another card sometime? Lol. I masked off the top and lower portions of my card front before blending the DO inks, did my water drops then dried it all off before removing the masks and stencilling the birds and stamping the sentiment.

Hope you're doing well and staying safe. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Favourite Chick

This week I challenged my ladies to use "Things with Wings" as the theme for card making so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to ink up a new arrival to my craft room. Unfortunately the sentiment has the US spelling, but it's a good one nevertheless and these little chicks are so adorably sweet.


Materials used:

  • stamps - Birthday Chick (MFT)
  • card - whisper white, digital print stripes (Etsy)
  • other - Stampin' Blends, white gel pen, Sahara sand and Pacific point markers, Stamparatus

Cute, huh? Pretty sure I'll be using this set again before long.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay safe.

Cheers
Kez

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Kick Butt

Hey ho! I hope you're doing well.

After a mostly lazy day yesterday I suddenly got it in my head to make a card, specifically to have another play with my distress oxides. Wasn't sure at all where I was going with it when I began, lol, but this is what I ended up with:


Materials used:
  • stamps - Enjoy Life
  • card - grey granite, basic black, whisper white
  • distress oxide inks - squeezed lemonade, festive berries, black soot
  • SU ink - basic grey
  • other - water spritzer, blending brushes, Ray of Light stencil (MFT), ruler, Stamparatus, craft foam, paper towels, heat tool

Some of my water drops are a touch on the large side, but cie la vie! I used the oxidisation process for the sun rays - love this effect.

Every now and then I tell myself I should invest in more silhouette stamps because they're so great to use with a DO background like this - yeah, like I need an excuse to order more stamps 😉😜.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay safe.

Cheers
Kez



Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Russets, reds and golds

Oh autumn, you bewitch me -
your sparkling russets, reds and golds
falling freely down before me
are a wonder to behold.

It's the middle of autumn here in Australia and who doesn't love the gorgeous rich colours of autumn leaves? Not that there's a lot of them around - Mother Nature seems to have been slow getting the message this year. Although there are many evergreens around town, the deciduous trees are late in showing us their beautiful hues, some with just hints of yellows and reds on the tips of leaves.

Nevertheless, I made a card using the following autumn tones:

I also added in touches of gold and used very vanilla as my neutral.


I've challenged my ladies to also make a card with these colours and can't wait to see what they create.

Materials used:
  • stamps - Under My Umbrella, Colourful Seasons
  • card - cherry cobbler, very vanilla, gold foil, watercolour
  • other - Stitched Seasons die, Big Shot, gold embossing powder, heat tool, water spritzer, Stamparatus, enamel dots, Stampin' Blends, gold stickers


Thanks for dropping in. I hope you're enjoying the colours of Mother Nature wherever you are. 

Stay safe.

Cheers
Kez

Friday, April 17, 2020

Wascawwy Wabbit! - CAS on Friday Challenge #178

Hi everyone, welcome to another CAS on Friday Challenge!

This is challenge #178 and the theme is BUNNIES.

Our family had two pet rabbits some years ago, one black and white and one ginger. They were both male and very good friends - but boy, did they give us some merry chases around the yard when they didn't want to be caught, lol.

Easter bunnies, however, make me think of two things. The first - of course - is chocolate (but it doesn't take much to make me think of chocolate) and the second is the Vicar of Dibley Easter bunny episode. So, so funny. Anyone else out there a big Geraldine Grainger fan?

Anyway, I better get back on track! Bunnies. Cards. Yes. Here's my bunny card:


Materials used:
  • stamps - Welcome Easter, Under My Umbrella
  • card - whisper white, granny apple green, subtles patterned paper
  • other - double stitched circle die, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Stamparatus, Copic Markers and Stampin' Blends, grass die, mounting strips

There was a bit of fussy cutting for this one, but worth it I think. Such an adorable wascawwy wabbit, lol.

Do follow the link to the CASOF blog to check out what adorable bunnies the others on the design team have for you and we've love it if you play along with our challenge.

Thanks for calling in and stay safe.

Cheers
Kez

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Stampers Anonymous Blog Hop #17

Well, hi! Welcome to the Stampers Anonymous Blog Hop for April. I haven't played along for a couple of months but you know I find it hard to resist when there's a colour challenge going on...

