Transparent Challenge at Simon Says Stamp

Over at Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge Blog the challenge is to use transparent item(s) on your card.  The Design Team have some absolutely stunning creations using all sorts of transparent things!

I took a sheet of acetate and folded it into a card before embossing, then die cut shapes from My Mind's Eye 6 x 6 Remarkable.  I stamped the Simon Says Stamp sentiment with Hero Arts ink and used butterfly punches and an EK Success border punch.

I'd like to enter this into:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Transparent Layers

Supplies:
Acetate 
Cuttlebug Lattice embossing folder
Memory Box dies: Fuschia Sprig and Marshmallow Clouds
X-Cut Butterfly Punch
docrafts palm punch
EK Success Border Punch
My Mind's Eye 6 x 6 paper pad Remarkable
Simon Says Stamp sentiment
Hero Arts Bubblegum Shadow Ink

Another Male Birthday

Needed another male birthday card this week and the muted colours in Basic Grey's Carte Postale paper pad seemed just right.  I also used Tim Holtz Gadget Gears die and a Hero Arts sentiment, white embossed.

See you soon with another card!

Ger x

Set of 6

Deciding what to take to the Wednesday evening craft club is always a problem.  Most of the lovely ladies there are knitting and don't take up much space on the table but even so, us cardmakers tend to hog a lot of space.

Also, there's only so much a girl can carry.  So I decided to limit myself to one paper pad, some punches, Neenah Kraft and White card and some pearls.

The results were a set of six cards, all following the same basic sketch but switching the orientation around.

I think I should limit myself like this more often! Oh I also brought along a Hero Arts Sentiment stamp set

See you soon with another card. Ger x

90 Minute Scramble at Hero Arts

The Hero Arts 90 minute scramble was hosted last night by the lovely Debbie and her challenge was to use a colour combination of Navy and Mint.  I used Chipped Sapphire and Evergreen Bough to ink up a Hero Arts Butterfly and used the die from the same set to cut them out, adding a Hero Arts sentiment and some sequins.  The paper is My Mind's Eye Remarkable.

It always amazes me how many gorgeous cards are created during these hour and a half scrambles - you should check them out here

Enjoy your Sunday!

Ger x

March Challenge at Crafty Bloggers Network

There's still time to enter your cards at Crafty Bloggers Network where the theme this month is Nature.

Our sponsor this month is Imagine That and I used this cute image, also using one of their sentiments and some digital papers.  I used some of the papers to create the bunting and the image was coloured with Copics and Promarkers.

Have a great St Patrick's Day, and see you tomorrow with another card!

Ger x

Another Something Green at Craft for the Craic

Morning! Time for another little Something Green at Craft for the Craic.  This month our challenge is to have something green in your project (and we love to see all kinds of crafts!).

For my second project I decided to make a necklace.  As soon as I saw these teal green beads I fell in love with them.  I wanted some silver chain to match with them but had none left so I popped down to Penneys and bought a cheap as chips necklace and cut the chain into suitable lengths.

I always put all my beads onto eye pins before starting, makes life so much easier then to make up the necklace as you have only to open each eye pin and attach lengths of chain, finishing with a little lobster clasp.

I teamed the beads with 6mm and 10mm Hematite beads to bring out the greys in those gorgeous flat beads:

Why not join us this month for the craic, we'd love to see your projects!

Ger x

Male Birthday

Morning! I had another play with stencils.  This time I ombred the colour from top to bottom, starting with Shabby Shutters down to Peeled Paint.   Neenah White and Kraft card, some postage stamp dies and a Hero Arts sentiment.  The Washi tape was from a Simon Says Stamp monthly card kit.

I'd like to enter this into:

Amusing Challenge - Green
Anyone for Anya - Masculine or Grungy
One Stitch at a Time #203 - For a Boy
Sentimental Sundays - For a Boy/Man
A Blog Named Hero - Stencil

Lupins

I've been using the distress inks as watercolours again.  This time I white embossed these Creative Expressions lupins.  I spritzed the card with water then used Picked Raspsberry to paint the lupins.  Then I swiped Satly Ocean over the whole card, turning the lupins from pink to lilac, which was the intention.  Then I picked up some more Salty Ocean on the brush and splattered the page.

