Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Happy Christmas


Just a quick note to wish you all a very happy Christmas, no matter where you may be. Hopefully you're enjoying the company of family and/or friends as I am. Thanks for your visits during 2019 and I hope you'll continue to call in regularly as we begin a new decade!

Cheers
Kez

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Just Hello

When a card comes together just as you imagined...

So, the good folks at CAS on Friday are looking for new design team members and I decided to throw my hat in the ring, as it were. The instructions were simply to create a CAS card - no boundaries, guidelines or parameters, which, of course, made it all the more challenging! Here's what I ended up with:


The panels are simply two sponged colours (Bermuda bay and crushed curry), the branch is die-cut and the bird stamped and fussy-cut. I spritzed with ink from a marker, stamped the sentiment and all done!

Materials used:

  • stamps - Grace's Garden, Enjoy Life
  • card - whisper white, early espresso
  • other - Seasonal Layers thinlits, Big Shot, blending brushes, spritzer tool, Stamparatus, markers, craft foam, glue, water spritzer

The colours are perfect for the heatwave we're currently experiencing and I'm sending a big Hello and best wishes to all in danger from bushfires around the state and country.

Thanks so much for dropping by.

Cheers
Kez

Rainbow Hugs

'Oh what fun it is to play
With oxide inks all day.'

(Did you sing that in your head to the tune of Jingle Bells instead of 'oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh'? No? Hmmm, maybe it's just me ;-P)

This morning I decided I wanted to make a CAS card with a white background and a lovely splash of colour, so I got out my distress oxides. I know, I know, I'm using any old excuse to play with my favourites inks, lol. You know me so well!

Here's my card:


I made a torn mask then sponged a little of each colour of the rainbow, spritzed them with a few drops of water and white ink, then added my sentiment die (two layers) and punched butterfly, finishing off with clear epoxy dots. Splash of bright colour achieved! I'm loving it.

Materials used:

  • stamps - none
  • card - whisper white
  • distress oxide inks - festive berries, spiced marmalade, mustard seed, mowed lawn, blueprint sketch, peacock feathers, wilted violet
  • other - Hugs die (Pink & Main), butterfly punch, clear epoxy dots, blending brushes, Big Shot, craft foam, mini Dimensionals

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers
Kez

Monday, December 16, 2019

When You're Feeling a Little Prickly

I may or may not have been chuckling to myself as I made this fun little 'get well' card using two images from SAB set The Gang's All Meer which I introduced to you yesterday. I'm not sure if this is a lizard or chameleon but it certainly reminds me of the chameleon character in the animated movie, 'Tangled', don't you agree?


I stamped the two images on the coastal cabana background then stamped again on whisper white, coloured and fussy cut. Doing it that way you can cut off the really tricky parts like the thorns on the cactus and the lizard's tongue and they're still there on the underneath image.

Materials used:

  • stamps - The Gang's All Meer, Itty Bitty Greetings
  • card - coastal cabana, pineapple punch, whisper white, Butterfly DSP
  • other - Stampin' Blends, coastal cabana, pool party and basic black markers, white embossing powder, heat tool, Stamparatus, craft foam, embossing buddy

I'm certainly getting a lot of mileage from Itty Bitty Greetings lately and can recommend it as an extremely versatile set.

Well, that's it. Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Simples!

Cute card featuring distress oxide inks and adorable meerkats? Simples!

One of the stamp sets you can earn for free from the upcoming Sale-a-bration catalogue is called The Gang's All Meer. It has a number of meerkat poses as well as a lizard and cactus and some sentiments, but my first card using this set was inspired by Jackie Aitken and I've gone for a silhouette against a vivid African sunset. Even shaded out, you can still feel the personalities of these loveable little critters!


I punched a mask for the sun and used my blending brushes to create the sky background, then stamped the meerkat image with black ink and coloured it using my basic black marker, adding the ground with the marker too. Then it was just cut and assemble - like I said, simples!