As usual, we're allowed to use neutrals such as black, white, vanilla and crumb cake.

This combo certainly got me thinking and I ended up with three samples to show you, all quite different styles, but hopefully that just means at least one of them will be to your taste!

For my first card I went with an animal that's grey and used one of my favourite techniques (ink blending) to incorporate the other two colours. Here's how that one turned out:


Materials used:
  • stamps - Animal Outing, Butterfly Gala
  • card - smoky slate, shimmer white, whisper white
  • other - stitched rectangle die, circle die, Big Shot, Stampin' Blends, Stamparatus, blending brushes, craft foam

My second offering is much more subdued, this time featuring two stamps from the Very Versailles set plus some epoxy dots coloured with Stampin' Blends for small bursts of colour. All the embossing was done first, then I over-stamped with smoky slate ink to give this tone-on-tone effect. I love how it gives great shadow and depth to the sentiment.


Materials used:
  • stamps - Very Versailles
  • card - whisper white, smoky slate
  • other - white embossing powder, heat tool, Stampin' Blends, craft foam, epoxy dots, embossing buddy, stitched rectangle die, Big Shot


And lastly, a bit of fun with those adorable meerkats from the SAB catalogue. Here's the front...


Now open it up, and...


So cute! Who doesn't love meerkats, am I right? LOL.

Materials used:
  • stamps - The Gang's All Meer
  • card - whisper white, Bermuda bay
  • other - cloud die, Big Shot, Sahara sand marker, black marker, Stampin' Blends, Stamparatus

To follow along the rest of the blog hop just click on the buttons below to move back or forward till the circuit is complete, and we'll be very happy if you leave each person some comment love for their efforts!

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez






Sunday, April 5, 2020

Simply Thankful

The sentiment on today's card sums up quite eloquently my current state of mind. After celebrating a special birthday yesterday which, to all intents and purposes, I spent mostly physically isolated, I have to say it was a really nice day. Ok, yes, I was meant to be in Scotland with DD1 and that didn't pan out, but there are still many things to be thankful for:

  • I'm thankful I have the type of relationship with both my daughters where they're among my best friends and happy to spend time with me (we had a Zoom chat and watched a movie on Netflix together)
  • I'm thankful for the technology that allowed me to see and speak to them even though the three of us are in different countries around the world (no such thing as computers, internet or video calls when I was travelling in my 20s)
  • I'm thankful for my sister-in-law who bought me dinner from a restaurant that's home delivering and baked me my favourite cake (even if we didn't get to exchange a hug)
  • I'm thankful for the friends and family who let me know through birthday messages that they were thinking of me
So yeah, it was a lovely day, and my heartfelt thanks to all who made it so.

Here's my card:


Materials used:
  • stamps - Country Home
  • card - whisper white, mint macaron
  • other - stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, mint macaron twine, Stampin' Blends, Dimensionals, craft foam, Sahara Sand marker

I hope you have something to be thankful for today in spite of all that's going on. Thanks for calling in.

Stay safe.

Cheers
Kez


Friday, April 3, 2020

CAS on Friday Challenge #177

Welcome back to another CAS on Friday challenge!

This is challenge #177 and the theme is Black and White and One Colour.

I picked aqua as my colour and took the liberty of using four shades of it, and I love the way they pop against the black background.

Layering dies are all the rage at the moment in the crafting world and Altenew provides a guide for assembly that ensures putting these together is simple. I've splattered some white watercolour paint in the background and am rather pleased how some have faded more than others to give a kind of bokeh effect. Bonus!



Materials used:
  • stamps -  Tiny Words Birthday (SSS)
  • card - basic black, whisper white, Altenew Gradient Cardstock - Sea Shore (mountain mist, volcano lake, lagoon, emerald)
  • other - Stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, Dimensionals, craft foam, white embossing powder, heat tool, white artist's paint, paintbrush, Altenew Garden Picks 3D die set

I do hope you'll join us in our challenge and look forward to seeing your creations. Be sure to visit the CAS on Friday blog to see the colourful combinations my fellow DT members have come up with.

Thanks for dropping in and stay safe.

Cheers
Kez