Playing with my brayer

I had really good intentions of tidying my table, but had to have another go with the brayer before I put it away... five cards later, there wasn't any time left to tidy! I won't bore you with all of them, but here are two. The first was the last one I made with the dregs of ink still left on the brayer. The stamps are from the ISC tranquil plate. I extended a few of the branches with a marker pen. It was partly inspired by D.K. Fisher's photo here

The second card features one of my all time favourite stamps from the Artful Stamper. I brayered the background of both with Kaleidacolor Calypso. I ran my brayer over a sheet of scrap paper first for this second one. the colour is still quite intense, but I do like colour! I coloured the leaves with metallic gel pens. the background paper is made with creative colour sprays from crafty notions.

Blue butterfly

I bought a value pack of cream cards and and found about half had some red and brown fibres in them that were rather ugly. I wasn't going to throw them away, but I needed to find ways of covering up the fibres. I decided to spray the entire card with creative colour sprays (Crafty Notions). I used some Twiddley Bitz (also from Crafty Notions) as stencils and sprayed over them too. The stamp is the butterfly from the ISC friendship plate, which I embossed with clear embossing powder over black ink. I painted it with more creative colour sprays. The ribbon is from crafty notions, sold as Sari ribbon, and the three little beads are 'rainbow drops' (again from crafty notions).

What a week!

It has been a very eventful week at work, with governors meetings, work scrutiny (we looked at every child's English books right across school) and lots of staff succumbing to the tummy bug going around. I have been working late and not managing to do much, craft-wise. I was getting stamping withdrawal, so last night I stayed up too late, stamped this and have just finished putting it together. It uses 3 stamps from my mother's day present, the ISC Friendship plate. I coloured the whole thing with Distress inks in worn lipstick, broken china, tea dye and antique linen. I didn't quite get the shading right on her face, but I think she will do. Thanks Megan, I love my present! The frame was made using my labels 1 nestabilities. That face makes me feel so serene and destressed!

Feeling blue...

Here are a couple more cards using the inked cuttlebug folders I mentioned in my last post. again I used the Kaleidacolor blue breeze ink. I added a few blobs of diamond stickles to the first one.

For the next I added a greeting, thinking of a close friend who lost her Mum today.

Finally, these little birds, made with stamps from crafty individuals, have been AWOL on my craft table for a few weeks. As usual I lost something else and turned up all sorts whilst I was looking. I am so untidy, and when I try to tidy I am easily distracted by the multitude of 'half-makes' that I find. I really need to have a major tidy at the weekend...

Embossing and Ink

Thanks to Phree on Ink Stain Survivor I have finally produced some good results using Dye ink on my cuttlebug embossing folders. Following her advice I used a brayer to apply it and used the Kaleidacolor Blue Breeze pad. I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Both are very simple cards, but I think in this case less is more. Thanks for the tip Phree - no more blobby ink!

Happy Mother's Day

This is my Mother's Day card from Megan. It is an inverted pyramid card. I was very impressed! I was even more impressed when I opened my present. Look what she got me! It is the Innovative Stamp Creations plate called 'Friendship'

I've have had a very relaxing day, watching Meg and Steve wash my car. Meg made my lunch and then we popped round to see Steve's parents. Meg has also helped prepare the veg for tonight's roast dinner. I am blessed with a wonderful daughter!

My Favourite?

Following Gina's post on her blog Soul Glo I decided to dig out a few of those cards that I couldn't bear to part with. This is possibly my favourite. It has a box made of Cream parchment card with a green panel on the top (mirroring each panel of the card.)

The first panel has a shrink plastic green man (Non-sequitur stamp) and a judikins leaf over a panel made using a rollagraph stamp.

The second panel is a K and co. sticker with a computer generated quote.

The third panel features a picture (no idea who by/ where from!) and another stamped judikins leaf from the leaf cube.

The final panel features a fern leaf stamp by Rubber Stampede. I have kept the card for about 3 years, and I was quite pleased that I still felt a little pride when I got it out of it's box today. I think it will remain in my collection. A little bit of my soul went into it! Have you made anything you couldn't part with?