Materials used:
  • stamps - The Gang's All Meer
  • card - whisper white, basic black
  • distress oxide inks - mustard seed, spiced marmalade, ripe persimmon
  • other - 2 1/2" circle punch, blending brushes, Stamparatus, stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, black marker, craft foam

There's no sentiment as I think this could be used for many occasions and I'm pretty sure this is going to be a very popular set to earn once the SAB promotion begins next month.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Friendship and Love

It's the 14th of the month, which means it's time for another team blog hop! So grab a cuppa, relax and take your time scrolling through the inspiration we have to offer you.

This time around we were given a sketch:

First up I made this little cutie. Now, most people I'm giving birthday cards to would need all these candles and more (lol), but they are definitely all awesome.


Isn't she a sweetie? I love how she's very 'matchy-matchy' with her outfit - that's my kinda gal!

Materials used:
  • stamps - Itty Bitty Birthdays, Young at Heart
  • card - crumb cake, whisper white, Bird Ballad DSP
  • Stampin' Blends - calypso coral, pool party, so saffron, crumb cake, soft sea foam, smoky slate, ivory
  • other - stitched rectangle die, stitched circle die, Big Shot, Dimensionals, calypso coral seam binding, Ornate Frames dies, clear embossing powder, heat tool

Next up is a sweet Valentine's card featuring products from the From My Heart suite in the upcoming mini catalogue. I switched sides for my feature and changed the circle to a heart.



Materials used:
  • stamps - This Little Piggy
  • card - flirty flamingo, real red, whisper white, From My Heart specialty DSP
  • other - heart doilies, From My Heart faceted gems, Dimensionals, Stampin' Blends, word window punch, real red double stitched satin ribbon, clear embossing powder, heat tool

Also featuring new goodies from the mini catalogue is my last offering. This is the first card design I thought of when I first saw the sketch a couple of weeks ago, but I had to wait until the last minute to make it as AusPost managed to lose my pre-order goodies and they only just arrived in the nick of time!



Materials used:

  • stamps - Grace's Garden, Itty Bitty Greetings
  • card - whisper white, watercolour, Sahara sand, brights DSP
  • other - Garden Gateway dies, Big Shot, stitched rectangle die, stitched circle die, aqua painter, Stampin' Blends, Dimensionals, Stampin' Write markers, sponge dauber, blending brush, mounting strips

Now move on to the next team member, Kristy Davy, to see what she has created for you. Thanks for calling in!

Cheers
Kez

 

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Angels on High

Okay, this Christmas card really IS my last one for the year! Well, not one, because I had to make a number of them for my class ladies, but the last one I had to design. Even then, I kept it very simple because hello, I am soooooo over Christmas cards!

One stamp, one die and some colouring in was all that was involved. Because you know how much I love colouring in, right? Here tis:


So sweet.

Materials used:

  • stamps - Three Little Angels (Lili of the Valley Stamps)
  • card - whisper white
  • Copic Markers - E000, E00, E11, V0000, V000, V01, E43, E44, Y02, Y15, E33, E23, Y19, B00
  • other - stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, craft foam, clear Wink of Stella, soft sky marker

We're having our annual dinner out tonight to celebrate not only the festive season but another wonderful year of crafting and fellowship. Secret Santa gifts, card exchange and a craft challenge (set by yours truly) make our evening even more fun!

Now it's almost time for another team blog hop, so tune back in on the 14th for some sketchy inspiration. Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers
Kez

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Pretty in Pink

DD27 likes to keep a stock of cards for her friends who are getting married and having babies, so occasionally I receive a request for more. The complication is she's living in the UK at the moment and I'll have to ship a load over to her! Here's a baby card I made the other day for her stash:


Materials used:
  • stamps - Moon Baby
  • card - whisper white
  • distress oxide inks - spun sugar, worn lipstick
  • other - Well Written thinlits, Big Shot, Copic Markers, Dimensionals, mini cloud edges stencil (MFT), stitched rectangle dies, epoxy dots, blending brushes, craft foam

Unusually for when I'm sponging clouds, I began at the bottom, using more pressure and darker ink as I moved up. I really like the effect it gives, so I'm looking forward to making more in other colours. The die for 'baby' is two layers of card, while the 'welcome' is a layer of card over a layer of craft foam - first time I've tried this and I love the extra height and dimension it gives. 

