Christmas Wreath with Baubles

Hello again!  I always seem to do two or three posts right at the end of the month!  I need to be more organised and do more through the month.  It all depends on how I am feeling energy wise as to what I get done - M.E.  can be such a pain!  Quick and simple Christmas card today with Cardio stamps - I love them, they are so versatile!  I must use them more often to make some cards other than wreaths - the possibilities are endless I just haven't ventured there yet!

I used stamps from four Cardio sets - Oriental Bloom, Whimsy Christmas, Elegant Baubles and Sweet Hearts.  Using all pigment inks, I began by stamping the twig to make the main structure of the wreath, added all the flowers and leaves then the baubles and hearts.  There is a lot of first, second, third and, even fourth, generation stamping to give depth.  I drew strings for the baubles using a black marker pen then used Glossy Accents on the baubles and glitter for sparkle.  The panel was glued to a red mat then a white card base and is flat for posting!  Always good!  I think I will make more of these!

I would like to enter the following challenges:

February Rudolph Days Challenge by Scrappymo - Anything Christmas.
Christmas Cards All Year Round - Use Red or Pink and add a Heart.
Bizzy Becs - Anything Goes.

I am happy to make Christmas Cards anytime and it gets me ahead for December entering Christmas Challenges nice and early!

Thank you so much for popping by - I am so happy that you have!  Will be popping around blogland over the next few days to see all the lovely makes!  Its never as much as I would like!  So sorry!

Take care!  Christine xxx

Splash!

Hello and welcome to my blog today!  Thank you so much for visiting me - I appreciate it so much!
I called this post 'Splash' cause that is what this awesome Visible Image stamp makes me think of and I have made three cards with it using similar backgrounds but different, all important, words - I just got carried away!  Here they are:

These are the most important words ever!  They come with the stamp:

These words I think are so cool (also come with the stamp).  I see them as saying, do what you want with no worries about tomorrow - just enjoy yourself!  My husband however thought they sounded like doom and gloom that tomorrow is never going to come!  We did have a laugh about it!  I like my interpretation best and I am sure that is what is meant!!!

This last one has words from a Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous set,, Good Thoughts, and I love these words too!

The backgrounds are all made the same - in fact I did two A4 sheets so I had plenty for all the cards and words and some left over.  I used watercolour card and blended Mermaid Lagoon, Wilted Violet and Picked Raspberry Distress Inks over the whole sheet before adding drops of water for texture, spritzed with Abominable Snowman Glimmer Mist then dried.  I used a script stamp and a texture stamp to add some detail in the same inks, then cut the card down, edged with Mermaid Loagoon ink and stamped the image using black Versafine and my Misti stamping tool.  It took lots of impressions on the textured watercolour card to get a perfect silhouette - I couldn't have got it on this particular card without the Misti.  It would have been fine with a clear block on regular stamping card as Visible Image stamps are excellent quality! The words were stamped on bits of leftover card and I edged everything using a thin black marker then glued the words on and added the panels to black square base cards.  I embellished with clear sequins on the first two using Multi Medium Matt and on the third one I added little raindrops cut from blue inked watercolour card using Memory Box die A Little Rain.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

A Vintage Journey - Words that are Special
That's Crafty - Just Words (the words are most important on my cards so I hope that counts!)
Bizzy Becs - Anything Goes

All are fab challenges - worth a peek!

Thank you for popping by and have a fabulous weekend!  Take care! Christine xxx

Valentine's Day!

It's Valentines's Day today!  If you celebrate - have a lovely day and if you don't, have a lovely day! Its not everyone's cup of tea and for some its a sad day or a day full of memories, It makes some people cross!  Whichever it is for you - have the best day you can!  I love (excuse the pun) it!  I can tell Darren (my husband) I love him even more than I do every day anyway!  I know, I am a big softie!  Here is his card:

I started with the main image which is a Crafter's Companion Moonbeam Meadow rubber stamp from the Hugs and kisses set - I just love it!  I stamped it on a scrap of white card in black Versafine and embossed with clear powder then coloured with Promarkers and added a touch of Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen.  Its cut out using Spellbinders Labels Eighteen (which I won from Pixies Snippets Playground last year, thank you Di!).  The large hearts are cut from a piece of leftover inked card from a previous project using dies that were free with a magazine, and the small red hearts were left over from a previous project.  The background stamping is done using two stamps from Avery Elle clear stamp set Lots of Love - stamped in Versamark and embossed with clear powder.  I trimmed the blue card with one of the Stitched Basic E dies from My Favourite Things and glued it to the card base then added the three hearts which are under the main image after working out placement, then popped the image up on foam tape for dimension.  The sentiment is from JustRite clear stamp set Doodled Birds (I love the sentiment so much) its embossed on snippets of the blue card with Veramark and white detail embossing powder.  After I had glued the sentiment to my card, I added the last two blue hearts and all the little red hearts to go with the red roses.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations - Animal Magic.
Penny Black and More - Use your Favourite Stamp (I have lots - this is one of them!).
Pixie's Snippets Playground - Use Snippets.
That's Crafty - I Heart You.
Allsorts Challenge - Hearts and/or Flowers

There is so much fun to be had by entering challenges and loads of inspiration to be found too!

I haven't been around this last week as I have been staying with my Daughter - lots of cuddles from the two Granddaughters which was lovely!  I will be popping around blogland this week for a catch up!

Thank you so much for visiting me, I really appreciate it!
Take care! Christine xxx

Sarah's Birthday Card - Orange and Pink!

I am back with my third post this week!  I will be quiet again for a while after this cause I am off to stay at my Daughter, Sarah's, on Saturday and will be there for nearly a week.  Lots of cuddles with my gorgeous Granddaughters Freya and Millie - collectively known as Frillie!  Sarah's idea!

Its Sarah's birthday tomorrow, here is her card.  She won't be looking at my blog!

I started with Wild Honey, Dried Marigold, Picked Raspberry and Worn Lipstick Distress Inks which I smooshed on my craft sheet and spritzed with water.  I pressed a piece of watercolour card into the wet ink, dried it then dabbed it into more of the ink for interest and also added drops of water which I dabbed off with kitchen roll.  I made another couple of pieces the same so I had one for an insert and one for the sentiment and flowers.

On the background piece I stencilled some swirls with a couple of the inks and stamped an interesting script stamp from Paperartsy HP1306EZ (never used before) which adds more interest to the background.  I thought the swirls would go with the swirls on the sentiment.  I then used my dotty stencil to add some texture paste circles and left to dry overnight.  'Daughter' is a Papermania Typography Stamp (never before used) which I stamped on a piece of my inked watercolour card in Versamark ink and embossed with detail white powder and coloured in with pink, orange and green Promarkers.  'Special' is stamped with Habenero Versafine (never used before) using My Favourite Things Label Maker Sentiments.  The flowers are cut using Crysanthemum Strip die by Cheery Lynn and I Wink of Stella'd them and attached them with brads.  I also used Wink of Stella on the sentiment and the background swirls then added the sequins with Ranger Multi Medium Matte.

I would like to enter the following challenges:

PaperArtsy - Pink and Orange - I got my inspiration from Tracey's tags which were shown on the challenge post - thank you Tracey!

Darnell's NBUS 10 Challenge - Never Before Used Schtuff - Mine are the Paperartsy script stamp, the Daughter stamp and the Habernero ink.  There is an option to use bubblewrap - I didn't but my circles of paste look like bubblewrap???

That's Crafty - Round and round.

All these are fabulous challenges that give so much inspiration!  Thank you!

Thank you so much for visiting me, I really appreciate it!  Take care. Christine xxx