Sympathy Card

I never make sympathy cards.  It seems that if I need one I am not in the mood to create one but never really think about making them any other time so I am on a mission to make a least a few to have in my stash.  For this one I painted watercolour onto my acrylic back for the background and then used a Penny Black stamp to create the branch and used second generation behind it.  Added a couple of sequins for interest.

Artistic Impression Watercolor Stamps

Recently got some new to me AI stamps which create watercolour scenes.  Just starting with them but love creating little scenes -very fun can't wait to do some more.  Used memory box nested stitched frames to cut it out.

More Christmas!

Wow it has been over  a month since I posted anything - so much for my New Years resolution to post at least once per week.  Good thing there are challenges which force me to post sometimes.  This card was made with a memory box die cut cut from sookwang tape and covered with various Glitter Ritz glitter colours.  It is being entered into the Jingle Belles - A very vibrant Christmas..  

The first picture doesn't really do it justice as it looks very flat but is really quite festive in person so I took a picture with the flash to get some shimmer.

More Watercolour!

I am still playing with the watercolour techniques.  For this one I wet the watercolour paper and then applied three different distress stains.  Then I sprayed some water and sprinkled with salt.  The salt was too fine and didn't really turn out how it was supposed to but I kind of like it - but my son did the same technique on a project and it was way nicer!!  Then I stamped with a Penny Black stamp and distress ink and water coloured the flower.  Decided not to put a sentiment on it - something I never do but I didn't want to add anymore "stuff" to the front.

Eightieth Birthday

My father in law turned 80 yesterday and his favourite pastime is watching sports on TV.  Therefore this card is very appropriate.  Used the TV shaker die from Simon Says Stamps and used MFT numbers to inlay the backing for the TV.  Was very fun to make.  Hero Arts sentiment and some beads I have had forever.  

More Watercolour!

Have been working on the watercolour class.  Heat embossed the lattice background and then water coloured it with my new watercolours.  Really like how it turned out and was fun and quick to make.

Bokeh Technique

I tried this technique which was quite fun. I watercoloured the background then used stencils and white ink with daubers to create the "lights".  Heat embossed the sentiment on vellum in liquid platinum ranger embossing powder and sewed it on as difficult to attach the vellum without it showing.  The sentiment looks crooked here but it isn't for a change....

Something New

Jingle Belles challenge this time is use something new.  I got this Tim Holtz stamp set before Christmas but did not get a chance to use it for my cards so here it is.  I also am taking up water colouring this year - late to the party- so the use of the new watercolour set as well.  Stamped and embossed in white on watercolour paper and the water coloured.  Embossed the sentiment as well.

CAS

I have never really focused on CAS style cards but lately have been very attracted to that style so thought I would try a few of the sites out there that run challenges. I was particularly interested when I saw CAS-ual Fridays latest challenge for felt and sequins.  Recently I discovered that one of my local fabric stores is actually stocking wool felt which cuts much better than the other  "fake" felt so I have purchased a couple of pieces for my stash.  While I hardly every use sequins it is a good challenge.
Not sure this is as CAS as it should be but will have to keep trying.

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2015

While I admire Tim Holtz work a lot I have never actually done one of his tags since he has gone to the  monthly ones instead of the Christmas ones (which I still get a lot of inspiration from).  I never seem to have a use for tags as I have not really found a way to incorporate them into cards and I do very little scrapbooking etc.  I decided this year that I would play along if I could find a use for the tags I make.  The only time I use tags is every year at Christmas instead of an advent calendar I make a tag for my son each day which get hung on his curtain as we countdown the month.  This is very time consuming and time sensitive but he loves them and I actually have a great time coming up with the little works of art.  So the January tag Tim did I thought I could convert to the 15 of December tag for my son- not the most Christmassy tag he will get but it works.  I am going to see if I can do that for the other months- thinking the summer could be difficult.