Birds and Flowers

I took my cuttlebug in to work this week so the children could make their Mother's Day cards. I was feeling quite jealous by the end of the session, as I hadn't had the chance to have a go myself! Here are the cards I put together yesterday evening after I'd got it out again at home. The top one uses the swiss dots folder, some paper I bought from Lakeland a few years ago, and my nesties (plain and scalloped circles).

The second uses stamps from Graphicus (triple birds plate), Nesties (circle and labels 2) and the birds and swirls cuttlebug embossing folder on a gate fold card.

Delicate Flowers

This Penny Black stamp is called Flying Stars (not sure why) and I love the delicate nature of the flowers on it. I coloured it with Sakura Gelly Roll pens. The background paper was from a scrapbooking kit I had never used.

A butterfly before bedtime...

I've been slaving over a hot laptop writing policies most of the weekend, but I made sure I found the time this evening to do this. The papers are from the Artylicious butterfly bliss cd and the stamp is from Graphicus. I used Distress inks and a paintbrush to colour it. No cuttlebug at all!!!

A couple of cuttlebugged cards

These were very quick makes last night before I went to bed. The first is double embossed and uses the bird call and the diamond rough folders. the background stamp on the base card is by Crafty Individuals, using tea leaves versamagic ink.

This one uses the birds and swirls folder. I used flat back pearls on it, and the backing paper is from the Artylicious damask delights cd. Both were inspired by Sue Nelson of Heart Prints.

Seed heads at sunrise...

I made both of these cards at the weekend and have been waiting to photograph them in daylight. The stamps on both are all Lavinia Stamps, except the butterfly on the base card of the first (Crafty Individuals) and the Greeting on the second (See-D's). The seedheads on the main image on both were clear embossed and then dotted with a little glitter.

I had brayered each circle with adirondack inks first, then stamped the background plants after the embossing. Not sure the top one works... Used my nesties again.

Butterflies and Flowers

I've had a Saturday at home, alternating between doing washing and house work and card making- Guess which I prefered?!!! The first card uses a stamp by The Artful Stamper, and it's another I use quite alot. I coloured it using my watercolour pencils and added a bit of Diamond Stickles.

My second card is copied from one of Lynne's on Creative Lynks. Thanks for not minding Lynne! The stamps on the base card and the stamps on the larger circle are from Graphicus. The Cuttlebug got lots of use on this one!

Finally I used the Harlequin Rose stamp by Graphicus on some papers from the Artylicious Butterfly Bliss cd. the stamp on the base card is also from that plate. I used a green crayon to give the leaves a hint of colour for contrast.

Crafty Individuals ATC swap

Here are the beautiful ATCs I recieved in the Crafty Individuals Competition and swap. They are (top row, left to right):
Beauty Remembered by Lynne Kirton, Dancing Lessons by J. Anderson, Nature Pink and Green by J. Anderson
Bottom Row: The wren by Bille, Nature by Helen Stephenson and Imagine by Chris Rowe.

I love them all. Thanks Crafty Individuals for organising it and thanks to the artists of my Swaps. You are all winners to me!

A bit more spring

I've been playing with my Graphicus Arboretum plate. I wanted to create something that looked a bit like our apple tree when it just starts to flower. I coloured the flowers and leaves with Blonde Moments pearl pigments.

This card uses the cuttlebug, and a magenta stamp that I have used again and again. I coloured it with my watercolour pencils.

A couple of birthday cards.

I sat down to make a card for a colleague's birthday this afternoon. This is the finished article, which I'm pleased with. I used the cuttlebug to cut the nestabilities and emboss the circle. The flowers were from 'A bit more than...' at Edwinstowe and started life looking like this.

I made three flowers from two on the card. The background behind the nestie was stamped using Lavinia Stamps and Peacock Brilliance, using the blue and turquoise parts. Initially I stamped a background using my Versacolour Icicle pad, but it was the wrong shade of blue. I put it on one side, and used it to make this card. All stamps on this one are from Lavinia stamps and I used my 'nesties' again.