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers
Kez

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Well Wishes Dandelion

I wonder what the story is behind a weed becoming the symbol for wishing someone better health? Maybe it's a sort of 'blow the nasty weeds away and leave only healthy flowers' kind of thing? Who knows? If you do, feel free to enlighten us!

Anyhow, I felt the need to get out a set I haven't used in quite a while - okay, honestly? I wanted to use my distress oxides and wonderful new blending brushes! But I also felt this stamp set would suit the background beautifully, so...yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!


Once I'd stamped my sentiment I overstamped with Versamark and clear embossed it - this makes the colour go a bit darker, which is the effect I was after.

Materials used:

  • stamps - Dandelion Wishes
  • card - whisper white, dapper denim
  • distress oxides - fossilised amber, faded jeans
  • other - water spritzer, blending brushes, Stamparatus, clear embossing powder, white embossing powder, heat tool, craft foam, embossing buddy, Versamark pen, stitched rectangle die, Big Shot

How do you like this colour combo? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez

Birthday Balloons

Here's another simple card that was reasonably quick to create. I made a stencil for the balloon by punching out of acetate and used my new blending brushes, stamped the sentiment over the top and voila!


Materials used:

  • stamps - Stylised Birthday
  • card - whisper white, basic black, lemon lime twist, acetate
  • other - balloon duet punch, blending brushes, stitched rectangle dies, Big Shot, Stamparatus, craft foam

Thanks for dropping by!

Cheers
Kez

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Elf Cuteness

My last Christmas card for the year (please!) is for my BFF. She loves black and white plus the gift wrap I bought has black, white and red, so I went with the same colour combo for my card, adding in a touch of gold and a sprinkling of green.


Materials used:
  • stamps - Merry Little Christmas (SU), Santa's Elves (MFT)
  • card - whisper white, real red, gold foil, retired Christmas DSP
  • other - real red satin ribbon, gold jingle bells, Stamparatus, layering circle dies, Big Shot, Copic markers, gold embossing powder, heat tool, Versamark pen, Dimensionals, Stampin' Write markers (basic black, soft sky and real red), ruler, gold cord

Hopefully it will give her a giggle! Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez

Monday, December 2, 2019

Joy to the World ... well, to Me

Sorry about the terribly narcissistic-sounding header today, but I am a very happy little Marmite because Santa came early to my craft room! My BFF and I got together for a play day yesterday and, in case we don't see each other again before Christmas, exchanged gifts, and I am sooooooo happy and grateful for the wonderful things I received - a whole feast of ink blending brushes! I was up early this morning to give them a trial run and oh my! swoon! I used them with my distress oxides - of course - and love, love, love how easy they are to use and how smoothly they blend. Thank you so much, Santa!

Here's the first card I made with them. After blending I laid a wet stencil over the top to oxidise the inks and although I think maybe I left it sitting there a titch too long, I love the 'organic feathering' effect it gave me. You get such a texture vibe, don't you?



First off I had this on a white background but when I tried it on the black, it really popped! So hopefully it's not too dark and dreary.

Materials used:

  • stamps - You Matter (Simon Says Stamp)
  • card - basic black, whisper white, tangerine tango
  • distress oxides - picked raspberry, spiced marmalade
  • other - You die (SSS), Big Shot, word window punch, white embossing powder, heat tool, Dimensionals, mounting tape, Floral Layering Stencil (Tim Holtz), water spritzer, paper towel, blending brushes, embossing buddy

Of course I couldn't stop at just one card! My second is a lot softer and more subtle (and I didn't notice the crooked bit until way too late! My bad, lol):



Materials used:
  • stamps - Enjoy Life
  • card - whisper white, granny apple green
  • distress oxides - mowed lawn, forest moss
  • other - Leafy Swirl stencil (Clarity Stamps), water spritzer, paper towel, heat tool, blending brushes, white embossing powder, embossing buddy, craft foam

I'm sure I'll be back again soon once I've done some more playing! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez