Taking a break....

Hello

As the post title suggests I am taking a break from my blog for a few months while I deal with some major personal issues. I've found it difficult to find the inspiration to create let alone post or enter challenges. Not to mention that I am way behind in commenting & keeping up with all the amazing inspiration out there. Sometimes something just has to give so I have decided to step back a bit till I get my life sorted. Hopefully I'll find my way back sooner than anticipated.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those wonderful people who always leave the loveliest comments on my blog. You've always made me feel so welcome & so uplifted. Thank you!

Altenew Inspiration Challenge

Hello


Today I have a card for Altenew's June Inspiration Challenge.

I stamped the leaves from the Peony Bouquet set in Altenew Morning Frost to create a soft background. Unfortunately that also means they don't show very well in the photo. The Peony Bouquet flowers were stamped with distress inks (Spun Sugar, Victorian Velvet & Aged Mahogany) & the leaves with Altenew Dye Inks in Moss & olive. All were fussy cut & adhered to the card front with Multi Medium Matte. I finished with some rose gold sequins & a sentiment from Altenew Birthday Greetings.

I am also entering into The Flower Challenge # 9 Anything Goes

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit.

With thanks

Hello

When I get frustrated with not being able to sit for long I'll often just dabble with making backgrounds. Something that I can easily go back to when I feel up to it without feeling pressured to make a complete card plus it gives me a supply of different backgrounds to use at a later date.
A few weeks ago I was playing with SSS Wide Stripes background & made a whole heap in different colours. The pretty colours in Cupcake Inspirations Challenge # 407 reminded me of one of those backgrounds so using that as my inspiration & the lovely florals seen behind the cupcakes I came up with this card -

I love the WPlus9 Freehand Florals as it doesn't really matter if you don't get an absolute perfect line up with the layers as the gorgeous flowers always look so pretty.

Also entering SSS Wednesday Challenge - A Bit of Sparkle

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit.

CIC407

Hello

Unfortunately card making hasn't been on the list of priorities lately & I miss it! I've had to put a lot of focus into dealing with my back issues so I could finally come off medication.
I made this card for my 96 year old mum & had to take a quick shot with my phone as I was lucky to get it into the post in time last week.

This is probably the most colouring I've done for a while & was done over about 4 sessions. I've invested in a desk top easel which allows me to sit on the lounge with it propped on cushions so I can colour to my hearts content without affecting my back. It's a bit strange learning to colour on a semi vertical angle but I think it turned out ok.
I used WPlus9 Beautiful Bouquets Dahlias white embossed on Fabriano Bristol paper & coloured with Zigs. The Mothers day was die cut using my Silhouette & although it looks dark purple in the photo it was actually more the colour of the purple flowers on the card.

I am entering this into Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #407

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit.

Happy Birthday

Hello

I feel like I've totally lost the first 3 months of this year. I just can't believe we are well into April already. Any long blog absence is usually indicative of some sort of chaos in this household lol. Firstly the heat wave I mentioned a couple of posts ago dragged out to nearly 3 months not a couple of weeks. Daytime & night time temperatures well above average with a hefty dose of high humidity levels which make you feel totally drained. Just when it looked like we were getting a temporary reprieve for a week I very unexpectedly ended up in hospital for 5 days. The upside - it was air conditioned, the downside - I was too bombed out on drugs to notice lol! After a couple of weeks recuperating I then lost my computer for nearly 2 weeks.
Anyway I did manage to very gradually get some cards made & this shaker is for Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge 8th Birthday.

I used the SSS Falling Hearts Stencil, SSS Heart of Roses Die on a scrap watercolour piece, pink banner from SSS Best Hugs set & sentiment from Altenew.


Thanks so much for taking the time to visit.

Thanks

Hello

When I saw the inspiration photo for The Card Concept # 65 Fresh & Bold  challenge I knew I had the perfect background piece in my stash. It very much reminded me of the pillows on the bed.

I used Dylusions sprays & the reverse of the stencil (flipping over the stencil after inking through & stamping down the excess ink off the stencil) on mixed media paper. The positive piece I used on this card last year. I added a MFT white scallop frame (to match the pillow ruffles) and W&W Thanks die-cut word. I love these W&W words as they are bold enough to stand out on busy backgrounds. A little Star Dust Stickles was added to some areas of the flower centres although as always it's a little hard to see. I'm going with Clean & Graphic style.

Also entering into the following challenges -

HLS CAS Challenge - Stencil  

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit.

Just because

Hello

So much for that creative roll I was riding! That came to a screaming halt while we endured a 2 week heat wave that not only saw daytime temperatures soar but nights as well. Days are still very hot but at least we now have more pleasant overnight temperatures & sleep is not so elusive. Unfortunately I missed the deadline for some challenges but it was simply to stifling to achieve anything!
Today I am sharing a card using Concord & 9th Brushed Blossoms. I've had this a while now & thought it was time I actually gave it a try! I love the sentiments in this set as well as the gorgeous layered flowers. There is only 2 layers to these flowers & they are very easy to line up.

I used Altenew inks for the main flowers, leaves & coordinating Ranger Adirondack for the stamens. It's a bit hard to see in the photo but I used a soft blue ink to stamp spatters (from the set) around the flowers & then finished with some PPP Sunshine Glow sequins.

I am entering this into the following challenges -

The Flower Challenge # 4 Blue & Yellow 

Darnell's NBUS Challenge # 9

Where Creativity Meets C9 Challenge # 5 - Try Something New

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit. 

Celebrate your day

Hello

Don't drop with shock but yes, I'm posting again! It's been a long time since I've been able to get on a roll like this so fingers, toes & everything else crossed that my back stays good!
I finally got my hands on a pad of Yupo paper to play around with my long-neglected alcohol inks. I love alcohol inks a lot but was always a little bit disappointed how the colours had a tendency to fade on gloss card. None of that with Yupo! The colours stay so beautifully intense & vibrant making it a delight to work with.

I love this colour combination so much!  I started out playing with various colours but this was my favourite piece out of all of them. The question was what to do with it as I was very reluctant to cut it up in case I couldn't replicate so I decided to keep it whole. Using SSS Stitched Rectangles I die cut a panel from white card & again from the alcohol ink piece & inlaid into the white frame. The PTI celebrate die-cut was sent to me by a friend (thanks Anita!) & was liberally coated in Wink of Stella.

It was finished with words from a W&W set stamped with Versamark & embossed with Wow opaque Bright White on black card.

I am entering into the following challenges -

CAS Mix Up January Challenge  - Stamping, Alcohol Inks & Die-cut

HLS Anything Goes with Dies -

SSS Wednesday Challenge - New Something - Yupo paper

SSS Work it Wednesday - New Product - Yupo Paper

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit.

Celebrate

Hello

A super easy card today for CASology # 230 - Cold

There's not a snowflake in sight here & never will be! We are in the middle of a very hot summer so I went with a cold drink theme.

I used a couple of Paper Smooches sets which I haven't used for ages plus I even did a little colouring which I haven't been able to do for a while because of my back.

A little glossy accents to finish what is probably the quickest card I've done in ages!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit.

Hello

Hello

I'm sharing a card using some more new items I received just before Christmas. In particular some Nuvo Glimmer Paste in Moonstone. It took me so long to decide to order this but I am so glad I did! I have lots of texture pastes & you can use glitter with them but the mess can be frustrating. Not only is there no glittery mess with these glimmer pastes but they are simply dazzling! Moonstone is a clear iridescent and the colours in the glitter matched the colours on my watercolour panel perfectly!

Now, apologies for the photography but I must have taken 40 different shots with both phone & camera in several different lights trying to bring out the colour of the glitter! I nearly went insane doing it but this was the best shot if a little dark. The close up below is a little better.

I started with a panel watercoloured with Worn Lipstick, Squeezed Lemonade distress inks & splattered with Prima Color Bloom Empress Gold. I die-cut W&W Hello cutaway from the watercolour piece & twice more from white card & stacked. Before adhering to the card front I applied the Nuvo Glimmer paste using Prima Tubaroses stencil which was also part of my new stash.

I am entering into the following challenges -  

The Card Concept #64 - Pretty things - my inspiration was the colour of the flowers & gold accent for a CAS design

Happy Little Stampers January CAS Challenge - Stencil

SSS Wednesday Challenge - New Something 

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit.

Missing you

Hello

Happy 2017! Today I'm sharing a card using Altenew Simple Flowers stamp set that was part of some new stash I received just before Christmas. I'm seriously addicted to Altenew stamps & although I really love their more traditional florals there was something about this set that really caught my eye.

I stamped the flowers with a combination of Altenew & Wplus9 dye inks on Ranger Specialty Stamping paper. Now, I don't know about everyone else but I dislike this paper enormously. A couple of years ago a got a heap of it really cheap but hardly ever use it. I hate the coated finish & I really only use it for basic stamping with dye inks as long as the ink pads aren't too juicy. Otherwise you can lose some of the detail (as in the leaves on this card) as the ink sits on top of the paper rather than soaks in.
The sentiment is also Altenew & the panel was mounted onto a watermelon card base with a small strip of black for contrast. I finished with some Nuvo Crystal Drops which were also part of the new stash.

I am entering into the following challenges -

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

SSS Monday Challenge - Start Afresh - the stamps & crystal drops are new to me

SSS Work it Wednesday - something new  - as above


Thanks so much for taking the time to visit.