Getting Inky and Painty - a card for CHNC

Evening Everyone,

I've gone so out of my comfort zone with this card for Hazel, over on CHNC. She said 'let's get inky and/or painty so I did!

I've used a print I pulled of the Gelli plate recently using sap green and mid-yellow acrylic paint and the Circles Special Touch mask.

It's been sponged with Tim Holtz DIs,, Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw, Shabby Shutters, finishing with just a touch of Festive Berries around the edge.

I then stamped the Penny Black Snowy Park scene in Archival Jet Black. Once dry, I added some iridescent glitter and Polar White Flower Soft to make it look even more wintry.

The greeting was made in the same way using a stamp from the Magical Christmas set by HOTP. Both were then matted on to green Co'redinations, Peeled Paint from the Tim Holtz Distress Collection.

The base is a Kraft card from Docrafts with a layer of Papermania Luxury Velvet Paper Redcurrant Jam, embossed using Cuttlebug's Twinkle folder.

The finishing touches are red mirror card candi (Craft Works) and a double bow in green organza ribbon.

I'm submitting it to the usual challenges:

Hazel's, at Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge 140 - inky and/or painty.

Hazel's other challenge - CHNC Challenge Extra for September - where, as always, the challenge is for anything as long as it's Christmas.

And, of course, Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground Week 88 ... the snippets are the pieces of green Co'redinations card used for matting.

Edit Note: Hazel has suggested that I share this card on The Glory of Christmas challenge 15: 'anything goes' challenge which I'm delighted to do.

It's a complete departure from my normal with this card. The EM loves it - he is drawn to bright colours so he likes the combination of yellow, green and red ... the Boss just sniffed and went back to sleep ... for me the jury is still out. I might just have to sleep on it. 

That's me done for today. I plan an early night ... I've got a good book on the go, Sue Grafton's V is for Vengeance, almost at the end and very keen to find out whodunnit :)

I hope you have all had a lovely day and that you have an enjoyable weekend lined up. 

Take care everyone and happy crafting,

All The Flowers

Afternoon Everyone,

I'm back ... not that I've been anywhere, just had an arthritis flare-up that made me feel ill and out of sorts for a few days. However, felt well enough to get back into the craft room this afternoon and finish off this card.

And I've used so much NBUS (Never Been Used Schtuff) I can't help being pleased with it and think Darnell, who dreamed up the term, will be pleased too :)

And then there's snippets ... only two little ones, but that's better than none and has the added benefit of allowing me to pop over to Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground for the second time this week.

The base of the topper was made by piecing together a wide strip of gunmetal grey pearlescent card and a strip of the white/silver embossed card (Kanban) with a narrow snippet of smooth white card embossed with a Swiss dot (Cuttlebug Just My Type Border) embossing folder to conceal the join. The birthday greeting was stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed in white (docrafts Seafoam White).

To decorated the central area, white American seam binding (Wild Orchid Crafts) and a narrow silver organza ribbon was wrapped around the top of the embossed strip and fixed to the back with adhesive. A piece of scalloped embossed card (Craft Works, I think) was adhered to the bottom edge. Once this was done it was then adhered to the front of the card.

The flower element is from a cut-apart 12x12 sheet of paper - a NBUS bought at my local craft shop a long time ago and I've lost the maker/name information strip. There's several journalling cards on the sheet as well as a few blank ones like this one with it's flower and butterfly design. Although not obvious in the photo, the flowers are glittered. I've used the blank area to stamp the sentiment, All The Flowers by Verve Stamps, Archival Jet Black ink. It was matted on to a square of silver paper (a snippet) before adhering it to the left side of the front of the card. 

The finishing touches - a faux bow was attached to the ribbon trim and pearls were placed in the corners, on the scalloped trim and on the flower element. 

The intended recipient of this card is a keen gardener so I think she will enjoy that lovely sentiment from Verve Stamps ... and, for me, the mix of fonts makes it even more interesting.

I'm hoping to do a bit of catching up over the next few days ... my to-do list is looking chunky. But it is so nice to be crafting again ... I was having withdrawal symptoms and there is only so much daytime TV the EM and The Boss can stand :))

Edit Note: today, just by chance I found the details strip from the 12 x 12 cut-apart sheet that provided the flower element for this card. The details are Craft n Craftin' Pleasure Moments, Item #PM009, made by Best Creation Inc

I hope you are all well and happily crafting away.

Butterfly and Black Lace - a Sunday Snippet card

Evening Everyone,

Here we are in September ... I can hardly believe summer is over. I was so enjoying it, but apparently it is now, according to this morning's news, the meteorological autumn, sigh!

We've been out and about today, window shopping in the local DIY stores ... we're planning a bit of home decorating and that requires research. The EM is big on research! I've now got a bunch of paint swatches and wallpaper samples to mull over ... that's the fun bit :))

Right on to my Snippet card for Pixie's Crafty Workshop ... this one will appeal to all of you who love pink.

Another card that used up a load of stash from the now infamous pile, and a snippet of pink card too. The combination of pink and black reminds me of the 50s ... Doris Day, Elvis Presley, the New Look, Dansette record players and portable radios ... like this ...

... and poodle skirts like this ...

Fabulous! Most of you won't be old enough to remember these but I do, and my pre-teen heart just yearned for a pink radio like the one illustrated :) Enough of this nostalgia, back to the card.

Pink embossed snippet was layered on to black textured paper to form the base of the card topper. Black lace and narrow two tone pink satin ribbon was stretched over the corners and fixed to the back before attaching it to the white A6 size base card. The white die cut label was inked using a stencil and pale pink ink, the greeting stamped in black, and a tiny ribbon bow attached. The silver die-cut butterfly was attached with glue gel to give dimension and decorated with pale pink gems. To finish the front, pink gems were adhered to two of the corners.    

The inside and back were inked using the same stencil and pink ink. 

No list of materials for this card - it's Sunday and, like Jules, I'm going to be lazy.  

Now, back to mulling over those paper samples. 

Take care and happy crafting,