I was going to put the sentiment on a vellum strip but I found some heat proof acetate and embossed the Hero Arts sentiment with a Cosmic Shimmers viola black, the acetate was then scored and folded behind the card and stuck down. Some leftover card was splodged into the pink and blue ink drops left on the craft sheet, dried, and the butterflies cut from that.

I'd like to enter this into:

Virginia's View Challenge Blog - Watercolour

Something Green at Craft for the Craic

I'm very excited to be on the Design Team at new challenge blog - Craft for the Craic (Irish for fun)! Isn't that while we all started crafting - for the craic?  It's not just for cards or even just papercrafting - knitting, crochet, altered items, jewellery, sewing, baking - whatever you love to craft, we want to see it!

I've been admiring the watercolour cards trend around the blogs so for the Something Green theme I decided to use Broken China and Mustard Seed distress inks and let the Something Green happen where the two inks met.  I white embossed a Hero Arts flower and sentiment onto some Neenah white card, spritzed the card with water, then added the ink colours with a paintbrush.

As the colours blended, the Something Green appeared :)

I then dragged some more Neenah card through the ink splodges left on my craft sheet and punched some butterflies out of the blue-green-yellow colours on the card and mounted everything onto some Neenah Kraft cardstock.

Have a look at the wonderful variety of crafts the other Design Team members have created at their blogs -

Eithne

Michelle

   
Pixie
     
Emily
     
Sylvie
     
Katya

I hope you'll all join us and show us what you made for the craic!  Looking forward to seeing your creations at Craft for the Craic.

I'd like to enter this into Virginia's View Challenge - Watercolour
Ger x

Stencil Fun Part 4

Morning! This card was simply distress inks sponged through the stencil.  I added a Hero Arts die cut and sentiment and some sequins.  I love how stencilling a background means the card is almost done!

This morning, Craft for the Craic are introducing their Design Team and yours truly is delighted to be part of the team.  We've had over 50 gorgeous entries for the first challenge and tomorrow we will have a brand new challenge so get creating - cards, scrapbook layouts, baking, crochet, sewing - anything crafty!  Check back tomorrow to find out this month's theme!

Ger x

Stencil Fun Part 3: The Blues

Simply inked Broken China through the stencil and added a Hero Arts Stamp and Cut set and some sequins for bling.  Couldn't get any simpler? It just did ...

I inked the outside more heavily than the centre so the Hero Arts sentiment had a chance to pop. Don't think I've ever made a one layer card before!

Back tomorow with more stencil and ink

Ger x

Stencil Fun Part 2

Morning! I'm back to show you how I used the stencil with some texture paste.  I looked around blogs and YouTube and saw dozens of recipes for homemade texture paste and in the end I found this was the combination that worked best for me:

1 part white acrylic paint

1 part baby talc (although I kept adding talc at the end till the consistency looked right)

1/2 part PVA glue

I then took some and dolloped it on top of some Evergreen Bough distress ink I had splodged onto the craft sheet.  This gave the paste a nice mint green colour.  I taped down the card and stencil to the craft sheet and spread the paste over.  It dried quite quickly - 20 - 30 mins - and I found if I tried to speed up the process with the heat gun it started to bubble which also gives a nice effect but if you want a smooth effect leave it to dry naturally.

I added a sentiment from a Stamp & Cut Hero Arts set and some sequins and mounted the card onto some grey cardstock.  Done!

I'd like to enter this into:

Hero Arts Birthday Cards Anything Goes  (apologies - this isn't a birthday card!)

A Blog Named Hero Challenge 39 - Use Stencils

See you tomorrow with a card using the other stencil I bought.

Ger x

Stencil Fun Part 1

Evening all! I've had a lot of fun with two Artemio stencils from Crafty Angels shop in Newbridge.  This card was inspired by a gorgeous card at Donna Mikasa's Three Umbrellas blog.  

The Neenah white card was inked with Festive Berries and Mustard Seed distress inks.  I then spritzed a stencil with a Perfect Pearls and water mix and laid the stencil on the card for a second or two, this lifted off some of the ink but left some Perfect Pearls sheen and a ghost image of the stencil.

I added a Hero Arts sentiment, and Memory Box die cuts.  The stars were covered with Glossy Accents for added shine.

I hope you'll call back tomorrow to see what else I made with this stencil and homemade coloured texture paste.

I'd like to enter this card into:

Hero Arts Birthday Challenge - Anything Goes
A Blog Named Hero Challenge - Stencil It

Ger x