Things with Wings 2

Since I was entering Christmas challenges to ensure that I have enough Christmas cards I decided that while I had enter the Winter Wonderland - Things with Wings with a  non Christmas card - I really needed to stick with my resolution to create Christmas cards so I put together this one.  Admittedly it is made from pieces in one of my "to be used sometime" bins (I seem to have a couple).    The image is a digi that I have since lost in a computer crash so I am not sure who it was from.  It was already coloured so I just added some glitter to the wings and around it and put it on a embossed card with a 3-D snowflake rosette from Tim Holtz.

Things With Wings

The challenge at Winter Wonderland this week is "Things with Wings" and it does not need to be a Christmas card.  Now my objective of joining these challenges was to get my collection of Christmas cards done well in advance - I couldn't resist the temptation to make a birthday card for my father in law with the Tim Holtz Layered Bee die which I had acquired a couple of months back and not yet used.  I made it out of mirror paper which I am trying to find different uses for and coloured it with some alcohol inks.  I tried to keep the colouring uneven to keep it interesting...  Otherwise a very simple card

I added the second photo to show the gold paper and the inks on it.

Another Christmas Card Challenge entry

 This is a card I made for the http://christmasblogchallenge.blogspot.com.au/ Winter Wonderland - Favourite Color combination.  I decided during this process that I do not have a favourite colour right now - I think it changes seasonally for me- but every time I tried to create a card it was all about gold and white so for now thats what it is.  To make this I die cute the snowflake background, adhered it to a sheet of sookwang adhesive, and then covered with Gilding Flakes and added a sentiment .   I ended up layering it with some mirror paper to add to the shine.   Very fun and quite easy.
I couldn't seem to get  a good picture of the shine so added a couple of detail photos.

 

This is a close up

Recycled Wrapping Paper Christmas Card

Made this card for the Jingle Belles Challenge - No Time Like the Presents- which requires the use of some wrapping paper.  My plan is to participate in more of their challenges this year so that I have a collection of Christmas cards long before the holiday crunch- a good New Years resolution!
Most of my wrapping paper was already stashed but luckily I receive a gift late and took the paper off for this.  I adhered it to some heavy paper and purposefully wrinkled it up for texture.  Then I added white paint around the edges but thought that it needed more "snowy" feeling so added some chunky embossing powder around the edges.  I stacked several snowflake die cuts to make a "chipboard" snowflake which I covered with glitter but the glue made it look yellowish so I also coloured that with white paint and got a great texture.






Ingredients:
Die:   SSS Funky Snowflake
Paint: Adirondack Acrylic Dabber- Snow Cap
Embossing Powder:  Chunky White Embossing Enamel - Stampendous
Glitter: Ranger Distress Stickles- Clear Rock Candy

Masculine Christmas Card

This is a Christmas card I made using metal die cut.  The metal was silver and coloured with alcohol inks and shaped.  I used a glue gun to adhere to the background. The background is patterned paper which was distressed and the corners were embossed with gold embossing powder.














Ingredients:
Die: Tim Holtz Holly Branch
Paper:   MME Vintage Christmas 6*6
Inks:  Ranger alcohol inks
Embossing powder:  Ranger Super Fine Detail Gold

Pink Party Birthday Card

Birthday Card for a friend - is an older MFT stamp that I got recently.  One of my New Years resolutions is to try to use up some of my patterned paper stash so hopefully this is the beginning of accomplishing that!!

Mixed Media 2015

Tried something new for 2015
Created this by covering a canvas board with Tim Holtz printed tissue, gluing found objects on to it with hot glue, covering all with gesso and then melting crayons on to it with the heat gun.
Fun project!

First Card of 2015

My first card for 2015.  Hoping to have a creative year!  This is for Virginia's View Challenge- Clean Slate Challenge.  I created a one layer card - haven't done that for a long time.  Used a new to me MFT stencil for the flowers and gold embossed the Hero Arts sentiment.